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Letters: A response to Liddick’s column and comments on climate change

RE: Liddick’s “The real meaning of American independence”

Reading Morgan Liddick’s “birthday card” to America on the 4th of July, I recalled a song from the ’50s. Its lyrics went as follows:

“First you say you do, and then you don’t. They you say you will, and then you don’t. You’re undecided now; so, what are you gonna do?”



Some articles ago, Liddick offered to have give-and-take with Liberals and now he doesn’t. Then he claims to be a patriot; but now he seems to be advocating an overthrow of our political system, thus putting an end to the American experiment.

I have to ask, which is it, Morgan, celebration or sedition? Your piece was far more a condemnation of the governmental system of the United States and a peon to overthrowing it than anything that recognized what is good in America that has survived two hundred and forty one years of freely speaking people like yourself.



It wasn’t your advocating an end to health care or welfare for the down-and-out that so painted what you wrote, although you thoroughly nailed the heartlessness of conservative pundits like yourself; it was your anger at where we have arrived in our political life, the selfishness (sic!) of our politicians and the quagmire Washington has been for the years since the ascendancy of the Tea Party.

Patience, my man. We who have served in the military suffered through other really bad political regimes and saw the nation right itself. The pendulum will swing back. We shall all survive… that is, those of us who have blessed and well-earned military, lifetime health care; and your millionaire friends who will continue to afford what health care may yet remain in this country once Medicaid is gone and Medicare is pared way back.

But know this. Revolution more often arises, bubbling up from the masses than occurs from the top down. So beware all those poor people you would have us turn our backs on, Morgan. They may heed your suggested avenue of righting our ship-of-state; but first, they may come for you!

Rabbi Joel R. Schwartzman

Dillon

Human-inflicted climate change

We are directly experiencing a very dangerous effect of human-caused climate change right now with the Peak 2 wildfire. It is happening in an area of the nearby White River National Forest that is filled with dead, beetle-killed lodgepole pine trees. The pine beetle epidemic was caused by the warming climate stressing the trees, making them more susceptible to the naturally occurring beetles, and by the warming climate eliminating long cold spells in the winter that would normally kill off the beetles. Also, the current warm, dry spell we’re experiencing that created the very dangerous ultra-dry conditions that allowed the fire to spread so rapidly is also caused by human-caused climate change.

This very real threat to our lives and property is only one of many reasons why it is so vitally important that every community, including Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon, Silverthorne and Summit County as a whole, do their utmost to adopt 100 percent renewable electricity goals to force our electric utilities to close the coal-fired power plants that are pumping carbon into our atmosphere and are the largest contributing factor to climate change. Write your city council and/or the Summit County commissioners to urge them to adopt resolutions to set goals for community-wide 100 percent renewable electricity use by no later than 2035. With these resolutions in place, they can sit down with XCEL Energy as a powerful block and negotiate a pathway to meet these goals.

To find out what else you can do, Like Facebook.com/100RenewableBreckenridge/ and send a message there or email Campaign Chair Beth Groundwater at beth07@bethgroundwater.com.

Beth Groundwater

Breckenridge

Budget cuts and the Forest Service

In response to the article “Breckenridge wildfire grows to 70 acres, Peak 7 neighborhood evacuated.” The Forest Service and Environmental Protection Agency are facing budget cuts this year, forcing these organizations to compromise their ability to protect the public. The Forest Service is responsible for mitigating wildfires throughout the state. As an avid skier, I understand how the current fire on Peak 7 could be detrimental to the neighborhood and the livelihood of this town. Coming from a Colorado ski town myself, this could cripple the appeal to new skiers from all over the country to experience recreation in the Rocky Mountains. However, as citizens of this state we need to speak out to Senators Bennet and Gardner to make sure they vote against budget cuts that would hurt the Forest Service and EPA.

Morgan Osterling

Boulder


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