Funding frackers
We weren’t exactly shocked to learn that the Colorado Oil and Gas Association has reportedly shelled out more than $110,000 to fight the city of Boulder’s ballot measure extending its moratorium on oil and gas exploration by five years.
Yes, that’s quite a bit more than the $3,800 that has been raised by the “Yes on 2H” group, but by now we’re used to big corporate interests trying to buy our elections in Boulder County.
Isn’t this what the Occupy movement was about? Fighting industry’s attempts to throw its moneyed weight around to get its way and circumvent the democratic process?
Xcel has been guilty of it multiple times in the city of Boulder’s municipalization process and is at it again.
But our local citizens are pretty smart. The people saw through it before, and we think they’ll see through it again. Despite all of the ads and paid door-to-door shills.
Comcast and other telecommunications companies were guilty of it when the city of Longmont dared to try to use its own fiber-optic network to offer high-speed Internet service to its residents. The first time, in 2009, industry won with a negative, misleading campaign.
The second time, in 2011, the people saw through it, and prevailed. Again, despite all of the money going into the ads, fliers and door-knockers, voters realized what was really going on.
We like to think that independent journalism had a little bit to do with that, and we trust that the same will happen again this time around, whether it’s the oil and gas moratorium in Boulder or the final vote on the fiber-optic network in Longmont.
As a wise man once said, power to the people. Right on.
Adopt an ass
Hope you didn’t miss this one. On Oct. 12, there was an event at the History Colorado Center in Denver in honor of … wait for it … adopting wild burros.
Yes, apparently there are more than 1,300 wild burros in federal holding facilities in the western United States, and they need your help. The rate of wild burro adoptions has plummeted. Who knew?
So, how does this work, exactly? Is this like backyard chickens, where you just let one graze on your lawn? We really meant to find out, but then this thing called the Great American Beer Festival happened.
Still, it sounds like an interesting deal. The Humane Society of the United States, along with the Bureau of Land Management’s Colorado office and Great Escape Mustang Society, hosted the event, which was attended by Jack and Jenny, two gen-you-wine, live burros. The event was intended to inform the public about the society’s fiveyear “Platero Project,” which is being funded by a $760,000 grant from an anonymous donor in an effort to promote the protection and adoption of these crazy donkeys. Sorry, wild burros.
But seriously, the burro was, like, key to the exploration and development of the West. What would the settlers and miners have done without burros to carry all of their stuff?
Get your ass in gear. For more information, check out http://bit.ly/H0CxtK.
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
