Letters: 3/24/16

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The wrong GMO question
Joel Dyer [Re: “Dyertimes,” March 17] laments the lack of action on GMOs by Boulder County on county-owned land. The failure is quite simple, and it’s the anti-GMO crowd, not the commissioners, who screwed up. They chose the wrong battle. The problem isn’t GMO’s per se; it’s that particular GMO’s allow, even encourage, massive over-use of pesticides.

The problem has been re-stated often enough: way too much glyphosate, and used in ways that it can’t clear from the crop and the soil. If you presented the county with evidence of serious residues of glyphosate in crops grown on county land, you’d have an open-and-shut case.

There’s a huge difference between GE to create resistance to pesticides, and GE to create resistance to diseases. Just imagine, for example, if tomatoes could be genetically modified to have resistance to Verticillium and Fusarium Wilts! Oh, wait, that’s already been done, but by conventional breeding instead of gene-splicing. But it’s genetic modification, and it works, and we accept it because the result is what we want: less use of pesticides, not more.

Imagine if apple rootstock could be engineered (one way or another) to be resistant to fireblight. Would you accept that as an alternative to the fact that commercial orchards are sprayed with an antibiotic — did you know that? Lesser of evils?
Choose the right battle! Saying “GMOs are bad” is as simplistic and wrong as “Drugs are bad.” Sorry, but you have to think and discriminate more than that.
Dick Dunn/Hygiene

And another thing about Trump
I promised myself not to say anything more about Trump until the American people stop him at the polls in November, but apparently cannot control myself unfortunately. He was caught on tape looking down in his lap, marveling at his hands and then reflected on his gene pool, saying how much he admired his strong German genes.

As a man of mixed colors this is at the center of my personal problem with him. I really don’t wanna start hearing about any superior genes, ergo races, so called inferior cultures, what have you, that’s all. Way too dangerous a conversation with this guy and his irrational following or “movement.” Thanks,
Grant D. Cyrus/Boulder

A crossroads
We find ourselves introspective, contemplating our future through our past. Massive discontent with the “status quo” manifests itself via waving signs and ballots in favor of a rabid real estate tycoon or a self-proclaimed socialist from the most rural state in the Union.

In nearly every way the protest is the same. But the angst arises from a misplaced accusation: government did not get us into our mess alone, or even mostly, though the efforts expended by GOP fools on the Hill accomplished plenty. These snake-oil salesmen seems determined to prevent Barack Obama doing anything the least bit presidential. Mitch McConnell admits it when he states that the next Chief Executive should select a Supreme Court justice, whoever it is. Really?

McConnell represents a state that may have decent high schools, but I couldn’t swear by it. Every eighth grader I have known can tell you that the President of the United States is elected by everyone. If that isn’t “let[ting] the People choose” the next high court occupant, what is? I wonder if many of these Republicans call Obama “boy” in private. Their contempt has us in a hole. Can we dig out of it?

Not with the tools offered us now. Some wonder if Trump is a Democratic plant, sent to torpedo the GOP for good. An attractive object, but too far out even for a conspiracist like myself. But what if he is some kind of a “stalking horse” for someone even less palatable to our true democratic sensibilities?

Imagine a deadlocked convention, riots like 1968 in Chicago, and Governor Kasich needing to call out the National Guard. Oh, the irony. This year’s GOP convention is in Cleveland, sharing the state where Kent State is and happened. What kind of “white knight” might certain elements “discover” to relieve the pressure?

Actually, the one who comes closest to reality for me is Sanders. The perps we should seize and depose are the ones — the only ones — who benefit both from immigration and stagnation, from inflation as well as deflation. They have been called the 1 percent, but who signs the pink slip is irrelevant; it’s just as pink regardless.

The sad truth is that a President can do little at most to undo the moneyed stranglehold in which our society and economy exist. The last one who tried was shot down in Texas.

I sense a dark period in our collective near future — a kink in our history, or worse. There is no whiff of compromise, no gentility, and no overarching sense of reason.

The rest of the world laughs its socks off, while harboring tangible fear of what may become of what has passed for western civilization. I have always hoped we put the genie back in the bottle in late April 1945. Ominous quaking in the base of the American pyramid gives me pause.

I have long told those who would listen that “it” can happen here. To doubt that is to usher it in.
Gregory Iwan/Longmont

Open letter to Boulder City Council members
After reading the Boulder Daily Camera story about the many qualified applicants for the Transportation Advisory Board I want to encourage you to appoint Anna Reid, a paralegal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Boulder’s Transportation Advisory Board.

She is the most qualified and obvious person to round out the other members of the board and bring added perspective.
Thanks for your consideration.

I do not know Anna. My reason to endorse her for the position is the overwhelming data that proves “livable communities” must serve the most vulnerable; low income, people with special abilities, people with small children and/or the elderly. By doing this, the transportation system will serve everyone.

The board members needs to represent those with the most need for varied and improved transportation options.
Deborah Holvey/Boulder

Religious test?
We do have a religious test to come into the U.S. We do not allow practitioners of religions like headhunting and cannibalism to come to the U.S. to practice cannibalism and headhunting.

All of you are misleading people by not telling them that religious freedom does not extend to religions that engage in human sacrifice and so the Constitution does not protect all religious beliefs as you liars in the press claim.

And this includes the human sacrifice promoted by the religion of Islam.
David Vallaire/via Internet

Open letter to The Honorable Mayor Hancock:

On behalf of DHOL, (Denver Homeless Outloud), we plead with you that under your authority as our mayor, that you order an immediate stop to the inhumane ongoing sweep of our houseless brothers and sisters.

Houseless people through no fault of their own living in public space, have no choice but to use tarps, tents, sleeping bags, anything for shelter that is in direct violation of the urban camping band.

The city is stating that the meager possessions they have to survive will be confiscated, placed into lockers, and stored for 30 days. Mayor Hancock, our question is with nothing, how are these people supposed to survive? Kindly explain to us sir, how without an ID can they retrieve their possessions? Walking around without an ID leaves them vulnerable for arrest now adding to their traumatic fate.

City officials states, “No shelters have turned away any homeless people.” Showing no disrespect sir, this is not true. What is not being stated is that shelters operate on a lottery system Monday through Friday. Overflow mostly after 7 p.m. do not accept anyone. Soon the E shelter is due to close shortly.

The Point in Time for 2015, counted (an under count) of 3,456 homeless persons in Denver are experiencing homelessness on any given night. The city lists 1,500 emergency shelter beds (mostly mats). So mathematically this is 9 people for 4 beds, meaning that its impossible for all our homeless to have shelter as there aren’t enough.

As the mayor of our great city of Denver, which has recently been named the best city in the U.S. to live in, you have a great responsibility as our elected official to see to it that all citizens receive the best to enjoy our great city’s lifestyle.

It has been said, “The measure of a society is how they treat their weakest and most vulnerable members.” Our brothers and sisters currently residing on our streets are them.

Again on the behalf of DHOL, we implore you to immediately call off the sweeps. In the article, a noted leader in our community and nationally recognized, John Parvensky stated, ”Criminalization isn’t the answer.” We are looking forward to working with you on this crisis in the most humane manner for the benefit of our houseless and housed citizens in this beautiful city of Denver. Thank you for your time.

Denver Homeless Outloud