Offer a coal alternative

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(Re: “Another lump of coal,” Danish Plan, Dec. 17.) While I found the article by Mr. Danish amusing, he does nothing to propose where the computing center should have been built and thus what type of electrical generation should be used. Had the center been built here in Boulder, guess what? It would be powered by that same coal from Wyoming. But first that coal would have to be delivered (by diesel locomotive) to our lovely coalfired Valmont station from Wyoming!

Wind power sounds great, but, hey, there’s a whole lot more of that around Cheyenne than Boulder, as well. (You’ll notice windmills all around Cheyenne, but none around Boulder). I wouldn’t diss the solution without proposing a better alternative.

Jim Bryant/Boulder

Other lost ski areas

(Re: “The lost roots of Colorado skiing,” Elevation, Dec. 17.) I enjoyed your article on the ski areas past … and I had not been aware of the one near Greeley. Several years ago I ran across a framed poster on a condo wall in Vail that listed something like 50 or 60 deceased ski areas in the state. I was surprised at there being so many. I assume you know about Vail Meadows. Located just off the interstate in Minturn, those runs are still visible. Back in the 1970s, I skied Guanella Pass a few times. At one point, former Colorado Gov. John Love owned that area, but it’s closed now, and I think the lifts have been removed. Also, Marble had an actual lift at one point and operated on a limited basis for a couple of years.

Stagecoach is sitting some 25 miles south of Steamboat. It’s very visible, and I think all the lifts are in place. It only lasted a few seasons, but there was actually a small area at Genesee, but as you might guess — snow issues!

Richard Lanman/via Internet

Think vegan

A novelty only 30 years ago, meat-free diets are rapidly becoming the fashion for people who care about their family’s and their planet’s health. Here are recent indicators:

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of animals killed for food in the U.S. this year is expected to drop by 6 percent from 2008.

Jonathan Foer’s Eating Animals and two other vegan books have made the bestseller list.

Meat industry exposé Food, Inc. is being considered for an Oscar nomination.

Cargill, ConAgra and other animal butchering empires, have launched a number of vegan food products.

In March, the respected National Cancer Institute reported that people who ate the most red meat were “most likely to die from cancer, heart disease and other causes.”

In July, the conservative American Dietetic Association has affirmed that “vegetarian and vegan diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”

In the November issue of World Watch magazine, two World Bank scientists have claimed that meat production may account for more than half of manmade greenhouse gas emissions.

The dawn of the New Year is a great time to explore the new dietary fashion and all the delicious, healthful vegan foods in our supermarkets.

Rudolph Helman/Boulder

Did we expect too much?

Question. Is it possible that we fiercely loyal Barack Obama
supporters may well have been, at best, extremely presumptuous and, at
worst, a bit racist in assuming that he would be a more aggressive and
assertive personality because he is black and athletic? Now we find out
how mild a character and how faint of heart he can be when dealing with
the very disloyal opposition Tories — oops, I mean reactionary
Republicans — supporting the Patriot Act and making too many
minimalistic, cosmetic changes. Now his charm and our naivety begin to
wear off. It has, indeed, been disappointing. Nonetheless, I support
the American president and applaud his efforts in general, while
keeping my fingers crossed that he can/will for all of us be successful.

Grant D. Cyrus/Boulder

Mourning America

America is being
mourned the world-over this day. Nations around the globe that held
America as the great hope of freedom, liberty, justice and the model
for every human being to aspire to see that it has been doused by a
greedy, power-hungry partisan political apparatus. Over 233 years of
sacrifice for the ideal that we have a federal government “for all the people” have been shattered under the disguise of health care.

Our
warriors by the hundreds of thousands have sacrificed, bled and died
for all of America, not just part of America, not just for a few
states, nor has America ever asked a few states to pick up the burden
of freedom for the entire United States. A few dishonorable senators
have milked the American people for their own selfish agenda,
penalizing the bulk of America to fund special programs within selected
states, at the expense of citizens of other states.

This
is only the beginning of understanding the damage and cost to freedom
included in the Senate and House of Representatives health care
legislation. I personally condemn, reject and abhor the selfish action
of Sen. Bill Nelson, my senator from Florida, for his despicable action
in pursuing special favor for Florida at the expense of the remaining
49 U.S. states. Whatever happened to “E Pluribus Unum”?

Harry Riley/Crestview, Fla.

Throw a flag on the NFL

The Wall Street
banksters, company CEOs and our own government are not the only ones
taking us down the road of hard knocks. The National Football League,
along with paid TV, is also pushing the average American’s tolerance
out of the playing field.

The facts are that
our 2009 Christmas NFL game was on the paid NFL Network, all Thursday
and Saturday games were televised on the NFL Network and all 16 Monday
Night NFL games were on the ESPN paid network. With half time over and
the second half of the game continuing, here are more penalty flags.
Future headlines will read:

“Boy,
Have We Got Something Good For You Football Fans!” Listen to this, all
future NFL football games will be played on paid TV, and because you’re
such loyal fans you can pay only $200 a month plus, plus … (Get the
picture? No punts intended.)

Time
out. We get our fill of car and pharmaceutical advertising, and on
numerous occasions these commercials run overtime into the game playing
on the field. After the bombardment of commercials and finally back to
the game, ads and highlighted text continue flashing over the beautiful
scenery, the people in the audience and always over the cheerleaders,
detracting from what used to be a great part of American football on
TV. The unconscionable advertising mindgames go on continually
throughout the game, with ads encroaching in different areas on our
screen.

On the
sidelines, loyal fans, old timers, along with the unemployed, are
already on a dreary march to endless tailgating. Not only have the
morally bankrupt elite trashed our economy, but now they are after our
few pleasures in life, such as watching American football on TV, with a
quarterback sneak from the Wall Street casinos.

Armchair
quarterbacks living on very limited incomes, using antennas to watch TV
with that “new black box” (another sore subject), are left on the dark
side of the tube. The NFL, in conjunction with the paid TV kickbacks,
leaves us no instant replay to review.

We are down to the two-minute warning. If we all boycott paid football networks on TV maybe we can get this bad call overruled!

Dave Johnson/Erie

Obama is not a citizen

A basic foundational
premise of the Constitution — that the president must be a
“natural-born citizen” — has been in constant violation since Nov. 4,
2008.

Obama does not fit
this Constitutional mandate. He is not now, nor can he ever be, a
“natural born citizen” — he may be a “native born” citizen (born on
U.S. territory), but can never be called “natural born.” The difference
is this: “natural born” is all about sovereignty.

Sovereign
rules of “natural law” are easily understood when you compare it to
that of dog breeding; such as toy poodle breeds. Two authentic
(certified) toy poodles that mate, in-turn, procreate a purebred toy
poodle. This “pure-bred” toy poodle is a product of sovereign, natural
law of breeds. Meaning, an authentic toy poodle mating with another
authentic toy poodle begets an authentic, natural law born, toy poodle.

This
is what the U.S. Constitution speaks of for the term “natural born.” It
can be further understood as this — an authentic toy poodle mating with
any other breed of dog violates the sovereignty of the breed, thus it
is no longer a pure-bred (sovereign) toy poodle breed.

This
same sovereignty of “natural laws” and “natural rights,” to be “natural
born,” means you inherit your sovereign rights as a citizen through,
and from, your parents. The occupation of the office of president of
the United States was, and is, intended to be a natural right and not a
legal privilege. That is why the Constitution framers specifically
stated this office is to be filled by one who is natural born of U.S.
citizenship, without ties, connections or parents of foreign descent.
Thus the “president” would not have split allegiance and split
loyalties to foreign powers or foreign lands; nor cannot be blackmailed
or threatened because of having immediate family in foreign lands.

Obama
is born of a minor age American and a Kenyan (British) father. Whether
he was born in the U.S. is irrelevant — he is a product of two
different citizenships. The sovereignty of U.S. citizens has been
violated (as above) because of being born via two different citizenship
alliances. It’s that simple.

Thus there is no way he can be eligible to be president of this nation, period.

So right now, at this moment in time, this country has no president, no leader, no commander in chief — only a usurper.

Any bill Obama signs, any veto, any treaty, any executive order, any and all of it, is illegal, invalid and void.

Rich Reamer/Crofton, Md.

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