Opinion & Letters to the Editor

Do not overlook Marines’ role in Vietnam
Letters to the Editor

Do not overlook Marines’ role in Vietnam

May 16, 2015

While there is no doubt the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force made significant contributions to the war effort, enlisted Marines bore a disproportionate share of casualties. Of the total…

Violence means the rioters are winning
Letters to the Editor

Violence means the rioters are winning

May 16, 2015

What’s up with the parenting in these rioting communities? Statically, 73 percent of fathers in poor families are not available to their children. “Mother of The Year,” seen smacking her…

A difference of First Amendment rights
Letters to the Editor

A difference of First Amendment rights

May 16, 2015

I went downtown recently, grabbed a grass burger and walked to the train station. As I glanced across the street, I saw a disheveled, long-bearded man sitting on a bench…

Death with dignity
Editorials

Death with dignity

May 16, 2015

Byrne’s journey could have been eased with humane laws

Issue time-limited panhandling licenses
Letters to the Editor

Issue time-limited panhandling licenses

May 16, 2015

I have compassion for those who fall on hard times and need support to get going again. The difference that I believe is grating for some people is when you…

Vietnam sentiments are not all negative
Letters to the Editor

Vietnam sentiments are not all negative

May 16, 2015

I visited China and North Vietnam in 2003 with a very small tourist group, mostly from Durango. Our guide in Hanoi, who spoke perfect English and had a degree in…

Why is the third DUI a misdemeanor?
Letters to the Editor

Why is the third DUI a misdemeanor?

May 14, 2015

Let’s hope that there are not too many injuries and deaths that happen on our roads between the third and fourth offense. Road slaughter should not be an included option…

Church offering grief counseling, support
Letters to the Editor

Church offering grief counseling, support

May 14, 2015

Jesse Denier, our youth director, and I spent much of Wednesday at Miller Middle School with students and staff. I also spent time Thursday at Riverview Elementary School. It is…

Vietnam stories brought back memories
Letters to the Editor

Vietnam stories brought back memories

May 14, 2015

My cousin and I lost our boyfriends in that war. Hers was a helicopter pilot; mine was a medic. A few years later, when I was in graduate school at…

dZi fosters sustainable development
Letters to the Editor

dZi fosters sustainable development

May 14, 2015

The dZi Foundation works in some of the most remote communities in eastern Nepal. During its almost 20 years in Nepal, it has built 18 schools, 20 water systems, 17…

County sends strong lands message
Letters to the Editor

County sends strong lands message

May 14, 2015

Commissioner Brad Blake showed exemplary Republican leadership, proving that protecting public lands is a bipartisan concern. Our public lands here in La Plata County and the Four Corners receive visitors…

Aid-in-dying laws could benefit many
Letters to the Editor

Aid-in-dying laws could benefit many

May 14, 2015

Although 68 percent of Coloradans believe that a competent, terminally ill adult should have a say in how he will die, our lawmakers aren’t there yet. They continue to focus…

Dogs and parks
Editorials

Dogs and parks

May 14, 2015

Advisory board correctly says ‘no’ to off-leash dogs in more city parks

Playing music beats simple begging
Letters to the Editor

Playing music beats simple begging

May 14, 2015

Instead of playing a wonderful classical violin concerto by Bach, Beethoven or Mozart, his music sounded like his own impromptu version of something he had perhaps just heard by the…

Hillary a hypocrite on women’s rights
Letters to the Editor

Hillary a hypocrite on women’s rights

May 12, 2015

Though we don’t see it highlighted much, the foundation that the Clintons run accepts huge donations from the royal family of Saudi Arabia – a fundamentalist Sunni state where any…

Recognize consequences of indifference
Letters to the Editor

Recognize consequences of indifference

May 12, 2015

There are many racial and ethnic groups in this country that aren’t indifferent to these things and, as a consequence, they have managed to become successful members of society. Within…

Re-elect Heather Erb to LPEA board
Letters to the Editor

Re-elect Heather Erb to LPEA board

May 12, 2015

She has the exceptional ability to balance adherence to principle with pragmatic compromise. Her past success, intellectual and emotional intelligence, and sense of “servant leadership” has more than helped her…

Sprinkler rules
Editorials

Sprinkler rules

May 12, 2015

Safety, cost and response time should factor into county decision

New byway central to the stories of many
Letters to the Editor

New byway central to the stories of many

May 12, 2015

Without this, drivers might be unaware that the road follows a corridor that spans over 1,000 years of Colorado and New Mexico history, compressed into a 125-mile length. With the…

Heather Erb has served LPEA impressively
Letters to the Editor

Heather Erb has served LPEA impressively

May 12, 2015

I’m significantly impressed with how forward-thinking the LPEA board has been, maintaining current quality service as it looks to the needs of future customers and changing technologies. Carolyn Moller Durango

Vote now for Bassett, Dubit or Erb
Letters to the Editor

Vote now for Bassett, Dubit or Erb

May 12, 2015

Britt Bassett in District 3 (city of Durango) has a master’s degree in nuclear engineering, has worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and has been part of the…

Send greenies back to big cities
Letters to the Editor

Send greenies back to big cities

May 12, 2015

Homeowners save pennies with weather stripping but are robbed blind by green-energy social engineers who have ridden the backs of the so-called fossil-fuel energies to get where they are and…

LPEA board expenditures were misstated
Letters to the Editor

LPEA board expenditures were misstated

May 12, 2015

Further investigation into those numbers show that the 2013 numbers in the 2014 financial report to the board were decreased from those presented in 2013, which is why it appeared…

Make up own mind in LPEA election
Letters to the Editor

Make up own mind in LPEA election

May 12, 2015

First of all, Givon sounds like he is reading a biased script from San Juan Citizens Alliance. All of the actual leaders in agriculture in La Plata County meet with…

Zeller’s accusations were inaccurate
Letters to the Editor

Zeller’s accusations were inaccurate

May 12, 2015

The majority of the board voted against requiring candidates to sign an affidavit that they were qualified to run because it is redundant and unnecessary. The bylaws state what the…

Francis and Cuba
Editorials

Francis and Cuba

May 12, 2015

addition to faith, the pope is showing the world diplomacy and leadership

What was sprayed on Oxbow land, why?
Letters to the Editor

What was sprayed on Oxbow land, why?

May 11, 2015

What was sprayed? I hope it wasn’t Roundup, which has been shown to be toxic to humans in recent research. Why was this necessary? I thought this was an environmentally…