A world of other options

Dear Editors,

I visited Durango four weeks ago to attend the funeral of my friend, Paul Corley, who committed suicide, following accusations of sexual touch in his private practice, and the ensuing article in the Durango Herald.

I don't know what occurred in Paul's sessions, but if I could snap my fingers with some omnipotent power, I would fly back to that moment in Paul's truck, remove the 38 from his mouth, and show him all the resources and options he had, even given the circumstance.

Secondly, I would go and plead for an alternative to something that has bothered me for years: the way our culture is currently dealing with nonviolent, nonforced transgressions that are sexual in nature.

To make this point clear: if I was raped, or held down against my will in a variety of situations, there would be no end to the level of my vengeance. I could imagine taking it all the way, doing every thing in my power to extract justice.

If I was in a therapeutic setting, though, and the practitioner suddenly touched me in a way that I did not feel was therapeutic at all, or was only done to provoke a sexual response from me or the practitioner, I could think of a hierarchy of options open to me; a sort of first-to-last to-do list. It might start with getting off the table and confronting the practitioner. If my shock of the situation didn't settle in until the next day, or the next week, I might storm back into their office, or call their spouse, or threaten to contact their governing board of ethics.

The last option on that hierarchical list, though, perhaps second only to a retaliatory act of violence, would be reporting this skin real estate transgression to the police. It is not that I am against our police force, on the contrary. I simply would know that by choosing our court system, I had chosen a path of no return. I would be certain that, for all intents and purposes, my therapist's life was ruined.

There are those that read that last sentence, and think, "Good, it's ruined. They touched me, I didn't like it, and now they need to go to jail for 20 years." Hey, I completely get vengeance. When my stepdaughter was murdered two years ago, I felt it in full force, full regalia. So I know firsthand that there is little chance of convincing vengeful people of alternatives. I heard that someone told Paul, on the day of his arrest, "I'm going to take you down." I can't help that person. I doubt any one can.

I knew Paul well. He was one of my best friends, and one of the few people that helped my wife heal when all hell was breaking loose. And I would have been first in line to completely berate Paul and get him disbarred if I learned that he was tricking clients into sexual touch. But in between a moment of inappropriate touch and the police station, there lies a world of other options, and more importantly, a world of true healing. Only someone with hate in their heart would have wanted Paul to suffer the way he did.

It is such a mess, this whole sorry way we have taught ourselves to deal with this issue. I am so sorry for everyone involved.

- Scott Ohlgren,

via e-mail

Dear Editors,

The Forest Service seems to be "inspired" to mow the forest with some new hydromower. It appears the Forest Service is bending to political pressure and has developed a plan merely to appease a few, at the expense of many. It IS NOT the responsibility of the National Forest Service or the taxpayer to provide developers with public lands for the purpose of creating a buffer zone around their private developments. If a mowed forest buffer zone is needed for a development it is a matter for private property owners to deal with on their own property and at the expense of those property owners.

I have seen the aftermath of the hydromower both in the Falls Creek area and at the Hermosa Creek trailhead. It is nothing less than a horrible scar on the land and it makes me ill to think the taxpayers are funding this senseless destruction of such a beautiful resource as our national forest.

I understand the Forest Service has a plan to deal with the problems that will result from this ridiculous "thinning procedure."

I have to wonder how long the Forest Service will be committed to erosion control, noxious weed control and animal-habitat mitigation after they disrupt the natural forest setting.

Seems like a better idea might be to leave the forest alone and tell the folks who feel the need to hydromow the forest to consider relocating to a more fireproof environment, like say, an apartment in the suburbs.

I have, and I believe many other people in the area have, settled here in large part because of the forests and not in spite of them. Many folks accept the possibility of a forest fire as part of the package when you settle near a national forest just as bears, deer, elk and raccoons are a part of life here.

The forests are for all of us to enjoy rather than a buffer zone for a few.

Please help protect the forests!

- Sincerely,

Greg Bruckbauer