Giving Durango a strong voice

Dear Editors,

Much has been made about the resolution passed by Durango City Council to support our troops by bringing them home and to provide greater funding for our veterans.

It is the opinion of thousands of Durango citizens, of all political colors, that yes, this war has significant ramifications for Durango and that our community voice is relevant to the national debate. The council was asked to weigh in. Many, many of us appreciate and recognize that it took strength, guts and brave leadership to bring this issue before the community.

When we send our treasure and our children to war, it becomes a local issue. The $60 million La Plata County has spent in Iraq the past five years could have built a lot of parks, provided health care and affordable housing for many, and fixed quite a few pot holes.

Gov. Ritter recently said, “Whatever you believe about the war, you cannot deny this is a state issue.” As it is a state issue, it is a Durango issue. State governments don’t determine foreign policy any more than city governments. The state government sent a strong message … and Durango has just done exactly the same thing – nothing more, nothing less.

Most Americans believe this war a catastrophic blunder as do most Durangoans. Our council has just given Durango citizens a stronger voice opposing it. Our federal representatives have heard it, our president has heard it and our neighbors have heard it.

It is a long American tradition for local governments to weigh in on important national issues of the day. This began in New England long before our revolution, and has continued ever since – town councils have expressed opinions about revolution, slavery, immigration, power plants and war. In this great American tradition, 300 cities and towns across America have passed similar resolutions about Iraq.

This resolution is nothing radical. I applaud this council for providing leadership and giving Durango a strong voice regarding the Iraq war.

– Erich Bussian, chairman, La Plata County Democratic Party

A renegade letter

Dear Editors,

I am the co-chair of Montezuma Rally Inc. Sugar Pine Ranch Rally. There was a letter that was printed in your paper from Mac Musick. This was a renegade letter that was not approved by the Board of Directors.

This letter was his own thoughts and should have never been written with the title of “director of marketing and promos for Sugar Pine Ranch Rally.” We, as the Board of Directors, do not share his thoughts or beliefs on this matter that he wrote about. We welcome all in the area to promote the motorcycle events on Labor Day weekend and must publicly apologize to those who supported us in the Durango area, and we want to continue to cultivate our relationship with the Durango area and merchants. We had a very successful event this year and will continue to cultivate our supporters. Thank you for printing this letter of apology.

– Alan (Grizz) Seaton, co-chair, Montezuma Rally Sugar Pine Ranch Rally

The radioactive dinner table

To the Editors:

I am writing to express my concern about the possible weakening or elimination of labeling requirements for irradiated food currently under consideration by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For those who don’t know, food irradiation is a process where food is exposed to high levels of radiation in order to kill bacteria and extend shelf life.

It is an outrage that the government would even consider taking away our right to know if the food we buy in a supermarket has been treated with radiation. It is bad enough that we have no way of knowing whether the food we eat in restaurants, school cafeterias, hospitals (or anywhere prepared foods are served), has been treated with radiation.

Food products undergo chemical changes after exposure to radiation. These cosmetic and nutritional changes in food warrant disclosure on a prominent place on the package. In addition, food that is not packaged should be accompanied by a poster in plain view of where it is displayed for sale. Labels are required by law to be truthful and not misleading to the customer. Only clear, honest and permanent labeling is acceptable for irradiated foods.

Instead of weakening or eliminating labeling requirements, the FDA needs to strengthen them. Studies show that most consumers, including myself, want irradiated food clearly labeled because we don’t want to buy or eat it. It is my right to know exactly what kind of food I am buying to feed my family.

– Sincerely, Jennifer Brown, via e-mail

A strong vote in favor of citizens

Dear Editors,

I would like to open by thanking City Councilors Scott Graham, Leigh Meigs and Renee Parsons, who voted with the majority of the people peacefully assembled, to exercise their rights under our Constitution to protest our government’s foreign policy. Michael Rendon, who was not present, wrote a letter of support.

Of course, President Bush will ignore us. He is a president who prides himself on not following current events and polls. That is the job of his advisors. They will inform him on what he needs to know. Of course, these are advisors he has chosen for their personal loyalty over competence. This is the president who screens his audiences for party loyalty and ideological purity, because dissent makes for poor photo ops.

Fortunately, America is not a dictatorship, and although change can be agonizingly slow, our country has met other crises in the past and for the most part moved progressively forward and generally in the interest of its citizens.

– James Mooney, Durango

Learning to be compassionate

Dear Editors,

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed the added pressures on those locally with mental illnesses who are underemployed or uninsured? There are more visibly ill persons because they can not afford or get medications. What are the problems causing this? I have written this list of possibilities.

One....Can’t get meds

Two ...Can’t afford low income house

Three...Can’t afford food

Four.....Go off meds, can’t work, lose housing

Five ....More are homeless

Six......More tangles with law, i.e. no meds, no home, and so on.

Seven ...More survival tactics, living in campsites, frequently moving due to large fines.

Eight ....Others fear them, there are many mentally ill none of them are people to be afraid of more than your other neighbors.

How can we help? If you know someone who is having a difficult time, take time to talk. Provide temporary or permanent housing. Join the local NAMI advocacy group. Take the family to classes provided locally for no fee by NAMI. Gain understanding. Be more compassionate. One in five Americans will have a major bout with a mental illness in their lifetime. Maybe you, maybe your brother.

– Margaret Pacheco, via e-mail

Trouble in Upstate

Dear Editors,

This is a response to a letter written to the editor of theWhitehall Times newspaper of Whitehall, N.Y. The letter was written by Jim Cross, of Durango, and appeared in the Aug. 30 issue. Although I don’t presently live there, Whitehall is my hometown; most of my family resides there, and I visit often. It’s a great little town with a lot of great people.

Mr. Cross wrote to complain about a speeding ticket he received in Whitehall while traveling from the Catskills to Vermont. He did not claim to be innocent, but did complain that the total fine was $355. He assumed the hefty sum was due, in part, to a ticket he had received in NYS in 1983 and never paid. He went on to ponder whether there is a statute of limitations on such offenses and to accuse Whitehall of generating income through speeding tickets. He also asked Whitehall to “consider trying a little hospitality” and stated he will advise others not to travel through Whitehall, N.Y.

Well, Mr. Cross, I have to say... “Get over it!” You committed a crime and paid for it. It is not Whitehall’s fault that you chose to speed through their town. It is also not Whitehall’s fault that you chose to speed through NYS 24 years ago and decided to ignore the ticket you received as a result. You claim you were “saddened to see (your) own home state reduced to this.” It seems to me that you thumbed your nose at your home state 24 years ago and again just recently by thinking you shouldn’t have to obey its laws.

Finally, I believe you’re confused as to the definition of hospitality. To draw an analogy, you apparently believe that if I were to have you as a guest in my house, in order to be hospitable I would be obligated to look the other way if you decided to walk out the door with my valuables. I don’t think anyone is that hospitable.

– Jill McKee,Whitehall Native Who Couldn’t Care Less if You Travel Through Whitehall Again

Alarming news from Washingon

Dear Editor:

As an administrator for a dialysis clinic, I have the privilege to care for patients in my community. In the Unites States there are over 350,000 citizens that require dialysis to sustain life, and the majority of these patients rely on the Medicare dialysis benefit to pay for this service. Many of these patients could reside within your community.

As your readers may know, dialysis is a blood-cleansing process necessary for those who have lost kidney function. The care is not optional – short of a kidney transplant, dialysis treatments are (simply put) life-saving.

There is a debate in Washington, D.C., that will cut future Medicare payments for these life-saving treatments. I find it alarming (as a caregiver and citizen) that our elected officials are threatening to cut this Medicare benefit, especially when many policymakers know that this program is already under funded as it stands.

Clearly, our elected officials must ensure that this cut is reversed. It is necessary to ensure quality care for the citizens in our community and our country who rely on dialysis for quality of care and quality of life.

– Sincerely, Bob Dority, Aurora

Birds and bees

Meadowlarks’ songs trill across the fields

stopping me in busy tracks

as they call out Spring’s celebration

A silent fear

asks the unanswerable –

Will these migrators of beauty

be x’d away

like the bees

And us?

– Veryl Rosenbaum, Ignacio