We the Republican People

Dear Editors,

The Republican Party in Colorado is back to their old tricks again. They are trying to force all candidates off the ballot that were not hand picked by the elite of the Republican Party. 

The PEOPLE of the Republican Party are not united. The PEOPLE of the Republican Party are not and will not be united behind Norton. The PEOPLE of the Republican Party are not and will not be united behind McInnis. 

We the PEOPLE of the Republican Party want the freedom to choose our own candidates. That is why we hold elections and caucuses. We want to be able to be free to choose who we feel is fit for office. We the people of the Republican Party want to support candidates that stand for our values. We do not want to be told by the elite of the Republican Party who to vote for. Once the PEOPLE of the Republican Party choose a candidate, we will unite behind that candidate? 

The PEOPLE of the Republican Party are not united behind the new platform. The PEOPLE of the Republican Party of Colorado will only be united behind two documents. Those two documents are the Constitution of the United States of America and Constitution of the State of Colorado. 

– Christine Tucker, via e-mail

Statistically speaking

Dear Editors,

In response to Ron Applebee’s commentary entitled “A healthy dose of statistics” in the Dec. 3 issue of theTelegraph:

Well Ron, first - did you know that 86.3 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot? Secondly, all those statistics showing improvements in health care, well, I

– Tim Thomas, Durango

Applauding the Afghanistan surge

Dear Editors,

President Obama and many of his followers have dwelled on the past and attempted to blame George Bush for the country’s ills. The Obama Administration has been in charge for almost a year and should have made more progress toward solving our problems, especially with a Democratic controlled Congress since 2006. It is the easy way out to blame others for problems. Bush could have blamed Clinton for decimating our military, but he didn’t.

Bush was castigated for the Iraq war, but it was Rumsfeld who promoted the “shock and awe” war of taking Iraq with 125,000 troops (Rumsfeld originally requested 75,000 troops) when General Shinseki, the Army Chief of Staff, said we needed 250,000 troops to subdue the Iraqi military and the countryside. The General was correct and the result was the military mess in Iraq. General Petraeus finally got enough troops into Iraq to do the job.

Now, President Obama has added 30,000 troops in Afghanistan to try to decimate the Taliban and al Qaeda. We are in Afghanistan and have to win the war or we risk the emboldenment and potential attacks of terrorists throughout the world.I am pleased President Obama is showing some leadership.

– Donald A. Moskowitz, via e-mail

Thoughts on Christmas

Sitting amongst old parchments and books,

I look out the west window

At the Christmas lights twinkling

From a distant farmhouse

And I am reminded, once again,

Of the meaning of the Season,

For it was with Christ’s birth

That a new foundation of Western Culture

Would occur; no longer would human beings

Be governed by the mercurial or episodic whims

Of despots.

Mankind could now be guided by a new, radical and revolutionary philosophy of love.  Tolerance, kindness, and compassion could now be virtuous.

Thus Christmas Day is a reaffirmation of humankind’s potential for good. The magnitude of the dark universe would always remain but for each of us we could now see ourselves as significant bearers of a light.

Saint Paul once said: “Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” It can be said that Christmas is that quintessential celebration of life, hope and light over the short shadows of our mortality.  

– Burt Baldwin, Ignacio