Behind curtain, animals suffer
To the editor,
Wild animals and domesticated animals are different.

Elephants walk 20 miles a day in nature and are highly connected to their families. Performing in two to three shows a day and travelling most of the year in tiny cages to a new town every day speaks for itself. Bull hooks and electric prods are used in the training; wounds covered with make-up.

Baby elephants separated from their moms, whom they normally follow for life, are forced into completely unnatural positions with ropes  – all so later on they can perform tricks needed for human entertainment. All the evidence including undercover footage is available online.
Federal regulations will continue to be tightened, and the USDA will soon enough walk in at the right time, because cruelty can not be hidden anymore, and our mindsets to what is acceptable is changing.

The circus that just visited La Plata County is known for extreme abuse and that goes for the next one visiting Durango on June 2.  Therefore, I will be out there presenting the facts. Please boycott animal circuses.
– Tina Valles,  Durango

The bears were here first
To the Editor,
I am shocked and deeply saddened by the recent murder of a friendly black bear for no reason other than that he became “too familiar” with a Durango neighborhood. In my opinion, the only thing becoming too familiar is the needless killing (otherwise known as “putting down”) of innocent wildlife in the mountain towns of the west. When city folk move to the mountains and become frightened by the native creatures, they call the authorities, usually resulting in a death sentence to the animals. These folks apparently do not realize that the animals ARE much more frightened of us than we are of them. Wouldn’t you be frightened by strange beings 4 making loud noises, building large structures, running over your relatives with their vehicles, and increasingly invading your back yard, leaving you with no where else to go? Yes, we are in their back yards, not they in ours. We are the dangerous creatures who often misinterpret curiosity and survival instincts as aggression, and whose ignorance has caused the elimination of entire species of plants and animals from this planet.
 
For those residents who cannot remember just why they moved to Durango in the first place, I invite you to take a seat on the mud bench at Buckley Park and contemplate the origins of your intentions to live in the mountains. If your intentions are not pure, with any luck the bench will transport you back to wherever the heck you came from!
 
– Peace, Joanne Finch, Durango    

Don’t get railroaded by Dino Train
To the editor,
I attended the county planning meeting on May 21. The attendees posed relevant and serious concerns over what the railroad is proposing, including the fact that its pre-emptive advertising is full of contradictions.

The group was unable to get the representatives of the railroad to commit to anything. They stayed firm on what they are proposing, even though they are in contradiction. One of the railroad’s ads stated that its approval will be based on only three events this entire year, but when asked to document this with the commissioners, they refused. The attitude of the main spokesman for the railroad was aggressive, snide and displayed an uncaring  posture. We felt that he thought this project is a slam dunk and that our input does not count.

My question was: “Does his company do EPA evaluations on any of their projects, including this one?” The answer was “no,” even after he stated that they do “numerous studies” on their proposed projects. One of the planning ladies said the county does not require EPAs. Why not? This should be at least a requirement by both the Planning Commission and county commissioners. When asked why, this spokesperson side-stepped the question and answered that if they did not get approval, they would “be in a pickle.” The railroad’s ads contradict what the railroad spokesperson said at the meeting. There is also a TV ad that relays a different message regarding the 2012 schedule.

The railroad has been pressing its agenda with all of its advertising. I hope the commissioners are not intimidated or “railroaded” into approval of this Dino Train. You must carefully read the transcript from this meeting. I hope there is a transcript. General notes would not relay how bad an idea this Dino Train really is.

I am a 38-year resident of the Animas Valley. I am calling this Dino Train “Another Roadside Attraction” because approval will open the gates to the ruination of the “Scenic Animas Valley.”

The dinosaurs suffered a mass extinction 65 million years ago. If you support the railroad, the Animas Valley may well be sharing the same fate. La Plata County will not see the amount of tax revenue that the city of Durango will, at the expense of the Animas Valley. Please save the Animas Valley. Vote to reject the Dino Train. We don’t need “Another Roadside Attraction!”
 
– John Paul, Durango

Mergoat legend alive at Navajo
To the editor,
Quite by chance, at almost the same time as the premier of Animal Planet’s obviously true “Mermaids Body Found,” our Aquatic Research Team (A.R.T.) has uncovered amazing evidence of ferocious pack-feeding aquatic goats ... or “Mergoats” as they are locally known to the residents around the vast and dangerous waters of Navajo Lake.

On July 3, 1976, the Durango Herald reported that three people from Tiffany were in a small craft on Navajo Lake, near a locals area known as “Stoner Beach” or to some as “Cocaine Cove.” According to several reliable witnesses who were attending a drug and alcohol drenched weeklong beach party hosted by Arboles resident Hunter S. Thompson, the boat capsized fairly close to shore in about a foot of water leaving the passengers flailing about in the murky waters. Not long after, the water around the sure-to-be-drowned boaters began to boil and what appeared to be “goatlike” water creatures began feeding on the hapless victims. The horrified party goers reported hearing watery, gurgely, bleating sounds from the grotesque creatures. In the place of hooves, the killer water goats had webbed feet, razorlike teeth, and they appeared to be breathing thru the horns on their heads, which must be hollow. This gives them the ability to lurk just under the surface. Not unlike killer whales or saltwater crocodiles. After just a few minutes, nothing was left of the boaters but bones bearing a few shreds of bloody flesh.

Our A.R.T. team reportedly has taken video of the mergoats feeding on a local family that was swimming at “Windsurfer Beach” last week. The mergoats apparently surfaced during the solar eclipse. The connection to the solar event has yet to be determined. Our video team will upload the video via our Geostationary Research Satellite to our in Frootland New Mexico Paranormal Research Base Camp. We can then post these horrifying videos for your viewing pleasure. Stand by for more exciting updates!

– Michael Wayson, parts unknown

It’s all Obama’s fault, again
Dear Ed,
From 1/20/03 - 1/19/09 (eight years exactly) George Bush ran up the deficit $4.2 trillion. From 1/20/09 - 5/18/12, (three years and five months) Barack Obama ran the deficit up an additional $5.2 trillion. My source is the U.S. Treasury website http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np.

Every man, woman and child in the U.S. owes in excess of $50,000 each to pay this off. I was going to sell my General Motors and Chrysler bonds so that my grandchildren could pay their fair share.  But, when Obama forced GM and Chrysler into a structured bankruptcy, bond holders were left holding the bag and lost every penny invested. Had I known then what I know now, I would have cashed out those bonds and invested the money in Solyndra where investors (and also Obama contributors) were put to the head of the line in the bankruptcy proceedings.

– Dennis Pierce, Durango

Beware China’s growing arsenal
To the editor,
The U.S. Defense Department believes China will soon have anti-ship missiles with a range of 1,000 miles; B-6 bombers armed with long-range cruise missiles; aircraft carriers; 75 surface navy ships; 60 submarines; and missile boats. These forces will enable China to project its influence in the Asia Pacific region.

China has claimed territorial sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, including areas near the Philippines and Japan, and Chinese ships have violated waters in close proximity to a number of Asian countries. This has prompted the U.S., South Korea, Australia and India to implement security agreements, and Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines have sought to foster closer ties to the U.S., India and Japan.
In the face of China’s expansionist policies, the U.S. should encourage Pacific allies to build up military forces. We should rethink the proposed cuts in our military, especially the cuts to our navy. We are down to 285 ships and might eventually have less than the 11 carrier battle groups needed to patrol the world’s oceans. China can concentrate its forces in its region, while we have to deploy our forces around the globe.

– Donald A. Moskowitz, Londonderry, N.H.





 

 

In this week's issue...

January 25, 2024
Bagging it

State plastic bag ban is in full effect, but enforcement varies

January 26, 2024
Paper chase

The Sneer is back – and no we’re not talking about Billy Idol’s comeback tour.

January 11, 2024
High and dry

New state climate report projects continued warming, declining streamflows