GOP vote quashes DREAMers
To the editor,
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congressman Steve King’s amendment to block funding for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Colorado’s Congressmen Scott Tipton, Cory Gardner and Mike Coffman were among the votes supporting the amendment. Following the vote, Colorado DREAMers and immigration reform supporters denounced the vote as a direct attack on immigrant youth and the DACA program. Recent polling shows DACA is widely supported by Coloradans and was one of the deciding factors in President Obama’s 2012 victory in Colorado and the rest of the nation.
To the editor,
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congressman Steve King’s amendment to block funding for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Colorado’s Congressmen Scott Tipton, Cory Gardner and Mike Coffman were among the votes supporting the amendment. Following the vote, Colorado DREAMers and immigration reform supporters denounced the vote as a direct attack on immigrant youth and the DACA program. Recent polling shows DACA is widely supported by Coloradans and was one of the deciding factors in President Obama’s 2012 victory in Colorado and the rest of the nation.
Compañeros is outraged that Colorado Congressmen Gardner, Coffman and our own Tipton have joined with King, a proven anti-immigrant extremist, to pass an amendment that would deport DREAMers and separate families. These men have not only taken a step in the wrong direction toward comprehensive immigration reform, they have essentially voted to crush the dreams of millions of youth. This amendment will deny many of our state’s children, grandchildren and their friends an opportunity to work and pursue their higher education goals without fear of deportation and separation from their families.
The immigrant youth movement worked for decades to build broad-based support to win the deferred action policy last year. The DACA program and providing a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers and immigrant workers is widely supported by Colorado voters. Many of you folks reading this know someone who will be directly and negatively impacted by this program’s loss of funding.
We must continue to hold Senate and House negotiators from both parties responsible for protecting provisions that matter deeply to our families and our youth. We will support those leaders who realize the historic significance and invaluable importance of giving our nation’s undocumented youth a quick pathway to citizenship while investing in their pride and confidence to be our future leaders. We won’t settle for anything less than a clear path to citizenship, family unity and an end to the deportations of DREAMers and their families.
– Nicole Mosher, Compañeros Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center
The Kroeger’s dream bunker
Dear editor:
After reading Mike Sigman’s letter in the Durango Herald on June 3, in which he states that “the IRS attacks, in which government agencies are used against U.S. citizens, is a precursor to an armed uprising, because you either do something or you’re vanquished.” This got me thinking. I decided to rise up and do something! A little vanquishing!
Dear editor:
After reading Mike Sigman’s letter in the Durango Herald on June 3, in which he states that “the IRS attacks, in which government agencies are used against U.S. citizens, is a precursor to an armed uprising, because you either do something or you’re vanquished.” This got me thinking. I decided to rise up and do something! A little vanquishing!
So off I went to our friendly local Kroeger’s hardware store to replace the batteries in my night-vision goggles. As I entered, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was a 6 foot human effigy (although at first I thought it was Big Foot), covered head to toe in shredded camo netting. It loomed over a gigantic display of enough survivalist necessities to warm the hearts of every paramilitary, armed upriser in America. This hulking man/Big Foot represented every red-blooded American’s ideal patriot! And you could actually buy it, for $159.99, plus $74.99 for the attached military issue backpack!
Next to Big Foot were stacks of military issue MREs at $79.99 for a case of 12, and lots of used 50cal ammo cans, at $24.99 each. And attached to Big Foot was a sign that read “Military supply bunker located on aisle #27.” Naturally, I rushed over to aisle 27 and spied a wide-eyed boy salivating over enough supplies to outfit every NRA buddy’s dream bunker (reminding me of my niece Samantha’s wide-eyed reaction to her Barbie Dream House on Christmas morning).
I immediately made a plan. Adding up $235 for man/Big Foot and backpack (might be a bit of company on those chilly nights), $75 for a few ammo cans, $3,000 for supplies from aisle 27 and $2,520 for a year’s worth of MREs, the grand total came to just over $5,830. Hmmm. I’ll have to dip into my retirement fund. But what am I saving it for? It’s for the good life, right?
As I collected and paid for my stash, I realized I had forgotten the ammo for my lucky AK (I’ve nicknamed her Purple Rain). Tomorrow I’ll streak over to Walmart to stock up.
As I scoped out my cave the next day, I decided to try one of the MREs, to get in the spirit of things. It tasted like day old Friskies Seafood Medley. Trying to envision my future as a vanquisher and armed upriser, I leaned back in my lawn chair, a tear forming in my eye. No more Zia Taqueria burritos. No more Ska beer. Most of all, no more friendly banter with folks down at Kroeger’s Hardware.
Maybe I need to rethink this vanquishing thing. I bet ol’ Rex would love these MREs, and maybe little Lionel next door would like Big Foot for a Halloween costume. It sure would scare all the neighbors.
– Mary Benson, Durango
The Optimists and the Pessimists
It’s not as simple as the glass is half empty or half full
It’s not merely positive thinking vs. negative thinking,
It’s not simply genetics nor environment.
It’s really a choice, we all have the power to choose,
My teachers all said color between the lines, green, red and blue
Stop asking so many questions like Chris Matthews on Hardball, MSNBC.
My mind still raced ahead, I spoke over others, causing dread
I get the music, I get it, I seek the lyrics, speak plainly please,
Welcome to the so called real world, sans any real answers
Then I awoke to the fact it was all a lie.
I knew there had to be something better on the other side;
Row, row row your boat gently down the stream
Merrily merrily merrily merrily life is but a dream.
Optimists choose to believe the future is uncertain
Pessimists are always right, apparently they have a bit more information,
I remain inconvincible as long as I’m alive
We Optimists choose to
Row our boats gently down the stream merrily
Because life really is just a dream.
– Roger O’Keefe, Durango
It’s not as simple as the glass is half empty or half full
It’s not merely positive thinking vs. negative thinking,
It’s not simply genetics nor environment.
It’s really a choice, we all have the power to choose,
My teachers all said color between the lines, green, red and blue
Stop asking so many questions like Chris Matthews on Hardball, MSNBC.
My mind still raced ahead, I spoke over others, causing dread
I get the music, I get it, I seek the lyrics, speak plainly please,
Welcome to the so called real world, sans any real answers
Then I awoke to the fact it was all a lie.
I knew there had to be something better on the other side;
Row, row row your boat gently down the stream
Merrily merrily merrily merrily life is but a dream.
Optimists choose to believe the future is uncertain
Pessimists are always right, apparently they have a bit more information,
I remain inconvincible as long as I’m alive
We Optimists choose to
Row our boats gently down the stream merrily
Because life really is just a dream.
– Roger O’Keefe, Durango