Growing the idea of chemical free
To the editor,
It wouldn’t take a genius to notice that the human race is heading toward a cliff. Every day we are facing new and greater danger. Air, water and food are all threatened. I envision a better world, where the air and water are pure and clean, and not deliberately toxified, but instead are the best that nature can offer.
There’s room for you in this vision. We could start by making Durango a vanguard community, a place where the parks and public places are not sprayed. Many communities are using “weed mixes” to create sustainable park lawns without toxic chemicals. Ozone can replace chlorine in drinking water and can be produced on site. Fluoride in our drinking water is being revealed to not be the benign substance we were told it was.
What will it take to bring this fact to the attention of our decision makers? We must effectively use the best information available, if we are to save our selves. Recent studies have confirmed what many people have known for a long time that fluoride is toxic. Just typing the word fluoride in any search engine will bring all the evidence needed to make an informed decision. What will it take to get the attention this subject needs?
Our elected officials need to be educated in the latest scientific advancements, especially in matters of public health. Spraying poison around the county is not the answer to the mosquito “problem,” particularly if the spray kills natural defenses such as bats. Pollinators such as honey bees are also being impacted by mosquito sprays, as are other natural systems that we have no clue about.
Something like two thirds of U.S. food crops are sprayed with the new neonicotinoid insect sprays, a proven bee killer. The indiscriminate use of glyphosate is another problem that will bite us if we do not change. Glyphosate is not a vitamin. Recent studies have shown that it is an active endocrine disruptor at concentrations down to parts per trillion, and it is in our food.
Other towns in our area have seen the light on some4 of these important issues. Durango could help set an intelligent trend and adopt some positive changes. It would be a feather in our caps and a good example to other progressive communities to make a few positive changes for the betterment of the world.
– Bob Scott, Durango
Market board narrow, self-serving
To the editor,
The arrogance of the Durango Farmers Market Board is astonishing. I speak of the rule quoted by Kay James, in her letter defending the exclusion of Tom Cats Lemonade, which states that a farmer selling the same product as a nonagricultural vendor will always get the preference.
In this scenario, if a farmer decides to brew up a pot of coffee and sell it at his stand, so long Durango Coffee Co. If a farmer decides to sharpen a few knives at his booth, goodbye Columbine Saw Sharpening. Or, in the case of Tom Cats Lemonade, a farmer brings a pitcher of lemonade and tosses a few basil leaves into it, and it’s adios, Tom Cat.
There is apparently no consideration for quality and popularity of product, and seniority doesn’t count. What intelligent business would turn away the products that draw the biggest crowds? There is no concern for the fact that vendors actually count on revenue from the market to help make a living. Purchasing insurance, getting proper licensing, and securing a commercial kitchen, only to be ousted two weeks before the market opens, is a tough financial blow. Building a clientele and perfecting a product over years of time takes a lot of energy and care. None of this seems to matter at our local market, where “protecting the agricultural foundation” has created a narrow and self-serving market structure.
Yes, we all want to support our community by buying local produce and local products, but these guys have gone too far.
Next time you go to the market, notice which farm stands hold the key positions in the market layout. They are the same folks who currently and historically sit on the board who write the rules that keep them in power. New farmers never get the kind of exposure that the established, more successful farms get, and you will never see a potter or a baker in the high-volume slots.
One thing Kay James forgot to mention in her letter is that the one token position on the board now filled by a nonagricultural vendor doesn’t get to vote. So, there’s an artist on the board, but she has no voice.
I, for one, won’t be attending the Durango Farmers Market this year, and my hope is for a future market designed to serve the whole community, inclusive and fair to everyone, farmers and artists alike.
– Sincerely, Karen Mee, Durango
Proud gun owner fires off
To the editor,
To the father of Chris Martinez, I feel for you losing your son in this horrible way. Killed by a madman who just wanted to kill. I am very sorry for all the families.
But, I do take offense to the letter by Mary Benson in the Telegraph of May 29.
A good background check should have prevented the sale of the gun to Elliott Rodger. But if he wanted a gun bad enough, there are a number of ways he could have got one. I am in favor of good background checks before buying a gun. If a person wants to kill, there are many ways of obtaining a weapon, other than guns.
If someone buys a bottle of whiskey, gets drunk and drives his car into a family returning from church and kills the entire family, is the whiskey alone responsible? No it is the person who gets drunk and gets behind the wheel of that car. Is the car responsible? No it is the driver of the car. What about knives? Every American home has knives, are all Americans responsible for deaths caused by knives. Of course not.
Should every person who drives a car, who owns a knife or who drinks alcohol be responsible for deaths caused by these items? Of course not, that is simply a stupid idea. Why are you not as angry when you hear about deaths caused by the use of illegal drugs?
Are you accountable for the deaths of people who are killed in auto accidents just because you drive a car? No, of course you aren’t.
Responsible gun owners are not accountable for deaths of people like Chris or others who are killed by guns by a madman who just wanted to kill.
I am a responsible gun owner, who do I own a gun? Because I enjoy target shooting and for protection of myself and family. It is a fun hobby if you are trained and use them responsibly. Yes, I do have the right to buy 400 rounds of ammo (or any amount) I want to have that does not make me ignorant, arrogant or insane as you day.
I and most gun owners are responsible people. I enjoy target shooting. I am very happy to have an extensive background check when I buy a gun. This is my hobby and it does not make me accountable for deaths caused my madmen who just want to kill.
I, the NRA, gun manufacturers and other gun advocates are not in any way accountable for the deaths of Chris and others. We are responsible people who have a hobby we enjoy, target shooting. Why do you put all the blame on us?
– A proud gun owner, Colleen James, Durango