Columns & Opinions

We’ve received mixed mail regarding Congresswoman Lauren Boeberts short but controversy-filled track record as the Western Slope’s representative in Congress. A few of our readers have voiced their support for her, making the case that her flashy stands in support of the Second Amendment and in opposition to Joe Biden’s electoral victory are important to maintaining our constitutional freedoms.

How many state lawyers does it take to follow state open meetings guidelines? More than two. That’s the answer from Western Colorado University’s Board of Trustees meeting last week The meeting was conducted almost entirely in executive session, meaning the public could not watch or listen to all but a few minutes at the beginning and at the end.

As a nature and wildlife photographer in Gunnison, my photography friend Joseph and I drive around a lot looking for scenes and animals to photograph. Day trips are common. We frequently visit outlying areas, such as, the San Luis Valley near Alamosa, Lake City, Montrose, Salida and more. We travel highways, by-ways, scenic routes and backroads in our search for the next shot and adventure. I do not have a TV and rarely keep up on news events. So, I had no idea a pandemic was spreading across the nation in early spring of 2020.

What does it mean to be grounded? If you are five, maybe it is simply to be on the ground. A teenager might think about parents saying, “you’re grounded.” In fact, when I posed the question to someone else that was their immediate response.

Editor: The recent accusations made by a small number of students and board members have painted a picture of Western faculty that would lead one to believe that the majority of classrooms have become unlicensed therapy clinics and cesspools of one-sided dialogue. However, we write this today, on behalf of the student body, to let you know that nothing could be further from the truth and ardently insist that the majority of faculty goes above and beyond to create an inclusive environment suitable for student success.

Freedom of speech is alive and well at Western Colorado University. Or is it? In a recent article published by the Gunnison Country Times it comes to light that a recent email by President Greg Salsbury sparked controversy among a number of its faculty.

I, too, raise a voice against violence. But, let’s think about this a little more carefully.

It probably goes without saying I wrote last week’s commentary about the unhinged state of our national politics before the tragedy at our nation’s Capitol unfolded. I knew the circus surrounding our country’s ringleader trying to stay in the spotlight despite unequivocally being shown the exit was loud and raucous, but little did I know the extent to which extremists would go to disrupt that bedrock of democracy that is — was — the peaceful transfer of power.

What do you see when you look back on the past 12 months in your town, in your state, in your country? Did we come closer to truth and civility or fall further into lies and violence? Was it all equally bad, or did light shine through from time to time?

I grew up on a family farm my maternal great grandparents settled in the San Luis Valley during the Dust Bowl on a relocation land grant given to those whose farms were literally covered up by wind on the Eastern Plains. I will never forget sitting in their poorly lit living room in a small, two-story farmhouse surrounded by trees and a farm literally born out of nothing by their bare hands.