Contact Us Advertising Information Online exclusives Cover Story Buzz Feature In Case You Missed It Vote 2009 Boulderganic Fall 2009 Student Guide 2009 Boulder Weekly Sweet 16 Anniversary Boulderganic 2009 Summer Scene 2009 Email Newsletter Legal Services Best of Boulder 2009 Annual Manual 2009 Newspaper of the Future Kids Camp Guide 2009 Wedding Marketplace 09 Jobs available Student Guide 2008 Best of Boulder 2008 Annual Manual 2008 Join Our Mailing List
|
editorial@boulderweekly.com
• See Jim Hightower
• Perspectives
Not all bovines “cows”
(Re: “What to do about burping bovines,” The Highroad, June 18.) Jim and your organization might want to double check about the reported 400 million “cows” in the U.S. It’s inaccurate for several reasons.
Not all bovines in the United States are adult females, or “cows.” Because of this, 400 million is a huge overstatement. One hundred million is far more accurate.
As to cow tummy aches from feeding grain concentrates, the majority of bovines in the U.S. are not eating grain supplements. There are several other arguable points stated, as well.
If you do not know what you are talking about, check more resources.
Robert L. Barron/via Internet
Global warming
I spent three years in and around Antarctica and a year in the Arctic. I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that adverse climate change is very real. And, sadly, human activities are to blame. I’ve seen the ice cores. They get darker and darker starting with the industrial revolution.
Now that we finally have a president that acknowledges that this is a major problem, we need to come together and dramatically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. That means less driving and more efficient cars and industries. That also means that we as a society and a species must start talking about population stabilization and reduction.
This week, the White House released a report on global warming that leaves no doubt about the extreme urgency of this situation. The report is a review of 500 other scientific reports. Unless you’ve been living deep underground, you might have already noticed the signs of a warming planet. There is no doubt in the scientific community that we are in for more extreme weather, hotter summers, droughts, floods and hurricanes. The only ones still denying this are people with a vested interest in fossil fuels.
Now is the time to conserve energy, get politically active and be part of the solution. Contact your federal elected representatives and urge them to vote for The American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454).
Tobias Schunck/Niwot
Years ago, when coal was the main fuel and soot covered our cities, wealthy ladies wore white gloves to show they did not have to soil their hands when cleaning the soot from windowsills and furniture. They paid someone else to clean, and used their white gloves to check the cleaning.
The white glove test cannot detect greenhouse gases in our air, but other detection methods have unequivocally shown that our air is in very bad shape and getting exponentially worse.
Glaciers are melting. The sea level is rising, and weather is turning erratic. Weak countries are failing. Millions are starving, and more are becoming refugees of global warming’s effects.
I majored in geology (CU 1980). Way back then we knew what was coming. In fact, it has generally been known since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution — when there was less usage of fossil fuels. There seemed no urgency then. Later, special interests purposely created confusion in the minds of voters and lawmakers to prevent passage of laws that would have made fighting the global warming challenge much easier.
Now we have a crisis. If we don’t meet the global warming challenge, the current recession will seem miniscule. Soon, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454) will come to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. I strongly encourage our representatives to vote for this very belated bill.
Donnie Shelton/Lyons
Keep immigration fair
There they go again!
Last year at this time, American voters united to successfully oppose the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act promulgated by Bush & Company. This year, the man who promised “change” is now promising the same racist immigration scheme.
There are 6 billion people in the world, living in almost 200 countries. This new proposal grants special treatment to 30 million Mexicans and Central Americans, plus their relatives, at tremendous national expense, while penalizing all other nationalities who remain in their home countries dreaming of United States citizenship.
The Haitians and Africans, Poles and Latvians, Indians and Pakistanis... are they not also worthy human beings? They have been promised an application process that is orderly, non-political and legal.
Ordinary citizens — Republicans and Democrats — are not anti-immigrant. Our politicians are. Once again, they want to ignore bona fide applicants, in selfish deference to business interests and to potential legal or illegal Latino votes.
We welcome immigrants and we have a process. Let’s keep it fair!
Joseph Pasulka/Southport, N.C.
Help bring Shalit home
IDF Staff Sergeant Gilad Shalit was kidnapped three years ago in an unprovoked cross-border attack near the Gaza border. Shalit was on patrol on the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom border when seven terrorists infiltrated Israel and carried out the attack, taking Shalit hostage.
The kidnapping occurred less than a year after Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, when nearly 9,000 Israeli civilians gave up their homes as Israel worked for peace and the start of a Palestinian homeland. Since that time, Iran-backed Hamas and other terrorists have used the land that Israel gave up to be launching pads for rockets and mortars that they aimed and fired at Israeli civilians.
Throughout Shalit’s captivity, Hamas has offered little evidence that he was alive. In violation of the Geneva Convention, the terrorist group has repeatedly denied the Red Cross access to the wounded soldier. Please free Shalit and bring him home.
Hannah Sperber/Denver
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
Back to top
|
| |
