My "thoughts and prayers" are for the Republicans to stop supporting gun violence!

Gun-Loving Republicans Offer Condolences After Latest School Shooting: Thoughts and prayers and not much else, reports Rolling Stone.

Echo opinion letter published in the Summit Daily in Frisco, Colorado: Republicans offer prayers.

Right wing pundits try blaming Hollywood and the left leaning media for the gun violence — how crazy.

In answer to the gun violence, Republicans offer thoughts and prayers and then pass laws to allow for open carry, concealed weapons and for teachers to be armed — oh my!

Instead, look to the right social media which promotes and supports violence. Fox Noise — it is not a news station but an entertainment station, check their license. Look to where so much of the violence is coming from: far right and white nationalists. And look to Trump who wouldn’t know the truth if it kicked him in the shins.

When will we vote out everyone who takes money from the National Rifle Association and vote to stop the sale of automatic rifles with high-capacity magazines that are appropriate for military use but not civilian use. Republicans that support AR-15s should be required to spend time — a lot of time — with the mutilated bodies of the poor children and adults who have been shot by these weapons that were designed only for use by the military.

From: Kari Kronborg in Frisco, Colorado

Lauren Boebert is an embarrassment to Colorado: Opinion Echo

Echo opinion published in the Summit Daily, newspaper in Summit County, Colorado: How dumb is she?

As a Coloradan, were you as embarrassed as I was when (ugly!)

 Rep. Lauren Boebert attempted to interrupt President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech? I thought to myself, “Has this woman no couth?” 

Lauren Boebert redux!

Obviously, she does not understand anything about common manners. She lacks a critical level of decency. But like an unruly child, she knows that her antics will demand and receive attention. 

Ugh! That’s too bad because her outburst only encourages more bad behavior from discourteous, egotistical people like her. What a terrible example she has set for our children and grandchildren as well as every citizen of our state and country! What a black mark she sets for politics and for politicians like her.

I have sat in the chambers of the U.S. Supreme Court. There, no outburst is ever tolerated. One sits charged with the utmost of respect for the proceedings and for the justices themselves. 

In fact, even gum chewing is prohibited. If only the sergeant at arms of the House of Representatives had acted to remove Boebert when she acted out. That would have been fitting.

Admittedly, I know little about how Boebert serves her constituency (❓) (Here's Maine Writer's hint: "she doesn't" because she is a cult follower). I doubt that she is very effective (❗) because of her alienating, self-absorbed style. 

"As a human being, I would want nothing to do with her."

I, for one, am glad that she is not my representative. I would not want myself associated with her in any way. Anyone who cannot muster respect for the office of the presidency and for the mores of Congress truly does not deserve to hold office. As a Coloradan, I was ashamed by her behavior. 

As a human being, I would want nothing to do with her.

From  Rabbi Joel R. Schwartzman in Dillon Colorado

Protect women's lives by supporting pro-choice policy

Women will die as a result of the dangerous reversal of Roe V. Wade by the US Supreme Court!

Roe v. Wade reversal is outrageous; it’s time to vote!

An echo opinion letter published in the Summit Daily newspaper circulated in Frisco, Colorado.

Dear Editor, I was disappointed by the Supreme Court reversal of Roe v. Wade. In thinking about it over the past couple of weeks, however, I’m now hopeful that the court decision will ultimately support the women who vote to uphold their right to abortion and protect them from being forced to carry to term a fetus conceived via rape or incest.

I’m an example voter. I have conservative family members that base their vote solely on the abortion issue. I personally didn’t think Roe would be overturned, so abortion hasn’t been a “litmus test” voting issue for me.

Well now it is!

Going forward, I will verify that a candidate is pro-choice before I vote for them. In Pew research (circa last month), 61% of US adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

Reversing Roe will have the net effect of turning a lot of nonactivist moderates (like me) into activists. It is forcing everyone to rethink exactly where they stand and this will ultimately be a good thing for reproductive rights.

Just vote! From Tom Moore in Dillon, Colorado 

Donald Trump and the illegal sedition caucus

Letter to the editor published in the Summit Daily, a Colorado newspaper, submitted by Kari Kronborg:  

Shame on those who continue to support Donald Trump!

Trump continued his false assertions that the election was stolen from him and that there was fraud. Sixty courts and judges have ruled that there was no fraud!

Two (seditionist!) Colorado Republicans voted not to certify the election, and Lauren Boebert continues to state that the election was stolen.

The Republican Party states that they are the party of law and order and family values. But, I say, they are, instead, the party of obstruction and sedition. What happened on Capitol Hill was terrorism; it was not a rally. 

People that participated brought with them guns and pipe bombs. People are still being encouraged to go to D.C. on the Inauguration Day and to come armed.

Trump encouraged this behavior on the day it occurred, and it took him two-plus hours to ask people to stop. Had Trump not incited this riot, had he tweeted for people to stop sooner, maybe the officer would not have been murdered by these terrorists and a maybe the second officer a few days later would not have died by suicide.

https://www.summitdaily.com/opinion/letter-to-the-editor/letter-to-the-editor-shame-on-those-who-continue-to-support-president-trump/

Republicans will bring up Black Lives Matter and blame them for the violence that occurred this past summer. 

We know that the Black Lives Matter rallies were remarkably nonviolent. 

When there was violence, police or counter-protesters were very often directing it at the protesters. After years of peaceful marches and attempts to work through the legal process, Blacks are still shut out by Republicans suppressing the vote and shutting out people of color.

Trump continues to falsely state that the election was stolen from him. But, full stop...."He lost", period! 

Moreover, Trump should not be allowed to reap the retirement benefits afforded to past presidents. Shame on all supporters for not saying enough is enough. Trump must be held accountable.

Donald Trump ignoroed experts now forced to acknowledge that coronavirus is not a "hoax" but a pandemic disease

Here’s an idea: Consult the experts.https://www.summitdaily.com/opinion/letter-to-the-editor-the-experts-called-it-but-president-donald-trump-didnt-listen/
U.S. intelligence reports from January and February warned about a likely pandemic.

Echo opinion letter from Larry Opicka from Silverthone, Colorado

Published in Summit Daily a Colorado newspaper

“Donald Trump may not have been expecting this, but many in the government were. They just couldn’t get him to do anything about it. The system was blinking red.” (The Washington Post, March 20)

Worldwide threat assessment:

We assess that the U.S. and the world will remain vulnerable to the next flu pandemic or large scale outbreak of a contagious disease that could lead to massive rates of death and disability, severely affect the world economy, and strain international resources.” (Office of the Director of National Intelligence, January 2019)

In 2018, the “pandemic task force” headed by Beth Cameron, Ph.D. * and senior director of global biological policy under President Obama, was disbanded. It was deemed expensive and unnecessary.

Never let a crisis go to waste!

*When you’re in the middle of a crisis and you have to ask for money, you’re already too late.
That’s Dr. Beth Cameron, and she’s someone who should know.
https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/beth-cameron-pandemic-preparedness/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwsYb0BRCOARIsAHbLPhHUoBnJC3j52M38oEHuQygDodNOiaIiKpqk4OOlhfeSlJ_1C6HfAR8aAkJ-EALw_wcB

Donald Trump and the Ukrainian debacle- echo opinion

Hopefully, the United States can restore its reputation as a shining beacon of democracy- after Donald Trump has destroyed the American Dream! An echo opinion letter, written by Kim Fenske, published in the Summit Daily News, California.

Conspiracies reported in The Guardian - "Trump’s fondness for conspiracy theories stretches back years, to his claim to have seen 'thousands and thousands' (OMG!) of Muslims cheering on 9/11, to his denial of the climate crisis and many-many other falsehoods."

I was glad to hear that the House of Representatives initiated an impeachment Investigation against Donald Trump. By withholding of defense aid tagged by Congress, for Ukraine, in order to extort a reopening of a settled investigation into an energy corporation, Trump effectively killed Ukrainian military forces and innocent civilians in Donbass Region of the eastern Ukraine.

During trips to Odessa and Kiev in 2013 and 2015, I observed conditions in Ukraine before and after the overthrow of the pro-Russian government of Ukraine. After patriots protested in the streets of Kiev during 2014, the corrupt President Viktor Yanukovich fled Ukraine. I visited the memorial to the protesters killed in downtown Kiev, finding a flag of the United States displayed, a symbol of the Ukrainian love of freedom.

Ukraine has struggled to preserve freedom and root-out corruption since the 2014, revolution. In the Donbass Region alone, more than 4,300 Ukrainian patriots and 3,330 civilians have been killed.

In spring 2019, Vladimir Putin offered to provide Russian passports to all Ukrainians. 

President of the Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, replied, “We are perfectly aware of what a Russian passport actually provides. This is the right to be arrested for peaceful protest, the right to have no free and competitive elections, and the right to completely forget about natural human rights and freedoms.” He added, “We will provide asylum and assistance to anyone — anyone who is ready to fight alongside us for our and your freedom.”

Now, the U.S. House of Representatives is attempting to preserve democracy. Hopefully, the United States can restore our reputation as a shining beacon of democracy, for all nations of the world, for those who desire freedom and untainted (free!) elections.

From Ken Fenske, Fresno, California