Idea to bring African mammals to N. America
Re: “Elephants in North Dakota?” Aug. 22 editorial.
There has been a lot of press regarding a recent suggestion by a group of scientists to relocate African mammals to the United States plains in the name of preservation. Mostly this idea has been met with ridicule, but what most don’t seem to understand is that it is a very valid idea.
Africa is a continent in almost constant crisis and many of these animals are very threatened to be extinct in the next 100 years. Some argue that this is what we have zoos for, but zoos don’t capture the real nature of a wild animal. Now, there are places like the Wild Animal Park in San Diego. These would seem more to me like the starting grounds for larger efforts to bring these species to live wildly in the United States.
And for people who claim it isn’t the right climate, remember where all the zoos are, and that there are wild animal rescues (saving animals like lion cubs that people buy for pets) in almost every state.
The largest and most difficult decision isn’t whether we can, it’s whether we should. The potential economic impact on African countries could be devastating. That is where the focus of this discussion should be.
Grant Hughes, Denver
Who owns lawmakers?
Re: “The power to make law,” Aug. 20 Open Forum.
Letter-writer Irma Munz should know that legislators do not have “absolute and final power over us.” The laws they craft are subject to presidential veto, Supreme Court review, and repeal by subsequent legislation. Furthermore, legislators are not “beholden to financial contributors.” They are beholden to the voters who elect them. Some of those voters believe so strongly in the candidates’ expressed views, they (gasp!) make financial contributions to the candidates’ campaigns. If, once in office, candidates betray their supporters, voters are free to turn them out of office.
Steve Baur, Westminster
Explosive sendoff for Hunter S. Thompson
Re: “Going, going, Gonzo,” Aug. 21 news story.
Like the books he wrote, there’s more to Hunter S. Thompson’s sendoff than meets the eye.
In having his remains shot into the sky, he was looking not just to shock and amaze, but also to comment on the fatuousness of how we treat the dead.
We all die, and when we’re gone, we’re gone. There’s no need to get all gloomy about it and spend time and money building monuments to remember ourselves or others. Our cemeteries are already overcrowded, and things are just going to get worse as millions of baby boomers start dropping like flies.
What better way to alleviate the space shortage than to blast our ashes sky-high, providing a memorable spectacle for our survivors while at the same time enriching the soil below?
Granted, Thompson’s ceremony was a little over the top, but when my time comes, I say let me be hunterized into the heavens.
Robert J. Inlow, Charlottesville, Va.
…
I have just one word for the Hunter S. Thompson “sendoff” and The Post’s coverage of it: disgusting.
Maybe now The Post will stop wasting ink and reporters’ time on such trivia and devote more time and effort to reporting on serious issues, such as the Iraq war, education, health care, etc.
Linda J. Hargrave, Denver
Keefe cartoon depicting Israeli pullout
Re: Aug. 18 Mike Keefe editorial cartoon.
I am a great fan of Mike Keefe’s cartoons, but was shocked by his depiction of Israel’s disengagement from Gaza. The cartoon displays abject cynicism by misrepresenting the Gaza disengagement as a transfer of Gaza residents to the West Bank. In fact, the Israeli government has made every effort to assist the Gaza residents and communities re-establish their homes and livelihoods within the undisputed territories of Israel. Every single government-supported new development has been established within the so-called Green Line. None are being created in the West Bank.
Bradley S. Schneider, Deerfield, Ill.
China and our economy
Re: “Washington casts a wary glance at China,” Aug. 20 editorial.
The fact that the Chinese National Oil Company or other Chinese investors are bidding on Unocal or Maytag are of little concern in the overall scheme of things.
Of far greater concern is the virtual flood of Chinese-made merchandise now in Wal-Mart and other mass merchandisers. Wal- Mart’s Chinese-sourced goods must dwarf the Unocal or Maytag deals by at least an order of magnitude. This onslaught of goods is accompanied by heavy U.S. investment in Chinese industrial infrastructure. This investment may very possibly come back to haunt us later in this century, in both the commercial and military sectors.
Our greed for low-priced goods is now transferring technology to inexperienced Chinese manufacturers, a technological transfer for which our children may someday condemn us.
John Massey, Buena Vista
Boulder prairie dogs
Re: “Plague hits 2nd Boulder prairie-dog site,” Aug. 19 news story.
Boulder has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on prairie dog mitigation efforts. Meanwhile, Colorado’s homeless remain hungry, research for major diseases continues to be underfunded, inner-city children’s programs suffer, church soup kitchens need help, etc. And now I read that plague has come to the esteemed dog colonies in Boulder. Could that be the Creator’s way of saying, “Enough, already!”? I don’t have a Ph.D., but I can quickly identify misplaced priorities when I see them.
Sarah Clayton, Denver
Think tank’s opposition to Refs. C and D
Re: “Tax foes roasting the pork,” Aug. 7 news story.
As a voter who takes the Referendum C and D issue seriously, I am offended by Jon Caldara’s “Piglet Book” approach to an issue critical to the future of Colorado. It is a cheap shot that aims to exploit voters’ cynicism. Instead of encouraging voters to think rationally, it assumes we are capable of nothing more than being entertained. And this from a so-called “think” tank – the Independence Institute – whose arguments are based on amusing anecdotes.
Further, we need to know where the money comes from to pay people to comb the Internet to find these “silly, wonderful things” that Caldara believes will convince Colorado voters that “we are not really in a budget crisis.” This in the face of major evidence to the contrary, which has already convinced business leaders, leading legislators and the governor of the reality of the extreme budget cuts we face if C and D are defeated.
Lois Abbott, Boulder
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