Kroenke should show a little gratitude for the fans
Re: “Avs’ fans should be able to watch,” Aug. 6 Sports column
God Bless Stan Kroenke, the successful sports teams owner, real estate developer, owner of Altitude Sports Network, and husband to one of the Walmart heirs.
Stan has been blessed, marries his college sweetheart shortly after graduation and instantly has a net worth of hundreds of millions of dollars. Today his net worth is nearing $8.3 billion according to Forbes. The net worth of the remaining Walmart heirs has increased by nearly $50 billion just over the past six “COVID months.”
So Stan, while we are all hunkered down, why not give up a little and allow us the ability to watch some competitive major sports teams that represent Denver. Give in to Comcast in the near term. Or, lets us “eat cake” while we choke on the hapless football and baseball franchises while our very competitive teams are buried in your fight over money. One that one side clearly does not need. How about a little gratitude Stan?
Ted Cackowsky, Broomfield
Stop encroaching on our forests and let them burn naturally
Re: “Two Colorado fires drove me from my home,” Dec. 6 commentary
Sarah O’Brien’s guest commentary in Sunday’s edition was almost comical in itap hypocrisy and ignorance. Our forests have been burning since the beginning of time. They are designed to burn and their long-term sustainability depends on it. It is a natural cycle.
Climate change may increase temps, but trees don’t just randomly combust, there is a trigger and increasingly those triggers are human caused. The primary contributor to the perceived increase in forest fires and homes being lost is the relentless human encroachment into our forests and man’s fire suppression efforts for that past 100 years to protect these homes. Trees have a natural lifespan. If not allowed to burn, they die, fall to the forest floor and become fuel. If you live there, you live in a natural tinderbox and need to accept the risks.
The 1988 fires in Yellowstone serve as an example of the benefits of man’s non-interference with the natural cycle. Over 2 million acres were allowed to burn naturally and now that forest is widely considered one of the healthiest in the county. Not surprisingly, no more fires since. Is that area immune to climate change?
O’Brien goes on to complain about the harmful effects from fire retardant chemicals dropped from firefighting planes. Does she not understand that this is being done to save her home? When will the crush of people overwhelming our forests take responsibility for their negative impact? Stop blaming climate change — humans are the real problem.
Scott Carver, Louisville
Hancock should resign for the damage his lie has done
After Mayor Hancock admonished Denverites to stay home and sequester over Thanksgiving, he enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with his family in Mississippi. Returning to Denver, he issued a statement saying that he would now begin following all Centers for Disease Control guidance. I assume the Mayor was in quarantine for ten days or two weeks.
I’m a Hancock fan, I voted for him and I support his vision for our city. But I’m waiting to hear a real apology from him, I want to know that he truly understands the hypocrisy he has demonstrated and the real impact that his lie — saying he was going to see his family on zoom — had on his credibility as a city leader.
What we need in this time of real crisis is a mayor whose behavior matches his words. As we head into a season where Denverites are making the hard decision to stay home for the holidays, we need a very public apology from our mayor and a strong warning to adhere to all safety guidelines.
I’m tired of excusing the behavior of government leaders who don’t earn our respect.
Hancock should resign or offer a very public justification for continuing in office.
Maureen O’Connor-McGinn, Denver
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