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tion of poems titled A Book of Americans by Rosemary and Stephen Vincent Benét. Pournelle’s prediction that it would be possible to find any known answer to any known question by 2005 was overly optimistic. But thanks to the use of artificial intelligence and the digitization of whole libraries of text and graphical material, I predict the prediction will eventually become a reality. Say, maybe 20 years from now. “The Little Red God” and the first two stanzas of the ether poem appear below:
knows she lies; Shovel dung in the city mart To earn a crust for his chosen art; Build where the builders all have failed, And sail the seas that no man has sailed; Run a tunnel or dam a stream, Or damn the men who finance the dream; Tell a pal what his work is worth, Though he lose his last, best friend on earth; Lend the critical monkey-elf A razor — hoping he’ll kill himself; Wear the garments he likes to wear, Never dreaming that people stare; The Little Red God Go to church if his conscience wills, Here’s a little red song to the god of Or find his own — in the far, blue guts, hills. Who dwells in palHe is kind and aces, brothels, gentle, or harsh huts; and gruff; The little Red God He is tender as it with the craw of love — or he’s grit; rawhide tough; would be possible to find The god who A rough-necked any known answer to any never learned rider in spurs how to quit; and chaps, known question by 2005 He is neither a Or well-groomed was overly optimistic. But son of the town fool with a frozen smile, — perhaps; ... I predict the prediction Or sad old toad in And this is the will eventually become a cask of bile; little Red God I He can dance sing, reality. Say, maybe 20 with a shoe-nail in Who cares not a years from now. his heel wallop for anyAnd never a sign thing of his pain reveal; That walks or He can hold a mob with an empty gallops, that crawls or struts, gun No matter how clothed — if it hasn’t And turn a tragedy into fun; got guts. Kill a man in a flash, a breath, — Unknown Or snatch a friend from the claws of death; Title unknown Swallow the pill of assured defeat “O, whet your saws and shine your And plan attack in his slow retreat; knives, Spin the wheel till the numbers dance Ye surgeons, tried and true! And bit his thumb at the god of Were going for to operate Chance; In eighteen-forty-two! Drink straight water with whiskysoaks, “And, if the patient starts to yell Or call for liquor with temperance And bounce about the floor, folks; Just tell him Pain is bound to be, Tearless stand at the graven stone, And give him one chop more!” Yet weep in the silence of night, — by Crawford Long and William alone; Morton, from A Book of Americans, Worship a sweet, white virgin’s glove, by Rosemary and Stephen Vincent Or teach a courtesan how to love; Benét. Dare the dullness of fireside bliss, Or stake his soul for a wanton’s kiss; This opinion column does not necesBlind his soul to a woman’s eyes sarily reflect the views of Boulder When she says she loves and he Weekly.
Pournelle’s prediction that
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JULY 9, 2020
On the fracking moratorium Our elected officers have an inherent duty to protect our quality of life. Water is life. On Tuesday, July 14 at 2:30 p.m., the Board of Boulder County Commissioners (BOCC) will hold a virtual public meeting. It is to consider the current “moratorium on oil and gas development applications and seismic testing in unincorporated Boulder County.” This moratorium is set to expire on July 31. There are clear environmental reasons why the BOCC should extend this moratorium, including the pollution of water by fracking fluid. Our nation’s laws do not do enough to protect water. Ideally, the 1972 Clean Water Act (CWA) was designed to wave stop signs and halt pollution from entering our nation’s waterways. Unfortunately, in 2005, the CWA was revised and fracking was given a yield sign to pollute. This yield sign is also known as the Halliburton Loophole. Our federal government has failed to protect its citizens from water pollution caused by fracking. We need to take local action. Will we? The announcement for the July 14 meeting of the BOCC noted that “an oil and gas operator indicated an interest in applying for a drilling permit in Boulder County.” Why? There is currently a worldwide oil glut. If the BOCC lacks the legal authority to stop further fracking of our county, then we should rewrite the laws. We should govern ourselves under the assumption that we are a part of, I
not apart from, nature. We should recognize the Rights of Nature as have the Ponca Nation of Oklahoma. They are also struggling with the effects of fracking. Kristen Marshall/Boulder
Protect nature For too long, humans consciously disconnected from other species on this planet. Time is changing. More and more of us recognize the value of reconnecting with nature and caring for other species. Encountering a deer during a hike fills us with joy. Watching a raptor soar high in the sky fills us with respect and awe. All these moments shared with wildlife are precious and delightful. They motivate more and more of us to stand up for our wildlife friends that are victims of our human created climate crisis. But what can we do? In Colorado, we can be grateful for Governor Polis’ executive order from August 2019 calling for more habitat connectivity in Colorado. Creating wildlife corridors allows wildlife to diversify its genetic pools, to move to new, healthy and welcoming territory, and to reduce fatal vehicle encounters. It is a perfect time for citizens and state legislators to take action to secure lasting and durable policies. Christel Markevich/Nederland
What we know Here is what we know: We know that global warming is see LETTERS Page 7
BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
