Soapbox

I understand the rage. I do not condone it, but I understand it. It is the rage of the ages, of all of those who have been berated, cut down and wounded; of all of those who were betrayed by anyone who was supposed to bear witness to the truth for them; by anyone who was supposed to unconditionally love them, protect, defend, understand, and stand by for them, but didn’t.

I understand the rage, but its outlet and medium and element is not more violence imposed on the believed betrayers. Might the rage instead be tempered and restructured and put forth as unending energy for change? Can those who rage against the incorrectly-believed injustice find a more rational weapon in their arsenal? Perhaps; perhaps not.

– Dolores T. Mazurkewicz, Hesperus

Making a difference in the world

Recently my wife, Suzanne, and I attended an event at Fort Lewis College as a benefit for the Village Aid Project.

The Village Aid Project (VAP) was started nearly 20 years ago by Professor Don May to engage students and faculty in serving unmet needs in Third World countries. The focus has always been on water, sanitation, schools and engineering-based projects that utilize the expertise of Fort Lewis College faculty and volunteer group Professional Associates.

This program represents a peak of efficiency, effectiveness and heart. Students gain practical work experience while serving others. Professors volunteer their time in a non-classroom setting with students and feel the rewards of service. Rural Third World communities, with their invitation and full involvement, receive sustainable water, sewer systems and, in some cases, new schools.

A total of 90% of funds raised are used to buy building materials. Students volunteer their time and those who travel to the project communities cover their own travel costs. Fort Lewis College provides in-kind support to this uplifting program for students, professors and the world.

Over nearly 20 years, VAP has built projects in 29 communities in five countries. A total of 1,600 families now have clean and safe drinking water; 150 latrines have been constructed; and three schools have been built. VAP also pledges a five year commitment to return, educate and support the communities it serves. Local leadership and engagement is paramount in identifying and pursuing proposed projects. Future projects may include sustainable energy systems such as solar panels. Each year, two to three projects are built with a total VAP budget of $50 to $60,000. Talk about a cost-effective program!

You can learn more by visiting the Village Aid Project on the Fort Lewis College website (fortlewis.edu). Please consider making a donation. I promise your support will be efficiently and effectively used.

– John Gamble, Durango

Danger on the mountain

I was run into by a snowboarder on Jan. 2. I guess the snowboarder thought she was being cool while trying to cut me off on lower Demon at Purgatory Resort. There was no apology, and she and her friend rode off, laughing at my indignation. I was not badly hurt, but I did have to crawl upslope to gather my ski and pole that I lost in the collision. Now I have begun to notice that it seems to be some sort of a challenge to snowboarders to ride as close as possible to skiers – intimidation of the most juvenile kind.

Why is this even allowed to be an issue? Am I not permitted to enjoy myself on the mountain – as is the right of anyone – without fear of an injury caused by someone else? And why is there not more monitoring to stop this kind of behavior? I echo the opinion that, “Slow zones need to be seriously enforced by pass removals.” That goes for no-jumping areas as well. Something must be done before someone is seriously injured.

I applaud Purgatory owner James Coleman’s idea of upgrading the lifts. But perhaps he should invest first in hiring more staff for the mountain and see to it that we are not terrorized, needlessly, by dangerous behavior. – Adele Riffe, Hesperus

Wannabe G.I. Joes

While reliving via TV the Jan. 6, 2021, Insurrection, I was reminded of the similarities between the Jan. 6 “patriots” and the harassers of the Black Lives Matter peaceful protesters in Durango. They both toted American flags, brandished items to be used as weapons, looked a lot like adults pretending to be grown-up G.I. Joes and espoused their cause as something to do with democracy and freedom. What was most interesting to me was the simple fact that both groups apparently wanted to be poster children for America’s low-scoring level in the Programme for International Student Assessment ratings provided by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Congratulations, to all of you.

– Martin Carlson, Bayfield

The 2% vs. the have nots

As we goose-step through the latest “crisis of fear,” I can’t help but take a look back in time. As a youngster I would think: “How could those horrible events happen in and around Germany during the 1930-40s?” I soon learned it was an ideology founded upon eugenics and sponsored by international wealthy sources. It turns out that the dictum “War (physical, monetary, medical, etc.) occurs to transfer wealth from one entity to another,” is just that. Although one very good outcome of World War II was the establishment of the Nuremberg Code.

Investigating the John F. Kennedy murder in 1963 taught me the genuine power of propaganda. There were plentiful mortal and character assassinations during that time that have now been perfected. Truth, truly, is stranger than fiction! Intellectual discovery (critical thinking) has been replaced by dogma via coercive media domination. Those prone to fully accept the common narrative abdicate their decision-making process to others. My take on this is simple. As Hunter Thompson would proclaim: “Cui Bono” or who benefits, versus those offering an opposing point of view. I lean toward those not profiting (unlike the 2%) from current events who also offer ethical and scientific reasoning. Shame on me.

The Fourth Estate has failed us miserably. Instead of offering multiple points of view we are now “lucky” to get two. Red or Blue, For or Against, Believe or Not Believe. Gone is the gray area of inquiry. The CIA’s Mockingbird Project is now all grown up and thriving. It seems they were jealous of the manner in which China and Russia controlled “the workers.”

Partial answers: Stop participating. Form a good and decent community, and defend it. Promote civil and critical discourse. Enforce the Hippocratic Oath. Reverse the direction of wealth flow. Seek truth using uncommon sources. Understand that “divide and conquer” is the ruling class go-to card. This is accomplished via outright control of 90% of media sources. Know that if there is a societal disruption that this is a top-down direction. It’s the 2% haves and their minions versus the have nots – always has been.

– Lenny Papineau, Durango

Dry January? Perfect time to check out our Happy Hour.

Rec: Daily 3-5pm & 7pm-close • Medical: Sundays – all day!

The Alternative Resource

Variety of Strains • Hash/Concentrates • Edibles • Tinctures • ATM

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