Soap Box

It is disappointing to hear and read comments stereotyping the “poor behavior” of the unhoused. Most can agree that public property should not be used as a restroom. Porta potties are made available at Buckley Park, in which I walk my dog at least daily, and I often see unhoused folks use them. So perhaps more porta potties downtown would be beneficial.

More importantly, claiming without any basis, that “most Durango residents would now say Purple Cliffs should go away” is simply hateful speech. Failure to seek solutions or humanize these individuals amounts to “othering.” There are multiple efforts in our community dedicated to improving housing solutions. The Durango Herald and Durango Telegraph have covered the Neighbors in Need Alliance/Project Moxie efforts for a managed camp with La Plata County’s commitment to allocate funding; Housing Solutions’ Espero Apartments; the Local First Impact Fund providing funds for West Mobile Home Park tenants to buy their park; and Durango’s plan to add housing units at former motels.

Why are some behaviors of some homeless folks unsettling? A primary reason is trauma. In “My Grandmother’s Hand,” author/therapist Resmaa Menakem cites a well-known study published in 2014 of 17,000 people over three decades conducted by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente titled “Adverse Childhood Experiences Study.” It links childhood trauma and other adverse childhood events involving abuse or neglect to long-term health and social consequences, which get passed down through generations. The study identified 10 “adverse childhood events:” divorced or separated parents; physical abuse; physical neglect; emotional abuse; emotional neglect; sexual abuse; domestic violence the child witnessed; substance abuse in the household; mental illness in the household; and a family member in prison. The more of these ACE’s, the more likely the person will suffer from physical health issues, but also alcoholism, depression, liver disease, sexually transmitted diseases, illicit drug use, financial stress and attempted suicide. Someone with even four of these ACE’s are 4.5 times as likely to be depressed, 10 times as likely to be intravenous drug users and 12 times likely to be suicidal.

Rather than jumping to harsh conclusions, one might benefit from research instead. Also, reading the book or watching the movie, “Same Kind of Different Me,” based on a true story of a wealthy couple who befriend and help a homeless man, may inspire understanding and empathy. – Lynne Sholler, Durango

Freezing in the dark

One thing we can learn from Europe is the importance of having renewable energy infrastructure in place before eliminating existing energy sources. Our neighbors

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rushed to terminate fossil fuels hoping clean energy would catch up, telling citizens to chop wood this winter, an obvious step backwards for CO2 emissions. You see, everything depends on energy, and although solar and wind are helpful (I own 64 solar panels), they are not enough. A diverse energy mix provides energy security.

Martin Lewis, founder of the website “Money Saving Expert,” warned viewers of a “cataclysmic” energy crisis this winter with a typical U.K. energy bill possibly over 3,000 pounds. “We are talking about millions, if not 10 million people moving into real poverty this winter.”

In the U.S., 20 million homes are already behind on energy bills, according to Bloomberg News. E&P firms are “reluctant to pursue new projects and state the real energy crisis isn’t even here yet. Mixed messages from politicians and the current war on fossil fuels make it unhelpful to commit to long-term projects.” So if you are hurting financially this summer, look ahead. Are we prepared as a nation to reduce or eliminate fossil fuels?

Critical thinking and civil dialogue are key components in our search for a cleaner environment. Let’s put the needs of our fellow man above our desire for instant solutions and consider the risks of limiting our energy sources. After all, we don’t want to be caught freezing in the dark.

– Rebecca Craddock, Hesperus

Stand up for democracy

I am registered as an unaffiliated voter. For most of my life, I have observed the tug of war between the two parties. Each side took a different approach, but the parties used to work together on problems such as growing our economy and fighting authoritarianism.

This is no longer true. Those who say, “Both parties are the same” are just not paying attention. The current Republican Party is no longer a party with ideas; it’s a personality cult. In order to preserve their power, the Republican Party is intent on destroying our democracy.

Republicans have mastered intentional hypocrisy, accusing others of exactly what they themselves are doing. Using the lie that the last election was stolen, they are busy setting up a system to steal the 2024 election. Fiftyfour Republican election deniers have won primaries for positions that have a role in the election certification process (governor, attorney general, secretary of state, senate and house members). They plan to replace their state’s electors, legitimately chosen by the voters, with a set of electors of their choosing.

If they succeed, our democracy is dead. The November election is the most important in our history.

Those of us who value democracy must get involved, whether we are unaffiliated, Democrats or true conservative Republicans. We far outnumber those who are trying to take our liberty.

What can we do? Volunteer for a Democratic candidate, donate and, at the very least, register and vote. – Philip Riffe, Hesperus

Monsoon haiku

Afternoon monsoons Desert morphs into jungle The glass is half full

– Karen Carver, Durango

Brewfest no-no’s

After a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic, the San Juan Brewfest returned to Buckley Park on Saturday, but it came back with three major problems.

No, not the beers that came from all over the country – those were awesome. Not the vibe once you were on the grass inside Buckley – that, too, was great. And certainly not the symphonic sounds of the bands, which were beyond wonderful.

The three negatives?

First, that great big hail storm indicating the Almighty was not fully on board. Yes, it cleared and the sun did emerge, but it truly cut into our happy hours.

Second, what was with those long lines to get into the park extending half way up the hill on 12th Street?

And most disturbing: Why those gates preventing anyone from sitting under the trees below the old 9-R building? Adding insult to injury, I was prevented from bringing a beach chair to raise my 74-year-old sorry tochas from the wet ground. Next year, beach chairs! – Bob Rosenberg, Durango

How to kill a democracy

OK, so if you want control of government and things don’t work out as planned (i.e. the 2020 elections when many Republican candidates won, but Trump didn’t), then declare elections are rigged! Never mind that most of your other candidates won. Instill fear! And outrage! And a sense of “they’re” elites and “we’re” the underdogs. Get mad and take up arms! It’s your right to rebel and break the law if your perception of reality does not match the reality of things.

To help with the endeavor, continue to enable free and easy access to guns of all types, coupled with a strong police state (just not the FBI). And for moral certitude, blur or downright ignore the separation of church and state. Do not tolerate any diversion from the status quo of white male rule, and continue to demean or restrict women, minorities or those with divergent views on racism, equality or justice. And do this all by any means necessary, even if it threatens democracy by tearing down trust in our electoral process, using race bating or continually repeating falsehoods like Trump won the 2020 election or the Capital riot was a peaceable expression of politically divergent views.

Make hate the driving force behind your righteousness, and always play the martyr if you lose, or go back to being wronged and declaring some form of cheating until you get the outcome you’re after. This is how to defeat a democracy.

– Tim Thomas, Durango

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