Letters - Thursday

PIÑON CHASM

Ranchers have interest in working with greens

As a fourth-generation family rancher, I found The Gazette’s July 3 editorial greatly misleading (“Playing with fire / Dalliance with greens may backfire on ranchers”). As many recent examples suggest, conservationists and ranchers have much in common, and working together is necessary and mutually beneficial. Urban sprawl, invasive weeds and activities that degrade grassland habitats and carbon-storing soils — such as the Army’s Piñon Canyon expansion plan — are the greatest threats to atrisk species and agricultural lands.

Land owners and conservationists have worked together to preserve renewable grassland resources, promote renewable energy, stop water grabs along the Front Range, in the lower Arkansas River valley and South Park, and to preserve special places.

Abundant species thrive in our southeastern Colorado lands because family ranchers know and respect the native ecosystems and species. We are often the strongest and best advocates for preserving our national heritage. We are conservationists whose successful livelihoods depend on conserving nature’s intrinsic value. When we fail to do so, we lose our business.

The Pentagon, by contrast, has consistently pushed legislation to weaken environmental compliance requirements and congressional environmental oversight. I understand the Directorate of Environmental Compliance and Management at Fort Carson, which oversees the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site, has been dissolved and will be gone in October. The military’s commitment to environmental regulation has lasted just 20 years.

We gladly work with partners who share our dedication to preserving the last intact shortgrass prairie, and the largest continuous native grassland left in the American Great Plains.

Steve Wooten

Kim

MIND OF A TERRORIST

Bombers believe they’re fighting heresy

It amazes me that people are shocked that physicians would do something as horrible as a terrorist act. It is postulated that terrorism should only be relegated to the poor and disenfranchised. This shows a lack of understanding of what is going on in the mind of the terrorist.

Their belief is more like the following: “If I can cut off the hand of a thief as a punishment, and if I can stone a person to death for adultery, both of which are crimes against man, what should I do to a person who commits a crime against God? There is no more serious crime than heresy. Therefore, I am obliged to eliminate the heretic.”

This is precisely what happened in the 16th century among Christians. The only difference is that now we are talking about Muslims. When we add the modifier “extreme,” what we are doing is saying some are and some aren’t, without any identifier helping us to discriminate between the two factions.

When a society has a primarily religious orientation, rather than a social, political, economic and religious orientation, then that society is myopic and skewed. It makes no difference if a person is a physician, lawyer, beggar or thief, nothing takes precedence over a crime against God. They will endure anything, tell any lie, kill and maim anyone, because in their eyes, we heretics are sinning against God.

Until we understand this, we are delusional as to the solution. They are not evil people; they are not crazy people. They know exactly what they are doing, and they are doing it in the name of “good.” They are people driven by the same ideology that drove Christians centuries ago.

Raymond J. Hill

Colorado Springs

MUSICAL FOURTH

Lyrics of patriotic tunes full of religious references

As a member of the Tri-Lakes Music Association, I am struggling with Rich Keenan’s suggestion that one can separate religion and patriotism in a July 4 musical program (“Tri-Lakes celebration misused to promote religion,” Letters, July 7). His summation of our program was inaccurate with regard to the content and duration of the pieces performed, and it is clear that separating religion and patriotism in our musical heritage is a challenge. How does one separate “God shed his grace on thee” from “America the Beautiful”? How does one separate “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord” from “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”?

Keenan failed to mention that the Lord’s Prayer was part of a piece entitled, “Salute to Our Fallen Heroes” that also included “Taps” and “America the Beautiful.” I shudder to think what his response would have been had he known that the theme of the Monument Fourth of July parade was “One Nation under God.”

For someone who proclaims that we should “praise God in everything we do,” I find his assertion that our musical performance should be relegated to the “parking lot of New Life Church” incongruent and puzzling at the very least. I am proud to live in a community that boldly proclaims its faith in God. And, based upon his critique of our performance, I would extend to him an invitation to get to know us better by joining us at our next rehearsal.

The majority of us would not consider ourselves musical professionals, just citizens with a common desire to use our Godgiven talents to give back to our community. We would welcome his participation.

Anita P. Manning

Monument