Fly and honor the American flag
Imagine our American Flag. What comes to mind? Stars and stripes? Red, white and blue? A waving flag high on a flagpole? Patriotism? Politics? Our American Flag represents America. It’s a symbol of our independence and liberty that we should ALL fly proudly. Our Flag is independent of politics, religion, or race. Fly and honor that flag to remind all of us of our unique, yet fragile, democracy, and who we are as Americans.
Peggy Lichter and David DiDomenico, Boulder
Easter should be a four-day weekend
On Easter my thoughts turn to First Corinthians 15:4, “And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures,” as well as Mathew 14:20, “so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Yeah, I know the tortured arguments to make this into two days, namely Good Friday through Easter Sunday. But I can read the plain truth for myself and it is this — every year, for the past 2,000 years we’ve been getting screwed out of a four-day weekend.
Tom Chapin, Lyons
Thanks to leaders for supporting PAST Act
A shout out to our awesome Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper for standing up for our nation’s horses by cosponsoring the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act. I am proud to be a Coloradoan with these defenders of animals at the helm.
Senator Hickenlooper said: “Horses are a lasting symbol of the pioneering heritage of the American West, and we must ensure that they are treated humanely.”
I couldn’t have said it better!
Juli Arnold, Superior
Authoritarians need their enablers
History has shown that government dysfunction can be a prelude to the erasure of democracy altogether, with authoritarianism rising in its place. The spiraling descent of conservatism as a governing philosophy is only accelerating. The GOP House majority is so fraught with dissent, so animated by belligerence, and so lacking in policy acumen that it has passed a record-low number of bills. The mere election of a House Speaker last year was a comedy rather than a coronation.
Democracy’s assassins always have accomplices. These accomplices will always run under the banner of patriotism. They are often mainstream politicians who ostensibly play by the rules and even thrive under them. They never engage in visibly anti-democratic acts. So when democracies die, their fingerprints are rarely found on the murder weapon. But make no mistake, they play a vital role in democracy’s collapse.
When mainstream parties tolerate, condone or protect authoritarian extremists, they become authoritarian enablers. Throughout history, cooperation between authoritarians and seemingly respectable mainstream politicians has been a recipe for democratic breakdown. Many of the politicians who preside over democracy’s collapse are just ambitious careerists trying to stay in office or perhaps win a higher one. They do not oppose democracy out of a deep-seated principle but are merely indifferent to it.
They tolerate or condone anti-democratic extremism because it is the path of least resistance. These politicians often tell themselves they’re just doing what’s necessary to get ahead. Ultimately, they become indispensable partners in a democracy’s demise and join a long line of semi-loyal politicians who were willing to sacrifice democracy for political expediency.
Brian Litwin, Longmont
