Thinking Outside the Box

[An editorial by Paul Danish appeared in the January 19, 2017 issue of the Boulder Weekly, which can be found here . Because his editorial was so biased and one sided, but publicized in Boulder County's most widely read newspapers, I had to pose this response.] Paul Danish, age 74, ex-Dem turned Republican, past Boulder Council member and candidate for County Commissioner, has penned an editorial that ridicules civil disobedience, minimizes the accomplishments of the Standing Rock protest, is in favor of allowing fracking on Boulder Open Space, and favors a bill currently before the North Dakota legislature that would legalize murder of oil and gas protestors by automobile if they get run over on a state highway. Charming. Why the Boulder Weekly allows such an angry, biased, and inaccurate libertarian rant to be published is beyond me. I am only glad to see that they allowed a more balanced news story by Rob Jackson in the same issue about the Lafayette city council meeting w...

[Posted as a comment at  coloradopeakpolitics.com  on May 3, 2016. It is a blog by a conservative that supports fracking, and was crowing over the announcement today] about the Colorado Supreme Court decision that ruled against the Ft Collins and Longmont earlier bans on fracking.] What COGA and all its supporters seem not to see in this faulty judgement by the Colorado Supreme Court (on  May 2, 2016 ) is the big picture; namely, global climate change. This global imperative, which is happening whether you choose to acknowledge the scientific evidence or not, should have us all throwing ourselves into the true work to defend the planet, and in the process, creating a permanent, sustainable economy, with permanent jobs that people feel good about because it sustains their communities in the long term. Continuing to support fracking, from that vantage point, makes about as much sense as put ting more rocks in your backpack when you're trying to climb to the top of a moun...

[This is a Letter to the Editor that was published in the Boulder Weekly, October 1, 2015. I posted it online at the BW website, and they then printed it in their weekly edition.] Community Rights  I would like to add to the comments about the community rights vs. fracking issue, alluded to by Cliff Willmeng and Kate Toan [Re: “Passion without logic is bad” and “Fracking problem fix,” Letters, Sept. 24] I don’t believe the public at large is aware of the tectonic political forces that are involved here, which have consequences for humanity for its foreseeable future, but particularly in the 21st century, and how they will have the opportunity to partake in one of the most meaningful political votes in their lives, should the Colorado Community Rights Network prevail in getting their measure placed on the state ballot in 2016 — which I fully expect they will do. So some further public discussion is much warranted. I fully support the community rights approach, which I a...

[The Lafayette City Council heard public comment at their meeting on Sept 16, 2014, about whether they should appeal the court ruling where Judge D.D. Mallard ruled in favor of COGA and against Lafayette Community Rights Act on July 24, 2014. This is the same judge that struck down Longmont's ban. The Council will make their decison by September 30, 2014, I believe. ] An Address to the Lafayette City Council by Rick Casey, Tuesday, September 16, 2013 concerning public support in defense of the Lafayette Community Rights Act Dear Council members, I wish to convey to you tonight why I support the Lafayette Community Rights Act, and hope you to make every effort to defend it in court in the lawsuit that has been brought by COGA, the Colorado Oil & Gas Association. This charter amendment is based on the legal concept of community rights, which the COGA brief does not even mention; all they care about is making money off of fracking inside our city limits, but I...

  [As an online teacher of environmental economics, most of my time is spent talking about pollution, cap and trade, marginal social costs, and the like, with the expected student responses... But every once in a while there is an email exchange that makes it feel good to be a teacher, and influence someone's life in a positive way: this was one of them. Below is a response I got from a student to a long response where I explained to him where corporate personhood originated and why it is so significant..] [This was the student's response: ] Wonderful explanation, I am looking forward to becoming much more informed and involved. This class has sparked a potential path for me to follow in life at a time when I find myself searching as all I do is plan with beer and I need to be a part of something more fulfilling. I will check out those books you recommended as well, thanks for the tip. Cheers, [from one of my students This was my answer that inspired the student......