"The Beetle and the Damage Done," Alan Prendergast, June 28
Healthy, well-hydrated trees and all other healthy plants and animals stay free of disease. It's a lifestyle and "biological terrain" thing.
But Colorado's trees have many challenges. My advice: Don't live closer than five blocks from any stands of pines or other plant "fire hazards." You don't want to lose the dice roll. It's that kind of time of man. And, yes, I'm from Colorado Springs.
Gene W. Edwards
Colorado Springs
Dead fuel accumulating for the past fifteen-plus years. Fires take off like hotcakes. You do the science.
James Reynolds
Posted at westword.com
What we need to do is start bringing back the loggers so forests can be thinned out and the forest will be healthier.
Anthony Beretta
Posted at westword.com
"Making a Play," Off Limits, June 21
I was not surprised that the Church of Scientology would buy a $8.5 million property one block from Coors Field to restore a historic building for an "ideal org" church and to propagate its "mission." It has opened 31 of these huge and expensive temples around the world. However, I was shocked that Denver community leaders would "warmly welcome" Scientologists by using talking points provided by the church's PR wing, without seeming to know anything about the church's history or programs.
When our children and our most vulnerable citizens are "helped" by these churches, some of which are money-making businesses, we need real transparency. Before our community leaders offer any kind of support for their "fabulous programs," we should be able to find out their history — their beliefs; their practices; their leaders; where they get their money; if they have practiced intolerance, abuse or discrimination; how they proselytize; how will they account for our support. People of all faiths or no faith need to be as vigilant about freedom from religion as they are about freedom of religion.
Carole Bayer
Boulder
People like Joseph Smith and L. Ron Hubbard are a dime a dozen in India, where they amuse and nothing more, said R.N. Iyer, my Oxford thesis advisor. Joseph Smith? We have a presidential candidate whose church now and recently embraced rape, incest, false imprisonment, fraud, local dictatorship, book burning and child (boys) abandonment (see current High Country News). Crazy? L. Ron Hubbard so fundamentally missed the point: Scientologists inflate their egos infinitely, practicing an amusing game of hierarchy and extortion. Buddha said reduce the ego to zero. Buddha said enlightenment (the stated goal of Scientology) comes only from becoming porous to every pain of every sentient creature, and to seek the first without the second is a guarantee for insanity.
Mike Kiley
Posted at westword.com
