Letters to the editor: BVSD recall; Michael Christy; Bedrooms Are For People; cattle cartoons; BVSD recall
Sep. 27—William Whiting LeBlanc: BVSD recall: Pants make as much sense
For years, the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) has required all teachers, personnel, and students to wear pants whenever they are on campus, off campus representing the school in sporting, academic, or fine arts events. Even parents attending school events are required to wear a material covering their nether-regions. Therefore, the following recall will be initiated if there is enough public "support" so to speak.
Whereas pants mandates restrict each individual's ability to make decisions about their own freedom;
Whereas there is no proof that wearing pants lowers the transmission of communicable airborne diseases;
Whereas pants enable wedgies to be perpetrated on unknowing students;
Whereas pants can get caught in machinery like fans or printers, or in car doors, and cause irreparable harm to the individual and the pants themselves;
Whereas pants mandates could quickly escalate to requiring shirts, or even shoes, then we cannot and will not start on this slippery slope of government overreach;
Therefore, we must recall all the BVSD Board members immediately, and vote for new candidates that believe in freedom of pants choice. All we need is 15,000 signatures.
Pants definitions shall include: trousers, skirts, skivvies, boxers, jeans, shorts, undies, bloomers, briefs, and underroos.
William Whiting LeBlanc
Boulder
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Robin Noble Gribbon: Michael Christy: Hard-working and respectful
I'm writing to express my strong support of Michael Christy for Boulder City Council. Michael is an attorney, parent, and engaged community member who cares deeply about this place. I serve with Michael on Boulder's Cannabis Licensing and Advisory Board. He is always hard working, respectful, and willing to dig into details to make smart decisions for our community. Public safety and smart governance guide Michael's service on this board, and he will bring that approach forward. Please support Michael Christy for Boulder City Council.
Robin Noble Gribbon
Boulder
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Lisa Spalding: Bedrooms Are For People: Editorial missed the mark
The Daily Camera editorial board members made a serious mistake on an important point when they endorsed Bedrooms Are For People. They claimed City Council "has the power and propensity to modify the measure" when rental housing investors begin subdividing single-family homes into as many 70 square-foot bedrooms as possible or scraping the homes and replacing them with rooming houses. We wish the board members were correct, but unfortunately, they're not.
Section 54 of the Boulder City Charter prevents City Council from altering or modifying the basic intent of an ordinance and requires a supermajority to change even small details. By reassuring readers that advocates are amenable to changes when 15-bedroom rooming houses start popping up, the board reveals its profound misunderstanding of the situation. There is no language in the measure clearly stating legislative intent, and advocates previously rejected calls to modify the ballot measure in any way. Investors will sue the city if any attempt is made to interfere with their right to maximize profits on their properties, and all legal applications for permits will be granted and persist indefinitely.
The advocates' claim that the city can regulate occupancy by enforcing safety, parking, noise, and trash is simply incorrect. Legal occupancy is a property right. In a July memo to Council, staff admitted they do not have the resources to enforce codes if occupancy increases. The code enforcement division is severely understaffed and underfunded now.
Because the city has no ability to remedy the unintended consequences of Ballot Question 300, 14 alarmed renters and homeowners banded together to form No on Bedroom$, a ballot measure committee opposing Bedrooms Are For People. Visit our website at noonbedrooms.org for more information, and VOTE NO on 300!
Lisa Spalding
Member of the ballot measure committee NO on Bedroom$ that is opposing Bedrooms Are For People.
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Bob Hopper: Editorial cartoon: No more cattle toons
I am a long-time fan of editorial page cartoons employing cutting-edge humor and political satire. However, I have found the Camera's recent string of cattle and Ivermectin cartoons neither funny nor accurate. I would describe them as divisive, derisive, and mean-spirited.
The story about Ivermectin overdose victims overwhelming an Oklahoma ER so that gunshot victims could not be treated has been exposed as a hoax by the hospital itself. Ivermectin has been used safely by humans for 40 years, with 3 1/2 billion doses given globally. Its creators were awarded a 2015 Nobel Prize for its ability to treat parasitic infections, and the World Health Organization (WHO) lists Ivermectin as one of its essential medicines.
There is no mention in the U.S. corporate media of Ivermectin's potential value in treating COVID-19, perhaps due to the massive influence of Big Pharma and the billions to be made selling vaccines compared to this inexpensive, readily available therapeutic. Why would the Camera help ridicule a potentially life-saving drug in the midst of a pandemic?
Also, as a retired psychologist, I am concerned that the invective in these cartoons targets people who are our friends, neighbors, and family. Aren't disagreement and discussion part of both science and a democracy? There is more than enough hate in the world. How about some tolerance?
Bob Hopper
Boulder
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Juniper Loomis: BVSD recall: Math doesn't add up
In Friday's Open Forum (Sept. 24 — "Where can I sign up?"), David Dwier stated he was eager to sign the petition to recall BVSD board members attempting to protect the health of our children and assure that our schools can remain open for in-person learning. How dare they! I don't know if he did the math on the 3.4% global fatality rate he cited, but that means that in a high school with 2,000 students 68 could potentially die — or one in each class of 30. I'm sure he's hoping that the victims are someone else's children. I for one applaud the school board for doing its duty to protect the life and health of students and teachers — and to keep our schools open!
Juniper Loomis
Boulder
