Be safe. Stay Strong.
PAGE 4 | THE VILLAGER • May 21, 2020
disobedience taxation issue. Dr. Martin Luther King was the most famous American leader of non-violent civil disobedience in the last century. His words still echo loudly in memory, deed and history. India’s Gandhi is another example of non-violent civil disobedience that freed India from British rule without a civil war. Civil disobedience is not easy and takes courage to defend one’s strong beliefs whether right, or wrong. Some of the greatest protests have not been popular at the time, but later history reveals that the protesters had it right. The coronavirus pandemic is stirring protest and breakouts of civil disobedience largely from restaurants and business
owners who have had enough of being shut down by government mandates. One can wonder why we have open grocery stores but closed restaurants. Laura Ingraham of Fox News last week openly advocated civil disobedience supporting the many demonstrations occurring in many states. She sounded the alarm that some “Blue State” governors were keeping their states locked down for political gain in the November election to weaken the president’s re-election and his senate majority. Politics has reared its head and modern-day civil disobedience is at hand and growing rapidly. “Better safe, than sorry,” has been accepted by vast numbers of American citizens who respect each other and wear masks, but patience is growing thin.
done several study missions to Tunisia and Egypt in which I have participated. I feel sorry for the highly trained athletes to miss Tokyo and have to train and exist in this virus plagued world for another year. *** Learning to live without sports is one of the toughest challenges for our own high school, college and professional sports athletes. The future of all sports is still a huge question mark of when, where, and how? I can’t imagine the Broncos not playing and having our high school and college football games, but schools may not open in September. Will teams play without spectators, and can team owners continue to pay athletes huge salaries if ticket revenues cease? TV advertising contracts are canceled, and fans stay home. The future appears dim, but remember the old Lombardy quote, “ When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” I think that’s where America is today. We’re moving towards something like “Proceed at Your Own Risk,” where business firms, fans, students, teachers, et al, have a choice to play, go back to work, or stay at home. We await a vaccine, but we haven’t been able to even cure a simple cold or common flu bug, so now we really anticipate a miracle coronavirus cure soon? The virus has been the hurricane and now we’re dealing with the death and destruction that is so widespread. It is easy to armchair quarterback governmental responses, but
it’s been better to be “safe than sorry” up to this point. But we can’t let the pandemic win and I find myself in the camp of “Proceed with caution” to reopen all businesses, schools, sports, and churches. If we die, we leave this world rooting for the Broncos, having a drink in a bar with a friend, and a good meal at our favorite restaurant. What was that old college saying, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may die?” I think we were saying that back when the draft was sending many of us off to military service. I remember this one, “It is not our duty to ask why, but to do and die.” Courageous death is not uncommon in American history. *** Hearing laughter from new subscriber J. D. Wooley I offer another joke about a young man who named his dog “Sex.” This created many challenges for this young man and his dog as explained herein: “When my wife and I separated we went to court to fight for custody of the dog. When I told the judge, I had Sex before I was married, he grinned and said, “Me too.” One day my dog Sex and I took a walk and he ran away from me. I spent hours looking for that dog. A policeman came by and asked what I was doing in this alley at midnight? I told him, “I’m looking for Sex!” My case comes up next Tuesday. I cherish getting up in the morning, brewing coffee, and then picking up The Denver Post in the driveway and con-
Replace fear with courage
Remembering college days at Colorado State University many decades ago I can recall Dr. Will Irwin in the political science department lecturing on “Civil Disobedience.” He related about famed early American author Henry David Thoreau being placed in a New England jail cell because he would not pay a poll tax. Irwin related that he was visited by Ralph Waldo Emerson, another famous author who asked Thoreau, “What are you doing in there Henry?” And the answer came back, “What are you doing out there Ralph? The point is obvious, and history does reveal that Thoreau was put in jail over a civil
I’ve been watching a lot of late-night TV and last week really enjoyed the rebroadcast of the 2019 World Championship Track and Field ten-day event held in Doha, Qatar. The ultra-rich tiny Emirate did a state-of-the-art stadium for the events and which appeared to have been well-run with superb athletes from around the world. The finely tuned athletes were fine tuning for the 2020 Olympic games that were to be held in Tokyo this summer but have been postponed to 2001. The quality of the participating athletes was outstanding, especially the American team that just swept medals in every category from pole vaulting gold to track events. I was especially proud of the black women track stars who were the best in the world, winning many gold, silver and bronze medals. After each race American flags were tossed onto the track where both the American women and men wrapped themselves in “Old Glory” and celebrated on the track before the Qatar spectators. It was a great performance for our athletes in a part of the world where we’re not the most popular country with the many Middle East ongoing turmoil. I was especially intrigued with the pictures of the skyscrapers and landscapes of Doha, the nation’s capital city. Members of the National Newspaper Association, of which I’m a member, were planning a study mission to Qatar, but with the conflicts raging in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan the trip was postponed indefinitely. NNA has
A peaceful demonstration was held in Greenwood Village last week at the headquarters of Tri-County Health with protesters peacefully addressing the organization. The people’s voices and concern are rising, and government does work for the people, not vice-versa. Tri-County is doing their job of attempting to protect public health and would be severally criticized if they shirked their responsibility. It is easy to criticize, challenging to lead. Ask the president. The “blame game” is upon us and partisan politics is abundant so maybe this is a good sign that fear is receding, and we are returning to normal public discord. Let’s replace fear with courage, open up doors, pray to God, and get on with our lives for better or worse.
suming the contents. The Post and The Villager have been forging ahead against the stiff virus winds, we both will succeed with reader support and advertiser’s returning as their doors reopen. Life in my opinion is about coffee, newspapers, radio, and television. Sunday’s Denver Post has another editorial blasting Congressman Ken Buck who was silly enough to run for State GOP Chairman. The editorial is bad and off base. Buck put the ousted candidate back on the ballot because of a faulty Senate District10 meeting that was disrupted by going digital and the virus. The state central committee, which he chairs, approved putting the candidate on the ballot who received 25 percent of the votes, rather than the required 30 percent. Buck was the messenger attempting to insure openness and fair play in the district primary contest. Buck and the 200 plus central committee should be praised, not condemned. This is a mountain in a mole hill, but worthy of a Post editorial opinion to attack Buck and Republican leadership. Let’s just go back to the New York Times and Washington Post editorials that usually run in “The Voice of The Rocky Mountain Empire.” I still love the newspaper and enjoy most of it. Not every writer is always right, including the one you’re reading right now. Newspapers are one of the last bastions for freedom insured by our Founding Fathers, don’t let us disappear. Submit your letters online at: www.villagerpublishing.com or email to: editorial@villagerpublishing.com 303-773-8313
The Villager
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Reverend Martin Niemoller “In Germany, the Nazis first came for the communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me and by that time there was no one left to speak for me!”
2020 Member
QUOTE of the WEEK QUOTE of to thestay WEEK I hope
unemployed as a war photographer till the end of my life. – Robert Capa
