Be safe. Stay Strong.
PAGE 4 | THE VILLAGER • July 30, 2020
Leaders must support police
We have reached less than 100 days until the 2020 Presidential election Nov. 3, heralded as one of the most important elections in history. The nation is embroiled in controversy, a war against COVID-19, economic havoc on main street and anarchists infiltrating peaceful protests leading to violence and looting. This is a tough time to be seeking re-election for president. But President Trump is up to the challenge and his strong belief in law and order will prevail come November. If we don’t have law and order by our police departments, we will have chaos on the streets like we have never witnessed. Armed patriots will guard homes and streets while the mobs will continue to loot, rob, and tear down cities. It is my strong belief that the silent majority of both Republicans and Democrats have been patient watching the younger generation blow off coronavirus steam. They can go out at night and terrorize the neighborhoods, break windows and bring home some new shoes or a new tele-
vision set without consequences. Trump is sending Federal agents, not troops, to end violence and protect taxpayer property from destruction. Civil rights have progressed a long way with men like congressman John Lewis receiving well deserved recognition this past week following his death. He was one of the last living leaders who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King. He believed in peaceful protests and suffered beatings for his beliefs. He loved America and many of his steps moved racial relations forward. There is still work ahead and in a free enterprise system the system is free, but not always fair. Hard work, luck, and birthrights have always been part of the equation. Lewis wanted America to succeed for all. We need to support our police and maintain law and order at all cost. What must the Chinese, Iranians, North Koreans, and Russians think about what they see happening in America? We are weakening our country by these mob scenes. Violence
and anarchy cannot stand in the United States and we cannot let our nation be destroyed from within by mob rule and intimidation. I’m thankful that we have a president with the courage to support law and order and defy the forces that would destroy our country. Burning down Federal buildings and defunding police departments is a very dangerous movement. Anarchists moving from city to city and creating racial hatred and turning peaceful gatherings into mob violence is not what Congressman Lewis and Dr. King preached. I’m thankful that we have a president who has the courage to stand for law and order and support our nation’s police departments. One of the biggest hoaxes being pushed is to eliminate the Constitution mandated electoral college system allowing all states to participate in the election of the president by giving each state representation in Washington by population but limiting votes only to that state. The Founding Fathers were very wise in not wanting any city or state to always elect the leadership on size and population. If voting system is eventually
overturned by misguided Colorado voters in November we can ultimately have little voice in presidential elections and California, New York, Florida and Texas will decide who is the next president forever by population. Candidates will no longer need votes from Colorado or Wyoming and our votes will be lost to the larger more populous states. It is just stupidity for small states to overturn the present voting system and lose influence in national elections and leadership. Colorado is expected to gain two more congressional seats after the 2020 census, based upon a growing population. All states have congressional members allocated by population. But, again the wisdom of the Founding Fathers gave each state two United States Senators, not based upon population thus protecting the smaller states. We should not rewrite the Constitution and dilute the political power of our state. Regardless of your political affiliation this is not good for Colorado, but great for wonderful New York and sunny California.
The Villager
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The war on COVID-19 continues. My monthly breakfast coffee group is passing on these 7 a.m. Sunday morning gatherings for fear of the virus threat. The business lockdown has eased somewhat. I feel very sorry for the restaurants and bar operators who have had to go through hell to stay open during this crisis. Dining and drinking seems to be a personal choice for both patron and server. Fearful, stay home. Hungry for a meal? Change, put on the mask and visit a restaurant. Hat’s off to the culinary folks for staying open and devising efficient take-out order systems, keeping some of the staff working and is a great public service. *** I’ve been following the sale
of McClatchy newspapers, the second largest newspaper chain in America. Unfortunately, they purchased rival Knight Ridder in 2006, accumulating massive debt and then the 2008 economic crisis arose, and they were never able to recover financially, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy early in 2020. Last week the newspapers group was auctioned off with two Eastern hedge fund bidders. New Jersey based Chatham Asset Management bid $312 million and were successful in their bid. Interestingly, a second bid from another hedge fund, New York Alden Global Capital, owners of The Denver Post, was $100 million less than Chatham. Alden’s proposal includ-
ed cutting around 1000 jobs, more than a third of the 2,800 employees listing in the bankruptcy filing. Alden would not commit to preserving current salary and benefits for employees that would have forced McClatchy to reject its collective bargaining agreements from its unions according to court reports. This should be of interest to The Denver Post that has undergone major restructuring under Alden Global Capital. Readers may recall the mass exodus of Post staff members as major newsroom cuts were made. The Denver Post owns many Colorado newspapers that include newspapers including Boulder, Longmont, Loveland, Sterling, Ft. Morgan, Canyon City, Burlington, and most recently Greeley.
OP Ed - Why opposition to resolution 40-20 and protecting our community is a disgrace to us all BY DAVE KERBER
In The Villager of July 23rd, Billy Wynne, attacked District Council Member, Dave Bullock, and his support for our police department making numerous unfounded allegations about Mr. Bullock and the City. Among the many allegations, Wynne claimed that the Resolution was “not about preventing officers from quitting”. How does he know that? Was he there? He does admit that one officer quit but fails to acknowledge the truth that we were facing the resignation of numerous other senior officers with the potential
that this was just the beginning. Our officers are willing to accept the consequences of their actions. They are willing to risk losing their employment and careers or even going to jail, but they are not willing to risk their financial well-being and being judged by the likes of Mr. Wynne. Who among us would subject our financial security to the moral judgments of those who depending on the whim of the mob would want to send a message to the “community” at the expense of an innocent officer? They aren’t afraid of accountability. Our officers are afraid of the post-hoc
judgments of ambitious politicians willing to destroy our officers lives for a favorable headline in the press. Wynne also states that “Resolution 40-20 is not about keeping us safe.”. He then goes on to slander Mr. Bullock by claiming that “he pulled out the old ‘if someone is breaking into your house in the middle of the night’ trick” as if this was a lie. I have news for Mr. Wynne. Last Thursday someone did break into the residence of a Greenwood Village citizen to burglar his apartment while that resident was at home. Our police, sufficiently
Alden is a no-nonsense fund that has a business plan that has kept their newspapers publishing successfully in economic troubled times and now the pandemic. My paper comes every day and some days and overall I find the newspaper important to my connection to Colorado news. The Post still has some talented writers. This past Sunday’s Denver Post had an excellent front-page feature written by Bruce Finley on The Dickinson ranch in far, far, northwestern Colorado, The story with great photos featured T. Wright Dickinson working with his bulls and livestock. The story is connected with the upcoming statewide ballot Initiative-107 to introduce gray wolves back into ColoraContinued on page 5
staffed and supported, responded immediately and the individual was apprehended. Wynne and his allies would put us all at risk. Radicals throughout the country and in Colorado advocate defunding the police, the only purpose of which is to reduce the number of armed police officers protecting our communities. The legislature has taken to defund the police and reduce their numbers by demoralizing our officers and putting them at financial risk so they quit. This is the same result as defunding the police. Make no mistake, the effort to convince Greenwood Village to rescind its resolution is not to punish the Greenwood Village Continued on page 5
Sharon Sweeney — 303-503-1388 sharon@villagerpublishing.com Linda Kehr — 303-881-9469 linda@villagerpublishing.com Valerie LeVier — 303-358-1555 valerie@villagerpublishing.com Gerri Sweeney — x307 gerri@villagerpublishing.com Scottie Iverson swan@denverswan.com SUBSCRIPTIONS B.T. Galloway — x301 subscribe@villagerpublishing.com PHOTOGRAPHER Stefan Krusze — 303-717-8282 octaviangogoI@aol.com EDITORIAL COLUMNISTS Robert Sweeney — x350 bsween1@aol.com The Villager is an award-winning, locally owned, independent newspaper. All letters to the editor must be signed. The contributor’s name, hometown and phone number must also accompany all letters to the editor for verification, and we reserve the right to edit contributions for space. We attempt to verify all matters of fact but hold contributors liable for the content, accuracy and fairness of their contributions. All submissions become the property of The Villager and may be reused in any medium.
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 “The dictionary is the QUOTE of the WEEK only place that success comes before work. Work is the key to success, and hard work can help you accomplish anything.” – Vince Lombardi
