Buddies coming to Glenwood

As the President of the Board of Directors for the Buddy Program I want to take a minute to share my enthusiasm for all that 2023 has in store for our organization! The new year marks the 50th anniversary of the locally-created mentoring program and the start of an expansion into the Glenwood Springs community. 

We’ve heard it from parents, youth-serving organizations, educators and the community at-large that the need for mentoring in Glenwood exists. We also know mentoring works. It results in better social and emotional outcomes for local youth; it results in youth who are more engaged and who aspire to pursue education and careers with passion and excitement … who have a trusted adult with whom they can share those aspirations and dreams! Mentors are a critical piece of the community fabric.

In addition to being the President of the Board of Directors, I’m also a Big Buddy. I’ve seen what mentoring can do for a child first hand. And there’s no denying this valley’s youth deserve our best effort to support them. Mentoring can help youth as they go through challenging life transitions, including dealing with stressful changes at home or transitioning to adulthood. 

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In this community, there is no such thing as “someone else’s child.” We’re all in this together. January is National Mentoring Month. Let’s get to work.

Contact the Buddy Program at buddyprogram.org or 970-920-2130 to see how you can get involved.

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Mark Iola, Aspen

Something to ponder

The initial wonder of the internet, and the promise of it still exists, to allow everyone to become equal, to have an even playing field, to make available the vast knowledge to all, has become an easy place to find sensual distraction without many redeeming qualities.

The initial hope for social media, to be able to connect, to stay in contact with friends and family, has morphed into the proliferation of promoters, self-indulgence, untruths and down-right lies.

The promise and the potential of both has actually taken us down a rabbit hole.

Social media has become so good at manipulation in spreading falsehoods that it is an increasingly growing risk to the very delicate fabric of democracy.

I fear we (the world populace) are in grave danger of losing the very thing that the internet first promised us — freedom.

We need to be able to reclaim this potential for good, we need to be able to inspire, create, educate, exchange values and ideas across all borders of race, religion, ideology and orientation.

As a baby boomer, I carry such angst for the world we have created, and the world we pass on to our children and grandchildren. We have failed the earth’s environment, we have failed in “giving peace a chance,” we have failed in making this planet a place safe for all, no matter your skin color, your faith or who you love.

We have failed, and I am truly sorry. 

My hope (and belief) is that this world is survivable; that you, our decedents, can pick up the pieces and put the world back together in a better way, that you can co-create a world that works for all.

Rick Davis, Glenwood Springs

Roots of corruption

Corruption is a fact of life. “Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power.” It is human nature. Politicians have long been sent to jail for stealing and cheating, but rarely for lying. And unfortunately, the learned Newt Gingrich, well aware of the legal parameters of public discourse, decided to expand the then-current limits. 

He proposed a “Contract for America” that was soon redubbed the ”Contract on America.” Gingrich was the first to shut down the government. He was not the first, however, to be run out of Congress on ethics charges. But his legacy continues.

We now have “alternative facts.” Thanks to the conservative political machine one can say anything without recourse by saying things like — wait for it — “The senator didn’t mean to be making a true statement.” And now: “Trump won the 2020 election.” Well, no. 

Yet on the evening of Jan 6, 2021 , after the attack on them, some 147 lawmakers voted to reject the ballots. Emails also now show that some 34 lawmakers were conspiring on the insurrection of Jan. 6. They even spoke of declaring martial law.

Since then, almost all Republicans have refused to admit when asked that Trump is not the president. Our problem is that this behavior is so prevalent it has normalized. The nation just accepts this as typical lying and just what politicians do, or, as the actual truth. “There he goes again!”

This has to stop. We cannot conduct our government in this way.  This lying is a fraud upon our country. This is blatant corruption.  This is seeking power and wealth at any cost — even already at the cost of lives. Everyone of these lying politicians must be charged as the criminals they are. Their lies are far beyond the bounds of free speech. They are lying and they know it. “Lock ‘em up!”

Patrick Hunter, Carbondale

Vitamin D important immune boost

I read a community column in the Post Independent dated Dec. 9, written by Greg Feinsinger that had me in shock. He stated in his article on random health tips that Vitamin D does not protect against colds and other viral infections, such as COVID. 

This is a completely wrong statement. Many qualified doctors, scientists, virologists and even Fauci recommend taking 6,000 IUs daily to boost your immunity especially in winter months and also vitamin C and Zinc. 

Sen. Ron Johnson gave a talk to the Senate on the protocols needed for this pandemic that they knew about but wouldn’t tell us. Vitamin D is extremely important, which we don’t get enough of. It’s dangerous to give false information for our health and well being.

Gayle Samuelson, Glenwood Springs