Steve Smith has proven leadership for Glenwood Springs

Steve Smith will make an excellent addition to Glenwood Springs City Council. I was fortunate to have Steve on my congressional staff for many years. He was instrumental in shaping and getting legislation passed to expand Colorado wilderness and to protect important public lands and streams.

Steve has time and again demonstrated his dedication to the environment and to preserving the health of the planet. In his experience as a congressional staffer and as an active member of the Glenwood community, Steve has shown his ability to solve difficult public policy issues and to work out solutions with those of differing views.

His good nature and cheery disposition should be welcome in local politics, as it was at the state and national levels. I just wish I lived in Glenwood so I could vote for him.

David Skaggs, former U.S. representative (2nd CD), Longmont

A tribute to the Storm King Fire Memorial

I was lucky enough to live in Glenwood in 2012-2013, and ever since, I like to visit occasionally. I was just there in early March with a friend who had not been there before.

We had a good time hiking, soaking, and eating. Our trip included visiting Two Rivers Park and seeing the Storm King Fire Memorial. I had not looked at it closely for a while. Reading the details, including the individual plaques for each of the 14 who died, was very emotional. It is a beautifully done memorial. As the Visit Glenwood Springs website says:

“The Storm King Mountain Trail is a memorial to the 14 firefighters who died defending the homes and property of people they didn’t even know. Each of them left their homes, families, and friends to help extinguish a fire.”

As with any group of 14 people, they were all different. Individual biographies are here:
https://www.southcanyonfire.com/storm-king-14

As I read the plaques, I had a sad thought about how times have changed — and not in a good way. I could not help noticing that several were women and two were members of Native American tribes. The year they died, in 1994, the public internet barely existed. At the time, their deaths were simply seen as tragic. No political subtexts were added.

I have an uneasy feeling that had the deaths occurred today, social media and some on cable TV would be questioning if something like “DEI” contributed to their deaths — in effect saying they were not competent and their deaths were their own fault. (Looking at the recent fires in L.A. shows such concerns are likely justified.)

I cannot imagine the horror of losing a loved one and then having outsiders (with no real knowledge of the people or the circumstances) making public claims attacking them.

All I can say in closing is that it is a somber, well-done memorial. And please, if something bad happens today, do not rely on political beliefs or unproven claims to try to make a point.

Steve Levin, Niwot

Disinformation in news reporting

On Oct. 7, 1849, a literary genius passed away in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of 40. A lengthy obituary was submitted to a Boston newspaper under the pseudonym “Ludwig.”

Edgar Allan Poe had died, and the news traveled slowly to St. Louis, Missouri, via the Pony Express. No, it didn’t travel slowly. The new technology of the day, the telegraph, allowed the news of Poe’s obituary to reach distant cities within a few days.

It was Rufus W. Griswold, a literary rival of Poe, who submitted the editorial under a pseudonym that smeared his good name with lies.

People, even to this day, believe Edgar Allan Poe was a drunken lunatic and madman because the news was out in print and it must be true. This was nothing short of vindictive propaganda to discredit an enemy.

To those of you, like Ann Szucs-Spencer, thinking one news outlet is more credible than another, I would consider doing your own research and checking the facts before drawing any conclusions.

Just one example here from 175 years ago that disinformation in media is nothing new at all.

Alan Noland, New Castle