Thank you to Dan Williams

I don’t know that I’ve ever been touched more deeply by a Memorial Day column than the one Mr. Williams wrote for the Courier (”Bracing for Impact,” May 25). Thank you.

Trina Hoefling, Florissant

Re: Charis Bible College

As former long-term residents of Woodland Park who invested years of public and community service, we write to express our deep concern regarding statements by Andrew Wommack, the leader of Charis Bible College.

In a May 22 article “Andrew Wommack urges Christians to ‘take over’ Woodland Park, Teller County” in Colorado Politics (also published in the June 2 Courier), Wommack was quoted as saying, “Man, as many people as we have in this school here, we ought to take over Woodland Park.”

As the article explained, “Charis, which is not accredited, embraces young Earth creationism, which teaches the world was created by God in the past 10,000 years. And Charis’s School of Practical Government promotes an interpretation of American history that equates the constitution with the Bible while overlooking Enlightenment influences.”

As men who have studied world history in general, and American history in depth, we’re intimately familiar with our founding documents, and concur that they are imbued with Christian principles and values.

However, we are also scrupulously mindful of Thomas Jefferson’s Jan. 1, 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists, wherein he wrote, “…the American people…declared that their legislature should ’make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.”

While we do believe people of faith have an inviolable right to be actively involved in politics, we’ve also studied the numerous instances when religion has become inextricably intertwined with the State, or has completely dominated it, and the results were uniformly antagonistic to public welfare.

Therefore, when we read of Wommack’s plan to effectively take over Woodland Park and impose Charis’s beliefs on it, we are reminded of such theocracies as those in the Middle East, where homosexuals are thrown off of buildings and the rights of women and religious minorities are essentially nonexistent.

We are confident that a solid majority of Woodland Park residents would not support rule by any religious organization. We therefore strongly urge the citizens to become organized to oppose this dangerous movement. Absent that opposition, the city will likely be transformed into a permutation of a theocracy, which would fundamentally alter the quality of life the people have come to enjoy and jeopardize their children’s future.

Philip Mella, Chandler, Ariz.

Darwin Naccarato, Yukon, Okla.

‘Lest we forget’

In regard to the Woodland Park City Council voting in favor to donate $2,500 to the Teller County WWII Memorial project, I would like to say thank you.

This is a project that will link the past with the present and allow everyone to remember and honor these soldiers — soldiers like Woodland Park resident Eldon B. Pickett. The Picketts were a longtime Woodland Park family that gave a lot to the community. Eldon was Killed in Action on June 13, 1944 while his B-24 was on a bombing mission in Europe.

With the approval of the donation, the Woodland Park City Council is showing the gratitude of the city of Woodland Park to our local area soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice defending the freedoms we enjoy today.

But when it comes to remembering our soldiers who died fighting for our country, not all of us take the time to do that — for example, Council members Stephanie Alfieri and Robert Zuluaga, who both voted against this donation to remember our fallen veterans.

“The debt of gratitude that is owed to veterans is beyond what words can express.” ~Stephanie Alfieri, Nov. 11, 2020

“I am a proponent of the …. Patriots who gave of their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor that we may live free.” ~Robert Zuluaga, April 7, 2020

Apparently, in my opinion, these two council members are all meaninglessness talk and no action when it comes down to actually remembering our patriot heroes.

Steve Plutt, Lake George

Letters to the editor are published on a space-available basis, first-come, first-served. Email letters to michelle.karas@pikespeaknewspapers.com. The Courier reserves the right to edit submissions longer than 250 words. Letters should have the author’s full name, address and phone number for verification purposes.

Re: June 2 ‘From the Editor’ column

I wanted to “Amen!” your June 2 column: (“Study: Reduce depression risk by waking up earlier | From the Editor”). My wife and I are in our 60s. She is a Registered Nurse (40-plus years) and her schedule has typically driven our sleep habits. Fifteen years ago she started a shift at Penrose Main Hospital which started at 5:20 a.m. This meant she got up at 3 each morning — that required us to go to bed way before the chickens.

She no longer works that shift today, but we still get up pretty early; now we wake up without the help of an alarm, oftentimes before 4 a.m. This past 18 months, because of COVID, my fitness center at work closed and so I have forced myself (with a little “encouragement” from my wife of course) to get up with her and run — I’ve done this through the winter and present and so glad I have.

As I have aged (I’m 67) I have been more prone to depression and still have some bouts of this. But I attribute a good healthy mindset on my Christian faith and sticking to early morning rising and getting the exercise done and out of the way early. Even on non-work days, we are up and around way earlier than anyone nearby. I can personally attest that early to bed and early to rise is a keeper for us.

By the way, “earlier to bed,” as you said, really puts a hiatus on a night life — the good side of that is that you don’t spend a lot of money for evening and night time adventures out.

Doug Wamble, Colorado Springs

It’s about time

I was excited to read about the trade-school project in Heila Rogers’ May 26 article in the North Springs Edition, “Build it and they will learn: Liberty High School students learn construction skills while building home for local family.” Praise for the nonprofit Careers in Construction Colorado, Mayor Suthers and the principals and teachers who are leading the way.

As a former “shop” student, I’ve been disheartened to watch trade-skill offerings decline at schools over the years.

As a former math teacher, I can’t count how many times I wished we could BUILD something using math, really do something physically with it besides pushing symbols around on paper. Unfortunately, in today’s schools, most kids don’t get to experience the intellectual pleasure of actually SEEING computation and geometry in action until physics and chemistry. But these are usually taught in the upper grades, and by then many students have either dropped their enthusiasm for math or literally dropped out of school.

As an outside observer, I’m envious of the teachers directly managing these kids. Teens have a strong drive to move around, and I’m sure that most or even all of the kids in the room are highly engaged with the material. The same can’t be said for the average algebra classroom.

Lance Kildare, Colorado Springs

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LETTERS POLICY: Letters to the editor are published on a space-available basis. Send letters to michelle.karas@pikespeaknewspapers.com. Letters should have the author’s full name, address and phone number for verification purposes. The North Springs Edition reserves the right to edit submissions.

My Dream (a poem)

After the presidential election in 1968, I was so pleased that the U.S. would elect a person of color (even though I did not agree with any of President Obama’s programs or policies and did not vote for him) that I was motivated to write this poem. I am not a writer or poet, but I felt like I could write this poem. It seems to be much more applicable for our time now than when it was written.

“My Dream”

I, TOO, HAVE A DREAM

A DREAM THAT WILL NOT BE FULFILLED

THAT THE SOUGHT AFTER “SOME DAY” BECOMES TODAY

AND OUR RACIST THOUGHTS AND ACTS BE STILLED

MY DREAM IS NOT FOR FUTURE TIME

NOT FOR SONS AND DAUGHTERS OR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN

BUT IT IS FOR ME AND YOU AND NOW

THAT WE ARE THAT WHICH WE SHOULD HAVE ALWAYS BEEN

DO YOU NOT SHUDDER AND CRINGE IN SHAME

THE WORDS “TO THE BACK OF THE BUS” WERE EVER SPOKEN?

YES, PEOPLE ARE, THANKFULLY, DIFFERENT IN COLOR OF SKIN

BUT LET TODAY BE THE DAY WALLS ARE BROKEN

THREE SCORE AND ONE, I HAVE SEEN SOME CHANGE

MORE IN MYSELF THAN MOST, I’M SURE

BUT I WILL NOT WAIT TO BE SATISFIED

HOPING FROM MY GOVERNMENT OR CHURCH A CURE

A PERSON OF SCIENCE OR A PERSON OF FAITH

IT SHOULD NOT MATTER OR DIFFERENCE MAKE

FORT IT IS SELF EVIDENT TO THOUGHTFUL MAN

THE PATH TO JUSTICE THAT ALL MUST TAKE

Guy Nanney, Colorado Springs

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LETTERS POLICY: Letters to the editor are published on a space-available basis, first-come, first-served in the Cheyenne Edition. Email letters to michelle.karas@pikespeaknewspapers.com. Letters should have the author’s full name, address and phone number for verification purposes. The Cheyenne Edition reserves the right to edit submissions. We want to hear from you!