This Letter to the Editor appeared in the July 4th ,2024 Chaffee County Times and the July 5th, 2024 Mountain Mail.
Some of us took exception to being called liers by Grace.
I wrote this letter in response and submitted it to the Chaffee County Times and the Mountain Mail on July 9th, 2024:
Dear Editor,
I’d like to extend a warm welcome to newcomer Grace Garret. After only a few months, Grace has graciously taken it upon herself to lecture us on our flawed public discourse and civics. Bravo!
Grace recently labeled the group of 15 regular letter writers in Chaffee County’s print media as spreading misinformation. Why no examples, Grace? Don’t you know making broad accusations without specifics is itself misinformation? Oh, the irony!
Grace, under the auspices of the League of Women Voters of Chaffee County (LWVCC), is here to promote a civics lesson. The lesson is based on a book by Richard Haass, former president of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), titled “The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens.” The CFR is known to apply pressure for their policies from the top down and from below. Grace and the LWVCC are bringing the pressure from below for the CFR.
What sounds like an innocuous civics lesson is actually propaganda for the simple-minded, leaning heavily towards the Democratic viewpoint. In his book, Haass shares the radical left’s beliefs that universal basic income, expanding the Supreme Court, and student loan forgiveness will all magically improve the country. Haass touts the legacy media as trusted resources to avoid misinformation: the New York Times, broadcast TV, and NPR. Seriously?
Why is the LWVCC soap-boxing Haass’ radical-left drivel, violating their claimed political neutrality? A quick check revealed this nuance: while LWVCC doesn’t support political candidates, they do support political causes. By sheer coincidence, all the causes supported by LWVCC align perfectly with the Democratic platform! This explains the LWVCC sponsorship of petitions to enshrine late-term abortion, including the ninth month, in the Colorado Constitution.
Or perhaps it is not a coincidence. All the board members of the LWVCC are registered Democrats or Unaffiliated. The President, who is unaffiliated, recently changed her affiliation from Democrat. Does the LWVCC’s cozy alignment with the radically left Ark Valley Voice indicate just how far left-leaning these LWVCC Democrats are?
It’s crucial that we approach public discourse with clarity and avoid vague accusations. Hiding political propaganda in a civics lesson is anything but transparent and utterly undermines trust. I used to rely on the LWVCC for unbiased election information, but their recent actions show my past trust was misplaced.
Let’s not allow political agendas to masquerade as unbiased civics education. Our community deserves better.
I received this response from Jim O’Rourke on July 12th:
This gives me nightmares that this CEO and Editor is censoring our local paper. The public has a right to know what is behind Grace Garret group and who is now supporting it. I advise everyone to contact the CEO Jim Orourke and let him know what we all think of this censorship and his audacity to think it’s ok. Maybe he should reread the 1st admendment.
My subscription is due in Oct. and if this is the direction he wants to take The Mountain Mail, then after 60+ years of reading it I will cancel (starting with my gpa reading me the comics). Makes me sad as it’s been a longtime family newspaper for Chaffee County.
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In January the League of Women Voters Chaffee County(LWVCC) announced they would be collecting signatures supporting Proposition 89: “Shall there be a change to the Colorado Constitution recognizing the right to abortion and, in connection therewith, prohibiting the state and local governments from denying, impeding, or discriminating against the exercise of that right, allowing abortion to be a covered service under health insurance plans for Colorado state and local government employees and for enrollees in state and local governmental insurance programs?”
This move would enshrine Colorado’s current abortion law into the state constitution.
This law places no restrictions on abortion. None.
2022a_1279_signed.pdf (colorado.gov)
What does this mean? In Colorado, it is legal for a healthy infant to be aborted any time before birth, up to the ninth month of gestation. This is three months after the fetus is viable outside the womb. Proponents argue this killing a healthy baby never happens. To this I say: then why does it need to be legal? Others states legalizing late-term abortion entered language about the health of the mother and the medical viability of the fetus. Not Colorado.
Here is a Gallup poll, showing that 22% of the US population support third trimester abortion. But what if this question was asked using Colorado Law as the model? What tiny percentage of the population would support legalizing abortion of a healthy fetus at the ninth month?
The League of Women Voters imply they are laboring to restore Roe. The Colorado Law on abortion the LWVCC seek to enshrine into our state constitution abortion is not Roe!
Dear Editor: Preserving reproductive freedom | Opinion | themountainmail.com
The League of Women Voters Chaffee County claim to be non-partisan. This is false.
But they have been gaining signatures for Prop 89 without disclosing fully how extreme and deeply unpopular their position is on abortion. By doing so, LWVCC is violating the most basic tenet of their organization:
“To encourage the informed and active participation of citizens in government and to influence public policy through education and advocacy.”
The LWVCC is trying to silence those who question their actions, perhaps knowing they cannot stand up to scrutiny. It is disheartening that the media jumped onto that bandwagon, seemingly without fully investigating both sides of the issue.
Colorado abortion law is extreme. Instead of seeking to reeducate their critics, perhaps LWVCC should instead explain why they advocate for this extremist position.
Abortions in the US have increased 11% since Roe v Wade was overturned.
Mountain Mail finally agreed to publish my letter, but I had to tone it down quite a bit.
Click on image to enlarge.
Well, more censorship from the Mountain Mail/Cailey McDermott. I sure miss Merle Baranczyk!
I submitted a letter taking the Mountain Mail and Frank Waxman to task for printing his lies on President Trump.
Here’s my letter below submitted July 26, 2024. My letter actually appeared on their web page (but not in the actual paper) July 30th but without Frank Waxman’s name. Kinda defeated the purpose but I thought at least it was there.
I then received an email on July 31 that they would not be running my letter! My letter on their web page was then gone.
To the editor:
July 20, 2024
I thought this new editor was going to censor letters written to the Mountain Mail to make sure they are true and yet, every time Frank Waxman writes his lies about President Trump, they are printed as truth when, after research, anyone can find that they are lies. President Trump has many times come out against Project 25, never heard of it until recently, and of course when Mr. Waxman starts calling him names, we know that’s his only offense.
Then, Mr. Waxman tries to defend Kamala!! She’s for total open boarders, medical for all illegals (of course, on the working person’s dime) for DEI (racism), never received a delegate vote (ask who is behind her even getting the position of vice president, certainly not on her morals or work ethic). I feel bad for the Democrats who voted in the primaries for Biden and are somehow ending up with her.
Funny how Mr. Waxman states “it’s prosecutor against felon” (we all know what a scam that was) when Kamala was the worst prosecutor in California, letting felons go, who then went out and committed more crimes. Kamala actually came out for funding rioters in the “summer of love” (remember that!) to get out of jail!
Do we really want the rest of the country to look like a 3rd world county California? Already starting to with Biden’s open border policy.
Mr. Waxman stating President Trump is for a complete ban on abortion is another lie. Roe vs Wade was never in the Constitution so should never have been a federal law. The Supreme Court was right in sending it back to the states for the people in those states to decide. Nothing more, nothing less.
Mr. Waxman should listen to one of the many of President Trump’s rallies and interviews and educate himself. The Mountain Mail) should do the same and stop printing blatant lies.
I’m sad to see the once fantastic Mountain Mil heading in this direction emulating the “National Enquirer”.
My question to everyone is this: are you better off now or when President Trump was in office?
Received July 31, 2024
Hi Katherine,
Thanks for submitting a letter to the editor. However, we will not be running it. You are welcome to revise and resubmit.
Thank you,
Cailey McDermott
Editor
The Mountain Mail
O’Rourke Media Group*
719-203-1994
cmcdermott@orourkemediagroup.com
My Answer:
From:katherine.alexander22@yahoo.com
To:Cailey McDermott
Wed, Jul 31 at 5:17 PM
Why will you not run it? None of it was a lie.
I would like to inquirer as to what part of my letter was publishable, so that I may avoid any future rejections.
Katherine Alexander
Of course I received no answer. I given her a few more days to answer my email so since she has not, I’m putting this info here for the people to see what is truly going on with our local newspaper.
Very disappointed with out local newspaper. I will not be renewing my subscription in Oct. when my subscription comes due unless I see a positive change, which with this editor, I sincerely doubt. Breaks my heart as my grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins have all been reading The Mountain Mail for many many years. (I’m 3rd generation Salidian) and I’m going to be the one to break this tradition.
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