Animals are protected at rodeos

A letter in the July 15 Gazette included some common misconceptions about the treatment of animals at rodeo events.

The letter claimed that rodeo animals are treated cruelly. The truth is that people who participate in professional rodeo are committed to making sure that rodeo is as safe as possible. Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) sanctioned rodeos follow strict animal care guidelines. Certified veterinarians are on-site at every event to make sure that the animals are well cared for and treated humanely. Most injuries are minor, and life-threatening injuries are extremely rare.

Rodeo livestock are not forced to buck. PRCA rules ban the use of electric prods (hot shots) except to aid in moving livestock to prevent injury. They are prohibited in any riding event, and contestants are never allowed to use the prod to force animals to perform. Violations can result in significant fines and disqualification.

Flank straps used on horses must be fleece or neoprene-lined. They are never pulled tight enough to cause injury or pain. The spurs allowed in PRCA-sanctioned rodeos are designed with dull rowels so they won’t injure the animal.

Professional rodeo judges are required to report contestants who violate rules regarding animal care. Contestants could face fines, suspension and/or disqualification, all of which could have a significant financial impact on their ability to earn a living. Although we cannot control unsanctioned events, PRCA urges anyone who witnesses improper treatment of animals to report the offending action to their local animal welfare agency.

Most ranchers, stock contractors, and pro rodeo cowboys and cowgirls treat their animals like members of their family. They bring them into this world, and when they are sick, they nurse them back to health. It’s not just their livelihood, it’s their way of life.

Animals are well cared for outside the arena, too. Horses and cattle travel to rodeos in specially designed trucks for their protection. Animals may not be confined in vehicles more than 24 hours without being unloaded, properly fed and watered.

On-site, they are placed in large holding pens, provided with fresh feed and water, and closely monitored.

It is important to understand the difference between animal care and animal rights. Animal care is about making sure that animals are well cared for and treated humanely. Animal rights groups believe that animals should never be domesticated and should roam freely.

It’s easy to judge someone you don’t know or stereotype people from a culture that’s foreign to you. Even though animal rights activists disagree with us, we don’t question their right to their opinion or expect them to conform to our beliefs. We just ask for the same respect in return.

Tom Glause, PRCA

Colorado Springs

Who benefits from these changes?

The Academy District 20 Board of Education claims that shifting from its long-standing governance model is about increasing transparency. But actions speak louder than buzzwords.

This board has canceled half its scheduled public meetings, increased time spent in closed-door executive sessions by 450%, and has settled lawsuits for violating open meeting laws. Now, they want more direct control over administrative policy — essentially replacing the expertise of educators and staff with political oversight by individuals with no professional background in school operations.

Academy District 20 has long been recognized as a model for policy governance — entrusting trained educators to make operational decisions while holding them accountable through clearly defined board policies. That system worked. This new power grab under the guise of “transparency” is not only misleading — it’s dangerous.

To add insult to injury, a special meeting was scheduled to quietly pass this change while avoiding public scrutiny or open forum comments. Sounds transparent, right?

Parents, staff, and community members should be asking: Who benefits from these changes? It’s certainly not our students.

Veronica Baker

Colorado Springs

Importance of election integrity

Letter writer Nancy Murray wants people to support Tina Peters in the name of election integrity, but I don’t see it. Peters might have meant well when she brought in someone to copy election system drives, but giving an unauthorized person with someone else’s ID physical access to the election system didn’t further that goal. Instead, it violated basic election security protocols.

Aside from being a felony under Colorado law, this person could have exploited the vulnerabilities identified in the forensic reports Murray mentions to allow for later remote access and to gain the ability to change election data directly. The first line of defense of these systems is isolating them from the internet and controlling who has access to the computers. Peters broke that line and the law, according to a jury of her peers. I wish her well in her appeal. Nine years in prison is a long time, especially for a senior citizen.

As for the website Murray touts, check it out if you like. The reports are pretty technical and outline real vulnerabilities, but have been described as “another attempt to stretch a kernel of truth into a false cause for panic” by other cybersecurity professionals. There’s a documentary called “Selection Code”, a dramatic telling of Peter’s story that you can watch, that’s moving but relies on vague speculation and innuendo instead of hard evidence of election fraud. I’d recommend looking at other sources to get different angles on election integrity, especially since multiple recounts and audits in Colorado and other states have consistently confirmed election accuracy.

A good start is a 2017 video on Colorado’s risk-limiting audit project at tinyurl.com/mv87tkz9. It showcases a bipartisan effort in Colorado that helps safeguard against efforts to change vote totals by comparing randomly selected ballot results against the original paper ballot.

Finally, I don’t share Murray’s confidence in the president’s executive order. The Constitution places the power over elections in the states and the Congress, not the executive, and frankly I don’t trust a solution from people who helped create the problem.

She is right about the importance of election integrity, but we can do this ourselves.

Joe Loyall

Colorado Springs