A twist in a tragic story

I do not believe I am the only one outraged at this newest twist to this tragic story. For me, it was quite close to home. My two daughters attended Carver Elementary School with Jay Nicholls. They knew him. They played on the playground with him. They had lunch with him in the cafeteria. I volunteered many times at Carver and I’m sure crossed paths with Jay. My daughters were devastated when he and his sisters perished.

This tragedy happened in my neighborhood. All of the details were closely followed by news outlets, including The Gazette. We watched the evidence emerge and the television coverage. I never saw any remorse in Deborah. Being the mother of three, my devastation would literally paralyze me. Not have me take you on a photo journey of the house.

Is this travesty another indication of how crime is being handled in Colorado? The guilty go free. Just keep in mind Jay would be 34, Sophia would be 28 and Sierra would be 26 today.

I treasure my 36- and 34-year-old daughters, their accomplishments, my grandson and future grandson.

Jay, Sophia and Sienna were not given that opportunity. Justice happened for them in 2008. Please do not allow that justice to be taken from them.

Trish Beyer

Colorado Springs

This is not military readiness

As a disabled Army vet, I thought I was no longer able to be shocked or dismayed during these trying times, but here I am. Reading the reports coming from aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, I am outraged at the conditions these sailors are living in. Inadequate food, unsatisfactory hygiene supplies, long hours for days on end with no time down and concerning statements from the ship’s medical team all lead to poor morale and poor readiness.

Then to see reporting from multiple sources that the troops this administration has sent into harm’s way are running out of munitions. Really? As an NCO in the Army I was always told, “Give the troops food to eat and the means to carry out the mission”. In short, they need ‘Beans and Bullets”. Give them those things and the American service member will go through hell to get the job done.

Of course, the Commander in Chief and the Secretary of Defense deny these conditions claiming, ‘fake news’. If only there were some way we could check the accuracy of this reporting. If only we had someone on the House Armed Services Committee who could open an inquiry, investigate, settle this, and put our minds to rest. If only…

Bear Wilson

Colorado Springs

Anniversary of 9/11

Nearly 80 thousand people have signed an online petition calling for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to be barred from events surrounding the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks. The Republican candidate for governor of New York, Bruce Blakeman, has said attendees should turn their backs on him if he dares attend. Islamophobic much?

Remember that 14 of the 19 terrorists that day were Saudi Nationals. However, since then, Saudi-backed entities (the Saudi Arabia sovereign wealth fund) and the Saudi royal family have funneled a massive $ 2 billion investment into the president’s family private equity fund (Affinity Partners) and an estimated hundreds of millions directly into Trump-owned businesses. Estimated because we will never know the exact amount, as he, nor his family, can ever be audited. Hypocritical much?

Ann Smith

Colorado Springs

Choosing a third path

We live in an age of unprecedented partisanship, where elected officials are actively tearing neighborhoods apart and where dishonesty and vulgarity that would have previously been unthinkable are becoming accepted norms. In spite of this “new normal,” a determined group of Coloradans gathered this April to take a stand against this erosion of civility and respect. The Colorado Center Party made a conscious decision to choose a third path.

The Colorado Center Party codified a unique Ethics Code as a part of their larger centrist views to serve as a new foundation for the Party. The Code of Ethics committed the Center Party to the Rule of Law with an unwavering dedication to the Constitutions of the United States and Colorado, it created a steadfast obligation to integrity and truthful communication with a commitment that any mischaracterization of facts will be immediately and publicly corrected, and finally it set a commitment to Civil Discourse with respect to all regardless of race, religion, creed, or orientation.

What makes this unique in Colorado politics is the enforcement clause: any candidate or party officer found to have violated it can and will be held to account (including expulsion). Bottom Line: The Colorado Center Party is committed to being worthy of public trust first and foremost, rather than seeking power at any cost.

The question remains; will other Colorado parties walk away from the politics of division, return to civil discourse and the rule of law, and commit themselves to being worthy of the mandate of their fellow Coloradans?

Joseph Markusfeld

Colorado Springs