Cultural exchange at its best at the Teahouse

For 37 years, locals and visitors alike have marveled at the beautiful teahouse gifted to the city of Boulder from its sister city of Dushanbe. Last week, a delegation from Tajikistan arrived here to meet with various businesses and groups.

I was fortunate to join a discussion as a volunteer with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, an international nonpartisan organization. We explained that in our region folks are concerned — among other issues — with wildfires and unpredictable snowfall, while the Tajikistanis talked about melting glaciers and land degradation. We shared ideas and perspectives not as representatives of our governments but as individuals, parents and members of our diverse communities. This is cultural exchange at its best.

— Jennifer Rodehaver, Boulder

Biden should preemptively pardon Trump’s enemies

President-elect Trump’s motto is, “When somebody screws you, screw them back in spades,” and he has threatened more than 100 people who were simply voicing an opinion against him (Liz Cheney) or doing their jobs (Joe Biden and Jack Smith). With his nomination of Representative Matt Gaetz as attorney general, he would have an agent to carry out these threats.

President Biden could stop this by preemptively granting pardons to all who have been threatened. President Ford did this for President Nixon, and it permitted the country to move forward after a negative chapter in our history.

Pardons can be controversial, but Trump’s past use of them and his pledge to pardon all of the January 6 insurrectionists will make Biden’s preemptive pardons mild by comparison — Trump’s pardons undermine the justice system to overturn its rulings; Biden’s would simply spare the American people the anguish and wasted expense of all of these frivolous lawsuits.

— Conrad Geiger, Boulder

Do not buy a Tesla

Put your money where your mouth is: Do not buy a Tesla!

— Kristin Stordahl, Longmont

Constitution was designed to prevent dictators here

Ah, the good old days. My brother asked my Dad who he was voting for. Dad replied, “I’m voting for Eisenhower, but it doesn’t really matter. Stevenson is a good man. We can’t lose.” Eisenhower and Stevenson had already proved their worth over a lifetime of service.

Today’s political abyss was first launched by happy Democrats who refuse to notice that at least half of us are oblivious to elections, facts and knowledge. For example, listen to Jimmy Kimmel’s on-the-street interviews on ABC. Reading history, I realized that at least half of our population has always been willfully uninformed. The Minute Men of 1776 were an ignorant rabble carefully managed by our founding fathers. Most Civil War soldiers couldn’t explain what the war was about, and so on. The Constitution was designed to prevent dictators. It took the GOP 50 years, but they finally succeeded.

In the old days a candidate had to work his way up his party’s ladder … city council to state legislature to congress. Only the most experienced, competent few were nominated for president. I gave up on Republicans when I realized that I knew more about national issues than Ronald Reagan. The GOP was pandering to any group that gave them votes … anti-abortion, polluters, billionaires, etc. Screw the country! They wanted power! Today the loudest jerk or gangster can be president so long as his lies and macho threats are entertaining. The Constitution was designed to prevent dictators. It took the GOP 50 years, but they have finally succeeded.

Welcome to our tragic new country.

— Frank W. Harris, Boulder

Editor’s note:

Gary Garrison will be on vacation from Nov. 18 to Nov. 27.