President Biden’s pardon list needs to be long

Recently, President-elect Trump’s advisor, Elon Musk, stated that Alexander Vindman, a former NSC official who testified against Trump in his first impeachment trial, would “pay the price” for his “treason” against the United States. This threat is in a long line of those from Trump and his surrogates, many of whom have articulated Trump’s intent to seek punishment against those who have either been involved in the prior prosecutions of him or actively supported those prosecutions, along with many other Trump critics. Trump, through his recent nominations to key federal investigative or prosecutorial posts, is positioning the federal government to do just that.

Of course, he may not succeed. But nonetheless, President Biden has a legal responsibility to prevent it now, in order to ensure that American citizens are protected from abusive criminal actions, particularly those public servants who did their jobs in prosecuting the misconduct of Trump. This presidential responsibility applies whether our citizens are wrongly persecuted in a hostile foreign country, or in the United States under the new administration. Under his Constitutional authority, Biden should at a minimum fashion pardon relief relating to any pertinent federal charges, however frivolous, that may be leveled against all 1) public employees involved in any of Trump’s prior prosecutions, including attorneys, staff, senators and representatives on the impeachment prosecution teams; 2) witnesses providing evidence in any of those proceedings; and 3) citizens who have otherwise spoken out against Trump and have been threatened, such as General Milley, Liz Cheney, Adam Schiff and others. And as long as Trump and his surrogates keep talking, there may be many more.

— Kevin Allen, Boulder

Survivor’s guilt is real and traumatizing

Ever since I was younger I’ve always hated the scars that line my chest. Having open heart surgery has always felt like a burden, not just because of the way it makes me look; the way it makes me think. The guilt of surviving such a life-threatening operation has had me questioning my whole life, why did I get to survive? What made me so lucky? This feeling is called survivor’s guilt.

Similar to PTSD, patients identical to me face this guilt and it interferes with their daily lives, causing them emotions of feeling ungrateful for surviving the impossible. Even worse, it affects more than just medical cases; natural disasters, war trauma and car accidents, the dilemma at hand is prevalent in so many different situations. This is why we need to make resources more available and allow others to be more aware of this issue.

Some solutions to individuals can be just as simple as reaching out to loved ones; friends, family, peers and even teachers can help you further understand why you feel this way. This does come with some fear of them thinking differently of you which is why reaching out to a professional is also a good option.

This problem is real and heavily dealt with across the world; 90% of people who have lived through traumatic situations have felt this feeling of guilt. We need to help those in need and help them better understand that it’s okay to feel this way.

— Maeve Morin, CU Boulder

Disgusted with the behavior displayed after games

Colleges, “control your coaches!”

Coaches, “Control your athletes!”

Athletes, “Control your egos!”

This watershed of hate must stop now! If coaches need to be fired, scholarships need to be taken away or athletic directors fined to solve the problem, so be it.

It is only a game! Stop trying to make your own rules! Abide in them!

I am disgusted with the behavior displayed last Saturday, after the conclusion of some of the games.

College football is better than that kind of behavior. Please keep your dignity and admire the dignity of your opponents as well as the fans on both sides.

I hold the media responsible for not shutting off the cameras once these events occurred. Lost revenue is a small price to pay for keeping one’s own dignity. Think about it.

— Bob Grimes, Windsor