Laura Bruess: Environment: Vegetarian diet can help save precious water
Regarding the article “Colorado River’s catastrophe is now upon us,” from the Camera: One of the main causes of the depletion of fresh water is animal agriculture. Growing crops to feed animals killed for food consumes 56% of water in the U.S. According to data from the Pacific Institute and National Geographic, a single egg takes 53 gallons of water to produce, a pound of chicken 468 gallons, a gallon of cow’s milk 880 gallons, and a pound of beef 1,800 gallons. One hamburger requires 660 gallons of water to produce, and to put that in perspective, it is the equivalent of two months worth of showers. A pound of chicken requires 71% more water to produce than a pound of soy. In addition, animal excrement and agricultural runoff have polluted nearly one-third of rivers in the U.S.
If we care about solving the water crisis we need to consider the consequences of our food choices. A plant-based diet is easy, delicious, healthy, compassionate and our most impactful choice to combat the water crisis and climate change.
As James Cameron famously said, “There’s no such thing as a meat-eating environmentalist. If you really want to save the world, don’t just drive a Prius, cut meat out of your diet.”
Laura Bruess, Boulder
Diane Wood: Trump: Don’t allow court to reverse our rights
The FBI recently searched Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s home, and found many classified documents stored in an unsecured setting. Back in January, the National Archives collected 184 classified documents. In June they collected more. Trump wanted to keep these documents. He may have given some of this secret information to foreigners.
That he kept these documents makes us question how he was going to use them to his advantage. Has he shared these with Putin or Kim Jong-un? I would love to see the transcriptions of Trump’s conversations with Putin.
Trump’s attorneys must have made him aware that these documents belonged to the United States and were not to be kept by any individual.
Trump and his followers are, in my opinion, seriously attempting to change our democracy to an autocracy. His supreme court has reversed Roe v. Wade, ruled on voting to allow Republicans to gerrymander voting districts and enabled draconian state laws on abortion and voting rights. Republican legislators supported Trump’s insurrection of the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Trump followers have spoken about a civil war. Trump’s court has also ruled favorably on gun rights. Instead of putting restrictions on guns, they have given liberties to gun companies and owners. Our Second Amendment allows persons to have guns. When our forefathers wrote the Constitution, they were talking about a single-shot rifle or shotgun, and couldn’t imagine open-carry of military-style AR-15s.
And on another issue, Roe v. Wade is not the last decision on women’s bodies. The next item, according to Justice Clarence Thomas, is banning birth control. Republicans want to subjugate women and remove them from office. Women have fought for their equality and independence. Do not allow these legislators and Trump’s court to reverse our rights and render women second-class citizens.
Diane Wood, Longmont
Adele Riffe: Abortion: Enshrining right to choose is within reach
By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court overturned women’s right to keep control over our own bodies. We have already seen the true cruelty of this decision: a 10-year-old rape victim refused an abortion, a woman whose fetus had no chance of survival forced to carry it because her doctor could face life in prison for reducing her suffering.
But we are not far from the possibility of having this tragedy reversed. Congress can pass a law enshrining a woman’s right to choose. In fact, the House has already passed it, in the form of the Women’s Health Protection Act.
This law could be passed by a simple majority if 50 senators voted to overturn the filibuster.
Currently, two Democratic Senators, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, have refused to support it. But if Democrats are able to keep a majority in the House and gain two more seats in the Senate, the filibuster will be overturned and a woman’s fundamental right to control her own body will be made legal again.
We need Democrats to win the House and expand the Senate.
It’s time to get angry and reclaim our rights!
Get registered and vote on November 8 for Sen. Michael Bennet and Rep. Joe Neguse!
Adele Riffe, Hesperus
