Boulder CO

Boulder CO is on my normal route.  But the afternoon of June 13, 2019, we were in Boulder for a tourist visit with son Tom, who lives in suburban Denver, and whose first stop when he headed west in March, 1985, was Boulder.  He’s been a Coloradan ever since.

Boulder Co June 13, 2019

As I write this, a public briefing on yesterdays tragedy in Boulder is being held.  It is 10 a.m. CDT.

Play, Boulder Co June 13, 2019

We spent only two or three hours in Boulder on an idlyllic day in June.  Covid-19 was almost a year in the future.  It was as life was in this town at the base of the Rockies.  There will be much more to be said.  These tragedies – all of them – are devastating.  This one in a sense struck closer to home for me, personally.  I invite and encourage comments, as you wish.

A personal task today: to pick up bananas at our grocery store, Lunds-Byerly’s in Woodbury.  It is a frequent stop for me.

In peace.

Above Boulder Colorado June 13. 2019. King Soopers probably is more or less straight ahead in the photo, though not visible in the photo itself, as it is close to the base of the Front Range of the Rockies.

COMMENTS below:

AFTERTHOUGHT 2:50 p.m. CDT Mar. 23:  As always, in these cases, there will be endless analysis.  The end objective (and result) is to exonerate what I’ll call the “Death Delivery System (DDD)” which is the usual ultimate ‘bad guy’ – the weapon which does the deed, very often a weapon of war.

In the really old days, murder was a very personal event, ‘hand to hand’.  No more.  DDD is a function of “FREEEEEE-Dumb” to carry and use weapons of mass destruction.  I don’t have the power to resolve the debate.  What I have observed is that the perpetrators of the violence more often than not end up the victims themselves, often killed, sometimes by suicide, imprisoned in fact or in other ways.  The dead are free; we, the living have to face the issue, to resolve or not.

It is no accident that I picked children of Boulder Colorado for the photos above.  Controlling the beast is not a simple task, but we owe it to the kids to continue to try.

8 replies
  1. norman hanson
    norman hanson says:

    Ah yes, Boulder, Colorado!

    I stopped there from time to time when I was stationed for a few months at Lowry AFB in Denver, Colorado for the seven-month photo/radar intelligence school with my navy and marine colleagues. Loved the US [UC?} campus with its red sandstone buildings and the football stadium set into the ground. Spent lots of special time at nearby Rocky Mountain National Park as well with its Trail Ridge Road high above the tree line and its clear trout filled lake!

    Reply
  2. Kathy Valdez
    Kathy Valdez says:

    Your email caused me to turn on the radio this morning where I learned of the tragedy in Colorado. We are in times that defy explanation. The best thing we can do is support with prayer and good works…-support those who build up instead of obstructing and tearing down.
    We must breathe positive energy into our world. I pray for Mercy and reconciliation.

    Reply
  3. greg halbert
    greg halbert says:

    Ah yes, The Peoples Republic of Boulder as the city is known to some, alike the peoples Republic of Berkeley. You might call the Boulder Police Department at 303-441-3333 to ask just when will they identify and arrest the murderer of JonBenet Ramsey, the 6 year-old girl murdered in her Boulder home on Christmas so many years ago. She could have been a college graduate already. BPD dropped the ball big time.

    Reply
    • dickbernard
      dickbernard says:

      Greg, your comment nudged me to look up that awful case, which opened 25 years ago. Apparently it is still open; still unsolved. No other comment than that.

      Reply
  4. Mary Morris
    Mary Morris says:

    Boulder is beautiful and a wonderful place for site see, as is much of the U.S. It is so tragic that we can’t put common sense policies in place that would perhaps give a little more protection to everyone. The vast majority of people in this country want background checks and there are many more who want semi automatics taken off the streets. I’m just not certain we have a Senate willing to make that happen. And when I think of our beautiful country and the future for children not only do we need policies and gun control we need climate control to share the next generations they will be able to enjoy so much of what we have enjoyed. Just have to work and hope we can get what is needed for future generations.

    Reply
  5. Leila LHABASHI
    Leila LHABASHI says:

    Thank you for this space to throw out our thoughts…
    Growing up in this country back from the 60s , I heard the term ‘individualism ‘ all throughout my education in a positive way, as a requirement for confidence and innovation. But being acquainted with a collectivist society , I had reservations to the advantages of individualism. And with all the violence particularly in the past four years I can’t help relating the killings to an out of control me culture.
    If it was in any other country, it would have quickly been taken under control. We see the negative side to individualism.. the question is.. is all this pain worth the confidence and innovation? The beauty of collectivist societies is that progress is provided by an individual’s contribution/sacrifice and everyone feels connected to and not so much competing with.

    Reply
  6. Leila L Habashi
    Leila L Habashi says:

    Gun related killings has developed into mass shootings quicker than we can keep up with. The thought that goes through my head is that things have gone out of control and we’re seeing the inevitable negative side of individualism developing into a selfie monitored’me’ culture. The effects should be recognized for what it is …just as it is if it was happening in another country . But then again in order to see the roots of what’s happening… the ‘self’ has to make room for the ‘other’…..
    Thanks for the space to exchange thoughts…

    Reply
  7. Corky Marinkovich
    Corky Marinkovich says:

    Arvada is very familiar to me as a block of time was spent prior to a family member wedding. It is a quiet little town over looking Boulder from a distance. Curious as to how many constitutional experts we now have have in congress. Research how fast a bullet traveled when much of our legislation concerning guns was developed? ( knowledge needed). Now we have “ open carry” like the Wild West. Moves to over throw our US government and obstruction of many states as well with “ cowardly weapon bearing individuals.” How on earth does any historic legislation relate to a “killing machine weapon?” Our founding fathers could not imagine protecting anyone carrying a weapon of mass destruction.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.