Storm reminds us cold kills Winter storm Fern, which recently devastated the southern states, left thousands without electricity to keep the lights on, provide heat, and power appliances. Colorado Springs residents were spared, but should not be complacent. Fern’s impact reminds us that cold kills and our civilized life-styles are vulnerable to damages from severe cold and snow/freezing precipitation. While already benefitting from the large network of underground distribution lines, Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) ratepayers should continue to focus on mitigating winter storm damages by advocating to maintain an adequate base load electricity generation system. CSU’s base load 24/7, fossil fuel-generated electric resources are scheduled to shut down in the next several years, due to state legislation and policy that focus on net-zero carbon emissions while ignoring the day-to-day concerns of CSU ratepayers. Our utility should be allowed to maintain its reliability standards and provide affordable electricity when needed on the coldest, weather-adverse days. That is why it is important to urge your state representatives and senators to support SB26-022. This bill allows CSU to extend its deadline in meeting state greenhouse gas emissions to no later than 2040. The bill also prohibits state agencies from taking action that would impair CSU’s ability to maintain reliability standards or increase electricity rates above 1.5% annually. Prime sponsors of this bill are Senators Snyder and Simpson and Representatives Paschal and Caldwell. The push for state-wide electrification absent fossil fuel-supplied base load generation doesn’t change the physical realities of where we live and of our modern life-style, both of which make us vulnerable to cold weather events. I ask CSU ratepayers in House districts 14, 15, 16, and 22, along with those in Senate districts 9, 10, and 11, to urge your legislators to pass SB26-022 along to the Governor’s desk to sign it into law. Susan Luenser Colorado Springs No pardon for Tina Peters I agree with Eric Sondermann’s recent column, and offer this to Governor Jared Polis: As a retired U.S. Army Special Forces lieutenant colonel with 22 years of service, and as the former vice chair of the El Paso County Republican Party, I am asking Polis not to commute, pardon, or otherwise reduce the sentence of Tina Peters. The right to vote and to have that vote counted fairly is the foundation of our republic. I defended that principle in uniform; it is not an abstract ideal but the reason Americans have sacrificed their lives. For many years I have believed — and still believe — that the most sacrosanct aspect of our society is the ability of citizens to choose their leaders through free and fair elections. Republican or Democrat, win or lose, the results must stand. If the outcome is not what we prefer, we work harder to win more votes the next time. Any individual or group that tampers with election systems, chain of custody, or secure election materials, or otherwise attempts to change the outcome of an election, strikes at the heart of that sacred process. Years ago, as the Republican Vice Chair of State Senate District 10, I sued not only my Chair Eli Bremer but also the Secretary of State of Colorado Jenna Griswold to perserve the integrity of the process and rightfully so, integrity won. Those who are charged, tried, convicted, and sentenced for such offenses should be held accountable. Peters’ actions have damaged public trust in Colorado’s election systems. Her conduct has consequences that extend beyond any single person: it affects the reputation of public servants, the confidence of voters, and the stability of our institutions. To commute or pardon a conviction tied to election security would create the appearance that political pressure can override accountability. That perception would do lasting harm to public confidence in the impartial administration of elections. As governor, Polis must weigh mercy against the broader duty to protect institutions. A pardon or commutation in this case would set a precedent that could encourage future breaches of election safeguards by signaling leniency for those who compromise systems. It would also risk being interpreted as partisan intervention in the administration of justice. Polis should not commute, pardon, or reduce Tina Peters’s sentence. Karl Schneider Colorado Springs Uphold the ‘wall of separation’ The recent legislative pushes for mandatory religious displays and the dismantling of secular civil services are not merely “traditional” shifts; they are part of a calculated strategy known as Dominionism. As a resident of Colorado Springs, a city with a complex history regarding religious influence, it is vital to recognize the “Seven Mountain Mandate” for what it is: an attempt to replace our Constitutional Bill of Rights with a theocratic legal code. Dominionists do not seek the religious liberty of the 1770s; they seek the “theonomy” of the Bronze Age. By infiltrating the “mountains” of government, education, and the judiciary, they aim to implement an “eliminationist” agenda that renders pluralism impossible. When our leaders prioritize “Biblical Jurisprudence” over the consent of the governed, they aren’t protecting values—they are sabotaging the very Enlightenment principles that allow our diverse community to coexist. We must demand that our representatives and judges uphold the “Wall of Separation.” Anything less is an invitation to a system where your rights are determined by your adherence to a specific dogma rather than your status as a citizen. DuWayne Heupel Colorado Springs ...read more read less