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Letters to the Editor

Signing off from Walmart

Having obtained the milestone age of “not as young as I used to be,” I find myself looking with eager anticipatory eye toward the most desirable goal of home and hearth, and hence will be retiring after 30-plus years from my employment at our local Walmart after April 29. I’d like to avail myself of this opportunity to express my gratitude to the many good customers whose paths I’ve crossed. Thank you for all the warm smiles, hugs, handshakes and back slaps. Much gratitude for allowing our staff by your patronage to sen dour children to college, put bread on our tables and ...

Economic study vs. mineral rights

The Gazette’s issue of April 18 has an interesting juxtaposition of articles: selling mineral rights of our/my public lands and the study of the economic value of tourism. Do the “powers-that-be” get it? Dah! The economic article mentions as benefits: downhill skiing, dark skies, hiking, waterfalls, cross-country skiing, art, culture, history, daytrippers, overnight spending, jobs and tax revenue. Not mentioned are trails: hiking, all-season biking, long-lasting snow for XC skiing, and water: our bubbling rivers, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, sailing and, importantly, access ...

Wake up to plastics for Earth Day

Planet vs. Plastics is the theme for Earth Day 2024. It’s a challenging effort to educate the human race on the detrimental health risks that plastic is having on all forms of life around the world and to every delicate ecosystem, especially the planet’s oceans. Those of us living in this community should be particularly concerned since we live in close proximity to the largest freshwater lake in the world. Plastic seems to be in every product in every grocery store. Most people insist on bagging their produce in flimsy little bags. Then the majority of you bag your beef, bullets, ...

The Golden Calf

I recently watched “The Ten Commandments” (Charlton Heston was hugely influential to my 8-year-old self) and was reminded of the scene when Moses comes down from Mt. Sinai with the stone tablets. The former slaves, impatient, had fashioned and worshiped a golden calf. God says to Moses, “Your people have corrupted themselves!” It seems to me that the same could be said of us today because of our preoccupation with the accumulation and hoarding of money. There are now more than 2,500 billionaires in the world (most of them live in the U.S.). Not surprisingly, many super-rich ...

Food, glorious food!

I am continually amazed by the generosity of the Copper Country community, not just by the people, but also by businesses and organizations. In the past couple weeks, this generosity has shown itself yet again. Here’s the story. I volunteer with the emergency pantry at The Salvation Army ...

Faith Perspective: Second Letter to a Christian Fundamentalist

Of all the religions in the world, especially the major ones, you believe that Christianity is the only true religion. Isn’t it fortuitous that by the luck of the draw you were born in a predominantly Christian country? What religion would you be following if you were born in Saudi Arabia, China, India, Japan, or even Denmark? Of course, the answers could be Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, or perhaps no religion at all. What is the eternal fate, if such a thing exists, of all these non-Christians? Surely most of them have lived decent lives just like your own. Would they ...