Legal pressure drove decision The recent vote by the District 49 board to repeal its facilities policy is being described as a change of heart, but the reporting suggests something else was at work: legal pressure. Several board members cited civil-rights law and potential litigation in explai ning their votes, even though no lawsuit had been filed and the policy had not been tested. That distinction matters. It suggests the decision was shaped less by public debate than by the expectation of legal conflict. For a school district, defending a policy — even one believed to be lawful — can be enormously expensive. Legal fees, insurance concerns, and staff time add up quickly. Board members can also be named individually in civil-rights lawsuits, creating personal legal and professional risk regardless of how a case ends. Under those conditions, reversing course becomes the safer option. That may be understandable, but it raises a serious question about how local policy is now made. When decisions are driven by fear of litigation rather than community consensus, taxpayers deserve to know that. Jeffery Chandler Colorado Springs The larger end game For those, including many well-meaning Republicans, who are distressed by the recent ICE actions in Minneapolis, it’s important to understand the international implications of the current violence there. The end game is China and other players wishing to break the back of our country so they may take over. Author Peter Schweizer in his new book, “The Invisible Coup,” outlines the games that are going on to achieve that goal. Let us not demean legitimate sign-carrying protesters. But as reported some are paid by these villainous countries – a reporter, for instance, asked one protester, “Why aren’t you at work?” The response was, “I am. I’m being paid to be here.” Schweizer offers a more complex explanation of these violent protests. China has weaponized our immigration system using birth-rights citizenship – our own laws against us. A Chinese baby is born in the US either naturally or by surrogacy. The child is returned to China for his education. At age 18 that child returns to the U.S. as a Chinese warrior, dedicated to various Chinese strategic tactics to undermine America. Schweizer mentions other malevolent international players in this hidden war. As we watch the current activities in Minneapolis, we also must be aware of the larger “game” of the take-down of America. Things are complicated, that’s for sure! Karen Cacy Colorado Springs Making sense of madness So, once again the Democrat party is threatening to shut down the government over the funding of Homeland Security. So, let me see if I can make sense of this madness. Joe Biden created a problem for the entire country by allowing anyone to cross the border with no vetting for four years, allowing well over 8 million to enter the country illegally. Then the same party created sanctuary cities and states so that these illegal immigrants, many with criminal records, are protected from arrest. When the federal government tries to arrest and deport them the Democrats threaten to shut down the government again which is not what the American public wants. Nobody wants these criminals (murderers, child molester, rapists and other heinous criminals)in their states but apparently they aren’t as threatening as Donald Trump is. What insanity: they create the problem but don’t want any part in solving it. Threatening to shut down the government does nothing to solve the problem their party created. Here’s the irony: liberal cities and states declare that they are sanctuaries, so illegal immigrants know they are welcomed there and in most cases protected and given benefits like medical care on the taxpayers’ dime. Criminals here are also welcomed so these cities and states become magnets for the bad guys. So, ICE, Border Patrol and other federal law enforcement agencies are also attracted to those locations to arrest those bad guys but they are not welcome, even though they are carrying out federal law enforcement laws. So, they welcome criminal illegals but not those who are trying to arrest them. Local officials feel threatened by the presence of feds in their jurisdictions so they encourage protests, many of which are not peaceful. They prohibit local and state law enforcement from supporting the feds. They encourage resistance, spewing hateful rhetoric which sometimes turns deadly. They create the problem, won’t solve it and blame the Republicans for creating chaos. Insanity! Barry S. Oswell, USAF (ret.) Colorado Springs How can this be happening? Donald Trump, our 47th President, is a habitual liar. He blames Alex Pretti and Renee Good for their own deaths. They were executed. The Republican Party still supports this terrrible person who makes disparaging remarks on a regular basis. Just ask our NATO allies and heads of states. How can this be happening? Now Trump is in full retreat. Protesters of a good cause will always win in the end. It may take soe time as history has shown. Just ask Richard Nixon. Remember “Tricky DIck”? Remember Kent State? Now our president is sending Tom Homan to the scene of these killings. How can he be trusted when the FBI has a video of him taking a $50,000 bribe. How can Homeland Security investigate itself, when they repeatedly say falsehoods? How can this supposed de-escalation change anything? Only time will tell. After the next election we will maybe learn the truth. Richard Van Vliet Colorado Springs ...read more read less