The First Amendment belongs to everyone
Today, on September 25 — First Amendment Day — the Estes Valley Voice celebrates the five freedoms it protects: religion, speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the government.
As a news publication, we are especially grateful for the freedom of the press. It allows us to report the news, ask difficult questions, and hold government accountable without government interference.
These freedoms belong to everyone, including people whose views we oppose or whose words make us uncomfortable. Defending their rights is part of defending our own.
We also believe in civility. As Alexander Hudson, the author of “The Soul of Civility,” puts it, politeness concerns manners and behavior, while civility is “a way of seeing others as our moral equals and treating them with the respect that they’re owed and deserve.”
We can speak freely, disagree firmly, and still treat one another with respect and dignity. First Amendment Day reminds us to defend both the rights that make those conversations possible and the respect that makes them possible. Even when we disagree with what someone else says.
The Estes Valley Voice was honored to bring home this year’s Colorado Press Association First Amendment Award at the association’s annual conference last month. It is both an honor and a challenge. We will champion the honor and strive to live up to it.
We celebrate and cherish the First Amendment, and our right to speak out, through Letters to the Editor and other forums.
Vote for Independents and Democrats
President Trump’s approach to governing is causing unneeded chaos, corruption, and cruelty in the United States and around the world.
We clearly see this every day now. His approach is not serving America well. He is an elitist, surrounded by yes-men and with a cabinet stacked with billionaires.
This is not normal. Clearly, he, much of his family, and his enablers are corrupt, and they are making huge sums of money off him being president. This is not right.
No more wars, reducing debt, being honest, lowering prices — these goals are now a joke, as his people (almost all Republicans) clearly don’t care. Their chaos, corruption, and cruelty approach is clearly un-American and sometimes illegal. ICE is terrorizing and killing Americans.
I urge you not to support people (almost all Republicans) who support this bad approach. It was only a few years ago that most Republicans would be sickened by the current federal policies; now they seem to support them.
President Trump is not on the ballot, but his enablers are. Please do not support the enablers (Republicans). It’s time for a change. Please vote for only Independents and Democrats this November.
Proud American,
Ron Wilcocks, Estes Park
A little fall cleanup can make a big difference
Living in the Estes Valley means living with the beauty of the forest and accepting some responsibility for taking care of the property around us.
Fall is a good time to look around our homes and properties and clear out dead branches, slash, downed wood, and other material that can become wildfire fuel. And right now, we have a valuable free resource available to us.
The Meeker Park Sort Yard is open through Oct. 31.
Located at 8200 Highway 7 in Allenspark, the sort yard accepts logs, chunk wood, slash and branches, and decayed wood at no charge.
The 2026 schedule is Wednesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If you have been putting off cleaning up your property, this is a great opportunity to get it done before winter. Even a relatively small amount of cleanup around our homes can make a difference.
There is another important option for property owners who plan to dispose of slash by burning: You need a burn permit.
In Larimer County, burning without the required permit is illegal and can result in fines of up to $10,000 per day.
Open burn permits are commonly used by mountain property owners for wildfire mitigation and land management. They generally cover up to 50 slash piles per year.
Slash means woody material such as branches, limbs, and stems under six inches in diameter and free of dirt. It does not include tree stumps or roots. Larger burning projects may require a Smoke Management Permit from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Applying for a burn permit also helps notify the appropriate local agencies and gives fire officials an opportunity to review the planned burn. Depending on where you live, your local fire department may have additional requirements or restrictions, so it is always wise to check before burning.
Of course, having a permit does not mean it is safe to burn on any given day. Weather, wind, fire danger, and local restrictions all matter.
We are fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful places in Colorado. With that privilege comes the responsibility to care for it and look out for our homes, our neighbors, and our community.
So before the snow flies, take a walk around your property. Pick up the dead branches. Clear out the slash. Take advantage of the Meeker Park Sort Yard while it is still open. If burning is part of your plan, get your permit and know the rules before you light a match.
Sometimes protecting the place we love starts with something as simple as cleaning up our own backyard.
Resources
- Meeker Park Sort Yard and sorting information: Boulder County Community Forestry Sort Yards
- Burn permit application: Larimer County Department of Health and Environment
Becky Robbins, Estes Park
Support for Trump
When people shout and print their disgust over President Trump’s remarks, especially regarding journalists, Americans must also recall four years of Biden’s hateful insults.
LBJ was quite good at insulting the press.
Biden hurled insults at many powerless citizens as well as journalists. See AI for many examples. Powerless workers were insulted by Biden.
The powerful journalists who misused their power, behaved as activists instead of reporting facts….to further their agendas.
Journalists omitted facts that served to cover up Biden’s cognitive decline & who allowed him to hide from the public and the press, during much of his tenure, should be remembered.
Lies printed about the Hunter laptop, Russian collusion are worth remembering. Leslie Stahl insisted that there was no evidence about Democrats spying on Trump’s campaign despite evidence of the facts. Let us recall the Biden State of the Union address that was frightening and intimidating to citizens.
The press had intentions only to further the cover-ups, distortions, and truth about Biden and just who actually was presiding over America.
Why then did those actions not bother those who now, feel free to only criticize facts, and pursue divisive agendas?
Judith Schaffer, Estes Park