[Re: Letters, “Don Schrader on APD,” May 17-23] For years I have tolerated the self-righteous rantings of Don Schrader and wondered if he will ever get tired of stroking his angelic ego?Mr. Schrader, do not judge so easily our city’s police force and the officers protecting us. What would you do if faced at close range by a desperate criminal? Talk him out of blowing you away (which usually doesn’t work) or wait to be shot? If you found an intruder in your house, would you hope he goes away on his own or call the police? You have no clue how difficult it is for the officers to say goodbye to their families before going on duty, maybe never seeing them again.You have no idea how difficult it is for the families of the officers to deal with the fear of the police knocking at their door in the middle of the night to bring their devastating news.You should not sit in judgment of somebody who has to make life and death decisions in a split second practically every day. Not everybody is privileged to lead a worry-free and charmed life such as you have. Albuquerque is a big city close to the border and cannot be compared to New York City. To my knowledge, there doesn’t exist a way of telling whether the criminal pointing a gun at you is mentally ill or whether the gun is loaded. The fact remains, if a police officer tells you to drop your weapon and you refuse to do so, you will have to suffer the consequences.Your heart bleeds for the families of the criminals … what about the families of the officers killed in the line of duty?Remember you are enjoying your protection because somebody cares enough to risk their life so that this city is a safer place for all of us. You will always find people of authority who have made errors in judgment. Get down from your ivory tower and look at the rest of the world (i.e. politicians) and their errors in judgment.If you want to do something constructive with your time, why don’t you lecture prisoners on how to be a better person instead of a criminal?
Letters: Bosque Development Bosque Development
The weather’s changing, the world’s changing, people!Do we really want to build a restaurant and pretty promenade in the Bosque Wilderness? What ecosystem? Let’s pack all the beavers, turtles, snakes, squirrels, fish, toads, cranes, ducks, crows, gulls, etc. and send ’em to a zoo!What the Bosque wilderness really needs: furniture, warehouses, trailer parks, discos, used car lots, condos, plastic commerce, cattle, bars, dumpsters, miles of traffic on hot asphalt, more bridges, more development. Just kidding.Why should Albuquerque be the only city in the country with a wild river and a Bosque many miles long? Preservation? Save it for a future generation? Cause someone’s gonna get rich? Please, let’s not chop down the Bosque wilderness.
Letters: Food Sources Food Sources
[Re: Author Interview, “Cowboy Classic,” June 21-27] Nice. It was not addressed directly here but was skirted, that we are disconnected from our food, and to me that has a particular resonance where it comes to food from animal sources. I like how Max comments on having trapped and hunted for his food, and yet he loved the very animals that sustained him. There is the constant illusion for us, especially us meat eaters, that food materializes miraculously wrapped in cellophane in grocery stores. We are so connected technologically now and so very out of touch in so many ways. Don’t text and drive.
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