We’re fortunate to have Councilor Lindell

The article describing Councilor Signe Lindell’s “lapel camera ambush” served to underline her dedication and concern for Santa Fe’s well-being and safety (“In chat with cop, Lindell says Santa Fe police chief ‘scares’ her,” Aug. 28). (And yes, people do smoke pot on the Plaza, which is the police department’s purview.) Councilor Lindell always has been a tireless and accessible advocate for the residents of Santa Fe, and we are fortunate to have her here, safeguarding every aspect of whatever it takes to keep Santa Fe safe. Playing “gotcha” with someone with a track record like Councilor Lindell’s can only backfire on the perpetrator and also further justifies her concerns.

Hank Cook Santa Fe

Need courageous politicians

We agree with Dr. Lovick Thomas that hatred and evil ideology have no place in our society (“Mass shootings,” Letters to the Editor, Aug. 25). But we disagree with his assertion that “society is sick.” We don’t feel that most of the good, respectful, lawabiding people in this country should be lumped in with mass murderers. Moreover, blaming the internet for the mass shootings this country has so tragically suffered through is perhaps akin to blaming highways for automobile accidents. The internet isn’t the problem. Both the internet and roads are simply infrastructures that people use. Most use them respectfully and without breaking the law. Rather than playing the “blame game,” what we need now are politicians with the courage to pass laws that address the issue of gun violence that results in tragic murders and mass shootings.

James Bond and Michele Medinsky Santa Fe

Fear for country

In a recent op-ed piece in the Washington Post, writer Jennifer Rubin advised Democrats to stop lowering themselves to President Donald Trump’s level of vitriol but rather cite him as “crazy” based on his pronouncements and actions for the last two years.

Almost every day we are assaulted with Trump’s tantrums, lack of ethics, morals, narcissism, dishonesty, etc. If he did not hold the country’s highest office, we would just agree he is insane and not one to be taken seriously, let alone be trusted. Being totally devoid of human ethics and morals, he has no compass. He is unaccountable to anyone except himself. I do not know what it will take for our legislative branch to develop a backbone, but Trump has given them, and all of us, cause for concern and fear for our country. Trump is “crazy.” What will it take? It is questionable whether we will last until 2020.

Jack McCarthy Eldorado

No more mining

The New Mexican was right on target in its recent piece on the proposed Terrero mine (“State must stand strong against proposed mine,” Our View, Aug. 25). Considering its impacts to our water and wildlife, hard-rock mining in the upper Pecos watershed should have no place in New Mexico’s future.

It’s up to state leaders at all levels to ensure this proposal is thoroughly vetted, and because it can be expected to pollute the waters of the Pecos River long after any mining occurs, the exploratory permit should be denied. Across the West, states and communities grapple with a legacy of pollution from hard-rock mining that causes acid mine drainage and costs millions of taxpayer dollars to clean up.

As The New Mexican put it, state officials, from the governor to Cabinet secretaries and agency employees, must stand behind the people of Pecos to stop this terrible mining proposal.

Nick Tsapatsaris conservation chairman, Truchas chapter Trout Unlimited Santa Fe