Re: Dignified resolution needed at life’s end
Like so many of her generation, my mother at 80 is slipping deeper into the abyss of dementia and Alzheimer’s. She was one of the most intelligent, articulate, strong-willed ladies most would have encountered.
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This woman lost a husband 30 years ago to a lingering malignancy, a son to sudden heart attack and a sister to the result of years of alcohol abuse.It took her love of life, family, friends and community to help her pull through. Now she is forced to suffer the indignity currently consuming her.
This woman of such style and intellect, such strength and independence, is dressed at night in a diaper and “onesie” with the zipper down the back to prevent the fecal painting that often accompanies this condition.
Unable to carry on a conversation, a phone call ” if she is able to answer ” is just a comforting storytelling of current events by a voice that is becoming more and more unfamiliar.
Her mantra of quality vs. quantity was evident to all who knew her; it was expressed verbally and two dimensionally.
With a medical marijuana dispensary soon opening next to every Starbucks to help aid with pains of the living, there also needs to be a “Kevorkian-In-A-Box” to end the ultimate insult to a life well lived. Some go to prison for cruelty to animals, yet what we allow each other to endure when there is absolutely no chance for improvement or hope for a future is the real crime and the real cruelty. We need to be able to give a dignified end to a dignified life.
Ben Gilbert
Montrose
Dollar vs. conscience
Re: Glaspell letter, Daily Press, Jan. 28
In his letter, “We need the uranium mill,” Mr. Glaspell disses the unions, environmentalists and lawyers.
• We shudder to think where this country would be had it not been for unions. Granted, some became corrupt, but without them we might still have pitiful wages, no benefits, child labor and sweatshops. The unions were one of the first entities to fight for health care for their members and to push for safety regulations in the workplace.
Hubert Humphrey said in 1977, “The history of the labor movement needs to be taught in every school in this land ... America is a living testimonial to what free men and women, organized in free democratic trade unions do to make a better life ... We ought to be proud of it.”
• Our judicial system requires lawyers to represent clients’ rights. Some set aside ethics, but we wager that the majority perform their duties well within the legal boundaries of their profession. In fact, our son is a lawyer held in high esteem in his field.
• Environmental “extremists” may one day save your life, Mr. Glaspell. They expose environmental hazards and make corporations and industry act responsibly regarding the safety and preservation of our air, water and land. There is such a hue and cry about limiting gas exploration in our state. Are you aware that Pennsylvania and Ohio are experiencing contaminated water, as are we in the Rifle, Parachute and Walsenburg areas? Water wells are exploding, throwing flames 30 feet into the air. Water in faucets is flammable. Is the almighty dollar worth ruining our water for perpetuity? Our land for the next decade?
You say you believe the uranium mill can be run safely, and Colorado can ensure that environmental and health problems will not occur. The only way to know that is to allow it and see what happens. We don’t want to take that chance. Check out the ads in the Press regarding uranium workers who need in-home treatment. Helping Uranium Workers Live at Home. Some uranium workers have received an energy program lump sum of $150,000. For what? Is the dollar mightier than the conscience? Our guess is yes.
Wally and Holly von Helms
Montrose
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