This opinion piece reflects the views of John Hazlehurst only and are not endorsed by the Pikes Peak Bulletin. Decades ago, the Gazette prominently featured the Society Column, a weekly tribute to the parties and gatherings of our city’s leading citizens. If you aspired to become one of the chosen few, there were lots of […]
The other day, a link popped into my text messages from Research-Polls, saying it was “conducting a study on local issues in Colorado.” The first question was whether I viewed Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade favorably or unfavorably. The same question regarding City Council came next. Then, the poll rolled out what I’d consider a […]
This opinion piece reflects the views of John Hazlehurst only and are not endorsed by the Pikes Peak Bulletin. If you love art, you may yearn for masterpieces, but you buy what you can afford. For most of us, that means paying at most a few hundred bucks at a gallery, and much less at […]
This opinion piece was written in response to “A reader calls us out and we consider his point,” in the Bulletin’s May 2 edition. Instead of strong, nuanced opinions about issues – when we make derogatory statements about people in a situation, we’re making it exactly not about dialogue but about shutting off others’ voices […]
This opinion piece reflects the views of John Hazlehurst only and are not endorsed by the Pikes Peak Bulletin. As you age, memories often flood the mind. At 84, the past is much more fun than the present, especially during miserable weather. You chuckle, you smile, you think of those who are no longer with […]
Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade and I have been friends since he helped open The Wild Goose Meeting House. When Yemi told me he was running for mayor, I asked him which side of the country’s political divide he falls on. “Neither,” he told me. “I’m independent. I’m in the middle.” “Hogwash,” I said. Well, […]
Voters in Colorado Springs will soon receive ballots by mail for the June 17 special election. It presents a single question: do you approve or disapprove of the Karman Line annexation? Your answer should be “No/Against.” Karman Line is a proposed 1,900-acre development, a “flagpole annexation” miles beyond the current boundary of Colorado Springs’ largely […]
The future is unknowable, the present changes from minute to minute, but ah the past!! Shapeshifting, constantly receding and sometimes coming into sharp focus, we can embrace what we like and ignore what we don’t. As we age, we forget, we throw away stuff, we’re constantly dealing with health-related issues and, for our sins, we’re […]
This opinion piece reflects the views of John Hazlehurst only and are not endorsed by the Pikes Peak Bulletin. We Americans have always admired entrepreneurs, seeing them as bold risk-takers who have built and rebuilt our beloved nation for centuries. Yet sometimes these fearless men and women have disappeared from history. Let’s consider the voyage […]
“I was once asked why I don’t participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I’ll be there.” Mother Teresa There is a reason why Mother Teresa said this. She understood that the energy of resistance alone will never fully accomplish what […]
This opinion piece reflects the views of John Hazlehurst only and are not endorsed by the Pikes Peak Bulletin. Let’s see; Trump and his co-conspirators have only been in power for three months, and they’ve already demonstrated a level of stupidity, incompetence, incoherence and ignorance unmatched in American political history. It’s quite a feat. To […]
Here’s the thing about fascism. It can be contagious. Regardless of your opinion of our president, you can’t doubt that he knows how to provoke fear. An immigrant’s fear of ICE. A protester’s fear of arrest. Republican lawmakers’ fears of mean tweets that could destroy their careers or threaten their lives. The power in that […]
Like virtually every other American octogenarian, I’m only alive because of modern medicine. I was a fragile and often sickly child, and I probably would have succumbed to some sort of nasty infection that antibiotics quickly cured. And before the Salk and Sabin vaccines, polio was not uncommon, infecting several of my friends at Steele […]
In this opinion piece, I will explain why a gay wedding is not like Steve Bannon, and how making money off an event featuring Bannon imparts responsibility for spreading his messages – which have historically included disinformation and threats of violence. But first, a little background. In our March 28 edition, we ran an article […]
This opinion piece reflects the views of John Hazlehurst only and are not endorsed by the Pikes Peak Bulletin. April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain. (T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land) After March’s warmth and sunshine, we somehow believed that […]
At what point will a Trump administration scandal be an actual scandal? He’s already had numerous scandals that would have destroyed any previous presidency. But this one. … This one… OK, so he paid hush money to a porn star, which led to 34 felony charges, bragged on TV about sexually assaulting women, was actually […]
As your mayor, my three core responsibilities are clear: ensuring public safety, maintaining public infrastructure and preserving public parks. These essential services are the foundation of our city government, and it’s critical that we deliver in these areas. A key part of this work is maintaining what we have, and, yes, this includes fixing potholes. […]
As long as Donny Dementia is wreaking havoc in the White House, there will always be something for appreciative, cynical and elderly journalists to write about. Can you imagine how boringly competent Kamala Harris might have been? No DOGE, no Elon Musk, no Tulsi Gabbard, no Pete Hegseth, no destructive firings of competent civil servants, […]
Here’s a quotation from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, “The Great Gatsby,” first published on April 10, 1925. “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean […]
[The views expressed here belong to John Hazlehurst and are not endorsed by the Pikes Peak Bulletin.–ed] Especially in this time of national political instability, unpredictability and even outright lunacy, it’s important to elect local leaders that have none of these traits. We need experienced, stable and thoughtful County Commissioners and Colorado Springs City Council […]
