Not a fan of the signs
My family and I visited your beautiful city from Central Texas. Our plan was to escape the toxic environment of a big city for a week, ski and chill in one of your historic bed and breakfasts, and enjoy the local cuisine.
Everything was idyllic, except for one turn-off that I thought necessary to share with you for whatever you can do to help as the editor of the local newspaper. I found it repugnant to approach your historical district to the unwelcoming, in-your-face bright, yellow and insulting political protest signs. There were about eight or 10 of them displayed along Paseo del Pueblo Sur.
Regardless of anyone’s political views, exercising one’s right to free speech should be balanced, respectful and mindful of fellow citizens, especially in a small city. We live in a very polarized society. Were I to be a local Taos business person, I’d be concerned that such nonsense would drive away potential customers and give the city a negative character.
I write these lines with the hope that you publish them so that such political zealots read them and realize the potential harm they're causing the city; they did not change my opposing views and my victory lap is now sweeter. Are their sore loser efforts worth it?
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We aren't going to stop speaking out because some random Texan doesn't like it.....stay home. We don't lay down for stupid here and we believe in our right to protest and our right to free speech...won't be giving either up anytime soon just so someone can sell an extra t-shirt.. Our country ,our Constitution ,our Bill of Rights are all being threatened ......we WILL speak..anywhere...anytime !!
Lol!!! The fact that you would take the time to write this "op-ed" is hilarious. Clearly you don't know New Mexico. First off let me say, get real man. Free speech has no bounds or limits. Taos is an amazing community and it's businesses support the ideas and beliefs of its community members. Secondly, what you, and so many other right-wingers, don't realize is that most of us (and I mean most Americans) won't sit back and let the chaos of the new administration go unchallenged. How dare you visit someone's town and lecture them about how they should run things. I love Texas and I respect the varying ideologies of the state and would never dream of criticizing it via publication.
I just moved to Fort Collins and miss Taos greatly. Fortunately, Colorado is just a open minded as New Mexico. Maybe it's our mountain air that makes us so kind. Who knows, maybe we just don't tolerate ignorance? Anyhow, try visiting somewhere else next time, because as Ralphy said--we don't need your kind in Taos. And please, please, please stop coming to Colorado as well. :) peace and love though.
Great letter! Love to see diversity of opinion in the Taos News. It's a welcome change. There are many of us here who dislike those signs.
So let me get this straight. Your family leaves a "toxic" city, which is obviously very pro-Trump, (evident by the "sore loser" comment), to vacation in the beautiful city of Taos, NM. Do you think that maybe the reason you want to get away from your toxic central Texas city is because of the politics of that city? Maybe if your cities politics were closer to the folks of Taos, you wouldn't need to "get away"? Taos, and the entire enchanted circle area, is the desirable place that it is in part, because of their political beliefs and the policies put in place to keep the city desirable. If Taos' political environment was just like central Texas, you and others would not be vacationing there because there would be an oil derrick on every corner. I'm not a Taos resident but I'm sure they don't want your "toxic central Texas city" poisoning their environment. Maybe you should see which cities voted for Trump and do all of your vacationing in those places instead. FYI, don't go to Hawaii either because you won't like them, and trust me, they won't like you.
Think how we must feel when we are driving through Texas and are bombarded with huge religious billboards every few miles, informing us that unless we stop sinning, we are going to hell, or that we must obey jesus or pay the price, or any one of a dozen or so ridiculous, myth driven, sanctimonious commandments. I think our neon signs are much less venomous and offensive than anything the religious "right" puts up. At least the neon signs have some truth behind them and are not based on man written fables from 2000+ years ago.
As a local I resent the signage and find it insulting. But, you have to consider the source. The man that places these signs is a certified nut case that obviously has no life and nothing else to do. Apparently he has the legal right to place his signs on the public right of way. If that's the case, as a tax paying user of the public right of way I have the right and obligation to knock down and drive over these offensive signs and will continue to do so at every opportunity. I have observed that I'm not alone in this endeavor and commend those who join me in this effort.
Jose, welcome to Taos! Yeah Jeff and his signs. LOL. Yeah free speech and all that. The left always uses their "rights" to make fools of themselves. Most locals, except for the usual gaggle of fear based, angry sore loser Hillary and Bernie supporters find them annoying. Liberals love to talk about how the Constitution and Bill of Rights are being threatened...but only since their man is NOT in office. They are in a minority nationwide and and quite ineffective now. Their anger has overwhelmed their ability to think straight and move forward. That is why they are whining, burning down businesses, attacking Trump supporters and blocking traffic. They talk tough about "revolution" but most are clueless and unarmed anyway. Again welcome to Taos and keep coming back. We thrive on diversity...well most of us do.
"Regardless of anyone’s political views, exercising one’s right to free speech should be balanced, respectful and mindful of fellow citizens, especially in a small city."
You are just making this up it is only your opinion, kind of like the guy with the signs. You have the freedom of speech to write this letter but everyone else in this great country has freedom of speech as well. I recommend that you grow up, freedom of speech is not only so you can say whatever you want but so other people can too and if you had any idea how to be a good citizen you would not try to stop your fellow citizen from exercising freedom of speech especially when redressing his government. Since you seem to be a little bit weak on constitutional understanding I listed the First Amendment below.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Mr. Diaz' comments are spot-on. Taos is a haven for eco-socialist progressives who have far too long strangled most growth in your community. Perhaps if there were more jobs in your community there would be more opportunities for your youth instead of the gangs and drug issues that plague it.
As for the comment regarding central Texas, it's one of the most beautiful and sought-after portions of this country for development. Taos should take a lesson and maybe it could have a more diverse economy.
Taos has awesome geology but the progressive b.s. would prevent me from investing in it.
No one asked Taoseños to stop "speaking". I only observed that whoever used his freedom of speech on Taos' main drag with a million signs, should have done it with class and mindful of his speech's negative consequences to Taos Tourism. That's all. By the way, IF I HAVE TO OBSERVE OR CRITICIZE nonsense like these signs on my next visit to Taos (or Colorado for that matter), I will do that, whether Taos2FoCo and Scottee like it or not.
Taos2FoCo also wrote "Free speech has no bounds or limits", yet, I bet Taos2FoCo wouldn't dare to utter "BOMB" on a TSA line, so I will leave his nonsense right there. Freedom Fountain, on the other hand, criticized my letter by saying that the signs' nut case had the same right to put up those signs as I had to write my letter tot he editor. That is correct. However, the criticism in my letter wasn't about the nut case's freedom of speech, but a criticism about his lack of class. And by lack of class, I mean anyone who dares to use his right to speak to put up offensive signs (one of which I was told by a Taoseño read, "Trump has the country grabbed by the p--y". How classy!)
It's interesting to note Ralphy's comment that Taos doesn't "lay down for stupid". I hope Taos doesn't lay down for low class in the future either, since "laying down" for low class and nonsense like the sign's nut case is laying down for stupidity and bad business for such a beautiful city.
Excuse me, but I don't want everyone to think that all people from Texas is like this one. Although, from experience, I know the majority of Texans are pro-Trumpers. I am not! I saw the signs and I just loved them. My husband and I were driving down the street and saw them and were just overjoyed at them. Like I said we loved them! So, for my opinion, I would say keep them coming! Great job!