September 2007 | Main | November 2007

Separation of church & state

Tom Gleason of Lakewood writes:

True separation of church and state In response to a News article on 10-17 stating that the Freedom from Religion Foundation is suing Cherry Creek Schools due to a recommendation that young people spend time each week in activities at a religious institution.
The disingenuous secular movement that continues to run rampant across this country is determined to establish their system of belief as the official religion of the United States Government.
Quoting from Webster’s Dictionary, “Religion: a cause, principle, or systems of beliefs held to with extreme vigor and faith.” The faith the secular movement has in their humanist belief system is no different then the faith many others have in their own particular religious beliefs. The difference is while most people of faith are quite happy to share town-square with other beliefs secularists continue to demand that their humanist faith be the only accepted form of religion found in government institutions.
The secular movement has hi-jacked “seperation of church and state” and has made it their own personal mantra. Using extreme vigor they insist on shoving their humanist faith down America’s throat and are bent on systematically removing all other forms of belief but their own. Separation of church and state is for all systems of belief not just those that have some type of belief in god or gods. At best case this present day secularist movement portrays the very thing our forefathers warned us against and at worst case it represents the potential downfall and demise of our nation.

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Christine Johnson’s charges are immaterial

Francis M. Miller of Parker writes:

I think it important that Christine Johnson be made aware that some of us in the community understand the current attempt to assemble materials and burn her at the stake like a Halloween witch. In my 25 years of public accounting and many years of suffering through audits by the inspector general of the federal government, I have never seen a more deplorable pursuit. It resembles General Crook chasing Geromino through the desert for 14 years with 5,000 troops.
After spending $320,000 on outside firms, along with internal costs likely as high, Christine Johnson has been charged with immaterial things like allocating expenses to the wrong accounts, allowing students and faculty with less than perfect records into the college and approving two donations to charities. Give me a break.
If you could peel back the psycho-dynamics of the situation I suggest you would find a personal rift between Johnson and her boss, Nancy McCallin, started all of this. Ms. Johnson, a glamorous, high spirited show horse of an administrator was unsuccessfully controlled by a a boss who could have worked as a mule-skinner whip-lashing 20 mule teams across the desert for Borax. Now McCallin has unleashed junk-yard attack dogs on Johnson.
I have said it once and I will say it again. This is a “Beauty and the Beast” story. Ms. Johnson should craft a strategy for redemption, like running for Congress and Nancy McCallin should find a therapist.

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Mike Rosen on Al Gore & Nobel Peace Prize

Steve Bober of Arvada writes:

Congratulations on printing Mr. Trenberth’s rebuttal to the ignorant Mike Rosen’s trashing Mr. Gore and the Global Warming issues of the day. Since you do not generally print my letters to the editor, which are to the point and on timely matters, please register my abiding disapproval of Mr. Rosen’s knee-jerk reflexive ideologically-driven spin-twisted “editorials.” Fair and balanced? How about intelligent and well-researched vs thick-headed drivel.

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More info. on mental illness

Carl Clark, M.D., Chief Executive Officer Mental Health Center of Denver writes:

Thank you for the excellent story last Saturday, “Mental Illness Reduces Life Expectancy, Study Shows.” This story and the study it cites in the Journal of American Medicine both point to yet another major gap in America’s healthcare system. It’s a national tragedy to let thousands of Americans die 25 years prematurely when healthcare integration can allow earlier and more effective interventions for these people.
As the story points out, it’s inhumane and inefficient to separate the mental health needs from the physical needs of our friends, families and co-workers. As the article cited, these conditions often escalate in tandem. Therefore, all healthcare providers must work together to realize a positive outcome for the millions of Americans, including thousands of Coloradoans, who have serious mental illness and undiagnosed physical disorders.
First, I urge everyone who knows a person with serious mental illness to help that person seek physical screens for cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, diabetes and other ailments that are all too common among this overlooked population. Your community mental health center can help you find available resources in your area. Some of the centers now have primary care doctors funded and embedded to help with these needs.
Secondly, I also urge Colorado’s healthcare providers, insurers, and policymakers to seek common ground, equitable funding, and integrated solutions that don’t allow thousands of people to fall between the cracks of our fragmented delivery system.
As our state studies healthcare coverage reform, Colorado has a chance to establish itself as a national leader in healthcare. We should seize that opportunity and invest in our greatest asset - our people. Health, happiness, and productivity are worth the investment.

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No amnesty for illegals

Jody Brookshier of Arvada writes:

I wanted to write in reguards to Jim Kiel’s letter America’s resolve disgracefully weak. I agree with everything he says but I think there is one thing he left out.
I too watched The War and it really hit me hard how much our men sacrificed for our country. Watching it made me very proud of what these men did for us. So it makes my blood boil when our government keeps trying to give amnesty to illegals who have done absolutly nothing to earn the rights and priveleges that our men paid for with their BLOOD and LIVES! Illegals have broken our laws to come here, snuck into our country and now demand rights that they are not entitled to! For our government to even consider allowing them to stay here free and clear is a slap in the face to every man who gave their life in any of our wars. We have earned what we have and they want to steal it. I am appalled and sickened that something so precious to Americans would even be considered as a handout to illegals! Please America, find your pride and raise up and stop this travisty!!!!

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Hillary Clinton’s speech

Ambrose P. Rikeman of Aurora writes:

Hillary Clinton gave a speech in Colorado in which she outlined some proposals for her administration. Included were such ideas as eliminating some of BIG OIL’s profits so that the government could use the money to employ more people in areas it felt were more important, enrolling everybody in governmental health care, enrolling children in pre-kindergarten classes at government expense, and forgiving student loans, presumably as a first step in having government control higher education directly. All of this was touted by her as a “change", and a new direction. That claim is completely false. For last several millenia, governments, whether ruled by kings, god-emperors, or presidents-for-life, have routinely controlled the actions and decisions of its citizens. It has only been in the last 250 years that some governments, most notably our own, have been subordinated to the will of the people, and that individuals have been allowed to live their lives in accordance with their own desires.
So, if you want to return to a system in which all power to make decisions resides in a central government, and you are simply a servant of a collective, rather than the master of your own fate, vote for Hillary. But, please don’t insult me by claiming that she has created some sort of new paradigm. She is as reactionary as any of the Caesars or Czars of history.

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Genocide continues in Darfur

Becky O’Brien of Lafayette writes:

Two-year-old Zahra was yanked from her fleeing mother’s back and bludgeoned to death in front of her mother and siblings. Halima’s baby boy was torn from her arms and bayoneted; he was one of three of her children to be murdered that day. These are but two of the hundreds of thousands of deaths that have and continue to take place in Darfur, Sudan.
The genocide continues to rage on after 4 ½ years. One of the reasons this atrocity has not been stopped is China. As Sudan’s best friend in the international community, China protects the Sudanese government at the U.N. Security Council, sells arms to the Sudanese government, and is the largest player in Sudan’s oil industry, thereby providing funds for the Sudanese military.
China is also the host of the 2008 Summer Olympics, an event that stands for peace and brotherhood. As the Games approach, advocates for security in Darfur have an extraordinary opportunity to reach out to the Chinese government, in its role as host, to urge Beijing’s leaders to use their considerable influence with Sudan to bring peace to Darfur.
Join the Colorado community in calling on China to ends its complicity in genocide by attending the Olympic Dream for Darfur Torch Relay and Rally at Cheesman Park in Denver on Sunday, October 28, at 1:30 p.m. Join Mayor Hickenlooper, genocide survivors, Olympic athletes and others in demanding an end to the protection of the genocidal regime that is the Sudanese government. Visit www.dreamfordarfur.org for more on the Denver event and this campaign.

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Congressman Udall's exit strategy for Iraq

Webster C. Cash III of Boulder writes:

“To End the War, Democrats Should Heed Udall’s Iraq Policy” The fallout from the President’s $196 billion war funding request will undoubtedly resurrect calls for Congress to cut any and all additional funds for military operations in Iraq. While this strategy appears tempting on the surface, experienced and tough-minded lawmakers like Congressman Mark Udall are fully aware of the certain pitfalls that accompany such a course of action.
President Bush has indicated he will do whatever it takes to “finish the mission” in Iraq, and cutting funds leaves no guarantee that the White House would draw down forces. Instead it leaves open the possibility that our troops would be left in harms way without the necessary armor, vehicles, and supplies they need to stay protected. Congress would simply be remiss to allow the President to play Russian roulette with our brave men and women in Iraq. To prevent this, Congressman Udall has proposed the most logical exit strategy to date.
He has called for the redeployment of our troops within the next four months, having them largely home by April of next year. To foster widespread support for troop withdrawals, he plans to implement the recommendations of bi-partisan Iraq Study Group report and urge a greater degree of diplomacy in the Middle East, both regionally and internationally. Most importantly, the plan has the appeal to garner the vast majority of Congress’ support, including many Republicans.
His perch on the powerful House Armed Services Committee and his unequivocal opposition to the war from the beginning provide Mr. Udall with rare credibility to broker a bi-partisan deal that quickly ends the war.
And, despite the war’s irresponsible beginning, adopting Mr. Udall’s strategy would offer the safe and responsible ending our soldiers deserve.

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No more tax money for war in Iraq until criteria met

John Ruckman of Lakewood writes:

No more defense appropriation supplementals for Iraq!
Fix the waste and problems there, put in place some serious audit systems and force the Iraqis to do what they said they would, so we can get out of there! Then we can talk about more tax money for war, not until.

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National security

Brian Stuckey of Denver writes:

Protecting our national security is vital, especially in time of war. The Senate “compromise” on the wiretap bill is exactly that. Privacy advocates demand “oversight” on foreign surveillance for the preservation of their “civil rights.” Yet, such demands are nothing less than a slapdash attempt to castigate the Bush Administration to advance its own political agenda. After all, one would be hard pressed to recall anyone decrying U.S. spy activity during the Clinton Administration. Defending our national security against the threat of terrorism is, without question, the greater concern. Allowing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to pass judgment is, in essence, a setback for President Bush and the successors who follow him. As the Wall Street Journal aptly contends, “No President has ever conceded that his ability to eavesdrop on a foreign enemy abroad should be second-guessed by judges.” If the President is serious about protecting the American people from the sinister plots of al-Qaeda, he will square off with the antiwar lawmakers and demand his Constitutional authority.

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Let’s model U.S. immigration laws on Mexico’s

I got a huge laugh over “Deporting the American dream,” the Oct. 25 letter by Joanne Hendricks. She wrote, “There are so many people ... who ignorantly group all illegal residents into one category: criminal.” Well, at the risk of sounding ignorant, if I do something “illegal” I’m a “criminal,” aren’t I? All the people who are in this country illegally are criminals. No amount of doubletalk or “political correctness” will change that.
Perhaps a perspective will enlighten the hand-wringers. No foreigners in Mexico can get any kind of public assistance. Foreigners in Mexico cannot wave the flag of another nation or make negative comments about the Mexican government. Doing these things will get you deported immediately. If you enter Mexico illegally, you are a felon and will go to prison. A real prison. I think the Congress of the United States should study the immigration laws of Mexico and use them to rewrite our own, measure for measure.

Neil Burroughs, Aurora

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An errant suggestion

The Freedom from Religion Foundation’s lawsuit against Cherry Creek Schools is overdue (“Suggesting church for students gets district sued,” Oct. 17).
There is no evidence to support the premise that religion makes people more moral. To indoctrinate our children otherwise is not the job of our public educators. The merits of the case are sound.
The Founders of our great nation were wise to draft a godless Constitution whose only references to religion are exclusionary. The recommendation to seek religion should never be made to our children by public schools.

Mike Smith, Denver

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Honor appreciated

I watched with respect and gratitude this morning as President Bush presented the Medal of Honor to Lt. Michael Murphy’s parents (“Ceremony to honor Navy SEAL tugs at the heart,” Oct. 23). He and his parents epitomize what this nation is all about.
The thought crossed my mind as I watched that Hillary Clinton wants to be commander-in-chief. Somehow I cannot picture her doing what President Bush did. With her disdain for the military, it would be a difficult role to play. She does not have this female’s vote.

Rita Smith, Denver

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A DIFFERING VIEW/Preservation efforts should cover all internment camps

In its editorial about a new law providing for the restoration and preservation of relocation camps where Japanese-Americans were held during World War II, “A sorry chapter” (Oct. 18), the Rocky Mountain News said it well when it wrote: “Unlike some countries that would rather forget unpleasant aspects of their past, the United States shouldn’t flinch from its own historical reflection, blemishes and all. How else will we able to avoid the pitfalls that await any great nation?”
However, the Rocky did not ask why the title of the law is so specific: “Preservation of Japanese-American confinement sites.” If, as the Rocky suggests, “the United States shouldn’t flinch from its historical reflections, blemishes and all,” then the title should have read “Preservation of Japanese-American, German-American and Italian-American confinement sites.”
Perhaps the country would rather flinch when it comes to German-American and Italian-American internment during World War II. The president, the Congress, the courts and the press have flinched on more than one occasion on this matter.

Arthur D. Jacobs, a U.S.-born resident of Tempe, Ariz.,was interned at age 12.

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Columbus Day parade embarrassment

Richard Ellian of Denver writes:

While touring the East recently I turned on Fox News and saw Denver embarrassing itself again over the Columbus Day Parade dustup. It seems the usual hand-wringing, obsequiousness, few arrests and dropped charges guarantee we will see this next year again. Many years ago I lived in an eastern city with a long established Mafia presence. I began to ruminate what might have happened there if a Russell Means and a Glenn Morris announced they were going to disrupt the parade. They would be paid a visit by several very tough men who would tell them “You two bozos better be out of town on that day or we’re coming back.” The meaning of the threat could not be missed. Sometimes nothing works like the direct approach.

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Money can cause incompetence

Allen Campbell of Colorado Springs writes:

I paraphrase, but I think accurately; politicians promote themselves to their level of incompetence, always, if we allow it. And that incompetence is a highly contagious plague that rapidly spreads among all of their kind when they are elected to public office While it is true that this desease may be difficult to ascertain at times owing to the inconsistency of the intensity of outbreaks, it has been often observed that when they are exposed to money it exacerbates the symtoms and creates a overwhelming need to get all they can of it, much like a meth or heroine addict craves their drug of choice.
It is unclear if this is a genetical or environmentical caused condition but the first sign of infection appears to be a tendency toward intentional lying. This appears to be automatic, much like stuttering or a facial tic or spasm but, not so obvious as either.
The only way to prevent this disease from spreading is to remove the infected from office before it becomes endemic within the legislatures and offices they occupy.
I am expending every effort to get the AMA and the FDA to recognize this as the dangerous and debilitating desease it truely is and get the pharmaceutical companies to do the research and come up with a cure, But I don’t think I will succeed due to the fact that pharmaceutical companies are among the biggest spreaders around of money there is in legislatures and public official’s offices . Maybe the way to cure the desease is to get rid of those who provide the money in the first place by prosecuting them as dangerous drug dealers.

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Victim advocates still wrong

Anthony J. Fabian of Castle Rock writes:

I found it amusing when the News reported that the same “victim advocates,” who years ago insisted on implementing the extremely dysfunctional and ridiculous domestic violence criminal system that has destroyed untold numbers of committed relationships and marriages, are now telling us the system doesn’t work. But, just as when the News pointed out these same problems two years ago, no practical solutions/corrections to the problems are being offered by these professional victims who have put our judicial system on a procedural merry-go-round.

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DMV restrooms a disaster

Nancy Walker of Aurora writes:

Hi there, I have already left a comment card with DMV I have called Paula Woodward, now I would like to leave a commentary for the RMN.
Today I had to go to the DMV to get my daughter her permit. We showed up at 8:10 am They open at 8:00 am. We wait in a line outside the door for about 10 minutes. We get # 367. They are on #327. We wait & wait. I ask an employee if I can just get the test again for my daughter to take. We were there last week the computers went down & we just lined up to take the test. She said no not today.
They start asking people to line up for license renewals, out of state licenses. Which is great for these people, but they slow down on calling the numbers. It took 2 hours before they called #367. So 40 numbers called in 2 hours. Once my daughter was called, & passed, it took another hour before we got the permit.
The reason I am writing today is the restroom situation in the building. At 9:30 am I have to use it. I get up walk over to the one stall locked bathroom & read a sign due to vandalism you must key from front desk clerk. I walk back to front ask for the key & I am told I must have a document to get the key from her. I am assuming she means my license, I tell her my daughter has my purse, I will go get it. I go back & get my ID give it to her. I am thinking this must be one plush bathroom. NO, it was like a third world bathroom. No mirror, no toilet paper, there was a stack of paper towels, ice cold water running from the sink. Now I was not having my picture took, but if I was I might just want a mirror in the bathroom. Or anywhere in this DMV. There isn’t one. Now, I would like toilet paper too. I do not know if they ran out or they don’t stock toilet paper because of the vandals at the DMV. I just can’t imagine why anyone would want to hang out a minute longer at the DMV then they have to. As I was feeling the ice cold water run over my hands I was wondering, is this the bathroom the employees use? Or do they have the plush bathroom I thought I was going to be able to use. As I walked out I saw a mother nursing her baby she had a car seat, a diaper bag, a purse, a folder with her documents. And I thought it’s a good thing she didn’t want to use the bathroom.
There is no place to change a baby in this bathroom. Oh wait the cement floor, yep as I was saying I felt like we were in a third world country.

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Fareed Zakaria’s editorial

TJ Kern of Littleton writes:

Fareed Zakaria’s editorial “The danger of ignorance about Iran” (Rocky Mountain News, 10/23/07) claims the U.S. is “on a path to irreversible confrontation with a country we know almost nothing about". To the contrary, we know a great deal about Iran through its own words and deeds since 1979. Iranian leaders have repeatedly called for Israel’s destruction, have labeled the Holocaust a “myth", have publicly wished for “death to America", have stated Iran’s readiness to transfer nuclear know-how to other Islamic countries (for electrical power generation of course), and have claimed that “Islam will conquer all mountain tops of the world". In 1979, Iran held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days and severed all diplomatic ties with the U.S. (which is why, Mr. Zakaria, the U.S. “has had no diplomats in Iran for almost 30 years"). Iran was directly involved in the 1983 U.S. Marine barracks bombing in Beirut that killed 241 American servicemen. Iran has funneled money and weapons to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon for two decades, and is providing advanced weaponry and training for Islamic terrorists to kill U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Iran has purchased long-range missile technology from North Korea while thumbing its nose at the international community in the aggressive pursuit of its nuclear program. Now, Iran is recruiting Russia to be its bodyguard should Iran attempt to act on its threat to destroy Israel. This information, and much more, is widely available to anyone who claims to be ignorant about Iran. The selective ignorance about Iran on Mr. Zakaria’s planet is the true danger to America.
p.s. It’s amusing that Mr. Zakaria supports his position by citing the CIA’s assessment that Iran is 3 to 8 years away from having a nuclear bomb when the same CIA was apparently unable to detect the presence of WMD’s in Iraq.

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Thoughts on torture

K.A.Skala of Denver writes:

Reader Conarroe thinks we should have a recourse “if we are holding a terro rist whom (sic) we think has knowledge of a planned nuclear attack on an American city but we do not know where and when, and the detainee refuses to talk", obviously meaning that torture would be OK ("Questions could mean our survival", Letters 10/22). That might be debatable, provided the detainee is indeed a terrorist and has that knowledge.
Even then, the torture might kill the detainee just when he was ready to talk even without it. He won’t be a source of much information when dead. And if that assumption about the detainee turns out to be false, it is the interrogator who is the torturing war criminal deserving to be shot.
The methods our hawks are promoting were in use by both the Nazis and the Tojo Japanese. They both lost the war.

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Surprised that Sen. Salazar signed Reid letter

John W Donaldson of Centennial writes:

In todays paper there is an article by Stephanie Strom, New York Times, “Limbaugh puts money where his mouth is.” supposedly about a letter of complaint to Limbaugh signed by 41 Democratic Senators. The letter was sent to Mr. Mark P Mays, CEO of Clear Channel Communications Inc. in a blatant attempt by The Majority Leader in the Senate to get Limbaugh pulled off of the air. The threat is obvious The Federal Government controls the Licenses of all Radio Stations .
This was the first time that an attempt had been made by the Senate to deny a citizen of this country the right to earn a living.
What is even more surprising is that this letter was signed by Senator Ken Salazar. I do not know what Mr Mays response was but an appropriate one would have been “Nuts”
As a result of the auction on Ebay and Mr. Limbaugh matching the winning bid, $4,200,200 will be going to the Marine Corps and -Law Enforcement Foundation. It seems that at this time Harry Reid and all of the Senators who signed the letter should step up, issue a public apology to Mr Limbaugh and make their own contributions to the Foundation. Dividing the sum raised by 41 the individual contribution would be $100,000. How about it, Senator Salazar.?

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“Memoirs 2002” an interesting read

George Lilly of Denver writes:

Memoirs, 2002, is a very interesting book. To quote the author: For more than a century, ideological extremists at either end of the political spectrum have seized upon well-publicized incidents such as my encounter with Castro to attack the Rockefeller family for the inordinate influence they claim we wield over Ameerican political and economic institutions. Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as ‘internationalists’ and of conspiting with others around the world to build a more integrated gloabal political and economic structure - one world if you will. If that’s the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it.” - David Rockefeller Memoirs 2002

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Mike Rosen on Al Gore & Nobel Peace Prize

Thomas M. Holzfaster of Arvada writes:

Mike Rosen’s ridiculous attack on Al Gore is typical right-wing drivel (“Al Gore’s ignoble Nobel,” Oct. 19). Gee, Mike, what a shame Bill Clinton didn’t participate in the filming, then you, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, and Ann Coulter could all link arms and be in your greatest zone of comfort attacking global warming science with a target you are so familiar with. Hey! Perhaps when you are proven wrong on global warming, (as you already have been) you can find a way to BLAME President Clinton for it, then you would really be in your happy place!!! The Conservatives (although what they have conserved is beyond me) are so happy to quote “expert” oil company paid-for scientific opinion, (the logic of which goes something like, “ Since no meteor has actually hit me in the face, then meteors must not really exist!!) that justifies runaway exploitation of all things fossil. Apparently to suggest that this could damage our environment is Liberal hysteria. One more thing Mike, when are you going to stop jumping at the chance to use phrases that suggest Nazism in those you disagree with??? It makes you look desperate.

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Wasteful marathon

D.T. Dodson of Denver writes:

Because of traffic holdups caused by the running of the Denver Marathon (“Weather merciless to runners/7,500 endure rain, chill to tough out Denver Marathon,” Oct. 15), it took me one hour and 20 minutes to get from Ninth Avenue and Downing Street to East Colfax Avenue and Madison Street. That’s a 2.2-mile trip that usually takes seven minutes. Think of all the exhaust fumes my auto, among others, generated getting home from my Capitol Hill church.

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Students need broad, deep curriculum

If Mike Rosen wants to attack me personally (“Merrifield raising Hell again,” Oct. 26), fine. He’s entitled to his opinions, however misguided they are. But he’s not entitled to his own facts.
I was a teacher for 30 years. There’s nothing I’m more passionate about than the education of Colorado’s children.
Let me be clear about what I stand for.
I’m for rigor in the classroom. I’m for strong academic standards in math and science, and every subject our children study.
Where I differ with Rosen and agree with Bill Gates, is that rigor needs to be accompanied by relevancy and relationships. That means a student’s success should be measured according to their proficiency in a subject, not solely on the length of time that they have sat in a classroom. I’m a strong advocate of a broad and deep curriculum, not a narrow and shallow one.
After all, we live in global economy that is highly competitive and shifting all the time. If our children are not nimble on their feet, and if they lack the ability to think, Colorado, like the nation, will be in trouble
I’ve also never disparaged parents who choose to send their kids to charter schools. Charter schools are a great option for some families.
Rosen’s one accurate statement about me is that I briefly stepped down as chairman of the House Education Committee last year. Not out of “shame,” as Rosen writes, but because I was battling cancer and didn’t want to divert attention away from important legislation pending in our committee.
Schools are where we define who we are as a nation. I, for one, intend to continue to fight to see that I am proud of the definition.

Rep. Mike Merrifield
D-Colorado Springs

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In the doghouse

Next week, residents of Aurora will vote for a mayor and City Council members. I would like to remind all citizens of Aurora to vote. I would also like to remind those citizens who don’t believe in pit-bull or breed-specific bans, that this is their chance to vote out those in office who don’t have a problem kicking an animal out of the city because of what it looks like.
The American pit bull terrier, Cane Corso, Canary dog, American Staffordshire terrier, American bulldog, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, Tosa, Perro de Presa Mallorquin, and the Staffordshire bull terrier will appreciate your vote.

LaToya Reese, Aurora

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Fitz-Gerald a shill for oil, gas industry

Some people might have wondered why 28 Xcel Energy executives have contributed to Joan Fitz-Gerald’s congressional campaign. After all, aren’t the Democrats on the little guy’s side and the Republicans on the side of oil and gas? Perhaps the answer is in HB 1037, sponsored in the state Senate by Fitz-Gerald.
The bill was marketed as a bill promoting energy efficiency. But on close reading it looks like another oil and gas welfare bill. It gives utilities the right to recover their costs without filing a rate case. It includes a “bonus structure to reward gas utilities for investments.” It allows them to recover money “without having to show that such expenditures are cost-effective.” And the utilities don’t even have to achieve any kind of energy efficiency because it includes a clause that they “not adopt any measure authorizing a financial penalty against a gas utility that fails to meet the targets in any particular year.” In other words, raise our rates, subsidize Xcel and give its executives big bonuses. And if they don’t manage to do anything ... well, that’s OK, too.
Sounds more like a bill from the office of our president than from a candidate trying to follow in U.S. Rep. Mark Udall’s footsteps. Let’s not put another representative of the oil and gas industry in Washington — that industry is represented well enough.

Kris Moe, Boulder

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Priest, church serve all, no matter status

Patrick Cipolla’s letter of Oct. 16, “Catholic hierarchy embraces illegality,” claims that Denver Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput and I, pastor of Our Lady of the Mountains parish in Estes Park, support illegal immigration. This is entirely untrue.
Neither Archbishop Chaput nor I condone breaking the law. However, we have both sought to teach and live out respect for the dignity of every human person, which includes respect for Cipolla and respect for the many immigrants who come to the Catholic Church for their spiritual and sometimes physical needs.
I have met with Cipolla and discussed the church’s teachings with him. I’ve explained to him and to others that, as a Catholic priest, I seek to serve the spiritual and physical well-being of the members of our community, without questioning their status — be that rich or poor, progressive or traditional, documented or undocumented.
I’ve also expressed, in agreement with Archbishop Chaput, that the current immigration system in our country is broken. It should be dynamically reformed in order to respond to the many legitimate reasons for migration and also to ensure stability and safety in our country.
The heated and inflammatory rhetoric that characterized Cipolla’s letter, and the blogs that followed it, do nothing to change our current immigration situation. They only incite prejudice and contention. Cipolla is always welcome in the church, as is the immigrant. Church teachings and our parish’s efforts to respect the dignity of the human person won’t change.

The Rev. Grzegorz Cioch
Pastor, Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church
Estes Park

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Hard to take seriously

On Oct. 8, letter writer Stephen McBrayer lambasted a previous letter writer for his anti-war stance, implying that dirty bombs, poisoned water and exploding trains are coming to America if we don’t continue the fight in Iraq (“The politically correct will destroy this nation”).
But I found it hard to take McBrayer’s “concern” seriously when I noted that his address is listed as Aurora rather than a fire base in the Middle East.

Sean McAfee, Evergreen

Posted by denver-admin at 12:01 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

‘Tolerant’ Salzman

So Rocky Mountain News media critic Jason Salzman believes that anyone who owns Fox News gear “should” deface it (On the Media, Oct. 13). It seems that the supposedly “tolerant” liberal cannot tolerate people being exposed to any viewpoint other than his own.

Robin Remund, Larkspur

Posted by denver-admin at 12:01 AM | Comments (25) | TrackBack

A DIFFERING VIEW/Multifamily housing cannot be partly smoke-free

Regarding the Rocky’s Oct. 5 editorial “An apartment is still a home”:
Smoking is not a protected right and smokers are not a protected class. Tobacco smoke cannot be contained inside a smoked-in apartment or condo home. It “intrudes” into every surrounding unit.
You cannot do whatever you want in multiresidential buildings if those actions take away the right of others to use and enjoy their homes in peace and good health. You cannot play music as loud as you want if the sound will bother the other residents. You cannot tap dance on a hardwood floor if it will bother the neighbors below.
Why is it then OK to poison the neighbors and say that is a protected property right?
I receive calls and e-mails every day asking for help from those who are suffering with illnesses, including many with newborn babies struggling to breathe.
This is not just a problem for people who have itchy, watery eyes or those who do not like the smell. This is a very serious health crisis. It puts people in the hospital and exacerbates chronic illnesses that have been ignored for too long.
Anyone who wants to smoke should be living in a single-family home where it is not possible to inflict his or her deadly chemicals on others.

Jacque Petterson, founder of Smoke-Free Housing Consultants, writes from Helotes, Texas.

Posted by denver-admin at 12:01 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Mike Rosen & global warming

Earl Wenngren of Centennial writes:

Despite overwhelming evidence concerning global warming and its impact on our world’s future, Mike Rosen chooses to align himself with the few who consider it as simply a harmless climate cycle. Rosen, comparing himself to Gallileo and Copernicus, berates Nobel winner Al Gore as unworthy of this prestigious and well-deserved award. How smug and repulsive is his argument. I, for one, would not want to rely on his “prediction” about our future. is his hatred for Mr. Gore and his accomplishment so great that he would reject the findings of emminent scientists on this subject. Mr. Gore’s Nobel Peace Prize should inspire us all to do our part for a better future.

This letter has not been edited.

Posted by denver-admin at 10:44 AM | Comments (35) | TrackBack

Weather stats wrong

Richard Johnson of Denver writes:

Pardon my suspicions but, again official weather stats and newspaper reports are again so obviously inaccurate why is it allowed to continue unoppossed? Our weekend snowstorm. Sand trucks on the street. Accident alerts posted. Broken tree limbs and downed power lines. And the official story for the snowstorm...a trace of snow with .11” of precipitation. Right!! Is some group or ideology successfully manipulating Denver’s snow/rain precip stats. Oh,no, no, no. A little honesty in reporting...please.

This letter has not been edited.

Posted by denver-admin at 10:42 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

Salazar should match funds raised

Len Kaiser of Denver writes:

Mr Salazar, Rush Limbaugh has challenged the 41 signers of the letter sent to his partners of his radio program. I’m sure you are an avid listener and know that he has challenged each of the signers of that letter to match the funds received in the auction of that letter. Rush is willing to put his money where is “large mouth” is...how about you? I highly doubt any of the signers of that letter are going to match the funds. It is a shame that the signers don’t share the passion Rush does for our military. I look forward to the press release that you have matched the funds...what a great gesture to our Military and Police!!!

This letter has not been edited.

Posted by denver-admin at 10:40 AM | Comments (23) | TrackBack

Fossil fuels are becoming limited

Michael Franzen of Aurora writes:

This letter is in response to Mr. Berlings letter in the News.
What do we have to do in this Country, before we realize that the availability of fossil fuels are becoming limited?
I noticed all throughout Western America, there are millions of square miles of rich fertile lands, lands that can be used to grow alternative fuels.
What may I ask, is so wrong with that? It’s renewable, and it doesn’t pollute.
This would put people to work and make farms productive again. Best of all, it would keep our young men out of harms way who are dying, for your SUV’s.
If government scientists can come up with all these high tech. weapons of war, they certainly can come up with a solution to market bio-fuels properly.
So, unless you have money in big oil and don’t want to see America independent of the Middle East, consider this: If the U.S. dropped out of the oil market, the 72 virgin crowd wouldn’t be able to buy a Black Cat firecracker.

This letter has not been edited.

Posted by denver-admin at 10:38 AM | Comments (21) | TrackBack

Corruption in big labor too

James Jones of Littleton writes:

We hear a lot of outrage from the Democrats about the “Culture of Corruption.” They are referring of course to illegal activities that have occurred in Big Business. What we don’t hear much about is the corruption that occurs in Big Labor as exposed by the Office of Labor Management Standards. Here are the numbers: The Labor Department announced 13 indictments so far this month and seven convictions in September of union officials. Since 2001, Labor referrals to U.S. Attorney’s have resulted in more than 800 convictions and $102 million in reinstitution paid to union members.
In light of the data, it is instructive that Democrats have finally found a part of government where funding can be reduced. The Democrats pushed through the Senate (47-46 along party lines) legislation this month that will cut $2 million from the OLMS budget. Obviously corruption is more outrageous in some cultures than others.

This letter has not been edited.

Posted by denver-admin at 10:35 AM | Comments (35) | TrackBack

No justification to attack Iran

Cindy Lowry of Arvada writes:

It never ceases to amaze me that President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney will not let Iran obtain nuclear weapons in their press conference last week. President George W.Bush also stated that their would be CONSEQUENCES TO PAY if they did not stand down — sounds like WE HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE —- His bulldog, Dick Cheney is also continuing the high pressured rhetic.
President George W.Bush and his cronies just want another WAR to keep FEAR IN AMERICAN’S HEARTS AND SECURE THE WHITE HOUSE —— We have no JUSTIFICATION to attack IRAN. We have not used all of our diplomatic means to seek a SOLUTION.
If Congress doesn’t stop President George W.Bush from invading another Nation without provocation — we are on a SLIPPERY SLOPE OF NO RETURN. Iran will not take this standing down, and then truly the whole MidEast will be in a THIRD WORLD WAR — JUST WHAT PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH WANTS.

This letter has not been edited.

Posted by denver-admin at 10:33 AM | Comments (79) | TrackBack

Rocky Flats hearing

Judy Padilla of Denver writes:

This hearing should stand for something more than just compensating Rocky Flats nuclear workers for their injuries. It is the sort of case that could ring alarm bells in corporate boardrooms all across America. How do you stop big government contractors like Kaiser Hill/CH2M Hill, or Halliburton from polluting the earth? How do you send the message that they can’t get away with it anymore? The only language that they understand is MONEY-that’s their blood. What if you took away a full year’s profits? I think that might get their attention. You have a whole city poisoned-you have public attention riveted to this case-and you have multiBILLION dollar contractors caught in the net. We must ask the government not to JUST compensate the workers, but to punish the contractors and send a message in the only language that companies like Kaiser Hill/CH2M Hill understand. I’M IN THIS FOR PUNITIVE DAMAGES!

This letter has not been edited.

Posted by denver-admin at 10:30 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Mastiff dog needs to be adopted

Nancy Pierce of Denver writes:

I have never written to a newspaper before, but a story I recently discovered touched my heart and I feel other people should know.
After reading a story about the man who started the website dogsindanger.com in your newspaper, I looked up the website and discovered that there was one Colorado dog listed.
His name is Bones and he was brought in to the La Junta Municipal Animal Shelter on a cruetly case, obviously starved to near death. They saved him and brought him back, but now, he is destined for euthanisia on the 31st of this month. He is a senior mastiff which is said to be a gentle giant. It seems such a shame and a waste to kill him after all he and everyone else has gone through. This dog definately deserves an second chance, just as the one that was found guarding his mate in traffic that you wrote about. I just know he would get adopted if people were aware of his situation.
Even if you were to publish a little story about him, I’m sure that would do it. Please help out Bones.

This letter has not been edited.

Posted by denver-admin at 10:24 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Rush Limbaugh & Sen. Reid’s letter

Brian Stuckey of Denver writes:

Recently, Sen. Harry Reid and 40 other senators lambasted Rush Limbaugh in a letter to CEO, Mark Mays, at Clear Channel Communications for telling the truth about the phony soldier, Jesse MacBeth. Now, according to the New York Times, Sen. Reid is attempting to take the credit for the $2.1 million bid at the eBay auction. The truth of the matter is that Sen. Reid’s “glittering jewel of colossal ignorance” is nothing less than a declaration of contempt for the men and women serving our nation in time of war. If anyone deserves credit for the magnanimous charity, it is Mr. Limbaugh and his generous supporters. Yet, the aforesaid senators will stop at nothing to undermine the troops to advance their own political agenda. The facts speak for themselves.

This letter has not been edited.

Posted by denver-admin at 10:22 AM | Comments (26) | TrackBack

Ahmadinejad deserves to be heard

A.J. Hill of Nederland writes:

Victor Davis Hanson joins other right-wing extremists in condemning Columbia University for allowing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak because he’s a “bad” person and shouldn’t be rewarded with a prestigious platform (“Madness on campus,” Sept. 29). In doing so, Hanson demonstrates his abysmal ignorance of the First Amendment.
When the Founders devoted the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights to the protection of speech, they hadn’t the slightest intention of rewarding or punishing anyone’s ideology. They subscribed to the Enlightenment principle that open and unrestricted expression of all ideas, good and bad, is the surest approach to truth. That is, they believed in the wisdom of a fully informed public.
Hanson and others like him don’t share this conviction. Instead they believe that Americans must be protected from meretricious ideologies by ... well, by people like himself, who know which ideas can be entrusted to us.
Ahmadinejad earned occasional applause from the Columbia audience, which demonstrates merely that he can express admirable ideas, whether he believes them or not; but his assertion that Iran “does not have” homosexuals earned derisive jeers and laughter. This is the way democracy works — and works best — when we see and hear every side of an argument.

This letter has not been edited.

Posted by denver-admin at 10:19 AM | Comments (22) | TrackBack

Still flogging the abortion deaths lie

In 1979, Dr. Bernard Nathanson, a founder of NARAL and later director of New
York's Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health, the largest abortion mill in
the world, wrote Aborting America, telling of his role in the legalization of
abortion.
On Page 193, he wrote: "In NARAL ... when we spoke of [statistics] ... it was
always '5,000 to 10,000 deaths [of women] a year.' I confess I knew the figures
were totally false ... but in the 'morality' of our revolution, it was a useful
figure, widely accepted, so why go out of our way to correct it with honest
statistics? ... In 1972, the total was only 39 deaths."
On the Jan. 19, 1989, CBS This Morning TV show, Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett
Koop said, "Remember, in order to get Roe v. Wade passed, the number of
back-alley abortion deaths had to be exaggerated by one hundred-fold."
Yet the Rocky, on Oct. 12, 2007, carried an Associated Press story bemoaning the
fact that abortion is still illegal in some countries, with the result that "70,000 women die every year from unsafe abortions." Not
surprisingly, the source of this story is the Alan Guttmacher Institute, the
public policy arm of - you guessed it - Planned Parenthood, the leading abortion
provider in the world.
Gee, do you suppose Koop's charge of a "one hundred-fold" exaggeration (read:
lie) still applies? You can bet on it!

Tom Longua, Westminster

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U.S. behind the curve on birth control

It was heartening to read medical research confirming what the pro-choice
community has been saying for years.
A World Health Organization study from around the world was published in the
prestigious British medical journal The Lancet showing that where abortion is
illegal it is no more rare but much more dangerous ("Abortion rates same despite
legal status," Oct. 12).
The study also found that the best way to reduce the abortion rate is to improve
access to birth control.
In Uganda, sex education is abstinence-only and abortion is illegal, yet the
abortion rate is double ours which, in turn, is almost double Western Europe's where abortion is legal
and contraception is widely available.
Access to birth control and related health-care services, information and
education about the impact of behavior on future health should be available to
as many people as possible, as the best way possible to reduce the number of
abortions.

Andrew Ross, Denver

Posted by denver-admin at 12:01 AM | Comments (25) | TrackBack

Let's not neglect our cultural facilities

As a first-time homeowner in the city of Denver, I am writing in response to
"Asphalt, bricks, mortar," the editorial in the Oct. 11 Rocky on the municipal
bond package to express my support for Issues G and H on this November's ballot.
I grew up in Fort Collins and I have many happy memories of trips to Denver to
visit the Museum of Nature and Science, the Botanic Gardens and the Denver Zoo.
When my wife and I chose to purchase a home of our own, access to art and
cultural facilities was an important factor in our decision to settle in Denver.
The civic energy created by our city's cultural offerings is a regional draw and a major reason that people choose to
live, work and locate businesses here. We should support the Museum of Nature
and Science and Boettcher Concert Hall because they benefit education, quality
of life and economic development - all the things that make Denver a great city
and a wonderful place to live. What will we say to future generations if we let
those things slip away?

Jason Hanson, Denver

Posted by denver-admin at 12:01 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Ron Paul the answer

What is going on in the political world of America? I have been searching for a
candidate of integrity, truth, wisdom, and yet every televised debate leaves me
sick to my stomach.
The only candidate who makes any sense is Ron Paul. I swore that I would not
register as a Republican again after George Bush let me down with war, torture,
abuse of civil liberties, search and seizure, excessive taxation, support of big
pharma and mandatory vaccines, but I can't hear another voice in the crowd
alerting us to the dangers of big government and the overstepping of executive powers with the kind of urgency of Paul.
I guess I'll have to register as an elephant after all. Shame on you donkeys for
not seeing the opportunity sooner!

Ellyn Hilliard, Boulder

Posted by denver-admin at 12:01 AM | Comments (32) | TrackBack

Find better message

Is anybody else appalled that public money is being spent on a profane ad
campaign by Denver Water?
There are billboards and signs on the back of RTD buses saying, "GV a DM."
Children are being exposed to this message, which does nothing to communicate
the value that clean water adds to our lives and our standard of living.
I, for one, say no to this campaign and urge others to do so. I also urge the
mayor of Denver to discuss this matter with the director of public affairs for
Denver Water and the Denver Water Board. There should be accountability for this
irresponsible use of public funds.
Cathy R. Dudley, Lakewood

Posted by denver-admin at 12:01 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

Already paying for a 'better Denver'

In recent weeks I have been inundated with flashy and expensive mailings
supporting increasing taxes for city bond issues. I was also called by the mayor's team touting benefits of the ballot measures for a "better Denver."
When I expressed opposition to the increased burden placed on middle-income
families and small businesses, the caller promptly hung up before I could
finish.
I would have liked to say I am already funding the museum, botanic gardens and
other facilities through cultural district assessments. Were these $100,000
contributions from these entities to the mayor's "better Denver" campaign from
my tax money? Enough is enough!

Barbara Fallon, Denver

Posted by denver-admin at 12:01 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

Finally, the I-word

Finally, this administration has invoked the dreaded "I" word (Israel) to fight
terrorism. For the last six-and-a-half years, Bush and his cohorts have thought
that simply invading "bad" Arab countries and exposing their longsuffering
people to "democracy" would eliminate the threat of terrorism (even as hatred
toward us grew everywhere in response to our invasion of Iraq).
Now, the new line is that solving the Israeli-Palestinian problem is a "major goal" of this administration. So where was this major goal for the
last seven years?

Alaeldin Rachid, Fort Collins

Posted by denver-admin at 12:01 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

Cut to the chase

Iowa will hold its "caucuses" (really primaries) for president just after the
first of the year.
What a farce! Why don't we just cut to the chase: Let Iowa decide who the
candidates are and then hold the general election a week later? It would get to
the point, save the rest of us all the campaign rhetoric and other bucolic
byproduct these campaigns generate, and let whoever wins get on with the job.

Jon Rogers, Aurora

Posted by denver-admin at 12:01 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Override SCHIP veto

For those unfortunates who were born without the proverbial silver spoon in
their mouths, there are enough good-hearted, common-sense people in both the
Senate and the House to override the SCHIP veto! Get to work!

Carol O'Brien, Denver

Posted by denver-admin at 12:01 AM | Comments (24) | TrackBack