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In a recent letter, "Drop Prickly City" (Talk Back to the Media, March 3) Rusty Campos characterized the comic strip Doonesbury as having a political slant while Prickly City is engaged in character assassinations as a regular theme.
He also says that there isn't much funny about ongoing "bitterness and rage" directed at an individual. Let me see if I have this right .
I find Prickly City very funny (and right on the mark). I find Pelosi to be a joke (and good fodder for a conservative cartoonist); and I believe that Doonesbury and Prickly City should both be available to the reading public.
Prickly City points out the warts on liberal political and agendas, hence touching a raw nerve in liberals who would protect the great unwashed from reading anything but liberal propaganda and the correct political slant. Conservative writings and cartoons should not be burned in a totalitarian dark ages bonfire. To those who don't like Prickly City I say, "Get a grip!" To the Rocky Mountain News I say, keep Prickly City and keep up the good work.
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Spelling bee finalists
Maureen Supple of Littleton writes:
I confess that I almost never read the sports section of the Rocky, but I am guessing that any tournament that ended with a tie for fifth place would be reported so as to include the names of both of the fifth-place players. So why is it that when you report on the state spelling bee, you mention only one of the fifth-place finishers? Any of the 288 students who competed would be thrilled to place fifth, and I imagine that their parents and friends would want to be able to point to their name in the paper. Unfortunately, one of the fifth-place winners this year can't do that, because you didn't print his or her name! And those of us who are interested are stuck with your coverage, since you sponsor the event. How much space would it take in the paper (or even on the WebKeep Littwin in back
Michael Hult of Arvada writes:
When the Rocky Mountain News adjusted its format of the paper, I was extremely impressed with the organizational changes and the content. Relegating Mike Littwin's left-wing political drivel to the back pages of the paper was a positive step. Also, Ed Stein's liberal, anti-establishment cartoons are becoming tedious. Littwin's columns belong in the classified ads under "downers" and Stein's cartoons belong in the comics (except that his political cartoons are not amusing). Please do not let Littwin beg his way to the front pages of your paper as his views are very biased and they don't reflect an objective opinion that your readers are entitled to. Posted by denver-admin at 12:01 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBackOne-of-a-kind hero
Sam and Mary Piro of Denver write:
The article by Jim Sheeler on "One Last Honor"Protect Earth from asteroid
Hank Riehl
Excessive CSAP testing
The test I took to get into medical school, intended to test the cumulative education of all my public education (12 years), college, plus pre-med work lasted just under 8 hours and was done in a day.
At the end of medical school to test the science and clinical training of four years of medical school, that would allow me to assist with surgery and deliver babies took three days, six hours each.
At the end of residency my specialty boards, designed to test four years training, was tested to the satisfaction of the National Board in about 7 hours over the course of a single day.
Now, here’s my 5th grade son digging into his strength and character reserves because some organization has done such a dismal job of designing a test it takes them four days to assess how a fifth grader is doing in school. As an academic physician that tells me that either their validity scores suck, or they have to collect so much data because they’re trying to test too many details. In either case it’s a shame to have our kids bear the burden. It’s time to re-think this entire process.
Republican strategy, approve and continue the Iraq war
In WWII the soldiers in the US, Japan and Germany were propagandized against each other. Japan and Germany were our enemies and we had to destroy them.
They indeed attacked us and our allies. Americans all joined together, sacrificed fought and we won.
Iraq is different. Iraq was never a threat to America, had nothing to do with 9/11 and the Iraq war has only caused recruitment for more insurgents. I has created hate and anger towards the US by all the middle east and most of the world.
Disabled waiting in line
Aimee Pemberton of Aurora writes:
At the stakeholder meeting to discuss Rep. Garcia’s resolution for an interim committee some professionals proposed that another Department of Humans Services Division for Developmental Disabilities internal committee might be the answer to this problem or only more money would solve the crisis. But, I say in the words of Sir William Osler “A physician who treats himself has a fool for a patient.” As a parent of a child with developmental disabilities and the Board President of an Advocacy Association supporting people with developmental disabilities, I know with all sincerity if we as professionals and parents could have solved this crisis alone we already would have.
The human tragedy grows and the money isn’t ever enough. The system is drowning in crisis. Rep. Garcia’s interim committee concept offers the General Assembly the opportunity to take leadership and responsibility of this crisis on behalf of the citizens of Colorado. The General Assembly needs to understand what is and is not being done to give best possible solution. For 40 plus years we have used the same old system. We need fresh eyes and ideas via a public dialogue and that is what this interim committee can offer!
This letter has not been edited.
Border must be closed
Bill Armstrong wants tax money for religious schools
I wonder if Bill gave even a fleeting moment of thought to the various religious groups that might be thrilled to receive tax money even if tax payers are outraged. How many Americans want to pay taxes to support Wahabbist schools teaching young Muslims hatred of Western culture? How many war-loving right wingers want our tax money to support a Quaker education teaching pacifism? Imagine my outrage if I heard that CCU was using my tax money to teach creationist nonsense instead of science.
The founding fathers got it right by separating church and state. Religion is much too divisive for government to be taking sides.
Mike Rosen on Utah vouchers
Mr. Rosen also takes this opportunity to denigrate teacher’s unions. Well Mike, in this state I don’t think the teachers were the only ones who voted against the vouchers—-a vote which you would like to see ignored or overturned.
I assume you must think those of us who voted against vouchers are just not as enlightened as you. I will be happy to vote for vouchers when the private schools have to meet the same requirements as the public schools——having the same accountability to the CSAP scores, providing an education for all children no matter what their educational needs or behavioral problems and meeting the same standards for terminating uninterested and uninvolved students that the public schools have to meet.
It is easy to blame the public school teachers (and their union) for problems over which they sometimes have little control while failing to hold parents or society in general accountable for the problems which public schools face today.
How many citizens realize there is a
In layman’s terms,the Bill of Rights are restrictions on the government,
Space limitations won’t allow me to grieve the unjust powers given to the police in the “War on Drugs
I'd like to use this occasion to thank Linda Seebach for alerting the
readers of her column to Kiselev's Geometry
and Ron Aharoni's Arithmetic for Parents (published by Sumizdat.org)
and for passing on my opinion about math curricula.
One of her readers, a 3rd grade teacher,
asked me by email about Everyday Mathematics,
a program that used to be popular in California and
is still in broad use elsewhere. I'd like to summarize
here my observations made several years ago while
studying some "EM" materials for grades K, 3 and 5.
"EM" is quite ambitious: it touches upon many math topics
far beyond the grade level. One problem is that it does so
falsely. E.g.: 3rd grade teachers are served with
regular polyhedra defined incorrectly, and Venn diagrams used
mistakenly. Deep topics are usually handled
superficially, i.e. with the focus on notation at the expense
of content -- something a mathematician would never do!
Another problem is the size: Elementary school teachers, whose
time is scheduled by the minute, and whose attention is divided
between several subjects and the task of watching the kids, are
to follow manuals of inhumane complexity and volume.
By this measure, Aharoni's Arithmetic seems 40 times more
efficient!
The students of "EM," on the contrary, are not entitled
to have textbooks. They are to take part in numerous activities,
often decoupled from the math at hand. In the workbooks, the order
of topics is intentionally chaotic, as if to instill the common
misconception that math is a zoo of unrelated "strategies,"
facts and algorithms.
This letter is not a place for a thorough review, but in essence
my message is the same as with Saxon Math: I can't think of a reason
to use "EM," when Singapore Math is available.
Alexander Givental is the founder of Sumizdat.org
_______________________ This letter has not been edited. Charles King of Boulder writes: This letter has not been edited. Charles James, Northglenn Tim Levins of Monument writes:
Letter writer I am a hunter, but I value the experience of using my camera to capture Rocky Mountain An unexpected bonus
Illegals are given free Walter Reed is only the tip
Sound preposterous? How many congressmen and senators and governors are getting this wonderful treatment from us taxpayers while they attempt to get elected president?
I think you, as the boss
The
After reading of the planned expansion of Piñon Canyon and the unnecessary, illegal taking of private property - which happens to be the last true ranching area of our state - it occurred to me that
This letter has not been edited. Judith Lorraine of Denver writes: Ken Bonetti of Boulder writes: This letter has not been edited. In Colorado, jails and prisons have become de facto psychiatric treatment programs for individuals with serious mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders. Most of these individuals are not violent criminals but rather have been charged or convicted of minor, nonviolent offenses directly linked to the symptoms of their untreated illnesses. Since 1982, when the 16th Street Mall was opened with the free “Mall Shuttle,” we at the Regional Transportation District have been excited about the positive changes in the downtown area, or at least most of the changes. While much has been done over the years to make downtown Denver a great destination for metro residents and visitors, it is becoming apparent that there are areas that do need a major face-lift. The 16th and California streets area, from the Convention Center to 17th Street, is one that needs immediate attention. I believe I still live in America, but I’m beginning to wonder. Kudos to Mike Rosen for hitting the nail on the head with an excellently written column (“Public school bondage,” March 16) on the inadequate, inept, hypocritical, destructive government school system and the blessing of choice the liberals offer only when it comes to abortion. Why is Sen. Ron Tupa so fixated on opposing fees at park-n-rides (“RTD park-n-ride fee for some gets initial Senate OK,” March 17)? He cites that taxpayers already paid for those park-n-rides. However, taxpayers have committed a lot more money for a functioning Regional Transportation District and a FasTracks program. Seems like if we want to be fair to taxpayers, we should charge the people using the RTD system who don’t pay taxes toward the district. I’ve heard of not seeing the forest through the trees, but this is an example of not seeing the forest through the blade of grass. Your letters section seems to be filled with whiny Republicans who are complaining about the Dems gaining control of the state legislature and dang nab it, those tax-and-spend socialists are doing nothing but raising taxes. My family and I have known Acen Phillips and his family since the early ’60s. He baptized me in the Little Church on the west side. He has always been there when our family needed him and I know he has a good heart. I pray that God will bless him and his family during these trying times (“Lawsuit alleges fraud by Rev. Acen Phillips,” March 14). Americans should start connecting the dots. The dots in question are the number of corporations that are now involved in public sector activities and are profiting enormously but providing shoddy or inflated costs for their work. Eat healthy, exercise, don’t smoke, don't drink. ...but you will die. Statistics may show that you can extend your life by x number of years by following the above listed edicts — thank you very much! Councilman-at-large Doug Linkhart’s remarks regarding graffiti show that he is truly a racist. What do baggy pants have to do with crime or graffiti? I am very disturbed by the plan to pull out of Iraq. Liberals are very fast to point out the similarities between Iraq and Vietnam. Perhaps we should learn from that debacle. On a death march from Anzing, Germany, to the Austrian Alps in April 1945, my father, a Jewish prisoner at a subcamp of Dachau, was barely alive. The bedraggled marchers were dying from exhaustion, lack of food and water, when they were intercepted enroute by the American liberators at Tutzing, Germany. Global warming sure has been a hot topic lately, with some predicting catastrophe in the coming years while others brush it off as no big deal. The mouse found in a bag of potato chips by a Lewis Palmer Middle School student in Monument (“Chewing seen as likely,” March 20), which a Frito-Lay spokeswoman said chewed its way into the bag after it was delivered, leaves an even more disturbing question. What, in the bag, killed the mouse? In response to the recent Speakout column by Bill Blomberg on the Electoral College and taxation (“Electoral balancing act, by the numbers”), it should be pointed out that there is, at best, a tenuous connection between the Electoral College and taxes. John Ewing, Fort Lupton Denver City Council has passed a measure for the May 1 ballot seeking voter approval to increase the term limit for the Denver district attorney from two terms to three. My sense is that a district attorney, in order to make the office nonpolitical, should have not have a limit on terms. Yet, I support this proposal in order to equalize it with the terms for other elected officials in Denver. Paul B. Rosenthal, Denver In 2005, I spent a month in South Africa researching the so-called claim of elephant overpopulation (“Elephant woes,” Globe, March 1). The local conservationists I worked with had developed a successful contraception for the elephants on their reserve. When they offered it to the South African officials, they were asked “What’s in it for us?” Kristal Parks, Denver DUI scofflaws — those who insist on driving after their license has been revoked — have been allowed to snub their noses too long. Why are we allowing them to drive to court the second time, and then drive away again? Let’s put some teeth into this safety issue — impound their vehicles on the second offense. And then, let’s take it one more step: If a friend or relative lends them a vehicle while their license is revoked, that friend or relative loses his or her license as well. Need to get to work? Use public transportation, walk, bike or hitch a ride with a friend or relative. Wayne Peterson, Aurora I just wanted to know why, if we can provide reparations to the American Indians in the form of all the freebies they get, we can’t do the same for descendants of slaves in this country? The slave labor used to build this country was invaluable as every businessperson would agree. Jason Miles, Denver I’d like to thank Jefferson County Commissioners for saving metro Denver TV viewers millions of dollars. After six years of questionable debate, the Lookout Mountain HDTV tower providing “free” over-the-air HDTV is a reality (“Lukewarm approval for TV tower,” March 13). The commissioners' rezoning approval will save us all $70-plus a month (cable and satellite HDTV charges). Richard Schneider, Arvada The piece from Slate about the proposed Iraq hydrocarbon law in the Rocky’s March 13 Editorial and Opinion section exhibits a stunning degree of naivete and shortsightedness (“Hurrah for new Iraqi oil policy”). Amy Durfee, Denver How hilarious is that? Rocky media critic Jason Salzman whines about all the bad stuff being reported about Boulder (“Coverage of Boulder woes is often condescending,” On the Media, March 17). Maybe it’s a quagmire? If you take his article and replace “Boulder” with “Iraq” and replace Salzman’s picture with Bill O’Reilly’s ... Think about it! Maybe we should withdraw — from Boulder. Pete Abbott, Littleton The West was settled by pioneering, self-reliant people who nevertheless knew how to look out for each other and when to speak up for their communities. It’s time to speak up for downtown Denver. Leo Kiely, Denver Colorado politics is a violent thing. At least, according to the Rocky Mountain News, it is. John Patrick Ritter, Highlands Ranch Rocky media critic Dave Kopel correctly identifies Paul Campos and Ann Coulter as two of a kind (“Coulter and Campos: Two sides of the same coin,” On the Media, March 10), but Campos enjoys quite an advantage locally since the Rocky publishes his political baloney once a week, while it seldom — if ever — runs any Coulter commentary or anything similar. Percy Conarroe, Longmont Rocky reader Rusty Campos (“Drop ‘Prickly City,’” Talk Back to the Media, March 3) needs to step back and take another look at artist Scott Stantis’ Carmen and the Coyote. He has to keep in mind that Stantis is a conservative. This is a person who sees Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter as intellectuals, George Bush as a war hero, Condoleezza Rice as a diplomat and Dick Cheney as a senior statesman. Sam Domenico, Golden I am an avid reader of the Rocky Mountain News Spotlight comics section. Tom Guidera, Littleton In the interest of full disclosure, Rocky Mountain News editor and publisher John Temple should have revealed in his March 11 column, “View from Mile High not so down,” that Time magazine reporter Bob Diddlebock, whose reporting on Denver Temple criticizes, used to be a reporter for the Rocky. Brad Thompson, McMinnville, Ore. I want to thank Rocky Mountain News writer Gary Massaro for his article highlighting the work of Excelsior Youth Center (“Teenage girl with troubled past cooks up new approach to life,” March 1). Ellen Busch, Parker Several weeks ago, after the initial release in Denver, I saw The Departed. Several people of all age groups walked out before the end of the picture. I am guessing they wanted to escape the violence, the murders and, above all, the saturation of the F-word. Art Knott, Denver I was disappointed that the Rocky’s recent coverage of the Academy Awards made no mention of Sherry Lansing, the recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. She is a great humanitarian and gave a very moving and gracious acceptance speech. In reference to “Lukewarm approval for TV tower,” the March 13 HDTV tower article in the Rocky — I believe that the Canyon Area Residents for the Environment would gain more support in their opposition to the HDTV tower being built if they would explain how it is more hazardous or dangerous to replace the existing four towers with one. Tom Wycoff, Westminster Our Founding Fathers pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to our democratic principles by signing the Declaration of Independence. Andrew R. Lewis, Englewood Thanks to Mike Rosen for helping desanctify “Father Abraham” Lincoln (as some call him to this day). He was indeed one of our worst presidents for the reasons Rosen gives, and many more (“Let’s impeach ... Lincoln,” March 9). Unless ... As a “limited government” conservative, Rosen couldn’t actually approve of Lincoln’s despicable and unconstitutional actions (and the similar ones by George Bush), could he? John Mosby, Limon It’s four years now since the Iraq war began. We’ve seen nearly 3,200 troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis dead. According to a recent Washington Post poll, two-thirds of Americans disapprove of President Bush’s handling of the war and 56 percent want the troops out, even if civil order is not restored there. Nancy Sullo, Boulder Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s deadline for the withdrawal of American soldiers has the potential to suck the lifeblood of morale out of American soldiers fighting for freedom in Iraq. Someone needs to drive a stake in the heart of this scary idea that gives our enemies another weapon to demoralize our cause in the war against terrorism. Michael C. Coon, Lakewood In response to Gen. Peter Pace’s statement on Tuesday that homosexuality is immoral, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “We don’t need moral judgment from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs.” John Hannah, Centennial Survival of the fittest — it’s been part of evolution from the beginning. Brett Rosenberg, Aurora Once again, Vincent Carroll misses the point. Whether or not introducing the profit motive into the incarceration of human beings is “immoral” (as the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition claims), there is no doubt that doing so is bad public policy (“The oversight gap,” On Point, March 8). Steve Justino, Centennial For those who would like to understand what’s behind global warrming — science and politics — Google Video has the recent British Channel 4 broadcast, The Global Warming Swindle at video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4520665474899458831 Richard Savage, Franktown I overheard a group of Middle Schoolers refering to World War II as “that short war.” Kind of sad isn’t it, but interesting how historical perspectives change for different generations. David Ferlic, Wheat Ridge History shows that the United States has an unequalled record in freeing nations and people who have been brutalized by invaders or powerful dictators. Nate Bushnell, Centennial It was bad enough that Halliburton allegedly ripped off U.S. taxpayers for $2.7 billion for waste and overcharges in Iraq. Now they are moving their corporate offices to the tax haven of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. It’s a cheap shot at taxpayers in the U.S. We will have to make up the taxes Halliburton will not pay on its $13 billion in Mideast oil revenues and pay for their Iraq mistakes. Jerry Michals, Aurora It just amazes me that so many people think global warming is a fallacy. As a resident of Colorado for 48 years, I have witnessed the change in the weather. I remember when I was a child, summer days would include a short rain shower in the late afternoons, winters were so cold that snow stayed on the roads for months, and the higher-elevation mountains had snow on them all year long. Cindy Allen, Aurora The Rocky article of March 9, “Coalition calls for boycott,” states that a coalition of groups dedicated to defending the rights of illegal immigrants is calling for a boycott of Colorado businesses, presumably by illegals and their supporters. Thomas Johnson, Aurora Our state senators and representatives took an oath to uphold the Colorado Constitution. So why are they bad-mouthing and tinkering with Amendment 41? Robert R. Tiernan, Denver Laurie Sirotkin of Longmont writes: As a participant in Project Occupation, a nationwide effort by average citizens to ensure elected representatives listen to constituents and end the war in Iraq, I must comment on remarks cited in the March 9th article “Anti-War Push.” In 2003, Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines told a concert audience that she was ashamed that President Bush hailed from her home state of Texas. Thomas Mannion, Denver According to an Associated Press news item (“Hillary Clinton woos gay voters,” March 6), neither Hillary Clinton’s “campaign nor her Senate office made any announcement” that she would be making a keynote speech to the “nation’s leading gay rights group,” the Human Rights Campaign. Robert E. Forman, Lakewood As reported in the March 3 story, “Rove, Pelosi both in Denver to rally party loyalists,” White House political adviser Karl Rove asked, “How can you say you support the troops and yet you want to deny the funds necessary to do the job and protect them in battle?” Dan Danbom, Denver I looked at the Rocky’s time line of events ranging from President Bush’s Jan. 28, 2003, State of the Union address to the Oct. 28, 2005, indictment of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, and couldn’t help but notice that the Rocky forgot to mention the 9/11 commission’s findings in early 2004 that debunked Joe Wilson’s self-serving and partisan claim that there were no dealings between Saddam Hussein and the Nigerien government to buy uranium. Jeff Kocsis, Littleton It is time — past time, really — to retire a certain catchphrase that is heard in every phase of our lives, from sports to business to government and beyond. A phrase that is meaningless, explains nothing, adds no value to any discussion and yet is uttered almost as often as the word “like,” most often by someone just trying to fill the silence or attempting to baffle the audience with their self-perceived educated elocution. Which catchphrase is blathered entirely too often? Jim Waechter, Highlands Ranch The answer to letter writer Carrie McKoy’s question of March 1 (“Brrr!) — “Where did ... ‘global warming’ go?” — is that it is already here. Unusual, out-of-control weather all over the United States including our own state’s horrific snowstorms for 10 weeks on end and Europe’s everlasting fall and now already spring and no snow there. Mathilde Morris, Denver The March 5 Rocky Mountain News story, “Housefuls of the faithful and barrels full of laughs,” contained this comment from Sen. Nancy Spence, R-Centennial, describing the new chief of the state Republican Party, Dick Wadhams: William “Jerry” Andersen, Littleton After reading the recent letter by Dorie Werner regarding colorectal cancer (“Colorectal cancer is a quiet killer,” March 8), I have to ask: Why are so many otherwise intelligent people refusing to have the screening for colon cancer? I was screened recently and this is the sequence of events: I spent the previous day drinking a liquid diet and a liquid laxative. The next day I had the procedure. I felt nothing throughout and had no lingering effects. What’s so difficult about that? Wendy Grudin, Clifton The killing off of Captain America parallels the downward spiral our country is in. The patriotism that used to mean love of flag and country is quickly disappearing. But have no fear, this heroic Marvel character will be back ... this time as Captain Americana! H. Janell McElwain, Aurora I just read in the Rocky about a proposed boycott of business to “bring attention to the economic contributions of illegal immigrants” (“Activists call for statewide boycott/Weeklong action meant to spotlight work of illegals,” March 9). Dan Dane, Thornton The requirement for proficiency in English will become more of an issue as time goes by. A certificate (diploma) that indicates adequate educational skills for a given country logically should include the ability to “understand and communicate” in that country’s language. Jim Reid, Denver I’d like to thank Colorado lawmakers for showing the public that they have no concern for any of the important issues that are facing the state. By recommending a second state song (“Friends ’round the podium pick ‘Rocky Mountain High,’” March 13), we will have something to sing while our homes are in foreclosure, our jobs are sent to China and India, and our water is sold to the highest bidder. Thanks a lot! Raygina Kohlmeier, Fort Collins Hooray! We get to pay more for stamps. We can solve the dilemma of postal rates in an instant but it will never happen. The USPS should simply eliminate 3rd class mail. Everything should be 1st class which would mean little or no junk mail. The post office would probably have to give us refunds because of all the expense they would not have. This letter has not been edited. This letter has not been edited. It looks as if the new congressional Democratic majority is going to roll over for Bush’s war. The president, after all, is such a compelling political opponent, with less than 30 percent public approval. Cord MacGuire, Boulder The American people have it all wrong. We won the Iraq war. We fought it to defeat Saddam Hussein. He’s dead. Mission accomplished. Now, we’re involved in the broader fight in the war on terrorism. D.W. Griffith, Denver Shame on the Rocky Mountain News for calling HB 1011, which would have extended the same legal protections to victims of violent intruders in the workplace as in the home, a “gun bill” (“Gun bill dies in committee,” Feb. 27). Anthony J. Fabian, Aurora As most Coloradans know, the elk population in Rocky Mountain National Park has exploded recently, creating a massive problem for the park. Nate Gautier, Aurora David Pimental of Cornell University has estimated the energy cost of corn production and its conversion into ethanol as 131,000 BTUs per gallon. One gallon of ethanol has an energy value of 77,000 BTUs per gallon. Therefore, there is a net loss of 54,000 BTUs per gallon of energy when ethanol is burned in gasoline or via some other method. This loss of energy is wasted except for sending 54,000 BTUs per gallon into the atmosphere and, consequently, global warming. George G. Risley, Lakewood I’m so glad we weren’t present when Jorge the jaguar, while protecting his territory at the Denver Zoo, attacked and killed zookeeper Ashlee Pfaff when she entered his cage. Eve and Judy Reed, Centennial Thank you, Walker S. “Buddy” Smith Jr., for your level-headed article about delisting gray wolves in the West (“Delisting of gray wolves a good prospect,” Speakout, March 2). Melissa McKibben, Centennial In response to Carrie McKoy’s letter of March 1, “Brrr!,” I wholeheartedly agree. Seeing as how it was what she considers to be uncomfortably cold outside, all global climate models based on decades of research, study and peer review are completely invalidated! Take that, Al Gore! David Gilbert, Fort Collins This letter has not been edited. This letter has not been edited. This letter has not been edited. This letter has not been edited. On Monday a letter writer pointed out how, unlike the United States, Britain has a member of the Royal family willing to serve in Iraq alongside the regular grunts. Here is a simple solution for those Rocky readers bothered by smokers and secondhand smoke: If you don’t like it, look for a job elsewhere or frequent a nonsmoking establishment. There are enough around that you shouldn’t have to make it your business to infringe on others’ rights. (This is America, right?) Coni Householter, Estes Park I do not understand why everybody believes that there are only two options for moving forward in Iraq — surge more troops in to stop the violence or pull our troops out of Iraq. Colin C. Case, Highlands Ranch I think there is a hypocritical situation going on in Colorado concerning mandatory use of seat belts for adults but the optional use of helmets for motorcycle-riding adults. Mimi Ryun, Northglenn Democrats took control of the state legislature in 2004 by criticizing Republicans for spending legislative time on “God, guns and gays.” So what have the Democrats done? In 2004 they put so-called gay “rights” into the criminal laws. In 2004, 2005 and 2006 they tried to get gay “rights” into the employment laws and in 2006 sent a gay civil unions measure to the voters. Kirk Brush, Fort Collins Letter writer Lance Gillis (“God is part of our American heritage,” Feb. 22) claims this country was founded by Christians and offers as proof a prayer by George Washington. That is weak proof for such a profound statement. Robbie Garland, Aurora With regard to Rocky Mountain News pop music writer Mark Brown’s critique of my recording, All My Life, and his comment that I was “shamelessly aping” Sinatra (“Joel’s single a bit creepy,” Spotlight, Audio of the Week, Feb. 27) — rest assured that if it had actually been my intent, you wouldn’t know it wasn’t Frank. A competent music critic would have been able to discern that I was in fact shamelessly aping both Tony Bennett and Nat King Cole. P.S. — “Dude,” that isn’t a porkpie hat. Billy Joel, New York City The government and its agencies never cease to amaze me. The Division of Wildlife is extolling Colorado’s natural beauty on billboards. This is the advertisement form thrust upon motorists, providing more distraction from safe driving. It blights urban areas and disgraces the beauty of our landscape. Peter Groth, Lakewood I thought that the last presidential election was the lowest I’ve ever seen the Republican Party stoop: going to the lowest level to demean and disgrace a combat veteran. George E. Mayl, Denver The fact that Amendment 41 passed by a fairly wide margin shows two things: First, voters do not think through the ramifications of the words they read unless millions of dollars are spent educating them that the language is misleading. And second, Common Cause has mastered the art of creating misleading language. Ross Kaminsky, Nederland While reading Vincent Carroll’s snarky column item about former Vice President Al Gore’s Oscar acceptance speech, I could almost hear Carroll’s teeth gnashing (“Of course it’s political,” On Point, Feb. 27). Wesley D. Smits, Denver I am a retired Vietnam veteran and I think our government should send the troops needed to Iraq or pull out all of our U.S. troops.Whether we support the war or not, we cannot let our troops who are already out there be senselessly killed by not getting the manpower and supplies they need. If we do not replenish the troops, these guys are going to get killed like they did during the Bataan death march. Vincent Lucero, Parker President Bush has stated that Britain’s removal of troops from Iraq is a partial success. Why not remove all U.S. troops from Iraq and call it a total success? Leonard Aragon, Denver Long ago, primitive hunters used fire to stampede herds of buffalo over cliffs. Today, fire is being used to cause another kind of stampede. The threat of human-caused global warming is the fire this time. We are told that it is our fault and that we must do something! Steven Rowe, Brighton The historical evidence of the existence of Jesus is well developed ... even for the nonreligious person. Many atheistic scholars are in agreement that this man existed, angered the religious and political establishments of the day, and suffered the “extreme penalty” of Roman crucifixion. Doug Leek, Arvada CSAP testing is a fraud. Dave Chandler, Arvada In regard to “In PKD’s universe, author is smiling at success,” the March 3 Rocky Mountain News article about Philip K. Dick, I resent the comments about Fort Morgan. J. Kelly Theisen, Fort Morgan I read the little blip that was hidden toward the back of a recent Rocky about the bill that one of our elected officials would like to introduce to keep law-abiding citizens from having a gun in our vehicles (“Bill would put limits on guns in vehicles,” Feb. 19). Anthony Garcia, Castle Rock I’m sick of the media hoopla regarding Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. They’re ignoring the most qualified candidate — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson — just because he lacks money. Kathy Glatz, Denver Two comments regarding Michael Neil’s short letter of Feb. 26, “Unfair, unjust war.” First, wars are never intended to be fair — they’re intended to be won. Second, he says, “All we see is chaos and civil war.” He’s correct, and shame on the mainstream media, but that is all we see. Jerry Harrop, Greeley Let us, for the sake of civil discourse, assume that the scientists who claim (with 90 percent confidence) that human activity plays an important role in global warming are wrong. Let us, instead, consider the deadly asteroid metaphor. Rex Wood, Lakewood I am not a TV junkie, but it used to be nice to sit down in the evening and watch a good TV show. That hardly happens anymore due to commercials, previews of upcoming shows and previews of the 10 p.m. news. Charla Colson, Centennial Congratulations to James B. Meadow for his first-place award in the annual Colorado Associated Press Reporters & Editors contest (“Rocky staffers bring home Best of Show, 11 top awards,” Feb. 24). Janet E. Berens, Aurora It strains credulity to imagine that readers of The Sunday Denver Post’s Perspective section are agitated enough to respond to the twice-monthly musings of conservative John Andrews in numbers sufficient to require a special section for their letters — yet are hardly ever moved to write by the dependable liberalism of Post regulars Gail Schoettler, Ed Quillen, Fred Brown or Bob Ewegen. Steve Baur, Westminster Was it necessary for the Rocky Mountain News to run the picture of Michelle Berra on Feb. 28? Kathryn Gray, Denver Editor’s note: Berra is the 17-year-old who was behind the wheel when her car slammed into another car on Jan. 15, pinning two fellow Berthoud High School students and costing them their legs. Mike Littwin’s Feb. 3 column, “A long affair spent over coffee,” regarding the death of syndicated columnist Molly Ivins deserves special commendation. Cynthia MacDowell, Denver The photo by Ken Papaleo of a deer and an eagle at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, featured on the front page of the Feb. 24 Rocky Mountain News, is one of the most outstanding examples of photography I’ve ever seen. I suggest the Rocky run it again with a story on how Papaleo accomplished the shot. Not only would it be of general interest, but it would be an example of excellent photography for those studying this art form. Earle R. Wilson, Wellington Could the Rocky print the names of the letter writers in boldface and a little larger? Would it cost too much? Elinor Miller Greenberg, Stephen H. Cohn of Northglenn writes: Tom Carllon of Lakewood writes: Norm Brown of Denver writes: Steve Baur of Westminster writes: Gary Barker of Aurora writes: G. Wilson (no hometown provided) writes: Jacques Voorhees of Dillon writes: Steven Long of Arvada writes:
‘Jared’s Ad’
Pathetic parade
Evaluating 'Everyday Math'
The Aspen mayoral race
With both Tim and Mick wanting to be mayor, neither may win and we risk losing a huge new entrance development ie the “straight-shot”
And sadly, too, I fear there are precious few straight-shot votes to split.
In the last entrance election three or four years ago, despite valliant efforts by both Mick and Tim to sell us the straight-shot, only some twenty percent of registered Aspen voters came out for the thing.
Even county voters balked at the new straight-shot entrance proposal, preferring to retain those silly s-curves.
And the s-curvers weren’t gracious in victory either.
Some got ugly about it all, yelling out quotes from the late Dr. Hunter S. Thompson like “THERE IS SOME S—-T WE JUST WON’T EAT.” But, worst of all, Colorado construction interests missed a $60-$80 million public money gravy train.
Just think how glum Haliburton would feel financially now if we hadn’t gone to Iraq and they’d missed their bonanza — then figure that’s akin to how the big road construction concerns did feel when they were poised to build us that spiffy new grownup entrance into Aspen with tunnels under water and all and then we went and voted the whole mess down, sinking the straight-shot like a led zeppelin. We’ve got to get real in Aspen, wake up and smell the coffee! The curves must go. There must be another election.
With our puny s-curves entrance, Aspen will never actualize its potential to bloom into an industrialized city like Denver, that is our destiny! You ever see a giant tractor-trailer rig struggle to negotiate our s-curves? It takes the poor thing fifteen to twenty minutes to shudder and screech and lurch through. Plus a driver with the patience of Job.
And cops have to halt traffic in both directions during this truck opera because when the big rigs turn through the curves they need room to veer into oncoming lanes.
Reminds me of my aunt Mozelle trying to twist into her girdle, rest her soul.
Anyway, I love my new “S-CURVES SUCK” bumper sticker. And here’s a motto suggestion for all of us who want the straight-shot: “There is some s—t we MUST eat.” C’mon, guys, let’s do it for Mick and Tim — win a new entrance for Aspen, I mean.
No matter if neither gets to be mayor.
Discontinuing Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage Plans are private health plans that take part in the Medicare program. If this program is discontinued then it will have a great impact on citizens’ right here in Colorado; as well as nationwide.
Over 150,000 Coloradoans are currently enrolled in Medicare Advantage programs. If cancelled, it would cause them to end up with huge out of pocket expenses. Many seniors already struggle to pay their expenses being on a fixed income. Is it fair that we ask them to continue to pay increasingly high prescription costs, utilities and then slam them with more out of pocket costs because some people in Congress want to take away their current health care plans?
This could be extremely damaging to our fellow citizens. Citizens who have worked their whole lives to make Colorado the place we know and love. What happened to respecting our elders? I encourage you to contact your elected officials and ask them to support the Medicare Advantage plans. Even if not for yourself, do it for a parent or a grandparent.
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Another Democratic ploy
Our grave immigration problems
Unless the Republicans in both houses of Congress, and especially in the Senate, get off their duffs soon, and vote to secure our borders and seriously pursue and punish all, repeat, all who knowingly employ illegal immigrants, the Party will at the national level suffer a greater defeat in 2008 than it did in 2006.
How dumb can Bush and Republican Congressmen get! Abe Lincoln, the first Republican president, must be turning over in his grave!
Food or insurance?
I am not saying people should drive without insurance
War funding bill promotes cynicism
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Statistics show the surge is working
For the record we won the war in Iraq as it was defined in 2003. Saddam is gone, along with his murderous regime. General Petraeus was recently confirmed overwhelmingly in the U.S. Senate to lead us out of what we didn’t see coming. As a retired Navy officer I’m sure General Petraues’s bathwater has more military and counter-insurgency experience than Tupa and Gordon put together. Statistics show that the surge is already working; bomb deaths down 30 percent, execution slayings down nearly half, shoppers back in outdoor markets, etc. The military knows it will take time to win in Iraq, that’s why they call it “The Long War”
Our Legislators shouldn’t spout disingenuous tripe about honoring the troops, then assert the troops can’t win anyway so let’s get out.
The democrats have never been strong on logic, just emotion. An electrician doesn’t hook a black wire to a red wire because it makes him feel good or because it looks nice, or not to offend the white wire. He does it because it works. War is a very logical business. The other side is made up of folks who are always thinking and tactics and goals change. If we want the land of two rivers to have a stable government that is not hostile to the U.S. or it’s neighbors we have to finish the job.
Some immigrants sure have gall
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Cleaning up graffiti
We always appreciated the quick, caring response in Lakewood. Denver cleans up graffiti for free. In Lakewood, neighbors organized to keep neighborhoods clean.
A few months ago, there was a big meeting in Denver about what to do about the graffiti problem. The City spends about $1 million annually to clean it up and that is increasing. A committee formed after the meeting is now recommending that the City quit doing the cleanup and make home and business owners do it within two to three days.
I am not in favor of government doing things for us that we should do for ourselves. It may be a good idea for each home and business owner to be responsible to take care of their own area and you may have to force the lazy ones to do it. So, I can’t really oppose this new idea.
But here is what bugs me. It seems like a copout on the City’s part. They call a meeting to figure out what to do and then announce that they are getting out of the business and are going to put more pressure on the little guy. Thanks a lot.
There is a nice white fence down the street from me. It looked good when it was installed. Now it has become a favorite target of paint vandals. I feel sorry for the owners. I wonder if they now regret their choice of material.
It seems that as soon as they clean up one mess, another appears.
From what I read awhile back, gangs are doing most of the graffiti and they use violence to protect their marks. They will go after another group who covers their tags. I hope that the homeowner will not become a target as well.
It seems what was left out of the committee recommendation was more enforcement by the police. As I said before, the Denver Police are not very responsive. If you look out the window and see a crime being committed don’t expect them to come running. Now there are times they will turn on the lights and siren but small crimes are a low priority. If they show up, it may be 20 to 30 minutes later, long after the criminal is gone.
If the attitude of enforcement was changed then maybe the graffiti problem could be curbed. It also does no good if once someone is caught they are allowed to breeze through the system with little consequence. These are two areas that government can do something where the average citizen can’t. I hope they will.
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Respect people's vote
Vets get short shrift in medical treatment
Senate Iraq debate
Focus on the state
Candidates should resign to run
Inane editorial
'KSM' a reminder of the heart of darkness, March 16) was exceedingly inane. If American civilization has declined to the point where journalists take seriously the government's gloating over confessions extracted by torture, I don't know what to think. Whatever happened to your newspaper's blathering on about "Give the people light
Life becomes 'taxing'
Cleaning up graffiti
Illegal taking
Boundary dispute
City name change is frivolous
At least twice a year I look forward to spending time at my ‘home away from home.’ I consider the whole idea of the name change as frivolous. The financial impact on the city and its citizens must be the deciding factor in favor of retaining the name Commerce City. Mayor Ford is right on target concerning this impact. Who is in a better position than he-a life long resident and elected official-to know what is best for our community? I am appealing to Commerce City voters; Please vote to keep the name-Commerce City!
Commerce City is fortunate to have retained its industrial base unlike the community where I presently live. The loss of industry here has shifted the tax burden to homeowners resulting in property taxes that are four times greater than what I pay for my home in Commerce City. Embrace the contributions of factories and businesses in Commerce City and spend taxpayer money on pollution control, public school and park maintenance, and roads and infrastructure in Commerce City’s “aging neighborhoods.”
Please don’t waste taxpayer money on changing our community’s name!
Devastating Medicaid cuts
Stay off foreign soil
W
Treatment of illegal immigrants
This is a vile tactic. Such despicable official behavior ignores the realities poor immigrants face and the great contributions they make to our economy and nation.
One reality is that the poor in Latin America are in part victims of self-serving US trade policies that further impoverish and impel some to seek work in this country to survive. The contributions immigrants make to the US economy are obvious, as Colorado officials are considering yet another morally reprehensible action, the use of slave prison labor to pick next season’s food crops in the absence of immigrant labor. These disgusting policies simply waste valuable public resources, drive immigrants to other crossing points at great economic and human cost, and morally taint our country.
If those poor immigrants were white and blond, would we allow our government to treat them like common criminals? These policies do nothing to solve problems, real or perceived. They simply waste valuable resources, forestall effective solutions and create the impression around the world that Americans are hateful and cruel racists.
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Littwin a hard-left Democrat
We don’t want that now do we?
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Some politicians stuck in dark ages
With only 5% of the world’s population, the U.S. emits about 30% of the world’s greenhouse gasses. While over 150 nations have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, only two industrialized nations (the U.S. and Australia) have refused to do so. While fuel mileage standards have not increased in the last 20 years in the U.S., standards in China and European nations are almost twice as high as ours. In fact, American automakers can’t sell their vehicles to China because we don’t meet their fuel standards! Carbon dioxide concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere are at the highest level (over 300 ppm) in the last 650,000 years. Ten of the hottest years on record (going back to the 1860s) have occurred in the last 12 years. 2006 was the hottest year ever recorded in the U.S. If this isn’t convincing evidence, wait to see the results from the new IPCC report. Please e-mail your elected representative at his website www.allard.senate.gov and tell him to wake up to the reality of global warming. Remind him that politicians who remain dinosaurs are heading for extinction.
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Veterans know the real story
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The real cost of parking tickets
I’m not suggesting that not paying parking tickets is not wrong. Tickets are an effective method for enforcing much needed parking regulations, and I pay a few every year. But Denver is taking punitive measures that are disproportionately extreme and in the end, benefit nobody but credit and lending institutions. A city that leads the country in foreclosures, can’t keep polls open during elections, and can’t get its streets plowed for two months doesn’t seem to need another reason for residents to disparage their home town.
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The untold story about WMD
Now I’ve recently learned of a book, called “Saddam’s Secrets", that insists these weapons DID exist in Iraq just prior to the 2003 invasion. The author is a former Iraqi general, Georges Sada, who served as Vice Air Marshall under Saddam Hussein. In the book, he describes in detail how Saddam’s regime “transferred chemical agents from Iraq to Syria” by converting two Iraqi Airways Boeings into cargo planes. The 56 flights, according to Mr.
Of course, without physical evidence, Sada’s book would have drawn its own critics
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Wars waged by civilian leaders
Mark Krautler, Broomfield
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Tired of religious agenda
Today, March 16, 2007, I read Republican candidate Sam Brokeback, I mean Brownback, is verbally spouting his support for our Pentagon’s top general, Peter Race, in labeling homosexual acts as immoral.
I don’t see how this exactly coincides with serving our country? Sam Brownback states, “I’m a Catholic, and the church has clear teachings on this.” Well Mr. Brownback, I am not Catholic and I really don’t care what your perception of church teachings are. I don’t believe I am the only one in this country who feels this way either.
Homosexuals are everywhere whether you like it or not.
You can’t stop nature.
We are postal workers, construction workers, lawyers, politicians, pastors, UPS workers, newspaper carriers, doctors, editors, athletes, accountants, truck drivers, counselors, volunteers, policeman, soldiers, VOTERS…….the list goes on and on.
You have offended a great many of people and I am disgusted and will continue to be disgusted every time I hear about you and YOUR closeted, one-sided, religiously directed agenda.
Health of casino workers
Kathleen Day of Idaho Falls, ID, writes:
I was a Casino worker in Blackhawk and Central City, Co in 1992-1997. I was affected by the second hand smoke and the coin dust. I was a supervisor of the cashier cage, then a lead cashier, and finally just a cashier. I got really sick and was diagnosed with Asthma as a result of these two situations.
There was only one satellite cage that I could worked in that didn’t affect me, because it didn’t have the piped in air. Which in the end, the reason why it affected me was because I worked there at that casino from December 1993-Feb. 1997 and they never cleaned or replaced the air filters in their recycled air system. In the end I had to quit as they said they could not just let me work one cage, as it was not fair to the other cashiers, even though I had a doctors note stating for me to just work in the one cashier cage because of my asthma. So I was forced to quit. Later about a year or two later, I heard that there were customers at that Casino that got really sick from there, it was investigated and found out that the air filter was the cause of making them sick, and they were ordered to take care of the problem. So now I can’t go anywhere, where there is smoking, or a fireplace, or wood stove, because it flares up my asthma. Plus the filters was recycling the old used air, in which the coin dust stayed in the cages also causing people to get sick.
So I know what it is like working and playing around a smoking environment.
More funding for mentally ill welcome
Gov. Bill Ritter’s proposal to invest $8 million in mental health and substance abuse treatment to reduce the numbers of repeat offenders represents a welcome step forward in addressing the tragic and unnecessary criminalization of people with serious mental illness.
In the long term, this investment in vital services will benefit all Colorado citizens by enhancing public safety and reserving jails and prison cells for true criminals.
Lacey Berumen, Denver executive director, National Alliance for the Mentally Colorado
Mall face-lift needed
With the Democratic Convention coming in about 16 months, the time is now to commit the resources needed to updating this area. There is much that can be done in the short term to improve the image that we all would like to convey, and it would be a great beginning to jump-start a major upgrading of the mall and the nearby area.
Bill Elfenbein, RTD Director, Denver
Let clubs decide
I’m told I don’t know what I vote for when I vote. I’m forced to wear a seatbelt and I’m told second-hand smoke will kill me.
I am not a smoker, but I do not feel it’s right for politicians to take our rights away.
Organizations such as VFW, American Legion and the Elks have boards of directors who know what’s best for their organization. The VFW and American Legion are made up of veterans who served this country to protect our freedom of choice. I’m a veteran and was proud to serve my country.
Give the vets and business owners a break. They pay taxes, too.
Robert Thomas, Arvada
Rosen column on mark
George Lilly, Denver
RTD parking fees
Mark Najarian, Denver
These disgruntled cheapskates should stop complaining and move to a low-tax state like Mississippi or Alabama which take turns ranking 49th and 50th in every measure of human quality of life there is. I’m sure they would be a lot happier living off the magnanimous trickle-down prosperity promised by the GOP.
The Colorado legislature and our governor already know that much of that trickle-down in fact, trickles up and out. Bill Ritter you’re doing a heckuva job!
Lynn Highland, Morrison
Praying for Phillips
]Peggy Cook, Brighton
Private sector will only worsen matters
The scandal at Walter Reed has occurred because some of the maintenance and other work is being done by the private sector. The private sector has profited by its contract work in Iraq. Halliburton has shown its true patriotism by it will move its headquarters to Dubai.
This administration would love to hand over the running of the most successful program ever — Social Security — to the private sector. Money held in Social Security accounts should receive more than a 1 percent return of interest. Contributions to the system end at the $90,000-a-year level. Change this to a higher cap and our perceived problem with Social Security would be fixed.
Introducing the private sector into the public arena assures that corporations will make a profit, not that the work will be done more efficiently, timely, or better than it is being done at present.
Susan A. Schiller, Denver
An iron-clad fact
Just what I hope for ...more years in a nursing home, more years of arthritic pain, loss of hearing, loss of vision and loneliness! Smoking may be hazardous to your health, but so is aging.
I am appalled at the amount of time, money and energy that is being expended on the smoking law by our legislature. If they must develop a political stance -- there must be more pressing issues... In fact, that goes for all of us! Let's worry about Iraq, terrorism, global warming, gun control, gay marriages, racism, abortion, even Britney Spears or Paris Hilton. Smoking pales in comparison, yet seems to be the easiest thing to control and take issue with for the do-gooders.
The answer to this seemingly important issue is so simple! Abolish the smoking law, which never should have been enacted in the first place. If there is a need for “law,” let it be one of choice. Let smokers smoke and non-smokers stay away from it.
There are enough places for both! Now, wasn’t that easy?
M. Andersen, Brighton
Baggy pants no crime
He states that kids with saggy, baggy pants all over the place make people feel fearful. I live on the East side of town in the Clayton neighborhood and a lot of people wear baggy pants, but I do not fear them because they are my neighbors and friends. Perhaps Linkhart does not best represent the interests of Denver neighborhoods, since he is so willing to stereotype and label people because of their style of dress.
Denver residents should not tolerate his intolerance.
Taylor Critchell, Denver
Iraq pullout fallout
When the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam over, more than a million Vietnamese people were slaughtered for their support of the U.S. It would seem to me that Iraq holds the potential of being worse than Vietnam.
I don’t remember Jane Fonda or Sen. John Kerry apologizing for the million people who died because of their agenda. Will those in favor of withdrawal from Iraq be willing to accept responsibility for a potentially large number of deaths of Iraqis who support us?
Donald D. Vogt, Morrison
Grateful for Sparks, other U.S. liberators
Were it not for Brig. Gen. Felix Sparks and his American forces, my father surely would have perished (“Display of mettle,” March 10). He was hospitalized for months to regain his health. There were those for whom it was too late, but many others were saved.
After he recovered, my father returned to Lithuania and retrieved me, his youngest child; I was all he had left. We came to the United States on June 3, 1949.
In 2004, at the International Conference of Holocaust Child Survivors and Second Generation held in Denver, we honored
On behalf of our group
My appreciation to the Rocky’s Jim Sheeler for writing an outstanding article.
Rosalyn Kirkel, Denver>
President, Colorado Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust
Don’t fix the blame, fix the air
Global temperature increases and melting icecaps could be nothing more than a natural progression of the Earth. What I don’t understand is why we need to tie pollution to global warming in order to do something about it.
When Denver goes through an inversion, the pollution accumulated over a couple of days poisons the air. Eventually, the wind blows the pollution out of the valley and we start all over again.
That pollution has to go somewhere. And if cities all over the world are pumping out clouds of toxins day after day, year after year, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that it’s not good for the environment. Any measures we can apply to protect our air should be taken. I, for one, don’t like to see the air I breathe.
Vince Rozmiarek, Indian Hills
What killed mouse?
Robert D. Finnell, Centennial
If the president of the United States could levy taxes by decree, there might be some validity to Blomberg’s argument. However, tax legislation can be initiated only in the House of Representatives where California holds a 53-to-1 advantage over Wyoming.
The Electoral College was established to limit, to some degree, the tyranny of the majority in presidential elections — i.e., the more populated states vs. the less populated states. It would make as much sense to allow the popular vote in the 10 most populous (54 percent of the total population) to select the president. At least the candidates would only have to campaign in 10 states and thus make better use of their money.
Personally, I do not believe that the residents of the state of Wyoming want their state to become a colony of California.
Expand number of terms DAs can serve
City Council members, the mayor and auditor can serve three terms of four years, but the district attorney serves only two terms.
As a member of the Denver Community Corrections Board, I see how complex the criminal justice system is and that experience is everything. By the time a district attorney has hit his stride, a two-term limit ends that public service. Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey, an expert on solving crimes with DNA, has done a great job so far, and, if eligible under this proposed law, should be returned for two more terms.
Resist S. Africa’s elephant campaign
Many South Africans see elephants as economic commodities rather than the highly evolved sentient beings that they are. South Africa’s Environmental Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk represents South Africa’s desire to make money off of elephant ivory, skin and meat.
But Cynthia Moss, in Kenya, who has conducted the world’s longest ongoing observation of an elephant herd (over 35 years), told me: “Elephants will not eat themselves out of house and home.” Rather, they will pull back on their birth rate.
South Africa is on a propaganda campaign to get the world to support the slaughter of thousands of their Kruger Park elephants. Elephants are a rare treasure that belong to the world community. Unless we are content to accept a world for our grandchildren where the only elephant they will see is in a picture book, none of us should buy van Schalkwyk’s justifications.
Director, Pachyderm Power
Time to get tough with DUI scofflaws
I’ll bet we will not be seeing them at the judge’s bench as often, and perhaps we will read less about killing or crippling innocent people. Lawmakers, citizens, neighbors — it is time to toughen up!
Why the reparations?
And if we can’t do that, why not do away with the special benefits the American Indian has, i.e., the massive reservations, special casino deals, mineral rights, even with a major part of that population lacking a pure bloodline, etc. After all, that was many years ago and we need to be one United States.
Let Congress give the American Indians their homes and businesses as a final thank you, then turn the rest of the land over to the Bureau of Land Management for all of us to enjoy equally.
Thanks, Jeffco
No doubt this six-year delay has caused a financial hardship for all metro Denver low- and middle-income citizens. The only lesson to be learned from this needless six-year delay is that, in the future, we need to consider the total impact on all parties involved and not just special-interest and factional government groups. This late decision affected the total metro Front Range but was totally driven by the Canyon Area Residents for the Environment and the city of Golden. Thanks again, commissioners.
Another view of new Iraqi oil policy
Who is Christopher Hitchens and why did he get so many column inches in the Rocky?
I’d suggest that the least the Rocky could do is make its readers aware of a very different viewpoint on the matter by Antonia Juhasz, “Whose Oil Is It, Anyway?” as published the same day in the New York Times (see nytimes.com/2007/03/13/opinion/13juhasz.html?r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin).
Boulder ... or Iraq?
Most of us are mighty proud of our hometown, and with good reason. Denver is rising to new heights, with thoughtful planning, inviting attractions and stunning architecture that bring millions of tourism, convention and investment dollars to our economy.
That’s why it’s so disappointing to see the gateway to our community blotted with vacant buildings and dilapidated storefronts, raising concerns about public safety and our quality of life, not to mention the overall impact to downtown business.
Some of these buildings have been in disrepair for decades. Is it possible that these owners have not seen what their neighbors have been up to? How we’ve been improving, renovating and revitalizing this great city, block-by-block? I think they need to hear from each of us who deeply cares about Denver and its future.
As co-chairman of the Downtown Denver Partnership task force to revitalize the city’s core, I can assure you we are ready to work with anyone who shares our pride and our vision for a better community. We’re looking for those pioneers who are ready to step up and get it done — now.
CEO, Molson Coors Brewing Co.
Like an enthusiastic fisherman who claims he once caught a fish this big, the Rocky might have slightly exaggerated its coverage of Colorado politics.
In its March 12 editions, the Rocky reports on “fierce battles yet to come at Capitol” and how — although “political veterans” are bored now — there are “ ... some of the fiercest battles ... yet to be fought.”
We are warned that “the biggest fight of all could happen Wednesday ... ” And, as if written by Homer himself, we are told of a defeated party that “has wrung its hands, lamenting the damage done by the other side of the aisle.”
We even learn of a legislative bill that, believe it or not, “blew up.”
Who needs C-SPAN with political reporting like that?
Advantage Campos
With leftist liberals such as Campos and entertainer Garrison Keillor (whose snide political remarks hitting on conservatives are so unnecessary) taking over the Rocky opinion pages, any hope that the joint-operating agreement would result in preserving two politically independent major newspapers in the Denver market seems dim indeed.
Ease up on Stantis’ ‘Prickly City’
With this view of the world, and the performance of this crew, it’s a wonder he even cracks a smile at all, let alone tries to brighten someone else’s day.
Lighten up. If you really want to see a sorry sense of humor, go over to The Denver Post and take a look at Bruce Tinsley’s duck (Mallard Fillmore). Sometimes Stantis is even funny.
Ax ‘Sweeties,’ ‘Lio’
There are two strips I would like to see removed: Diesel Sweeties and Lio. I am a big fan of Mark Tatulli’s Heart of the City strip, but not Lio.
Full disclosure
In the interest of full disclosure, I know this because when Diddlebock worked there I, too, worked at the Rocky.
Teen’s tale appreciated
I was especially touched by Javier Manzano’s picture of Kiki Lewis. That beautiful face made my day! I wish that young lady all the blessings and luck this world can offer her.
Thank you, Massaro, Manzano and the Rocky Mountain News, for showing us the good in this community.
And please, please be brave enough to continue with these types of features. There is more good out there than most papers and magazines care to acknowledge.
Not-so-dearly ‘Departed’
And yet, this film won (over better-acted films such as The Queen) the coveted Academy Award as Best Picture of 2006.
What message does this send to millions of moviegoers across the world? Is it that we, as a nation, are what we are.
Wrong award for the wrong film.
Omission disappoints
June Jones Paulding, Lakewood
The article also mentions that the group is concerned about the future HDTV “structure’s potential collapse.” It would help CARE’s cause if we knew how likely this is, why this potential collapse might occur and how this danger is different from any other structure being considered?
Deb Carney, an attorney for CARE, stated “Lake Cedar won today. History will judge this very harshly.” It would be helpful if she could explain the basis for that statement, with undisputable facts, so that we might support their cause.
God save us from Bush
George Bush will have his “victory” in Iraq the day the Baathists, the Kurds, the Sunnis, the Shiites, et al., put aside their centuries of grudges and conflict, and make similar commitments to Bush’s vision for their country and oil. A few thousand more American troops ought to do the trick, you think? Perhaps before a president presumes to transform a country that doesn’t pose a threat, he should read a book about the people who live there. God save us from this madman.
Desanctifying Lincoln
He mentions “. . . the possibility of populous states’ minorities overriding the majority votes of less populous states.” “(???)” He did not address the matter that, as I pointed out in my original letter, a candidate needs to carry only the 11 (eleven) most populous states (California, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina) for a total of 271 Electoral votes - enough to get a candidate elected - no matter if he did not get the majority of popular votes in the other 39 states.
Therefore, the most populous states can, indeed, override the wishes of the majority of the voters.
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Iraq war
First, you undercount and minimize the dead -"several hundred” have died instead of several thousand- while reciting irrelevant factoids like “In 2006, almost 2,600 people were murdered in California,” as though murders in California somehow justify the carnage in Iraq.
Then you claim that Iraq is part of the “broader fight in the war on terror", conveniently forgetting that Al Qaeda wasn’t in Iraq before we invaded, and that they’re only responsible for a tiny fraction of the violence there now.
Finally, you end by saying that (opposing the Iraq war) “is the ultimate dishonor to our Americans in uniform who risk it all for the stupidity of others.” Equating dissent with treason and cheerleading for war with patriotism are among the favored rhetorical tricks of warmongers.
But the letter writer does get one thing right. The brave men and women fighting in Iraq are dying “for the stupidity of others". They’re dying for George W. Bush and his ignorance; dying for the rubber-stamp Congress that followed him off of a cliff; and dying for the likes of D.W. Griffith, whose callous letter provides a great example of how easily a warmonger can discount the sacrifice of others in order to take political potshots from the safety of his keyboard.
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Disabled veterans
On more than one occasion I’ve been told by Denver VA rehabilitation and employment counselors, President Bush expressly prohibited them from aiding vets in getting federal government career civil service employment positions. I was also told by these employment counselors that the only employment assistance they could give to vets was resume writing preparations. Worse yet, despite federal law (CFR Part 211 and FPM chapter 211), all federal agencies in the Bush administration have thumbed their collective noses at employment preferences for disabled vets’ spouses and natural mothers.
Former Colorado Gov. Owens had even more stringent anti-vets employment rules in place. The State of Colorado Veterans & Military Affairs agency, was also expressly prohibited from aiding vets in getting federal funded ($14 billion) state jobs and contracts (CBMS, T-REX, Fas Tracks, and Stapleton/Fitzsimons redevelopment projects). Gov. Ritter has been in office for more than 60 days and those same federal wrongful appropriation rules are still in effect. He is also allowing the state personnel director to have multiple and differing hiring practices at all state agencies.
The traditional state agencies have their own process and state universities and water treatment facilities have system that is also mutual exclusive. These activities are trap-doors, IED’s, WMD, snipers, etc. for vets seeking jobs. 30 days ago, I discovered Metro State College had out-sourced its hiring function to a foreign Hindu-Indian owned executive search firm. I spoke face-to-face with this people concerning a Metro vice-president vacancy. Their employees could barely speak English and they were totally ignorant of federal hiring preferences, for disabled military vets. Gov. Ritter doesn’t understand, he can’t delegate his accountability, responsibility, and fiduciary duties, with regards to federal fraud, waste, and abuse of scarce taxpayer funds. Where are Speaker Pelosi and U.S. Sen. Reid when you need’em?
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Pro-union legislation
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Junk mail
If the US Postal Service would abide by its own rule, each homeowner could easily stop junk mail from getting into their mailbox by putting a written notice on their mailbox expressing their preference.
The US Postal Services practices are supposed to be according to the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM). The DMM contains provision 508.1.1.2 that says, “Refusal at Delivery: The addressee may refuse to accept a mailpiece when it is offered for delivery.” I interpret this rule to mean that if a homeowner wants to refuse an unwanted mailpiece (i.e. junk mail), the homeowner can do so when the mailpiece is offered for delivery. More to the point – refuse it before it is put into the mailbox!
In practical application, since the postal carrier comes to homes at different times each day, the homeowner cannot be waiting at the mailbox to dialogue with the mail carrier about each mailpiece. The only realistic way to interpret 508.1.1.2 therefore is that the homeowner should post a notice on the mailbox telling the postal carrier about the homeowner’s preference. The notice to the postal service must be specific and unambiguous. For instance, a homeowner should certainly be able to write, “No mail that is not addressed to the Jones” because that does not require the postal carrier to make a subjective judgment. On the other hand, it would not be acceptable to write “no junk mail” because the definition of “junk mail” is subjective and the mail carrier cannot decide.
Unfortunately, the US Postal Service has written to me that they will NOT honor a notice refusing mail, not matter how specifically it is worded, because the postal carrier does not have time to sort through the mail at my mailbox to pick out the pieces that are not addressed to me. Therefore, the US Postal Service is passing their sorting and disposing task onto me by putting all the mail they want into my mailbox, even though this seemingly violates 508.1.1.2.
Since the U.S. Postal Service will not abide by 508.1.1.2, homeowners need to stop unwanted mail at the source (i.e. by blocking the sender from sending it). We need a nationwide “Do Not Mail” law to create a one-stop, convenient place for homeowners to give senders notice that we do not want certain kinds of mail sent to our homes.
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Dems & Iraq
Wilson, a Democrat, got us into WW I. Roosevelt, a Democrat, got us into WW II, Truman, a Democrat, got us into Korea. Kennedy, a Democrat, got us into Viet Nam, Johnson, a Democrat, escalated it. Nixon, a Republican, got us out of Viet Nam. If you call the spat in Grenada a war, we Republicans take responsibility with Regan. Buish 1, a Republican, in and out of Kiwait and Iraq. Clinton, a Democrat, got us into the Balkans. Clinton also got us into the lead up this war in Iraq. It was he and the present Democrat leadership that called for this war and said they would fight it, not Bush. Bush is just finishing it, like Nixon did for Kennedy. In addition, many of the Democrats above were elected on a no war platform. In essence, they lied about their intentions, just like they are doing now!
You are concerned about 3500 casualties. So much so that it is on the news and in the mouths of protestors every day.
Wilson’s war killed 180,000 Americans. Roosevelt - 480,000, Truman - 53,000, Kennedy - 58,000, Regan - 5 or 6, Bush 1 - 10 or 20, Clinton, counting the attacks he would not respond to and the WTC which came from it, and this war as the result? Well, you figure it out.
Now, if this makes you mad because I am telling truth about Democrats, then you and I both know you do not care a wit about ending wars or the deaths, this is all politics against Bush and Republicans. You are just using the war. If this opens your eyes to the reality of Democrat bloodlust and their lies about it (and the press not telling you about this truth) then welcome to the peaceful, truthful, low war death, Republican Party.
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FasTracks
Now, given the magnitude of the budget deficit for the proposed FasTracks project, there are only two solutions: Either get more money or drastically reduce the scope of the project - period.
Design - build - operate - maintain contracts will do nothing to make up the deficit. It only means that costs will be spread out over the contract life which will include the cost of the budget shortfall AND the cost of financing the debt as well as associated management fees. RTD ridership and the taxpayers will still be paying for the budget shortfall.
Private sector contractors will not take on risk without some type of compensation for assuming that risk. Yes, on a design- build contracts the design build - contractor has more control, but within the contract, the contractor will have a contingency amount to cover risk and other unknowns, which may or not be made evident to the owner.
Further, I do not see leasing existing facilities as a vehicle to create new money. It is not much different than getting a second mortage on your house. You still have to pay it off and you still have to pay the interest on the loan. Here again, the ridership and the taxpayers wiil be footing the bill.
There is no easy solution for this dilemma and there is no magic cure for a project that starts out underfunded. Any proposed solution should be approved by a vote of the taxpayers. The budget deficit and the potential scope reductions are just too large to do otherwise.
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St. Vrain school days
The teachers only have a short amount of time to get things done during the late start days. So, why not give the students the entire day off? This would give the teachers plenty of time to accomplish what they need to get done. Maybe by having the whole day there would not be a need to have a late start day once a month.
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Mike Rosen & schools
It’s not competition between schools that will make them better—many of our teachers are already working harder than Rosen could possibly imagine against incredible odds with students who come to them woefully behind in their education. What makes the difference is competition inside a school’s walls and the possibility for lower-achieving students to learn alongside students who have higher goals and for whom learning is a priority. If school vouchers become a reality, that type of competition will disappear and we will further widen the great divide between the “haves” and the “have nots.”
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Go-along Congress complicit in travesties
So what is our Congress, including the Democrats, doing to represent our views? Mostly it is going along with the administration’s war. Although they sometimes mouth mild disagreements with tactics or talk about withdrawal well in the future, they appear ready to vote for another $93 billion in war funding. Continued funding will only prolong the war. It will make our country and our troops less — not more — safe, worsen conditions in Iraq and cost us a small fortune we don’t have. Meanwhile more troops are dying every day and those returning are receiving substandard medical care.
The power to declare war falls on Congress, not the president. Yet Bush is now poised to attack Iran and Congress is again doing nothing about it.
A Congress that continues funding the Iraq war, does not stop a war on Iran, and does nothing to impeach a war criminal president is complicit in what’s happening. They will earn titles for themselves as war criminals and lose our votes next election.
Quash demoralizing Iraq deadline
America will not be protected from terrorism by a retreat from Iraq. The war against terrorism erupted on 9/11 when America was attacked within its borders. One of the rallying cries after 9/11 was “Different Century, Different Enemy, Same American Resolve.” Pelosi’s proposal makes this statement ring hollow. Like the Romans of old, Americans have lost their will to fight for their freedom. Pelosi’s demand only confirms Saddam’s earlier statement that America was a paper tiger.
There are ignorant critics who liken the war in Iraq to another Vietnam. One lesson Americans should have learned from the Vietnam War is the utter stupidity of sending troops in harm’s way while revealing contradictory public strategies that undermine the success of our armed forces by undermining their morale.
We need to prove both Pelosi and Saddam wrong by being steadfast in our cause and so that those who already paid the ultimate price for freedom did not do so in vain.
Pace finds guidance in God’s moral law
Since when do we not need moral judgment from our leaders? Where would we be without the courageous moral leadership of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King and others to overturn slavery and fight for civil rights for blacks in the United States?
In his 1963 “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” the Rev. King wrote, “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law, or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.”
Pace is drawing the same kind of moral conclusion as King when, it appears, he looks to God’s moral law for guidance. We need this kind of leadership in a society where it is becoming far more common to follow our passions, rather than an established moral anchor.
I am thankful for leaders like Pace. If we succumb to Pelosi’s call to abandon moral judgment, we will only drift steadily toward the tyranny of what feels good at the moment — in other words, anarchy.
In health care, is it survival of the richest?
Should this credo apply to the marketplace of health care? When factoring in all modest expenses and medical insurance, and then adding the prescription my doctor says gives me the best chance of continued survival in the long run, I would be operating at a deficit each month of about $800: one prescription, with insurance, $520.
Of course, the point of the Bush manner of dealing with health care is “personal responsibility” and don’t get sick; why should other people pay for another’s mistakes or unhealthy living? I acquired a disease before anyone really knew what it was, much less how to prevent it. I am tired of not being able to afford to pay for my own health care, and even if I could, I would be turned down for pre-existing conditions. My employer is wonderful, but it is a small company and it cannot afford to provide health care. I have pared to the bone my expenses and can no longer afford to live. This is America?
Should it instead be “survival of the richest”?
Missing the point on private prisons
The profit motive gives the private prison industry a huge incentive to “keep its beds filled” (thus it lobbies aggressively for tough sentencing laws like the “three-strike rule”) and very little incentive to provide rehabilitation services (such as education, job training and drug/alcohol treatment). Is it any surprise that, with a profit-driven penal system, the U.S. now has more people behind bars (2 million) than any other nation on Earth?
Carroll may be loath to admit it, but there are some aspects of government that are just too important to be turned over to the private sector. The prison system is one of them.
Watch ‘Swindle’
&q=global+warming+swindle.
It’s about an hour and a quarter long, with no commercials. Catch it before some politically correct bureaucrat suppresses it.
War perspectives
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Atttorneys & judges
Obviously they seek to hold those corrupt individuals to a lower standard than that prescribed by law and to which they would hold the citizenry, they purport to serve, accountable.
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Bush administration
Also no pardon for Libby, since this President won’t even pardon the two Border Agents who were protecting our country from a drug carring Mexican. They did more for this country that Scooter Libby has ever done.
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Federal government
They do their best, secretly, to deny promised benefits to Veterans and others who served their country and ended up sick and dying because of it. We all should realize that Federal promises mean nothing anymore. If they go as far as the documents show they did in this endeavor to deny deserving people their benefits, how many other things have the Feds blatantly lied to the American public about? If an investigation is warranted in this matter, what about the Oklahoma City bombing? What about TWA800? What about 9/11? What about the proposed North American Union that the mainstream media refuses to expose? How much longer will the States allow the Federal government to run roughshod over citizens rights? Please citizens, wake up and get involved with what is happening in the USA, before it won’t matter anymore.
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Ethanol vs. oil
But what is the cost to taxpayers in dollars and lives to fight wars in the Middle East to protect the flow of oil? We have spent hundreds of billions of dollars on the Iraq War, sacrificed the lives of over 3,000 American troops, and seen tens of thousands more wounded. And that’s without even mentioning the human costs on the Iraqi side which one report in the British medical journal The Lancet estimated at well over 600,000. Is our precious oil really worth such costs?
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Jesus
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Adoption bill
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Climate change
What a pity it was destroyed by global warmiing—eight to ten thousand years ago! Duh!! (Sources: American Antiquity, Vol. 14, No. 3, Jan. 1949, and my participation in the Harvard/ U of New Mexico archaeological excavatioon of Bat Cave, 1948).
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Nuclear workers
I had sent this article to quite a few Congressional staffers and they were appalled. This article might just be what the sick workers needed to energize Congress to reform this program.
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America’s heart is in the right place
We have twice freed the Philippines. We were among the leaders of the Allies in two world wars where France and many nations in Europe were occupied or invaded. Now they are free and self-governed. A dozen or so countries. Twice. Many nations in Asia were freed and helped.
During World War II, when the Army landed my outfit in France, I was happy to say to displaced persons from several countries, “Lafayette, we are here.” We Allies picked them up, put them on their feet and helped them to be free people again. Our heart is in the right place.
The world is not perfect, but we have a track record on freedom and help that no nation has approached. Let’s quit being sorry for not being perfect and get back to the important work of doing the right thing as best we can.
“Lafayette, nous sommes ici.” “World, we are here.” With heart.
Halliburton’s chutzpah
And Vice President Cheney thinks Democrats are unpatriotic.
Weather changes seen
In 1993, my brother and I were hiking on the Continental Divide near Berthoud Pass when he explained to me what watershed meant. Then he sadly told me the snowfields — where rivers receive their source of water — were melting.
The Colorado we loved so dearly was changing for the worse.
Whether people believe in global warming or not, please conserve water for future generations. It is a precious resource that doesn’t begin at your water faucet.
Extend boycott, please
Perhaps the groups calling for this boycott could suggest the illegals also boycott the emergency rooms, schools and so forth that provide many of the services that are intended for legal residents and citizens.
While they are at it, they should also boycott those who supply the phony documents that are used to gain employment and contribute to the problems of identity theft and the depression of the wages paid to Americans.
Why tinker with 41?
If skiers had to learn to ski on natural powder, chopped up and chunky snow, moguls and uneven conditions, they would ski slower, and with more skill, and wouldn’t crash every time they encounter something different on the snow. Ski areas should stop enabling people who are not skiing in control, by creating artificial snow conditions.
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Abducted Israeli soldiers
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Iraq & Colorado
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The Libby case
Also, regarding the same action that exposed Valerie Plame also exposed the cover agency of Brewster Jennings, an international company who was ostensibly an environmental studies company, but was in reality a cover company enabling our country to develop contacts, spies all over the world, in places like Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Syria and other countries that we have legitimate concerns and justification to spy on. Brewster Jennings was actually spying on nuclear proliferation. And every one of our contacts, spys that Valerie Wilson developed, has now been placed under exposure and possible death. And now, we do not fully know the nuclear capabilities of these dangerous countries. A nuclear bomb could possibly detonate in a major American city because of Valerie Wilsons exposure.
Serious.
Threatening.
Treasonous.
Robert Novak should be in a cage in Guantanamo.
And all to hide the fact that our president used misleading statements to terrorize our fellow Americans to justify a war on Iraq, using documents that our CIA had already determined to be clumsy forgeries. Comprising our safety to hide immoral and lying motives. It’s a huge trangression, much bigger than critics have been saying. They hide the truth and compromise our safety for political power. Valerie Plame was to remain undercover for the rest of her life, to guarantee the safety of the contacts she had established. And now the “hate America,and cover up for their party” sleazy critics are free to spue their insane justifications for a pardon for Libby. And the CIA, because of the extreme sensitivity of the truth, cannot refute officially the lies and distortions. They cannot officially SAY what Valerie Plame Wilson did. It’s too sensitive.
What a setup for immoral partisans! A freebie!
No chance of having their vile propaganda disputed!
How sick and irresponsible have some of us become! How truly unpatriotic! What immoral fakes and phonies! What whores for political power. Shame.
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Tina Griego
Patricia Smith of Thornton writes:
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Spanish lesson
Close, but it does not say that. It says “Being human is no way illegal” (by the way, it should be “ningún"). That is not the issue. They should not teach the kid demagogy. What IS the issue: it is crashing the border that is illegal. Tell the kid: Ningún ser humano es ilegal. Es verdad. Pero invadir sin papeles un país ajeno es.
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Udall & Iraq
I have been present twice in Representative Udall’s and Senator Salazar’s offices, both alone and with others committed to bringing our troops safely home. Those affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center went through nonviolent training in preparation for this effort. The ethic of the Center and participants is nonviolent action, including our language.
U.S. citizens may not realize that they have the constitutional right to make known their disagreement with votes cast by their elected officials.
They have the right to do this in person, by telephone, letter or e-mail.
This is what democracy is about, the same democracy we espouse to create elsewhere. With billions spent on a war based on the false premise of WMD, instead of here, elected officials should hardly be surprised that constituents are unhappy and convey this unhappiness.
In Representative Udall’s office, protestors did not insult the staff. We were as friendly as possible, and with the exception of those who chose to remain in quiet acts of civil disobedience, we left when asked to leave.
More than 3,100 American soldiers have died, with many more Iraqi civilian deaths, and Iraq is less stable now than a year ago. Mr. Pacheco is naïve if he underestimates public sentiment against the war, and he is in error if he equates the proper expression of those feelings with personal insults.
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CSAP testing
This is our 9th grade daughter’s first year in a public school. We knew from the first week that she was at least a year ahead of her classmates in math and science, and 2-3 years ahead of them in English and history. At second semester we tried to have her moved to Honors classes. Care to guess what scores from what series of tests in the 8th grade, a public high school demands you have in order to qualify for Honors and Advanced Placement classes, and probably for International Baccalaureate studies? And you’ll need them from 5th grade for middle school Honors classes, too.
Remember being told that these tests would never be used this way? Remember being told about a jolly fat man who brings children presents on December 24th? True, they can’t force your kids to take the tests. But before opting out, remember what they say about paybacks, and remember that since the schools can’t do anything to you for costing them these thousands, they are very happy to take their pound of flesh from your children. And that pound of flesh will very likely negatively impact their college chances and choices and very probably the rest of their lives.
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Vice President Dick Cheney
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Newt Gingrich
Medicare, Medicaid & Iraq
Medicare cuts the bill down then pays 80%; the Company Insurance pays 80% of the 20% . After you are drawing Social Security, they deduct payments for Medicare part B.
There are a lot of things Medicare won’t approve. If Medicare won’;t approve then your Secondary won’t pay anything.
Your Social Security is taxed as earned income. It should be free of taxes and treated as Insurance.
The Feds are taking money out of Social Security and Fica for their pet projects.
Seniors paid into it with the idea that it was Insurance. Some say S.S. is going broke because more people are retiring than are paying into it.
Some refer to it as Welfare, some as the Government giving it to you...Neither is true, we are entitled to it.
Bush is bankrupting the Government with his war. I guess, so that “They” can install the New World Order or One World Government that Bush Senior talked about when he was Pres.
Young working people should wake up and make their voices heard., otherwise they will be paying into it for nothing.
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Climate change
The rest of the Earth then experiences increasing temperatures, more water evaporating and rising into the atmosphere, and accelerated desertification of areas where vegetation has been reduced by grazing and farming practices that leave the earth exposed to the sun’s direct rays.
Greater amounts of water condensing in the upper atmosphere then increase the destructiveness of deluges such as experienced during Hurricane Katrina.
To stop this one-way trip to global catastrophe, we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions dramatically. As “Inconvenient Truth” truth points out, the reductions required can be accomplished simply by enlisting everyone’s help by burning cleaner fuels, car-pooling, turning down thermostats, sealing homes from heat loss during winter, installing thermo-pane windows, using lower-wattage, energy-saving light bulbs, turning off lights when we leave the room, etc. We must tighten governmental restrictions on industrial pollution, but we must all do our part too.
As Bill Becker pointed out in his article “Going Nuclear on Warming” in Sunday’s Rocky Mountain News, we have around 10 years to save the Earth from the worst environmental disaster in recorded history. Like the movie “The Perfect Storm", we could otherwise face the intersection of several trends that could make life impossible for most of the Earth’s inhabitants.
The little things we do or don’t do could make all the difference in the world. We will either hang together or survive together.
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Physics
Physics is the most fundamental and most difficult field of human endeavor because it deals with the root mechanisms that put our Universe together (energy and matter). Beyond simple electronic gizmos, physicists such as Nikola Tesla gave us the 21st Century, electrifying our world and enabling humans to tap into and generate enormous sources of energy such as hydroelectric power, and transmit that energy via alternating current and wirelessly. We all benefit from the hardwork and brilliance of physicists. In today’s energy-starved and warming world, we will need yet again to turn to them to solve our impending problems.
We as a society should celebrate their priceless achievements and support their efforts.
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Irish & Mexicans
I was thinking that, except for geography, the Irish-American and Mexican-American cultures have a lot in common. Predominately, we are Catholic and live in countries that have been fought over and occupied by foreign countries. All of our songs are about loves sought and lost, or battles we have fought and won, but ultimately lost the “war” (Vinegar Hill and Cinco de Mayo come to mind). Irish poteen is much like Mexico’s tequila, and our pubs and cantinas keep the confessionals busy on Saturdays.
The literary world is blessed with great authors from both countries, and so often their written words flow so quietly that sleep is the only reason we stop reading. A more contemporary literary comparison of the two cultures similarities can be read in Frank McCourt’s “Angela’s Ashes,” and Victor Villasenor’s, “Rain of Gold.”
Now, I must admit, there is that part of our cultures that is not equal. There are no corn beef and cabbage burritos. There should never be corn beef and cabbage burritos. I can survive without colcannon, but not without a red tamal from La Casita.
Mexican cuisine is far better than Irish cuisine. In fact, in many parts of Ireland the words food and cuisine do not appear together.
Therefore, as we celebrate our cultures heritage I will raise a pint of Guinness to your bottle of Negra Modelo with a celebratory cry of Salinte and Salud, to your health. to our Days of Celebration.
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Nuclear weapons workers
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Compromised info
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Special needs children
In January, my school principal invited me to an open meeting with DPS Special Education Department. At that meeting, they pretty much advised us that this school year was a lost cause. Apparently, there are no certified people to work with our children. We were told that the money is there, there is just no one to do the job.
I want to let the parents of children in private and parochial schools in Denver know that their voices are needed to get the attention of DPS to provide special needs services to our children. We need to find some way to unite to make our concerns known. If DPS refuses to listen to the concerns of the many principals and staff from our schools, maybe they will be forced to listen to parents and community.
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It seems to me that the initiative, while well intentioned, missed the mark.
Owens wanted to duplicate the high-tech success stories centered in San Jose, Austin, and Boston. And while Colorado is a second tier technology center, a better approach would be an effort that takes advantage of Colorado’s strengths and focusses on the critical issues facing our planet.
The Colorado School of Mines is one of the best earth sciences universities in the world. It could serve as the focus of a program that brings in the atmospheric expertise at NOAA and CU, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, and the agricultural programs at Colorado State. Colorado could become the world center for advanced research in energy production and environmental studies.
I work in the private sector as a mining engineer, so I am no expert in how to accomplish this. But it seems to me that just announcing that Colorado intends to go in this direction might get the ball rolling. Minor additional or refocused funding for the schools involved would help.
This kind of initiative could make your tenure as governor one of the most productive and beneficial Colorado has ever seen.
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Plates for child predators
A predator is a very driven. I truthfully think it will make no difference if they get the urge to fulfill their (albeit, sick) desires. With this type of behavior that has almost no recovery rate, it borders on instinctual drive. Think of what animals in the wild will do to follow their instincts, be it food, sex, migration. Nothing will stop them. Even the most seemingly unintelligent creature will perform acts of genius to achieve their end.
The predator is no different. In fact the law may have the unintended consequence of making it even harder to track and catch them. Ever hear of a rental car? Throw that into the equation and they will be even harder to find because now you’ve taken the vehicle’s description out of the game. They can rent a different model from the multitude of car-rental lots available to them, many of whom run shady operations that routinely rent to drug dealers. Some of these predators spend unreal amounts of money to build “play-rooms” filled with expensive toys. Slapping down a wad of cash for an untracable car would be nothing to them, especially if it helps them to continue their demented practice with more secrecy and success.
The problem with politicians, and often citizen driven initiatives, is they are written and passed with very little study. I don’t have a degree to come up with the scenerio I just gave you above, but I’m sure an expert on child predators could have would have told the the same thing.
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The DREAM Act
The DREAM act can only help our state by providing an incentive for more young people to complete high school, avoid crime, and meet the challenges of a workforce that requires increasingly technical skills.
Colorado should not fall behind other states that give all their children a chance for an education, including California, Texas, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma, and Kansas. A disproportionate number of students of undocumented parents have excelled in our schools, and they are poised to repay our investment in their elementary and secondary education.
Undocumented students deserve the same chance to achieve success as any other student who has grown up here, worked hard, contributed to society, and has potential to fulfill. A well-educated citizenry is good for Colorado!
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Jesus a myth
Certainly Leek is entitled to his opinion and that is what makes the Rocky’s Letters such a favorite of mine, colorful opinions. However, when the Rocky’s editors allow Leek to misstate history, they should also allow others to point this out.
Leek writes, “The historical evidence of the existence of Jesus is well developed… Many atheistic scholars are in agreement that this man existed, angered the religious and political establishments of the day, and suffered the “extreme penalty” of Roman crucifixion.” No, Leek, non-Christian historians know that Jesus was not a historic, but a mythical person. And that is not my opinion it is a fact. Go the public library, not your church, and check it out. And there is no, none, noda shred of historical evidence that the Romans ever went looking without finding Jesus’ body. Again, that is not my opinion it is a fact. And to name-drop the Jewish historian Josephus (38-107 CE) and the Roman historian Tacitus (55-117 CE) as attesting to the historic existence of Jesus is disingenuous at best. While each has a very, very short entry as to a Jesus that existed in history, non-Christian historians recognize each as a forgery, and have for centuries. To his credit, Leek challenges us to “study the evidence for Jesus themselves.” I agree wholeheartedly, just do it at your public library, not a church.
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Mike Rosen
Bush.
First of all Lincoln could speak the English Language, unlike the inarticulate Bush. Lincoln rose from poverty, through the ranks of soldier (in the Black Hawk War), to steamboat worker, to clerk, to lawyer, to the presidency. Bush is what Lincoln would have referred to in the vernacular of his time, as a “shirker” —one who runs away from military obligations.
Bush, accustomed to wealth and privilege, and legacy admissions to college
LIncoln’s first born son was an officer in the Union army and served with distinction. Bush’s two offspring can barely stay out of the bars, much less, serve their country.
Lincoln always had a clear mission during the Civil War, and the mission has been long ago lost in the Iraq war—if there even was one to begin with.
To compare a war of choice, based on lies, and one that is so mismanaged as to be laughable if it weren’t so sad, denigrates the efforts of the abolitionists and the brave soldiers who sought to keep a nation together during America’s civil war- they did not seek to destroy a sovereign nation asunder, as is the case with the Iraq war.
Surely you Bush supporters can find a better comparison - like Napoleon arriving in Moscow - now there’s an apt comparison.
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St. Patrick’s Day parade
Frank
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Amendment 41
In addition, I would assume that he would not be taking personal vacation days for this excursion to Germany. I do understand that this new service will have a large economic impact on Denver and the State of Colorado according to your paper. If that is true, then the Governor should go and PAY his way with taxpayers funds that could be justified based on the increase in economic activity. That would be a reasonable expense that we as taxpayers should be willing to fund. However, there is no circumstance conceivable where he should accept thousands of dollars for a business trip from a private foreign corporation much less a personal trip. The strong message presented in Amendment 41 is that no one in the public trust should accept anything of value from businesses or people whose profession it is to influence the outcome of decisions and votes of elected officials. They must remain at arm’s length at all times and never give the appearance of impropriety. It is really that simple, get over it, abide by the intentions of the law, and stop the whining - it’s unprofessional and makes Colorado look bad.
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Alleged teen killer
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The Libby case
But Scooter wasn’t simply lying about sexual indiscretions like Clinton, but rather was successfully “throwing sand” in the eyes of the prosecution to hide the orchestrated campaign by his boss Vice President Cheney and his boss President Bush in choking off any dissent from war critics like Ambassador Joe Wilson – even if that meant smearing Wilson and probably outing his CIA wife Valerie Plame.
What makes it worse is that Bush and his inner circle already knew the uranium claim that Wilson questioned was bogus – their own intelligence people warned them the evidence documents were likely forged – yet they continued to use the claim in their pre-war rhetoric and the famous 16 words in the President’s State of the Union speech in 2003.
Now granted Scooter has become the scapegoat, but assuredly Bush will eventually pardon him. A president who regards the Geneva Conventions as a nonbinding technicality and habeas corpus an outdated concept like last year’s fashions, isn’t going to start playing by the rules now.
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Adoption debate
Her premise is wrong. Colorado can meet the gold standard for adoption of children. Approximately, one in seven married couples in the State of Colorado struggle with fertity . We have several couples waiting to adopt a child and willing to sacrifice for a child. They wait patiently for a child. After all, a child is a gift; not a right. Just because you want a child, doesn’t mean you will get one. There have been several couples who yearned for a child and no child was available and/or the birth mother picked another couple. It is a silent cross that many childless couples carry.
Yet, adoption services are not in the business of giving childless couples a child. No, adoption services are in the business of finding parents for children who need parents. The focus is always on the best needs of the child; not the wishes of a childless couple. Our children deserve the gold standard, our children deserve to have the best chance at success. Our children should have a mother and a father.
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Iraq
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Climate change
However, I’m deeply concerned about the ocean drying up and I have personal scientific facts to prove my statement. I am not beholden to or funded by any special interest group, nor do I not make any money traveling around the country preaching my conclusions.
How, you ask. To better illustrate my study, consider this fact. When you are a patient in a hospital, they maintain an
I hear the earth’s population is somewhere near 6 billion people. Multiply 5 glasses by 6 billion average inhabitants, and that equals 30 billion glasses of water that seems to be disappearing each day. Since I am unable to equate the volume of the ocean to a glass full of water, I can only estimate that in 1 or 2 million years, the earth’s oceans will be dry. Perhaps this is what happened to the Martians and how they caused their planet to dry up.
Now this really concerns me.
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Bush visit to Colombia
At the same time the president spoke these words, Uribe’s integrity as a man of peace and as a reliable agent of the “War on Drugs” was being undermined by arrests in Col
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Guns in cars
Hence, when there is a problem of road rage the only person armed is going to be the scum you refer to and the law obiding citizen who gave up their gun because of your law will be dead. Please remove your rose colored glasses and see the world for what it is, law obiding citizens should not be disarmed by law because the criminals and “scum” don’t follow the laws anyway.
When the good lord made this earth he made one huge mistake, instead of resting on the 7th day he should have been busy making ignorance painful and rested on the 8th.
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John McCain
The one question that no one can seem to answer is, if a candidate is an immoral hypocrite in his/her personal life, what will make them any better in their public life?
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Firefighters union vs. Giuliani
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9/11 conspiracy
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Denver Botanic Gardens
It hasn’t been so long since it was snowing in Denver, so I wasn’t expecting much.
Still, I was quite dismayed by the current state of the gardens. It was not helped by preparations for the Bugs installation.
Of course, it was summer the last time I visited the gardens a few years ago. Not only were the place wonderfully verdant but it was also filled with wonderful African sculptures at the time.
The contrast between then and now could not have been greater.
At about 4pm yesterday, when I sought to have a drink and snack at the cafeteria, it was already closed, an hour before closing time. So I got a soda from the vending machine and the gardens did not earn the $10 I would have spent.
Any new CEO can always do with more revenue. So I would suggest that he attend first to what is often a reliable moneyspinner for museums and other visitor attractions - catering. A good restaurant and cafeteria can have importan knock-on effects, such as drawing more business to the excellent gift shop.
The gulf between the gardens’ summer and winter incarnations leads me to think the place earns its keep for only half a year, and hibernates in cold weather.
In retail, this would make the difference between being open for half a day and operating around the clock.
If the gardens hopes to draw more members, what will it have to offer them on a regular basis - excluding the holidays - during the cold weather? It does not even appear designed or constructed to function when it dips below 60 degrees F.
I think it is wonderful that there are so many benches and other seating throughout the gardens, But I cannot imagine many would want to use them when it is cold.
Another thing: I love the tropical house but, inexplicably, nothing seems to have been improved since I was last there.
I do love the gardens and hope to find them revitalized, thriving and, dare I say it, profitable, when next I visit Denver.
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Tom Tancredo
Tancredo’s 98 out of 100 rating by the American Conservative Union should light the fire of those rightwingers left in the dark who are discouraged by McCain and Giuliani, or suspicious of Romney. Whatever the eventual general election choices are, Congressman Tancredo is deserving of careful consideration by Republicans seeking a genuine conservative option.
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Wind power
It is all very complicated when you look at it as a whole. I know one thing that is not that complicated… My costs for my printing company have been on the rise for a few years now, with little help out there for the small businessman.
Taxing is not the cure-all answer. Moving everything over to wind energy is our single solution. Altering the daylight savings time 3 weeks might be helpful but doesn’t touch the large picture here. Unfortunately we are so deep in this energy crisis that a solution is far from simple. Does that mean we don’t proceed forward and try to make life better for us all? Absolutely not. We need to question what is going on in Congress. We need to be proactive. We need to ask our elected officials to fight for a better America.
Sure, we all want our wallets to stop taking the hit; we all want our kids and grandkids to grow up in a healthy environment and see the spectacular natural wonders of the world. We don’t want species to continue to be added onto the endangered species list. As I see it, if I want to see this stop, then I need to take action and be heard. I am writing to local elected officials and letting them know how I feel and urge you to do the same. We all know it’s broke, now go out and support what you believe and fix it!
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God in the Constitution
The date the Constitution was signed is as much a part of the Constitution itself as is any other word or signature the Constitution contains. The date is a part of the Constitution — and nothing can ever change that fact. The Constitution is a legal document and, as is the case with most legal documents, the date the legal document was dated and signed is just as much a vital part of the legal document as is any other part of it.
And anybody who has a copy of the Constitution or can take a couple minutes to find it online (type in ‘US Constitution’ and hit ‘search;’ it took me about a minute) can look at how this legal document was dated: It reads: “Seventeenth day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven.”
There are two key words to focus on: our and Lord. In the context of the date, the “Lord” referred to can only refer to one Lord to the absolute exclusion of all others: Jesus Christ. No one but a complete fool can or will dispute that.
The other key word “our” refers to who? It refers to, specifically, the signers of the Constitution who signatures follows. But it can refer to, in general, to the nation and/or the people of the nation for whom the Constitution was created, written and signed.
There is therefore one absolutely indisputable fact: The Constitution of the United States — the “supposed” Supreme Law of our nation — absolutely and positively makes a direct reference to a “deity;” but not just to any old deity; but to the one and only one the signers ever considered to be “our Lord": Jesus Christ — because the phrase “in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven” refers to Jesus Christ alone to the absolute exclusion of all others.
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Municipal bonds
Dr.
It occurred to me that this might be corrected, at no cost to the Governments, if all citizens were allowed to participate in direct investment of the Municipal Bonds issued by the several entities. They would pay the same price as the awarded bid price. The amount would be small compared to the number of bonds which the bidding brokers would acquire.
This would avoid the citizens need to pay the excessive rates charged by the bond brokers. Citizens would have a very vested interest.
It would be stipulated that no one could own more than [X]thousand dollars and must be carried to the predetermined funding date.
It would be very similar to the U.S. Treasury Department’s program.
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The Libby case
When the Bush administration decided to go after Joseph Wilson by exposing his wife, Valerie Plame, they did not stop there. Robert Novak, in his column about Plame, also revealed the name of an active CIA operation, Brewster-Jennings.
Brewster-Jennings operated under the pretense of being an energy consulting firm; this front gave the company cover to actually investigate issues related to weapons proliferation. Why would the administration knowingly engage in a campaign that exposed an active CIA operation? What possible justification could the administration have to do so?
I ask the reader to think critically for a moment: What do you think happened when the name Brewster-Jennings appeared in print? When the identity of this CIA operation became public knowledge, any CIA operative or foreign national who had ever associated with Brewster-Jennings found their cover compromised. Hostile governments and terrorist organizations knew instantly who had been either a spy or an informant. What possible good could have come from this revelation?
The Bush administration constantly harps on the need to support the troops. People such as Valerie Plame and the other operatives associated with our intelligence community serve on the front lines of this war, risking their lives in the pursuit of vital intelligence. How can this entire affair be considered anything other than a serious breach of national security and an act of treason? How can Republican supporters continue to defend the indefensible with respect to this betrayal?
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Smoking
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Human rights abuses in Mexico
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GOP sheep won’t bleat over Coulter’s slur
Conservatives responded to this very innocuous remark by rabidly boycotting the band’s concerts and records and demanding that radio stations not play their songs.
Unless conservatives are nothing less than self-serving hypocrites, they will now do the same to Ann Coulter.
Coulter, obviously unable to speak intelligently about Edwards’ qualifications, instead resorted to personally attacking John Edwards with a offensive and derogatory slur.
If conservatives have any integrity they should demand that major bookstores stop selling her books.
They should boycott her appearances and refuse to support any candidate or cause that hires her services.
Of course, I know this will never happen because “do as we say, not as we do, let them eat cake” conservatives will ignore Coulter’s latest shameless act of self-gratifying provocation with their usual sheepish fervor.
Instead, they will, as always, blithely follow the treacherous wolves that lead them toward their own demise, bleating their support for them all the while.
Was she truly ‘proud’ to speak to gays?
“Asked twice at a Monday campaign stop in Iowa why she did not publicize her speech to the group,” the report went on, “Clinton said: ‘You’ll have to ask my campaign.’”
And yet Clinton supposedly told the group, “I am proud to stand by your side.”
Where? In the closet?
Neither she nor her campaign nor her Senate office publicized her appearance. Why? Was she embarrassed? Was she concerned about how her reaching out to the gay community would affect her reaching out to Christians, Jews and Muslims who frown on homosexuality? Was she or they or someone hoping for a better offer on where to be that night?
She may have said that she was “proud” to appear before the gay-rights group, but everything else seems to indicate that she really was not-so-proud to be there or to be associated with them.
Questions for Rove
Just eight years ago, on May 19, 1999, 40 Republican senators actually voted to withdraw funding from 5,600 American troops in the field in Kosovo.
So I suggest that Rove ask this question of his fellow Republicans, and, while he’s at it, he can also ask them how they reconcile “supporting the troops” with the disgraceful treatment of troops at Walter Reed Hospital, which is a direct result of the Republican administration’s budget policies and incompetent management.
Time line failed to note Wilson charade
Actually, pretty much the entire news media conveniently missed that little tidbit. I guess it wasn’t important — not when you’re trying desperately to bring down a president you don’t like.
Well, there was never a crime committed in the first place, but a special prosecutor has to hang somebody for something, so I guess Libby is as good a scapegoat as anyone.
It’s such a pleasure watching the machinations of our injustice system.
Do you suppose the Democrats will now be satisfied that they finally got to retaliate for that other Kafkaesque absurdity, the Clinton impeachment? I wouldn’t bet on it.
(Of course that was payback for Iran-contra.)
Wherever you go, there you are
“It is what it is.”
Let’s briefly examine this redundant pearl of wisdom a bit further. If, for example, it isn’t what it is, then what is it? Why not enlighten the masses with the corollary, “It’s not what it’s not”? Perhaps we could get philosophical: It is what it is, unless it is what it’s not, and then it is what it’s not. We could go on forever. Instead, let’s vow to never utter this idiocy again. Like, you know, dude — whatever!
Warming is here now
Read the weather reports. Get a clue. Bush has not paid any attention to it either for six years as “our king.”
Offended by senator’s sense of humor
“A leader who is resourceful enough to know that when life gives you macaca, you turn it into majorities.”
Her comment may have been intended as humor, but the word macaca is offensive and is a slur no matter how used or for what purpose.
Personally, I believe the slur was intentional and was referring to the recent election loss of Virginia Republican Sen. George Allen, largely attributable to his racist views.
Spence deserves the same fate for her hurtful and callous “humor.”
And I’m disappointed with the Rocky for seeming to think her comment was witty and giving it undeserved attention in that sidebar with her picture.
I will not vote for someone who uses terms like that and I won’t subscribe to a newspaper that condones its use and even seems to think it’s funny.
Cancer screen a snap
Come on, people — don’t be stupid. Talk to your doctor about scheduling a screening if you are over 50 — it could save your life!
So long, Cap
They must be joking, right? I call on all Coloradans to purchase as many goods, visit as many establishments, and show your support for the rights of citizens, and the power of our economic contributions by paying taxes, and using our buying power to overwhelm this proposed boycott.
This is not about the plight of the immigrant, nor is it about support for closing the border, or amnesty for that matter. This is about showing support for businesses that follow current law. The boycott, according to the story, will be from March 21 to April 1. Let’s show our support for current laws as written, and support our businesses that follow the law in hiring practices.
English as an add-on
Instead of making it a requirement for graduation, make it an added “self-esteem” item. A doctor goes through his education and gets a diploma. If he goes further in his learning he gets an addition to the original piece of paper.
Why not put “English Proficient” on qualified high school diplomas? This might make some students work harder. It would not put down those who didn’t get the added achievement, but it could be earned at a later date.
Rocky Mountain low
This is a bad idea. In Iowa Presidential candidates spend about $40 per caucus attendee, it would similar here in Colorado if our caucus system was given the same TLC the Iowa system receives from the Iowa media, civic leaders, and the major political parties. Instead, we get a stream of these efforts at reform where none is needed.
Nothing would weaken our caucus system more than splitting it off from the Presidential race. People who are against this misguided change should speak out now.
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Iraq vs. U.S. Civil War
Then there is the issue of the billions of dollars that have been siphoned off through waste , fraud and theft while soldiers “make do”
I’m insulted intellectually and personally at the suggestion that objection to this war is based on an anti- Bush vendetta or mere knee-jerk pacifism . Given all the factors, Mr. Suttie could not remotely make the case that this Administration has the best interest of “ the country -or the world “,or that this is a rerun of 1864. Yes, Mr.
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Postal rates
Emory Walker of Denver writes:
Athletic trainers
ATC’s are responsible for the health care of physically active individuals in a variety of different settings. A large part of an ATC’s job is working with injured people to return them to activity.
This includes injury prevention, evaluation and diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and reconditioning of injuries, along with several other duties. ATC’s have rigorous educational training, with myself and many of my colleagues having post-graduate degrees related to athletic training. The state puts regulation on people who have much less impact on an individual than a health care provider, so why would it be overkill to regulate individuals who may be dealing with athletes in a life and death situation? There have been plenty of incidents when people who were not qualified to do so were practicing athletic training duties and harm was done as a result.
ATC’s are employed in a variety of settings, including: clinics, high schools, colleges and universities, professional sports, physician’s offices, industry, military, law enforcement, and others. The athletes I work with on a daily basis show nothing but appreciation for myself and the rest of our athletic training staff. ATC’s play an integral role in athletics, and I would be willing to bet that if you asked individuals who actually know what an athletic trainer is and what our job entails, I would imagine that you would find more credibility and validity to the proposed licensure. A prime example of this appeared in your newspaper on December 16, 2006 in the article, The Tale of the Tape, where the relationship between Steve Antonopulos and John Elway was mentioned, and how much Denver’s beloved Hall of Fame quarterback appreciated the work that “Greek” did for him throughout his career. I can guarantee you it was much different then spotting # 7 as he lifted.
Like nearly every other ATC, I take great pride in my job and wouldn’t trade what I do for a living. I think it is unfortunate that a portion of the population does not understand the profession that we are so passionate about. Not only are a majority of ATC’s overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated, but we struggle to fight the misconceptions of the public with regards to our job duties and responsibilities. Education is critical, and it is my hope that the opinion expressed on SB 24 would be different if the background of the bill and who is affected by it was better understood.
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Athletic trainers
Student athletic trainer
I was very disappointed to read the opposition to SB 24, especially given the authors lack of knowledge surround Athletic Trainers and their profession. To quote the articles opinion of SB 24, “You need a note from the state to spot a workout buddy in the gym who pays you for the service?” is very ignorant and reflects poorly on whomever wrote it. I suggest the author take some time to understand the differences between a personal trainer and an athletic trainer before coming to a conclusion on SB 24. Although they are both “trainers” in title, Athletic Trainers have a much different and, in many ways, a much more demanding education (4 year undergraduate degree), certification (NATABOC), and job requirements then that of a personal trainer.
The Athletic Training profession has grown rapidly as a close and constant contact to athletic teams at the high school, college, professional, and possibly middle school levels. Knowledge in injury prevention, assessment, and rehabilitation makes Athletic Trainers an essential part of any sports medicine team. There is a large amount of responsibility and trust placed on Athletic Trainers as they are in close contact with the adolescent and adult athletes. While I respect the right of the author to his opinion, an uneducated or misinformed opinion reflects poorly on the author.
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Scooter Libby & Joe Wilson
The real story is the Niger trip. Joe Wilson, a career State Department bureaucrat, was sent by the his wife and the CIA to Niger. A boy was sent to do a man’s job. Investigate that. The Ambassador was not required to sign a confidentiality agreement and wrote more about his trip to the NYT than to the CIA. His “report” has subsequently been investigated by Congress, its content refuted. Again ... your tax dollars at work.
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Iraq vs. WWII
First off, her numbers are incorrect. Marquardt claims that “When they landed on the beaches of Normandy, there were more men that died in that first hour than the 3,000 casualties that we’ve had so far in Iraq. In fact, according the D-Day Museum’s official site, the total number of allied dead for the entire first day was 2,500, of which 1,465 were Americans. And in Iraq, the number of Americans dead currently stands at 3,188.
Second, as is often the case in these arguments, Marquardt ignores the 23,000 other American casualties in this war. Thanks to advances in armor and medical care, the ratio of wounded to dead is about 8 to 1 in Iraq, compared to around 3 to 1 in World War II, so their numbers are far more significant than in that conflict. And because the bulk of injuries are caused by IED’s, many of these survivors have lost limbs or suffered horrible brain injuries, or both. Discounting their sacrifice does them great disservice.
Finally, Marquardt seems to intimate that her faulty figures somehow make the war in Iraq more palatable. Our reasons for engaging in World War II were far different than the excuses for unjustiably invading Iraq and continuing to occupy it.
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Italian heritage plates
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Scooter Libby
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Iraq war
The deaths, misery and suffering that Americans have brought upon these poor people, by far outweighs all the politics and debate about what is best for US troops. The US has the full moral responsibility for the tens of thousands of deaths and injuries of Iraqi citizens.
Imagine one moment American cities suffering these kinds of daily bombing and mass murders, while some other nation debates the finer point of their troops levels. Would we be outraged?
Does anyone still wonder why hatred of America is growing exponentially in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world.
Because of this misery, an estimated 2.5 million Iraqis have fled their country, mostly to Jordan and Syria and 40.000 to 50.000 more attempt to follow them every month.
The real news is what is happening in Iraq to normal families, children. They live in constant fear. People can not any more walk in their own neighborhood without real worry of attacks.
Imagine yourself living in these conditions, while the dark suited and prosperous politicians of a foreign country debate how to proceed.
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Mike Rosen, Bush & Lincoln
The argument works only if the assumptions behind the analogies are correct. In this case, none are.
The Confederate States of America was not a sovereign nation. It was an attempt by rebellious slaveholders to set up a separate nation on U.S. territory. With the exception of one tiny principality, no foreign power recognized the CSA as being sovereign.
Secession posed a critical threat to our country. Had the secessionists succeeded there would be no United States of America as we know it today.
Lincoln was not an abolitionist. The Emancipation Proclamation did not abolish slavery.
Lincoln’s was not the only president to revoke civil liberties in wartime. Unlike the USA Patriot Act and the Guantanamo incarcerations, Lincoln did not intend his actions to proceed indefinitely.
Lincoln may not have been properly sensitive to southern cultural differences. Since when are slavery and white supremacy defendable values, especially when a minority of southern slaveholders attempted to impose them on the rest of the country? Were ideas of racial equality foolish for the time? If Rosen were to read the Lincoln’s speech delivered at Gettysburg, PA in November 1863, he would learn that the idea of racial equality is fundamental to our nation’s being.
The claim of “military mismanagement” shows the ignorance of those who level the claim. Starting with a standing military of less than 20,000, Lincoln quickly mobilized and equipped a force that at any one time would number more than 500,000.
In two years Union forces seized the entire rebel coastline, partitioned West Virginia and took most of Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee out of the war. The only theater the Union couldn’t dominate before 1864 was Northern Virginia.
The charge that Lincoln rejected the counsel of commanders is without foundation. He did reject the counsel of bad commanders, namely the cowardly and derelict George McClellan.
It is sacrilege compare the cheap influence peddler currently sitting in the Oval Office with our greatest President. If Rosen needs to defend this man, let him look elsewhere for his analogies.
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Smoking ban
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CU
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Landscape architects
For starters, no one is proposing to regulate landscape contractors or any other entrepreneur “landscaper.” A broad swath of supporters in the construction industry understands that working landscape architects are design professionals, with training and professional activities similar to architects and engineers. Certification of this profession, landscape architecture, is based on a test that covers critical public health and safety skills in outdoor construction design. A landscape architect cannot be certified without a state-issued license.
Fortunately, the bill’s supporters have done their homework. For example, there is an extensive list of cases of physical harm, property damage, and financial injury associated with incompetent landscape architecture. It is undisputed by those who have reviewed this evidence that improperly designed or constructed landscape features can cause harm, including both financial loss and loss of life.
As with architecture and engineering, recognizing landscape architects in statute allows consumers to rely on standards of professional competence as they make decisions about major investments in design and construction. The Governor will need to look no farther than the first page of this legislation, to the list of sponsors and co-sponsors, to understand that the creation of a landscape architect credential in Colorado, like the same credential that already exists in 48 other states, is the result of strong, well-informed bipartisan support.
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Manzanares & the laptop
I base my opinion on the fact that I have worked closely with certain Judicial Review Committee members and discovered that there are too many judges who consider the law their personal property - to enforce or ignore as they deem appropriate (to the detriment of the party who relied on published law. Oh right - these are just “disgruntled litigants"). The majority of those on the Judicial Review Committee have professional conflicts (e.g., their careers as lawyers & ex-judges require they maintain the status quo) rendering their “review” of judges ineffective. (They turn a blind eye to complaints against judges who are disloyal to the law). Senator John Andrews has (unsuccessfully) tried to address this, and a recently introduced bill (by Mr. Sommers) to reform “judicial review” methods died in Committee last month, allegedly because judges are just too good and we don’t need reforms. You need to expose a few more stories like this Manzanares story. Maybe then, judges will be embarrassed into operating with integrity.
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Prairie dogs
Okay, movie lovers, put down the popcorn and get out your science book.
Did you know that prairie dog tunnel systems are believed to help channel rainwater into the water table to prevent runoff and erosion, and also can serve to change the composition of the soil in a region by reversing soil compaction that can be a result of cattle grazing?
Did you know that prairie dogs are known to control the populations of several weed species, such as mesquite, which has been found to overrun some lands where prairie dogs are no longer found?
The prairie dog is a recognized keystone (or integral) species of the short -grass prairie ecosystem. They contribute to the lives of other mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects of the prairie, by providing habitat and food. Abandoned prairie dog burrows are frequently used as homes by burrowing owls, white-tailed rabbits, badgers, weasels, snakes, and even foxes. As a prey base, the prairie dog supports a wide variety of species including the swift fox, the coyote, weasels, snakes, hawks, eagles, and the endangered black-footed ferret.
Before we blast or poison an important species off the planet, let’s educate ourselves about the bigger picture of the balanced ecosystem that supports life at all levels. Perhaps the “teachable moment” before us is that when man has historically taken a careless shot at nature, he has often reaped pollution, disease, global warming and other unexpected consequences. In the name of what’s “best” for man, we’ve hurt the planet we need to survive.
There is no doubt that prairie dogs can be a nuisance. There is proof that prairie dog towns can be destructive to the land. But is it wise to destroy the environmental house to exterminate the bugs? Let’s not allow science fiction to answer that question.
Libby & Clinton
Clinton’s defenders pointed out that perjury is seldom prosecuted, but it was also pointed out by others that usually perjury is prosecuted if the perjury contributed to an acquittal for a related crime! It is dropped if discovered in time to convict in the criminal case.
Now consider the two cases, where things worked out backwards. Libby was prosecuted and convicted of perjury during the investigation of a matter that turned out to not be a crime. That is, no related crime, no prosecution or trial, let alone an acquittal!
On the other hand, Clinton committed perjury during a trial for sexual abuse for which he was acquitted, before the perjury was proven. If it could have been established that Clinton made a habit of using subordinates (Monica Lewinski, et al) for his sexual gratifications, it would have been much more likely that Paula Jones could have obtained a conviction for Clinton’s attempt to use her. So under the conditions stated above, Clinton should have been prosecuted, but Libby should not!
Now I wonder if Sandy “Burglar” will be prosecuted for theft of classified documents and lying about it!
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Death penalty legislation
First of all, the vote in favor of HB 1094 was a bipartisan 9 to 4.
Secondly, Mr. Suthers testified against the bill but offered no alternative for funding the assets needed to track down the killers walking among us, the murderers living in our neighborhoods.
The Attorney General and the Governor (both former District Attorneys) have turned their back on this problem: In Colorado, three out of ten killers are never prosecuted for their heinous acts. Of the 4000 Colorado murders committed in the past quarter century, one person has been executed. The cost to taxpayers: $4,000,000 per year.
I believe most Coloradans would agree that this money would be better spent investigating cold murder cases than paying for those kinds of results. As for the families of these victims, we don’t appreciate having our issue cast as a political football. Most of us are willing to exchange vengeance for justice.
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Insane Clown Posse
i have listend to ICP for quite some time, and so far, i have turned out fine. i am successful in school, and am starting college early by the way. the point i’m making is people who listen to the Insane Clown Posse or any other group signed to the label are not deranged maniacs who randomly go out and kill people. we’re fans of music. since when is that a crime? and for the media (you) to go and broadcast this image of us as some violent sub human culture is wrong and extremely offensive. the image the outside world projects of us makes it difficult to get jobs, go to school, and even walk down the street. the police hassle us, teachers and people in positions of authority treat us like a cancer that they have to keep isolated before we infect the other kids in school or on the street. it’s crap.
also, i noticed there were some lyrics printed by the article from two CDs that ICP has put out. i’d like to add on to these with some lyrics i feel are better to represent the juggalo community. they go like this: “Truth is we follow GOD, We’ve always been behind him, The carnival is GOD and may all juggalos find him...”
-Thy Unveiling; The Wraith Shangri-La in conclusion i’m an extremely offended by this article, and i’m sure i’m not the only one. small minded people fear what they don’t understand, and now i know just how small minded my community is.
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Forming a voice
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Controversial energy drink
First of all, Spike Shooter should not be granted the privilege of being called an energy drink. A caffeine supplement would be a more appropriate title given the 300 mg of caffeine per 8.4 ounce serving. Other popular energy drinks such as Red Bull and Rockstar only contain 80 mg per 8.4 ounce serving. In addition, Red Bull and Rockstar are ripe with vitamins, taurine and other components that produce energy. Spike Shooter is deficient in those ingredients, but is abundant (1,057 mg) in the mysterious Spike Shooter Formula as listed on the can’s nutrition facts. Spike even has to carry a warning to its consumers telling those under the age of eighteen to avoid the drink entirely, but even those who are of age should begin by drinking half the can. I have never heard of a company that asks you to waste half of their product to fully enjoy it, have you?
Most energy drinks are not dangerous and do not send customers straight to the hospital. In fact energy drinks are a great way of achieving that quick pick-up when the midday drowse plagues your afternoon and they make an awesome study aid for students. So don’t let Spike Shooter’s image ruin energy drinks for everybody and next time you visit a convenience store consider a Red Bull or a Rockstar or a Monster; they are all still friendly to the body.
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Accused teenage killer
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Roadless areas
First, public backing for protecting all of Colorado’s roadless areas was demonstrated unequivocally by the outpouring of support for the 2001 Roadless Rule and in public comments documented by the 2006 Roadless Area Review Task Force (RARTF): In both cases, over 90 percent of Coloradans requested the complete protection of all roadless areas in the state.
So, most Coloradans were taken by surprise when they found out that in the Owen’s Roadless Petition fine print, low and behold, there were some juicy special interest giveaways inserted at the last minute: nearly 400,000 acres of industry concessions, primarily ski areas and coal mines. Now that the Owen’s give-away language has seen the light of day, the public does not support it. Even our own Division of Wildlife (DOW) doesn’t support it!
Along with the good folks at DOW, we hunters and anglers are simply trying to protect the last public lands outside of wilderness where we can walk away from the ugliness of development and the noise of OHVs to find undisturbed, high-quality hunting and fishing habitat. Yes, as the editorial in question clearly stated, this is about “access.” As our public lands backcountry becomes increasingly overrun with oil and gas fields, clear-cut logging, and more new roads and trails, illegal as well as legal, we who are traditional, muscle-powered, quiet-use recreationists are having our access stolen. We are not fighting for ideals, but for survival and our fair share of the public lands pie.
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Pinon Canyon expansion
I believe the Army’s analysis.
The analysis from the “After Action Report” on the invasion of Iraq: “The roots of the (3rd Mech) division’s successful attack on Baghdad are found on the training fields of Fort Stewart, Fort Irwin, and Kuwait.”
They further conclude, “The division owned and influenced 16,100 square kilometer battle space (230x70km),” AND “the National Training Center (Fort Irwin, 642,000 acres) rotations produced a seasoned fighting force that was trained and ready to fight and win on any battlefield.”
This analysis from the Army makes some very important points. There is NO mention of the PCMS for training needs, as the existing training grounds were, in the Army’s opinion, perfectly sufficient.
Their analysis not only makes the point that it is NOT necessary to train on 16,100 square kilometers, to be prepared to fight on 16,100 square kilometers, but in the Army’s opinion, the training they got on the existing training grounds prepared them to fight “on ANY battlefield".
I believe the Army’s analysis.
The failures in Iraq have been political, diplomatic, and ideological, not military. Training for the urban warfare of the present conflict doesn’t need vast amounts of space, especially, in the case of the PCMS expansion, an area from Colorado Springs to Denver (65 miles) and as wide as the distance from Colorado Springs to Kit Carson (130 miles). This is 8,800 square miles they want to take by Eminent Domain! The 418,577 acres commonly quoted, is ONLY phase 1 of the seizure. The 18 year plan is for 5.5 million square acres!
I Believe the Army’s analysis.
I think they have admitted they don’t need to expand the PCMS to be trained sufficiently, in fact there is no indication they need the existing PCMS, they already took by Eminent Domain, at all.
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Ann Coulter
Liberals are gleeful today that they have the opportunity to defame a popular conservative figure even though a recent comment by a liberal Bill Ma
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The homeless
What’s the agenda? Why do they permit guesses to be reported as facts...particularly when a State Agency is the source of the guess? Why am I hassling you? You know darn well that 2981 homeless persons, included in the precise total of 16,203 persons, were not counted at all. You led your readers to believe that 2981 homeless persons, persons that could not be found for the survey, should be included and conclusions drawn as presented in your article.
The real story here is that 18.4% uncounted maybe a good guess, or a terrible guess. What I am saying is that you needed to know something about the confidence level attached to this guess and how the missing people were apportioned into the different Colorado regions in order to bring this story into sharp focus.
Better yet, report the actual distribution of 13,222 persons surveyed last August, and then tell the reader if an error in the experts’ WAG of +18.4% additional homeless persons would impact public policy in hitherto unsuspected ways. You know, is a better guess 4,000 or is it 1,000 homeless people left uncounted, and so what.
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The Rocky
But I can barely get through other stories of less interest. The reason being that the harder it is for me to read the print, the quicker I loose interest. I think I’ve given the new format a fair shake, but as a life long newspaper reader, I feel more than a little ignored by the Rocky.
I know, I know you guys are a big company and need to figure out how to stay competitive. But ask your marketing boys to take another demographic look. I just can’t imagine that this type of newspaper or any type of newspaper is going to appeal to that coveted 18 to 26 year old consumer who is too young and technology hooked to appreciate the pleasures of reading the morning paper.
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Ambitious Udall dilutes anti-war stand
And he’s a lame duck, or have we forgotten already?
Our debonair 2nd District representative, Mark Udall, seems quite concerned that the GOP smear machine will charge that he’s soft on defense and lacks proper respect for the troops (“Split on splitting from Iraq,” March 9).
Heavens! That scurrilous charge could sour Udall’s irresistible opportunity to become a U.S. senator next year.
Nobody wants to see Udall’s chance for such a coveted and comfortable seat spoiled in such an unfair manner, certainly not Udall himself. So, he shall vote to fund the Iraq occupation as long as the president wants — forever if need be.
Covering his political rear end while soldiers are killed in a misbegotten war he initially voted against is just the style Udall’s advisers say he needs to credibly compete against his likely contender, the scintillating former 3rd District congressman, Scott McInnis.
Everyone’s looking forward to the debates, for sure.
Let’s not get all weak-kneed over Iraq
Lyndon Johnson started fighting poverty 40 years and $4 trillion ago, and the same people who call Iraq a quagmire would bristle at the suggestion that we admit defeat and quit in that “war.” They are the same people who tell us that poverty is worse than ever.
In 2006, almost 2,600 people were murdered in California. Six hundred were murdered in New York City alone. Seven thousand people died from accidental prescription errors and 100,000 died from medical errors in U.S. hospitals. Let’s not get all weak-kneed because several hundred brave Americans lost their lives so that those same people can practice their particular brand of hypocrisy. That is the ultimate dishonor to our Americans in uniform who risk it all for the stupidity of others.
‘Make My Day’ bill was not a ‘gun bill’
This bill, which was endorsed by the Rocky, had nothing to do with firearms and everything to do with the inalienable right of self-defense.
One can only guess why the Rocky chose to purposely misidentify the essence of this important legislation, which was defeated by the Democratic majority of the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee.
And one can only guess why the Democratic leadership of the Colorado Senate purposely sent a bill focusing on criminal procedure that was approved by the House and its Judiciary Committee to a committee that has nothing to do with judicial matters.
President, Colorado State Shooting Association
Elk hunt espoused
I am a hunter and I believe that a monitored and closely enforced hunt should be allowed, because a hunt would be of greater benefit then culling the herd. People would be using the meat, and might donate it to a homeless shelter or a starving-child fund. This might require a federal law to be changed but, in the end, it would be the most sound and beneficial way to control the population.
Culling would introduce a large number of scavengers to the area, and might have unforeseen aftereffects. A hunt could be as controlled as a culling, and could be raffled, with the proceeds donated and used for the greater good.
Ethanol’s drawbacks
Some mourn the loss of zoo’s jaguar, too
Third in size to the tiger and lion and with the most powerful jaw of all the big cats, who would expect otherwise from such a wild animal?
This tragedy was compounded when a zoo guard shot and killed Jorge. All of this occurred in front of zoo spectators.
Zoo president Clayton Freiheit reportedly said, “We are deeply saddened by this loss ... a part of our family ... one of our own.” Mayor John Hickenlooper said in a statement, “We are deeply saddened at the loss of a city team member and send our condolences to everyone in our community who is grieving this loss.”
What about condolences and grief for the unnecessary death of a magnificent, endangered, captive animal of the zoo?
We are sorry that what apparently was a careless mistake resulted in a human tragedy. But, there are those of us who are grieving for the loss of Jorge, too.
Delisting wolves will help end habitat loss
Montana and Idaho have written smart, science-based management plans for their wolf populations. Wyoming, in keeping with its dismal record of politics-based wildlife management, will likely have no say about its wolves for years to come.
Wolves can affect elk populations.
But they also make elk act like elk instead of cows, keeping herd size small and limiting overgrazing in riparian zones. (In areas of Yellowstone, we’re seeing the first regeneration of aspen and willow in 50 years.)
It’s time to let Idaho and Montana manage their wolves as promised, and to join Smith (listen up, Wyoming!) in protecting elk from the real threat to their survival: habitat loss.
Take that, Al Gore!
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Guest-worker program
A guest-worker plan won’t prevent millions of employers from continuing to employ cheap illegal labor unless more stringent enforcement in the workplace is adopted. A guest-worker plan won’t help unless employers and CEO’s of big corporations are imprisoned and/or heavily fined for circumventing the law.
A guest-worker plan won’t work unless we put billions more into the computer systems and personnel at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Department. The system is backlogged by several years already. Can you imagine the chaos and fraud if we were to add several million more cases? Finally a guest-worker program won’t prevent drug smugglers and other people seeking to harm us from slipping into the country. Currently thirty percent of the population in the Federal Prison System are foreign nationals. How will a guest-worker program change that?
Also let’s examine the meaning of a guest-worker. Do you mean a situation that allows a person to come with his family and to stay and eventually become a US Citizen? That is what the Senate bill (S. 2611) of last May sponsored by Sens. Kennedy and McCain defined as a guest-worker. To many of us, that is not a guest-worker. A guest-worker comes alone, does the job, gets paid a competitive wage, some of which is withheld until he or she returns home. If we need the labor and they need the job, why should that have anything to do with becoming a U.S. citizen?
So many people mention a guest-worker program as the perfect solution without really understanding the limitations or ramifications. We still need to secure our borders and imprison frequent illegal crossers, provide meaningful workplace enforcement and eliminate programs that reward illegal aliens.
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Mothers & fathers
If God so designed the family that children would have a married mother and father, such an arrangement is not made invalid because one does not believe in God. In short, Dobson’s argument that a mother and father are essential in a child’s upbringing is invincible.
Easter
That cannot be for back in that day and time, had the Disciples concocted a fable, they would not have given such preeminent roles to women.
All four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John record that women were the first to greet the risen Lord!
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The homeless
As I read the highlights column on the left side of News page 4, I gathered these “facts": 16,203 Estimated number of homeless in Colorado, Colorado Interagency Council on Homelessness 20,730 Estimated number of homeless in Colorado, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development 754,000 Estimated number of homeless in the United States on any given night, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development I then went to the U.S Census Bureau’s web site. Here I found the following: 296,507,061 Estimated U.S. population, U.S. Census Bureau, as of July, 2006 4,753,377 Estimated Colorado population, U.S. Census Bureau, as of July, 2006 Thus, Colorado’s population is 1.59% of the U.S. population, as of July, 2006.
As a very simple “reasonableness test", I applied this per cent of the U.S. population (296,506,061) to determine Colorado’s proportionate share of the homeless population, which would be 11,971.
Since the crack but uncritical, likely short on math skills staff at the RMN, published, unquestioningly, the study indicating the Colorado homeless population was 16,203, which is 35.4% higher than the proportional share of the U.S. Census Bureau’s national homeless estimate. To it’s credit, the RMN writer also inferred there might be some inconsistency, when the U.S. Census Bureau’s estimate was 20,730, an increase of 73.2% over Colorado’s proportional share of the U.S.
homeless population.
Unless there is something “bad wrong” with Colorado, how can these disparities be explained?
I appreciate that “journalists” are mathematically challenged. However, even your staff should have asked some intelligent questions when obvious disproportionate numbers are presented as “facts". For example, why weren’t these questions asked, prior to reporting the disproportionate numbers in Stuart Steers’ article 1. Why would Colorado’s homeless population be so disproportionate?
2. Where does Colorado rank, among the states, on the cost of utilities?
3. Where does Colorado rank, among the states, on the cost of housing?
4. Where does Colorado rank, among the states, on it’s population of citizens experiencing at least one serious disabling condition?
5. Where does Colorado rank, among the states, on it’s population of citizens reporting substance abuse?
6. Where does Colorado rank, among the states, on it’s population of citizens reporting a medical condition?
7. Where does Colorado rank, among the states, on it’s population of citizens reporting HIV/AIDS?
8. Where does Colorado rank, among the states, on it’s population of citizens reporting a developmental disability?
Of course, it is possible that there are rational answers to the above questions. But, I would bet a steak dinner there aren’t. Further, I would bet another steak dinner, at your favorite Denver steak house, the questions weren’t even considered, much less asked.
Is it any wonder that the credibility of the news media, as well as the RMN is declining to an all time low, followed by your circulation?
Rather than cutting costs and the size of your paper and type, you might want to try producing an improved product. “We’re no worse than the competition” is simply a recipe for going out of business - a loss to you, but more importantly, a loss to your readers.
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Charter schools
The fact that no debate is allowed by a party (in this case, Democrat) chair is a sad testimony of politics at its worst. A bill, SBA 61 (of which sole purpose is to, evidently, destroy the charter school movement in Colorado), a bill which shouldn’t even be connected to political parties, is gutted and railroaded through the committee by the chair, Rep. Merrifield, who owes his seat to the Colorado Education Association. Anyone who can read can see that this bill is written to allow the school districts, and through them, the CEA members from being accountable for their failure to provide quality education to all of their students. The “one size fits all” comments (in a past issue of the Rocky Mountain News) about the federal No Child Left Behind Laws by the head of Wyoming schools could substitute for the approach of the majority of Colorado’s public school system, except when individual chosen (by the district school boards) schools in certain areas can discriminate in their enrollment and financial advantages. Regardless of the bill’s content, not allowing opposing testimony from the state Charter School Institute’s representative by the chair was a reprehensible and vile action. Of course, Senator Windels only allowed two minutes per opposing speaker in the Senate Education Committee hearing, scheduling it so that the CEA representative, the Colorado Association of School Boards , and the Colorado Association of School Executives could present their support with as much time as they wanted. Not surprising that Windels is the Chair of the Senate Education Committee. It is a sad and sickening side of politics as usual. But the real losers are the students of Colorado.
American workers
State song
Dr.
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NAFTA Superhighway
The NAFTA Superhighway will connect Canada, Mexico and the United States, and it will for all intents and purposes erase our border and “harmonize” our laws on trade, law enforcement and transportation. You think there’s a lot of illegal immigrants here now, wait until this and the Free Trade Agreement of Americas (FTAA) are complete!
It’s surely true that the media is leftist in its posture politically, but don’t they care a whit for the United States? With the U.S. merged with Mexico, we will inherit all of the evils that accompany that, for example; massive political corruption, kidnappings, abuse of women, rampant pornography, crime and drug use.
A merger with Canada will give us the same worthless medical care they have. Do you want to wait three months for a mammogram if you’re a woman, or how about 16 weeks for removal of a kidney stone? Ooh that hurts! Losing sovereignty hurts the most, and you leftists will not like the result.
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Taxis
As with anyone with a vehicle, if you must call a cab, make sure you have a little time to wait.
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America rotting
Politicians spend multimillions of dollars (sometimes it’s even their own money) to get elected to a job that pays $160,000 per year. How does that compute? Speaker of the house Pelosi promises a democrat majority free of corruption and then has to recall most of her appointments because her first appointees were tainted by scandal.
The Senate unanimously confirmed General Petraeus as the new commander in Iraq and then immediately sought to stop funding the military effort while claiming to support the troops. Makes you want to start banging heads.
Border Patrol Agents do their job of catching illegal aliens running drugs on our southern border. For their efforts the agents are tried and convicted of wounding a criminal drug runner trying to escape into Mexico. The criminal was given immunity from prosecution to testify against the agents. The agents are sentenced to prison and the criminal was awarded a large monetary settlement for suffering a wound. While enjoying immunity he was caught a second time running drugs into the U.S. Over zealous prosecutors in the Justice Department need to be informed that the Constitution is not a suicide pac
Mr. Green Jeans Gore exclaims “the sky is falling, the sky is falling” and we must all deprive ourselves of SUV’s, heat, lights and travel to reduce those dastardly carbons. And all the while he divides his time among three large energy hungry mansions and flies around in private jets spewing carbons many times more than the average citizen. Don’t you just love those limousine liberals and Hollywood environmentalist who want everyone to hang their cloths out to dry instead of using an electric dryer? Thank you Barbara for that wonderful world saving hint. I can’t wait to see your unmentionables flying at half mast.
Is this country rotting from the inside out, or what?
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Paul Campos
I strongly disagree with his premise that the differences between believers and nonbelievers is and ought to be relevant to political life. Our Constitution states “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office” and “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion". While I agree that an atheist couldn’t be elected a dogcatcher in America today, I find it a sad commentary when a qualified individual who would use his brain and logic to make important political, economic and military decisions be effectively barred from office simply because he does not believe in God. Contrast that with our current President, a strong believer, who says “ God told him to attack Iraq".
Mr. Campos believes that anyone who makes lots of “ought” statements cannot be a genuine atheist. He singles out Edward Wilson because Wilson believes we ought to preserve biological diversity and humanity as a profound moral imperative. Campos finds that nonsensical.
I find it incredulous that Mr. Campos would think a genuine atheist wouldn’t care in the slightest if species and even the human race not to mention the earth were wiped out after their death. Mr. Wilson has children, grandchildren, family and friends that he wants to have a better world. He has greatly added to our biological knowledge that he wants to pass along to future generations as all great scientists do(the majority of scientists are nonbelievers).
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Denver election
Where are the articles now about who has filed to run, and deadlines for others who might be interested? Why haven’t the newspapers reported the poor job being done by the Denver Election Commissions posting this information on their website? Our Optimist Club invited a City Council Person speak yesterday who is running for reelection.
Not one word was said in the 1/2 hour talk about the election and her position on issues. “We get along with the Mayor, and that’s the way people like it,” she said as she put on her coat to leave.
Most people I talk with are unhappy with the Mayor and the City Council for their performance with snow removal, the lack of progress with the new Justice Center, the mishandling of the homeless and immigration problems in Denver, etc.
There will be great interest in the May elections, I’m sure.
If we end up with a ballot in May with few good choices, the primary blame will be with the poor job that’s been done by Denver newspapers.
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Zoo tragedy
Of Iraq & laptops
What the heck, if Scooter Libby can sacrifice himself for top administration officials of this country by just simply lieing through his teeth why worry about the small stuff. If we allow thousands of our nation’s young to be lost on a war that should have never been, why cry about an old used piece of equipment? Billions of our much needed dollars are squandered away out in a desert somewhere and we sit around and fiddle our fingers, worried half to death about old piece of equipment.
Everything has gone to pots, from top to bottom, what else can go wrong? Even our voting machines don’t work. Those foxholes are still there in my street. And we cry about an old computer! Why, we ought to just push the button and open up every single jail door in this country. Let them all out.
Two thousand and eight is just around the corner. Let’s us start anew, in an environment free from all corruption and Bushruptions. Let us bring our soldiers home where they belong. Let the little old city attorney have his little old lab top, he paid for it didn’t he?
Paul Campos & Ann Coulter
Coulter knew what would happen when she dropped her little throw-away line about how she can’t remark on Edwards, because “It turns out you have to go to rehab if you use the word ‘faggot.’” It was not a genteel remark, but then, Coulter is not know for gentility. To the contrary, her biting sarcasm sells a lot of books. Insofar as this goes, Campos is right, just as it is true that Molly Ivans made her living with biting “humor” from the opposite perspective. Campos’ statement that a Democrat would be “instantly destroyed” for such a comment, though, is frankly laughable, even leaving Molly Ivans out of the comparison. I think I must have missed Campos’ column condemning Whoopee Goldberg for her very own vagina-monologue, comparing W.’s last name to pubic hair at a Democratic fund raiser for John Kerry, but last I checked, Goldberg is still working (and still bashing Republicans, one presumes). Shall we also discuss the Dixie Chicks, and Robin Williams? I think my point is made...
Humor is made of surprising twists. Obvoius twists are not clever, and not funny, like using the word “bush” as a double-entondre. There would be no twist, and therefore no surprise and no humor, not to mention being certainly offensive, had Coulter said, for example, about Barney Frank the same thing as what she said about Edwards. The fact that no one really thinks Edwards is gay gives the comment something of a surprise twist, which is why Coulter got a laugh (and some applause) for that comment. Everybody sat for a moment, trying to understand what she could mean by saying that, and then, presumably, people started to think about Edwards meticulous primping and grooming, and made the connection I think Coulter was trying to satirize.
And make no mistake, that’s exactly what this is: Satire. Offensive? Yes, some people are clearly offended. Funny? Humor, like beauty, is often in the eye of the beholder. Some laugh, some do not. Politics? Undoubtedly. I, personally, wish she had not said it. I, personally, will probably still buy her next book.
Whether or not someone finds Coulter’s remarks beyond the pale, it is noteworthy that Campos took the time to work into his column five examples of calling Coulter “a (expletive).” He did it as if it were a mere example for comparison. Five examples, though... it is as transparent as if I were to work into this paragraph (for comparison only, of course), “Campos is said by some to be a jack*ss. If he were not a jack*ss, he would not be saying such things. Of course, being a jack*ss is what some columnists do, so the fact that Campos is thought to be a jack*ss should come as no surprise... but I would never say that about him, myself, no matter how much he deserves it.” Observe that I’m still one “jack*ss” short of Campos’ five examples of “(expletive).” The “*” has the same effect as Campos writing “(expletive)"- it draws the eye, and attention, away from the substance of the words, and into the intent of the insult. Coulter’s line was used exactly once. Campos is not making a comparison, he is calling Coulter a (expletive), even while writing “any decent person would avoid” saying such a thing.
For the record, I do not think Paul Campos is a jack*ss. I think he is a thoughtful man, with, usually, a nice writing style and with occasional and very acute episodes of exceptionally good insight. I enjoy his column more often than not, even though, more often than not, I disagree with him. His obsession with Ann Coulter, though, is getting tiresome. Maybe he could take that up with a therapist, and leave it out of his columns.
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Drinking and driving
As for the multiple offenders. These are alcoholics with serious problems. Most can’t remember the last time they were in possession of a valid drivers license. They not only drink and drive without licenses, they will also borrow a car if they don’t own one. Two solutions have been tried with only moderate degrees of success. One, a mandatory alcohol treatment program, often 30 days in-patient followed by a stay in a half-way house. Or two, a lengthy jail sentence from one to fifteen years depending on the seriousness of the offense. The alcohol treatment program works only for those with the desire to stay sober. The jail sentence temporarily protects the community. Sooner or later these untreated alcoholics are back on the street and behind the wheel of an automobile.
If a county desires to experiment with an expensive ignition interlock system, try it with multiple offenders who still own automobiles. Any reasonable attempt to save lives is worth a try.
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Evicted protesters
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Liberal columnists
Ms. Means gushed all over “Big Al” (much weightier guy than in White House days!). “He has transformed An Inconvenient Truth into a blockbuster event....” - when this farcical Power Point slide show is pure propaganda, with carefully cherry picked factoids, completely devoid of scientific evidence for its wild claims. “He never dreamed of himself as being a politician....” - oh, please - he’s ridden that gravy train his whole life.
There was a point back in the 80s when he sounded like a reasonable and able congressman - but those days are long gone. And then the truth comes out about the carbon credits he traded for to fuel that extra large size southern mansion in Nashville!
Mr. Greenway is a far distant lefty. His fundamental lie in this editorial is the totally discredited idea that the Bush administration was out to get Joe Wilson. Heck, that guy thoroughly discredited himself when he turned in a truthful report after his trip to Africa, and then refuted the report in a NY Times Op Ed!! And, no, dear Valerie wasn’t under cover during the pointless special prosecutor’s “investigation.” So now Mr. Libby is being run through the ringer for no reason, and the jury is so concerned over rendering a verdict that the “twelve good (persons) and true” want the weekend off to do personal errands!
You can do better than this, sports fans.
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Amendment 41
To put a stop to lobbyist “buying and paying for”
It was not intended to stop a child from accepting a scholarship if their mother or father happen to work for the state regardless of what that person does without taking into account whether or not they have influence in the law making process.
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Illegal immigration
Not only are raids not the answer to a broken immigration system which has people waiting for up to 20 years in an applicant status while we benefit from their labor, but it reeks of Nazi tactics: persons who fit a certain racial profile get rounded up without warning and without any consideration about what happens to their families, then shipped across the country to be locked up in prisons for years without a right to due process or visitation.
If the government was really concerned about illegal immigration, rather than using undocumented workers as scape-goats to distract from the bigger picture, it would work towards comprehensive immigration reform and solutions for the cause of the problem rather than attacking its symptoms. I will never understand why the so-called capitalistic laws of demand and supply are only valid when it comes to multinational corporations finding cheap labor in any other country they please without having to respect national borders, while it is illegal for the work-force of foreign countries to do likewise.
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Climate change
Recently a letter to an editor called my attention to a paper by Richard S.
Lindzen, Professor of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since then another letter has attempted to discredit Professor Lindzen’s conclusions by implying that since it was published in 1992 it is out of date. But how much can have changed in atmospheric conditions and methods of research in 15 years? Probably not a lot. In that same letter the Cato Institute, publisher of the professor’s paper, is labeled a notoriously right wing conservative entity, and apparently for that reason should have no credence.
Would that same writer discredit many publications of work by college professors, the majority of whom lean toward the liberal left?
Professor Lindzen writes an interesting conclusion in the first paragraph of his paper: “I must state at the outset that, as a scientist, I can find no substantive basis for the warming scenarios being popularly described.” He goes on in a analysis supporting that conclusion.
After reading through the discussion of models, research and conclusions, I decided Professor Lindzen points to a serious problem having nothing to do with climatology. A lot of people, Hollywood types, politicians, environmentalists, and scientists are jumping on the “global warming” band wagon because in many cases there is money to be made. Professor Aaron Wilavsky of the University of California has described “global warming” as being the mother of all environmental scares. Careers are being built around the issue.
Continued usage of carbon fuels and concomitant generation of carbon dioxide is vital to our economy and our standard of living, and that of the world.
We need to concentrate on developing extremely clean coal-fired power plants to utilize our largest natural resource. The construction of the cleanest of all power plants, nuclear, should be encouraged by simplification of the licensing process. The media should report both sides of this issue in a fair and balanced manner.
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Iraq war resolution
If I want to hear about what they feel, I read their web sites. They are there to take action not waste time debating and voting on something that has no force of law and is, basically, meaningless. The house members participating in this should refund the US treasury the equivalent amount of salary they should have earned during this activity.
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Walter Reed scandal
Although the article didn’t say so, Weightman’s interim replacement was Lt.
This is the same Kiley who headed Walter Reed for two years, until 2004, and subsequently, as the Army’s surgeon general, was the supervisor of its director. This is the same Kiley who, when he headed Walter Reed, was told by the wife of a Republican member of Congress that there were problems there. This is the same Kiley who was told, as Army surgeon general, that there were problems at Walter Reed. And this is the same Kiley who pooh-poohed the Washington Post stories as “one-sided.”
I will leave aside the question of how the Army can possibly think Kiley is the right man to set things straight at Walter Reed. But how is it possible that the Rocky’s AP article about Weightman’s firing doesn’t mention Kiley by name, let alone detail Kiley’s own checkered history with the hospital?
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Manzanares & the laptop
2.. Everyone knows that public officials never steal or take bribes.
3.. He’s a Democrat, and while everyone knows that Republicans must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law at all times, Democrats are always considered to be innocent by default, at least as long as there are Democrats in the Mayor’s office and Governor’s mansion.
4.. The top DA brass has turned the case over to a special prosecutor to be reviewed until such time as everyone has forgotten about it.
5.. State government is sure they can figure out how to implicate President Bush, Dick Cheney, Carl Rove, and/or Scooter Libby in the theft.
6.. Mr. Manzanares has agreed to resign over the incident; although, he’ll immediately be hired back as a consultant at three times his old salary.
7.. The Colorado State Court Administration first wants to get a look at the laptop to determine whether Mr. Manzanares spilled butter on it, as this would have legally made it an English muffin instead of a computer.
8.. The lying conservative media trumped up the charges against Mr. Manzanares for political reasons.
9.. Mr. Manzanares swears that he got the laptop form the same legitimate source where he got his 25 State of Colorado ashtrays and 12 State of Colorado letter openers.
10.. The whole thing is a vast, rightwing conspiracy cooked up by a purely-partisan state court administrator, with ties to Al Quaeda and the Repbulican Party.
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Bush administration
We have spent billions and billions are involved in fraud and corruption.
The Bush administration influenced North Korea, Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
The Iraq war has created more insurgents, militants and volunteers into Al Qaeda.
Everyone says the Congress voted for the war. According to Wesly Clark and others we have discovered that the Bush Administration influenced, cajoled the CIA and FBI to come up with false information of the WMD’s, nuclear and Al Qaeda connection.
So now that we know all this why haven’t we fired, impeached the whole Bush group who caused this? Because the then Republican dominated congress refused to take responsibility for this fiasco. They claim the entire world community would see us as dysfunctional and disorganized.
The world already sees us as dysfunctional, war mongering and arrogant.
I say we would make more peace and gain more credibility by admitting our errors and firing and impeaching the Bush administration, getting out of Iraq, finishing up in Afghanistan and leave.
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Karl Rove
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Higher education
IE. 1) Ward Churchill. 2) Sports program sex problems. 3) Attempting to spend $300,000 to do a national search for a CU president after Hank Brown was appointed by Governor Owens —- because the poor darlings in staff didn’t get a chance to PICK THEIR BOSS —— I worked for 50 years in high tech, wrote and taught multiple computer classes, and never got to pick my bosses. 4) Tenure —- I was very important to the businesses I worked for —- they really couldn’t do without me —- I mean REALLY, —- but I could still be fired or cut at any time. 5) Diversity —- CU can’t even identify how much they are spending on DIVERSITY (from an Independence Institute study), yet they want to hire a Vise Chancellor of Diversity —- don’t know about you, but if you can’t identify what you are spending, you shouldn’t get any more.
After reading multiple writings by Larry Penley (President of CSU) over the last couple years, I get the distinct impression that constipation can be blamed on insufficient funding of
Did anybody consider in these so called studies that IBM has considerably downsized and sent many jobs overseas, that Sun has downsized, that Storage Tek is no longer in business, etc. etc. These changes didn’t happen because of insufficient higher education funding.
When is the news media going to start telling the truth about this sacred cow. It’s become a crock!!!!
P
Manzanares & the laptop
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The press
Celebrity-turned-superbimbo Britney Spears kinda stole that from us now, didn’t she? The guys on the team can still do that for their struggling teammate, but right now a girl can’t join in without drawing stares from strangers who are obviously thinking: “rehab?”
Instead of wondering why these decadent jet-setters are getting so much press attention, maybe we should be asking the press why they aren’t filling their pages with so much coverage and investigation that there shouldn’t be any space left for stars’ shaving alerts.
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Republicans
Whether it’s understanding the plight of the working poor, or just not caring about them is a topic of conversation around many dinner tables.
Health care is unavailable or unafordable for too many families, and the neo-con mind set seems to be “Well, why don’t they just get another job that provides health insurance?” or “Why don’t we just dip into our trust fund and pay for it?” Neither scenario is practical or even possible.
The country club set that’s been running our country into the ground as well as into expensive wars is finally being taken to task for what’s happened the last 6 years.
Working Joe is not happy, and he’s realized that it’s HIS sons and daughters that have gone to war and it’s HIS tax dollars that have been squandered. Despite the lies that “The oil revenues will pay for the war” or “The war will last 6 weeks, maybe 6 months"... WMD’s ...Mushroom clouds over New York, etc. etc, etc.
Call your republican legislators and let them know that we’re done with them (To quote the Bush matriarch) , declare that Watergate was not that long ago, and that we realize that the similarities between G. Gordon Liddy and Scooter Libby are painfully obvious.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
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Taxis
No the answer is not de-regulation but more stringent enforcement of the regulations already in place. The P.U.C. has the authority to impose fines on a cab driver for many different reasons including refusing or failing to pick up a customer ($200.00), yet in the five years I spent in management I had only witnessed one such fine imposed on a driver. Hit the driver where it hurts and you will find he would much rather take the short trip than to pay the fines that can be imposed and in turn you will see a dramatic improvement in service. More is not necessarily better. P.S. How about asking readers with both bad and good experiences to contact you?
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Walter Reed scandal
We now find out that outsourcing is exactly a large part of the problem currently targeted at Walter Reed. Some genius in the government decided to get rid of 350 skilled government workers and replace them with 100 obviously incompetent IAP CO. employees, the same company that bungled the Katrina contracting effort. I hardly think Mr. Bortz will retract his wrong statement - to defend it as merely his opinion is ridiculous—It is distressing to see the Rocky publish wrong information without checking the facts.
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Scooter Libby
In the first place, saying the outing of Valerie Plame as a CIA agent constituted “no underlying crime” completely disregards the facts; she WAS an undercover CIA agent, as the grand jury’s investigation made clear. If she hadn’t been a covert agent, the CIA wouldn’t have filed a crime report shortly after Robert Novak’s infamous column, nor would the case have made it out of the grand jury.
Furthermore, if trial testimony established that “half the Washington press corp” was talking about Valerie Plame, it was doing so because of the Bush Administration’s efforts to ensure people were talking about her. Trial testimony also established that the Bush Administration, especially Vice President Cheney, was obsessed with destroying the credibility of Ms. Plame’s husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson, who had criticized the Administration’s Niger claim and the infamous “sixteen words” in Bush’s 2003 State of the Union speech.
The Bush Administration’s actions not only called a dedicated public servant a liar, they destroyed a CIA operative’s career, sabotaged her undercover operation, undermined the Administration’s own efforts to locate weapons of mass destruction in Iran, (how’s that for irony?) and furthered the Administration’s goal of manufacturing justifications for a senseless, needless, wasteful war on Iraq. THERE are your underlying crimes.
Your attempts to link Patrick Fitzgerald with Kenneth Starr simply don’t hold water. Mr. Starr’s prosecution began with a failed real estate deal and ended with a purely political attempt to impeach President Clinton for adultery.
That impeachment will go down in history as a blot on the U.S. Constitution and on the dignity of our nation.
Mr. Fitzgerald’s investigation uncovered a far more grave blot on our Constitution and our dignity, but one perpetuated not by the Special Prosecutor, but by the Bush Administration. Nevertheless, your editorial attempts to minimize the gravity of these crimes. The fact that only Mr. Libby has been prosecuted has nothing to do with any perceived weakness in Mr. Fitzgerald’s case.
Rather, it’s a reflection of his cautious investigation and of the Administration’s determination that it sacrifice only one patsy per scandal.
Finally, your complaint that the appointment of a Special Prosecutor “is almost always a bad idea” is simply hard to swallow. The “bad idea” that was the Starr investigation didn’t prevent your paper from endorsing the result of that bad idea, the Clinton impeachment.
Mr. Fitzgerald’s investigation, on the other hand, exposed the Bush Administration to be a power mad, manipulative bunch of serial liars and war-mongers, determined to destroy anyone who opposed their goal of a war with Iraq.
Does the Rocky Mountain News think it’s a “bad idea” that we know this? Is it better that we live, as the Bush Administration wants us to, in blissful ignorance?
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War
Tuesday night ABC aired a documentary detailing the horrific ordeal of reporter Bob Woodruf, who in turn is exposing the horrific, and often hidden, world of brain injury; the number one injury among our returning soldiers and Marines and what is not being done for them by the VA.
Today the Rocky ran a story of a Loveland man whose Marine son is about to return for his third tour of duty. Rightly so this father is angry- like a lot of other military families- that his son is risking his life for a lie, an unjust dead end war. He backs the Colorado Senate’s anti-war resolution. A resolution that was introduced by Sen. Ron Tupa who has now softened the measure from earlier drafts calling for a phased withdrawal. I would encourage both Tupa and the Senate to do other wise.
I would encourage them to add to this resolution a proviso, a message to all those seeking the Presidency in 2008. Simply put it would read to this effect: Any sitting American President who declares war on another country does so by first offering up every able bodied member of his (or her) immediate family for service. This goes for all cabinet members and administration members from the top on down to all who support the war. Then see what kind of armor the troops get. What kind of rehabilitation returning vets get. But most importantly, how much closer we examine the serious nature of war.
Support the troops. Bring them home now and continue to support them with both the medical and mental health care needed. Either that or send in the twins and all the other privileged children of the deciders and armchair warriors.
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Air pollution
However, one thing that we all can agree on is that the ‘GUNK’ in the air in our big cities is slowly killing us.
A truth is that the air in our big cities is almost as pure as the air at the top of Mount Everest compared to the air in Beijing, Singapore, Bangalore or worse yet, New Delhi. Thus, our air is bad but the air of other cities is worse and make no mistake about that. However, worldwide we are all seriously shorting our life spans by polluting our world’s air.
A second truth is that the air has got ‘GUNK’ in it from our vehicles, and this is because of the fuel that we are using to power our vehicles. Also, much of the fuel that we are purchasing is helping finance the jihad that is being waged against all Christians, Jews and non believers. This is almost everybody folks!
A third truth is that the solution to cleaning up our air worldwide, improving our life spans worldwide, and at the same time stopping jihad worldwide, is to change the fuel of our vehicles to hydrogen. Hydrogen fuel however is an inconvenient solution, because it can only be made efficiently from nuclear energy. Any other manufacture of hydrogen from other fuels is quite absurd, outrageously inefficient, and will only make our air pollution worse!
Thus, the inconvenient solution to “An Inconvenient Truth” is actually to follow France’s example of supplying all electricity with nuclear energy.
But this is now the crux to our real dilemma in this land of the free where the minority is loud, the majority is silent, and thus our direction usually wrong!
How do we start building nuclear power plants again that were stopped thirty (30) years ago by the same type of present day Gore followers? How do we start building nuclear power plants again when we have deregulated our electrical power industry?
“The Inconvenient Truth” to “An Inconvenient Truth” is that we in the United States have been headed down a one way path for the last thirty (30) years, and the only solution is to admit we have made a very grave mistake. Thus, we must turn around on this one way path and begin building nuclear power plants like there is no tomorrow, because, guess what? There may be no tomorrow!
The final inconvenient truth is that there is no tomorrow for any of us because: (1) Can you picture Gore’s current followers now admitting their mistake of thirty (30) years ago condemning nuclear energy generation of our electricity? (2) Can you picture our Representatives in Congress admitting their mistake in deregulating the electrical power industry? (3) Can you picture the electrical power industry taking the very high financial risk on their own of building nuclear power plants under the current deregulation mandated by Congress?
I can’t! No way will any of this happen. So guess what? “The Final Inconvenient Truth is that there is no tomorrow for any of us.” Too bad, so sad, your Dad.
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Conservatives & Republicans
Serious and sophisticated Conservatives and Republicans would do well to begin to distance themselves from the spoiled, raving Ann Coulter temperamental teenager if they plan to ever again be perceived as a serious political party.
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Presidential contenders
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Conservatives & liberals
His faulty premise that “liberals are motivated by their feelings and emotions more than sound foreign policy” couldn’t be more ironic. He parrots a familiar Bush fallacy - “we have to fight them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here” - that was specifically designed to appeal to fear, cowardice, and people’s emotional response to 9/11.
The writers conflation of Al Qaeda’s attack on New York and the war we started in Iraq is typical nonsense that shows just how good the President has been at “catapulting the propaganda” - to use his own words. You have to be under a pretty thick blanket of ignorance to still believe one had anything to do with the other.
Despite six years of total rule by conservatives, Mr. Runavich blames all of the failings, mismanagement, callous indifference and outright crimes of George W. Bush and his incompetent cronies on some non-existent cabal of “liberals” that exists only in his mind. As an exercise, I suggest that he compare the writings of Authoritarian Bush Cultist and conservative icon Ann Coulter with those of another famous propagandist Joseph Goebbels; replace the word “liberals” with “Jews” and the similarities are striking.
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Paul Campos
In Campos’ universe, there’s no liberal bias in the media. In fact, the poor media have been so bullied and intimidated by those whining Republicans, they get away with things that would instantly destroy any Democrat (like William Jefferson of $90,000 in the freezer fame?). His primary proof is the failure of the New York Times to mention Ann Coulter referring to John Edwards as a faggot at a conservative political gathering. I guess in Campos’ world, if the NYT doesn’t say something it doesn’t exist. But for the rest of us it appears that everyone else in the intimidated and unbiased media have been doing little but piling on Coulter, if not calling for her crucifixion”
Oh well, hopefully the NYT will catch a clue one of these days and stop being a conservative rag. In the meantime, poor Paul may wish to seek solace from fellow Boulderite and parallel universe occupant Ward Churchill, who I believe is still receiving his $100,000+ salary from the people of Colorado after calling the 9/11 victims little Eichmanns.
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Solution for busybody nonsmokers
Smokers know what they are doing — they don’t need you to tell them it is bad for their health and yours. Smokers are no less intelligent then the next person, so quit patting yourself on the back. It could be both ways — smoking and nonsmoking establishments. That way everyone is happy and no one has to interfere in the business of anyone else.
And, if you are so determined to make it your business to force your wishes on others, make cigarettes and cigars illegal and keep your mouth shut about the tax dollars you will no longer get!
A third option in Iraq
I believe a third option makes better sense: move our troops out to the borders, out of harm’s way and let Iraq have the civil war and bloodbath that most appear to want.
Once the Iraqi people have had enough bloodletting, then allow our military to help with security until Iraq’s government and military is sufficiently stable to run the country.
If the resulting government does not want any help, then pull our troops out of Iraq.
Seat-belt hypocrisy
I don’t think adults should be ticketed for not buckling up since failure to wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle is not a ticketable offense.
We know that both save lives and injuries — that’s obvious — but who would fare the best in an accident, an unbelted driver surrounded by a car for protection or a helmetless motorcycle rider with absolutely no protection whatsoever? Fair is fair!
Vincent Knight of Fort Collins writes:
Mike Rosen’s attack on environmentalist F.R. Pamp (“Enviro-socialism,” Feb. 23) was completely accurate.
A recent letter to the editor in the March 9 edition titled, “And Columnist Mike Rosen is a Cactus,” attacks Rosen’s assessment of Pamp as a Bolshevik. The author states that “nowhere in Pamp’s article did he remotely suggest communist-style government intervention as a means of controlling the material excesses of our American elites. He merely questioned the necessity for such gross indulgence, the mind-set behind it and its impact on the planet and our finite resources.”
The fact remains that there are two basic economic systems currently being employed in the world, capitalism and communism (by the way, how is the quality-of-life in North Korea and Cuba?). Elements of socialism are present in our mixed capitalist systems, and these elements depend on “government intervention as a means.” What, you didn’t honestly think that the majority of the people out there were going to voluntarily give away up to one-third of their earnings so that the government can redistribute it and otherwise do with it what it pleases? Janet Elway and most people like her would not just give the remainder of their resources away either.
Seeing as Pamp’s article is an attack on the excesses of capitalism, the only possible solution to this “problem” is the application of the only other system, communism (a.k.a. socialism in practice). By definition of his subjectively stated problem, the excesses of capitalism, the implication is that a “problem” such as this can only be solved through Bolshevik-style communism, in other words extreme government intervention.
Put differently, if it is not communism, then it has elements of capitalism, whose excesses are the stated problem. Communism is Pamp’s only possible would-be solution, the only system without elements of capitalism. Mike Rosen’s assessment of Pamp’s solution is implied by Pamp himself.
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Iraq war
Now that both parties, in the promptly-retracted words of Obama and McCain, have admitted the word “waste” into play, I have a better slogan for those yellow ribbons: “DON’T WASTE THEIR DAMN LIVES IN THE FIRST PLACE!”
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Climate change
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Mike Rosen & drunken driving
Second, a car or truck is simply an efficient means of conveying people from one place to another - just like, say, an airplane. So, how many drinks would Mr. Rosen consider to be acceptable for an airline pilot to consume before taking off with 150 passengers? - Or is it more important for *those* vehicle operators to remain completely sober only because they would kill more people at once if they made a mistake?
After due consideration, I don’t think it constitutes “paranoid, risk-averse, nannyist control” to keep people who are even “barely tipsy” - as I was 11 years ago - from behind a steering wheel. And if it saved “only one life", yes, it would be worth it. I’m pretty fond of mine; how about you, Mr. Rosen?
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Tom Tancredo
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Climate change
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Taxis
The horror stories I’m reading here nearly all seem to involve downtown and LoDo. All but one of the cab rides I can recall taking originated in Glendale, Aurora, and other outlying parts of town. I wonder if competition between customers is at least partially responsible for poor cab service?
Downtown is full of tourist hotels, which seem to be cabbies’ Holy Grail. It makes sense they would vie for those fares at the expense of others. Perhaps cabbies in outlying parts of town see less differences in the desirability of fares and so treat them all with greater respect.
One solution would be a merit system in which cabbies get plum fares based upon their service to short-hoppers and especially the disabled and other voucher-using populations. Make that low-income cab voucher a ticket to a coveted DIA trip instead of a no-tip losing proposition.
Then we might see cabbies act like Boy Scouts, fighting each other to help little old ladies across the street.
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Health care
Staying healthy is the best cost-reducer. A good diet and regular exercise are obvious aids. Also fundamental to good health is our state of mind: Our beliefs about life and ourselves, our relationships, our job satisfaction, and perhaps most importantly, whether we believe our thoughts can influence our health.
Consider the use of double blind testing of new drugs to eliminate the placebo effect. This is where one group is given the new drug and the second group is given a sugar pill. In many tests the placebo effect is as high as 30%, and as high as 50% with mood altering drugs like anti-depressants. It would be helpful to have the research part of mainstream medicine conduct some unbiased studies into this, as well as some of the more “way out” treatments like light therapy, energy healing, and past life regression. These treatments produce lasting results with some people. Just because we don’t understand the underlying mechanism with these treatments, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use them.
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Climate change
The answer is; as with all policy questions that which is the result of a cost-benefit analysis.
To begin with CO2 has only three narrow absorption bands in the Greenhouse region; is a small percentage of the total atmosphere and human contribution is a small percentage of the total CO2 emissions; (oceans being the largest).
Thus one has a small number of a small number of a small number which is a very small number which we have any control over. Even assuming any significant reduction were possible it would be at a prohibitive cost. Thus any initiative with such a high cost-benefit ratio had better be absolutely necessary. I have yet to see any evidence that assuming a long-term warmer planet: (and that is a big assumption), is necessarily a bad thing. Greenland would be green again.
Now if these writers are suggesting alternative sources of energy so as to lessen our dependence on foreign oil, that is an entirely different question and in the long term will have to be attained and is a desirable goal.
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Political blogging
First, there’s an important distinction between anonymous political blogs and pseudonymous ones. At SquareState.net for example, each of us blogs under an assumed blog-name - very much akin to a nom de plume. Every piece I write has that name as a link which calls up everything else I’ve written at the site. An email address is also listed.. While not an exact identity, a reader can establish trust whether the blogger is consistent and truthful or not. I, as well as most, do this to distance myself from my day job which is not at all involved in politics. Some even chose to use their real names. That is quite a bit different from a blog with no identity such that even the number of people running the blog is in question.
Second, the article fails to mention Dick Wadham’s history of using underhanded tactics in the past such as paying anonymous bloggers in the South Dakota senate race for John Thune and coordinating with gay prostitute, GOP shill Jeff Gannon.
As Stephen Colbert said, “facts have a well known liberal bias", and we at SquareState will continue to search for that truth, while it seems the right, as paraphrased by Wadhams in the article, will continue to shovel more crap. It’s too bad he tried to lump all of us together when clearly all the lies, distortions, and fake websites come from one side.
You’ll notice that three of the blogs created in the last few weeks, when criticized and debunked by us and others in the lefty blogosphere, have been deleted — an obvious admission of guilt that such sites were indeed fake.
Another difference I’d like to point out for SquareState is that it is a community blog. Anyone is free to create an account and blog away.
Offensive content is removed and repeat offenses can result in banning.
However, we love a good productive argument. This results in a community policing effort where content can be called into question as needed.
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Athletic trainers
Certified athletic trainer
As a private practioner it is bothersome to me that under current Colorado law almost anyone can hang out a shingle and call themselves an Athletic Trainer. There is a tremendous potential for harm when an unqualified professional provides these types of services. In Colorado, even if a qualified professional causes harm through negligence or otherwise there is no measure for recourse. 44 other states found the need to license Athletic Trainers. If Colorado doesn’t we’ll become the dumping ground for the “bad apples". I am sure that the citizens of Colorado will appreciate the public protection that SB24 will provide, especially the parents of minors in youth and school athletics.
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Paul Campos
Trent Lott loses his leadership position due in part to media pressure after remarks made at Strom Thurmond’s birthday party. Robert “Kleagle” Byrd uses the N word on TV and nothing is said. George “Macaca” Allen is, rightly, sent home after the last election. Howard Dean calls Republicans every filthy name in the book and states that blacks won’t be seen around them except for the maid staff (that explains all the African Americans in Bush’s Cabinet). He, like every other leftie, gets a pass from the media.
Hillary’s Aunt Jemima act in Selma goes unnoticed by the liberal media, as does Barak Obama’s lapse into Ebonics at the same event (and his lie about his birthdate).
C’mon, Prof, we in the world aren’t stupid.
Fact is, only someone living under a rock or blinded by left wing brain damage calls our MSM conservative. Moreover, you have the gall to continue to use that noggin full of bad wiring to poison young minds. Shame on you.
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Hurricane fallout
The crafting of sensible policies requires the correction of three common misperceptions.
First, the aftermath of Katrina is not merely a local crisis; it is national problem. The importance of the Mississippi River is difficult to exaggerate. The river is our only natural national transportation system for the movement of exports and imports.
Second, Katrina was not a “natural disaster”; it was a human-made disaster triggered by natural events. There has been too little focus on what could have prevented it from happening in the first place. The flooding, caused by the breaching of the levees, was the direct result of human mistakes and neglect.
Third, the federal government was responsible for the causes of the human-made catastrophe; not the people of New Orleans. Over decades, our government made decisions that eliminated the wetlands as the natural buffer against storms and allowed the water surge to devastate New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region; it enacted mistaken policies for the use and protection of the entire river; it designed and constructed levees which were known to be inadequate; and it failed to develop policies of environmental justice for poor and minority populations.
What is needed is not merely assistance, but rather accountability. We urge that the new Congress make Katrina—and the prevention of another Katrina—a priority.
As a supporter of the Law Students for Government Accountability, a national organization of law students from across the country that is dedicated to working with Congress to prevent another disaster like Katrina, I will be supporting friends and partners who are traveling to Washington, D.C. on March 14 to meet with our Representatives to ask them to sign a non-partisan Statement of Principles pledging to take the steps necessary to prevent another Katrina.
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Jay Ambrose & Scooter Libby
Referring to Bush’s State of the Union speech in which he claimed that “Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa” Ambrose says “The British have never recanted what it said", but leaves out an important fact: Once it became public that the claim was false, the Bush Administration itself recanted. According to reports in the Washington Post, Bloomberg and New York Times, the CIA tried unsuccessfully to get the British to remove that claim from the public dossier on which Bush’s claim was predicated and had warned the administration before his speech that the information was “highly dubious".
The claim that Valerie Wilson was the one who sent Joe Wilson to Africa is also false. The office of the Vice President requested a trip to Niger to check on the uranium claims. Who better than Joe Wilson? He had good connections in Niger, had served as Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council, had the distinction of being the last American Diplomat to meet with Saddam Hussein, and had made a similar trip in 1999. According to the Senate Intelligence Committee Report Valerie Wilson merely arranged a meeting and left once she introduced her husband .
The claim that there was nothing illegal about leaking Plame’s name is absurd. If Plame’s identity had not been classified, the CIA wouldn’t have referred the matter to the Justice Department. The prosecutor said that the reason there was no indictment for the leak itself is because Libby obstructed justice. Enforcement of the law requires the truthfulness of witnesses. That is why perjury is illegal.
He calls Fitzgerald an “overzealous, vastly empowered, pit-bull prosecutor” in an attempt to impugn his character, but fails to mention that he is a Republican; appointed and empowered by a Republican Attorney General.
He says Fitzgerald should have “abandoned this case long before it got to the stage of ruining a man’s life", apparently taking the position that a crime should not be prosecuted if it ruins the life of the criminal. That’s pretty amazing coming from the “law and order” party. When Clinton lied under oath they were clucking like hens for impeachment and making impassioned speeches about the importance of the “rule of law". Now that the tables are turned, their position is clear: If a Republican did it, it’s not a crime.
The fact that you chose to print this easily refuted pack of lies has damaged the credibility of your newspaper. Shame on you.
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Dogs on leash
Having a dog that I walk daily and living in Wheat Ridge where there is definitely a leash law, I consider it a real slap in the face when people with their dogs off leash think they need not follow the law.
There is nothing more unnerving than to be walking with your dog “on leash” and have one or more dogs run up to you, which are not on leash, particularly, if you are a senior citizen, which I am. There has been more than one time that I have had to grab the collar of an uncontrolled dog and wait for the owner to catch up. Their first comment is, “Oh, he/she won’t hurt you!” Oh really? Well, maybe their dog takes a dislike to mine and decides to jump her. What about that? I don’t care if your dog is your “best friend,” “your buddy,” and you “love” him/her dearly....it is still an animal, and you don’t know for sure what he/she is going to do, particularly when there is another dog involved! I said something to a young woman who was walking in the Greenbelt with her dog off leash. She is one of those who told me that “he wouldn’t hurt me.” When I reminded her there was a leash law for this Greenbelt, she proceeded to tell me I was a “mean, old woman!” Well, maybe so, but she’s opening herself up for a nice lawsuit should something bad happen.
People who feel it necessary that their dogs be let off leash while in public places should take them to “dog parks” where that is allowed. Their only problem is, they fear their dog might get beat up. Well, duh! My take is, they can’t care a whole lot for their dogs if they don’t have them under control...they might meet up with a dog “on leash” who doesn’t care if he hurts either them or the off-leash dog! May I remind Ms. Dani Eliscu, she is not “above the law” just because she is the Assistant City Attorney. What gall when she works in the city’s Prosecution and Code Enforcement Section, which prosecutes animal control violations. Hooray for Office Mouton. Atta boy! stand your ground.
Ms. Eliscu should thank her lucky stars she’s not under my employ, or she would be without employment!
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High-speed chases
Steve Abrams of Del Norte writes:
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Dems should be open about their agenda
Now in 2007 (“Fetus measure rejected/Bills advance on gay rights, guns, contraception,” Jan. 30) they are bringing back yet again that homosexual employment mandate, proposing a bill to restrict concealed-carry weapon permits, and resurrecting the vetoed hospital emergency contraception bill that would override the rights of private, religious hospitals. Sound like God, guns and gays to me.
I don’t question the right of the Dems to differ with me on these bills. What offends is that the Dems so look down on the voters that they intentionally misrepresent what the Dems stand for, just to get elected.
How about real elections where the Dems run honestly on ever more gay rights, gun control, open borders, unrestricted abortion and suppression of Judeo-Christian religious freedom?
One nation, but not under God
I submit that the United States was not founded as a Christian nation. This nation was founded by free thinkers, deists, Christians, atheists and Freemasons.
There is no reference to a deity in our Constitution. Thomas Jefferson said, “Question with boldness even the existence of a God.” James Madison said, “Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind.” And the Treaty of Tripoli, bound by Article VI, Section II of our Constitution, and signed by President John Adams, declares that “the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.”
If Gillis would read our Constitution and the literature of the Founders, he might better be able to understand that the United States is not a nation under God, but a nation under its good citizens in this great democratic experiment.
Billy Joel takes umbrage
Furthermore, since when does impersonating a music critic entitle Brown to be the moral arbiter of what constitutes a meaningful relationship?
Creepiest song of 2007? Perhaps. Creepiest opinion of the year? Definitely.
Wildlife hypocrites
The fact that government agencies use this roadside garbage will not be overlooked by outdoor advertising lobbyists and their lawyers. It will be hard for legislators to fend off more pro-billboards legislation if government itself supports this visual prostitution of our landscapes. Who are these unthinking DOW environmental hypocrites?
Stooping too low
Now we hear Ann Coulter using the term “faggot” in the same breath with “John Edwards” — a filthy act.
I should not be surprised, nor should the rest of America. I will remember this on Election Day, as will a lot of my fellow Americans. Edwards handled this with dignity and aplomb and will be strongly thought of at primary time.
Repeal all Common Cause legislation
Let’s not forget that Common Cause, the force behind Amendment 41, was also the brain trust behind Amendment 27, conceivably the worst campaign finance law in the nation because it effectively limits political contributions from individuals and corporations but not from unions.
Common Cause is a decidedly left-wing organization, but my guess is that the unintended consequences of Amendment 41 were a function of muddled liberal thinking, whereas the terrible consequences for free speech and electoral fairness created by Amendment 27 were almost certainly intended. What we really need is a ballot measure to repeal any constitutional amendment supported by Common Cause.
What Gore meant
When Gore said, “It’s not a political issue, it’s a moral issue,” most of us understood him to mean that this issue is so important, it should be above politics. Either Carroll is too dense or too mired in Republofascist politics to admit this.
When the oceans start to rise, Carroll and his Republofascist cronies will probably say, “Don’t worry. In 500 years the waters will recede.”
All or nothing
Total success in Iraq
Recently there has been intense overcrowding of elk there. There are so many up there that the elk have even been known to wander in the nearby cities, up to nearly a hundred at any given time. Although, there is the dillema of the law that states that hunting there is not allowed. Should it pass though, it would be vastly helpful with the effort. I believe that instead of being culled (hunted and left where they were shot), the elk In Rocky Mountain National Park should actually be hunted.
Culling is a complete waste of a natural resource that people (such as hunters) would greatfully take advantage of, but not make it so then the species there would be to the point of there not being enough to continue the population. Yes, there is a law that prevents the hunting up there, but should it be passed, there can be a limit set to the limit a hunter may harvest. In all reason, hunting should actually be used to subdue the overpopulation in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Why waste when you can feed people that can also eliminate a problem at the same time. Two birds, one stone.
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Employee Free Choice Act
. .
There is no voluntary choice in this act, just vote counting. Under the act, union bosses will urge employees to turn in a unanimous vote. If they don’t, and the vote to organize fails, those who signed their names to a “yes” ballot will have just painted a huge “Fire Me First” sign on their backs.
Look for union bosses to high-five Pelosi for this colossal swindle that’s sure to gin up unanimous votes to organize— and therefore pour more money into union and Democratic coffers. Let’s hope and pray that there are enough thinking Republicans to torpedo this barely-American legislation whenever it rears its ugly head.
Various members of my family have been or still are union. This vicious legislation is a terrible breach of trust that unions or Democrats really care about the working man. Obviously they care only how many pockets they can pick.
Employee Free Choice Act really means “union—or unemployed.” Reminds one of another deceptive slogan, “work will make you free.”
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Posted by denver-admin at 03:08 PM
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Paul Campos
Now first, I think Campos has incorrectly linked morality with religion. While the two are often mentioned in the same breath in popular culture, they do not need to connected, and often are not. Morality, as I interpret it, is basically caring about others and acting accordingly. It usually just comes down to the golden rule. One does not need to believe in any deities to act with compassion. However, Campos seems to say that the mere belief in morality is a belief in God. I’m sure that some Christians may be a bit insulted to be told that their god is really just an “ultimate moral order". I think the problem with this article is that Campos is redefining terms. Whereas normally atheist just means not believing/worshipping any deities, Campos has changed its meaning to not having a belief in a moral system. This really isn’t fair. If God just means a moral system, then lots of people would believe in God. Atheists could do the same thing and say that atheism means having any doubt at all about whether a deity exists and there would suddenly be many atheists in the world. I think it would be best to let people define their own categories and decide for themselves whether they are an atheist, an Orthodox Christian, or something in between.
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The Rocky
Carmen Brown of Berthoud writes:
So, who or what does the folding? Can they please do it better?
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Climate change
John M. Berger (no hometown provided) writes:
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Look out for the global warming cliff
Never mind the fact that the planet was warmer during the Medieval Climate Optimum. Never mind that the Earth was just coming out of the Little Ice Age when truly accurate temperature readings started to be kept. Never mind that the hysteria is over a rise of just seven-tenths of a degree in a century. And do your best to forget all about that coming ice age hysteria only 30 years ago.
We are told about how expert the scientists are who push this theory, and how anyone who disagrees is simply in the pocket of, well, some powerful group that does not have our best interests at heart. We are told that the carbon dioxide produced by mankind, and especially Americans, is the problem, but you never hear how tiny the fraction of this gas produced by humanity is compared to all the carbon dioxide naturally in the atmosphere.
You know what the fire is. You know who is waving it, trying to panic you into a mindless stampede. It is time to start looking for the cliff.
Find out about Jesus for yourself
Afterward, his body went missing. Whether you believe the biblical account or not, the fact remains that Roman and Jewish authorities never solved this “disappearance,” which occurred in spite of the presence of Roman guards.
Not only do we have the biblical accounts of Jesus’ life, but we also have the testimonies of other reliable manuscripts, including the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus and the Roman historian Tacitus. Should the discovery of a single bone box, labeled with the names “Jesus” and “Mary Magdalene” challenge the strong, contrary historical evidence? (“Documentary: Caskets belong to Jesus, family,” Feb. 27, and “Director’s ‘Tomb of Jesus’ angers Christians,” How Coloradans Worship, March 5.)
To assert that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and died a natural death, having his bones placed in a box, certainly raises many problems that are not being critically considered. I would challenge anyone who cares to study the evidence for Jesus themselves. Don’t let a promotion for a documentary settle it for you.
Mandated testing of students is a fraud
The report in the March 5 Rocky Mountain News — “See-Sap! Schools begin their yearly sweepstakes run today/State-mandated tests put educators on funding spot” — proves the point.
The concept behind this one-size-fits-all testing was to provide an impartial survey of how schools are teaching our children.
Pep rallies, prizes for performance, special tutoring and heavy pressure from administrators have created an artificial testing environment. Under these conditions, the testing results become highly suspect.
Why do schools feel so compelled to go to these extreme measures to inflate Colorado Student Assessment Program results? Because the testing is solely about keeping and gaining money from the state and federal government. CSAP is a prime example of centralized education, and the usurpation of local school boards’ power to decide what is best for their own students.
I encourage parents to opt their children out of CSAP testing. More important than the funding schemes of national and state politicians is to instill the joy of learning in our children.
Why disparage Fort Morgan?
In the article, it is mentioned that Dick is buried in a “bleak municipal cemetery in Fort Morgan,” and that his grave is “uncomfortably close to Interstate 76 and downwind of a smoke-belching sugar beet refinery.” It also refers to him being “buried in a lonely Colorado prairie town.”
Why is it that people refer to rural Colorado towns in such a manner? As a 20-year resident, I am proud of Fort Morgan. The people in rural Colorado are hard-working, genuine, honest people. The writers who live along the Front Range seem to look down on rural Colorado, but seem to forget where a large percentage of their food comes from. We are all Coloradans, not just the people along the Front Range and the Denver area.
Gun rights imperiled
I really don’t see law-abiding folks as the ones who need another law rammed down our throats.
Here’s a crazy idea: Let’s lock up the gangsters and thugs who are responsible for the carnage that Rep. Joel Judd, D-Denver, must be talking about.
This looks to me like another Democratic ploy to try to make the responsible gunowners who are not breaking any laws suffer because the politicians are too afraid to go after the scum that are causing trouble for us all.
Richardson ignored
Richardson is working hard to turn New Mexico green, has improved students’ standing in school and was a U.S. representative for years in the state’s 3rd Congressional District. He was President Clinton’s diplomat worldwide to negotiate the release of many hostages and was U.N. ambassador and energy secretary.
On war and media
A massive asteroid heads for Earth, and astronomers estimate (with 90 percent confidence) its impact in 10 years will cause massive and catastrophic changes to the planet and everyone and everything that lives on it unless efforts begin now.
Would not the greatest debate center around how to minimize the asteroid’s effects rather than around whether it exists? Nature will always have the last laugh on our folly and foolishness.
The breaks in the shows are beginning to take up more and more time. I timed one break a few months ago. It had 13 segments — commercials and previews. Last Wednesday we got five minutes of show and then five to six minutes of garbage.
I realize the networks need money to air shows, but it is completely out of hand. There are too many commercials. As for previews — stop. I do not care what the 10 p.m. news will have on it. I will either watch it or turn it off. It has nothing to do with previews.
What is the problem? Is it money, like so many other things in this country? Are actors or actresses too lazy to record a full show? Are the writers too inept to write a full show? Is it an American public who will put up with this?
I, for one, do not watch TV much anymore. I think I will buy a TiVo so I can fast-forward through all this malarkey.
Meadow is excellent
Whenever I start to read an article and feel that I am listening to the person being written about, I check and — sure enough — it’s one by Meadow.
He has the knack of placing you right in that person’s life!
One recently was about the officer who got shot and killed in Aurora while driving to lunch after a break in a class he was taking. It was of his funeral and I did not know him but I sobbed throughout the article.
I keep forgetting to let the Rocky know how much I enjoy his writing and obituaries. Give him my best regards and keep him on the payroll!
Liberal bias ‘myth’
Perhaps Rocky Mountain News media critic Jason Salzman can address the mystery of the selective indignation of Post readers in a future column.
I suggest he title it, “The myth of liberal media bias.”
Was photo necessary?
We, the public, really don’t need to know what she looks like. I’m sure she is going through her own private hell about the accident and our seeing her picture does not help her in any way. Frankly, it is none of our business. What was the Rocky thinking?
Littwin commended
He writes beautifully — with warmth, simplicity, humor and compassion. Those of us who admired and agreed with Ivins can certainly identify with the comments made by Littwin in his column.
Lucky for the Rocky Mountain News to have such a good writer on staff! I wish Ivins could have read this great commentary!
An excellent photo
Bigger & bolder, please
The writers are at least as important as the topics of the letters.
Reading this mini-paper while holding a magnifying glass has made it harder to hold.
Centennial
The Rocky Mountain News has developed a similar problem in that the paper has no consistent policy on identifying elected officials by party affiliation when individuals of a particular party get in trouble. In fact the paper has reveled a slant towards not mentioning party affiliation when a Republican gets in trouble. Meanwhile the paper consistently identifies Democrats for even small incidents. So, while the owners and editors of the paper may think this is fair I think it shows a clear bias. Please consider creating and disseminating a policy regarding identifying all elected officials by party affiliation.
Thanks, I hope to see a change in this embarrassing episode in the coming days and months as I continue reading The Rocky Mountain News in its fun new format.
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Iraq and Democrats
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Sen. Dave Schultheis
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Amendment 41
I live in
Amendment 41, while well
Bill Johnson
You feel the need to preface a perfectly fine piece about a young serviceman in Iraq who paid the ultimate price for his country, with five paragraphs of —criticism of critics of the war’s critics!
You stand on the grave of this fine young man who never questioned the mission his country gave him, to take partisan shots at those partisans who disagree with you.
Shame on you.
Readers know where you stand. You could have let the story of the young man and his single mom tell itself and make your point for you.
Instead you choose to tee off on the partisan left’s favorite targets—fans of talk radio.
Who’s the real partisan here?
Shame on you.
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Climate change
There is not a single major scientific theory in which there is unanimity; not quantum theory, not plate tectonics, not the theory of evolution and not even the theory of gravity, yet all influence our everyday lives. All that science can ever achieve is provisional consensus.
Given that humans are conducting a global experiment in which the outcome is uncertain, error on the side of caution is prudent in the case of global warming. If scientists are wrong, the worst that can happen is temporary economic discomfort as we switch to a green economy.
We have been sufficiently warned of the consequences if they are right.
Math & science
In most high schools, the typical science curriculum consists of a year of earth or physical science, followed by biology, chemistry and physics. Being the last course in the sequence, typically only students taking four years of science (not three) will complete a year of physics, which is precisely the course that generates interest and develops skills in the field of mechanical engineering. This fact has resulted in the current level of only 30% of US high school students taking any course in physics. If Penry and Witwer’s proposal is intended to solve the issue they raise, then it falls short. Requiring three years of science will ensure that more students take chemistry (basketball), but will not necessarily increase the number of students taking physics (hockey).
A more successful approach would be to aggressively promote in Colorado high schools the Physics First alternative sequence supported by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT). With the realization that biology is founded in the chemistry of living things, and in turn, chemistry is driven by the fundamental physical forces described in physics, it is both a more logical and intellectually scaffolded approach to teach physics, chemistry, then biology. The curriculum would be much more sequential and coherent. Althought many would argue that freshmen do not have the necessary math skills to successfully study physics, if taught in a conceptual way, it is actually much more accessible to students as they are dealing with the phenomena experienced in everyday life. More information on Physics First is available at http://members.aol.com/physicsfirst/.
I hope Penry and Witwer reconsider whether or not their proposal effectively addresses preparing students for success in an increasingly technology-reliant world.
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Zoo tragedy
On the other hand, the jaguar is an endangered species, a caged animal and it should have been the responsibility of the Denver Zoo to protect it. They didn’t. We won’t know why the jaguar did what it did...it is the nature of the animal, but it lost its life as a result. Throughout the world, animals are at the mercy of mankind and are always the loser! Obviously the Denver Zoo is comfortable with that tragic axiom. From the Denver Zoo’s web site: “Conservation, It’s Our Mission We value animals, big and small, from all over the world. We envision a world where all people respect, value, and conserve animals and their habitats globally...we hope to foster an appreciation of the world’s wildlife and conservation of these irreplaceable wonders of the world.”
This is ludicrous, laughable and a lie! They can “spin” their story anyway they want (and they are)...the bottom line is they were incredibly irresponsible in all facets of this very sad story! They should lose their license, funding, accreditation, and their doors should be closed. Send the animals to a place where they will be taken care of.
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Color-blind society
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Posted by denver-admin at 08:05 PM
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Ted Haggard