The Denver Postletters
Letters: Censorship and taste
Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - 'The Censor' Re: "A lifetime of debate in five seconds; Questions over indecency raise profile of TV censors," April 19 news story. Reading your front-page article about TV censorship, I was again saddened that we seem to be more outraged at the sight of Janet Jackson's breast or profanity from Shaquille O'Neal than we are at the continuing attempts to censor what we see or hear or read. I was a teen during the turbulent '60s when the Beatles hit town and young men my age were dying in Vietnam by the thousands while a large portion of the the rest of us protested and the Smothers Brothers were slowly being silenced by the these same ubiquitous, self-righteous censors of the day who always know what's best for us. One of the Brothers' writers was a man named Mason Williams, who, although most famous for his guitar piece "Classical Gas," probably should be remembered for his relentless fight against TV censorship. Williams and the Smothers Brothers eventually lost their battle - they were eventually taken off the air and apparently all the lessons we should have learned about the dangers of censors and censorship were lost as well. A wonderful take on the sadness and danger of TV censorship was Williams' 1964 poem "The Censor," published in his brilliant but obscure little book "The Mason Williams Reading Matter." I keep my prized copy alongside the works of other dangerous authors such as Bradbury, Ginsberg, Ferlinghetti, Nabokov and Twain, to mention a few. Here's the poem: The Censor sits Somewhere between The scenes to be seen And the television sets With his scissor purpose poised Watching the human stuff That will sizzle through The magic wires And light up Like welding shops The ho-hum rooms of America And with a kindergarten Arts and crafts concept Of moral responsibility Snips out The rough talk The unpopular opinion Or anything with teeth And renders A pattern of ideas Full of holes A doily For your mind Thanks for restraint Re: "Jurors convinced Blagg's wife was leaving," April 18 news story. In a time of crass Super Bowl halftime shows, I want to commend The Denver Post's remarkable restraint in not publishing pictures from the 1,800 pornographic websites visited by convicted murderer Michael Blagg and choosing instead to present an explicit, detailed written description of what happened. The Post's readers should thank its editors for such ennobling journalistic standards.
Reason for suspension
Re: "Cops seek answers, training; 450 officers rally, demand mayoral explanation for suspension," April 20 news story.
The reasons for the suspension of Denver police officer James Turney were very clearly explained in a letter from the Denver manager of public safety. If the Denver Police Protective Association is incapable of understanding, then I would suggest that the problem is not training, but lack of intelligence.
Gas isn't that expensive The periodic public outrage over high gasoline prices continues to amuse me. I was at a local station recently and filled up with regular unleaded gasoline costing $1.74/gallon. As I was waiting in line to pay, I noticed that a young woman just ahead of me bought gas and a small bottle of water. After I finished my transaction, I located the refrigerator from which she had selected the water and found that it was a 12-ounce bottle and cost 89 cents. When I got home, I did the math. Her gallons of gas cost $1.74 each. Her water cost 89 cents for 12 ounces. So we'll pay $9.49 a gallon for water, which is virtually free from our taps at home, yet we're fuming at the high price of gasoline, which costs millions to find, drill, produce and refine. This "high gas price" crisis is perpetuated by the media and our politicians. Have our public schools failed us in elementary math?
College-voucher bill is step in right direction The recent vote by the Colorado Senate to approve Senate Bill 189 containing College Opportunity Funds, along with many other provisions, is a step in the right direction, and students across the state should applaud the move. While students who have worked on the issue realize that the complex proposal isn't the cure for the higher-education funding woes experienced in Colorado over the last few years, many of us believe it is a much-needed first step toward financial stability for all of the state's public institutions. Students at the University of Colorado at Denver are especially grateful to Sen. Dan Grossman for showing leadership on this issue by voting for the proposal. Not only did Grossman help to pass an important piece of legislation, he also managed to tack on an amendment to boost need-based financial aid that will help to ensure that money won't be a barrier to an education for all Colorado students. We recognize that the proposal still must be approved by members of the Colorado House, and we urge their approval.
How prisoner work program helped one man Re: "Inmates find new spark as firefighters; Dangerous work gives prisoners hope, pride," April 19 news story. Marcos Mocine-McQueen's article on inmates working as firefighters brought back memories of a high school friend. Mike was a brilliant guy, but in the early '70s, personal troubles combined with illegal drugs led to his downfall. Dropping out of college, he slept days and spent nights partying until, finally, one night at 4 a.m., high on methamphetamine, he broke into a pharmacy to steal drugs. He was apprehended, tried and convicted. Sent to prison in Washington state, Mike might have continued his self-destructive lifestyle. Fortunately, Washington allowed certain offenders to work for the Forest Service. Mike was accepted into the program, where he thrived. To my knowledge, he never used illegal drugs again. After release, he married and had children. He held a job, paid his taxes, stayed out of trouble. Sadly, Mike passed away a couple years ago. His death had nothing to do with drugs but was due to complications of diabetes. Since his early 20s, he had lived his life as someone who contributed to rather than preyed on his community. I'm thrilled to know that here in Colorado, certain non-violent prisoners are being offered the opportunity that my friend received. I hope this program marks the beginning of a renewed interest in job training and rehabilitation for both male and female inmates.
Powell's counsel Re: "Powell's likely role in book revives White House rift," April 19 news story. The administration is furious with Secretary of State Colin Powell. He committed the cardinal sin of being "disloyal" to the hawks by offering a course of action that would bring in most the of free world. Powell has not lost his ability to read situations and to have the insight and understanding to recommend the right course in international diplomacy. He lost his bearings for a while at the outset of the Iraq war due to Bush pressure, but he soon regained control. It is unfortunate that more in this administration refuse to listen to his wise counsel. Our country and the world would be in a far better state today if they had. The Genghis Khan diplomacy of the Bush/Cheney neocons has put this country into the worst situation we have been in for many years, and the end is not in sight. Fighting terrorism is necessary and right if done correctly and in unison with our allies and the United Nations. What the hawk portion of this administration has done has been a disaster for our military and for our country, with the exception of Afghanistan.
|