April 22, 2004

Colorado still famed far, wide as 'hate state'

I appreciated Bill Johnson's recent column about the "random acts of hate" he observed recently. However, I do not agree that these hateful acts are random at all.

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Unfortunately, we live in a state where the vestiges of Amendment 2 still haunt us. Colorado is still considered to be the "hate state" because not only do we continue to condone hate and intolerance within our borders, we have taken it to new heights by exporting it to the rest of the nation, a la the Musgrave-Allard marriage amendment.

I am ashamed of the people in Colorado who continue to elect officials whose only claim to fame comes from perpetuating hate. Every year the state legislature votes down bills to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, to allow adoptions by same-sex couples, to outlaw hate crimes based on sexual orientation and to allow civil unions for gays.

More recently Republicans voted down a bill that would have outlawed bullying in public schools because it had the gall to include gay students! How hateful is that? It's not about discrimination, they say. It's about blah blah blah.

At least we know where Fred Phelps is coming from. He doesn't mince words or try to disguise his message of hate, unlike a lot of our elected officials, and the focus group from the South. As much as I disagree with Phelps' message, he's a genuine person who doesn't care about being politically correct.

Sadly, a lot of Colorado's elected officials think and feel just like Phelps does, but they don't have the courage to join his picket line. I have never heard them or anyone from the "religious" right condemn Phelps because, quite frankly, he speaks honestly about what they themselves feel.

The fact that some state legislators are considering a resolution condemning a white supremacist group's hateful activities but not Fred Phelps confirms my opinion. Hate is not random in Colorado. It gravitates here.

Gabe Martinez

Lakewood

Basic opposition to gay marriage religious

In their opposition to homosexual marriage, some fear that we are going in a direction that no major society has ever historically survived and that is reason to give one pause. Other hesitations are a societal tendency to live by the doctrine of "equal mediocrity" or fear of being seen as "intolerant." The illogic of the former is that we have messed up heterosexual marriage so why should we be self-righteous about homosexual marriage. The latter opens a Pandora's box of evolving precedents for heterosexual polygamy, homosexual polygamy, bestiality, or whatever, because it "doesn't hurt anyone else." Or does it? What are the consequences?

But the basic opposition is religious in nature - Christianity, orthodox Judaism and other religions such as Islam all provide foundations for opposition.

Islam's militancy is fueled by our "Great Satan" image based on our sexual-exhibitionist society, and homosexuality is seen as one of several sexual offenses.

Christians could tell you from the Old Testament that homosexuality is an abomination to God and the New Testament says they will not be in heaven. In the Old Testament we have the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and nearly the complete destruction of the tribe of Benjamin over sexual excesses. Add this to the knowledge of how God deals with offenders of his will by sending enemy nations against them and it's easy to see that this consistent pattern is behind the scary, real gut opposition.

The wisdom of Solomon still applies today: "Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, . . . the hearts of the sons of men . . . are given fully to do evil" (Ecclesiastes 8:11).

Jim Cochran

Berthoud

Impeachment no bar to judicial autonomy

The March 27 column by Norm Provizer, "Judicial independence should be celebrated, not dismantled," is simply false. He writes that we are promoting and willing "to demolish the deep-seated principle of an independent judiciary." Nothing could be further from the truth.

The impeachment proceedings against Judge John Coughlin are based on malfeasance in office. He told a woman what values and what churches were allowed for her child - just one example of judges creating law instead of interpreting it. Our Founding Fathers obviously thought impeachment proceedings were an important check on judicial abuses, and this does not diminish the courts' constitutionally mandated independence in any way.

Provizer then attacked Sen. John Andrews' proposal for court reforms under a similar guise. Senate confirmation of judges is good enough for the federal branch, and the 12-year term-limit proposal simply guarantees fresh talent. The bill also gives citizens a louder voice by strengthening the insufficient voter-retention process. Nothing here endangers the separation of powers.

Provizer also says this bill would introduce greater political influence on the courts. Is he making the naive argument that political influence doesn't already exist?

Just recently we've seen several cases of judicial abuse. I'm worried, and Provizer should be, too.

Sen. Steve Johnson

R-Fort Collins

Dynamics of perilous incidents are fluid

Thirty-four years ago I joined the Denver Police Department and during that time I have been shot at several times. One of those times I was struck with three bullets. I have been threatened by individuals holding knives, bottles, rocks, chains, tools and just about anything a person can turn into a weapon. I survived all of these incidents without discharging my weapon, so I guess I was tactically correct.

Unfortunately, James Turney, according to Denver Manager of Safety Al LaCabe, was tactically incorrect and that led to the death of Paul Childs. For his incorrect tactics James Turney was suspended for 10 months. Shouldn't he be fired? After all, a person is dead because of his tactics. Or should he be exonerated because he protected the lives of those who called 911 and told the police that they were threatened by their knife-wielding family member?

I don't know the dynamics of the Turney incident because the department has decided that it is not in their best interest to divulge the incorrect tactics used. I do know that the dynamics of any confrontation with an individual who has a weapon are fluid. They change, not in TV or journalistic time, but in real time - real threat, real fear. Therefore, tactics must adjust accordingly, in milliseconds, before your time runs out and the threat is upon you. There is no one tactic that fits all threats. We just hope that we can end our tour without losing our lives or taking a life.

David O'Shea Dawkins

Denver

Middle class stuck with bill for oil policies

George Bush and Dick Cheney are Big Oil men who for the past three years have set our country's energy policy.

This past winter I paid more to heat my house than ever before. Today when I filled my car with fuel, I paid the highest price for gasoline that I have ever paid.

The Big Oil companies are reporting record profits. For example, Exxon-Mobil's Fiscal Year 2003 profit was in excess of $17 billion. No wonder the Big Oil companies contribute vast sums to get Bush/Cheney re-elected.

Just who is the president's energy policy designed to represent, Big Oil or me, an average middle-class American? I have the distinct impression that "it ain't me."

My observation is that during the past three years the rich have gotten a lot richer, the ranks of the poor have dramatically expanded and we middle classers are the one's who are stuck picking up the tab for all of this administration's excesses.

James VanMiddlesworth

Longmont

Congress has gutted intelligence agencies

The Sept. 11 commission is trying to find and fix the problems that kept the U.S. from preventing the attacks. But anyone with a brain who reads history knows who is responsible for this tragedy: For the last 40 years members of Congress have made it their mission in life to do away with the ability of the United States to have a viable intelligence organization.

Look at the votes every time a budget is proposed. Look at the committees that have made our foreign and domestic intelligence agencies into paper tigers. The same people who are screaming the loudest are the ones who have been gutting our intelligence capabilities.

Look at what they have done: Agents no longer can act without 20 other people approving it. Come on, let's let the CIA do what it was set up to do: remove terrorists before they act. And let the FBI do what it was set up to do: remove domestic terrorists, spies and bank robbers.

You want peace? Go back to the CIA and FBI of the '50s and '60s when agents did their jobs without some liberal giving the yea or nay 6,000 miles away. Then you might again feel safe in your home.

Joseph V. Seifert Jr.

Broomfield

Stay environ-mental

Most people in Colorado feel a special concern for our natural environment. Environmental protection is an issue that has broad, bipartisan support. In fact, 83 percent of Americans say they are in agreement with the goals of the environmental movement ("Americans Have Positive Image of the Environmental Movement," Gallup News Service, April 18, 2000).

Unfortunately, that support has not been borne out by the policies of the Bush administration. The League of Conservation Voters gives President Bush an overall grade of "F" for his environmental actions. In this election year, it is important to make sure that we are informed about the incumbent's environmental record, including the erosion of protections for clean air and water.

Lisa Motz-Storey

Evergreen

Subhuman America?

Letter writer Lynn Stanley ("Know your enemy," April 12) wanted us to know we are dealing with a subhuman culture because of the hanging of Americans in Fallujah from a bridge. Would the writer also describe our own culture as subhuman because not long ago some Americans approved of the hanging and burning of "negroes"?

The Rev. Arlyn L. Tolzmann

Westminster

Sense and speeding

I am sick and tired of legal absolutists like letter writer Bob Thomas ("When legal is illegal," April 15) who consider exceeding the speed limit by a few miles per hour to be equivalent to violating the law against murder.

Fortunately our police and legal system usually exhibit far more common sense.

David Wolf

Lakewood

Amole-esque

The late Gene Amole certainly would have understood the irony of putting Denver's new jail at 100 Gene Amole Ave.

Will the address of the jail be the same address of which the News editorial staff is so proud? That would indeed be Amole-esque.

Richard H. Pace

Northglenn

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