May 6, 2004

Voting record, sins no bar to Communion

As a member of the Catholic community, I find Cardinal Francis Arinze's actions regarding the presidential election deplorable ("Kerry defies top cardinal," April 24). I am appalled by his use of such a sacred thing as the Eucharist as a political tool.

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Aside from excommunication (a strategy I am sure the cardinal would be pleased to employ), the church cannot deny someone Communion, no matter what their voting record, no matter how fundamental to the church their sins are perceived to be. Such an offense would have been criticized by Christ himself. After all, let he who has never sinned throw the first stone. The church is an institution that is meant to protect its people and promote their relationships with God. Ostracization of any sort clearly violates its teachings and the very principles it is designed to uphold.

As a pro-choice Democrat myself, and without trying to defend my political leanings or opinions, I am not at all "pro-abortion" or a "baby killer." I simply feel that criminalizing a moral decision will not solve any of our problems. Call me a pragmatist, but the only thing that overturning Roe v. Wade would accomplish would be a return to dangerous, back-alley abortions, threatening our national health.

While I do not believe abortion is a good choice for women to make, criminalizing that decision would prove disastrous and ineffective. Why don't we actually work to do some good? Let's make the need for abortion decrease. Let's better our education. Let's fight poverty.

Let's not try to convince an entire demographic that some politician should receive despicable treatment because he wants to achieve the same ends through more practical means.

Amy Overington
Lakewood

Church free to censure adherents for stances

Had Archbishop Charles Chaput said, "It is sinful for government officials to approve the murder of black fetuses and Hispanic fetuses," perhaps leftists would come closer to understanding the full sense of the issue. But his statement ("Archbishop's remarks target office seekers," April 21) was nonracist and piqued the ire of all those who need racial distinction in order to make decisions.

What man, woman or organization is responsible for deciding whether it is appropriate for a woman to kill her young? Does it matter if the father was a good-for-nothing jock, an adulterer, a crackhead, or just out for a good time with a lady who gave in to him? Apparently, those are good excuses for a woman who wants to be free of his child for the rest of its life. Then there are the unacceptable female qualities that come into play, favorably for their pro-abortion position: would not be a good mother; has enough kids already; can't afford it; hates girls, etc.

Why do people have to go to foreign countries to adopt children rather than adopting "unwanted" children from the U.S.? Are American babies not good enough? Are they too ugly, not the right race, not smart enough, don't have the snob-appeal qualities needed by their prospective mother and father? What is the market for babies nowadays? Why has life been cheapened way down to the pre-infant stage so that "unwanted" is becoming more and more real?

Christ was not squeamish about calling a thief a thief or about saying he was doing God's work. Could there - by any chance - be something behind Chaput's claim that, as the only church directly ordained by Christ himself, he and his priests can decide whether someone is publicly promoting grievous sin? I beg to differ with racist leftists who say he cannot.

Linda Nelson
Arvada

$1 million for homeless a drop in the bucket

The recent granting of federal aid money to support Denver's homeless is a wonderful start to addressing a badly overlooked area of justice and rights ("Funds help homeless/Denver receives $1 million from federal government," April 13).

Many people, myself included, overlook or dismiss the poor and homeless on the streets of Denver. This is an abysmal travesty of justice, as there is no reason anybody in this country should be living in Third World conditions.

Yet $1 million is just a start, as it affords permanent housing for 70 homeless residents and military veterans. This amounts to a drop in the bucket for the other approximately 9,700 people (January 2003, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless figure) who are homeless in the Denver metro area alone.

While homelessness is a complex issue, it is by no means an unsolvable one. There are many things ordinary citizens can do to improve the living conditions and environments of the homeless, 51 percent of whom are families. From monetary donations to working for Habitat for Humanity to demanding laws that refuse to let our poor slip through the cracks of justice, each person can make a difference to ensure each person has affordable housing, wages and health care.

Please, get involved and eliminate this injustice within our neighborhoods.

Michael McReynolds
Denver

Climate for abuse set up by White House

When I first saw the pictures of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, I wanted to believe that they were forgeries. But after thinking about it, I should not have been surprised. This abuse flows from the very top of the Bush administration.

Think about it: Attorney General John Ashcroft and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld have been doing all they can to keep our system of justice away from anyone they have picked up in connection with the war on terror.

While their intentions may be good (and I would have to give them the benefit of the doubt here) they have sacrificed due process so they can use whatever interrogation methods they deem necessary to get information to prevent future attacks on Americans.

Never mind that in so doing they have lowered our society to the level of the terrorists.

The people in Iraq who actually abused their charges were just operating in an environment set up by this administration.

I would say that impeachment of both Ashcroft and Rumsfeld is in order.

Don Samuels
Silverthorne

Selective outrage

The recent righteous indignation among some Arabs regarding the abuse of Iraqi prisoners of war finds legal basis in the Geneva Convention of 1950, particularly Article 3, 1 (c) wherein "Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment;" are prohibited by warring parties.

Interestingly, the preceding provision - Article 3, 1 (b) - similarly prohibits "The taking of hostages."

Where's the outrage there?

Roderick Smith
Castle Rock

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Finally! I finally agree with the French and Arabs on something. I'm as outraged as they are when I see the pictures of the Iraqi prisoners being humiliated and probably abused. I'm also certain the French and Arabs were equally outraged when they saw the pictures of the mutilated bodies of the four American civilians hanging from the bridge in Iraq. At least I think they were outraged. Well . . . maybe I missed it.

Fred Peal
Centennial

In Amendment 23, voters have spoken

Hypocrites. That is what Senate President John Andrews and Rep. Brad Young are for proposing that the increase for public education funding required by Amendment 23 be suspended for two years. To me, it is hypocritical to complain about the ratchet-down effect of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights on state spending while proposing the exact same fate for public education by suspending voter-mandated increases in spending.

History shows that the legislature will never restore the lost funding and the reduced base will result in the eventual loss of billions of dollars of revenue for public education.

The legislature had better put any changes to TABOR and Amendment 23 on the ballot as separate proposals. I would probably vote yes on a reasonable change to TABOR. But if such a change is in the same measure as reduced funding for public education, I will vote no and the state leadership can continue to complain.

In Amendment 23 the voters of Colorado clearly stated that public education is worthy of protection from financial misfortune and the political whims of whoever is in office at the moment. Our state leadership should listen.

Mike Weber
Littleton

Inspiring story could help make difference

I am pleased to see that with all the bad goings on in the world there is still good to write about. Lucille Bouges' story about raising her six great-great-grandchildren is inspiring and I am glad the News printed it ("She's happy raising 6 great great-grandchildren," April 2). It reminds us that there are still honorable people in the world amongst all the violence.

Bouges is showing everyone that it doesn't matter how old - or young - you are, you can still make a difference to someone. I hope more stories like this are out there waiting to be heard. The writer captured the significance of helping one another, which is important to show and might decrease violence in future generations.

I know how hard it is to support a family with very little. Hearing this story has inspired me to keep moving forward, knowing it can be done. By sharing this story with the nation, many will be encouraged to get out there and make a difference in someone else's life.

Lindsey C. Kempton
Parker

Profit drives gas prices

I recently returned from a trip to St Louis. When I filled up my rental car at a major station near the airport (where gasoline is usually higher than normal), I paid $1.56.9 for 87 octane. On arriving in Denver, I had to fill up my wife's car at a station (same brand as in St. Louis) on Tower Road. I paid $1.76.9 for 87 octane. The same brand of gas with the same octane level is sold at a station near 100th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard, near my home, for $1.99.9.

It seems to me that the pat answers of transportation costs, removal of contaminants, or addition of additives are just "smoke screens" as to the real price of fuel. If the same brand can be purchased on the east side of town for 23 cents less than on the west side, either the transportation costs are ridiculous or someone is making a larger profit. I vote for the latter.

Al Nelson
Westminster

Officer doing his job

How unfortunate that Denver police officer James Turney should be punished for 10 months for doing the job he was trained to do ("Turney suspended," April 16). Paul Childs was threatening his family with a knife. Should Turney have let him stab them? Why did they call the police if they didn't want protection?

The idea of three people using the taxpayers' money to use the police as a taxi service and a baby sitter upsets me no end. I for one would be willing to give to a fund for Turney, who was just doing a job he was trained to do.

Phyllis Payton
Denver

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