Marijuana “celebration” at CU-Boulder
Re: April 21 front-page news photograph.
In light of all of the headline- grabbing dysfunctional and antisocial behavior brought on by substance abuse on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus, the choice to highlight marijuana use among CU students with a front- page photo of a student lighting up is absolutely reprehensible. Even if altruistic, the justification to run the photo, under the bold caption “More than 1,000 take part in traditional tokin’ appreciation at CU” falls well short of a newspaper’s responsibility to its community.
There are so many other ways to have reported the story than to allow young eyes, which never would make it to the follow-up story on Page 1B (“As CU huffs, student pot fest puffs”), to see wanton and willful lawlessness glorified as acceptable behavior. How many people have to be raped or killed at the hands of substance abusers before the matter is treated with the seriousness it deserves?
Tom Cladis, Denver
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I find it preposterous that the individuals quoted in your coverage of the marijuana smoke-in at the University of Colorado are able to release their identities without fear of legal retribution. Also, the apparent light-hearted attitude about this tradition fostered by The Denver Post is inexcusable. In the real world, this was an illegal event that promotes the abuse of an illegal substance. Why is it worthy of positive press?
It seems to me that if such events are accepted by our local media as playful and OK, then why not have an annual “Get Hammered and Drive Your Car Fast and Take Chances Day” on one of our other university campuses? Could it maybe land a TV slot?
Scott Marchand, Centennial
Salazar vs. Focus on the Family over nominations
Re: “Salazar, Focus escalating salvos; Colo. senator urges Dobson to quit assailing faith of Dems,” April 21 news story.
Bravo to Sen. Ken Salazar for refuting accusations hurled at him by Focus on the Family’s honcho, James Dobson, who claims that Democrats oppose President Bush’s nomination of 10 judges because of their religious beliefs. That’s hogwash.
Salazar and other senators question the qualifications of these nominees because of their “extreme ideologies” and “troubling factors” in their backgrounds – not for their religious beliefs. Dobson would better serve his followers by celebrating that 95 percent of Bush’s judicial nominees have been confirmed rather than instituting smear campaigns against moderate Republican and Democratic senators who oppose a handful of unworthy candidates.
For an organization that claims to be devoted to the family, Focus on the Family may help jeopardize the enactment of legislation affecting health care, homeland security and other issues important to the American family. By their actions to push through the confirmation of a few judges who don’t deserve to serve our country in a federal capacity, this organization may contribute to the crippling of our U.S. Senate and the delay of crucial legislation.
How Christian is this behavior?
Linda Posson, Fort Collins
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Sen. Ken Salazar has reneged on his campaign promise to support an “up-or-down” vote on every judicial nomination in the U.S. Senate. Did you na ve Republicans who voted for Democratic candidate Salazar really believe he would keep his campaign promise? Politician Salazar pulled San Luis Valley wool over your eyes!
Robert Freeburg, Colorado Springs
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Sen Ken. Salazar is doing exactly what he was elected to do: stand up for the majority of Coloradans who are alarmed by James Dobson’s inflammatory rhetoric that equates opposition to President Bush’s unworthy judicial nominees to a rejection of their “strong religious beliefs.”
There’s nothing Christian about Focus On the Family, Dobson’s political organization, whose focus is less on the family than on the promotion of an ultra-conservative Republican agenda.
Democrats oppose these judicial nominees because of their anti-labor bias, demonstrated opposition to environmental protections, and rabid determination to outlaw abortion for any reason whatsoever.
Scott Mock, Boulder
The good in Chugwater
Re: “Planting seeds of survival,” April 24 Page 1 story.
As a proud 1998 graduate of Chugwater High School, I was disappointed by your reporting. Instead of focusing on the positives students receive by being educated in a small community, you chose to focus on the boredom and drinking.
Chugwater High School students compete statewide in basketball, volleyball and track. A high percentage of students graduate and go to college. Many work on family farms and ranches and participate in 4-H.
I am disappointed that I am unable to work in Chugwater. I would love for my future children to attend a school where students receive one-on-one attention and are able to participate in many activities. Yes, there is boredom and drinking, but you’ll find that in any Denver community as well.
By deciding to use the quote and angle you did, you simply continued the stereotype of rural students who drink because it’s their only entertainment.
Amanda Pollard, Greeley
Criticism of Rep. DeLay
With each new allegation of impropriety, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay continues to claim a left-wing, liberal media, activist judiciary, anti-Christian conspiracy targeting him because he “gets things done.” I’m just waiting for him to hold up a list of card-carrying members of the Communist Party at one of his support-group meetings. But what I’m really waiting for is a person of integrity to stand up in the Republican Party and say, “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you no sense of decency?”
Paula S. Martin, Denver
Dialogue over taxation
Re: “Making taxation fair to all,” April 22 Reggie Rivers column.
I commend Reggie Rivers for again being willing to speak out and generate dialogue on an important issue related to taxation of corporations. I am saddened, however, to learn that he was accused of being “anti-American” and “anti- business” for his earlier column suggesting that “corporations pay taxes like the rest of us.” Why are some people so frightened of dialogue? Isn’t that a key feature of democracy? Why should disagreement with such issues take the form of name-calling rather than thoughtful argument and debate?
Margaret Thompson, Denver
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