Prosecution of Air Force rape suspect
Re: “Be glad the Air Force doesn’t fly like it prosecutes,” June 23 Diane Carman column.
The Air Force is committed to administering a military justice system that fairly addresses sexual assault allegations, treats victims with dignity and respect, and safeguards the due process rights of the accused.
Civilian therapist Jennifer Bier defied a lawful federal subpoena, ignored a warrant of attachment, and refused to turn over records to a military judge for an in-camera (judge’s-eyes-only) review. The judge determined that the accused could not receive a fair trial without this review. He halted the prosecution of the rape allegation, which carries a potential sentence of life in prison.
Air Force prosecutors vigorously opposed the abatement of the proceedings and requested a stay, which was granted by the appellate court. Air Force appellate attorneys are working with prosecutors to prepare an appeal of the judge’s decision that will be filed with the U.S. Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.
Please note that Air Force attorneys are bound by rules of professional responsibility that limit extra-judicial statements in ongoing cases. It would be inappropriate to comment further on an ongoing case, but it must be emphasized that the military justice system – created by Congress – is a fair and progressive system of law that properly balances the rights of all parties.
Col. Rebecca S. Weeks, Director, U.S. Air Force Judiciary
—————————————-
Where is Republican leadership on TABOR fight?
Re: “Republicans leaderless on TABOR,” June 30 David Harsanyi column.
David Harsanyi asks why the Colorado Republican leadership is absent from the efforts to defeat state Referenda C and D. He wants to know why a Texan, Dick Armey, has been brought to Colorado by the anti-tax groups. The answers to his concerns are clear. Republican know that the general public wants to eliminate the factors of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights that have diminished Colorado’s ability to serve its people. The Republican leadership may also agree with our governor and the Democrats who crafted these needed changes. When Referenda C and D are passed this November, opponents should understand that they are out of touch with the citizens of Colorado. Those who were imported to lead their charge will simply pack up and leave the state for good. Harsanyi would be wise to hitch a ride.
Fred Buschhoff, Denver
…
The GOP rudderless? With Bill Owens and Bruce Benson at the helm of Referenda C and D, that charge rings empty. What seems to offend David Harsanyi and Jon Caldara is that the Colorado GOP is currently being led by people who place the well-being of this state above mindless adherence to the belief that they should never willingly surrender a penny of their own resources to support the common good.
M. Earnest, Denver
…
David Harsanyi criticizes the moderate Republicans and misconstrues Referenda C and D. In fact, the Republican leaders in Colorado are the governor and at least six Republican state senators and representatives who have joined on the bipartisan agenda to reinstate funding for K-12 schools, health care and community and state colleges. They are doing this not by ending TABOR, but by removing the ratchet effect from TABOR for five years. This allows Colorado to get back to where it was before the economic downturn of 2000-02.
Colorado is almost at the bottom for these needed services relative to other states. Vote with the real Republican and Democratic leaders for Referenda C and D to fix our schools, community colleges and health care.
Joel Leventhal, Lakewood
—————————————-
Why does the sky seem less blue?
The grandness of nature has a built-in warning system: the sky. Every single day for months, when I’ve looked up at the heavens, I have sadly noted that our Colorado sky is losing the intensely blue color that I have so loved. Our sky is growing to resemble the color of the East Coast sky of this country.
I can only hope the color change has nothing to do with drilling already going on in Colorado and neighboring states. I can only hope that the change of color has nothing to do with the administration. However, if the the color change of our sky is the result of the current administration, then the voters in the West threw the keys to the Garden of Eden to President George W. Bush and, in effect, said, “As you will.” He has.
Wanda Jones, Denver
—————————————-
Exemptions from environmental regulations
Re: “Energy battle brewing,” June 30 news story.
When you read that Congress is considering giving exemptions from environmental regulations, please read the announcement as: Congress considers allowing more children to suffer from asthma, more people of all ages to succumb to cancer, and more smokers and nonsmokers to slowly lose their breath and their lives to emphysema at younger ages.
The vast majority of exemptions from environmental regulations are related in one way or another to our addiction to energy-intensive living.
Is it really worth it?
Nancy Stocker, Denver
—————————————-
Reporters and secrecy
Re: “Time’s surrender disappoints,” July 1 editorial.
Like many newspapers, you wrote in support of protecting the sources of reporters. I would agree with your editorial, but this case begs the question: What exactly are we protecting?
Is the public, the press, or indeed anyone other than a potential criminal served by protecting the identities and notes involved? As a news story, Joseph Wilson’s “in” for the Niger job was a non-starter. Neither was the public served by disclosure of a fact that played little if any role in the decision to send Wilson on his trip. In fact, the only beneficiary seems to be the person or persons who “leaked” Valerie Plame’s name to the press, and considerable damage was done to national security in the process.
No legitimate source should be scared away by this disclosure. An organization is nothing without standards, and a reasonable standard of serving the public interest would be a wise one for the media to (re-)adopt when considering source protection.
Les Barstow, Golden
—————————————-
Latest Churchill flap
Re: “CU prof defends military remarks,” June 30 news story.
I am a middle-school language arts teacher and I’m willing to bet that my students know more about effective communication than Ward Churchill does. Communication – oral, written or signed – assumes a speaker and an audience. Effective communication requires knowledge of the audience’s needs. You don’t communicate with a 5-year-old the way you would with a college professor. Oh, wait … maybe you do. You don’t communicate with your peers the same way you communicate with your grandmother. That’s better.
So, what is Churchill thinking when he addresses an audience of conscientious objectors, who object to war because they are against killing, by telling them that a different kind of killing could have more impact? Sure, he’s just raising an issue to think about – but why to that particular audience?
I believe that Churchill has the right to spout any kind of drivel he wants, but if he wants to be taken seriously, he needs to tailor his remarks to the audience at hand in order to be effective. And if he did really choose those particular remarks for that particular audience, then he is espousing murder of military officers – and surely that must be some sort of crime.
Carmany Thorp, Centennial
TO REACH OPINION EDITORS
Phone: 303-820-1331
Fax: 303-820-1502
E-mail: openforum@denverpost.com (only straight text, not attachments)
Mail: The Open Forum, The Denver Post, 1560 Broadway, Denver, 80202 or PO Box 1709, Denver, 80201
Letters guidelines: The Post welcomes letters up to 200 words on topics of general interest. Letters must include full name, home address and day and evening phone numbers. Letters may be edited for length, grammar and accuracy.
