McCain torture rules
Re: “John McCain’s support for torture ban,” Dec. 21 Open Forum.
I agree with letter-writer Michael R. Duran about Sen. John McCain’s exemplary persistence in regard to the United States banning torture, but I disagree that this is exclusively a Christian characteristic. McCain certainly qualifies for Human Being of the Year, rather than Christian Man of the Year. I don’t believe it is uniquely Christian to be a good person and to stand up for the rights of all human beings. There are many who do not embrace the Christian faith but who lead virtuous lives and are willing to oppose those who would bring harm to others.
Barbara Vacchiano, Denver
Political linguistics
By using the headline “Deficit-cutting measure passes” (Dec. 22 news story), The Denver Post has fallen into an ingenious linguistic trap set by the White House and congressional Republicans. Who could oppose “deficit reduction”? What this bill actually does is reduce aid to the poor by cutting Medicare and Medicaid. It reduces funding for higher education by cutting student loans. It chops other programs in the social safety net. Only incidentally do these cuts reduce a deficit that was created mainly by President Bush’s huge tax cuts and massive spending in Iraq.
Next year the White House will propose more large tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Please be consistent and call this new legislation a “deficit-increasing measure.”
Ron Binz, Denver
The high cost of energy
I was aghast to see my natural gas bill went up from $58 last month to $161 this month. Almost triple! And Xcel Energy is asking for another 18 percent increase in January? I suppose the Public Utilities Commission will grant them that, too.
All this while Xcel exhibits backward thinking by building yet another coal-fired power plant. Short-term profits over the long- term health of our life-sustaining ecosystems is blind, naked greed.
Global warming is real, is happening, and will threaten our ecosystems, changing the boundaries of everything from forests to shorelines and national borders. Renewable energy is the future – it has to be. Why not get there before your competitors, Xcel? Oh, I forgot, there aren’t any! We have no choice when it comes to which natural gas company serves us.
Julie Price, Littleton
Fighting over Christmas
It’s time to stop fighting over how much Christ there is in Christmas. The evangelicals have made a good point: some appear to go to absurd lengths to avoid religious references in Christmas cards, decorations and celebrations. It seems like political correctness run amok, but I think there’s a better explanation.
I avoid religious displays because I’m uncomfortable with Christianity, not because I’m worried I’ll offend someone. My discomfort has a lot to do with the tactics employed by some high-visibility Christian groups. Boycotts and fights over Christmas terminology are divisive. Christmas suffers as a result. What happened to love and goodwill for all? Like the Christians, I miss “Silent Night” and children’s Christmas programs. But even more, I miss love, harmony and unity.
Frank Johnson, Denver
