One thing missing from immigration forum
I would like to congratulate 9News for its interesting show regarding immigration that aired recently. There was only one small detail missing from the debate: a Latino!
Apparently the show’s producers felt it appropriate to discuss this vital issue and somehow forgot to include a Latino on the panel. Since Latinos are the largest minority, I guess it can be quite troublesome finding one with an opinion about immigration.
Hopefully one day Latinos will be included in this debate, especially since it pertains to us. It is certainly appropriate to debate immigration, but it’s a slap in the face to deny us the opportunity to provide an opinion that continues to be censored in the media.
Richard O. Delgado, Denver
President’s defense of NSA eavesdropping
Re: “Bush calls eavesdropping critical in war on terrorism,” Jan. 24 news story.
For all the rhetoric defending his inherent power to eavesdrop on American citizens, President Bush fails to answer one simple question: Why refuse to get warrants? Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants can be obtained 72 hours and sometimes 15 days after the fact. According to President Bush, “If I wanted to break the law, why was I briefing Congress?” Answer: You were not briefing Congress according to established expectations, and you were receiving responses (handwritten by Sen. Jay Rockefeller) opposing this program. Handwritten responses were necessary due to the extreme secrecy required, which prevented discussing this program with others in Congress.
Warrants provide simple oversight. Lt. Gen. Michael V. Hayden would like Americans to trust this administration. I really wish I could. How can I trust this administration without warrants? I have nothing to hide, but what are you hiding, Mr. Bush?
Bob Selover, Littleton
…
This is the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States:
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
I’m no lawyer, but in pretty plain language this amendment says to me that the government cannot conduct “unreasonable” searches, and that a warrant is mandatory to conduct any search, and furthermore, that probable cause “supported by Oath or affirmation” is mandatory to secure any warrant. Somehow, George W. Bush reads this amendment to mean that warrants and probable cause are not required if an employee of the National Security Agency makes the determination that a search is necessary in the interests of national security.
The American people must decide: First, how much of the meaning and intent of the Constitution can we “spin” out of existence before the whole thing becomes meaningless? Second, if terrorists can scare us into discarding the core meanings of the founding document of our republic, don’t they win?
George Hope, Morrison
Use of seat belts by Coloradans, children
Re: “Parents of car-crash victims rally for seat-belt law,” Jan. 25 news story.
Upon moving here five years ago from the Northeast, I was shocked to see how many people – children, teenagers and adults – do not wear their seat belts in Colorado. As sad as these senseless deaths are, where are the parents teaching these children about wearing seat belts and how it could save their lives if they wear them? I have a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old, and they both know that the car will not move until everyone is buckled up, period. If you do not teach children the importance of it and be vigilant about it, these senseless deaths will continue. It enrages me to see parents, who are not wearing their seat belts, letting their children jump around all over the back of the car.
And teenagers, take a hint from your peers who have lost their lives because they did not wear their seat belt. You see in the newspaper, time and time again, teenagers all gathering around to memorialize fellow students who died in a wreck and who were not wearing their seat belts.
Colorado, get a clue and start being responsible drivers and passengers.
Laurie Volpe, Littleton
Civil-rights grievances
Re: “Conservative sees red over white push,” Jan. 25 Jim Spencer column.
Jim Spencer misses a basic concept existing in this great country of ours: that all citizens have a right to form organizations to serve their legitimate civil-rights interests. That is the fundamental purpose of the European American Issues Forum.
We have been denied a seat at the table where decisions are made that affect ourselves, our children and our grandchildren on the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Blue Ribbon Commission.
Brad Jones, a young, decent but misinformed citizen, seems to think that European Americans calling attention to perceived serious grievances directed against them is equivalent to promoting a race war. That is bizarre thinking, to say the least.
And his suggesting that we put words in his mouth and that we were dishonest does not hold water, as we told him that he would not have to be aligned with our White Paper that was submitted to the Blue Ribbon Commission, but that he was free to express his own views.
We challenge columnist Spencer to prove anything false/extreme in our White Paper. What’s extreme is his attempt to promote the idea that to work to remedy reasonable perceived grievances by European Americans is extreme.
Louis Calabro, President, European American Issues Forum, San Bruno, Calif.
Japanese beef imports
Re: “In beef dispute, U.S. should cater to Japan,” Jan. 24 editorial.
“Just” two U.S. mad cow disease cases are two too many. According to the ancient Chinese proverb, a long voyage starts with but one step. There were also “just” a few mad cow prion-infected feed samples exported from Great Britain to Europe before it exploded into the widespread outbreaks of the 1980s. There were but a few human cases of the bird flu not so long ago. With mad cow, excessive safety measures are justified because there is no diagnostic test before death. You erred when you stated that mad cow has never been found in calves less than six months old. Mad cow disease is often acquired congenitally and only manifests itself in adult cattle. That doesn’t mean that it’s not present. You are right when you castigate Rep. Marilyn Musgrave for bullying customers – here or abroad. How much longer are we to suffer this ignorant and offensive person?
Ted Kramer, Fort Collins
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