State smoking ban
Re: “Public smoking on its way out the door,” June 29 editorial.
Thank you kindly for your fair and balanced commentary on “putrid” tobacco smoke. Frankly, I consider the ban a Godsend. But all those who are hooked on drugs (and nicotine kills the most people) are really more to be pitied than censured.
Here is a bit of doggerel by Benjamin Waterhouse that may inspire someone to get un-hooked:
Tobacco is a filthy weed,
That from the devil does proceed;
It drains your purse, it burns your clothes,
And it makes a chimney of your nose.
But if you’d rather stay hooked, not to worry: In the “Great Hereafter,” you’ll find you’ve made one of two choices: smoking or non-smoking!
Maurice R. Gordon, Pastor Emeritus, Lovingway United Pentecostal Church, Aurora
Safeway rampage
Re: “Worker rampage kills 1, injures 5,” June 26 news story.
Since you saw fit to list the six previous workplace shootings, it might have been more informative to your readers to note that the states the shootings occurred in (Massachusetts, Illinois, Mississippi, Kansas, California) have, or had at the time, very restrictive gun laws. Illinois, where two of the shootings occurred, has some of the most restrictive laws of all.
You might also have noted that many of the workplaces involved either had no security guards or only unarmed security in place.
As long as any state refuses to allow licensed concealed-carry permits or businesses do not allow their employees who have permits to have a gun on company property, these type of tragedies will continue to happen.
John S. Reid, Grand Junction
Lifesaving measures
Re: “Simple steps saving lives in U.S. hospitals,” June 25 editorial, and “Hospitals’ simple efforts pay off,” June 27 news story.
The Post’s article and editorial laud the efforts of hospitals to cut infections and life-threatening injuries. You report that “simple hospital errors could lead to as many as 98,000 deaths a year.” The premise of the new lauded hospital effort is that simple procedures, such as washing hands, giving aspirin to heart-attack patients and other practices, can have a tremendous impact on patients’ health.
Aren’t you missing something in your rush to congratulate the hospitals for these efforts? It seems that the new procedures are anything but rocket science and that thousands of lives could have been saved had these procedures been adopted years ago. None of them are new discoveries, and it seems a shame that patients have suffered needless deaths for so many years.
John Sadwith, Denver
Artist killed by DIA art
Re: “Sculptor killed by artwork for DIA,” June 15 news story.
Artist Luis Jimenez’s sudden demise under sad circumstances warrants a kind and gracious gesture. The City of Denver and Denver International Airport should forgive the debt on the Mustang sculpture designated for our airport and forfeit all rights to it to Jimenez’s children. Our neighbor, New Mexico, particularly Roswell, seems to be a far better venue for Mustang, finished or unfinished. Out of respect, no new work should be commissioned for at least a year.
J.K. Casey, Highlands Ranch
