Staying safe from lightning in the mountains
Re: “Lightning strikes; so does luck,” July 19 news story.
In your story about serious injuries to a party of hikers and the death of their dog from a lightning strike near Marble, you state: “The seven hikers took cover under a tree … .”
Those of us who have had training in mountaineering safety know that one of the worst places to be in an electrical storm is under a tree. An isolated tree often becomes a lightning rod, with the kind of result your stories describe.
The Post missed an opportunity to review with readers some safety guidelines to help prevent accidents of this kind in the high country.
Loretta Martin, Denver
Editor’s note: For lightning safety tips, visit the National Lightning Safety Institute’s website at lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/lst.html. The institute is located in Louisville.
Humanism, moral relativism and terrorism
Re: “Moral absolutism and the war against terror,” July 17 Open Forum.
Letter-writer Trevor Waliszewski, 15, is too young to remember some of the recent history in the Balkans, when it was Christians murdering Muslims by the tens of thousands.
Muslim and/or Christian extremism and humanism are diametrically opposed philosophies having nothing in common.
As one who is not burdened with any guilt for simply being here, I’m hardly to blame for those whose actions are guided by a belief system that demands adulation of an unseen yet omnipotent and supposedly benevolent superbeing, while seeking vengeance upon my fellow human for not fawning upon the one I have chosen.
Morals, and morality, existed long before the Ten Commandments or the Koran.
But, kudos to you, Trevor, for your patriotism.
Dave Schulze, Commerce City
…
Humanism is not, as letter-writer Trevor Waliszewski puts it, “also known as moral relativism,” and neither is humanism, secular or otherwise, an apology for acts of mass murder. The people who crashed the planes into the World Trade Center towers were not humanists, nor were they secular; they and their sponsors had no doubt of their own moral rectitude, hardly a form of relativism.
It is indeed ironic that a theist, as Waliszewski seems to be, should seek to lecture humanists on exactly what the perpetrators of Sept. 11 condemned the U.S. for and what they saw as immorality and humanism in U.S. society.
One hopes that this “visual generation” will come to exhibit a finer distinction between different moral philosophies and distinguish which the various protagonists adhere to.
Matthew Loxton, Arvada
Review of NSA domestic surveillance program
Re: “Bush blocked Justice probe of NSA’s surveillance setup,” July 19 news story.
After reading this article, all I could hear were echoes of Gomer Pyle saying, “Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!” According to his own attorney general, President Bush personally thwarted the internal investigation requested by Democratic critics of the NSA warrantless surveillance program. Bush approved new security clearances to this “sensitive” program for lawyers called to defend it, but would have us “trust him” that other reviews had already addressed the critics’ concerns.
The arrogance of Bush and the Republicans knows no bounds. Hopefully, the American people will wake up to the fact that we have a terrorist in the White House who is a greater threat to our civil liberties and freedom than any follower of Osama bin Laden.
I do not care for Bush’s vision of America. Instead, give me Patrick Henry, who once said, “Give me liberty or give me death.”
Andy Cooley, Evergreen
GOP vote on stem cells
The stem-cell vote in the House is the latest example of Colorado Republicans choosing party over constituents. Whereas 70 percent of Americans support federal funding to research stem cells that will be thrown away, Colorado Reps. Marilyn Musgrave, Tom Tancredo, Bob Beauprez and Joel Hefley chose to give the president the votes he needs to sustain his first-ever veto.
These people do not represent their districts, they represent the Republican Party.
Steve Clark, Denver
Diplomacy in Mideast
Northern Ireland Protestants and Southern Ireland Catholics killed each other for decades. They don’t do that anymore. Why? Sen. George Mitchell forged a working peace treaty that is holding firm. So diplomacy works, even in a religious dispute. Before Iran destroys Saudi refineries, leading to $5-a-gallon gas, maybe we ought to consider real diplomacy in the Middle East.
James Warner, Denver
Bicycling in Denver
Mayor John Hickenlooper’s Greenprint initiative includes decreased reliance on automobiles as well as enhancement of bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.
Last year, Denver was downgraded from a Silver bicycle-friendly status to Bronze by the League of American Bicyclists. One of the reasons cited for the downgrade was that a number of decisions, policies, programs and choices being made by agencies in Denver indicated a diminished commitment to making Denver a more bicycle-friendly community. As an example, Denver’s 2001 Bicycle Master Plan update has been largely unimplemented. Greenprint will be a major factor in reversing this trend.
The Denver bicycling community applauds the mayor’s vision. We look forward to the implementation of the Greenprint initiative and the opportunity it provides for ensuring that bicyclists are included in all aspects of transportation and the planning process.
Many cities have experienced the economic benefits of encouraging non-motorized transportation. Investments in bicycle facilities and programs now will ensure that Denver remains an attractive and viable place to live in the future.
David Rapp, President, BikeDenver, Denver
America: Land of the linguistic melting pot
Re: “English is No. 2 now?” July 19 Open Forum.
I am appalled at letter-writer Dwight Lindstedt’s letter pertaining to the English language. He called himself a “second-class” citizen in his own country because an automated phone call he made asked for Spanish speakers to press “1.” Apparently the demographics of this company’s clientele is primarily Spanish-speaking. Please don’t tell me he’ll be upset that some people in this country don’t speak English as a first language. Because worldwide, more people speak Spanish than English. So what if that happens in America, too? English never was a national language, nor an official language.
Part of the “melting pot” of American society is linguistic. That is why so many signs or government-related papers in the Southwest are in English and Spanish; in San Francisco and Seattle, Korean and Chinese; in Hawaii, Japanese. It is far more beneficial than detrimental that what used to be “Little Havana” or “Chinatown” is expanded to mainstream America. The little pockets of ethnic (and linguistic) diversity are spilling over. Get used to it.
K. Crooks, Englewood
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