Sloan’s Lake dog rescue
Re: “What’s good for the goose not so for dog,” March 7 news story.
Wanda Padilla could have prevented the near-tragedy of losing her dog by keeping the dog on a leash. In Aurora, all dogs must be kept on a leash except while at the special dog parks. Why the “Today” show rewarded her by giving treats to her dog is beyond me. She should be given a fine and have to pay for the rescue. Her caution to other dog owners was to “keep dogs away from geese,” as if geese were the problem. It should have been, “Keep your dogs on a leash at all times.”
Leslie Jenkins, Aurora
. . .
I am so glad to hear that there are still some real heroes out there. A big thank you to Tony Padilla of the Denver Fire Department for risking his life to save Pearl, the dog that fell through the ice. I don’t live in Colorado, but I saw this story on our local TV station. It is such a wonderful thing to see that someone still has feelings for animals. Mr. Padilla is a good example of what a real man should be.
Debby Littlefield, Houston
Assuming ethnic identity
Re: “Criminals and ethnicity,” March 6 Open Forum.
Letter-writer Erica Grundin criticizes The Post for publishing the ethnic background of Nicole Uribe, the woman in Pueblo who allegedly tried to sell her baby. The Post described the alleged buyers and sellers as “Mexican nationals.” I believe “Mexican nationals” is equivalent to another country referring to someone as an American citizen. This means The Post assigned the country of origin, and that the individuals may be of any ethnic background. If that is the case, The Post did not assume ethnic identity, but Grundin did.
Jeff Metcalfe, Highlands Ranch
Divinity and death
Re: “Death of another young Broncos player,” Feb. 3 Open Forum.
In his response to those grieving over the untimely death of Broncos running back Damien Nash, attributing it to God’s decision, Senior Pastor Michael D. Dent of the Trinity United Methodist Church stated that “God created the world finite and free,” and that “physical evil such as heart failure is the natural implication of a finite world.” With all due respect, nothing could be further from the truth, as the juxtaposition of “finite” and “free” suggests a glaring contradiction that undermines truth’s standard of consistency: That which is finite is subject to limits, whereas “freedom” implies the absence of limits.
In fact, Adam and Eve were created to live forever, and it was their choice to turn away from the Limitless that brought “finite” into their world. And it is our choice to perpetuate their poor choices that has locked us into our finite prisons on Earth. God has authority over all things, including “physical evils,” as evidenced numerous times by the miracle healings attributed to Jesus. But Jesus never took credit for the healings. He always said, “Your faith has healed you.” The only thing that seems to be lacking, then, or finite, is our faith.
Tom Cladis, Denver
Predicting future in Iraq
It’s fascinating to read the predictions of politicians about all the bad things that will happen if we leave Iraq. They seem so sure of their knowledge of the future. But these are the same people who predicted that the war would last a matter of weeks rather than months, and that the resistance was in its last throes. Still they predict with confidence, just as politicians predicted that if Vietnam fell, so would Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. People who predict the future all have one thing in common: They are all, to some degree, wrong.
David Steiner, Thornton
Homeowner associations
Re: “You don’t have to love HOAs, just live with ’em,” March 1 Room column.
As the president of a homeowner’s association, I was very offended by the description of board members being “chatty, law-abiding citizens who have a high tolerance for minutiae.” People who volunteer their valuable time to their HOAs are dedicated, concerned homeowners who care about their communities. We deal with issues that range from the welfare of our neighbors (you’d be surprised at how many people call their HOA if they have not seen a neighbor in days) to the condition of a home that can affect property values for an entire neighborhood. I can guarantee you that we do not spend hours in board meetings away from our families “chatting.”
I’ve always believed that an HOA is what you make it, and that it’s only as good as its volunteers. Your article gives a very false picture of what we are all about. Our HOA is more than a governing body, it’s a community.
Shirley Beer Powell, Castle Pines North
An uncommon experience
In a time when frequent and lengthy flight delays are in the news, I’m reminded of a trip on Frontier Airlines from Denver to Portland in August 2006. Stuck at the gate because of bad weather, my daughter started to feel ill because of low blood sugar. Asking the flight attendant, who was bending over backwards to accommodate the passengers, if we could leave the plane to buy a snack, she went to the cockpit to speak with the pilot. She returned minutes later and informed us the co-pilot would go to the terminal for food, reminding us the plane could leave us behind but couldn’t fly without him. Not only did he take the time to bring her a meal, he asked her which restaurant she preferred. In my 45 years of flying, I have never received such outstanding service.
Hats off to Frontier Airlines. It will forever be my airline of choice.
Annette Thomas, Clarkston, Mich.
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