Christo’s latest Colo. plan
Re: “Artists submit plan to drape Arkansas River,” April 26 news brief.
The artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude have submitted a plan to our state for draping the Arkansas River in silver sheeting. It has been said that art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. In my mind’s eye, there are at least two good reasons why this is not art, and a complete waste of valuable resources:
1. The natural beauty of Colorado, famous worldwide, doesn’t need artificial enhancement.
2. The millions of dollars necessary for this project could be used for much greater humanitarian benefit, such as starvation in Darfur and/or rehabilitation in New Orleans.
Richard McCormack, Denver
What’s good for Imus …
Re: “Imus’ comments are lesson for us all,” April 22 Gail Schoettler column.
Gail Schoettler explains that Don Imus and his brand of commentary are not acceptable. She is correct. She uses the terms “insulting,” “demean,” “ridicule” and “humiliating.” Each word describes how her usual columns, and those of other Democrats, are written when attacking President Bush. I assume she will read her own words and write about unifying the country and solving the problems before us, instead of only producing diatribes.
George F. Hamlin, Littleton
Compassion for immigrants
Re: “Act on immigration,” April 18 guest commentary.
I commend Archbishop Chalres Chaput for his guest commentary on the issue of immigration. His statement closely echoes the position we have adopted, which may be found at interfaithallianceco.org/publicpolicy.html.
We would uphold the archbishop’s passionate yet reasoned appeal on this critical issue as an example of the kind of leadership needed from religious communities as we seek to find our way on many perplexing problems facing our society. He addressed the issue from a reasoned and compassionate perspective with which many people – both religious and non-religious – can agree, without appealing to dogma.
We believe fervently that people of faith can work together for the common good along with other people of good will to advance the causes of freedom, justice, peace, equality and mutual respect, and we hope the immigration issue is just one example of how we can do so.
Nelson Bock, Denver
The writer is chair of the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado’s Public Policy Commission.
Denver’s city elections
Kudos to letter-writer Cliff Chetwin, who wrote in the Sunday Denver Post: “Rather than glorifying new and expanded programs … voters should carefully consider how much more of their income they want to give … for poor delivery of basic services needed by all citizens” (April 22 Open Forum).
After the blizzard in December, Mayor John Hickenlooper promised all neighborhoods would be plowed at least once. My neighborhood never saw one plow go through. Several calls to the “wonderful” 311 line got only more lies, but no action.
You can bet I won’t be voting for Hickenlooper. In fact, the whole Denver election process is flawed, so I won’t vote at all. I am moving to a city that cares about its residents and doesn’t just flap its lips.
Judy Collins, Denver
Gun control and Virginia Tech
I’ve been following the gun-control debate raging in the papers since the tragedy at Virginia Tech. And I’ve decided that the pro-gun advocates are right when they say we should arm every college student with a handgun. This would certainly make any would-be killer poised to enter a classroom think twice.
And why limit this to colleges and universities? High school, middle school and even grade school students are perfectly capable of becoming “well-armed.” Woe to the uninformed substitute teacher who tries to restore order in a classroom!
OK, so there would be a few collateral casualties that could result from this policy: a professor maimed because he gave an armed student too low a grade, two students engaged in a handgun duel after one accuses the other of looking at his paper during an exam, the unfortunate principal whose body is riddled with bullets by overly anxious students after he enters a classroom unexpectedly, and so on.
Yes, those incidents are sure to happen, but that’s just the price we’ll have to pay to keep our classrooms safe.
Steve Feld, Englewood
…
Re: “No need for assault weapons,” April 22 Colorado Voices column.
Colorado Voices columnist Annie Dawid attempts to tie the Virginia Tech massacre to “assault weapons,” when in fact there was no such link. Rather, a common handgun was used. She uses the erroneous term “semi-automatic machine guns,” clearly demonstrating her ignorance of the difference between a machine gun (a fully automatic weapon heavily restricted since the 1930s) and a semi-automatic, which fires only one shot with each trigger pull. Her thinly veiled point throughout the column is that virtually every gun in existence should be re-branded as an “assault weapon” and banned from ownership by peaceable citizens. Nowhere does she present any argument showing how this would have stopped a maniac like Seung-Hui Cho.
Also glaringly absent was any mention of the fact that the Virginia Tech campus, just like Columbine, was already declared a “gun-free zone” by law, yet evildoers were still able to walk in and shoot people. Such places should instead be called “criminal-safe zones” because thanks to counterproductive gun-control laws, the only armed people there are the criminals.
Reid Lusk, Englewood
…
Mass homicidal gun deaths are primarily an indication of societal problems and secondarily an indication of a gun problem. In my opinion, this societal problem is evident every time we get in our cars to drive somewhere. It can be seen in the angry/aggressive drivers who cut us off, pull in front of us, slam on their brakes and make obscene gestures.
Had guns not have been available to Seung-Hui Cho, or Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, their attitudes and intentions would not have changed. They might have used knives or other weapons. Had knives rather than guns been used, there might have been fewer deaths, but most likely multiple deaths would still have occurred. There are many methods available to the determined mass murderer.
The primary thrust to solve this problem should be 1) determination of the root cause of this behavior, 2) development of methods to detect people who have or are likely to develop this behavior, and 3) treatments to correct or eliminate this behavior.
Glenn Jacobs, Hartsel
…
Police officers, who train rigorously in responsible use of firearms, seldom draw their weapons, much less fire them in the line of duty. Nevertheless, innocent people are still occasionally shot and killed by policemen. To suggest, as the gun lobby does, that the solution to gun violence in America is to encourage more untrained, self- appointed vigilantes to carry concealed weapons wherever they go is just stupid. In the wake of a massacre like the one in Blacksburg, it’s also insensitive and cruel.
A.J. Hill, Nederland
Everyone knows that when they go on vacation, they should stop their mail and newspapers and put lights on timers. Why? To create the illusion that someone is at home. Why is this a deterrent? Because burglars know that if they break into an occupied home, the resident has the right to shoot them. Have you ever seen someone post a sign on their home that their house is firearm-free? I doubt even an anti-gun activist would be so foolhardy as to announce to criminals that they may enter their home and act with impunity until the police arrive. Then why in the world would we post such signs on our schools where our precious children are? Why in the world would we announce to evil people that they can roam the halls of our schools with impunity until the police arrive?
Seung-Hui Cho could not have taken so many lives if brave men like Professor Liviu Librescu were allowed to defend themselves.
Robert Short, Denver
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Re: “U.S. gun culture back in spotlight,” April 23 news story.
Yes, you really can wait a few days to buy that gun. I own guns and will buy more. I can’t think of any reason you or I can’t wait a week or so to have a background check. Instant purchases of guns is not a guarantee of the Constitution or a legitimate need of any society. Background checks throughout the country might just stem the psychotic attacks we repeatedly endure. Such a delay would at least slow the emotional impetuous purchase. Why does anybody need a gun within hours? Fellow sportsmen, target shooters, and we who want armed protection can still get our guns in plenty of time. The costs for a program in every state are minimal. They include some hassle for the merchants. The benefits are potentially incalculable.
Ken van der Laan, Denver
TO THE POINT
John McCain supports continuation of the unpopular Iraq war, saying he’d rather lose an election than a war. Senator, those are not either-or propositions.
Ben Anderson, Castle Rock
Blaming global climate change on mankind is like blaming a window fan for the damage to a home caused by an F5 tornado.
John Fryar, Fort Collins
I was amused by an April 23 editorial headline: “21 is old enough to write laws.” Judging from various bills from both sides of the aisle, it would appear that 12 is old enough.
Ari Armstrong, Westminster
Isn’t Seung-Hui Cho the embodiment of all the NRA has worked tirelessly to accomplish? After all, the nanny-state gun grabbers were only able to take his guns “from his cold dead hands.”
Erik Darzins, Denver
If Alberto Gonzales were a liberal attorney general in a Democratic administration, wouldn’t left-of-center Hispanic columnists and others be crying “racism” and trying to whitewash this whole affair? Inquiring minds want to know.
Pat Desrosiers, Denver
Doesn’t it seem as though President Bush and his “staff” are in trouble? They can’t seem to remember anything that has happened and can’t find anything that has been lost.
Is that the way to run a government?
Janice Schwener, Rifle
If Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. John Murtha are so convinced they are doing the right thing for our troops in Iraq, then they should have the intestinal fortitude to deliver the message to the troops in person!
L.W. Hunley, Grand Junction
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