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Re: “Grading Wikipedia,” May 1 feature story.
The Internet does contain and circulate many myths and half- truths. That’s a small cost of free speech. But it is also a far greater treasure trove of information and access. Wikipedia, cited as imperfect by The Post’s article, still represents a major leap forward in breadth and reach of updated encyclopedic information. And, through sites such as snopes.com, stories can be checked by anyone with even a little healthy skepticism.
Is “truth” on the Internet any less available than in print media, where a need to appease the diversity of readership has led to a truth-is-relative mentality and “balance,” the artificial equalizing of unequal, opposing major positions? I am and will continue to be a faithful reader of The Post, and will continue to read newspapers in addition to a diversity of other news sources to get the best approximation of the truth.
Harv Teitelbaum, Evergreen
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Re: “Congress overdoes it on hate crimes – with no end in sight,” May 9 Al Knight column.
While statistical analysis may not show an impact on hate crimes from a prosecution perspective, it also does not demonstrate an impact from a crimes-prevented perspective either. It’s time to look at hate-crimes legislation differently.
Federal legislation should set the high standard for practices and behaviors we expect from all the citizens of this country. I believe everyone in our society deserves such protections regardless of what they believe, what they think, or even who they love.
While some may be concerned that a list of specific groups that receive protection denote special interest, it is my belief that in our ever-evolving democracy, this type of legislation sets the high standard that we all eventually benefit from.
You do not have to know or be a social minority to benefit from high standards of respect and behavior. I believe this is what America is all about, and this is legislation worth supporting.
Chris Shields, Denver
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Re: “In defense of congressional hate-crimes bill,” May 14 Open Forum.
Contrary to Bruce DeBoskey’s assertion, it’s both inappropriate and unlaudable that the House of Representatives passed a bill addressing hate crimes. By definition, all crimes – in at least their indifference and callousness toward human beings – are hate.
“Hate crimes send a message to” groups, writes Mr. DeBoskey, that “can spark widespread neighborhood conflicts damaging the fabric of our society.”
All crimes damage the fabric of our society, Mr. DeBoskey.
Mr. DeBoskey’s comments show me that his Anti-Defamation League seems to love, or love to play, a victim mentality. This, to me, damages the fabric of society. Or the fabric of whoever’s gullible or pandering enough (like Congress?) to buy into it.
Crime and punishment should be direct and personal, which has the effect of treating all people equally. To do otherwise is to politicize the criminal law, similar to what dictatorships do.
Walter Smetana, Highlands Ranch
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The first rule of successful business is to figure out what your customers want and give it to them. Unfortunately, the post office is ignoring this rule, as evidenced by the new size/shape surcharges. Instead of designing or installing mail-handling technologies that give customers what they want, the post office is adopting new technologies merely to give the post office what it wants. It’s absurd that the U.S. Postal Service has probably spent millions on sophisticated mail-handling technologies only to have taken a somewhat efficient system and “upgraded” it into something that requires more hassle and more expense for postal patrons. Does this mean if I put a cardboard stiffener in an envelope with baby pictures to send to my grandmother, the machine can’t handle it? Who designed that machine, and what did they think people put in the mail?
Tom Evans, Evergreen
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Crocodile tears?
Re: “Anguish, anger and a feeling of unfairness,” May 14 news story.
The only thing worse than the torture Chandler Grafner suffered while starving to death is the space given to Christina Grafner, his biological mother, to vent her “anguish and anger.” She put this whole tragedy in motion with the abuse and neglect of her children. Blaming the police and the courts, when she didn’t even show up for a custody hearing, is nonsense. Her “mission to regain custody of her other son” is laughable. Please devote more space to finding answers to the continuing tragedy of child abuse in this country, rather than to excuses from people who don’t even deserve to have given birth.
Connie Herbst, Niwot
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Presidential candidates
We are so busy listening to presidential candidates’ policies and plans, we forget that without competence, policies and plans mean nothing. It’s time for all of us to focus on what matters most. I want each candidate to convince me they are sufficiently informed and experienced, with excellent leadership and diplomacy skills, to be able to run our country successfully. Seems these are questions we never ask.
Audrey Brodt, Littleton
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U.S. funding priorities
Re: “State working families often can’t make ends meet,” May 10 news story.
The Post’s article stated that 1 in 5 working families in Colorado can’t make ends meet. Meanwhile, gas prices are over $3 a gallon and rising. The world is full of hunger, the homeless and poverty. We are spending large amounts of money on the war to help our troops and support them. Then I look below the article on Colorado families and see a story about lunar dust. Lockheed Martin is trying to build equipment to draw oxygen from dust on the moon. Now I know where money is being wasted. I understand the space system is important for some things, but do we really need to live in space?
Kurtis Roose, Littleton
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Recent events once again demonstrate how silly hypersensitive political correctness can get. The Rev. Al Sharpton’s crusade against Don Imus’ bigotry, followed weeks later by Sharpton’s own slurring of Mitt Romney’s religious faith, is a laughable opportunity to discover if what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
Then, the Blue Parrot’s 88-year tradition of selling “wopburgers” in Louisville is called on the carpet by a recent settler who is offended by the name.
Before the Blue Parrot’s printing presses replace “wopburgers” with “Italian burgers,” they have a chance to further correct past wrongs. Hence the following recommendations:
Al Sharpton should resign from his role as a leading spokesman for social change, and the Blue Parrot should henceforth offer the “Columbus-Genocide Marinara Sausage Sandwich” on their revised menu.
Or maybe we could all lighten up and get to work on the real causes of social injustice. Nah.
Tom Haver, Denver
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