Psychologist’s advice to survivors of suicide
Re: “Friends, families of suicide victims must face hard truth,” July 6 guest commentary.
I never wonder why so many look askance at my profession; it absolutely attracts the strangest people, and clinical psychologist Rhonda Hackett is living proof of this. Aside from the fact that her pronouncements about the late Judge Larry Manzanares are staggeringly insensitive, they are probably inaccurate as well. Unless she personally evaluated him, she has no way of knowing whether or not Judge Manzanares suffered from major depression. More likely, he suffered from situational depression and anxiety brought on by being hounded by the Jefferson County district attorney and sensational media coverage.
I have treated the family members of suicide victims for nearly 15 years and can’t imagine saying to my patients what Hackett conveyed to this suffering family. Surely no one really doubts that Judge Manzanares would be with us today had he been treated with the compassion and respect that he deserved. The least we can do now is to show the same to those who survive him.
Diane McKinna, Cañon City
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Although Rhonda Hackett’s column does accurately detail certain statistics surrounding suicide and explains the critical connection between suicide and mental illness, her advice to survivors of suicide loss struck me as somewhat harsh.
As the survivor of my younger brother’s suicide in 1993, and the director of Survivor Initiatives for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, it has been my experience that there is no prescribed rhythm, timeline or style for healing. Each person grieves at his or her own pace and in his or her own individual way. And along the way, many survivors will consider a variety of different theories as to who is “responsible” as they struggle to understand the suicide and integrate their loss into their lives.
In my view, Ms. Hackett would have served the survivor community better by offering helpful resources or listing local survivor support groups, rather than admonishing newly bereaved survivors on how to experience their grief.
Joanne L. Harpel, New York City
Columnist’s call for unity the rest of Bush’s term
Re: “We can’t afford failed presidency,” July 8 Cal Thomas column.
Cal Thomas urges Washington politicians to put party differences aside and work together to salvage what may well be an unsalvageable presidency. This is Cal at his best. An unabashed apologist for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney over the years, he asks us to pretend as though they have done nothing more wrong than, for reasons unexplained, lose ratings in the polls; he magnanimously recommends that we put aside our differences and, for the good of the county, move forward in the spirit of cooperation. Cal offers these platitudes knowing that doing so would require that those of us outraged at what we consider felonious and treasonous actions be silent on those subjects. Further, reality suggests that for Bush to decide to cooperate, the Democrats would have to drop all investigations into wrongdoings that happened under his watch.
I ask Cal Thomas and his readers: Would the country really be better off were we to move on and pretend? What conclusions would future elected officials conclude from that?
It is time to bring all the “dirty linen” into the light of day, no matter whose linen, no matter the pain to the country, and only then get on with the business of state.
Tom Parsons, Broomfield
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I am delighted to see that Cal Thomas has finally seen the light. Of all the mean-spirited defenders of the president, this particular columnist effectively eating crow makes me very happy. Perhaps he, along with the rest of us, has finally figured out that George W. Bush never had any plan other than to enrich oil producers and makers of weapons, the rest of us be damned. It’s sad beyond words that few figured that out until the war was painfully, visibly lost and thousands died for his agenda.
Michael Maddox, Colorado Springs
Making Denver attractive to young workers
Re: “Change of view; The Colorado Yale Association is using its Denver internship program to counter negative stereotypes of the city held by out-of- staters,” July 4 business news story.
After reading The Post’s article, I was a little puzzled. Why did it only mention one program focused on ensuring internship opportunities for kids from other states when so many of my Colorado friends struggled, and often failed, to find work in Denver this summer?
Attracting smart young people to Colorado is a great idea. Stereotypes about Colorado do exist; I heard a fair number of them during my freshman year at Dartmouth. Without doubt, programs such as the one described in your article will help break down these misperceptions.
At the same time, the article seemed to focus only on bringing out-of-state kids to Colorado. Colorado students don’t need to be “sold” on the benefits of living in Denver. We love the West and would like nothing more than to live and work in Denver when we finish school.
If job opportunities are offered first to out-of-state students, however, our own kids may need to look in places such as New York, Boston and San Francisco, the very same cities with which these internship programs are trying to compete.
The article said the point of the internships was to “bring talented students to Denver to expose them to the city’s many benefits.” Colorado already has talented students who appreciate the advantages of living in this great state; we just have to give them the means to keep calling Colorado home.
Sara Hudner, Englewood
Being beaten in Baghdad
It infuriates me when I hear our macho president and macho members of Congress stating how important it is that we stay the course in Iraq when we’re getting our tails kicked every day in Baghdad. If this is as important as they say, why do the majority of Americans support a withdrawal? Why haven’t we eliminated the tax cuts, re-introduced the draft, and created a dollar-a-gallon war tax on gasoline to send a half-million troops over there to finish the job? The only sacrifices being made in this fiasco are those of our brave young troops who are losing lives and limbs every day, patrolling the same streets, the same way, time and time again. It’s time to get out of Iraq and to stop the misery. There is too much that needs to be done elsewhere to combat the terrorist threat in a meaningful way.
Larry Carnes, Trinidad
Definition of treason
While I largely share the views of columnist Bob Ewegen (July 7 column) and letter-writer Rollie Ives (July 10 Open Forum) concerning the disgraceful and criminal behaviors of Bush, Cheney, et al, they got one very important thing wrong. The constitutional definition of treason is waging war against the United States or “adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.” The administration might have given substantial aid and comfort to the insurgents and terrorists by their misdeeds, but you can’t really say that they “adhered to” them.
Bill Goodrich, Englewood
Search for new DIA chief
Re: “Higher pay for DIA chief begets great expectations,” July 10 editorial.
Your article on the pros and cons of increasing the salary for the next administrator of Denver International Airport could not come at a better time. If DIA is ever to return to its place of pre-eminence, fitting of its architecture and the people of Denver, we will need a top-flight airport administrator. The new manager will need to bring openness, friendliness and soaring visions back to our remarkable facility in the new master plan. Let’s hire the best person and pay the top price. Change is long overdue.
Gregory M. Sullivan, Littleton
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