The weekly newsletter of The Denver Post’s opinion pages.
Once again, the week begins with America’s flags flying at half-staff after another mass shooting over the weekend. And while this week’s news is expected to include another round of debate on gun laws, last week was about the Paul Manafort indictment, the terror attack in New York, and tomorrow’s local elections, among other topics. Here are highlights:
Perspective
First, a summary of what was in our Sunday Perspective section this week:
California fires’ lesson to Colorado: Harris Sherman, a former Colorado director of natural resources, wrote that the recent wildfires in California’s Sonoma and Napa counties should be a for Coloradans. He offered several ways for the state to reduce our significant fire risk.
Driverless cars not just for the rich: Colorado state Rep. Jeff Bridges explained that driverless cars aren’t going to benefit just the rich — the opportunity and independence promised by our driverless future will do the most for our .
A better budget process for Colorado: State Reps. Patrick Neville and Cole Wist — the minority leader and assistant minority leader in the Colorado House of Representatives — suggested .
Manafort indictment just the beginning: Noah Feldman, a Bloomberg View columnist and Harvard law professor, wrote: “So now we know how this game of Clue starts: Paul Manafort with a wire transfer in the parlor.” Feldman suggested that Robert Mueller’s is the start of a complicated story.
Hillary Clinton’s disturbing Russia ties: In its Sunday editorial, The Post’s editorial board wrote: Hostility toward the Trump presidency shouldn’t blind us to despicable behavior by his opponents. Yes, .
Letters to the editor: On the letters page, Denver Post readers tackled several issues. Here are several of their letters:
Cynthia Coffman’s principled stance: Mario Nicolais, an attorney and Denver Post columnist, wrote that while the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually rule on a Colorado baker’s challenge to an anti-discrimination law, Colorado Attorney General .
Crisis in Venezuela can’t be ignored: DU law professor and Denver Post columnist Ved Nanda wrote that although the Venezuelan crisis is no longer front-page news, the U.S. and the rest of the world there, as there is significant potential for regional instability.
At DU, unequal pay for equal work: Aaron Schneider, president of the University of Denver chapter of the American Association of University Professors, wrote that with its decision to persist in paying female law faculty significantly less than their male counterparts.
A lesson about (and in) Bears Ears: Emily Brendler Shoff argued against the possibility of . The Telluride Mountain School teacher related the experience of taking seventh- and eighth-graders backpacking in Bears Ears in September, writing that it is an ideal outdoor classroom for middle schoolers.
The art of the pejorative: Writer Garrison Keillor once again took up his satirical pen, and : “When his old campaign manager was indicted Monday, Mr. Trump called me on the phone, crying like a baby, and begged me to endorse him. I said, ‘You’re already president, Mr. President. You were elected.’ He said, ‘I’d still like your endorsement.’ I have a recording of the phone call. It’s so sad.”
GOP “victory” on tax reform: Washington Post columnist George F. Will wrote that Republicans are on tax reform: What began with a bang of promises of comprehensive tax reform will end with a whimper: The only large change will be to the national debt.
Investors not thrilled with Trump: Syndicated columnist Froma Harrop wrote about a rich friend of hers who, despite doing well in the stock market lately, .
Gun laws vs. fishing rules: Marty Jones, a contributor to Writers on the Range, wrote that here in the Western U.S., . If you’re an adult, you need a license to fish; meanwhile, you can possess a militia-sized arsenal and any size and amount of ammunition.
Drawn to the News: Here are the editorial cartoons we featured on the back page of Sunday’s Perspective section, on the topic of the Manhattan terror attack:
Jeff Koterba, Omaha World-Herald
The past week
Here are highlights from last week’s opinion coverage:
Denver Post editorials:
State budget misses an opportunity: There’s much to like in Gov. John Hickenlooper’s budget for fiscal year 2018-19, but it’s a shame it Republican leaders who sought more austerity.
Tax-increment financing’s flaws: Under Colorado’s Regional Tourism Act, lawmakers have in expected state sales taxes based on less-than-sound and independent project analysis.
A call for traditional American justice: After the terror attack in Manhattan that claimed eight lives, the Trump administration should and stop politicizing the issue.
Reject hateful attack in DPS election: A mailer in southwest Denver against Angela Cobián, a candidate for the Denver Public Schools board, is . Voters should reject it.
Russia probe is no “witch hunt”: Robert Mueller’s filings again of an awareness and excitement among Trump campaign advisers who knew and were excited about Vladimir Putin’s minions working to lend a hand.
Op-ed columns:
America, we have to stop these shootings: After Sunday’s mass shooting at a church in Texas, Baltimore Sun columnist Dan Rodricks asked: When do we, the people of the United States of America, stop what we’re doing in our daily lives and recognize that with guns and violence?
Misleading school ratings in DPS: Kate Tynan-Ridgeway and 61 other Denver Public Schools teachers warned that the latest ratings for Denver schools are .
“Yes” on Denver Green Roof Initiative: Businessman Kayvan Khalatbari and developer Kyle Zeppelin wrote that Initiative 300 on the Denver ballot is — with a proven measure paid for by large-scale developers.
“No” on Denver Green Roof Initiative: Kathie Barstnar, a member of the Energize Denver Task Force, wrote that the city is at the forefront when it comes to delivering sustainability; but the Green Roof Initiative — Initiative 300 on the current ballot — .
What Manafort indictment means for Trump: Timothy L. O’Brien wrote: Special counsel Robert Mueller’s indictment of Paul Manafort in the Russia investigation of the kind of charges Mueller may ultimately bring against Donald Trump himself.
Hiring Manafort was a lapse of judgment: The Washington Post’s Ishaan Tharoor wrote that President Trump’s hiring of Paul Manafort despite his compromised past suggests by a man who repeatedly trumpeted his ability to recruit only “the best people.”
Mass pardons would escalate risks: Ramesh Ponnuru, a senior editor of National Review and Bloomberg View columnist, argued that President Trump should in the Russia investigation, even if his anger over special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s investigation tempts him to make them.
Don’t send N.Y. terror suspect to Gitmo: Stephen I. Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas, wrote: President Donald Trump suggested he might send New York terror suspect Sayfullo Saipov to be held as an enemy combatant at the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. .
Make pedestrians safer, and not just from terror: Fredrick Kunkle, who writes for The Washington Postap Tripping blog, wrote that would make it harder to use a vehicle as a weapon and also reduce the number of pedestrian deaths that have nothing to do with terrorists.
What we learned from high-tech hearing: Callum Borchers, who covers politics and the media for The Washington Post, offered from last week’s Senate Intelligence Committee hearing with Facebook, Twitter and Google.
No taxpayer money for PBS and NPR: Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation, urged the U.S. government to . He argued that while PBS, NPR, Pacifica Radio, American Public Media and all the other public broadcasters create what is unquestionably a quality product, that product skews to the left.
Kevin Spacey allegations and admissions: Christine M. Flowers, a lawyer and columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, asked: Whatap with the selective outrage about ?
Mercy for Rene Lima-Marin: Krista Kafer, a weekly Denver Post columnist, asked the Trump administration to , whose last hurdle before being released from prison is a court appeal by the Department of Homeland Security.
Letters to the editor:
Notable and quotable
“This is insanity, my fellow Americans. This is not freedom.”
Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun columnist, after Sunday’s mass shooting at a Texas church
The Sound Off, which is emailed to subscribers every Monday, is a roundup of what we’ve been publishing on the opinion pages over the past week. That includes Denver Post , op-ed by Post columnists like Chuck Plunkett and Megan Schrader as well as nationally syndicated columnists like George F. Will and Catherine Rampell, plus guest commentaries, and editorial .
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