Priests’ victims need justice
Re: “Report: Priests molested 1,000 children,” Aug. 15 news story
I’ve read the response of Cardinal Donald Wuerl to the abuse in Pennsylvania and heard priests’ responses and one thing is very often missing: The importance of justice.
I am hearing Catholic church spokespersons talk about how they are caring for the victims, including ongoing counseling and support.
I think the victims need more than that. They need justice and conviction of the abusers.
The church needs to take an active role in bringing their priests and lay workers to the courts so that cases can be heard, convictions can be made, and the perpetrators can be taken out of an environment where the violence is repeated.
Without justice, the church is not caring for the victims, they are causing yet more pain and suffering. Be good Christians and do the right thing!
Priscilla M. Nodine, Lakewood
7-year-old chooses hiding place at his school
Today my son announced that he has chosen his favorite room and hiding place for lock-down drills. Sounds like a reasonable place by his description.
My sensitive, gifted son used his hard-earned anxiety-coping techniques to identify his hiding place for lockdown drills so that he “doesn’t die.”
He is seven.
My elected representatives including Senators Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet and my Rep. Ed Perlmutter, and their staff members, are all adults. And yet, my child is forced to have more courage than they do because they have failed.
My children deserve more. All of our children deserve so much more.
I demand that my elected officials demand common sense gun control. No mother should ever grieve her child because of our Congress’ lack of commitment, courage, and action.
Nicole Trick Steinbach, Golden
Due diligence needed on Initiative 97, indeed!
Re: “Due diligence needed or voters will rue Initiative 97,” Aug. 11 commentary
Krista Kafer is a very informed, enjoyable, and articulate columnist.
Her columns display accuracy, thoroughness, balance and insight.
However, her recent column regarding the benefits of not supporting Initiative 97 was incomplete and disappointing.
While carefully ticking off the usual “positive” talking points of the oil and gas industry, she egregiously failed to mention the harmful results of continued fracking.
There was no mention of the millions of gallons of water which are needed to accomplish extracting oil and gas from the earth.
Nor was there any indication that very little, if any, of that water can be re-utilized.
Further, there was no discussion of the harmful effects of the concomitant air pollution: the toxic VOC’s being emitted everyday and all day long.
And, finally, there was no mention of not only the afore-referenced water and air pollution, but also of the sound pollution entailed in the process.
Mother Earth, our common home, is being destroyed. As Kafer concluded, “A careless vote could bring regrettable consequences.”
Due diligence, indeed!
Tom Stumpf, Longmont
