Abortion battle in Texas crosses state lines
The recent law that essentially bans abortions in Texas demands a discussion of the term āpro-life,ā which typically means anti-abortion.
However, if taken literally, it would have additional components. For example, those who identify as such would acknowledge that even before birth, children need the basic necessities of life (prenatal care) that mothers living in poverty are often unable to provide. It, therefore, becomes the role of government to do so. In addition to the obvious needs of food, clothing and shelter, affordable health care, child care, and quality education are also essential and require significant government spending. However, conservatives have long opposed such expenditures and describe them disparagingly as āsocialism,ā āwelfare state,ā and āwasteful spending.ā
Those who respect life would follow the advice of epidemiologists who maintain that vaccines, masks and social distancing are essential to stemming the COVID pandemic that has ravaged the nation for 18 months.
Furthermore, one who values life would recognize the work of scientists who have concluded that climate change is real, is an existential threat to life on earth, and is primarily caused by human activity by the burning of fossil fuels.
Being truly pro-life requires far more than opposition to abortion.
Frank Tapy, Denver
Re: āColorado remains a safe haven for abortion,ā Sept. 5 commentary
President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains Vicki Cowart¶¶Ņõap opinion piece is truly self-serving. Planned Parenthood (a misnomer, if ever there was one) is not a āhealth careā option for women; rather, it is a death chamber for fetuses in the womb, which should be the safest place on earth. It is also a gold mine for those involved in killing the unborn and selling or donating their body parts for immoral medical research.
Even Texas isnāt safe, as a judge there prohibited one group — Texas Right to Life ā from filing suit against Planned Parenthood employees under the new law that protects babies after six weeks of gestation.
We wonāt be a civilized society until we protect all our citizens, born and unborn. Never forget that we were all in the womb at one point, and we should thank pro-life moms for the privilege of being born. We must not deny this privilege to others.
Donna Jorgenson Farrell,Ā Broomfield
If first-degree murder is the premeditated, willful taking of a human life, and if abortion is the premeditated, willful taking the life of an unborn human, and if Colorado is a safe haven for abortion, then murder is legal in Colorado.
Richard D. VanOrsdale, Broomfield
Re: āBiden vows to protect abortion rights in face of Texas law,ā Sept. 3 news story
A big burly guy holds up a sign āmy body, my choiceā to express his reluctance to get a vaccine. The same folks that oppose abortion decry the ānannyā state. This is hypocrisy at its best.
I totally agree with āmy body, my choice.ā No one should be forced to get a vaccine and no one should be forced to carry a baby. And the height of the ānannyā state is taking control of anyoneās body.
You have to pick a side. If you truly believe that the state has the right to control a womanās body, then it has the right to control yours, too. And you need to embrace the nanny state and agree that the state must be responsible for a child from cradle to grave, providing all that is needed.
You canāt have it both ways. That¶¶Ņõap hypocrisy.
Nancy Sanger, Longmont
Lifeās beginning not a political question
Re: āBecoming human,ā Sept. 5 commentary
Sahotra Sarkar makes the implausible case that religion and politics, not science, should determine when human life begins. The unspoken rationale for his argument is to dehumanize the developing embryo/fetus and thereby justify unfettered access to abortion throughout pregnancy. Systematic dehumanization is the common thread that has been used to legitimize the persecution and killing of untold humans throughout history based on their religion, ethnicity, race, sex or sexual orientation. The preborn are the latest example.
Sarkar causally dismisses the opinion of the 95% of biological scientists who cited fertilization as the beginning of human life. Why would such a large supermajority of experts draw such a conclusion? It¶¶Ņõap simple. This has been established science for decades. My medical school embryology textbook from 1973 (when Roe first was decided) states: ādevelopment begins at fertilization, when a sperm fuses with an ovum to form a zygote — this cell is the beginning of a new human being.ā And that development continues seamlessly until that human is in their mid-20s.
Intellectually honest abortion rights activists acknowledge that killing a human being is the cost of their veneration of bodily autonomy. Coloradans deserve to engage in this debate informed by non-politicized science.
Thomas J. Perille, Englewood
Becoming human is a fascinating academic discussion, useful for what purpose? In the context of todayās news, it¶¶Ņõap a misdirected and useless narrative for legislative consideration, suggesting that a scientific or philosophical conclusion will settle the policy debate. That¶¶Ņõap wrong. Any dialog that pushes the narrative beyond the privacy of a pregnant woman and her trusted advisers is morally destitute, no matter how fascinating the topic may be.
Steve Eddy, Arvada
Reaction to Douglas County commissioners move
Re: āDougco officials bury heads in sand,ā Sept 5 editorial
While your editorial attempts a balanced discussion of the issues involved in the Douglas County Commissionersā decision to leave Tri-County Health, its frequent use of emotional buzzwords such as āpolitical coward,ā āfellow shells of public officials,ā ācowed to an angry mob,ā (in just the first two sentences!) weakens that attempt.
We associate such overwrought language with the rantings found daily in social media posts rather than in great newspapers. If your points are well presented, you donāt need that surplusage; if not, you will have turned off critical readers. Donāt emulate your competition — stand above it.
David M. Jones, Roxborough Park
Amen to your editorial on the cowards who are commissioners of Douglas County. These individuals have put their own personal beliefs ahead of the safety of our county. I am so embarrassed that my county is being led by those that are displaying the ignorance that weāve come to expect across the South. This is not a right or left argument; it is a health issue.
Masks work and they protect the many individuals in our community who do not yet qualify for vaccines, are immunocompromised or are receiving chemotherapy.
Even if you do not believe a mask protects your own health, recognize that your wearing of a mask does protect these groups. For those that donāt believe masks work, when was the last time you had a common cold?
For me, it¶¶Ņõap been a year and a half. And yes, I do believe it¶¶Ņõap because I wear a mask. If a mask works for colds, it also works for COVID-19. Do it for somebody else, if not for yourself.
Robin Hurley, Highlands Ranch
As an actual resident of the community, I thought I should fill you in a bit since you seemed to get so many things wrong. The commissioners voted to opt-out of the Tri-County Health Department because it is what the majority of our community wanted, not the minority as your article stated. We voted in these commissioners and they are doing what we have asked them to do
It was not brought on by arrogance; it was brought on by a breach of contract by the Tri-County Health Department and their arrogance and desire of power to control and manipulate a situation that they had lost control of. The one thing you did get right was that we donāt have kids in our county in the hospital for COVID.
As a registered nurse, I follow science-based evidence. I understand the sick children will go to Childrenās Hospital.
Even Gov. Jared Polis stated this past week that we had 11 children in the entire state hospitalized for COVID. However, he failed to mention how many of those had underlying health conditions. As a registered nurse, mother, wife and someone that has recovered from COVID, I fully support the decisions the commissioners have made on behalf of our community.
You said it takes gumption to ignore the pleas of the health care front line workers. I would argue that it takes gumption and a whole lot more than that to stand up against those who are trying to push unwanted testing, vaccines and masks on our children just so they can get the education they deserve.
Megan Laugesen, Castle Rock
I am a Douglas County resident without children in the public school system. I am, however, a grandfather who lost a two-week-old granddaughter to a virus contracted in the hospital at birth.
I cannot fully express the pain which still grips my family at this loss. My daughter and son-in-law (who reside in another state) would do anything to protect their other children who now attend a school that requires masks. Masks are not punishment; they are lifesavers.
Richard A. Horwitz, Highlands Ranch
Hereās why medics were charged in Elijah McClainās death
Re: āMedicsā charges likely a ļ¬rst,ā Sept. 3 news story
The paramedics were not indicted for making an āhonest mistake.ā They were indicted for their actions which seemed to prioritize the convenience of police over the life of their patient.
Elijah McClain was not ill. He was not injured. He didnāt need medical treatment. No crime was in progress. No crime was committed. No crime had been reported. The paramedics, according to the indictment, overdosed him with ketamine. This happened because this innocent and scared young man was annoying to some police officers. That¶¶Ņõap why they were indicted.
Joan Jacobson, Lakewood
Complete education
I went to elementary school in the 1950s in Memphis, Tenn. The racism and anti-Semitism I witnessed marked me at a young age. One of my teachers took us outside the school building to talk about evolution, as it was forbidden to do so, by law, in Tennessee schools.
I didnāt realize it as a child, but I bet she took a risk opening our young minds to the wonders of science. I became a teacher so I also could promote independent, critical
thinking like many talented teachers do each day.
Today, mythical ācritical race theory curriculumā is being demonized and banned from classrooms around the country even though such ācurriculumā doesnāt exist.
This countryās racist voting restrictions serve the already-powerful, denying too many citizens equal access to the ballot. Though not new, voter suppression is only getting worse. Our majority of American voters have substantially less Senate representation.
We canāt change that, but we can and must erase the filibuster. Nothing about it makes sense in todayās political climate. I am 70, politically aware, yet I remember no instance in which the filibuster has saved or even helped our country. Now it threatens to destroy our democracy. We must not accept the tyranny of the Senate minority.
I donāt want my senior years to mirror my formative ones, forced into a racist, science-denying society controlled and represented by a small minority of small-minded Americans.
Ban the filibuster. Pass Senate Bill 1.
Wendy Rochman, Boulder
Warning, opinion ahead
Re: āNewsom recall is only bad for Democrats,ā Sept. 3 letter to the editor
A letter writer cites an August 30th commentary, which she calls an āarticle,ā as an example of āthe annoying biasā of The Denver Post. I appreciate the variety and diversity of the commentaries expressed in the opinion section of The Post.
It is truly a sad commentary when readers are not able to distinguish opinions from the reporting of actual news in a newspaper. And yes, just to clarify, that is an opinion.
Glenn Most, Greenwood Village
Losses affect Taste of Colorado
My wife, Elaine, and I remember the Taste of Colorado of some 20 years ago when held at Civic Center. Restaurants presented tasty morsels for us.
On Labor Day we walked across the street to test the renewed Taste, this time in the two Skyline Parks.
Although I have limited vision, we walked the part between 15th and 16th streets twice, and about all I saw were hot dogs, popcorn, ice cream and lots of hard liquor.
Then I heard a man refer to the āfood trucks,ā and he nodded to them parked in Arapahoe Street. But our restaurants did not seem to be represented among them either.
It was great to see the parents and children on the mall, but this renewed pandemic has hurt our restaurants badly. Let¶¶Ņõap hope they and we recover so we can have a true Taste of Colorado again.
Phillip K. Tompkins, Denver
Respect for veterans
I try to notice my surroundings. Today I noticed the slow, cool breeze pushing the warm air away, even just for a little while. As I entered Walmart, I hear a voice saying, āThank you for your service.ā The voice was addressed to a man in uniform. Wow, Iām so glad this country is honoring our military.
It hasnāt always been that way. I remember when our guys were used up in Vietnam, and for what? The soldier had no recourse but to do and/or die. In 1970 I was flying home from England for my younger brotherās funeral. I was in my dress uniform; no one said anything or was aggressive. I could tell, though, the people were a bit cold. After leaving the military in 1982, I hung up my uniform and kept low.
Iāve wondered when the pendulum would swing again. This is a strange country. I mean the way it flip-flops. I love the attitude of the 1950s. Work hard, play hard; the veterans were kings. The ā60s brought in a new attitude; the veterans were not so popular. It seemed no one thought the problem could be at the feet of Washington, D.C.
Iām still proud of being former military, albeit I donāt court it; the ā60s may come back. I suppose what Iām trying to say is Iām glad our guys are honored, but when I hear these congratulations I flash back to the Vietnam veterans that werenāt congratulated.
Gosh, that cool breeze is still moving and it does feel good.
Mick Addington, Aurora
Time to raise Cain
Re: āLatest proposal puts Boebert in Neguseās districtl,ā Sept. 6 news story
Donāt tell me gerrymandering isnāt alive and well. It¶¶Ņõap quite obvious that it is and that the whole thing behind giving a huge portion of the current District 3 to District 2 is to oust Lauren Boebert from office. District 2 is mainly Democrats, just like Denver is and has been for decades. Other than being in the state of Colorado, for the most part these Democrat enclaves have nothing in common with the good folks of the Western Slope. People west of the Divide are hard-working farmers and ranchers, not liberals, which, is what the vast majority of the Front Range is from Douglas County line north. Why arenāt the GOP and people from the Western Slope raising Cain over this new map?
Peter Beckley, Aurora
A breakfast most foul
My 9-year-old granddaughter and I were at a restaurant for breakfast. There was also a group of about five young men. The loud use of profanities from them was horrifying. F-bombs and other words once considered inappropriate outside private conversation were flying in almost every sentence. Iāve had this experience in many public places recently. There was a time when businesses would post signs stating āno profanity.ā If people canāt control themselves, some form of pressure needs to be applied to keep public places free of this kind of discourse.
Bill Starks, Arvada
Incident represents best, worst of our state
Re: āVaccination vansā staļ¬ harassed, threatened,ā Sept. 9 news story
I read with disgust the story about how a group of people were harassing public health care workers in vans who have been helping improve access to COVID-19 vaccines in Jefferson County.
What we have here is the representation of the best and worst of our state and country. On the one hand, these health care workers are trying to prevent illness, suffering, death,
rising health care costs that affect us all, improve the economy, and restore our way of life. On the other hand, we have those who are willfully ignorant and misguided who use
violent and abusive tactics that are counterproductive to the benefits of a vaccinated population.
Those who engaged in these practices should be ashamed of their behavior since they are an impediment to those who have decided to get vaccinated and reap the associated
benefits.
Our dedicated yet exhausted health care worker heroes are the ones who non-judgmentally care for those who have chosen not to be vaccinated, may end up in the
hospital with COVID-19 and then may even perish.
The sad irony is that it is possible that some of the folks who have exhibited the abusive behavior noted above may be the recipients of such care by the peers of those brave public health workers who staffed the vans.
Ron Blidar, Parker
Avoid rescue?
To those people who wonāt get vaccinated because of the very remote possibility they might have an adverse reaction to the vaccine: Suppose you were stranded on a very small island in the middle of a raging river, with a high possibility of being carried off by a flood. Would you refuse a helicopter rescue because of a very remote possibility the helicopter might crash?
Judith L Hamilton, Denver
Cartoon of Afghan man and woman was racially insensitive
Re: Sept. 8 political cartoon
Iāve had a couple of opinions published in The Post lately and I appreciate it. I am reluctant to offer another.
Believe me; I am not seeking my own byline. However, as an African-American man, I cannot adequately express my outrage at the totally distorted characters portrayed in the Columbia Missourian and The Post.
John Darkowās cartoon about the Taliban and Afghan womenās rights is yet another example of racial insensitivity tolerated by the media. My observation of the Afghan population represented as Taliban in all media is that they are clearly tall and angular southern Europeans with mostly fair skin and keen features.
Yet somehow, Darkowās representation characterized his Taliban into some squat dark-skinned, bulbous-nosed portrayal resembling nothing like what is apparent in the media.
Even the representation of the woman symbolizing womenās rights is black. Shame on him and shame on you for printing it.
Bill Starks, Arvada
Thank vets by listening to them
Re: āVeterans face another hidden enemy — suicide,ā Sept. 9 commentary and āHonor and aid our U.S. military,ā Sept. 5 letters to the editor
Not only should you thank a vet, but take the time to listen to their stories. As a military mom, my heart is centered on these vets. Their stories make you laugh, and they make you cry, but show you really care and take the time … they are so appreciative.
Yes, we are safer for all those soldiers who have served over the years, and their sacrifices are not forgotten. They served honorably. Thank a vet!
The three letters about our military in Afghanistan were spot on! I weep when I see the negative articles about how we ālostā the war. Yes, it was a long, difficult period in the history of our country. Our son had four tours as a Green Beret and has been able to help at least one family come to the states.
The disillusioned Afghan army failed because it clearly saw the rampant corruption of its government. How hard would you fight if you were not being paid, had inadequate ammunition, or even no basic domestic services for your families? It was their war to fight –and lose ā not ours. Our commitment was to train, equip, and support, which we did in spades! Jose Aguayo stated it clearly, āThe worldās most powerful military did not lose this war.ā Please support our veterans and the families who lost loved ones as much as you are able.
Barb McCray, Aurora
Focus on career, tech education
Re: āStateās community colleges struggling,ā Sept. 5 news story
The most profound statements in this article are ācareer and technical enrollment is up 7%,ā and āfewer students are seeking general associates degrees.ā Perhaps high school grads are realizing where the most secure well paying jobs are. They are not with the millions of college grads with degrees in social justice.
Our high schools must prepare our kids with good math skills to enroll in these ātechnical and careerā programs like nursing, welding, construction, computers, and mechanics. Both myself and most of my peers do not care if our HVAC technician is LGBT+ or straight, as long as my furnace is repaired in the middle of a snowstorm!
Lorraine Lore, Littleton
Let¶¶Ņõap slow down out there
We all could cut down our use of gasoline, save money and time, and save lives if we all drove speed limits. Our communities would do us all a favor if they insisted on stricter control on or streets and highways.
Eugene F. Ahlswede, Thornton
Outdoor industry needs help
The outdoor industry suffers when low water levels force boat ramps to close, warm water depletes fish stocks, and ski seasons end sooner. But even as the economy is threatened by these symptoms of a warming planet, we can still leverage the economy to combat climate change.
It¶¶Ņõap easy to feel helpless in the face of climate change, when in fact, we have a very powerful tool at our disposal: our wallets. We can use our purchasing power to motivate corporations to invest in sustainability. The marketplace has already shifted significantly towards environmentally sustainable business models in large part due to consumer preferences.
Taking action to protect the environment can be simple — as simple as buying toilet paper made from recycled products instead of sourced from forests that absorb carbon and provide habitat, for example. The worst effects of climate change arenāt inevitable, and if we all make greener decisions while shopping, we can protect Coloradoās landscapes and its outdoor industry.
Sammy Herdman, Denver
Veterans need an end to war
Re: āGunman kills 4, including mom still holding baby,ā Sept. 6 news story
As reported by The Denver Post, a former Marine who served as a sharpshooter in both Iraq and Afghanistan, randomly killed four people and appeared to be suffering from mental health issues.
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing states 30% of active duty and reserve military personnel deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan have a mental health condition requiring treatment — approximately 730,000 men and women. The Veterans Administration reports that approximately 17 veterans and active duty personnel died by suicide every day in 2017-18.
We are failing those that volunteer to defend our freedom by having them fight in pointless wars.
Congress passed two war authorizations after 9/11. Repealing the second of these authorizations, the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq (Iraq AUMF) is a first step toward Congress reasserting its constitutional authority over when and if the United States goes to war. By not reclaiming this authority, Congress is acting cowardly.
One person should not have the power to plunge this country into another 20 year war. I thank Rep. Jason Crow for his leadership on the now-passed House bill and Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper for cosponsoring the Senate bill. The Senators should urge leadership to bring it for an immediate floor vote.
William J. Lennon, Centennial
Teach the truth of 9/11 without dishonoring victims
Re: āSchools must dig deeper on 9/11 and the war on terror,ā Sept. 11 opinion column
Jeremy Stoddard and Diana Hessās op-ed in the 9/11 Denver Post was an eloquent repudiation of the idea that we can truly educate our children about history by emphasizing āpatriotism and respect for the law.ā
They explain well that for our adolescent children (and the rest of our citizenry) to truly understand 9-11, they must learn about the political, economic, and cultural issues that cause some of the people of the Middle East to resent, even hate, Americans. They did not kill our people and destroy our buildings because āthey hate our freedoms.ā If we just teach our children that simplistic reason for the 9-11 tragedy, it would be like teaching that Lincoln was murdered because Booth didnāt like theater.
David Wolf, Lakewood
Absolutely beyond human comprehension. On the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, The Denver Post decides to publish an article that blames the U.S. for the formation of al-Qaida which resulted in the bombing of the world trade center in 1993, in addition to the attacks on the U.S. embassies in East Africa and the Navy ship USS Cole, all culminating in the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
The article proceeds to advocate this is what should be taught to all of our students in America. You know the narrative, America bad everyone else good. What a slap in the face to all the innocent victims who lost their lives on 9/11. That¶¶Ņõap right, America is responsible for 9/11. Have you no shame Denver Post? A huge apology needs to come from your editorial staff.
Dan Carlin, Denver
Stoddard and Hess advocate that teachers incorporate the ācomplexitiesā regarding the 9/11 terrorist attacks. They overlook at least one important fact that needs to be brought out as well: the attacks were carried out overwhelmingly against civilians, not combatants. That¶¶Ņõap why theyāre called āterroristā attacks. Students could explore what kind of fanaticism leads people to rationalize such evil deeds against innocent non-combatants.
Jeff Pletcher, Centennial
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