Smoke taint is what happens when grapes growing close to wildfires absorb compounds released by burning wood. The affected grapes taste fine but later on, when the cork is popped the wine tastes burnt. Dirty ashtray notes don’t pair well so the wine must be discarded.

Likewise, although Donald Trump is out of office and will never live in the White House again, his pernicious influence lingers in the conservative movement like smoke phenols in fruit. It must be thrown out if conservatives ever want to be successful in this state again.

Overall featured quality speakers including two 2024 presidential hopefuls, representatives from noteworthy national conservative organizations, and three of °äŽÇ±ôŽÇ°ùČč»ćŽÇ’s representatives in Congress. Had I been there, I would have enjoyed hearing Seth Dillion, whose Babylon Bee satire site makes me chuckle; Kristen Waggoner, CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom, a law practice that defends First Amendment rights; and Riley Gaines, former Division I swimmer who is taking a stand for women in sports.

The event was not the Trump fest it has been in the past. Nevertheless, I was dismayed to see that former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis took the stage. She has been publically censured for making false statements about the election. At the summit, Ellis, along with Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, defended the former president who has been charged with willfully taking classified documents and obstructing efforts to secure their return. Their “Democrats got away with it, so he should, too” reasoning is problematic at a Christian forum.

The event also featured Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hageman whose only accomplishment has been to unseat Liz Cheney a leader who dared criticize Trump’s complicity in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, Dudley Brown of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners whose attacks on moderate Republicans helped usher in the party’s minority status, and Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen vigilante whose reckless stupidity is the antithesis of responsible gun ownership. While a minority of speakers, these individuals risk burning the credibility of the Centennial Institute.

Evidence of Trump taint was also in the summit¶¶Òőap straw poll. Trump beat out Florida Governor Ron DeSantis 40.3% to 35.8% for the top place. The good news is that only 40% of participants picked Trump. The bad news is that 40% of participants picked Trump. The man can’t win the 2024 presidential election, even from jail.

Those of us who once held our noses and voted for a cretinous liar who supported some good policies and judicial nominees will not vote for a cretinous liar who tried to steal an election and fomented an attack on the Capitol. Our standards are low but not that low. Believing Trump can beat even an unpopular, addled octogenarian is pure folly. Anything that conservative movement leaders do that contributes to the illusion of Trump’s innocence or his ability to win an election is bad for conservatives. It¶¶Òőap blowing smoke.

The Centennial Institute plays an important role in educating members about the importance of the U.S. Constitution, parents’ rights in education, religious liberty, the right to life, women’s right of association in sports and personal spaces, and other issues.

It is distinctive from other conservative and libertarian think tanks and organizations in its faith-based and socially conservative character. Its annual summit is something many conservatives value. The think tank would do well to jettison its Trump association before Trump taints its efforts to influence the direction of the West.

Krista L. Kafer is a weekly Denver Post columnist. Follow her on Twitter: @kristakafer.

Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.

Re: “The misunderstanding of critical race theory,” June 22 commentary

Patty Limerick states that “Critical Race Theory asserts that the injustices built into this nation’s origins await a full reckoning in every sector of American Life.”

I believe her definition is correct however I don’t believe it removes any objections to the teaching of CRT because, as stated, it is the reason there is much opposition to CRT.

The full reckoning has already occurred over the last century and a half or so. Slavery was eliminated and laws were passed to eliminate unfair treatment and discrimination of minorities. Systematic racism is unlawful in this country and, in my opinion, does not exist because Black and Hispanic Americans are ubiquitous in valued and important positions in our society. They are in films and on television, work as news anchors and reporters, in federal and state government as elected and appointed officials, in professional and amateur sports, in TV ads — every aspect of our society.

There is nothing a minority individual in this country cannot attain with self-initiative and some good mentoring along the way from parents and school teachers.

If critical race theory were being taught in schools it would demean young white students who had nothing to do with past injustices as oppressors and demean young minority students by telling them they are oppressed individuals who can’t get anywhere if the oppressors don’t let them.

Why needlessly create resentment between young students who probably never realized there was a problem (and there isn’t)?

Steve Lloyd, Cheyenne

Editor’s note: This letter has been revised since it was initially published to correct an editing error.

Fox News and groups who espouse unsubstantiated conspiracies have found a new target that they are using to stir up unneeded conflicts: critical race theory. Of course, they do not or cannot define what they mean by those three words, but their message is clear.

Their accusations include that critical race theory will make children hate our country, it is a left-wing strategy to destroy America, and public education is propagandizing that the U.S. is evil. It remains unclear how critical race theory will achieve those goals.

Several states have already enacted laws prohibiting teachers from teaching anything related to race relations. These actions are attempts to literally white-wash the history of our nation. The facts remain that this nation was built by the great hardships of many. Part of that history is the enslavement of our fellow man. Whites prospered because of enslavement. A shameful act! We should not feel ashamed, but we must acknowledge that these horrific events occurred.

There is no reason to shy away from our past — we must embrace it. All of us need to recognize atrocities were committed while our nation developed. By doing that, we can appreciate our nation becoming great by the contributions and sacrifices of our ancestors. We need to learn of these atrocities to avoid repeating them today or in the future.

Gary W. Johnson, Greeley

Re: “Buck’s opposition to critical race theory puzzling,” June 22 editorial

Even more puzzling, mystifying even, is why the Boulder Daily Camera and The Denver Post have dived so far off the left end of the pier, that it may be difficult to keep them from drowning. Why must any discussion of critical race theory spring from either the far right or the far left? What happened to objective rationality?

Viewing America and its history through the lens of racial identity is the exact opposite of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream. He wanted all of us to be judged by the content of our character, not the color of our skin. Critical race theory is about race, not character.

Of course American students should be taught about the evils of slavery. But race and slavery are not the sine qua nons of this nation. The earthshaking idea of America — as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of rights, and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution — is more important than slavery, which was expunged more than 150 years ago.

What will critical race theory teach our children about the hundreds of thousands of young, mostly white, Union soldiers who died to free the slaves? Not to mention the millions more who were broken in body and spirit — crippled, maimed, blinded, and disfigured. What will it teach about the American president who was murdered for signing the Emancipation Proclamation and for defeating slavery and the South in the Civil War?

Richard Stacy, Highlands Ranch

That genie is out of the bottle and ain’t going back, Rep. Ken Buck. I’ve learned more about racial issues from the junior high students I’ve encountered while judging National History Day projects the last few years than I did in the entirety of my education. Us old white guys either need to get on board with that or just go out to pasture. History is on their side, not ours.

Greg Albrecht, Aurora

In defense of the “Accidental Senator”

Re: “It¶¶Òőap been a long run for °äŽÇ±ôŽÇ°ùČč»ćŽÇ’s ‘Accidental Senator’,” June 20 commentary

Because of his (rare) ability to get Republicans elected to office in Colorado, his authoritative command of the state’s political history and his insight, Dick Wadhams’ Sunday columns in The Post are a must-read in my mind.

However, his lament over the success of Sen. Michael Bennet seeks to tar our senior senator with the suspicions stemming from the unproven and as-of-yet not fully investigated allegations of a Denver school board member who happens to be registered in the same political party as Bennet.

I, for one, am happy the senator is silent on the investigation of charges of sexual misconduct against Tay Anderson. I would suggest that anyone who doesn’t have knowledge that could contribute to finding the truth in the matter remain silent until sufficient facts are made public to make a judgment.

Wadhams correctly attributes Bennet¶¶Òőap electoral success to the ineptitude of Colorado Republicans (I was one but left behind party affiliation years ago) and to a measure of good luck. What Wadhams left out was the senator’s unfailing ear for his constituents and their policy preferences — something Wadhams’ party has neglected for years.

Luke Clarke, Golden

I’m a trained economist and economic development professional with more than 10 years teaching economics and sustainable economic development.

While The Post needs divergent views, Wadhams’ column demonstrated a profound ignorance of economics and policies that, for me, means I can’t believe anything he says.

He alluded to President Joe Biden’s failed economic policies.

The problem is that we won’t know about the results from Biden’s economic policies for a couple years or more. This was basic economics training of the 1970s — the challenge of using Keynesian stimulus was that by the time it actually had an effect, at least a couple years would have passed and the problem was in the past.

I hope you can find someone credible, and truthful, to represent conservative views. And remember that “conservative” means risk-minimizing. People who deny climate change or other 21st century problems aren’t risk-minimizing; they are risk-maximizing, thinking some miracle solution will show, which becomes increasingly unlikely every year.

Christopher Juniper, Denver

CU, CSU staff deserves more

Re: “CU & CSU should not increase tuition,” June 20 editorial

It is sad that the editorial board is advocating financial repercussions for a group of workers rather than for greater state funding for higher education, where Colorado ranks amongst the lowest of all states. Also, what institution or business succeeds by taking a “morale be damned” approach?

Kip Findley, Arvada

The editorial raises the critical point that the cost of post-secondary education is too high. Attending college should not put anyone in decades of debt. But I think the editorial board presents a false equivalency between the 3% rise in tuition at the University of Colorado and a 3% raise — not just for faculty but campus staff as well. Many workers at CU have experienced layoffs, furloughs, and budget cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic. The top 1% of CU employees make as much as the lowest 14.2% combined (see the United Campus Workers °äŽÇ±ôŽÇ°ùČč»ćŽÇ’s report).

Perhaps Mark Kennedy’s $1.3 million departure deal or portions of other administrators’ salaries could have mitigated the need for a tuition increase.

Rather than place the burden of funding our public universities on students through tuition or underpaying the workers who make our universities function, we need robust financial support from the state as well as a commitment from our universities to craft yearly budgets that do justice to students, faculty, and staff — not just administrators’ bank accounts.

Julia Kendrick, Boulder

Freight trains deliver for Colo.

Re: “The need for speed,” Nov. 8 commentary

A column in The Post late last year about building high-speed passenger rail in Colorado quoted U.S. High-Speed Rail Association CEO Andy Kunz as saying that it “takes visionary leadership and a real commitment to create a great rail system. It does cost more to do it right, but that¶¶Òőap what should be done.”

He was right. It is just this approach that has given us the greatest freight rail system in the world. Passenger advocates could learn from the freight rail experience. The same goes for Congress and the Biden administration.

While the benefits of high-speed passenger rail are prospective, freight rail already delivers for Coloradans. It would have taken an additional 7.7 million trucks to carry the 138.9 million tons of freight that Colorado railroads moved in 2019, according to the Association of American Railroads. Moving this freight by rail cuts greenhouse gas emissions significantly.

Since 1980, railroads have churned over $740 billion of their own money back into the nationwide freight rail network. This makes it possible for a single train to carry several hundred truckloads, easing the burden on overcrowded highways — and on the taxpayers who pay for them.

Sen. John Hickenlooper serves on one of the congressional committees debating infrastructure legislation this month. Hopefully, lawmakers will take note of the freight railroads’ example of covering their own costs and supporting local businesses while also reducing emissions and alleviating highway congestion.

Emily Traiforos, Washington, D.C.

Editor’s note: Traiforos is a multi-state director for GoRail, whose territory includes Colorado. GoRail is a nonprofit organization that promotes the public benefits of freight rail.

Immigrants ready to work

Re: “An immigrant legal defense fund will save lives,” June 9 commentary

I commend the authors for speaking out as medical professionals in support of the statewide Immigration Legal Defense Fund recently approved by °äŽÇ±ôŽÇ°ùČč»ćŽÇ’s legislature. Health care is a basic yet critical resource that should be readily available to all Coloradans, including immigrants of all statuses, and the new fund will help facilitate more access.

Importantly, immigrants also deserve better representation among the professional workforce of physicians. Hundreds of international medical graduates (IMGs) in our state are equipped with extensive medical training and experience and are eager to establish commensurate careers in the U.S., but inequitable access to the relicensure pathway prevents staggering numbers of the graduates from qualifying for licenses. For those who are successful in getting their career on track, Colorado continues to lose talent to out-of-state positions despite our own rural and primary-care physician shortages. According to the National Residency Matching Program, only 2.5% of °äŽÇ±ôŽÇ°ùČč»ćŽÇ’s medical residency positions were filled by IMGs over the past decade. This is not because IMGs lack competence or training; but rather, they are pit against a system that unfairly discounts international experience.

Spring Institute and a consortium of partners and allies, including Gov. Jared Polis, are supportive of welcoming our immigrant neighbors and creating credentialing pathways that recognize the considerable expertise of all Coloradans, including new Americans. Dismantling barriers and identifying solutions for IMGs as professionals entering our health care system will help make it truly more accessible for all.

Carrie Miller, Denver

Editor’s note: Miller is program manager for Colorado Welcome Back by Spring Institute.

Investigation into airport CEO raises questions

Re: “Nominee’s ex-agency in L.A. faces investigation,” June 16 news story

Key questions come to mind regarding the appointment of Phil Washington as CEO of the Denver International Airport. Was there a public, extensive, advertised search to fill this position? If there was a nationwide search at any comparable airport for a CEO would Washington be on the short list for further evaluation?

Washington has admitted his current experience is not directly related to airport management, yet he feels he is qualified. By whose standards? This raised a few eyebrows, many of whom do have an idea of the challenges facing airport CEO. Washington is the mayor’s choice, and it is our mayor’s right to defend his choice, however, if his choice struggles to bear up under simple scrutiny, then Washington may simply be the wrong person for this highly-paid, high profile job.

Will the city council vote against the wishes of Mayor Michael Hancock? When public scrutiny of qualifications of the potential CEO of a huge income-generator and taxpayer-funded entity only happens at the final approval level, then something is very wrong with this picture. Mayor Hancock appears to have forgotten who he is working for; I urge the council not to approve the appointment, and to require a transparent public search for the position.

Linda Purcell, Denver

Support teachers; don’t test them

Re: “State adopts more rigorous reading test,” June 12 news story

At the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, Colorado needed to fill around 8,000 teaching positions. Our average teacher salary is below the national average despite the high cost of living in Colorado, and teachers usually end up providing supplies for their classroom out of their own meager pocket. Teachers too often leave the profession within five years.

Now, the State Board of Education is placing one more financial burden on potential teachers by requiring an additional test before they get their license. Understandably, we need to do a better job of teaching children to read. But placing the burden on teachers to gain those skills on their own dime and then charging them to prove it drives one more wedge in the state’s ability to get and to retain teachers.

Colorado has been demanding a Cadillac quality of education from teachers and schools for decades while providing a Pinto budget. The legislature is finally making some moves to correct that, but we have a long way to go to get us from below the national average for per pupil expenditures. This is unconscionable for a state as wealthy as Colorado. Let the state pay for additional mentors to improve reading instruction. It would be more effective to provide in-classroom training anyway.

Sally Augden, Denver

Bring back law and order

Sheriff Joe Pelle:

Why are the jails in Boulder County not open at maximum capacity? I understand you may feel COVID is still too big a threat.

Do you as sheriff not understand that many organizations and businesses had to soldier on during the pandemic, such as hospitals and grocery stores? Please take care of the residents of Boulder County.

Or, do you actually support the concepts behind the shameful and failed Senate Bills 273 and 62 and want fewer incarcerations? If so, simply come forward and admit it. Come clean about why we must live with the awful reality of criminals roving among us with paper citations, which many freely disregard.

As for how most people are feeling about crime, please read the posts on Nextdoor. Do you know you have mothers chasing bike thieves because calling the police is futile due to the catch-and-release practices for property crimes? Do you realize how weary the people of Boulder are of hearing about escalating property crimes?

Many elected officials imply that property crimes are not worthy of incarceration. Residents and victims disagree. We see the chop shops flourishing in Boulder, many adjacent to civic areas that are now unusable due to the squalor and criminality.

How do you think people feel knowing it is open season on their homes and property? Are you waiting for a violent altercation with someone of importance to do your job or take up your sworn responsibilities? Are we on our own?

Kathryn Lehr, Boulder County

Before you sign that petition …

Registered voters being asked to sign a petition isn’t anything new in Denver, but the person collecting signatures last Saturday was not telling the truth when questioned about the conservation easement petition. Because I know about the Park Hill Golf course’s recent history, I realized the signature gatherer was spinning a web of falsehoods that were quite astonishing and as dishonest as it gets.

The first fabrication was that neighbors around the course “voted” for its massive redevelopment, which they didn’t since, being from the area, it was news to me. Then they doubled down on the next fairytale, asking if I remembered the construction there recently and claiming it was the developer who had just started getting it underway when the city halted construction. But in fact it was the Denver drainage project that had recently started and finished.

The petition that many were putting pen to paper without asking what I did, was presented as a grassroots initiative to let neighborhoods, not the City/County of Denver, have the last word on development. Yet in reality, it¶¶Òőap a bait and switch, since the land is under a conservation easement that, for now, is saving the last bit of open space in the heart of the city.

Denver is losing the fight with developers who’ll do almost anything, including falsely claiming that neighborhoods will get the last word on what goes up around them. We should at least make those paying to get on a ballot this November be honest with voters about what the petition will do.

Richard L Mattingly, Denver

Toss the filibuster out

Re: “GOP halts Democrats’ signature voting bill,” June 23 new story

No debate! The U.S. Senate used to be “the world’s greatest deliberative body.” No more. Sen. Mitch McConnell sacrificed the power of open debate to his mania for personal power. Yesterday he led all 50 Senate Republicans to defeat a cloture vote which would have let the Senate debate S.1. Instead of an open debate, which may have yielded a better bill, McConnell stopped it with a filibuster. Not in the Constitution, and not a law, just a dysfunctional Senate rule. We want debate, not filibuster.

Jim Engelking, Golden

Tuesday, in the Senate, the right to vote has been wronged.

David L. Stevenson, Denver

Democrats need to end the filibuster now — not reform, not negotiating with Republicans who end up voting “no” on the bills they just watered down. Sen. Chuck Schumer needs to take control. He’s letting Sen. Mitch McConnell control the Senate. If senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema want to vote against a strong For the People act, they can vote on the floor then explain why they let it fail.

We need big money out of politics. Rumor has it (in other words, the people have figured out) that donations from corporations, banking, defense contractors, hedge funds, and oligarchs amount to bribery. It happens on both sides of the aisle. Manchin wants to take out exposing dark money and campaign finance reform. Those need to stay in. Wouldn’t we rather have our members of Congress work on legislation and help their constituents rather than dialing for dollars for hours every week?

We will get nothing accomplished until we end minority rule via the filibuster.

Linda Servey, Aurora

Consequences to taking a life

Re: “Life in prison also takes a life,” June 19 letter to the editor

I can’t disagree more with the letter writer’s assertions. Anyone who is willing to go into a school with the intent to murder however many people they can has no place in society. By perpetrating their attack, they showed that they are already lost, and putting them in prison for life (whether that ends up happening or not) is no loss at all. I sleep better knowing that two such maniacs are behind bars where they can’t hurt any more children.

The letter writer also points out that the life sentences put a drain on society through the costly prison system, but that could easily be solved by bringing back the death penalty. Obviously these two have no regard for human life, so they shouldn’t care if their lives are forfeit.

Kurt Williams, Aurora

Washington has the experience

Re: “Nominee’s ex-agency in L.A. faces investigation,” June 16 news story

Mayor Michael Hancock’s choice of Phil Washington to serve as Denver International Airport CEO is a sound decision despite the momentary gray cloud.

Washington soaked up a lot of knowledge and experience by being CEO of the Los Angeles County transit authority. Washington was exposed to and familiar with the workings, problems, and solutions of more than 10 million people, 88 cities, Los Angeles International Airport, Hollywood-Burbank Airport, Van Nuys Airport, Santa Monica Airport, Ontario Airport, Pacoima Airport and Long Beach Airport.

His appearance before the Denver City Council and the public will be an edifying experience that will dispel any doubts or risks.

He’s got a job to do at DIA, so let him do it!

Emzy Veazy III, Aspen

So the Story goes?

Re: “It¶¶Òőap time for Rockies to trade Story while he’s hot,” June 24 sports commentary

Sports columnist Mark Kiszla tries to make the case that the Rockies should trade Trevor Story now, purportedly while he has some trade value.

What¶¶Òőap the point? It doesn’t matter who the Rockies get in return if every time a player develops into a productive asset, the team decides that they cannot afford to keep him. DJ LeMahieu, Nolan Arenado, now Story — how do you build a team by getting rid of your best players?

Who’s next?

Richard Mignogna, Golden

Baker unfairly targeted

Re: “Four scenes from the Western Conservative Summit,” June 29 news story

The article was unfair in its description of cake artist Jack Phillips. He is described as “America’s most famous anti-LGBTQ cakemaker.” Phillips has been targeted and hounded multiple times by progressive activists who themselves lacked tolerance for his religious beliefs.

The owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop will always politely decline to make a cake that celebrates gay marriage. More recently, he was asked to make a gender transition cake by yet another activist looking to make his life difficult. The poor man just wants to be left alone to bake and worship as he sees fit, but he is repeatedly thrust into the national spotlight against his wishes.

Phillips is a socially conservative Christian who even declines (again, politely) to make Halloween cakes. While straight, I do love Halloween and celebrating it with appropriately festive accompanying baked goods.

However, knowing that pastry artist Jack Phillips does not wish to make cakes celebrating a pseudo-pagan holiday like Halloween, I would just order a cake from the many other bakeries in Arapahoe county.

Numerous businesses would be thrilled to make a gender transition cake, a gay wedding cake, or an erotic cake for special occasions.

Why not support one of them, instead of dragging Phillips back into court?

An Uber-liberal might wish to decline a commission to paint a portrait celebrating former President Donald Trump and his Make America Great movement.

Tolerance has to work both ways, or else it is merely one side forced into capitulation.

Garrett Wroblewski, Aurora

Summit conferees harassed

I participated in a panel at Western Conservative Summit on June 18. As I left the Hyatt Regency about 6:45 p.m., I saw someone from the “Denver Communists” holding a sign accusing the conferees of being “Nazis.” I was troubled but thought little of it.

Later, I find that a group of malcontents later accosted people they took to be involved with the event, threw things, yelled slogans into megaphones, blocked traffic, and generally disturbed the peace.

This is not deliberative democracy. This is the ugly voice of the malevolent mob. The First Amendment gives Americans the right to “peaceably assemble,” not to riot.

The voices inside the summit were
peacefully presenting their views on culture and politics. Those outside did not rise to that level.

Douglas Groothuis, Highlands Ranch

Bishops should focus on sin

Re: “Pope’s silence speaks volumes on controversial Communion vote by U.S. bishops,” June 20 news story

The report that Pope Francis had nothing to say about the vote by members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to draft a document regarding reception of the Eucharist displays extreme papal irresponsibility. Teaching on this issue hearkens back centuries in the Church and should be supported by all Catholics, especially the pope.

According to the report, the American bishops have disregarded “years of the pope’s pleas to de-emphasize culture war issues and expand the scope of its mission to climate change, migration and poverty.” The bishops are tasked with teaching Catholics the precepts of the Church, as Jesus taught His Apostles, leading to eternal life.

I simply cannot imagine Jesus instructing the Apostles to focus on issues other than sinful behavior, since He gave His life for the forgiveness of our sins. It means that we must do our best to uphold moral teaching in the culture in which we live. Jesus calls us to transform the world around us.

I don’t think that a “new” guidance on receiving the Eucharist gives “conservatives” hope to deny Communion to President Joe Biden for his support of abortion rights. Nobody wants Biden to be denied the Eucharist, but if he, and others, continue to publicly support immoral practices, he, and they, effectively ex-communicate themselves by rejecting Church teaching. There are no “conservative” or “liberal” Catholics. Those who believe in Church teaching are Catholic. Those who don’t believe in Church teaching are not Catholic. It really is that simple.

Donna Jorgenson Farrell, Broomfield

Stop calling it gun violence

This week, people in Aurora were killed and wounded during a shooting at a very late Juneteenth parking lot party. Also, a police officer was killed by a man who apparently despised police. And all the reporting and all the reporters keep saying the same thing: gun violence, gun violence, gun violence.

Let me pose a question: When someone stabs a number of people, do you speak of knife violence? When a drunk picks a fight in a bar, is that fist violence? When a criminal drives into a crowd and kills and injures people, do you call it car violence? And do you focus on the make, model, year, engine size, and type of transmission of the vehicle, and visit the dealership where it was purchased?

I’m really getting sick and tired of seeing this ridiculous bias continue to be shown, in an ongoing attempt to influence government toward harming law-abiding people’s right to defend themselves against criminal behavior (the root cause). Maybe that¶¶Òőap actually word violence.

Jim Kiel, Aurora

Say no to all discrimination

Re: “Baker ïŹned for refusing request,” June 17 news story

When Black people had to ride at the back of the bus in the Jim Crow South and give up their seats upon demand by a white person, the bus company was asserting the superiority of white people over black people, with full state authority. Likewise, when Black people had to use stand-up lunch counters, instead of tables and seats, at diners. When restaurants in the Southwest, prior to the civil rights laws, posted signs reading “No dogs or Mexicans allowed,” they were asserting white superiority over Hispanics, with full state authority.

Few people today would say religious liberty would excuse racial discrimination. However, when Jack Phillips refuses to sell any custom wedding cake to gay couples, or to sell pink-and-blue cakes to transgender people, contrary to Colorado law, he is asserting his moral superiority over LGBT people. With the help of conservative Christian organizations, he wants the Supreme Court of the United States to give full state approval in the name of religious freedom.

To those who say LGBT people can choose a different bakery, I say, Rosa Parks didn’t have to use the bus, she could have hired a black-owned taxi. And Black people should have made their own lunches. There is no difference.

Peter Gross, Englewood

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.

For people, policy and Colorado politics

What’s The Spot? You’re reading an installment of our weekly politics newsletter. .

Colorado Republicans are right to be cautiously optimistic about the next year — and next decade — of U.S. House races after nonpartisan mapmakers debuted new district lines Wednesday.

The lines are only preliminary and will change but the Congressional Redistricting Commission is starting with a map that would cement three districts as reliably Republican and give the Grand Old Party an opportunity of winning a fourth in strong Republican years.

That¶¶Òőap big news for Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, who represents the western 3rd District.

“Needless to say, the 3rd will remain a rural district,” said Justin Gollob, a political science professor at Colorado Mesa University. “The district is predicted to remain Republican and back-of-the-napkin calculations indicate the preliminary plan may help the Republican Party.”

As of June 15, the 3rd District proposed in Wednesday’s map had 167,172 registered Republicans, 111,596 Democrats and 218,033 unaffiliateds. Two years ago, it voted 53-43 for the Republican in the attorney general race — a larger margin than the 6% Boebert won by in November 2020.

The mapmakers recommend moving Democratic-leaning Pueblo County out of Boebert¶¶Òőap district and adding Republican counties like Fremont and Park. Some Democratic areas would join the 3rd as well, including Vail and Summit County, but the map would be a net gain for Boebert.

“These early maps will not hold up to scrutiny. These preliminary maps are racist,” said Sol Sandoval, a Pueblo Democrat who is running against Boebert next year.

Sandoval says she’s staying in the race while the map is being deliberated. But a 3rd District without Pueblo or the San Luis Valley could end the campaigns of Sandoval and state Rep. Donald Valdez, who lives in the valley. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

“CD 3 is one that may ultimately be adjusted. Some of the counties in CD 3 and CD 4 are interchangeable between the two districts,” said Ryan Winger, a pollster at Magellan Strategies. Republican Rep. Ken Buck’s 4th District would gain Pueblo and the San Luis Valley.

By placing Vail in the 3rd District, the draft map would end residency questions surrounding state Sen. Kerry Donovan, Boebert¶¶Òőap top Democratic challenger, who lives in Vail. But it might be harder for her to actually top Boebert.

To support the important journalism we do, you can become a Denver Post subscriber .

Questions?

Have a question about Colorado politics? Submit it here and it’ll go straight to The Denver Post politics team.

Top Line

Libertarianism is uniquely Coloradan, and the now-national party celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

Capitol Diary ‱ By Saja Hindi

Working moms

A couple of months ago, The Post wrote about how women, particularly mothers, weren’t returning to the workforce as quickly as everyone else — both in Colorado and across the country. Experts cited a host of reasons, including the state’s high cost of child care.

Here’s an update: While most demographic groups have made gains in employment numbers from January 2020 to May 2021 — working mothers included nationally — there’s a lag in Colorado.

According to the , working moms’ participation in the Colorado labor force is 6.8 percentage points less than in January 2020. The rate for women without kids is also down by 5 percentage points just in the last month.

That wasn’t the case for working dads or men without kids.

Kristin Strohm, president and CEO of the Common Sense Institute, said leaders need to find out what is going on in Colorado that is making it so hard for women to get back to work.

“It’s actually quite shocking,” Strohm said. “I thought that by now, Colorado would have at least kept pace with what was going on nationally, so I still think that there is definitely some work that needs to be done. 
 We’re at the point where this is becoming an urgent crisis, a silent crisis, and it’s a shame that we don’t have more leaders looking at this and trying to figure out a solution, because our economy and Colorado cannot recover without women getting back to work.”

Advocates like Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC) have been working with the business community and lobbying the state legislature for laws like , which Gov. Jared Polis signed last week. It creates new grant programs worth about $35 million to increase early childhood education capacity (including employer-based childcare) as well as retaining child care and early education teachers.

Polis also signed bills recently to create a state department that’ll implement universal pre-K and for child care centers

More Colorado political news

• °äŽÇ±ôŽÇ°ùČč»ćŽÇ’s sixth new gun law of the year was signed this week.
• New Colorado laws take aim at tax breaks for the wealthy.
• You’ll still be able to get takeout and delivery of your favorite cocktails for at least another four years.
• At °äŽÇ±ôŽÇ°ùČč»ćŽÇ’s Capitol, prosecutors no longer rule the roost.
• An explanation of the policing bills that passed in this year’s session.
• The state’s drug monitoring database isn’t working, according to an audit.

Federal politics ‱ By Justin Wingerter

Just the links

• Colorado guides say they can’t get enough permits on federal land.
• Four scenes from this year’s Western Conservative Summit.

Mile High Politics ‱ By Conrad Swanson

Reparations in Denver?

A small band of U.S. mayors — Denver’s Michael Hancock among them — have pledged to offer Black residents in their cities reparations for slavery in the hopes that the federal government will follow.

The details of how it’ll work are sparse. that the group of mayors has no information on how much reparations would cost, how they’d be funded or who would get them. Local committees with representatives from Black-led organizations will have to decide those variables in each city.

The group, Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity, said that the conversation surrounding reparations for Black Americans has been stuck in the realm of the hypothetical since the end of the Civil War. Broaching the topic of reparations is one way to confront and dismantle structural and institutional racism, the group stated.

“Our coalition stands on the belief that cities can — and should — act as laboratories for bold ideas that can be transformative for racial and economic justice on a larger scale,” according to the website.

While Hancock is working to figure out the details locally, so too will the mayors in St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo.; Los Angeles; Providence, R.I.; Austin, Texas; St. Paul, Minn.; and four others.

Also in the group is Michael Tubbs, the former mayor of Stockton, Calif., who launched the country’s first universal basic income program. A similar effort, the Denver Basic Income Project is now underway and Hancock has given it his blessing, though he has not committed any city money toward it.

More Denver and suburban political news

• Denver City Council will vote Monday on whether to give a $9 million, two-year contract for jail meals to Aramark — a company repeatedly accused of serving rotten or maggot-ridden food.
• Australia may hold the key to breaking up Interstate 25 bottlenecks.
• Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s nominee to be the next Denver International Airport CEO is mentioned by name in search warrants served by Los Angeles County deputies.

Forward this newsletter to your colleagues and encourage them to .

This year it was a scaled-back event, with less-notable speakers and a smaller venue: the Hyatt Regency in downtown Denver.

Here’s what our reporters saw Friday and Saturday.

Andy Ngo

Only one speaker was met with a sustained standing ovation at the beginning and end of his remarks: , a controversial conservative journalist who has been assaulted while trying to “unmask” activists he believes are members of antifa, a loosely organized and sometimes violent left-wing group.

Ngo claimed Saturday that antifa is a “terroristic organization that organizes openly” and has “ideological ties to communism.” He criticized the U.S. Department of Justice for not using anti-mafia laws to bring down the group.

As he spoke, several police officers stood sentry in front of the stage to protect him; they left when he left the stage. Ngo is often a target of protests, and that a range of progressive groups, including the Denver Communists, would protest outside the Hyatt — an event dubbed the “Western BLM-Antifa Summit.” But no protesters were spotted inside or outside during Ngo’s remarks Saturday.

Inside, Ngo was hailed as a hero who has risked life and limb to report the truth. Jeff Hunt, the event¶¶Òőap host, said he deserves a Pulitzer Prize and several guests who left after Ngo spoke said he was the reason they came.

Congressional panel

On Saturday morning, all three Colorado Republicans in Congress — U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert, Ken Buck and Doug Lamborn — took part in a panel hosted, like a late-night talk show, by Hunt. He asked the trio about °äŽÇ±ôŽÇ°ùČč»ćŽÇ’s leftward trend.

“It used to be a cuss word for you to say to a Democrat politician, ‘You’re from Denver.’ That was all that people needed to hear,” Buck said. “‘They’re from Boulder.’ ‘They’re a Boulder liberal.’ That used to be a label that Democrats would run away from. Now they embrace being a Boulder liberal; they embrace being from Denver.”

Boebert claimed that Colorado — where Democrats control the legislature and all but one statewide office — is not a blue state: “We are a red state with blue cities.” Buck predicted that Colorado “will go purple or red in the future.”

Buck also predicted that Republicans will control the U.S. House after the 2022 midterm elections. He urged conservatives to run for office and wondered aloud why more did not challenge pandemic restrictions last year.

“In Colorado — this is completely amazing: Dispensaries were open, and churches were closed. And I didn’t see a group of pastors, priests and others protesting somewhere about that happening. We went like lambs to the slaughter. We can’t allow that to happen,” said Buck, of Windsor.

Boebert, who lives in Silt, defended her decision last week to vote against a bill that would award congressional gold medals to U.S. Capitol police and Washington, D.C., police for defending the Capitol on Jan. 6. Boebert was one of only 21 House members to vote nay and the only Coloradan to do so.

“They want to say we are against our police officers if we voted against Nancy Pelosi’s radical language. You know, I want to say here today, thank you to the police officers who are here,” the congresswoman said.

Jack Phillips

America’s most famous anti-LGBTQ cakemaker, Lakewood’s Jack Phillips, tearfully spoke of the various court battles related to his refusals to bake cakes for gay and transgender clients.

“We knew there were cakes that we would not create,” Phillips said of starting Masterpiece Cakeshop. “Cakes that celebrate Halloween, cakes that were anti-American or atheist 
 but also cakes that would insult or denigrate anybody in any way shape or form, even people who identify as LGBT.”

Phillips plans to appeal a recent Denver district court judge’s $500 fine against him for not baking a cake for a transgender woman.

Heidi Ganahl

University of Colorado Regent Heidi Ganahl, considered a favorite to run for governor in 2022, had a booth at the Western Conservative Summit to tout her podcast, .

Ganahl told The Denver Post that she hasn’t decided whether she will seek the GOP nomination for governor next year — or any other political office.

She described a potential run against Gov. Jared Polis, the incumbent Democrat rich enough to far outspend his opponents, as a “moonshot.”

Presidential politics looks pretty on TV. In reality, it smells really bad.

To my left was Shannon Roth, an Iowa native turned Virginia high school government teacher, and her husband. Roth, 34, who has attended the state fair every year since she was born, said she planned to listen to all two dozen presidential candidates scheduled to speak. It was important for her to take this first-hand knowledge back to her classroom, she said.

To my right was a Minnesota Democrat who regretted her vote for President Trump in 2016.

“Trump said he would do a lot of things. He’s not doing what he said. He’s an embarrassment,” said Fay Pohlman, 55. “It would have been nice to see what he could have done.”

And all around me were Iowans debating which Democrat would get their vote and why.

Iowa Democrats, who will be the first to cast a vote in the nominating contest in February, play an outsized role in deciding who will take on Trump. And the fair and the satellite events — 134 in total, according to the Des Moines Register — mark a new phase in the campaign.

Here’s a little more about what I learned during my four days in Iowa.

There is interest in °äŽÇ±ôŽÇ°ùČč»ćŽÇ’s remaining candidate. But there’s no evidence of enthusiasm.

Let¶¶Òőap get this out of the way: A lot of folks like Michael Bennet. There are those who really like him. However, very few voters are falling in love with him the way they are with Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg.

One of the most important lines of inquiry I explored while I was in Iowa was exactly how “open” the race was. Iowa voters historically break late for a candidate and regularly provide an upset — Bernie Sanders effectively tying with Hillary Clinton, Obama winning outright in 2008.

However, these sorts of upsets just don’t happen. It takes money, message and incredible organization to make this happen. To be competitive in Iowa, experts say, a candidate at least needs an army of about 300 volunteers — three in each county — to pull off an effective caucus strategy.

Bennet doesn’t have that sort of grassroots network.

Yes, Biden is leading in the polls, but Warren is on fire.

There’s no doubt that Biden is among the most popular Democratic candidates in Iowa — and the nation. However, Warren has risen in the polls, and most of the voters I spoke with listed her among their top choices. She received one of the loudest ovations at the Wing Ding dinner, an annual fundraiser in northern Iowa, despite giving a ho-hum speech. And according to multiple media reports, she attracted the largest crowd at the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the state fair.

Warren has reportedly built the largest field team in Iowa, which will serve her well as she continues to grow her base of support.

Democrats want the field to winnow — but not until they’ve met every candidate.

Talk about mixed messages: Democrats are exhausted by the large field of candidates. And yet, in the next breath, they told me they don’t want (insert candidate name here) to drop out because they haven’t met them yet.

Whether Iowans like it or not, a chop is coming thanks to the Democratic National Committee’s debate rules. Whether candidates hold on and scramble to make the stage is yet to be seen.

The primary is not a “battle for the soul” of the Democratic Party. It¶¶Òőap about beating Donald Trump.

The national media likes to talk about the primary as a knock-out fight between moderate and liberal Democrats. The narrative isn’t totally wrong, given the personalities leading the field. And yet, when I asked voters how they felt about this framing, they recoiled. As I wrote on : “Democrats don’t care about the soul of the party. They care about health care, gun control and climate change. They want a president they can respect and who will respect the office. They want a healer.”

Welcome to The Spot, The Denver Post¶¶Òőap weekly political newsletter. I’m Nic Garcia, a political reporter at The Post. Keep the conversation going by joining our ! Forward this newsletter to your colleagues and encourage them to . And please support the journalism that matters to you and become a Denver Post subscriber . Send tips, comments and questions to ngarcia@denverpost.com.

Countdown

8 days until the Legislative Barbecue at the Colorado State Fair; 22 days until the Polis recall petitions are due; 146 days until the next legislative session

Top line

BREAKING: Former Gov. John Hickenlooper ended his presidential bid moments ago. Will he run for Senate?

Denver International Airport has fired the partnership that was renovating the terminal and scheduled to operate airport concessions for three decades afterward. The decision came after Great Hall Partners said it would need an extra $288 million to finish the construction, which had been budgeted at $650 million.

We spent a day on the campaign trail with Michael Bennet. Here’s what we saw.

Just how tough are Colorado’s new oil and gas rules going to get?

Capitol Diary

Garcia recall effort imminent ‱ By Anna Staver

With the special session in our rearview mirrors, the next big thing we’re waiting on at the Colorado Capitol is when the people who want to recall Senate President Leroy Garcia will file their paperwork.

Opponents of the Pueblo Democrat say the plan is to file with the Secretary of State’s Office by early next week at the latest and have petitions circulating by next Friday, which marks the start of the state fair in Pueblo.

“So many people are unhappy with the job he’s doing,” said Susan Carr, the spokesperson for the recall effort. “We have just as many Democrats as we do Republicans.”

People in Pueblo, Carr added, didn’t like Garcia’s vote on an oil and gas bill that impacted the steel mill that manufactures pipelines for drilling, his support of the national popular vote compact and the money he cost the state by hiring an attorney to defend his decision to have multiple computers read a bill simultaneously.

Carr’s working with the same people who successfully ousted former Sen. Angela Giron, a Pueblo Democrat, in 2013 over her votes on a series of gun control bills.

Garcia won the seat in 2014, and he was re-elected in 2018 with 74% of the vote.

Carr thinks lightning is going to strike twice in Pueblo.

“They were successful once,” she said. “They can be successful again.”

More Colorado political news

• State Rep. Tom Sullivan, who lost his son in the Aurora theater shooting, was on Colorado Matters, .
• Sen. Mike Foote , and the financial burden of being a legislator is one of the reasons why.
• Proposition CC, the ballot measure that asks you to give up your TABOR tax refund, is polling at 54%.

#COSen 2020

Attack ads launched in 2020 Senate race ‱ By Justin Wingerter

There was plenty of non-Hickenlooper news in the U.S. Senate race this week.

John Walsh unveiled a Tuesday. Some policies of note: a national ban on gun magazines with more than 15 rounds; raising the minimum age for buying assault rifles to 25; and a national red-flag law.

“In the Gabby Giffords shooting
(the shooter) had to reload after 15 shots and he got tackled. That¶¶Òőap why this would save lives,” Walsh Saturday at a Greek restaurant in Aurora, referring to his proposed magazine limit.

Speaking of Giffords, she’ll be in Aurora on Aug. 26 with U.S. Rep. Jason Crow to continue her nationwide push for expanded background checks. Last week, her group launched ads calling out Sen. Cory Gardner on the issue.

Gardner on social media this week. Audio of Gardner’s recent speech to the Western Conservative Summit plays over beautiful views of Colorado. He warns of “socialism on full display” within the Democratic Party between praise for America and the West.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee in southeast Denver targeting Stephany Rose Spaulding with the words “too liberal for Colorado” and Spaulding’s face next to those of U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar.

It appears to be part of an NRSC strategy to bring attention to Democrats’ most liberal Senate candidates. Spaulding quickly used the billboard to her advantage, sharing it on social media and raising campaign cash off it. State Rep. Janet Buckner, an Aurora Democrat, Republicans “are running scared, otherwise they wouldn’t spend this much money on a billboard.”

Action PAC, recently founded by social justice activist Shaun King, endorsed Andrew Romanoff on Tuesday. The PAC hopes to raise and spend $5 million to help several liberal Democrats win Senate races in 2020, including Romanoff, who has sworn off PAC donations but can still benefit from a PAC’s spending and endorsement. The Romanoff campaign says it has seen a big boost in social media followers since the Action PAC announcement.

More federal political news: 

• If you read a story about John Hickenlooper and the Senate race, you’ll probably see this poll mentioned. Here’s what it says and why.
• After state Sen. Kerry Donovan tweeted about it, an Eagle County Republicans event with U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner .
• Frustrated constituents walking tour Gardner took part in earlier in the day Tuesday. This keeps happening at Gardner’s August recess events.

Mile High Politics

The next development debate ‱ By Andy Kenney

Election season is long over, but there’s a brand new set of yard signs in East Denver. “No upzoning and highrises,” they declare.

A new group called Denver East Area Neighborhoods First already has sold about 200 of the signs and launched a , according to member Lisa Weber Hewitt, and recent meetings have grown intense.

It¶¶Òőap a response to the city’s long-term planning proposals for neighborhoods along East Colfax Avenue, making it the first development controversy in a citywide process that will take years.

The wouldn’t actually allow any new types of development, but it would set the stage for future rezonings and other changes if approved. As we reported previously, the draft suggests that the Denver City Council raise height limits to five and eight floors at intersections near planned bus-rapid transit spots on Colfax, assuming the developers include affordable housing or other amenities. It also suggests allowing “missing middle” housing, such as duplexes, on certain blocks.

“Residents are in full support of affordable housing but not at the expense of high rises and changing the landscape of the entire neighborhood,” Weber Hewitt wrote in an email. And one of the area’s representatives, newly elected Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer, has said she’s skeptical about the denser development concepts, too. She’s also worried about delays to the city’s bus-rapid transit plans for Colfax.

Looks like we’ve found Denver’s next debate stage for YIMBYs, NIMBYs and everyone in between.

More Denver political news

• Denver City Council is pushing an energy tax on businesses.
• Interstate 70 project can keep making nighttime noise despite complaints.

Re: “Gardner, religion, women’s vote are center of attention,” July 15 news story

I was deeply disturbed and dismayed to read the news reports and watch the video of John Andrews’ anti-Islam screed that was delivered at the recent Western Conservative Summit. While I agree with Andrews that religious extremists pose an urgent threat in the U.S. and across the world, I disagree with his assertion that Muslims cannot be patriotic Americans who uphold the Constitution. His absurd conclusion that Muslims cannot be trusted with full and unconditional religious freedom should make every person of faith and goodwill shudder.

While Andrews prefaced his remarks by acknowledging the everyday Muslims whom he described as good Americans, he grounded his speech in the premise that America is engaged in an epic battle for survival against “Marx” and “Muhammad.” Not only is the claim inflammatory, it is based in fear and deception and portrays faithful Muslims as our enemies. Extremism, in all its forms, threatens our deeply held freedoms as Americans, including for Muslims who serve our state and country as police officers, military officers, doctors, lawyers and teachers.

Religious freedom helped create and has defined America. Instead of using religion to turn on our neighbors because of their personal beliefs, we should use it as a unifying force grounded in the freedom to worship or not worship as our consciences dictate.

Scott Levin, Denver
Editor’s Note: Levin is regional director of the Anti-Defamation League Mountain States Region.

Oil rules don’t work both ways

Re: “State tells Weld County its rules supreme,” July 23 news story

So, after Senate Bill 181 became law, granting “more power to local governments to manage energy extraction within their borders,” the state wants to assert the supremacy clause doctrine of pre-emption when Weld County chooses a different path on oil and gas regulation.

At the same time, the state continues to ignore multiple areas in which Colorado law is contrary to federal statutes (e.g. legal marijuana and immigration). I wonder how long a nation of laws can survive while having it both ways.

Keith Chadderdon, Castle Rock

We’ve already paid for Medicare

Re: “Surprise! Here’s proof Medicare for all is doomed,” July 22 commentary

“Medicare for all” is doomed for a number of good reasons. The millions of seniors who involuntarily paid Medicare taxes for 50 years or more will realize that all of those who paid nothing would compete with them for the service of limited medical providers and facilities. That will be a brutal way of learning what socialism is really about, and the reaction will be political disaster.

Richard E. Ralston, Newport Beach, Calif.
Editor’s Note: Ralston is executive director of Americans for Free Choice in Medicine.

Some blame in opioid epidemic

Re: “Revamped OxyContin aimed to reduce abuse, but has it?” July 23 news story

I understand that suppliers and medical professionals need to address the issues surrounding abuse of opioids; however, when are we, as individuals with free will, going to step up and take personal responsibility for our own choices, and stop teaching our children to blame someone else for these personal choices.

We do not read about the numbers of people who take reasonable amounts of painkillers without any dire consequences. I say if you have an addictive personality or problem, speak to your medical caregiver about this potential threat and stop blaming them for your abuse of a drug.

Diane Silver, Broomfield

While Andrews’ speech about Marxism and Islam was more thoughtful than critics give it credit, some of its assertions should be met with skepticism. The practice of Islam is fully compatible with religious freedom. Only when religion — be it Christianity, Islam, atheism, or any faith — is backed by government power, does freedom of religion suffer. Government neutrality toward religion, by contrast, fosters religious diversity and the free exercise of faith. This American model took centuries to gain full embrace. Restricting the rights of American Muslims would be a tragic setback for all of us.

While non-Muslims face discrimination and persecution in Muslim-majority countries, non-Muslim countries also violate the rights of people in religious minorities.

In India, discrimination and violence against Muslims and Christians are increasing under the Hindu nationalist government. The Buddhist government in Myanmar killed thousands of Rohingya Muslims in 2017 and drove half a million people from their homes and farms. Earlier this year, Buddhist Sinhalese mobs attacked mosques and Muslims’ homes after Islamist terrorists murdered 250 Christians in Sri Lanka. Secular Austria just became the eighth European country to restrict the wearing of headscarves. In Europe, Jews are increasingly the targets of harassment while Muslims and Christians face discrimination in Israel. Brexit may resurrect violent animosities between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland and it is illegal to be a Jehovah’s Witness in Russia.

“The problem is not religion per se,” wrote Steven Waldman in his recently published must-read book “Sacred Liberty: America’s Long, Bloody, and Ongoing Struggle for Religious Freedom.”

“Atheism’s historical track record has been no better. Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Adolf Hitler, and Pol Pot all attempted to destroy or suppress religion and in 50 years they killed more people than had died in all the religious wars of the previous millennia.” In recent years, the officially atheist Chinese government has imprisoned a million Muslims in “re-education” camps, destroyed mosques, jailed Christians, and shut down churches.

Christian governments also hold a poor historical record on religious liberty: the bloody religious wars of the 16th and 17th centuries; the execution of “heretics;” the expulsion, forced conversion, and persecution of Jews and Muslims.

Contrary to common belief, America wasn’t always a bastion of religious freedom. In 17th Century Massachusetts being a Quaker was a capital offense. Colonial Virginia jailed Baptists. Catholics and Jews were barred from holding office in most of the colonies and African American slaves were forbidden to practice their native religions.

James Madison wrote the First Amendment to ensure government neutrality toward religion and to promote the flourishing of diverse faiths. The country’s cultural commitment to religious liberty took much longer. Slave owners harassed slaves during Sunday worship and some southern states banned or restricted black churches. Christians attacked Mormons and drove them from towns. The U.S. government banned certain Native American practices and coerced Indian children into government schools where they were pressured to convert.

Protestants destroyed several Catholic churches over of a disagreement regarding which version of the Bible should be read in schools. Samuel Morse (inventor of the telegraph) said of Catholicism what critics of Islam say today, that it was “a foreign heresy” and “a system of the darkest political intrigue and despotism, cloaking itself to avoid attack under the sacred name of religion.” Because the pope at the time opposed democracy, anti-Catholic agitators suggested American Catholics would certainly reject American political institutions and norms. American Catholics proved him wrong.

In the same way, 3.4 million American Muslims demonstrate day in and day out their allegiance to this country and its values. Most Americans believe in freedom of religion. The idea is an integral part of our national identity that serves as a bulwark against the universal human propensity to impose conformity by force. But like any cultural norm, it can be eroded through fear and misunderstanding. Even the suggestion that American Muslims’ right to practice their faith should be abrogated chips away at a bulwark that protects us all.

Krista Kafer is a weekly Denver Post columnist. Follow her on Twitter: @kristakafer.

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.

Trump, the daughter of and adviser to President Donald Trump, will visit with Lockheed Martin workers and CEO Marillyn Hewson on Monday for a roundtable discussion on the company’s workforce development and apprenticeship programs in Colorado, a White House official told The Denver Post.

“Our mission is straightforward; to ensure inclusive growth and opportunity in our booming economy by creating pathways for all Americans, regardless of age or background, to acquiring the skills needed to secure and retain high paying jobs,” Ivanka Trump said in a statement.

Following the roundtable, Trump and Hewson will tour the facility and meet with graduates of an apprenticeship program. Hewson is a member of the Trump administration’s American Workforce Policy Advisory Board. Lockheed Martin committed to creating 8,000 jobs for American workers as part of the President¶¶Òőap Pledge to America’s Workers.

Trump skipped a planned visit to Lockheed Martin in May. Instead, she visited with Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock and several deputies who responded to the STEM Shooting.

No child should know the horror of what students at STEM School Highlands Ranch experienced today.

America mourns with the victims’ families and prays for the welfare of those injured.

— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump)

The news of Trump’s visit comes days after her brother, Donald Trump Jr., spoke at the Western Conservative Summit in downtown Denver.

Re: “Group that yanked, defaced flags …” July 15 letter to the editor

I could write about many grievances, such as the assault on truth as well as the abandonment of respect for others coming out of the current White House. But David Nelson’s letter really struck me today, and I wanted to address it.
This is something that goes to the heart of the divisive and toxic thread that is infecting our country and that is “who are the ‘real’ Americans?” The letter says it is time for the “real Americans” to step up meaning those that agree with his racial nationalism. I do not find myself in that camp, but I do consider myself just as real an American as he thinks he is. We are all Americans and just because we don’t agree with each other doesn’t mean we aren’t real Americans.

Alayna Schaffer, Littleton

John Andrew’s speech targeting Islam went too far

Re: “Gardner, religion, women’s vote are center of attention,” July 15 news story

As a Christian, I would like to speak out against John Andrew’s condemnation of Islam and Muslims. He is a fellow at Centennial Institute, Colorado Christian University’s think tank, and addressed the Western Conservative Summit. His views do not represent a vast number of Christians and are distorted and hateful. All religions have extremist elements, even Christianity. Additionally, a founding principle of this country is religious freedom. We are not a theocracy!

Marilyn Eaton, Denver

I was disturbed to read about the Western Conservative Summit. Despite Sen. Cory Gardner’s meager insistence that criticisms of fear-mongering “couldn’t be further from the truth,” speakers stoked worries over “Christian rights” and socialism, with Gardner himself taking shots. What made me physically sick, however, were John Andrews’ comments about Islam, especially that “‘a good and faithful Muslim’” cannot also be “‘a good and faithful American.’” They deserve no other title than hate speech.

I expect better than a malevolent, terrorizing, circle-the-wagons approach from conservatives. I do not respect politicians who bring fear and nothing else to the table. My vote will go to those who have the self-dignity to develop ideas instead of hate.

Claire Franz, Lakewood

Trump’s racism was on display, who will condemn it?

The staggering silence by Republicans to the racist tweets that spewed forth from the president over the weekend is unconscionable.

What conclusion is a person to draw, that the entire Republican party is racist?

Surely even in our most heated debates about what¶¶Òőap the best course of action for our country, we shouldn’t stoop to demanding those that disagree with us should find a new home.

That in order for you to be an American you must be lock-step with one ideology or the other, these are dangerous waters for our democracy.

Clearly these comments are evil, and by extension so must be this president. We can cannot and should not stay silent when someone bandies about so carelessly.
To quote Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Laszlo F. Soos, Littleton

Once again the president makes inflammatory racist remarks and attacks people of color. Yes, Donald Trump is pandering to his lunatic fringe who also hold racist views and encourages them to believe that people of color are a threat to white America.

The headline of the story should have been, “Trump stokes racist fears of Dem women of color.” This president relies upon creating a politics of fear to energize his base, not because he is stupid, but because he knows that fear overwhelms reason.

And his racist attacks are, as usual, based upon lies and blatant distortion of reality. Racism, misogyny and xenophobia should not be the defining character of our national leader. All Americans, as well as the GOP, need to speak out against this travesty that is our president.

Ralph Roberts, Littleton

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.

It was wrong — and likely illegal — for protesters of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies to go onto private property at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Aurora, take down an American flag, try to burn it and hoist a Mexican flag up the pole.

And John Andrews, a former Colorado legislator and longtime conservative voice, was wrong. It is possible to be a patriotic American and a devout Muslim. To say otherwise, as he did at the Western Conservative Summit in Denver Friday, is to espouse a dangerous breed of religious intolerance.

Both acts were un-American and despicable.

Want to protest America’s treatment of those who are in this country illegally? By all means, go ahead. We’ll even defend your right to take the protest to the extreme and burn an American flag or kneel for the national anthem.  But please keep in mind that for all of America’s faults, one of her strengths is her peace. Vandals, some wearing face covers, took what was a reasonable protest to the extreme. This wasn’t about helping a cause or making a statement; this was a small-scale form of terrorism. Some will say it was only a small group of the hundreds who were there to protest, but a crowd can be heard cheering in the background as the Mexican flag was raised. We cannot imagine cheering such an act.

Andrews’ speech drew applause from attendees at the Western Conservative Summit where we gasped in horror. This was not an old man misspeaking at the podium. He prefaced his remarks with a warning:  “Now I want to talk for a minute about what freedom of religion does not mean. I’m going to speak with tough love from the heart with no animosity or disrespect for any individual. Please hear me carefully.”

We listened carefully and found no room for question — he used language of hate to demonize a group of people based on their religion. It is intolerance and a form of small-scale terrorism.

“Here’s the hard question for all of us freedom-loving Americans. Put it in terms of that bumper sticker, the one that says ‘coexist:’ How can aggressive and dominate Islam and its supreme law, sharia, coexist with friendly tolerant America and its supreme law the Constitution. I don’t honestly see how it can. I wish I was wrong. I don’t claim to know the way forward in this tremendous clash of civilizations. I just know this: The simplistic approach of simply granting unconditional, quote-unquote, “freedom of religion” to a religion that doesn’t believe in freedom — and never doubt me, Islam does not — that approach is civilization suicide 
 The answer isn’t a witch hunt or persecution or some kind of ban, but the answer certainly isn’t to just keep doing what we’re doing. That¶¶Òőap a formula for defeat. There has to be a better way.”

Yes, that was a prominent Colorado conservative calling for religious freedom to no longer be extended to Muslims. He doesn’t believe that we can coexist with those who practice Islam. With a wink and a nod, he says, I’m not talking about the decent Muslims and, oh, we shouldn’t persecute them … but then he explicitly says they cannot be good Americans.

“Some of you may disagree with me; that¶¶Òőap your prerogative in a free society … They may tell you that a good and faithful Muslim can also be a good and faithful American. I’m sorry, I just don’t see how. Not when one holds sharia law supreme, the Quran, the command they think they have received from above to dominate the globe and the other holds the Constitution supreme.”

All Coloradans must condemn the direction our country is headed.

We must decry the extremist actions taken by those in Aurora, and we must decry the extremist words spoken at the Western Conservative Summit.

Whether we were born in Mexico or in America, believe that Jesus Christ was the prophet of God or that it was Muhammad, we all want the same thing on this great Earth: peace, happiness, prosperity and freedom. To insinuate otherwise through actions or words is to disparage this wonderful country and all it stands for.

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.