Ban anti-American, shameful, disgraceful

Congratulations to those who supported the anti-American smoking ban here in Colorado. Now, take time out from your victory dance, open up your dictionaries and look up the definition of "fascism." What a disgrace that such laws are actually passed in a country that prides itself on freedom.

Speaking of freedom, I understand that even our veterans who served their country and laid their lives on the line for freedom can no longer smoke at private VFW clubs. If that's true, then those who supported this ridiculous smoking ban should hang their heads in shame and disgrace. Too bad public horse whipping is illegal.

The only way this smoking law would fail is if all Colorado restaurant and bar owners would stand up en masse, whether they approved of having a smoking section or not in their establishments, and told the state to take their ban and stick it. And if the state attempted to fine them, then a class-action lawsuit would be filed against the state as well as the governor for illegally interfering in private business decisions.

But that won't happen because this isn't the type of generation that stood up against the government during Prohibition days bringing that foolishness to an end.

How simple all of this would have been if newspapers would have listed establishments that allowed and did not allow smoking, thus giving each individual the right to choose which businesses to patronize. That would have been the American way, but it's apparent there are those who no longer believe in that.

May God bless this country, and may he protect us from those from within that are determined to undermine our individual freedoms and rights.

John R. Rosenburg

Loveland

Physician bemoans smoking ban - not!

I've spent 40 years in medical practice diagnosing smoking-related lung cancer and ripping open arteries in conscious patients with balloon catheters, and studying the narrowed arteries in the heart and also in the carotids supplying oxygen to the brain.

My father and uncles all started smoking at age 12. One had a long, slow, miserable smoking-related emphysema death, and one had smoking-related bladder cancer. (After having a steel rod passed up his penis and having the inner bladder wall burned out once, he wouldn't go through that again, and eventually died a slow, painful death from the disease.) My dad had a smoking-related heart attack.

I was involved with a couple of patients who had fingers, toes, a foot and a hand amputated because they had Buerger's disease and continued to smoke (smoking and Buerger's together are disastrous).

A fair amount of my income has come from these addicts, and older morticians depend upon the early deaths of smokers for part of their income. Has anyone considered doctors like myself and the older morticians in coming up with this state smoking ban?

If my thoughts on this matter have not been expressed strongly and clearly enough, please let me know.

Dr. Delmar H. Knudson

Denver

Let's back wilderness preservation measures

The Wilderness Act was passed in 1964 and the law now protects some of the wildest parts of our federal lands in 44 states. These make up our National Wilderness Preservation System, a sort of Smithsonian Institution of the original American landscape. Still, less than 5 percent of the U.S. land base is protected as wilderness; outside of Alaska just 2.5 percent of our nation's lands are protected.

Opposition to wilderness designations from motorized recreation and energy development interests is stronger than ever, yet we still manage to move legislation. Why? Because those citizens who see beyond our immediate and material wants and desires understand that wilderness is the very fabric upon which human history is written - and they refuse to give up.

Today in Colorado we have the opportunity to protect wilderness areas in Rocky Mountain National Park and Browns Canyon. Both the Browns Canyon Wilderness Act and the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Act have widespread support from local governments, Colorado's congressional delegation, and community and recreation organizations, with essentially no local opposition.

It's time. In the words of Edward Abbey: God bless America. Let's save some of it.

David A. Lien

Colorado Springs

Time for a revival of the good ol' checkers

Recently, 2,000 grade-school children came to Colorado for a chess tournament. That's good news! Chess, like checkers, teaches young people to sit still and concentrate, be responsible for their actions, develop forethought and cultivate other quality character traits needed to become stalwart adults.

These games are far superior to the card game Texas Hold-'em which encourages our youth to become addicted gamblers at an early age, or video games that propagate violence.

However, checkers should be taught over chess, as it is more typical of our great American democratic way of life, while chess endorses and promotes the caste system. In chess, all pieces must give their lives to save the sacred king. The lowly pawn can never ever become a king no matter how hard he works.

In checkers, any ordinary, commonplace piece can aspire to become a king if it works hard, keeps advancing and progresses to the finish line. It's the American dream come true in a board game!

It's time for a much-needed checkers revival in America! So I'm calling for all grandparents to start having "board meetings" with their grandchildren and get them back on track and off the expensive, and harmful video game speedway to destruction. It's your move!

John P. Cardie

Westminster

Saying Bush not out to win war a slap at troops

Watch your words - you may have to eat them! That's my response to letter writer Frank Ohrtman ("Bush has no intention of winning terror war," June 9). To compare World War II to the war on terror is ridiculous.

If this were World War II, you would be drafted! Today, we have a volunteer military, men and women who enlisted because they wanted to. Accusing commander-in-chief George W. Bush of having no intentions of winning the war on terror is likewise reflecting no respect for our gallant men and women enlisted to defend the U.S.!

Congress had the same intelligence Bush did and approved the invasion of Iraq - so get over it! How about some gratitude that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi - who enjoyed beheading innocent Americans - is dead. Those saying they did not want him dead should remember that he wanted you dead!

Lorretta M. Carder

Denver

Hefley out of touch

I was amazed to read U.S. Rep. Joel Hefley's assessment of the situation in Iraq ("Iraq pullout scrap/Setting arbitrary date for withdrawal would have grave consequences," June 24).

He states: "Two missions take place every day in Iraq. One focuses on Iraq stability, where we are having great success." Great success stabilizing Iraq? An article in the same paper titled "Baghdad streets emptied" was filled with the typical news from Iraq: "fierce fighting in the heart of Baghdad . . . Iraqi and U.S. military forces clashed with heavily armed attackers . . . within earshot of the Green Zone . . . U.S. and Iraqi forces also engaged in firefights with insurgents in the dangerous Dora neighborhood in south Baghdad."

It is disturbing to see a congressman so far out of touch with reality.

Don Poeschel

Denver

So many insurgents!

It is interesting to see that 11 insurgent groups in Iraq came forward with proposals to end the war there. You could have fooled me - I thought al-Qaida was the one and only insurgent group we were fighting. Oh, that's right, I was already fooled when we went to war in Iraq in the first place. My fault for being so gullible.

Dennis Zuiker

Boulder

Rude rock fans block disabled youth's view

My handicapped son and I attended the recent Huey Lewis and Chicago rock concert at Red Rocks Ampitheater. My son is a big fan of both these bands. He had been looking forward to seeing these groups perform for many weeks. The operative word is "seeing."

We thought we had the best seats in the place, only to find out that rude and inconsiderate rock fans stood up in front of us for most of the three-hour concert.

My son is not able to stand up to look over or around those in front of him so he basically had to sit there and try to enjoy the concert looking at the backsides of those rude concert fans who had been drinking for several hours and were totally oblivious to the needs of others.

It is too bad that there are those in our society who are so focused on their own pleasure that it is often at the expense of others.

My son enjoyed the concert anyway, but I'm sure it would have been a far better event for him if these inconsiderate and rude people would have sat, at least some of the time. Like while they were talking on their cell phones, maybe?

Steve Sinn

Manitou Springs

Relief trains could be answer to next disaster

Now that hurricane season is upon us, a year after suffering one of the worst weather disasters this country has ever seen, we have to ask, "Are we ready?"

Maybe we could at least set up six to 10 relief trains, at railyards around the country - close, but not too close, to major population areas. These trains could be stocked with food and clothing that could be immediately sent into devastated areas to supply food and evacuate people.

The trains could make many trips back and forth from the coast or inner city and, by the time the people were transported out, they could be medically treated in the "med cars" and fed.

The "safe haven" railyards where the trains would be stored could be stocked up as well or at least easily resupplied by rail and the trains themselves could provide temporary shelter for many people.

Mike Clow

Colorado Springs

Remembering Daniel

In Roxborough State Park on the South Rim Trail, there is a lone bench with a plaque commemorating the life of Daniel Mauser who was killed in the Columbine High School shootings.

The date his life ended - April 20, 1999 - is inscribed on the plaque and reminds me of the day that so many children lost their lives. I sat there for a while recently and looked at our beautiful state and thought about Daniel and the other children.

I just wanted the Mauser family to know I was thinking about Daniel. I will never forget Columbine and I hope that we, as a state and nation, never will forget the children of Columbine.

Tim Patty

Lakewood

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