Due process “dismissed as the refrain of woke liberals”
Re: “Trump’s bid to free Tina Peters shows disrespect for due process,” May 11 commentary, and “Officials target habeas corpus” May 11 news story
I think columnist Krista Kafer sees quite clearly that the GOP is completely derailed. When I was in grade school, during conservative Cold War times, my teachers would lecture us on the contrast between the Soviet Bloc and our American system. Due process was always described to us as a pillar of the American way. We were protected from “the knock at the door,” they’d say to us kids. The government can’t make you simply disappear.
But that whole culture is absent in current conservatism. Due process is now dismissed as the refrain of woke liberals.
Trump has learned from the past. He’s not again sprinkled his cabinet with as many patriots (i.e., Mark Esper) as loyalists. The military brass, the intelligence services, and the DOJ are now curated exclusively to the right wing. We can reasonably anticipate the next phase. He’d like to expand the denial of due process to include full citizens.
Scott Newell, Denver
Blame sanctuary policies or immigration policies?
Re: “Trump’s suit against Colorado ‘sanctuary laws’ starts with a lie and only gets worse,” May 11 editorial
The Post’s editorial is an exercise in misdirection and missing the point. It defies common sense to claim that Colorado’s well-known status as a sanctuary state (who needs a sanctuary city when the state legislature will do it for you?) didn’t make us a preferred destination for immigrants coming to America illegally, whether criminals or not. Indeed, the “revisionist history” is yours, not the Trump administration’s.
Of course, once the damage is done and law enforcement has to find, arrest, and prosecute those who have harmed our cities and our state, they will do so. The contrary is not the claim being made by people frustrated with our state and city policies. Rather, it’s that law enforcement may not work to deport criminal illegal immigrants, thus allowing them to remain as predators among us.
But again, your editorial seems intentionally to miss the point: The burden of proof is on those who claim that sanctuary policies do not attract the people they are designed to shield. Of course they do, and of course some of those people will have bad intentions.
Ross Kaminsky, Denver
Bravo! Good for you! Well done on placing “sanctuary laws” in the proper context! For far too long the federal government has shirked its responsibility to establish a clear and effective immigration policy (and the means to effectuate it), choosing rather to blame the states and local municipalities for their refusal to act as the unofficial/official enforcement arm of their lame system, and in effect, imposing an unofficial and unfunded mandate. Hopefully, the feds will scrape together the political will to come up with a solution to their own self-inflicted problem.
Larry Ciferno, Denver
There is misplaced but formidable compassion for illegal immigrants in the USA, especially for ones who have woven themselves into the fabric of our society, economy and legal system. This allows for taking advantage of the game put in place by the former presidential administration, where due process restrictions were not placed at illegal entry but are now requiring the current presidential administration to observe constitutional protections to prevent anything remotely resembling a justifiable and expedited deportation response.
Too many citizens view immigration mostly in terms of the immigrants themselves and neglect the larger view of the net cost. Immigration is a tool to improve our country, and the legal process allows us to determine which applicants would most likely help in that regard. The previous presidential administration implemented a deliberate campaign to significantly increase the flow of illegal immigration. The motivations for this action are likely varied and certainly include the aforementioned misplaced compassion, but it ran largely afoul of existing law.
How is it that a previous president was allowed to ignore existing law with an open-door policy that overtly invited illegal immigration, while the current president is held to the letter of the law and being forced to give everyone here illegally their day in court?
Douglass Croot, Highlands Ranch
The real economics of oil and gas in Colorado
Re: “Oil and gas: Industry rebuffed by local boards,” May 11 news story
Thanks to The Denver Post for covering the efforts of local lawmakers to represent their constituents and stand up to oil and gas. It’s telling to read the industry response from Lynn Granger, who refers to democratic decision-making as “political grandstanding.”
The Post is quick to remind readers of the $2 billion in tax revenue and 303,000 jobs from Colorado Oil and Gas Association statistics. But please also remind readers of just how profitable it is to subject Coloradans to a toxic industry: Suncor posted over $22 billion in profits for 2024. The Denver Business Journal reports that the top 5 oil and gas companies headquartered in the Denver metro area made $39.1 billion in revenue for 2023. So the idea that we are losing out economically pales in comparison to what this industry makes off our backs.
Christina Foust, Denver
Some say derangement, some say denial
Re: “Trump derangement syndrome in the opinion pages,” May 11 letter to the editor
The letter writer must be squinting through rose-colored glasses. Even if I liked every one of his policies, President Donald Trump’s actions are those of a 10-year-old, and a revengeful, hateful, greedy person is enough of a disqualifier for me to say no thanks. A Dem doing this would get the same response from me. If a Dem had been doing these same things as Trump, there would be conservatives with pitchforks and torches in the streets. Remember when former President Barack Obama was criticized for wearing a brown suit? Ah, for the good old days when we only had to worry about fashion in the White House.
Mark Risner, Englewood
The author suggested that all of the negative Trump letters in the Open Forum came from people who suffered from TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome). My concern is that he and his MAGA devotees suffer from a much more serious illness. The Truth Denial Syndrome! My hope is that a cure is very quickly found!
Theo Davis, Phoenix
Regarding the letter writer’s comments on The Post’s seemingly anti-Trump position, the writer must not be paying much attention to what this corrupt administration is doing. Ignoring court orders, undermining Congress, creating chaos in the market and illegally firing federal employees. Of course, inflation would go down (for now), of course gas prices will fluctuate (price of crude) and, of course, egg prices would eventually come down (although still around $8 a dozen), but these things have nothing to do with Trump or his policies. Listening only to Trump’s lies (like gas at $1.98 a gallon) most likely gives his supporters reason to hold him in high regard. They are deaf and blind to the truth, refusing to believe anyone who speaks unfavorably of him. It’s unfortunate that the media, which we so desperately need, is reduced to “fake news” or called biased because of Trump’s lies.
Valorie Manzi, Lakewood
Donald Trump has become so confident and so brazen that he does not even try to hide the fact that he is taking bribes (cryptocurrency scheme) and committing extortion (law firms) every single day, yet his MAGAs keep writing into this paper and contacting other media outlets accusing them of TDS and biased reporting. While I understand the effort to present differing viewpoints, I don’t feel it is necessary to publish these letters, the writers of which are not capable of seeing what is right in front of them.
Rochelle Davis, Denver
Cooking traditions: Feeling wrapped up in a mother’s love
Re: “A mother’s love, a family’s traditions,” May 11 features commentary
Thank you for your article in Sunday’s Denver Post. I share many of your family experiences, especially those around food. My daughter organized a family reunion in January, centering around a pierogi party and recreating the Wigilia (Christmas Eve) meal.
What a pleasure to read this Mother’s Day.
Dziękuję bardzo!
Diana Sadighi, Boulder
Thank you for a wonderful piece on your mom and Polish traditions. I’m 80 years old, so I can remember the old days and simpler times. I grew up in a Polish neighborhood (Kosciusko Street, etc.) with a very connected Polish family. We did all the same things as in your piece.
Kathleen Skrynski Morrison, Castle Rock
Rooting against the Valor Christian model
Re: “Valor Christian grapples with discontent,” May 11 sports story
I can see Valor Christian High School from my front porch. Well, almost. And to be honest, I take some pleasure in every one of their losses. Among other reasons, for years the football team pummeled opponents that didn’t have the widespread “recruiting” pool that private Christian high schools here in Colorado and around the country enjoy.
The article presents the athletic department as a near-professional atmosphere of extraordinarily high-ended achievement that somehow invokes God as an assistant coach.
“God has great plans for our football team”? It’s more likely that God has better things to do than to get involved with the X’s and O’s at a school positioned behind a grocery store.
And another thing, Valor pushed out two gay teachers, which seemed, what? Rather non-Christian.
Did I smile when I saw the outcome of the Valor-Mountain Vista football game on Oct. 4? Ear to ear.
What does it say? “Whoever brings trouble on their family will inherit the wind.”
Craig Marshall Smith, Highlands Ranch
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