Military at its best when it demonstrates ‘strong moral values’
Re: “Second-strike scrutiny obscures larger question on boat strikes,” Dec. 7 news analysis
Almost all war crimes are “executed” by personnel well below the top of the command structure. War crime prevention usually requires almost instantaneous moral action. Waiting for appeals up the command chain will almost assuredly be hopelessly too late to stop atrocities such as the Vietnam My Lai massacre.
It is crucial in both military and civilian organizations for personnel to refuse illegal orders forcefully and immediately. Rep. Jason Crow, Sen. Mark Kelly, and others who have courageously spoken to defend resistance to illegal orders are moral patriots. Our military, perhaps the best in the world, is stronger when it disseminates strong moral values to personnel and inhibits blind obedience to illegal orders so often found in dictatorships.
Ronald L. Puening, Centennial
Bleeding heart liberals prove weak on American safety
Re: “Death for smugglers, freedom for kingpins — Hegseth and the Department of War (crimes) prove Jason Crow right,” Dec. 7 commentary
All of this uproar about air strikes on speedboats laden with lethal drugs racing towards our shores to kill tens of thousands of Americans is just another case where bleeding heart liberals put those who want to do America harm above those who seek to protect American lives, aka President Donald Trump and the Department of War. They cry about the flood of guns into our cities, yet are perfectly fine with smugglers ferreting deadly drugs to our shores. Where were the cries about war crimes when Obama dropped bombs on a wedding in Yemen?
Trump likes results; Democrats want chaos.
This can all be summed up by what Pete Hegseth said when asked about continuing strikes on drug-laden speedboats racing towards our shores: Strikes will continue if they can find any more boats. “It’s hard to find boats to strike right now.”
The drug kingpins got the message loud and clear.
Scotty Gardner, Aurora
Rep. Crow deserves apologies and gratitude
Re: “Crow should be charged with treason,” Dec. 7 letter to the editor
The letter writer owes Rep. Jason Crow a sincere apology for her five-paragraph, fact-free, vitriolic personal attack, and you owe him an apology for printing it. While the writer feels there have been “no illegal orders given,” killing civilians and ensuring there are no survivors (all without proof of the military’s justification of “drug smuggling”) certainly seems illegal.
We are not at war with Venezuela. Their civilians did not fire on our military. Killing civilians under these circumstances is murder, not a war crime.
Murder is still illegal, isn’t it, no matter how much people like the letter writer attempt to deflect and place blame elsewhere?
Nicolett Darling, Kersey
Try as I might to simply ignore outrageous letters that appear in The Post, I cannot allow the letter to go unanswered. Treason may be punishable by the death penalty. Congressman Jason Crow is a hero and a patriot. He risked his life during tours of duty as an Army Ranger and paratrooper. He courageously helped his fellow representatives escape to safety during the Jan.6, 2021, insurrection. He was elected to Congress with 55% of the vote in a previously Republican district.
A treason conviction means he could be put to death for saying out loud that our men and women in the armed forces should refuse to follow illegal orders. Calling for such a conviction takes shame to a new level.
Richard Strauss, Centennial
Re: “Democrats’ video did the military a disservice,” Dec. 7 commentary
An interesting contrast of opinions in last Sunday’s Perspective section:
Ted Diadiun’s op-ed chided the Democrats’ political strategy when they published, with additional commentary, a video of their members of Congress advising military personnel that they must not obey illegal orders. Yet Diadiun did affirm that their advice was, in fact, spot-on.
A letter writer asserted that the Democrats’ advice that the military obey the law was actually suggesting that they “violate the chain of command, the U.S. Constitution, and their military oath.”
So, whom are we to believe? On one hand, the members of Congress with military and intelligence experience and a columnist whose article demonstrated his non-partisan outlook, or, on the other hand, a letter writer drawing the opposite conclusion from the same set of facts?
I think that The Post printed the letter only to try to uphold a journalistic mandate to represent all points of view, regardless of how ridiculous some of them may be.
David Wolf, Lakewood
Attention all passengers: It’s too loud in the airport
Re: “DIA seeks to lower noise across airport,” Dec. 7 news story
In 2005, we traveled through Hong Kong’s new airport. The first thing we noticed when entering was the peaceful silence. At the check-in counter, there was a sign informing the traveler of how long it took the average person to walk to their gate. The noise level in the whole airport was truly more like a library. Thus, if there was an announcement made, people listened, because it was truly important.
Kudos to Denver International Airport for finally realizing the obvious: the more noise, the more announcements, the more passengers will try to tune out the noise. Already many are using earbuds to lower the noise level for themselves.
Perhaps the airlines can collectively find a way to convince TSA that less is better. The constant nag over the loudspeakers is about as effective as a parent nagging a teenager.
One challenge will be to encourage seniors like me to feel comfortable using our phones for airport information, but that would be a good thing because we don’t understand half of what comes over the cloud speakers anyway.
Thanks in advance, DIA.
A. Lynn Buschhoff, Denver
RTD is making real improvements
Re: “Safety an issue on buses, trains,” Dec. 6 news story
In a 5-year period, from January 2016 until July 2021, I was without a car, and an Eco Pass from my employer and the convenience of RTD buses and light rail made my life much easier.
In the earlier days after the pandemic ended, I witnessed a lot of drug abuse on the light rail. However, RTD stepped up to the plate and made the needed changes.
First, by hiring many more security officers to place on the trains and to patrol stations with elevators, the drug users virtually disappeared.
Second, when I use the light rail, I go to the Sheridan Station for the W line. When the elevator stops on a floor, the door stays open until the elevator is used again. This keeps the elevator from being used as a shelter.
Keep up the good work, RTD!
Mike Filion, Lakewood
RTD should rethink BRT plans for Colorado Boulevard
You have to sympathize with RTD. Ridership is down more than 40%, and not even adding a burgeoning security force to deal with drug users, vagrants and troublemakers who are prevalent on buses and trains (at a cost of $50 million) can make up for it. But RTD thinks that if more people decide to ride the buses, safety in numbers will make things better. And so will Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), which has devastated businesses on East Colfax and most likely will result in RTD’s unsavory passengers getting from place to place faster.
Maybe it’s time for RTD to reassess the wisdom on doing BRT on Colorado Boulevard. Doesn’t it make sense to see if BRT achieves its desired effect on Colfax — and whether RTD can solve its ridership challenges — before engaging in another massive project that seems to have so little chance of success, and will create so much hardship for Colorado Boulevard businesses?
Dan Danbom, Denver
Call penalties on the coaches
Re: “Protect high school athletes and focus on coaches,” Dec. 7 editorial
You hit the nail on the head! Coaches should be held accountable, and punitive measures should be taken when evidence of cheating is proven. This is a step in protecting the have-nots from the elitist, those above the law.
Kent Morgan, Big Timber, Mont.
Mansion feature tone-deaf to society’s troubles
Re: “Welcome to Pondbank,” Dec. 7 feature story
It’s amazing to me that there are people so narcissistic and out of touch as to write a book bragging about their tacky, multi-million dollar mansion. As if that isn’t offensive enough, imagine the chutzpah it takes to then further brag in an ego-stroking newspaper article with no news value.
It’s shameful to see an article like this in The Denver Post when the majority of Denver residents are struggling just to afford housing and basic necessities.
Let the one percenters stroke their ego somewhere else and focus on the news, please.
Jeremiah LaRocco, Boulder
Choosing the right path
Last night I had the strangest dream. I was at a roundabout and there were four different exits I could choose. I woke up this morning and thought, maybe I’m losing my mind. Then it hit me: I have four different ways that I can handle the current state of affairs in our country.
1. I could choose not to read the news or listen to news channels, bury my head in the sand and not see the horrors going on in our country.
2. I could accept that even if I chose to read and listen to the news, I could try and block out the hardships and hatred happening.
3. I could open my mind and heart and hope that change would be coming soon, just wait for things to get better.
4. I could reach a helping hand to those in need, help to provide food, reach out to organizations working to help with housing and utilities. Be a helping hand and fight back against hatred and prejudice. Be a voice for everyday, hardworking Americans.
Most Americans are descendants of immigrants. Why do so many turn their back on what is happening?
Too many people do not have a home, a place to call their own, food, health care, and someone speaking out for them. We are much better than this. Let’s work together.
Nita Schissell, Loveland
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