God’s gifts
After reading the article titled, “We’re anti-anti-abortion” (In Case You Missed It, Oct. 6), I felt compelled to respond to such a misinformed article.
Consider, if you will, the fact of the gorgeous existence we are privileged to live in — the wonderful changing seasons, the beautiful colors, our mountains, seas, sun, and too many other outstanding attributes of our earth that we enjoy.
Then consider, if you will, our Creator, who gave all of this to us — we didn’t put in any effort, didn’t pay a dime, and daily we can enjoy this awesome creation surrounding us.
Then consider, if you will, the most fantastic creation of all that was freely given us — the only and absolute best of all other gifts — and that is we were created in His image and likeness. Life was given to us — again, freely and generously. We didn’t have to toil or draw out volumes of plans to create this image — again, it was a gift.
Now consider again — after all these wonderful gifts to us, that in our ignorance — not stupidity, just ignorance — due to not knowing or recognizing the truth, we set about destroying His gifts. What an affront! But most of all, the worst would be to destroy His most precious creation — life!
We firmly believe if you research your mind, heart and scripture you, too, will comprehend the gravity of destroying His creation — especially human life. Perhaps that’s what the crosses on South Boulder Road are hoping to do— remind us of the truth. Best to you.
J.D. Simonson/Lafayette
Right-wingers hate women
I like most women I meet. I really do. Aside from the obligatory battling with my older sisters and not understanding why the girls never got caned in boarding school, I hold no real resentment toward them either.
And when I do disagree with women, it still doesn’t mean I hate them. Why do these conservative Republicans?
I understand that Mississippi is now in the process of implementing the strictest abortion law in the nation, which as we all well know will ultimately end up with mostly but not exclusively minority dead women in back alleys and all of the other horrors associated with illegal abortion. Will these people ever learn? The Republican party really is becoming the party of death for women in this one respect, no doubt.
Grant D. Cyrus/Boulder
Animal massacres
I was deeply saddened by the need-less massacre of 47 animals abandoned in Zanesville, Ohio.
Yet, these precious lives represent only a fraction of the 300 cows, pigs and other innocent sentient animals butchered for our dinner table every second of every minute of every hour of every day. That’s 10 billion animals per year.
Unlike those in Zanesville, animals raised for food have no life before death. From birth, they are caged and crowded, deprived and drugged, manhandled and mutilated.
Undercover investigations have shown male baby chicks suffocated in plastic garbage bags or ground to death. The females are crammed for life in tiny wire-mesh cages that tear out their feathers. Pregnant sows are caged for years, unable to turn around.
At the slaughterhouse, animals may be dismembered, skinned, scalded and drowned while fully conscious. Nearly 10 percent die of injuries and diseases.
For folks who share my sadness at the Zanesville massacre, a vegan diet offers the only effective path to a guilt-free conscience. There’s no extra charge for the associated health and environmental benefits. Visiting LiveVegan.org, or typing “vegan recipes” into a search engine is a great start.
Rudolph Helman/Boulder
Thanks for hospice
During the month of November, the medical profession recognizes National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, and Gov. John Hickenlooper recently proclaimed November 2011 as Hospice Month in Colorado.
Colorado Hospice, serving Boulder and the surrounding areas, would like to take this opportunity to salute the very special people who work in this field. Hospice provides a unique blend of clinical, social and spiritual support services for patients and their families. This care adds quality and dignity to the lives of patients facing end-of-life illnesses. The support provided to families allows them to focus on spending quality time with their loved one rather than on care-giving details during this difficult time. Hospice is also there to support the family after their loss.
On behalf of Colorado Hospice, we would like to say thank you to hospice caregivers for the important work that they do each and every day.
Stephen Collins, Colorado Hospice/ Westminster
Avoid listeria, go vegan
Authorities are blaming the listeria outbreak — which has affected at least 26 states, sickened at least 130 individuals, and caused at least 28 deaths — on infected cantaloupes, so many people don’t realize that meat consumption is the root cause of the problem.
Melons and other plant-based foods do not naturally harbor listeria, salmonella, or E. coli bacteria. These pathogens live in the intestinal tracts and feces of warm-blooded animals. When manure is used to fertilize crops or leaks into waterways, fruits and vegetables can become contaminated. (Cross-contamination can also occur when produce is placed on the same surface as meat or when someone doesn’t practice proper hygiene.)
In light of the outbreak — and concerns about contaminated lettuce in Alaska and California — the Food and Drug Administration has promised to continue conducting checks and notifying grocery stores about product recalls.
While these are important steps, there is a much better solution: Advise people to adopt a vegan diet. When more people switch to a vegan diet, fewer animals will be bred for food, lessening the threat of food-borne illnesses. For more information, visit www.PETA.org.
Heather Moore/Norfolk, Va.
Taxing jobs
Protesters gather to bring down the “greedy capitalist “ but ignore that the “corrupt politicians” manipulate “the system.” The fact is you can’t have a job unless you have an employer. And employers can’t employ people if government spending, borrowing and regulating takes profits and investment capital from them and increases their costs. Every year the federal government takes $4 trillion dollars out of the private economy. While government spending increases at 8 percent a year, our economy is growing at 1 percent. Yet the U.S. Senate is unwilling to cut this annual increase and rejects balanced budgets passed by the House of Representatives. Senators would rather cut benefits than bureaucracy. And they want to make these cuts as painful as possible to provoke street protests and cause job losses that justify new spending and more borrowing. The root of the problem is in the centralization of power in the federal government and the solution is “subsidiarity,” the return of power to the states, localities and the people. We do not need 80,000 new regulations every year, and most functions of government can be managed at the local level. Protesters in the streets and politicians in Congress are not going to create one productive, permanent, private sec- tor job! Pray that our senators have the wisdom and fortitude to reorganize government and repay the debt. If they fail, the next time we “remember the poor when we vote,” we’ll be considering our own impoverished situation.
Michael McCarthy/Hayward, Calif.
