Letters to the Editor, October 31

Published October 31, 2006 at midnight

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Bipartisan group urges judge's retention

We are a bipartisan group of election-law attorneys who write to express our strong support for the retention of Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Jose D.L. Marquez.

We specialize in the practice of election law, and we know well the judicial system and the judges within it. Some of us typically represent Republican-oriented causes and candidates, while others of us often represent Democratic-oriented causes and candidates. Thus, we rarely see eye-to-eye on most matters. We do, however, agree on two very important things: First, Marquez deserves to be retained and, second, forcing a judge to campaign for retention in the 11th hour before an election is unfair to the voters and the system of judicial retention ("A single judge, not a pattern," Oct. 2).

Marquez is up for a retention vote on Nov. 7, and the Colorado Commission on Judicial Performance has recommended that voters retain him. This recommendation was based on an objective, anonymous survey of all Colorado judges and of the attorneys who have appeared before Marquez. Ninety-nine percent of all judges recommended that Marquez be retained, and 95 percent of the attorneys who appeared before the judge recommended that he be retained.

These excellent reviews of Marquez are consistent with our high esteem for the judge. He is unfailingly fair-minded, hard-working and thoughtful. For the good of the Colorado justice system, we enthusiastically urge the voters to retain Marquez on the Court of Appeals.

David Fine, Richard Kaufman, Mark Grueskin, Trey Rogers, Richard Westfall and John Zakhem

Comparing apples and Orange Brawls

At times I think On Point columnist Vincent Carroll forgets that the forest is made up of individual trees, given that he exists within that framework. To suggest any commonality between the public reaction to the thugs at the University of Miami and the slap on the wrist that Lynne Stewart received ("28 months and 5 yards," Oct. 19) is to forget the old saying (paraphrased here) "Lord grant me the courage to change things I can, the serenity to accept those things I cannot and the wisdom to know the difference."

Public reaction and indignation might effect some change at the University of Miami in that much of their funding originates in the public sector.

Direct contributions from alumni are always a consideration when these types of things are dealt with and university officials know it. In addition, the state legislature can hurt them financially if the public sentiment is strong enough. The aforementioned officials must and will respond to such pressure.

Left-wing activist lawyers and judges are a completely different matter.

They are a fact of life much like cancer and heart disease. To think that the public can in any way affect their thought processes is wishful thinking at best. They operate in a vacuum far removed from the real world. Only when a terrorist attacks their family or friends directly will they wake up and smell the coffee. Until then they play a game of "patting each other on the back" while the rest of us pay the price.

Gary R. Reed

Denver

Appalling that crime gets Beauprez's OK

I am writing in reference to the Oct. 21 front-page headline in the News, "Beauprez: Leaker 'did the right thing.' "

As a citizen and criminal defense attorney, I am appalled that any candidate for governor or any other office, especially a U.S. congressman, would approve criminal activity.

There can be no excuse for violating the strict federal laws on the use of confidential data from the NCIC database. Whenever I was given a copy of an NCIC criminal record to use in the defense of a client, I was told that I must use it only for that purpose, must return it or destroy it after the case was over, all under the penalty of law.

The information in the NCIC belongs to the people and must not be converted to a private use, except in accordance with law.

It is not up to an ICE agent or a congressman to decide which laws to obey or not. They both took an oath to uphold the law. A governor takes an oath as well!

Can we afford to have a governor who believes that it is OK to violate the law in violation of a solemn oath?

Charles H. Nadler

Denver

Give whistleblower on Ritter a medal

I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat - I am an independent.

People have lost sight, as have the newspapers, of what started this slam campaign against Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez.

An average citizen saw the dismal record Bill Ritter had in dealing with illegal aliens and felt the need to expose his record. When an American citizen knows something about a politician, he should step forward, especially when that politician is operating under all the hush-hush rules politicians have passed precisely to stop the American public from knowing what they are doing behind closed doors.

I think we should pay attention to the core problem - Bill Ritter's faulty judgment - and give the whistleblower a medal for calling it to our attention.

Linda Thomason

Denver

Letter writer should submit his own work

I thought letter David Cook's histrionic rant published on Oct. 28 sounded familiar ("Liberal takeover seen if many don't vote").

It took me all of about five seconds to do an Internet search and find more than 200 identical letters spread around the Web. Either Cook gets around quite a bit, or he is guilty of plagiarism.

While it's entirely likely that the person who originally wrote the letter would be flattered by the imitation, that does not diminish the fact that Cook willfully appropriated someone else's words and claimed them as his own. If he feels strongly enough about an issue to submit a letter for publication, he should be expected to put forth the minimal time and effort required to write it himself.

Such moral outrage rings hollow coming from someone with so little integrity and character that he would sign his name to another person's work.

Lisa Higgins

Broomfield

Endorsing opposites

In its Oct. 18 editorial, "Our choices in five House seats," the News stated that it supported Democratic Rep. Mark Udall and Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo for the House.

Americans for Democratic Action, a liberal organization, posts the voting records for every congressman in the country. According to the ADA, Udall voted in a agreement with them 90 percent of the time, while Tancredo voted in agreement with them 5 percent of the time.

The News' logic for supporting opposites has me confused. What is it the News wants accomplished - a stalemate?

Will Volskis

Aurora

GOP protection racket

I don't like the "fear and smear" tactic that the Republicans are using. We have President Bush screaming, "The terrorists are coming!" And back here we have Rep. Tom Tancredo yelling, "The Mexicans are coming!" and Rep. Marilyn Musgrave spewing out, "The gays are coming!" Then they leave the smears and lies to such despicable organs as the Trailhead Group.

But then, what else have they got - their record? Well I for one am not buying it. It is just the neo-con version of the old protection racket.

Tom Hart

Centennial

Liberals still don't get it

Liberals, in a slapdash attempt to discredit the Bush administration, are demanding habeas corpus for terrorist suspects in our own courts of law. Congress has already acted and the law is a fait accompli.

In time of war, military tribunals have been in practice for decades. Yet, liberals still don't get it. Or worse, they don't care.

Brian Stuckey

Denver

U.N. bombast sure the heck beats bombs

The proposal to evict the United Nations (letter to the editor, Oct. 16) would be a perfect example of throwing out the baby with the bath water. Granted, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez are obnoxious fools who say things that are offensive and insulting. But just how is that the fault of the U.N.? Like it or not, they are democratically elected leaders who have the same right to address the General Assembly as George Bush.

Far from being "noxious" or threatening our existence, the U.N. is essential to U.S. interests, as even President Bush and Secretary of State Rice acknowledge. One need only look at the vital work being done right now in Lebanon, Sudan and North Korea, among other places.

Please keep in mind that the U.N. has no army, and the only power it has is that delegated to it by its member states. So don't expect instant miracles, because diplomacy and negotiation by their very nature take time. But in the final analysis, objectionable though the spoken word can be, bombast beats the heck out of bombs.

James J. Amato

Advocacy chair, Pikes Peak Chapter, United Nations Association of the USA

Woodland Park

Architect's exit lauded

I read with glee about the removal of Steven Holl from the design of the new justice center ("Jail project loses an architect," Oct. 5). Finally, a Denver architect will design a Denver building.

Regardless of circumstances, this has been too long in coming. Especially after seeing the disastrous library (why does it have an inoperable heliport?). I wish the best to Brian Klipp and hope Denver will stop blackballing local architects.

Federico Peña said "Imagine a Great City" and then he and those who have followed have not allowed local architects to bid on new designs. Holl may be a great architect, but it doesn't have anything to do with him being from out of town. Kudos to whoever botched this deal and gave this opportunity to a local business.

Rick Jackson

Denver

New vote in Iraq

I would like to see a new election held in Iraq soon. This time, I would like to see the people of Iraq vote on whether they wish the U.S. occupation to continue or to bring it to an end.

If the Bush administration wants democracy in Iraq, then shouldn't the people there get to decide whether U.S. troops should stay or go? Let's bring authentic self-determination to the people of Iraq.

Joél Lachance

Highlands Ranch

Disturbing largess

Am I the only one who is disturbed by the seven-figure political contributions from Pat Stryker and Tim Gill?

Are they trying to buy the election? What type of access and influence do these huge contributions buy?

Gary Altman

Colorado Springs

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