‘Voices & Thoughts’ Archives
The state of Cain in the modern world
21 February 2012 Dear Editor: It is not just wishful thinking that states can live without the death penalty. Generally, states that do not have capital punishment have lower homicide rates than states that have capital punishment. People of New Testament times need to consider what Jesus did when asked about the legality of divorce. Jesus was aware of His present time and of what the law stated, but He referenced a time before the law was ever given to reveal what God's ... Full Story
Conservatism and Obama is no Socialist
Conservatives weren't always pro-capitalist by Ted Frier One tradition that's been almost entirely forgotten now that Republicans have remade themselves into the wholly-owned subsidiary of Wall Street and other corporate interests is that older species of conservatism which was always hostile to capitalism because it celebrated greed and destroyed the stability of the community. It is impossible to overstate how much of their own legacy and how many of their own scruples modern ... Full Story
How Violence Protects the State
By Stephanie Van Hook On April 4, 1967, exactly one year before Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered, he spoke passionately in a sermon at Riverside Church in New York about the war in Vietnam. In this gripping speech about the hypocrisy of bringing democracy through napalm and the audacity of fostering a brotherhood through war and killing, he made a daring confession: “I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken ... Full Story
Lobbyists are picking our pockets!
Dear Editor, As the deadline nears for health insurance companies to return nearly $1.4 billion to consumers for wasting our money, the lobbyists have moved in to stop it. Two bills have surfaced in Congress to undermine our rebates, putting most of the money we deserve right back into insurance company pockets! We’re not going to let the lobbyists have their way. We need you, and anyone you know who’s concerned about ... Full Story
Pakman on the “State of the Union”
President Obama’s State of the Union address was one of the best in recent history, not judging by the number of applauses and ovations, but by the content. Sometimes it’s the lack of applause from parts of the audience that are most telling. The President mentioned the lack of troops in Iraq for the first time in years, and referred to a system where “everyone plays by the same rules,” a clear reference to corporate misbehavior, income inequality, and other issues in the spotlight due ... Full Story
Candidates needed for Berthoud BOT
To The Editor If anyone living within the Town of Berthoud limits is interested in representing our community by serving on the Town Board, you only have until February 13 to pick up and circulate a petition. The last day to turn the completed petition in is Friday, March 2. Call or email our (wonderful) Town Clerk, Mary Cowdin as follows: Mary K. Cowdin E-mail: mcowdin@berthoud.org (970) 532-2643 No one among the current Board has declared his/her intentions to run. ... Full Story
Obituary: Dennis Eugene Speicher
Dennis Eugene Speicher, 71, of Gill, Colorado was born October 16, 1940 in Holyoke, Colorado to Gordon Leroy and Rosie Opal (Owens) Speicher. He died January 20, 2012 at Aspen House in Loveland. Dennis was a life long farmer who had a deep love of the land. He farmed in the Berthoud-Loveland area for over 45 years. In 2002, he retired from farming due to health issues, and he and his wife moved to Gill to enjoy their retirement. He had a long love for horses, which led him to enjoy many ... Full Story
Alzheimer’s
Dear Editor, How can it be that a year has passed since Mom died? After a two-decades long descent into dementia, dependence, and debilitation, Dorothy is free from Alzheimer’s, but her survivors are not. Alzheimer’s continues to devastate us, infecting our every memory of this beautiful, beloved person. As if this long, slow goodbye were not awful enough, the disease’s after effects are nth degree atrocious. When Mom died on Jan. 26, 2011, part of me was grateful ... Full Story
“Defense Act is unconstitutional”
by Brian J. Trautman Each year, Congress authorizes the budget of the Department of Defense through a National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA of 2012, however, is unlike any previous ones. This year’s legislation contains highly controversialprovisions that empower the Armed Forces to engage in civilian law enforcement and to selectively suspend due process and habeas corpus, as well as other rights guaranteed by the 5th and 6th ... Full Story
Americans Are Less Nationalistic than Flag-Waving
By Lawrence S. Wittner Are American politicians out of sync with the public when it comes to foreign policy? There is considerable reason to believe so. Throughout the scramble for the GOP presidential nomination, the major candidates have certainly been rabidly nationalistic. In a major foreign policy address on October 7, 2011, Mitt Romney proclaimed that “the twenty-first century can and must be an American Century.” Championing a vast military buildup, he argued that, to ... Full Story
