Danish’s modest proposal
(Re: “A modest proposal for the budget impasse,” Danish Plan, June 14.) Again Paul Danish is clinging to his Soldier of Fortune roots, aka the promulgation of the military-industrial complex and the ever-increasing privatization of war, in his omission of our promotion and expenditures of foreign conflict and occupation as part of our current economic woes. Interesting how many corporations are riding on the coattails of predator drones and dead soldiers into once sovereign nations. Kudos, though, for wanting the end of the Bush tax cuts, but why no mention of trade policy and American companies taking investments offshore?
Nation building, after all, begins at home.
Robert Porath/Boulder
The Colorado Trail
(Re: “Our public path,” Elevation, July 14.) Great article about The Colorado Trail and Foundation. Thanks for writing and publishing it in your Boulder Weekly. Want to know more? Don’t hesitate to connect with us in our one-room windowless office in downtown Golden.
Bill Manning, Colorado Trail Foundation/Golden
Power to the people
I have attended many of the recent meetings concerning plans for the City of Boulder to create a new municipal power entity. I have been very impressed with the level of expertise
available to advise and create this new municipal power entity. I am convinced that going municipal will benefit residents and businesses within Boulder by offering cleaner energy at competitive rates. It makes sense for the city to run it by and for our local residents rather than for profit and to benefit shareholders. The city has already shown its ability to run major utilities by successfully running municipal water and sewer service.
In contrast, I was at the City Council meeting and saw Xcel’s presentation of a rather vague proposal to set up a wind power facility elsewhere with power to be sent to Boulder customers. Boulder has many highly educated people who could benefit from the local jobs that creating a local municipal power authority would create. Local businesses could benefit by city-sponsored programs that might advise them on possible energy savings. Homeowners might contribute and benefit by feed-in tariffs for the energy they contribute to the grid via their rooftop solar panels.
Switching to municipal power appears to be a win-win situation for everyone in our community. I find it exciting. City Council and the citizens groups who have researched and promoted this plan should be commended for their hard work in planning this new and better option to benefit Boulder residents and businesses.
Donna Bonetti/Boulder
The lessons of Harry Potter
(Re: “Harry Potter explores life’s big questions,” Perspectives, July 7.) Ari Armstrong’s column concerning the themes in the Harry Potter book series was excellent. They inspire readers to be brave and not afraid, to fight against evil and for what is right and good and to not blindly follow our leaders without question.
When parents have the opportunity to discuss these themes with their children, it would be a good opportunity to bring Joseph Campbell’s many worthwhile books about mythology and the heroic quest into the discussion. It is critically important to identify with heroes as part of our growth process.
Ronald Brown/Longmont
I thoroughly enjoyed Ari Armstrong’s piece about the Harry Potter films and the lessons they have to teach us and our kids. We are quick as a society to disregard popular culture as serving the lowest common denominator. But there’s more to Harry Potter books than just entertainment.
Robert Gordon/Fort Collins
Rethinking circumcision
I would like to respond to Pamela White’s article “To cut or not to cut?” (Uncensored, June 23) and to Craig Zalk’s letter in response (“Circumcision revisited,” letters, July 7).
First, I wish to thank Pamela for the courage to cover the subject accurately and honestly. If we believe in creation — by evolution or God makes no difference — then we must accept that men have foreskins for a reason. Removing them for cultural reasons may seem innocuous, but it denies the wisdom of creation and places doctors and culture above the creator.
However, in this day and age, we do not like to admit we are wrong or have harmed others, or are incomplete ourselves, so honesty about such a sensitive matter is rare and a breath of fresh air.
In Mr. Zalk’s response, he should get his facts straight. In a recent study of 5,552 Danish men and women the very question of how circumcision may affect both the male and female experience was examined. Sadly, the study shows that male circumcision has negative impact on both men and women.
Circumcised men reported more frequent orgasm difficulties than intact men. Cut guys also had more partners over their life, perhaps looking for lost sensation. Premature ejaculation was also examined, and no difference was found between the two groups of men, so all those circumcisions in men’s sex clinics were for naught.
Mr. Zalk should also get the facts on women’s experience. This study confirmed the finding of a previous study published in the book Sex As Nature Intended It. Women with circumcised partners had greater frequency of unfulfilled sexual needs and sexual function difficulty. As with the previous study, orgasm difficulties and dyspareunia (pain during sex) were the most frequent complaint by partners of circumcised men and were statistically significant.
These findings should surprise no one since men and women evolved together and the two organs have been designed over thousands of years to work together most efficiently. When doctors change the function of men, they impact women, too. So thank you, Pamela, for reminding us what our mother’s used to say: “If everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you jump too?” Scot Anderson/via Internet
When Craig Zalk responded to the article “To cut or not to cut,” he repeated some common misconceptions about circumcision and the foreskin. Upon hearing that the foreskin is, indeed, erogenous tissue, some men who were circumcised at birth exclaim, “But I’m already too sensitive!” What they don’t consider is that intact (uncircumcised) men don’t feel that way. Most intact adult men in America choose to stay intact, and in Europe and other developed areas where infant circumcision is rare, adult circumcision is almost unheard of. In other words, when given the choice most men would choose to keep their foreskins. What does that say about our country’s habit of removing a man’s foreskin before he can object?
Craig Garrett/Colorado Springs
End corporate personhood
The conceit that corporations are persons is a deceit. It is also the law.
In a narrow 5-4 decision that is having broad and not fully determined consequences, the Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission that corporations and unions have the same rights as individuals with regard to free speech.
The Supreme Court based its majority opinion on the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech. In doing so, they used the assumptions that corporations are persons and that money is free speech.
Money talks, but we don’t have to listen. Citizen United has resulted in a flood of corporate and union spending on candidate elections. Do not let their megaphones drown the voices of the citizens of our community, our state or our nation.
The Boulder City Council is considering the placement of a referendum on the November ballot that calls for amending the U.S. Constitution to abolish “corporate personhood.” Please support this referendum. Let your voice be heard.
Kristen Marshall/Boulder
Protect the poor
I’m very concerned that Congress could change what it means to be an American. In the name of deficit reduction, Congress and the president are negotiating a plan that would massively cut programs that help millions of low-income and working Americans make ends meet, while defending billions in tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.
When did protecting the rich become our top priority?
Study after study has shown that anti-poverty programs stimulate the economy while reducing crime, while tax cuts for the rich have the opposite effect. In fact, a new study shows that people enrolled in Medicaid are healthier, happier and better able to afford health care, which means lower health care costs for our society to share. Head Start has been shown to improve the lives of at-risk children, who become healthier, more educated and more productive adults.
Despite these successes, these and other critical programs face billions in cuts. Are tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires really more important than the health and development of our children?
We need a balanced approach to deficit reduction. I urge Sens. Udall and Bennet and Rep. Diane DeGette to only support a deficit reduction plan that includes new revenue from those best able to afford it, while also protecting low-income Americans from falling deeper into poverty. Thank you.
Ross Kelman/Denver
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