Letters - Friday

INAUGURAL THOUGHTS
Black president one of nation's few transformational events

There have been many truly transformational events in our history, but they are few and far between. I have had the fortune of having borne witness to two of them. The first was on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin fulfilled the vision of President John F. Kennedy by becoming the first humans to set foot on the moon. As a six year-old, I could barely comprehend the gravity of what I watched that day. Today, however, I have the cognition of adulthood to help me fathom the tremendous importance of watching Barack Obama being sworn in as the first black president of the United States.

Two images from this historic election season will stay with me for the rest of my life.

The first was the face of Rev. Jesse Jackson, sobbing joyfully as Obama gave his victory speech on Nov. 4. Here was a man, who marched from Selma to Birmingham in 1965, who was with Martin Luther King in Memphis on that dark day in 1968, watching what can only be called a vindication of the principles that were foundational to the Civil

Rights movement for which he, and so many others, struggled and sacrificed.

The second was Tuesday. I saw two gentlemen wearing military ball caps that indicated they were Tuskeegee Airmen. Two men who had volunteered to serve, and if called upon to do so, sacrifice their lives to a country that, at the time, considered blacks unfit to serve with whites in combat. I can only imagine the incalculable pride that must have surged within their hearts as they watched Barack Obama take the oath of office.

The history of America is a progressive story - that of a nation and people ever evolving, growing, and striving higher and higher. I abhor jingoism, but I must admit that when I thoughtfully consider the events of this day, as I do when I contemplate those intrepid explorers of the Apollo program, I feel a profound sense of pity for those who are not fortunate enough to be Americans. As Americans, we can all be proud, as I so deeply am, that we can think of these things and know that we did this.

Bret M. Gathercoal, Colorado Springs

NEW OPPORTUNITY
Receding economy offers chance to protect area's open space

All ships rise and fall with the tide. The receding tide of today's economy is taking down revenue for the city and county generally and also for RTA and TOPS. For TOPS, this is happening at just the time when TOPS must secure Manitou Section 16 or risk possibly losing $1 million in GOCO funds.

Permanently protecting Section 16 as park and open space land has been a top priority for more than 30 years, first for El Paso County Parks and now for TOPS.

This is not the time to raid TOPS revenue as The Gazette urges ("We must free the TOPS funds," Our View, Jan. 18).

Challenging times bring opportunity. The current economic downturn is creating unique opportunities for TOPS to enhance our future quality of life with acquisitions such as Corral Bluffs and possibly White Acres. To forego these opportunities would be nothing less than short-sighted stupidity.

Both TOPS and RTA are forward-looking, building now for the future. Raiding TOPS now to augment general fund maintenance money would be like raiding RTA to pay for sweeping the streets, when RTA money is rightly dedicated to road and bridge improvements for the future.

Don Ellis, Colorado Springs

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Government-sponsored prayer sidelines those of different faiths

The case for respecting the true spirit of religious freedom by ending publicly sanctioned prayer was eloquently and rationally made by Charles Haynes of the First Amendment Center ("Civil religion no longer fits nation of many, varied beliefs," Opinion, Jan. 19).

The activist religious right sometimes makes hysterical claims that the moral foundation of our culture is threatened without such state-sponsored displays of faith, or that eliminating official prayer "kicks God out of the public square."

They either fail to understand and sympathize with everyone's religious freedom, or don't value others' equal rights and want their own personal religious beliefs to be espoused as official state policy.

The absence of official prayer never precludes individuals from offering their own personal prayers. Many devout people of faith recognize that the separation of church and state protects their religious freedom, as well as others'. Numerous Christian principles themselves argue against pressing religious observances onto others, not least of which is Jesus' admonition to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

We should no more start a City Council meeting with a statement that God does not exist than begin with a sectarian religious prayer. Either is dismissive of a cross-section of our citizenry. Let's not wait for a court decision to end state sponsored public prayer; let's do it out of the goodness of our hearts.

Barb Ferrill Van Hoy, Executive director Citizens Project Colorado Springs

JUST DESERTS
Republican incompetence cost party in recent elections

Barack Obama has been inaugurated as our first black president. I wanted that honor to go to Alan Keyes, but those geniuses in the Republican Party dropped the ball and thus chose to forfeit that honor. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted us to judge people not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I voted for Keyes and against Obama on that basis.

As he is our elected president, we should support President Obama, but I can only support him as far as my ethics and worldview allow. If Obama chooses to endorse and support things such as partial birth abortion, I cannot support him.

I do support his desire to postpone the government-mandated conversion from analog to digital and am disappointed my fellow Republicans would support such an obvious state intrusion into things that are better decided by the marketplace.

The GOP has lost touch with the principles of the party of Lincoln and Reagan and can blame themselves for their recent failures.

Steve Stuart, Colorado Springs

INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY
Government paternalism saps desire to make own decisions

I want to thank The Gazette for the nice discussion of individual responsibility in Monday's paper ("People responsible for safety," Our View). Too many adult Americans expect the government to treat them as if they were still children and the government was their parents.

It's only a small step from the government telling you want kind of houses you can build to telling you what food you can eat or what books you can read.

When citizens start asking the government do their thinking for them, it makes them easy prey for demagogues and dictators. That's why this kind of government paternalism is so dangerous.

Paul Hsieh, Sedalia

LESSONS LEARNED
Grad served well by values taught at Air Force Academy

Integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do." Those are the core values of the U.S. Air Force. Those are the common standards of conduct for Chesley Sullenberger, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and former Air Force pilot.

Clearly, the training Sullenberger obtained from the Air Force has served him well and the passengers who entrust their safety to him have benefited not only from his training, but from the core values the U.S. Air Force instilled in him.

Now, its high time that our president, our Congress, our state elected officials, and government and business leaders across the board step up, learn, emulate, and practice those core values.

Sullenberger is a shining star standing astride a horrible black hole of political, business, and financial corruption and self-interest.

Susan Ray, Colorado Springs