District 51 will miss the Newtons

District 51 has lost two excellent educators with the departure of the Newtons.

Not only is Mark Newton the kind of teacher we all hope our children encounter during their time in school, but his wife, Pam Newton, is also a standout.

Pam Newton was our granddaughter’s third- and fourth-grade teacher at Tope Elementary and I’m sure one of the best teachers she will know.

It is the quality of the Newtons’ teaching abilities that helps make Grand Junction High School and Tope outstanding schools. I selfishly lament their leaving but wish them many more successes.

VICKI MADDOX
Grand Junction

Race is definitely an issue in Grand Junction

Regarding Alex Taylor’s May 18 column, “Now Obama has played his cards, issue of race is on the table”:

Why is race a non-issue in Grand Junction and it is in Atlanta? Mr. Taylor has been here less than a year, I believe, and already he’s an expert on race issues in the Grand Valley. Well, realize it or not, race is an issue anywhere.

When Mr. Taylor mentioned the diversity training he went through, the moderator led a discussion on the topic of race and dismissed what he and other Caucasians said. If Mr. Taylor got upset with that one session, thank what African-Americans go through all their life.

Mr. Taylor said that the moderator asked him if he was racist, he responded, “No, but I hate you.” How many Caucasians on the Western Slope would respond likewise and have that hatred in their heart. 1 John 4:20 says, “If a man says, I love God, and hateth his brother he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen?”

HARRY BUTLER
Grand Junction

Chuck Norris ignores political reality

Chuck Norris’ enthusiasm for the freedom of religion is greater than his understanding of the First Amendment that protects it. He offers one of many possible interpretations of the language that forbids Congress from making laws respecting an establishment of religion or preventing the free exercise of various religious beliefs. The Supreme Court has struggled to define how the intent of the First Amendment should be implemented, and Jefferson’s approach of separating Church and State is one way to assure the integrity of each.
By pretending that the First Amendment has one clear meaning, Norris ignores political reality. The amendment’s ambiguity was probably important to its adoption, since there was no consensus among the Founding Fathers about the role of religion in the public life of our nation.

The relevant Supreme Court decisions allow public officials to offer ceremonial prayers in legislative settings, as long as no particular religious doctrine is endorsed. I doubt that any of our devout elected officials would say that their participation in invocations is purely ceremonial. Even if our City Council and County Commission could conform their prayers to the requirements of the law without disrespecting their own religious beliefs, they would still endanger the perception of fairness upon which the legitimacy of their actions depends.Many of those attending the Council’s and the Commissions’s meetings are there to express their views on matters under consideration and to urge a particular course of action. Several writers to The Daily Sentinel have suggested that those who don’t wish to participate in the prayer before meetings should just remain seated or leave until it is over. However, having to leave a public place to avoid getting entangled in a prayer absolutely marginalizes those who want to exercise their right to be heard on an equal footing with other citizens, and may expose them to bias.

If I wanted a decision in my favor from a public body, I might well hesitate to start by possibly offending the decision makers. Further, having to publicly demonstrate their lack of belief is inconsistent with the fact that under the First Amendment, a person’s faith or lack of it is none of the government’s business.

IRENE MAY
Grand Junction

This entry was posted on Friday, May 30th, 2008 at 5:17 am and is filed under Printed letters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.