The weekly newsletter of The Denver Post’s opinion pages.
The past week’s news included debate over the nation’s immigration laws (including a memorable — and vulgar — utterance by President Trump), the beginning of Colorado’s legislative session, and the ongoing reaction to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision to crack down on states where marijuana is legal. Here are highlights:
Perspective
First, a summary of what was in our Sunday Perspective section this week:
U.S. hypocrisy on Iran protests: Ned Price, who served in the Obama administration as a special assistant to the president, wrote: The Iranian protests have helped dispel a myth that President Donald Trump entirely ignores human rights in the pursuit of a realist, America-first agenda. His true approach is even more harmful to U.S. credibility.
Trump’s border wall obsession: Washington Post columnist Paul Waldman explained how Democrats can exploit President Donald Trump’s obsession with his border wall.
Good and bad in GOP tax bill: Former Denver Post editorial page editor Vincent Carroll wrote that the recently passed Republican tax bill is a deeply flawed measure — and a missed opportunity in crucial ways — that nevertheless includes a number of long-overdue reforms.
No more free news: Current Denver Post editorial page editor Chuck Plunkett reported that as the bulk of The Denver Post newsroom leaves the city for economic reasons, we’re rolling out a new digital subscription model that promises to help keep us on the beat.
Lesson in deputy’s death: Following the death of Dougco deputy Zachari Parrish, who was shot by a mentally ill man on New Year’s Eve, The Post’s editorial board wrote: The time has come for Colorado and this nation to find a way to keep guns, especially assault rifles, out of the hands of the mentally ill and criminally inclined.
Letters to the editor: On the letters page, Denver Post readers tackled a number of issues. Here are several of their letters:
Edward Abbey’s classic still relevant: John Buckley, a Washington novelist, wrote that Edward Abbey’s “Desert Solitaire,” which was published 50 years ago, remains more relevant today than ever.
Gardner schools Sessions on 10th Amendment: Denver Post columnist Mario Nicolais wrote: In placing himself between Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Colorado’s marijuana industry, Sen. Cory Gardner cloaked himself in the cloth of the 10th Amendment.
Sessions is following the law: Ken Buck, a Republican congressman from Weld County, wrote that if his fellow lawmakers object to Jeff Sessions’ decision on the Cole memo, then they should amend the nation’s marijuana laws, rather than condemn the attorney general.
Make sure your vote counts in 2020: Denver Post columnist Diane Carman warned that while Colorado appears to have a relatively secure voting system, this is no time to relax — serious questions have arisen about the fairness of elections in the U.S.
Stop speculating about Trump’s mental health: Syndicated columnist Michael Smerconish wrote: I’ve not been shy in my criticism of Donald Trump’s candidacy or his first year as president; however, I draw the line at the public debate over his mental competence.
The freedom to fill ‘er up: The Washington Post’s George F. Will wrote that on Jan. 1, by the grace of God, a sliver of a right was granted to some Oregonians: Henceforth they can pump gas into their cars and trucks, all by themselves.
Drawn to the News: Here are the editorial cartoons we featured on the back page of Sunday’s Perspective section, on the topic of speculation over an Oprah Winfrey presidential run:
The past week
Here are highlights from last week’s opinion coverage:
Denver Post editorials:
Trump’s vulgar comments on immigration: President Trump’s remarks questioning why the U.S. should accept immigrants from Haiti and some African nations suggest his mind is too cluttered with racial animus for anything of value to ever filter through.
A message to Colorado’s legislators: With the kickoff of the 2018 Colorado General Assembly, we urge the 100 legislators from across the state working under the Gold Dome to focus on government’s core duties and exercise fiscal responsibility.
Protesters wrong to go to Gardner’s house: On New Year’s Eve, political protesters overplayed their hand by harassing U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner and his family at their home in Yuma. Protests should be kept to the public sphere.
Op-ed columns:
How to truly honor MLK: Former Education Secretary John B. King Jr. wrote: To truly honor Martin Luther King’s legacy, it is important for us not only to celebrate the progress that the civil rights movement made possible but also to grapple with the full truth of our nation’s history.
The threat of eminent domain: Denver Post editorial writer and columnist Megan Schrader wrote about a long-vacant Kmart building at Monaco and Evans in Denver: It’s not the abandoned property that’s so disquieting — it’s the potential threat that Denver could condemn such a property under eminent domain laws.
State pot laws and federalism: Weekly Post columnist Krista Kafer suggested that marijuana could be the gateway drug to the return of federalism, if the reaction to AG Jeff Sessions’ marijuana crackdown is that more Americans question the oversized power of the federal government.
Trump’s ignorance on his own policies: Eugene Robinson of The Washington Post wrote that if you want to know President Donald Trump’s position on any given policy issue, the last person you should ask is President Trump — he has no idea what he thinks.
How did you respond to “shithole” comment? Chicago Tribune columnist Rex Huppke asked: When President Donald Trump referred to Haiti, El Salvador and some African nations as “shithole countries,” what did you say? Did you speak out or did you keep quiet?
Yes, you should be shocked by Trump: Ed Stetzer, who holds the Billy Graham Distinguished Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College, had a message for Evangelicals: Please let Donald Trump’s “tough” language on immigration shock you.
“Nuclear button” tweet was stroke of stable genius: Washington Post columnist Marc A. Thiessen wrote: Donald Trump’s tweets about North Korea are not only entirely rational but also strategically smart; let’s hope his critics keep questioning his sanity, because it can only help convince Kim Jong-un that he is serious.
Michael Wolff did Trump a favor: Christopher Buskirk, editor and publisher of the website American Greatness, argued that President Trump is emerging from the furor over Michael Wolff’s “Fire and Fury” as the winner.
Oprah Winfrey for president? Chicago Tribune columnist Heidi Stevens, who has loved Oprah Winfrey for years, wrote: In all honesty, I hope she doesn’t run for president; instead, I hope her Golden Globes speech does what her words have been doing for decades: inspire us to action.
Time to retire Social Security numbers: Christian Schneider, a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist and blogger, argued that technology has rendered Social Security numbers obsolete, and new advances may hold the key to replacing them.
New Year’s resolution not sticking? Here’s why: Angela Silveira, a physician and public health specialist, asked: Why do we fail to maintain our resolutions throughout the year? The answer: Immediate results are paramount to us, and their value is far more important than future fulfillment.
Letters to the editor:
Trump says he is mentally fit for the presidency — but is he? (3 letters)
In defense of Trump’s mental fitness and accomplishments (2 letters)
For Coloradans, transportation is about more than roads (2 letters)
Sending Salvadorans away is the opposite of what U.S. stands for (2 letters)
Were protesters out of line to go to Cory Gardner’s house? (3 letters)
Does it make sense to spend $18 billion on a border wall? (3 letters)
“The King and I” at Buell Theatre is thoroughly entertaining
It’s Boulder, not New York City — stop and say hello
Notable and quotable
“Today we celebrate Dr. King for standing up for the self-evident truth Americans hold so dear, that no matter the color of our skin, or the place of our birth we are all created equal by God.”
President Donald Trump, before signing a proclamation on Jan. 12 declaring Martin Luther King Jr. Day
The Sound Off, which is emailed to subscribers every Monday, is a roundup of what we’ve been publishing on the opinion pages over the past week. That includes Denver Post editorials, op-ed columns by Post columnists like Chuck Plunkett and Megan Schrader as well as nationally syndicated columnists like George F. Will and Catherine Rampell, plus guest commentaries, letters to the editor and editorial cartoons.
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