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Despite Bennet’s numerous endorsements, Weiser is the proven fighter

Re: “Election 2026: Heavyweight bout,” Nov. 16 news story

Just days after the hottest November day on record for Denver, Sunday’s Denver Post described Colorado’s two competing Democratic gubernatorial candidates as heavy hitters. While Attorney General Phil Weiser was reported to have sued the Trump administration more than 40 times, the article also briefly mentioned that Sen. Michael Bennet may experience voter “blowback” for controversial Trump nominee cabinet votes.

Significantly, an Associated Press article published Nov. 8 in The Denver Post described condemnation of the U.N. Climate Summit by Colorado’s former CEO of Liberty Energy (a fracking services company), U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a Trump nominee for whom Bennet broke ranks to support in January.

The AP article reported that Wright, a scientist, defied “global scientific consensus and concern by governments worldwide on climate change,” calling it a “hoax” just as the U.N. climate summit was convening to promote urgent global action to prevent irreversible harm.

Bennet’s yes vote for Wright, despite knowledge that Wright had no government experience, and November reports that he had downplayed the importance of renewables, was bullish on nuclear and “was skeptical about the need to address climate change” (Axios) did not show understanding of Colorado’s destructive impacts from extreme weather events largely the result of carbon emissions — wildfires, drought, floods, interstate and international climate refugees, and increasing homeowner insurance rates.

The Trump administration has steadily attacked Colorado from government job cuts to undermining our economy by slashing federal investment and creating fear and division. Governor candidates’ actions speak louder than words.

Julie Zahniser, Boulder

I am still scratching my head. Why did Sen. Michael Bennet jump into the race? Two more years to go in the Senate, and Bennet has decided that he wants another job. Huh? We elected you for 6 years. It would have been a non-issue if we had not had an amazing candidate for governor. But Attorney General Phil Weiser is (without question) the most qualified person to be governor. And then Bennet decides to do this after Phil announced.

And then Reps. Jason Crow, Joe Neguse, and Brittany Pettersen jump to endorse — perhaps hoping for a Senate nod. Why? He has received half a million dollars from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. And frankly, Bennet does not have the executive experience (maybe being Hickenlooper’s chief of staff while mayor). I am tired of Washington picking our candidates – Bennet needs to stay in the Senate. We need a fighter. We need Phil Weiser.

Scott Simmons, Windsor

Yes, Trump did condemn the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists

Re: “Blurring fact and fiction,” Nov. 16 commentary

This commentary with odd reasoning effectively calls President Donald Trump a racist and white supremacist, with references to his administration as Nazis and the president to Hitler and Mussolini. This amounts to adding to the continuation of leftist progressives’ name-calling because they can’t otherwise counter common-sense positions of the current administration, and is irresponsible because it could lead to impressionable and otherwise uninformed and mentally off persons to try to become a hero by assassinating the evil authoritarian.

The author’s entire barrage of commentary is plainly untruthful, as shown in reference to the August 2017 incident in which protestors were in favor of or against the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia, that turned violent. Author Angie Chuang claimed it wasn’t clear what Trump meant when he said, “I think there is blame on both sides. You had some very bad people in that group. You also had some very fine people on both sides.”

What he conveyed in his comments was that there were bad people (violent) on both sides and there were fine people (peaceful) on both sides who were either for or against removing the historical statue and renaming the park it was in. He said clearly regarding “fine” people, “I’m not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally.” Because the author didn’t point this out, the editorial should be totally discounted.

Steve Lloyd, Cheyenne

Declaring war at the Air Force Academy

Re: “The U.S. Air Force Academy is on the brink of failure,” Nov. 16 commentary

Former visiting professor Thomas Bewley presented a well-documented analysis of the collapse of academics at the Air Force Academy and a thoughtful plan to reverse this trend. His efforts will be for nought.

Secretary for War Pete Hegseth, acting at the direction of Donald Trump, has little, if any, interest in the creation of a thoughtful and ethical officer corps. Their notion of a proper U.S. military is one that will immediately carry out the orders of the Commander-in-Chief – whether those orders are legal or not.

Despite the fact that U.S. actions contravene international law, the administration delights in presenting videos that show the killing of civilians in boats off the coast of South America. To my knowledge, no member of the U.S. military has refused to carry out these orders.

The ethos of the Trump administration is to develop a U.S. military that will unthinkingly “kill on command.” Academic excellence plays no part in this. Mindless obedience to orders does.

Guy Wroble, Denver

I read with sadness the article concerning the Air Force Academy’s problem with departing educators. The author missed one point: This was caused by the current administration and the Department of Defense Secretary. These non-patriotic persons care not a bit about education for recruits in the academy, only teaching their version of truths that they find relevant to their cult.

Independent educators and freedom of opinion is the only way to mold our future leaders and defenders of our precious country. This was created by President Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth and needs to be redone as the programs were meant to be.

Stephen Luxenberg, Coral Springs, Fla.

How can we turn backs on our Afghan allies?

Re: “Protect our allied Afghans from Trump,” Nov. 16 commentary

Krista Kafer has joined David Brooks as my two favorite Republicans! Great, compassionate, and spot-on column about protecting humanitarian immigrant visas. How a country like ours can turn its back on people who have put their lives at risk for us is indeed unconscionable. Thank you, Ms. Kafer!

Dan Eberhart, Denver

After reading Krista Kafer’s column regarding deportations, I am gaining more respect for her.

Yes, we should protect our allied Afghans from Trump, but she goes further, saying how she wonders how a large and wealthy country can turn its back on people fleeing death and imprisonment, and calling it unconscionable.

We are a nation of immigrants and former President Ronald Reagan gave an impassioned speech that accepting immigrants separated us from the majority of the other countries in the world. They helped make our economy the envy of the world.

Krista, congratulations on an insightful column.

Dave Shaw, Highlands Ranch

I want to congratulate Krista Kafer’s opinion regarding the treatment of the Afghan refugees as a whole and Mohammad Ali Dadfar in particular.
Thank you for highlighting the efforts of Reps. Jason Crow and Joe Neguse to help him. I then searched for information on the other Colorado House members and their comments or actions. Rep. Diana DeGette has been vocal on her support of Afghan refugees as has Rep. Brittany Pettersen.

On the GOP side, I could only find one reference to Afghan refugees attributed to Reps. Jeff Hurd, Gabe Evans, or Lauren Boebert. That was Rep. Lauren Boebert being one of the 16 Republicans who voted no on the Jason Crow bipartisan bill to make it easier for Afghans who supported U.S. Military actions to get Visas. The Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs Act (ALLIES) Act. The bill passed 407-16. The silence of both Reps. Hurd and Evans is not surprising, nor is the enmity of Rep. Bobert to the plight of legal immigrants. They are merely following the Trump narrative of hate and cruelty.

Jim McKeeman, Aurora

I appreciate your story regarding the detention of one legal immigrant, Mohammad Ali Dadfar, who, with his family, was brought to the U.S. (by the U.S. government) to avoid persecution by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Now he is being persecuted by the Trump administration for the simple crime of being an outsider in this country that has traditionally prided itself on welcoming immigrants from all lands. The Trump regime is applying “guilty until proven innocent” thinking to legal immigrants who are, unfortunately, swept up by raids in locales where many immigrants reside. The Statue of Liberty should be blindfolded and placed in a museum of antiquities. Thank you for speaking out!

Kathy McCartney, Lakewood

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