Letters

How the West Was Won
Alan Prendergast's story on the Center for the New West ("Winging It," April 11) was a priceless piece of work. Good reporting, better writing. I laughed so hard while reading it that the only way I could calm down was to look at my US West phone bill.

S. Stein
Denver

I am writing in response to the story on Phil Burgess and the Center for the New West. The City of Littleton has had a pilot project with the center since 1989 to test the concept of economic gardening (growing your own jobs at home). Obviously, with significant financial support for the center from US West, there will be a tendency to look for evidence that the interests of the company are being promoted. However, over the past seven years, during hundred of hours that I have personally spent with Phil and his staff in meetings, luncheons, workshops and seminars, I cannot recall a single instance in which he appeared to be a US West spokesperson. The focus was always on what constitutes effective public policy.

There is no disputing that Phil can be provocative and ruffle feathers. I'm sure that some of the people interviewed by Alan Prendergast had unhappy stories to tell, and it's certainly fair game to critique his unorthodox style. Nevertheless, I will be surprised if any of the stories included even a hint of unethical behavior.

James C. Woods
Deputy City Manager, Littleton

Flight for Life
Regarding the April 11 Off Limits:
The situation of Paul Grant, a justifiably outraged and frustrated citizen, makes me want to bury food and join the Freemen. For over a year I've witnessed terrorized citizens try to use the democratic theory of due process and discussion to correct a premeditated attack on state laws, federal laws, environmental protection and the public's well-being. The response has been lies, closed doors, and toupeed officials equipped with their very own police--the FBI--thumbing their noses. Obviously, the laws protecting Colorado citizens and wilderness areas are less viable than capitalistic progress.

Every time someone complains about a flyover, there are legal grounds for a nuisance or trespass case against DIA. Complaints numbering tens of thousands have been logged since February 28, 1995; why haven't DIA or FAA officials been on trial?

In Colorado, the noise limit for nuisance is 55 DB. I've logged 10,000 flyovers near the Indian Peaks wilderness all exceeding this threshold--that's 10,000 trials. Once again, the FBI is arresting the wrong people, but it's hard to arrest those who own you. If Paul Grant is not set free, the brown shirts and hobnail boots can again be worn with pride. The April 1 changes were another hoax. I've logged 400 illegal flyovers near Brainard Lake Recreation Area since the April Fool's prank by DIA.

Everyone in Denver must help maintain these nearby wild areas. Think of that sweltering weekend, when you're sick of brown air, noise and concrete. You load up the cooler and the tent and you head west to the highest, coolest, quietest place. All of a sudden, you're experiencing very loud, very low jets screaming overhead every three to nine minutes for hours all day, and real bone-shakers all night. Now that's enjoyment. Don't forget the ear protectors.

The FAA is proud it has never changed flight paths for an environmental cause; safety is its main concern. The fact that the FAA would allow a child to fly a paper airplane over the Rockies in the spring monsoon season dispels that truth, too. Act now or forever hold your...ears.

M.A. Burger
Ward

Editor's note: Paul Grant's jury trial in Denver County Court, originally scheduled for April 16, has been continued until July.

Mean Streets
When I first read the anonymous letter in the April 4 issue about Steve Jackson's March 14 story, "Life...and Death...on the Run," I thought it was so ridiculously hateful as to be a fake. I'm still not sure. The reason I have doubts at all it is because there are plenty of people who really do think this way, which is to say they can't stand kids, even (or especially) their own.

Of all the myriad reasons why I'm ashamed of my (baby boomer) generation, none surpasses my peers' hypocrisy on what may loosely be called "children's issues." For one thing, it's appalling that we continue to have so many, for we, more than any previous generation, should be aware of the perils to the rest of the planet due to human population expansion. But on a more immediate level, so many fortysomethings, creators of a virtual cult of youth in their day, seem utterly clueless when it comes to the confusions and rebellions of their own children. As much as we demanded respect, too many of us show only disrespect to teenagers; as much as we demanded (and enjoyed) our freedoms, too many respond with curfews and "just say no" campaigns when our kids want to test their wings. Other adults are so self-absorbed as to ignore their children altogether, seeming to resent their presence as if they don't know how they got there in the first place. I'm afraid I know a lot more people my age who are eagerly repeating the mistakes of their parents rather than remembering and trying to do it better.