"Cry, Cry Again," Patricia Calhoun, January 10
I thought "Cry, Cry, Again" was interesting, informative and amusing. Deep down, it made it uncomfortably clear to me that, again, sexism in this country might prevent a very qualified woman from being president. That's a shame. We must get past this hype about the African-American candidate with lots of good credentials, too, but little experience, riding on a shoestring of promises without much concrete know-how of how to implement the much-touted "change" we all want.
Carmen A. Casis
Denver
Leave it to Westword to ignore the elephant in the living room when it involves the hypocrisy of a Democrat politician. All of a sudden Pat Schroeder is on the feminist bandwagon again? Where was she when Bill Clinton was accused of rape and had a string of sexual-harassment charges from a list of women a mile long? Democrats said it was "all about sex." Would they have said that about any other sexual-harassment case? Would they have said the victim was asking for it because of her low décolletage — or that she was lying, trying to get attention or trapping a man? How did Pat Schroeder respond when Peter Boyles asked her about this, along with Hillary's clear involvement in threatening, intimidating and shutting those women up? Pat said she doesn't care about those issues anymore. Now she's supporting Hillary Clinton. How cozy!
It makes one wonder whether it's women's issues she cares so much about or raw power. That kind of hypocrisy should really make you cry!
Karen Kataline
Denver
When I saw the coverage of Clinton's show of emotion on the campaign trail, I immediately thought of our own Pat Schroeder, and wondered whether Clinton's expression would be regarded in the way that Schroeder's had been decades earlier.
Now, of course, we know that Clinton's emotion was seen as a sign of her genuineness and humanity, and it was that very expression that many are pointing to as the source of her victory in New Hampshire.
I find it difficult to believe that anyone (Fox News aside) could be cynical or find reason to fret over the current state of gender politics, based on those facts.
Robert Fishman
Denver
It's too bad Hillary Clinton hasn't been able to shed tears about the American servicemen and thousands of Iraqi civilians who have died and been maimed in a war she voted for and still supports.
Bob Tiernan
Denver
"Reminders," Patricia Calhoun, January 3
Although I am relatively new to Denver, it has become clear to me what Sandy Widener and her family mean to this city. My heart goes out to Katy Parr.
The star Patricia Calhoun saw the night of the memorial vigil was Mars, originally the god of fertility and vegetation. Although he eventually became the god of war, Mars remained the god of spring — a time of rebirth. So it is fitting that Mars should be at its closest point to Earth in two years on the day that Sandy, John and Chase were rebirthed into their next state.
Shelley Fitch
Denver
We recall being very impressed by the conjunction of Mars with the moon two nights before Christmas. It is rare that a planet appears right next to the moon, so it's not surprising that it caught Patricia Calhoun's attention and your imagination.
Thank you, Westword, for the lovely remembrance of her friends, and friends of our community. We had goosebumps all the way through the article.
Christine Smith
Aurora
Editor's note: Thanks to the many people who have sent their thoughts and condolences, and asked for updates. Both seventeen-year-old Katy Parr and Lindy, the dog, are improving; the date of the memorial service for Sandy Widener, John Parr and Chase Parr is not yet set. The memorial site http://johnsandychase.muchloved.com has been sidelined temporarily by technical difficulties; it should be back online by the end of the month. In the meantime, tax-deductible contributions to the John Parr and Sandy Wide-ner Community Leadership Award can be made c/o The Denver Foundation, 55 Madison Street, #800, Denver, 80206.
