Trump’s patriotism shone while the media criticized him
Re: “Fourth of July speech filled with grievances and combativeness,” July 5 news story
I watched President Donald Trump’s Fourth of July events at both Mount Rushmore and the White House, and was elated to hear him talk about the history of the USA. If this wasn’t a great country, we would not have to protect our borders, because nobody would want to come here.
I’m always dismayed by the media coverage of everything that Trump does. The reports from the Associated Press and The New York Times are consistently negative, no matter what. Some media outlets criticized him for shutting down travel to the United States in late January, calling him xenophobic and a racist. The next month when it appeared that he acted correctly, many accused him of not acting quickly enough.
My question to Joe Biden regarding his criticism of Trump for mishandling the coronavirus is, “What would you have done differently?” The American people deserve a response before November’s election.
Donna Jorgenson Farrell, Broomfield
Spare the Civil War Monument in Colorado to save history
Re: “One story behind the Civil War Monument,” July 5 letter to the editor
I read Linda R. Hindley’s letter to the editor and was sad again at the loss of this monument that her great-grandfather designed to honor the Civil War veterans. This monument was to honor these veterans and the sacrifices they made to serve our country in the Civil War.
The clipping under the picture mentions that “many of those same soldiers fought Native Americans” while this may be a fact that some did, not all of the Colorado Civil War soldiers did and that is not what this monument was about. It had nothing to do with events after the Civil War. It is a monument that the artist, John Dare Howland, used his artistic talent to represent the soldiers who fought from Colorado in the Civil War being one of those soldiers himself.
Not only have we lost this history but an important piece of art that should have remained in front of the Capitol building.
Unfortunately, in their haste to tear down monuments, people are destroying the monuments without thinking about what they are really for — this one was to honor our Civil War veterans (it was not designed for any other purpose, such as about the Native Americans).
I think it’s important to remember the past and keep monuments like this one that honor our Civil War veterans, especially those who fought for the Union. If this continues, our children and grandchildren will not be able to learn from and remember our country’s history because the monuments will be gone.
Linda Murri, Parker
Colorado’s ugly history must come to light
Ignorance is it bliss or curse?
A simple definition of ignorance is the lack of knowledge, information or education.
My ignorance about certain parts of American history is due to the public education system during my school days that did not provide me with the knowledge of and information about these events.
I had no idea that many cities, counties, mountains, and streets in Colorado, as well as in other states, were named after famous men of notorious behavior, John Evans and Kit (Christopher) Carson to name just two. In 1864, as governor of the Colorado territory, John Evans decorated Col. John Chivington and his men for the Sand Creek Massacre of unarmed Arapaho and Cheyenne men, women, and children. In the years 1863 to 1864, Army Scout Kit Carson campaigned with the American military against Navajo people.
If ignorance of something is bliss, knowledge of it is much better. At least then there’s the chance to correct it. Hiding facts and glossing over the truth may work for a time, but eventually the disguise falls off, the paint job fades, and all that is left is unmitigated shame.
If we really are all created equally, maybe we should all share equally in how we name the signs and sights of our American landscape. We’re a melting pot — let’s show it.
Denise F. Ludwig, Colorado Springs
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