gdp's Comments

Daily Camera.com: : Transgender Fountain 1st grader banned from girls bathroom, discrimination claim filed - Boulder Dai

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 23:39:52 +0000

Raising issues of puberty is no excuse for not helping this child now, for a number of reasons, but seriously, let's talk about this shower issue. How popular are showers at schools anyway these days? Especially showers in the women's locker room. I don't think I heard of anyone using them at any of the schools that any of my friends went to. And if it happens to be required in the future at a school this child goes to, the necessary actions to protect this child can be taken at that time...and let's be clear about this..the focus must be on not harming the child in question...not on sacrificing this one child so that the single world view of the parents of the other children need not be disturbed...'everyone else' does not need to be protected, as none of this will harm them in any way. Instead, what we can do is EXPECT of our children that they be capable of sufficient growth and empathy and compassion to not damage someone else simply because that other person is different, and therefore vulnerable. We can expect this and we can hold them to this standard if we, as parents, truly value this. So do we?? Will we?? And as for the criticisms of the parents making this such a public case. Yes, they are taking a risk in that they are exposing their whole family to possible rebuke and judgment and harassment from the country. HOWEVER, I applaud them for it. They are taking the rights and well being of their child seriously. They are standing up for something that is terribly important to one who is dear to them despite the risks rather than cowing to the pressure of the status quo. How many on this forum could say they have done the same? Also, I think that it is incredibly valuable for other parents of transgender children to be able to see that they are not alone in dealing with this and trying to protect and help their children. It is very valuable to the community at large as well, because every time a family does this, it raises the profile of this issue, and with enough people and enough time, will result in improved lives for transgendered people. Look at it from another way, what if the parents of gay children did not stand up for them? Or only did so after they had attempted/committed suicide? What about if the parents of black children had not stood up for civil rights? What about anyone not standing up for children of ANY minority? If the people close to others who are in a small minority group do not stand up, change will never happen. What we as a society should be doing is helping them to shoulder that risk by also supporting them, and in doing so by reducing the risk, rather than by standing back, pretending we are not actually involved or complicit in this, and more or less taking bets as to whether or not they have just thrown themselves to the wolves.

Daily Camera.com: : Transgender Fountain 1st grader banned from girls bathroom, discrimination claim filed - Boulder Dai

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 23:39:39 +0000

I also think many people on here are using the idea that it will make kids 'uncomfortable' or that it will be difficult for them as a scapegoat. What you are really saying is that YOU are made uncomfortable by the idea of that something you can't even remotely fathom the feelings of is so real for someone else. Don't do a disservice to children by assuming they share your feelings of discomfort, or by assuming they are incapable of handing such a situation well. The children who interact with this child probably see, at some level and without being able to articulate it, that this child is a girl, are not remotely concerned with genitalia in the way adults seem to be, and unless it is highlighted to them that this is an unusual situation, most of them will probably simply accept it without thought. If this is the case, then it would be very detrimental for all involved to require this child to use the boys' restroom, or to prevent her from using the girls' bathroom, as it will FORCE the kids to try and pin down what it is that is different about this one child...it will force them to be discriminating when they had not been required to do so before. It may also be the case that if the children see this child as a girl, that forcing her to use anything other than the girls' bathroom could lead to both girls and boys chastising her for a breach of gender roles (i..e girls shouldn't use the boys' restroom).

Daily Camera.com: : Transgender Fountain 1st grader banned from girls bathroom, discrimination claim filed - Boulder Dai

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 23:39:22 +0000

To those of you who are saying that you don't get it, it confirms that you're not transgendered, and as such, you will never really truly be able to 'get it'. You shouldn't strive to 'get it,' but to accept that the world is not as simple for everyone in this regard as it has been for you, and that for people who are transgendered these are very real, very serious, and often very clear feelings. It's not dissimilar from a non-white person telling a white person that they don't know - and couldn't possibly know - what it's like to anything other than white in a predominantly white city. Or from a gay person saying that they just 'knew' they were gay...or a straight person saying they just knew they were straight and couldn't explain it. You can only ever truly understand what it's like to be whatever you are, and unless someone is forcing you to be otherwise, it will be very natural to be whatever you are. 'Getting it' should not be a precondition for you accepting something or supporting people who are different than you, especially when it costs you nothing to do so.

Daily Camera.com: : Letters to the Editor - March 14 - Boulder Daily Camera

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 01:59:53 +0000

That small margin you reference is enough to generate billions in profit - billions - PER QUARTER and across multiple companies. It might be tough going for an independent station, but it is big business (scratch that - enormous business), and somewhere, even if it's not here, people are being ripped off, exploited, and probably manipulated to facilitate those profits. And that is probably a more important thing to be concerned with than the price at our pumps.

Daily Camera.com: : Boulder High students call \'Fowl\' and start their own newspaper - Boulder Daily Camera

Wed, 9 Mar 2011 21:02:03 +0000

If they are covering things that have been disallowed in the OWL because of a perception on the administration's part that those things cause disruption, then distributing the new paper can also be classified as disruptive. I think generally principals have the discretion to make that decision in the first instance.

Daily Camera.com: : Congressional budget proposal would cut U.S. 36 funding - Boulder Daily Camera

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 18:44:50 +0000

Exactly - and since this new Congress is so serious about battling the deficit and making tough cuts, I'd also like to see them, as a gesture of good will towards the American people, pass a resolution forbidding the inclusion or financing of pork-barrel legislation for the next 10 years. I know that percentage-wise pork-barrel legislation is a small part of the problem, but if it wasn't allowed, it would force our politicians to focus on the problems at hand, instead of on dealings they can make on the side.

Daily Camera.com: : Pregnant Fort Lupton woman given abortion drug, waits on fate of fetus - Boulder Daily Camera

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:40:14 +0000

Your reply doesn't make sense. There are a variety of things that people can do after having successfully studied for a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, but the entire and sole point of the Pharmacy at a Safeway (and by extension the sole point of any jobs at a Pharmacy at a Safeway) is to fill prescriptions accurately and to ensure that doing so is safe for the patient in question (through all the mechanisms I mentioned above). The research happens elsewhere (which is what I'm guessing you're referring to with the "we'd all be dead a lot quicker" remark.

Daily Camera.com: : Letters to the Editor - Feb. 9 - Boulder Daily Camera

Wed, 9 Feb 2011 23:55:51 +0000

It's a surprise to me that there is any controversy here at all regarding Molly's case, what given that so many DC readers and commentators apparently know so very much internal information about this case as to be able to assign guilt without a doubt, regardless of the process followed. Why, you all must have been eye witnesses or something! Even more impressively, it seems some of you were not only eye witnesses, but also may be expert psychologists who also knew the entire history of this family. What convenient luck for the courts! Maybe you all should step forwards and ask a court to consider the evidence you have backing up your convictions. That would certainly make life simpler for everyone involved. It's a wonder the courts didn't consult you all the first time around, especially since it's so obvious to you all that you have 100% of the information necessary to make a legal verdict, and that this verdict is so very clear cut. After all, it's not like petty things like due process, and insignificant details like evidence really matter... and it's not as if people are ever wrongly convicted and wrongly imprisoned...Not, at least, when there are so many armchair experts around to pass judgment! ... ... ...

Daily Camera.com: : Pregnant Fort Lupton woman given abortion drug, waits on fate of fetus - Boulder Daily Camera

Wed, 9 Feb 2011 23:39:10 +0000

This isn't just a casual mistake. Pharmacists go through a lot of training exactly to prevent this kind of thing. In many states they are legally required to verify someone's ID, check that against what is on the pill bottle, to discuss the medicine they have put in that bottle (name, purpose, interactions, side effects), double check it doesn't conflict with anything else the patient is taking, and then have the person picking up the prescription sign to indicate that they have gotten the prescription,m verified their identity, and have been counseled on the medicine they are receiving. In some states this is for EVERY medicine that requires a prescription. For something as serious as terminating a pregnancy, I'm guessing this was probably required even if not for other medicines in CO. Yes, one should always pay attention, but that in no way removes the blame or responsibility from Safeway. Their staff seriously dropped the ball, may have killed someone (wait and see if the pregnancy continues), have traumatized the mother and father and possibly some of their family, and probably have broken some state and federal laws to boot. You talk about personal responsibility - that's what Safeway and their employees need to do right now as they are to blame. Their ONE job is to get the correct medicine, in the correct dose to the correct person. There is no excuse for not doing it.

Daily Camera.com: : Sloppy processing, sick Americans - Boulder Daily Camera

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 22:45:31 +0000

I think it's fair to say that many of the states could do a lot more on food regulation. However, I think of this more in terms of the chemical contaminants that don't have an immediate impact but do build up in ones system - like pesticide residues - rather than in terms of salmonella and ecoli outbreaks. The EPA doesn't check things unless it crosses state lines to be sold...and even then only a paltry amount of any interstate product gets checked to ensure that the maximum safe levels for various chemicals and contaminants haven't been exceeded. In some states, intrastate products functionally don't get checked at all. It's doubtful to me that this de facto honors system produces the same kind of quality results as a well run regulatory system would, and it is likely that with some regularity there is food being sold intrastate in some states that would not, if inspected, pass muster on the chemical residues. To me, that's a basic function that needs to be fulfilled across the country before we start to talk about diminishing marginality. This is separate from food poisoning though, and I would guess that a good number of the annual cases come from poor food preparation in home or restaurant settings, rather than from manufacturers.

Daily Camera.com: : CU-Boulder bike thefts spike; police suspect crime ring - Boulder Daily Camera

Wed, 8 Dec 2010 23:10:33 +0000

I don't think it really matters if bike stores in town carry them or not. They are far from being the only options out there for purchasing cycling accessories like this. People can easily get them online if the stores in town won't special order them, and they work well from what I've experienced. If more people start buying them, maybe the bike stores in town will start to carry them. If not, who cares? It's a simple, relatively cheap solution that will help protect a bike from components being stolen. If that interests someone, they can get it.

Daily Camera.com: : Boulder council recommends pay raises for top two employees - Boulder Daily Camera

Wed, 8 Dec 2010 22:28:02 +0000

I agree. I have a real problem with raises being given to people who are already making so much money, regardless of whether they are in business or the public sector. If you're in business, either invest that money back in whatever it is your company does (the product you sell or the service you provide) or higher more staff or make a charity donation - anything but give it back to people who already extremely well off. If you're in public sector employment, and your job DOES NOT generate a profit (and generally the best you can do is hope to avoid a deficit), then there shouldn't be any raises above a certain level, and in a place like Boulder I would set that level much lower than $180,000. I don't care that she is the manager of a big organization and is doing that competently - great - that's her job, she should be doing it competently. If she weren't, then she should be fired. I'm sure there are a lot of places within the city of Boulder that the $7000 from one and the $4000 from the other could make a significant impact in some part of our society that really needs it.

Daily Camera.com: : CU-Boulder bike thefts spike; police suspect crime ring - Boulder Daily Camera

Wed, 8 Dec 2010 22:11:25 +0000

much like people can get locking wheel nuts for their car, people can buy an equivalent for their quick release components that still gives them access to the quick release features - assuming they have the key. For people who have to leave their bikes in public places frequently, it's something to consider. If a university student can't hang onto a set of keys - and doesn't make or keep any of the back up keys - that's their problem.

Daily Camera.com: : Letters to the Editor - Dec. 8 - Boulder Daily Camera

Wed, 8 Dec 2010 22:03:53 +0000

They might not be able to smell it, but couldn't you train them to make a noise if they felt something strapped to someone's upper thigh?? I mean isn't that what these new procedures are supposed to detect?

Daily Camera.com: : Letters to the Editor - Dec. 8 - Boulder Daily Camera

Wed, 8 Dec 2010 22:00:15 +0000

This is from the UK - this woman stabbed an MP she had no personal relationship before twice in the stomach while smiling. She claims she was inspired by a radical al-Qaeda cleric, and if the newspaper article is correct, she was planning more attacks against individuals she didn't know personally. She had a back up knife in her bag, in case she needed it. It's not exactly the evidence you are looking for, but still... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8105...

Daily Camera.com: : Letters to the Editor - Dec. 6 - Boulder Daily Camera

Mon, 6 Dec 2010 23:50:20 +0000

Mr. Machalek, I have a suggestion - normal metal detectors followed by a normal pat down followed by a once over by a highly trained dog. If you hate or are allergic to dogs, you get an extended but respectful pat down whose procedures, steps, and boundaries are readily available to you before you fly. Your suggestion assumes that people a) want the pat downs to be a sexual experience and b) that someone's visual appearance is enough to create that.

Daily Camera.com: : Letters to the Editor - Dec. 6 - Boulder Daily Camera

Mon, 6 Dec 2010 23:46:28 +0000

Mr. Skelton, I am utterly appalled by your suggestion that the government "lease" out national parks and reserves to developers. Not only will that do NOTHING to fix the problems of this country, but it will also create a great many more while destroying national and world treasures in the process. Myrtle Beach has enough golf courses for the entire country, in my opinion.

Daily Camera.com: : Letters to the Editor - Dec. 3 - Boulder Daily Camera

Fri, 3 Dec 2010 20:25:59 +0000

It's true - a quick look through ancient history will reveal the story of the Sacred Band of Thebes (and entirely gay army that was, until Alexander the Great came along, extremely successful. Also, the whole point of the military is that they take people in, break them down, and build them up again in a way that no other institution in this country can. The military can make sexuality a non issue overnight if it so choses.

Daily Camera.com: : Let\'s talk about sex abuse - Boulder Daily Camera

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:27:06 +0000

I never said that it was appropriate to select the highest mean of all samples and to present that as the center of the distributions. And that's not what this article did either. They picked one and didn't give the source or an account of all the different studies and means that have been calculated. All I said was that this number, chosen from whatever study they decided to use, was not unreasonably high. Also, it is not wrong to say that any number within a correctly calculated confidence interval is equally likely to be the true mean as is the number that sits at the center of that interval. With a correctly calculated confidence interval, say a 95% CI, there is a 95% chance that the true mean is captured within the span of the interval, and a 5% chance that it's not. With just the CI calculation, you cannot say that the number that sits at the center of that interval is any more likely to be the true mean than any other number in that range. If you want to narrow the range, you need to collect more data.

Daily Camera.com: : Let\'s talk about sex abuse - Boulder Daily Camera

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:21:01 +0000

I'm not sure what you're referring to when you say that the rape of school boys by female teachers isn't considered sexual abuse - it absolutely is and those teachers who do this and are brought to court and found guilty are forced to register as sex offenders. Even if 33% of the perps are women, that still leaves the vast majority as being men. If your number is correct, which I'm personally dubious about as I have seen no evidence to validate either the 96% figure are men or your number, it doesn't really change the overall message of the article, though it would be an important discussion point for them to raise to parents (that certain numbers mean one thing, but that there are other important considerations to make when interpreting that numbers and when understanding other numbers). As for the statement that it's misleading to say most victims are female...I'm not sure whether that's true or not in actuality...it is for adult rape and assault... but if you looked through the list of statistics on the link I provided (which was just meant as a quick reference to other people reading this dialogue, btw), it does show that many studies indicate a significantly higher percentage of boys than 16%. Again, that 16% number probably isn't wrong within the definitions of a certain calculation in a certain study, but there are other numbers that may be worth including as well (ie it is estimated that 16% of boys have experienced X, where as higher percentages (insert #) have experienced a wider category of sexual abuse). It really sounds as if you're a) extremely passionate and involved in this (not at all a bad thing, quite the opposite) but b) that you're looking for the DC to be producing a critical examination of the issues here, when the purpose of the article was purely to advertise the existence of the event. Given this, why not go to the meeting, see what is said, and then raise your questions directly to the source so that you can ensure at least one round of parents has all the facts and the caveats to those facts presented to them in a sufficiently complete, clear, balanced, and referenced approach?? I'm sure it would add to the meeting and the parents who attend would be grateful for this type of question and debate, as many of them probably won't be able to raise it on their own unless they've come across the material before (that is assuming you can raise these issues without sounding like you are attacking the women presenting the information).