Editor:
Are publicly announced or privately held beliefs against people who are different from us part of the heart and soul of Cortez? I am afraid they might be.
Discrimination, whether verbal or acted upon, crops up with great regularity in our community: Native Americans in general, ones under the influence of alcohol in particular, people of different sexual persuasions, people of different religious beliefs, profiling, damaging gossip.
But there is hope! Organizations like the Bridge, Grace's Kitchen, Hope's Kitchen, RENEW and others open their doors to people in need regardless of their race, religion, educational level and all the other "isms."
These programs are representative of what is good in Cortez - love, respect and compassion for all its citizens. May these attitudes become the true heart and soul of Cortez.
Suzanne Listemann
Cortez