Editor:

Colorado is a state that has seen its share of regrettable history, but one legacy we can be very proud of is that of Ralph Carr, who sacrificed his own career in defense of American citizens who were targeted because of their Japanese ancestry.

Our state senators are considering the Ralph Carr Freedom Defense Act. This bill states that, in the state of Colorado, we will not cooperate in helping the federal government target our fellow Coloradans as being more likely to be criminals, based on their religion, their ethnicity, their race, or their country of origin. Our American history has many incidences of different groups being marginalized. The Irish, Poles, Italians, Blacks, Latinos, Catholics, Mormons, Chinese and Japanese are among those whose presence in America was met with suspicion and bigotry. But America has grown up a lot. We have begun to realize that those people ARE America. The Ralph Carr Act is a statement by the state of Colorado that each of us is assumed to be a good citizen until we prove otherwise.

A. Lynn BuschhoffDenver, Colo.