Kent State reminder was much appreciated
Re: the May 4 letter “Remembering Kent State, 50 years later.”
I appreciated Christopher Roe’s recent letter, reminding us that it’s been 50 years since the National Guardsmen shot students at Kent State University in Ohio. Appreciative because this newspaper and most other media chose to ignore this anniversary.
Like Christopher, I remember Kent State, too, but differently. I remember the (innocent, apolitical) students falling in their own blood on the sidewalk; Army tanks surrounding the campus on the following days preventing access to or from campus by anyone; self-appointed armed vigilante citizens patrolling the roofs of two-story buildings downtown, threatening to shoot more students on sight; and the governor and state police claiming victory because they had “quelled the uprising.”
I think the nine students injured and the four who died would have willingly accepted the jeering and cursing Christopher experienced in exchange for the treatment they received. And the country deserved to be reminded about one of the greatest tragedies in modern American history.
Stephanie Cady
SaddleBrooke
Lives of the living deserve protection, too
I don’t get it. On one hand, the far right believes in the sanctity of life and vehemently opposes abortion. On the other hand, they are demanding accelerating the opening of our country even though doing that will throw tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of innocent people — including care givers, front-liners, the elderly, and ones with existing conditions — under the bus. Is the sanctity of their lives important too?
I don’t get it.
Terry Plaza
North side
‘Hoax’ is not the issue; it’s Trump’s leadership
With all due respect to a letter writer from Marana, he has completely missed the point. It’s not about what Donald Trump says, or doesn’t say, it’s about what he does.
In 2018, Trump obliterated the pandemic response chain of command, the White House pandemic management infrastructure and the U.S. government’s $30 million Complex Crises Fund.
So, do you want to know why the U.S. death rate is 95,000 and climbing? It’s because Trump stripped us of our disease prevention defenses and left us naked against the COVID-19 pandemic.
So forget about “hoax” or no “hoax.” The big picture is, we have no visionary leadership.
James Torrey
West side
These aren’t good days
for our republic
They have come and gone in this country. There was Father Coughlin, Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, Joe McCarthy and George Wallace. All had many, many followers. The old version was book burnings.
Now it’s the so-called “fake news” tirades, alternative facts and destroying public education. Same race baiting and scapegoating. Nighttime raids and round-ups of suspects. Eugenics-based public health policies against the aged, infirm and poor.
Daily purges of suspected government officials. Promotion of relatives into inner circles. Party-owned national television franchise. Voting only when and how prescribed. Daily dangerous and ill-informed speeches, with outright lies, and literally prescribing poisons.
Looks like it will be 50/50 if the Republic lasts out the year, let alone a significant portion of the population.
John Corbett
Foothills
McSally’s opinion is full of hot air
Sen. Martha McSally in her opinion piece in the Arizona Daily Star says, “Together, we will prevail over COVID-19.” Like most everything written these days by reporters and editors and politicians: lots of words, nothing of substance. Just generalities and cliches.
I want to point out her comment, though: “Studies show that had they (referring to the Chinese government) taken action three weeks earlier, 95% of the cases could have been avoided.” She does not cite what studies she is basing her conclusions on nor where this exact figure of 95% comes from.
From what I’ve read and heard, the same could be said of the president, just substitute the word “they” with the words “the president.” Why does she point a finger at the Chinese but not see the same culpability in the president?
Regardless, what we need is testing and contact tracing. Why isn’t she and all the politicians and reporters investigating why there is such a lack of testing available?
Pat Madea
Northwest side
Kudos to the women making masks
Let it be known women will always answer the call for the needs of others.
Women left their homes during WWII to work in factories while men went to protect us.
Today, women stayed home and made masks for those in need. Nobody sent out a call, they just knew it was the right thing to do. As of today, according to the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, 284,210 masks have been made across the nation and donated where there was a need.
The Tucson chapter of DAR has made over 770 of those masks and they are being provided to the hospitals and other in need. These ladies are continuing to service their community and the United States just like their patriots did so many years ago.
We are proud to be of service and proud to be Americans.
Jocelyn K. Clark, 2nd vice regentc Tucson chapter, NSDAR
Northeast side
Dems can do better than Biden
The Democratic Party has Joe Biden as their candidate for president. Since Biden reveres Barack Obama, would Biden as president continue the practices of Obama? First, would he go around the world and apologize for the U.S.? Would he have the IRS audit only Republicans?
Would he target the Tea Party members? And then on his own would he allow his son, Hunter, to travel with him to countries where Hunter could pressure (recruit) investors into his own pocket? Would Biden allow his brother to gain huge construction contracts?
I believe, and hope, that the Democratic Party could find a more patriotic, loyal and honest individual to represent the party rather than Joe Biden (and family).
Walt Johnson
Foothills
Return to normal will not be quick
With the reopening of the economy, many people are expecting a return to “normal.” It’s not going to happen. First, the borrowed stimulus money will have to be repaid.
There are only two ways to do this: cutbacks in government programs and/or increased taxes. Republicans are going to fight tax increases and Democrats are going to fight cutbacks, but they both will have to come to some kind agreement, and whatever they agree on will adversely affect all of us for years to come.
Second, many jobs are not coming back. Restaurants and small businesses (and some large businesses) are going into bankruptcy, never to return, due to new dining and shopping protocols. Expect unemployment to remain high for quite a while.
Whichever party wins the election in November will have a lot of work to do to get us out of this mess. So far, neither party seems to have a viable plan.
Jeffrey Bryant
Oro Valley
Dudes, please stop spitting
I know that some people are not convinced that masks, gloves, distancing and other precautions are necessary in the battle against COVID-19, but can we maybe agree that saliva shared in public (aka spitting) is a danger we can forego? Twice in the last week I’ve seen young men hawk up loogies and share them with their neighbors. It has always been gross, but now it’s dangerous. Please just stop spitting!
Melinda Sims
Northwest side
A strike against candidate Mark Kelly
In 2013, Mark Kelly had just returned from Colorado, where he testified about the need for universal background checks when purchasing firearms. Soon after his return to Tucson, he went to the Diamondback Shooting Sports store, intending to buy firearms, in particular a semiautomatic 1911 .45 pistol and an AR-15.
The store denied his purchases because he did not have an Arizona government-issued identification as required by state law. He left the store and returned a few days later having obtained an Arizona ID. He purchased the pistol, filling out the required ATF 4473 paperwork and undergoing a background check.
He ordered the AR as it was not in stock. Meanwhile, Kelly posted on Facebook that he intended to give away the AR after purchasing it as he was just trying to show how easy it was to obtain one. The store owner learned of the post and declined the sale to Kelly.
This was a bizarre incident that I believe calls into question Kelly’s judgment.
David Burford
Northwest side
Senators, don’t
bail out the states
The National Governors Association has demanded the federal government bail out their state budgets without regard to their reason for their fiscal situation — i.e., the extra costs of COVID-19 or historical fiscal mismanagement. Providing funds for COVID-19 costs are legitimate, but bailing out state economic negligence is indefensible.
We ask our Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally, along with the entire Arizona legislative team, to oppose any bailout of states not limited to costs associated with COVID-19.
Governors have the responsibility to manage their states responsibly and effectively.
Jack Tirrell
Foothills
Millions of lives saved? Really? Millions?
I was walking on the river walk the other day and overheard another walker passing me saying that because of Donald Trump’s travel ban on China, millions of lives were saved. I went online and found that no studies indicate travel bans helped stop the spread of the virus once it had infected the country.
The ban went into effect almost two weeks after the U.S. got it’s first case. This person believes millions of lives were saved when it is the U.S. with over 1.5 million total cases as of this letter.
It never ceases to amaze me that this president, who has told thousands of documented lies, can still make his gullible base believe this kind of nonsense.
Arthur Rogers
Northwest side
Border wall money
is needed elsewhere
We are spending billions on securing our southern Border. Could that be as important as solving our infrastructure problems? Ask the people of Midland, Michigan. Would you rather have our border wall built or your dams and bridges rebuilt?
Perhaps there’s a better place to spend that money with thousands of workers on furlough.
The southern Border may need to be built stronger, but do we need to spend $500 billion on painting it so it becomes too hot to climb? Let’s stop, take a breath and reassess our priorities. Let’s help our citizens in dire straights now and start some federally funded infrastructure projects.
If the wall is needed, get back to it when the economy is strong.
Leslie Carney
East side
Country now completely belongs to Caesar
If this anarchist is reelected, the new country, Trump America, will open January 21, 2021. All entries to the U.S. will have that sign proudly proclaiming the new country. The new flag will be red, with MAGA in gold boldly stated across the front.
In three years and four months, this megalomaniac with a Goldfinger complex has completely destroyed our 244-year-old democratic, constitutional system of checks and balances and separation of powers. All three branches of government now belong to Trump.
Though many Republicans disagree with him, they all still drink the Kool-Aid. If his sycophants go to the Supreme Court, all they have to do is ask and it is his.
We no longer hear of the lies he tells because “no one would believe the numbers,” as he is apt to say.
He has placed neophytes and strict adherents to his despicable agenda — end the United States of America — in charge of major positions.
Sheldon Metz
Northeast side
