Trump for life
Does any sane person think that if Donald Trump had managed a coup in 2020, that he wouldn’t find a way to a third term or president-for-life?
Craig Miller
Northwest side
Warning to all Americans
I think the Texas Republican platform for 2022 is an evil example of the far right. These people’s idea of “freedom of religion” is that they should have the “right” to force their beliefs on the rest of us. The 5,000 candidates voted:
1. Joe Biden is “acting president” because he wasn’t legally elected. Comment: Biden was legitimately elected. Mail-in voting is the safest way to vote. Why are they believing Trump’s lies?
2. Homosexuality is “an abnormal lifestyle choice” made by adults. Comment: People in the LBGTQ community are born that way.
3. No abortions whatsoever. Comment: These people do not understand why women seek abortions.
4. No gun control at all. Comment: Misinterpretation of the Second Amendment.
5. Texas has the right to secede from the union. Comment: The last time they did this it didn’t work out good for them.
6. All official documents must adhere to “biological gender” assigned at birth. Comment: Why?
Flora Frederick
Midtown
Immigrant bashing
Re: the July 6 article “Grandstanding on the border won’t solve drug crisis.”
Hysteria about hordes of invaders bringing drugs in and destroying our communities is just nonsense. As Rodricks of the Baltimore Sun made plain in his op-ed, the real problem is that so many millions of American citizens are dependent on drugs. We need to be asking ourselves why. We’ve been fighting the drug war with law enforcement since Nixon and we’ve lost — drugs are cheaper and more readily available now than ever before. We need to shift resources to the demand side of the equation — prevention and treatment.
Also, it is not undocumented immigrants that are responsible for the mass shootings plaguing our country. It is mostly young white males — citizens all. The vast majority of undocumented try really hard to stay out of trouble because they don’t want to be deported. If you want to know who is really destroying our country, look in the mirror — it is American citizens, people not so different from you and me. We have no one to blame but ourselves.
Nancy Silberschlag
Foothills
Biden’s gas price hypocrisy
President Joe Biden says that he is doing everything possible to reduce gas prices. This includes begging OPEC to increase oil production, going to Saudi Arabia to beg them directly to increase oil production, sending envoys to negotiate renewal of oil purchases from Venezuela, asking U.S. oil industries to increase production and accusing the U.S. oil industry and privately-owned gas stations of price gouging. Meanwhile his administration is preparing new regulations governing oil production that will force less drilling in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico from which 43% of total U.S. oil production is derived. Hypocritical?
John Schmitz
Marana
President’s accomplishments
President Joe Biden, congratulations are in order for your major accomplishments the first 18 months of your watch: 1. Record inflation 2. Failure in Afghanistan 3. COVID-19 mandates 4. Failure to reform immigration 5. Increase in crime nationwide 6. Hunter Biden scandal 7. Energy dependence on foreign countries 8. Student loan bailouts 9. National debt 10. China/North Korea/Iran threats. I could list more of your major accomplishments, but the limited space would not be sufficient. Many of our countrymen are comparing you to President James Buchanan who scores number one on the 10 worst presidents list. Good luck on the next 18 months. Oh, I forgot, President Donald Trump, number two on the list.
James Lowery
Northwest side
Abraham for state Senate
I am proud to support Morgan Abraham for the state Senate in LD18. Morgan is a small business owner, Army intelligence officer and a proven progressive in the state Legislature.
At the Capitol, Morgan has proven to be a successful champion for Tucson and Pima County. He negotiated $200 million for water conservation — an idea that was pioneered by Tucson. He was in the driver’s seat securing $150 million for U of A, marking one of their most successful legislative accomplishments in decades.
Tucson needs a fighter in the Legislature that can bring back wins for our community. Morgan is that proven fighter.
Aaron Rottenstein
North side
Make it great again
If there ever was the need to “Make America Great Again” it is because of Donald Trump.
Larry Gray
SaddleBrooke
Where can you move the riot trials?
Re: the July 9 article “Judges face bias claims from accused rioters.”
This article discussing moving trials to different areas. Where are you thinking of moving them? Canada? South Africa? The Jan. 6 riot did not happen only to residents of D.C. They happened to me! They happened to all of us Americans!
Jim Nickerson
Green Valley
Save Opinion, letters pages
The subscription price for the Arizona Daily Star has gone up over the past year. Yet my husband and I continue because a local newspaper is vitally important to an informed public. We wonder if the cost is intended to cause us to move solely to online news. That Gannett wants to cut the Opinion page from its papers is worrisome and ignores centuries of journalistic practice. For me, there are two very important parts to the Star. First, the “Tucson & Region” news, where I get information about local issues, what the Legislature is up to and who among the candidates is being subpoenaed. Ha! Then I read the Opinion page and every letter. We want to see thoughtful local and national editorials. We value the insights of our fellow citizens, though we don’t always agree with them. Several readers have already written to say they will cancel their subscriptions if the Opinion pages are curtailed. We are likely to do the same. Please hang in there, Lee Enterprises!
Margaret Nichols
Oro Valley
2016 election decided Roe v. Wade
If every American woman who had ever had an abortion would have voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
George Timson
Midtown
New Pledge of Allegiance
I fear that America will soon have to adopt a new, updated pledge:
I pledge allegiance to the flag of Conservative America
And to the Republicans for which it stands
Our nation under God
With Liberty and Justice for all
Straight, God-fearing, gun-toting, White Christian Men.
Michael Konecky
East side
Government overreach
Re: the July 9 article “NY gun applicants must hand over social accounts.”
The new New York law is a perfect example of government overreach. It does not make sense to create another bureaucratic department to review social media accounts and decide who is going to get a weapon and who is not. The law will take more of our privacy away. Another solution to the problem would be to allow individuals to sue Big Tech for damages they receive because of any inflammatory social media post. If this was to occur, then Big Tech would police themselves.
Victor Panizzon
Northwest side
Opinion pages
I subscribe to three newspapers. The reason I subscribe to the Star is because of the local Opinion pages and letters to the editor. Eliminating this section would cause me to cancel my subscription, and would, I suspect, lead to the same result with many other readers.
Helen Erickson
Midtown
Trump un-American
I’m amazed to see vehicles with the American flag that are pro Trump. This is a man who dodged the draft, he has stated his Vietnam was avoiding a STD in the 1980s. Quite brave of him. Refuses to release taxes, afraid that it’ll show he doesn’t pay his share. And lastly, he is the only president to refuse to accept the outcome of a legitimate election and tried to overthrow the government. He’s as un-American as can be.
Craig Miller
Northwest side
Constitution and legal rights
Re: the July 13 article “Judge rejects abortion law.’
Let’s see what the U.S. Constitution has to say about who is accorded legal rights of citizenship in the United States. The 14th Amendment states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
A fertilized fetus is neither born nor naturalized, especially given the medical capabilities available in 1868. Adopting a law that accords legal rights that supersede the rights of a “born” woman appears to me to be blatantly unconstitutional.
Bruce Hilpert
North side
Ads a barometer of decency
In a famous 1954 hearing, lawyer Joseph Welch asked Sen. Joseph McCarthy “at long last, have you left no sense of decency?” The same question could be posed to Republican candidates running ads showing themselves using, holding and firing assault and other weapons. We saw Jim Lamon in a Wild West shootout, firing at Biden, Pelosi and Mark Kelly. There’s Karrin Robson and Blake Masters shooting and glorifying assault weapons of carnage. My personal favorite — Jerone Davison — a Black candidate shown leveling his AR at a group of supposed Democrats coming for him, dressed in full KKK garb. After all the recent and past gun violence, the heartbreaking testimony of children who survived Uvalde, what kind of person could possibly think these gun-glorifying, violence-endorsing ads are OK? They are despicable. I think these ads show that the candidates they represent are depraved, incredibly callous and truly devoid of decency.
Deb Klumpp
Oro Valley
Trump courting courts
As child Donald Trump grows more perversely unhinged with each passing day, some Republican political candidates remind me of a dog whirling in circles while extruding razor blades from its hind end.
Trying to execute a successful Republican primary campaign with Trump’s daily bullying and childish harassment is like living with a loaded double-barreled shotgun in your mouth. You can’t spit the gun barrel out, you can’t talk about issues and you must conduct your campaign while living with Trump’s mutating militant Republican base up in your face 24/7.
With nebulous fidelity in his character, Donny John-boy is finally faced with perilous criminal litigation. Trump’s multiple new court dates threaten his summer rounds of golf and gurgling pocketbook.
Jerry Wilkerson
SaddleBrooke
Who’d of thunk?
One of my first jobs out of high school in 1980 was working for a very good commercial print shop owned by two brothers, both Marines, retired. The last entry in the employee handbook read that “Anyone espousing the violent overthrow of the United States government will be fired.” Of course, they meant communists.
Today it would mean Republicans.
Who could have predicted that?
Guy Rovella
Midtown
Webb telescope
Re: the July 12 article “Far out: NASA telescope provides deep cosmic view.”
I want to thank you for publishing in your on-line edition the amazing photos taken by the Webb Telescope. Even on my computer screen, they are truly mind-blowing. Astronomers, involved or not with the Webb program, must be vibrating with excitement.
Dale Emmel
Southeast side
Start doing vasectomies
Re: the July 13 article “Planned Parenthood won’t resume abortions.”
I suggest PP start doing vasectomies. Men need to step up and take responsibility for their part in the sperm-meets-egg process.
Susan Enholm
Foothills
By way of a taco
The jump to chastise Jill Biden for an apparent taco-related faux pas would appear to include elements of ignorance and innocence, being thin-skinned and being marginalized, and opportunism.
Don Gerlach
Northwest side
Fear of being a loser
It is easier for me to process that I can look through a telescope and see 6 billion years ago, than it is for me to understand Trump supporters. Do they not see the “con” in Don? He wanted and enjoyed the perks, but not the responsibilities of the presidency. He loved meeting other world leaders, flying in Air Force One, chatting with celebrities, getting attention, using others’ money. Did he even choose the names for the Supreme Court nominees who are now seated? Did someone high in the GOP, an elected one, pick them?
Why these constant claims he won the election last year? Why does he settle out of court rather than going to a jury trial? If he lost, he would be a loser, which is the thing he fears most. Something that was instilled from family?
Toni Kane
Oro Valley
Repeal of abortion rights
I woke up this morning crying — filled with deep grief. Recently, I returned from Europe where I have been before to live and travel. I didn’t want to come home because of recent tragic political events here in the U.S. In Scotland and England, there is universal health care. One Scot told me, “Everyone, no matter who you are, gets health care. Everyone’s taxes pay for the care but they get good care.” A woman’s right to a safe legal abortion is also taken for granted. I have questions for all those who don’t support the right to abortion. Are you (men included) willing to carry and birth a child which you will be unable to adequately love and support due to conditions beyond your control? Are you willing and able to financially and emotionally support those who do not have the financial and/or emotional resources to raise a child? If your daughter were raped, would you force her to bear the child? Case closed.
Joan Brundage
Foothills
