Thoughts/prayers/vigils & statistics
What we “can” talk about when we talk about guns:
Introductions to public officials and all who responded
Where and when the shooting occurred
Whether the shooter is dead or in custody
How the shooter died
How many people were killed, injured, and in critical condition
Who and how many first responders there were
Response time for responders
Whether responders were brave or timid
Thoughts and prayers
Vigils and services for the dead
What we “can’t” talk about when we talk about guns:
What the 2nd Amendment actually “says”: “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia may have the power to tell us, as he did in the Heller case, what the 2nd Amendment “means,” but he cannot tell us what the words actually “say.” The Founders understood English, and so do we.
Gerald Farrington
SaddleBrooke
Qualifications
To further demonstrate how out of touch your leftist readership is, not one, but two letters were published this week defending Kamala Harris who was described today by a liberal columnist as “hapless” with “impolite blurtings, unable to hold staff, and a tendency to choke under pressure.” As for her qualifications, remember she was elected to previous positions in the Land of Fruit and Nuts.
If people are being completely honest, the only reason she is in her current job is because she has the only two qualities that mattered to Biden. She is Black and a woman. I guess you could say that this is what you get when political reparations are paid, lower approval ratings than even her boss who should be looking at memory care units to reside in instead of stumbling around making a fool of himself.
Kevin D Kaatz
Oro Valley
Food insecurity plaguing our nation
Dear Editor: With an impending climate crisis, exacerbated socioeconomic conditions, and an immigration crisis facing our nation, our community faces another adversary: the increasing number of food insecure families.
An alarming number of families are unable to afford and access a sufficient supply of food resources. The ripple effects of the coronavirus pandemic have only exacerbated this adversary. With the loss of jobs and high inflation rates, individuals find themselves in a tight, difficult position, unable to procure food and pay mortgages.
These problems, also known as social determinants, affect the mental and physical health of individuals.
In order to address, and overcome these determinants we can organize community events, workshops, and information sessions to raise awareness on food insecurity. However, in the meantime we can partner with local stakeholders and 501©(3) organisations to create programs and support low income families.
Fatimah Amer
Downtown
Historic flood plain preservation
Re: the June 4 article “Flood district buys up pricey homes in Foothills neighborhood.”
Wouldn’t it be best to leave the historic floodplains and main channels of our washes, creeks and rivers undeveloped? These historic areas should be left intact for the conservation of wildlife and limited farming and ranching. At present we are allowing development within the floodplains right up to and into the main channels of our washes, creek and rivers. The costs of repairing, replacing and/or removing flood damaged buildings and businesses are astronomical.
Historic floodplains including channels and areas of overbank flows can be identified by looking at early pre-development topographic maps. At a minimum and whenever and wherever possible we should be leaving these historic drainages undeveloped and in as natural a condition as possible.
This would provide protection for our native plants and animals and save the taxpayers a lot of money.
Bill Kendall
Downtown
Learning our Constitution
Re: the June 7 letter “Training Military on the Constitution.”
If our schools were to begin teaching Civics classes again, at multiple levels, then everyone would be exposed to the Constitution and would hopefully, have a basic understanding of how our government is meant to operate. Additionally, in my almost 71 years, I have seen a marked degradation in our elected officials’ dedication to their oaths of office. When you accept the responsibility to “protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” this does not mean you can cherry-pick only the portions of the Constitution that you agree with.
There are methods spelled out within the Constitution on how to amend it. Nobody, up to and including the president can determine that a portion of this document, or an amendment to the Constitution, is invalid just because he/she doesn’t like it. Dissent and discussion are both healthy and critical, but until an amendment is legally changed, this enduring document still reigns supreme in our Republic.
Craig Bergman
Northeast side
Listen carefully
You should always listen carefully when someone is saying something, no matter how outrageous, because you will get a sense of who they are. Trump wants to end birthright citizenship by executive order that is guaranteed in the 14th Amendment. DeSantis wants to use “leverage points” to increase the president’s’ power that is limited under Article 2 of the Constitution. The governor of South Carolina looks forward to a day when Democrats are so rare you “have to hunt them with dogs.”
To those conservatives with their “I Love the Constitution” bumper stickers, can you say authoritarian?
Mary Zimmerman
SaddleBrooke
Follow these steps to easily submit a letter to the editor or guest opinion to the Arizona Daily Star.
