Religion and State
With the Roe decision, it is obvious the conservative members of SCOTUS are incapable of distinguishing between religion and state. Pursuant to the First Amendment — "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion ..." The only appropriate course of action is for them to resign from the court. They call themselves originalists, but a fair number of the founders were atheists or Deists, which in practical terms is the same thing. As citizens, the only thing we can do is vote Democratic.
Dave Bertagnoli
West side
Ducey doesn't speak for me
I am ashamed that Gov. Doug Ducey is proud that his state is one of the most pro-life states in the Union. What is he, and his extreme attorney general, going to do now? Prior to the abhorrent Supreme Court decision, he assured Arizona citizens that the 15-week ban he signed into law superseded the draconian law that was on the books prior to Roe v. Wade. Do his words or promises mean anything?
Frankly, I am glad that his time as governor is ending. His pro-life, anti-gun reform, and anti-teacher/public school stances have caused great harm to our state. Electing another Republican governor in Arizona would also be a disaster. As an aside, I am proud to live in Tucson and have a mayor, police chief and county attorney who respect the right to privacy and a woman's right to choose.
James Robinett
Southwest side
Congress needs to stay focused
The serious problems facing our country are being felt acutely here in the Southwest. Sure, prices are going up everywhere, but few are seeing higher spikes than Tucson. And while the Roe opinion should concern everyone, it is particularly terrifying for women in Arizona.
These problems are only going to get worse if Republicans take back control of Congress in November. And while it appears the GOP doesn’t have any desire to deliver serious solutions to these issues, they would love nothing more than to see Democrats spend these few remaining months getting bogged down in less important issues like the anti-tech bills that are being pushed by billionaires like Oracle boss Larry Ellison, who joined the scheme to delegitimize the 2020 election. Let’s hope that Democrats can sidestep the GOP antics and restore some sanity.
Seth Chalmers
West side
Public transportation
Sitting in traffic today I saw a 40-passenger transit bus go by. It seemed no more than five or so passengers were on that bus. The vehicle was obviously a very, very expensive piece of equipment for five people. People transit has always been close to my heart as I remember the time I could not afford a car and took the bus to work every day at the factory. Is there a better way? Perhaps a subsidy for Uber/cab companies of say half their expenses would provide for door-to-door service for a reasonable cost. Financing? Simple tax on tires (would tax electric vehicles as well as internal combustion vehicles). Let the county administer this? Help for transit employees to purchase their own vehicles when jobs are lost?
Might work well. Tucson is a heck of a place to deal with walking to and waiting at bus stops. Door-to-door service at half-fare would be supreme. County could save tax money over the current scheme.
Robert Atkinson
Southwest side
Xi cheers for US military
Xi Jinping is building a rough, tough, macho, and masculine military. He smiles and applauds as the U.S. military concentrates on such things as CRT, gender ideology, and whiteness. Our leaders like Lloyd Austin and Mark Milley failed to beat "goat herders" and that led to the embarrassing withdrawal in Afghanistan. The purpose of the military is to "break things and kill the enemy." President Biden and Austin seem to think that we can win a war simply because we say he, him, her, they, and let men dress like women, and let men carry tampons in their backpack. We need a military that destroys the enemy, not a military that worries what pronoun to use. This is a disaster in the making, being led by a bunch of inept people.
Jack Hingstrum
Marana
justices commit perjury for power
I believe at least three justices in the Supreme Court have committed perjury in order to gain a position where they can press their radical, right-wing ideas on the rest of the country. They are accountable to no one and have clearly perjured themselves by stating that they respected legal precedent, yet quickly moved to mandate government-enforced pregnancies on women, force taxpayers to support religious schools of all stripes, and allow anyone with an interest to carry a sidearm whenever and pretty much wherever they like. And these are people whose opinions we are asked to respect? Politicians and radical, right-wing ideologues do not belong in any conversation about a woman's own body. It appears that most, if not all, Republicans believe lying is just a means to an end. Witness the Jan. 6 hearings. Please, do not believe these right-wing radicals. I think every one of them will lie as often as necessary to gain power and upend our American way of life. Get out. Vote them out!
Rebecca Williams
Oracle
Losing opinion pages another step down
Re: the June 26 article "A cartoonist returns to find an American Press now in peril."
As a newly commissioned reverse “snow bird,” I was wondering why there is no opinion page in my new local paper here in Wisconsin. Thanks to Fitz for educating me. Removing the opinion page from the paper is one more step on the slippery slope our country is careening down. We need to hear from each other whether we agree or not. Hopefully, the American people are still smart enough to consume all manner of thought and conclude their own conclusions. Gannett should bring the opinion pages back. Thanks to the Star for allowing me to continue to learn from others and decide for myself.
Jennifer Jones
Downtown
It took courage
Re: the June 26 article "A cartoonist returns to find an American Press now in peril" and June 26 article "Minority rule reaches full bloom."
Congratulations to Tim Steller and Fitz for their articles. And congratulations to the leadership of the Arizona Daily Star. It takes courage to state the truth and to stand by it.
I'm sure you will get a lot of nasty letters for those two pieces of writing. So this is just to let you know — there are plenty of people in Tucson who support your efforts to bring out the truth, however, depressing.
We just have to go vote.
Kalyanraman Bharathan
Midtown
Opinion pages in peril
Re: the June 26 article "A cartoonist returns to find an American Press now in peril."
David Fitzsimmons, one of the better humans on this planet, sounded an alarm about the powerful Gannett newspaper conglomerate doing away with opinions because readers don't want them. I beg to differ. Judging by the sheer volume of letters to the editor in the Star, readers love to sound off on the matters of the day and on the views of other letter writers and opinion columnists.
The Arizona Republic has already cut its meager number of letters to one day a week (approximately four letters). I don't know about you, but I get my national and international news elsewhere, and opinion is the first thing I turn to in my newspapers. If others feel as I do about this sad state of affairs, contact Gannett and tell them so.
Kathleen Dubbs
West side
Gannett ending opinion pieces
Re: the June 26 article "A cartoonist returns to find an American Press now in peril."
I was alarmed today by David Fitzsimmons' report that Gannett was terminating all content produced by editorial cartoonists and opinion writers. Gannett's excuse is that we readers don't want newspapers to tell us what to think. To the contrary, if we don't have the opportunity to read writers with whom we agree and with whom we disagree we create even less knowledge, less understanding and less ability to think for ourselves. The opinion pages and cartoons are essential to enlarging our perspectives. This is just an excuse by Gannett to suppress exchange of ideas. I hope Lee publications hold firm on the right of us readers to read a variety of opinions and cartoons.
Diane Wilson
Foothills
Americans live in fear now
Re: the June 26 article "A cartoonist returns to find an American Press now in peril."
David Fitzsimmons, the Star’s editorial cartoonist, recently wrote an opinion piece that included a lament that “Publisher’s, fearing controversy, are gutting their opinion pages.”
It’s worse than that. I know citizens who fear to simply write a letter to the editor on myriad topics like abortion, guns and gay rights because they’re afraid of online, at-home, and at-job retribution for their views.
On an even more alarming note, election workers are quitting their jobs in droves in fear for their and their loved ones’ lives. Teachers are afraid to say the wrong thing or teach the wrong thing for fear of losing their jobs, or worse, being prosecuted. Doctors and nurses are afraid to provide basic women’s health care. In Texas, vigilantes can now lawfully report fellow citizens for having an abortion or even helping obtain one — and get paid for it!
What is happening to America?
Peter Bakke
SaddleBrooke
A tale of two countries
Re: the June 25 letter "Disuniting the states."
I consider myself to be a Christian, but I want nothing to do with living in a country where the government establishes the religion, Christian or otherwise. That's not what this country is about.
If I have to pay higher taxes and live with inflation, then so be it. That has little to do with who's in office; much more to do with the fact that you (and I) don't want to give up driving our cars.
At least I'll be living in the country where the leader can look himself in the mirror every morning. I just hope your imagined country, if it comes about, is located far, far away from mine. I'm afraid that if the wind blows the wrong way, I might not be able to survive the stench of mendacity hanging over "Trumpland."
David Hatch
Southeast side
EV readiness good for long term
Re: the June 27 article "ADOT seeks input on Arizona electric-vehicle charging plan."
I am a lifelong resident of Southern Arizona and I volunteer to support the environment. Tucson’s proposed electric vehicle (EV) readiness amendments to the Unified Development Code is a step in the right direction. Although the Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce said the proposed EV requirements far outpace local demand; the future will see more demand. Exxon CEO Darren Woods said, in a recent CNBC interview, that by 2040 every passenger car sold in the U.S. will be electric. Our community needs to support a surge in EV adoption now because it’s expensive to retrofit buildings after they’re built. The amendments would require new apartment construction to have 25% of parking spaces be at-least EV capable. Future residents will wonder why we didn’t build out more infrastructure, but the city is balancing supporting future needs of our community with immediate business interests. The amendments are a good step because they will reduce carbon emissions while saving this community money long term.
Garrett Weaver
Midtown
Abortion ban also a loss for men
The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is a major loss for women, but also for men. If your wife/daughter is raped and becomes pregnant as a result, the husband/girl’s father will pay to raise that child. Rapists rarely pay child support.
If your wife/girlfriend dies of tubular pregnancy and can’t get a medical abortion or sepsis due to a botched abortion, you will be a single father of your children.
If you’ve planned for your wife to go back to work after the kids entered school and birth control failed, you’re still a one-paycheck family.
Or if your wife unfortunately suffers a miscarriage which happens to one in 10 women, and no doctor wants to assist her because of fears of being held accountable for an abortion, she may die.
Gentlemen, what are your priorities?
Pamela Farris
Oro Valley
Today's Republican Party
I think the Jan. 6 Commissions presentations show the Republican Party is as corrupt as Donald Trump.
Richard Nixon was bad. Republican leaders knew that, so they asked him to resign. Trump is worse. Republican leaders know this, but they're quiet as church mice because they fear his anger. Trump is an entertainer. Facts and the truth bore him, as it does his followers. He's good at criticizing others so they laugh, or make them feel they're victims so they boo. Lying means nothing to him. I don't think he feels a shred of guilt doing so. Winning is what matters. Anyway, anyhow.
Trump was sued approximately 3,500 times before becoming president, was impeached twice in office, and with the help of Republican leaders intended to change the outcome of the election by overthrowing the government. There's a level of sickness in the Republican Party that would be best addressed by voting every Republican out of office.
Jim Dreis
East side
Protect innocent lives
About 75 years ago, in our American history, guns and children were spoken of in the same sentence. Children were taught from the "get go" the severity of what a gun could do by hunting animals for food for the family. Many photos in our nation's history show mom, pop and children all holding their own rifles. Difference today is our ancestors taught their children gun safety, there weren't many accidental shootings of children by children, because they knew better.
With all due respect of our military "Bravehearts" pushing gun control ... I thank you for your service, but not your ill-advice. If the Uvalde school had proper security and a well-functioning police force, there would not have been such loss of life. Guns are inanimate and do not kill, but people do. Personal responsibility for one's own actions is the key, and self-defense training is the answer to safety. I think only a trained gun user can stop a heinous murderer from fulfilling their intent to destroy innocent lives.
Nancy Garcia
Southwest side
