We must stay off
road to fascism
During 2020, President Trump convinced his supporters to view the coming election as possibly fraudulent. He incited the mob to go to the Capitol and fight hard. For over three hours he watched the riot on TV and refused to intervene despite pleas from GOP politicians and family members. I believe his goal was to overthrow the will of the voters. Despite his egregious behavior, he still retains majority support from Republican voters to be the Republican presidential nominee in 2024.
Every nation has a portion of its population and leaders who will support fascism. We are no different. If we are to survive as a democracy, we must defeat Republican candidates for office and maintain control of the legislature and executive. I believe, should the GOP win the Senate and House in November 2022 and Trump win the presidency in 2024, America will be on the highway leading to fascism.
Stuart Sellinger
Northwest side
A ship of fools,
sinking everyone
Now that weโve revisited that day of lawlessness in Washington, it is time we speak about what it all meant.
Our past president gave birth to a barbarous era from his podium on that cold day that is hostile to democracy. It seems that everything is conspiring against our country and our civilization all at once. The climate is turning unpredictable and harsh. The gun-toting white minority is up in arms about anything that smacks of decency. The pandemic is holding everyone hostage for some unknown duration, making every move one of caution by most citizens and of derision to the others.
Finally, I believe our very government, the Congress, high courts, all the way to the school boards, have become a ship of fools, sinking everyone. Decorum and respectability have been traded for rude and nasty conduct, and all cater to the founder, Donald Trump, in this time of bluster and fear.
Ron Lancaster
North side
Tell lawmakers
your thoughts
In growing frustration with local and national legislation restricting voting rights, as well as the petulant, attention-getting stances of Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, my energy is moving from local letters to the editor to a more direct national contact with the politicians.
By bookmarking the website usa.gov/elected-officials, I access email addresses, street addresses, and phone numbers easily for any federal senator or representative by selecting "Locate U.S. senators (or representative’s) contact information." Sending an email or making a phone call about a recent controversy takes little time. I’m not naïve enough to think these go directly to the legislator, but I believe tallies are kept on pro and con responses, possibly influencing the legislator’s stance. On the most critical legislation, a short letter to the sponsoring politician should have a stronger impact. The frustration’s not gone, but at least I feel I’ve communicated more directly.
Roger Shanley
East side
Honest dialogue
from both sides
Re: the Jan. 20 letter "Dems practice intimidation, too."
I am sincerely sorry Democrats have done the same type of intimidation or worse. Itโs pointless and shameful โ on both sides. Old fashioned, I am a strong believer that two wrongs do not make a right.
But the letter points out the need for all of us regardless of political affiliation to stop trying to intimidate the other side or worse. Whatโs the point? Are we so alienated from each other that we are beyond talking and listening to each other without malice?
I am well into the last half of my life and tired of us pointing fingers at each other while yelling out that one side is worse or meaner than the other side. I am hopeful the letter writer feels the same way. In the near future, with letters like mine and others, I sincerely hope we can take off the boxing gloves, stop the name-calling and begin honest dialogue.
Cathey Langione
Marana
We are all
blameworthy
I get tired of letters to the editor that slam Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and rag on her for not voting for the Democratic Party. A senator's job is to represent all the citizens of Arizona, not to do the will of some Democrats. This is what is wrong with American politics. Both parties want their candidate to vote only for their ideas, not what is good for all of Arizona. Let's do something different: Work together! I did not stutter: Work together! What a concept. Let's move this country ahead and work to solve gasoline prices, housing, rents, feeding people, foreign affairs etc. If you want to blame someone for the mess in our country, it is all of us! Solutions, not complaining!
Rob Jones
East side
Ditching 'equity'
for opportunity
The new Virginia governor, Glenn Youngkin, has removed "equity" as a policy goal for state institutions in Virginia. I think equity strives for equal outcomes for allย โ especially across gender and racial lines. It has become a moral crusade for social justice activists, but it is a dangerous attempt to change all standards of excellence if those standards cannot be met by people of color or women. Equity is an insult to every individual who strives for excellence in their life, whether at their job or in the classroom. To spoon-feed any segment of our society with lower expectations is wrong. However, it is suicide, not social justice, to lower our expectations for all of society in order to force equal outcomes for all individual effort.
Youngkin has reinstated "opportunity" as the policy goal for the people of Virginia, as it should be in Arizona. This gives each individual the opportunity to understand excellence and then to strive for excellence.
Thomas Gordon
Northeast side
Sinema isn't
making sense
I guess I am confused about Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's stance on the filibuster and voting rights. How can you be in favor of the legislation but continue to be for the filibuster, even if it is only a one-time "carve out." I don't know about you, but this seems very illogical to me. Is she just trying to appease what little Republican support she has in Arizona? By doing this, she is losing all her Democratic support. The same goes for Sen. Joe Manchin in West Virginia. This is very important legislation that needs the support of everyone of us, Republican or Democrat. Also, if this legislation does not pass, she more than likely will decrease her chances of being reelected.
Joseph Malberg
Marana
Spillane parody
was spot-on
Re: the jan. 22 article "What's your racket, Sinema? Detective is hot on the case."
I look forward to Fitz's column every week. He always makes me smile as he tackles serious issues. This latest one was over-the-top enjoyable for me. I am a big fan of Spillane's books and Fitz got every nuance of the hard-boiled detective novel right, as well as Sinema's hypocrisies and delusions. I laughed until I cried. I cried because of the huge disappointment my vote for her was. Keep up the great work, Fitz.
Sharon Winderl
Midtown
Selective rights
and freedoms
It's amazing how Republicans, anti-vaxxers and anti-mask wearers all claim it is their right to choose to do or not do these things. Yet that same group wish to tell women how to deal with their bodies if pregnant. Yes, we will take away your freedom of choice to have an abortion. And still I wonder if they are unhappy that gays and lesbians can marry now. They shouldn't be allowed that choice. And then there are the transgender folks who can't play sports with the gender they have selected nor use a toilet designated for a particular gender.
Funny how responsibility never occurs to these advocates of freedom of choice. They just don't give a damn if they spread more COVID because they are part of the "me only" group. Sorry, that's not what freedom of choice means!
Carl Olson
West side
