Tucson Speaks Out: Dec. 8 letters of the day

Diversity and replacement

Interesting story the other day about a tour guide at a local ‘museum’ sharing his fears of being ‘replaced’ by someone. Brought to mind my life in Tucson where as a 78-year-old white male I am now a frequent flyer to the Banner University Hospital and Clinics. My primary care MD is both highly competent and compassionate and hails from Northern India; two other docs I have seen there — one from somewhere in the Middle East his colleague is Japanese-American from Hawaii. The Nurse Practitioner who minds my gastro issues is Filipina-American while the doc bears a Latin name. I have every reason to believe that my cardiologist is a Jew! The cancer guy is surely a WASP or closely related. I cannot count the number of Black and Hispanic aides and nurses who have provided care to me. Never an uncaring moment. I can only hope that our country becomes yet more diverse by immigrants from across the world.

Michael Judd

East side

Ads, ads, and more ads

So, I turned on the TV to watch some commercials, but I kept being interrupted by what they called “content.” There must have been twenty minutes every hour of this so-called content. It was the silliest thing too, a football game. Then, I went to my computer to watch their non-stop commercials, but then again, I was flummoxed by some snippets of the news. I could hardly keep up with all the pop-ups with their special offers.

I hope in the future that they get this situation straightened out. I might want to buy something someday, but they keep slipping in slivers of content that makes it hard to concentrate on which cars, which insurance, or even which drug product I might want to buy. It is just so disconcerting.

Ron Lancaster

North side

Award everyone

We are constantly being reminded that we are all equal, and lots of people are opposed to celebrations of excellence. However, the Arizona Wildcat football players excelled this season and we wait for this nationally-ranked team to have their bowl selection determined. In the spirit of celebrating everyone, while the Wildcats celebrated by winning the Territorial Cup and being invited to play in a bowl game, we should also recognize their counterpart in Tempe, ASU. In the spirit of equal celebration, let’s award ASU a Participation Trophy with a plague that reads “We showed up.” While everyone that participates should be recognized, we should all be especially proud of our 9-3 Wildcats. Beat the Sooners!

Loran Hancock

Northwest side

Who’s at Lukeville, I don’t know

Who is on first doing what? I don’t Know.

What is on second and what is happening on the border crossing at Lukeville? Who says, I don’t know.

What is happening is I don’t know, who comes across the border?

What says I don’t know, is at first. Who, at first, sent Kamila Harris to the border for what, I don’t know.

Who is supposed to be the leader of this country? I don’t know.

Why is out in left field, because is out in center field, and nobody is in right field doing what should be done at the border? Who is still on first and what is still on second. Why?

It seems who doesn’t give a darn about today, because, tomorrow, is a distant figment of who’s imagination.

Does the buck stop with who?

Who doesn’t give a darn.

Edward LeGendre

East side

Providing shelter for migrants

The City of Tucson, Pima County, Catholic Community Services, and Grijalva efforts to get money to provide shelter for migrants to the United States is an unmitigated pure scam!

The migrants should stay in their own country and organize/protest for political ... and ... not running to the United States for a “Better and Easier” Life!

Francis Saitta

Midtown

You don’t have to be a Dem. to hate Trump

Re: the Nov. 6 letter “Star’s letter section, aka hate Trump forum.”

The letter writer assumed all the letters were all from Democrats. There are plenty of independents, non-party and even Republicans who “hate” Trump and everything he stands for. Why do you think Trump derides “Rhinos” who hold that name as a badge of honor?

Personally, the word “hate” does not adequately apply. I am disgusted with what he stands for and how he has damaged our country — sowing seeds of doubt in the election process with outrageous lies, causing a major portion of our population to not know what news is true or false by his claims of Fake News whenever someone tells the truth about his actions and the consequences of those actions, and for inciting an insurrection and a mob to enter the Capitol because he refused to give up power.

I am saddened by the huge numbers of Americans who believe everything Trump says and by not knowing if our country will ever recover from the Trump Factor.

Dave Abbott

Southeast side

Fire Robbins and Rulney

How can Robbins and Rulney still have jobs? Miscalculated by almost a quarter billion dollars? Mostly appears due to increasing administration by 69%. This obviously wasn’t wise. I was an ICU RN for over 30 years. Patient to nurses ratios didn’t change but administration grew exponentially. Time to cut administration, starting with the two most responsible for oversight.

Craig Miller

Northwest side

Assault Rifle — A rose by any other name

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We seem to be stuck on the idea that the defining characteristic of an “assault rifle” is fully automatic fire. Anything that cannot achieve this is by definition, not an assault rifle.

Fair enough; but let’s discuss the other problems with the AR-15, regardless of our definition of “assault rifle”:

1. Muzzle Velocity: An AR-15 slug exits the end of the barrel at about three times the speed of a typical target rifle. The result is catastrophically greater internal damage to the organs of the victim, especially since the projectile is likely to tumble after penetrating the body of the victim. These munitions are designed to penetrate body armor cause maximum morbidity among the enemy.

2. High capacity clips; this allows the shooter to focus attention on the next victim instead of reloading the weapon. Fully automatic fire simply reduces the shooters effectiveness, but increases the shooting time and attention lost due to the need to reload.

We need to regulate both: who cares about fully automatic fire?

Rich Kiker

Tubac

Terrorists crossing border

I have a question for which I cannot find an answer. How many terrorists have illegally crossed our southern border? How many mass murderers have illegally crossed our border? How many murderers have illegally crossed the border? We are constantly hearing that our border is being illegally crossed by terrorists and murderers. I would like to know how many have done that in the last 30 years or so. And particularly, I would like to know how many Biden is allowing to cross compared to how many Trump allowed to cross. Does anybody have an answer?

Bette E. Richards

Northwest side

American refugees

An infamous 20th-century dictator made his plans clear in a book before coming to power, yet people still voted for him.

With Trump’s stated intention to be dictator and persecute his enemies, the world should prepare for a possible influx of American refugees. Ultimately, dictatorships are not safe for anyone.

America is not immune to history. It can happen here.

Eric Flohr

Midtown

Playing with fire: No Labels’ election gambit

Let’s discuss the No Labels Party, which initially touted its bipartisanship but now reveals it will nominate a Republican. This is designed to help Trump. No Labels’ own polls suggest their presidential candidate can’t win outright; the plan is to divide votes in Trump’s favor.

If no one candidate garners 270 Electoral College Votes, it will lead to a House-decided election, where a MAGA leader has control. The risk of chaos and manipulation is too great. This is about more than politics; it’s about protecting our future.

To those thinking of voting outside the Democratic Party, please reconsider. Republicans all over the country are pushing several far-right strategies, hoping one sticks. Voting for any third party this time is too risky. Everyone’s focus should extend beyond just defeating Trump; we must vote strategically up and down the ballot to safeguard our rights and our democratic principles.

Kim Miklofsky Bayne

Foothills

Arizona’s water crisis

Typically, highfalutin commissions appointed by the Governor produce little in the way of actionable results, but the Governor’s Water Policy Council may turn out to be a particularly positive exception. The Council’s new report presents remarkably sensible and potentially effective recommendations for improving ground water management in Arizona. This could significantly help the state’s current water-supply crisis. Even some of the Legislature’s most ardent foes of groundwater pumping regulations, such as House committee chair Rep. Gail Griffin, are said to be supportive of elements of the Council’s proposals. Other aspects of the new report are amenable to executive action by the Governor alone. Given how critically the quality of life and future economic prosperity of Arizona citizens depend on adequate water supplies, each of us has an obligation to urge our legislators and the Governor to embrace the Council’s report and take action to implement its proposals. Legislators who refuse to do so do not deserve our votes for reelection.

Joseph Alexander

Oro Valley

Israel war

War is terrible. Let’s just step back to World War II and think about the almost nightly bombings by Nazi Germany on London England. The residents of London sent their children out to the countryside to be out harms way. Germany still hit the countryside but not on a regular “raid.” During WWII the US population only read about the war in the paper (remember when most households received the paper or received their information from three networks … novel thought) or on the “newsreels” when one went to theater. Times have changed. It started during the Vietnam War as the war came into our living rooms. War WAS real not just a “name.” Israel has every right to relate against Hamas. If 9/11 happened with a country right adjacent to us we would be doing the same thing as Israel. Having your homeland attacked with no apparent problem would produce the same outcome.

Mary Beth Schneider

East side

Take the recoil out of the AR-15

As a gun owner who owns my grandpa’s 410 shotgun, I’d like to give my own two cents worth on a variety of guns and rifles I’ve shot.

If we were to compare guns and rifles to vehicles, my grandpa’s 410 is like my old 1983 Nissan pickup truck. You don’t expect much, it is very limited in power, but is efficient enough. A 30-06, which can damage your shoulder if not held correctly, would be like a huge truck, which has much more power, but a higher capacity for killing animals like for a deer because of the bullet size. The AR-15, though, is like a corvette that has fast acceleration, but you hardly feel it. The recoilless nature of the AR-15 makes it an ideal human-killing weapon, not like the 30-06 which, after a few rounds, could bruise your shoulder.

Through legislation, an AR-15 or similar weapon that hurts the shooter while being used may help slow down mass shooters.

Matt Somers

Midtown

New congress

I just read a readers comments about why more sensible democratic congressional members don’t switch parties. The writer goes on to explain some reasons why. I ask the writer the same question. The country isn’t being lead by an autocrat that believes he’s above the law. Yet the front runner of the GOP party is a four time indicted, twice impeached election denier who wants to hold power similarly to our ENEMY Russia and Vlad the Glad. He goes on to write that “after years of rewarding the most extreme members ... the party has become totally dysfunctional.” I’d say the writer is exactly 180 degrees off with his assumptions.

John Bingham

Northwest side