Firefighters inspect the rubble as smoke rises from a building hit by an Israeli airstrike Tuesday in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon.
Iran war
A couple thoughts on the war in Iran:
Where is Congress? Paralyzed by its fear of Trump?
Since Trump seems to love naming things after himself, this should be called Trump's War.
Douglas Bitter
Oro Valley
Pelosi flights
Ms. Berthelot (LTE 3/1) needs to check her information sources. The Speaker of the House is required by the US government to fly on military aircraft for security protocol as they are the 3rd in line. Pelosi was Speaker of the House when she was “flying back and forth … on the public dime.” Mike Johnson does it, as have all the Republican speakers as well. Plus Patel's jet was needed for FBI real work, not boozing it up with hockey players.
Donna Allen
Green Valley
Expand access to cancer screenings
As cancer survivors, my husband and I are urging the Arizona Legislature to prioritize early detection by supporting two bills to improve access to screenings for breast and prostate cancers. Early detection saved our lives. It can save many more if we remove financial barriers that keep patients from getting the screenings they need.
HB2617, would eliminate cost-sharing for high-risk men seeking prostate cancer screening, and SB1165, would ensure medically necessary breast cancer screenings, such as MRIs and follow-up exams, are covered at no cost.
No one should delay a screening because of a bill they can’t afford.
I recently joined other advocates during Cancer Action Day at the state Capitol to share my cancer journey with lawmakers in hopes of getting support for these bills. By voting yes on both bills, legislators can help save lives and reduce the cancer burden as we know it.
Maria Martinez
Northeast side
Future of Iran war?
Trump acts on whims driven by mental illness. His bombing of Iran is an act of war with the objective of eliminating further development of Iran’s nuclear program and development of missiles to reach the U.S. It hasn’t gone well. While the leader of Iran was killed the first day, it did not result in the overthrow of the government which retaliated by hitting American military presence in countries in the Mideast resulting in casualties. We lost three F-15Es in Kuwait which were accidentally shot down. He obviously did not follow at least 5 of the 6 tenets of the Weinberger Doctrine to prevent getting in quagmires such as Vietnam. On 2 January he said we might have to introduce ground troops into Iran for several weeks. Beginning of a quagmire?
Michael Mount
Foothills
Alarming numbers?
Ed Hubert’s LTE from Tuesday presents some numbers that appear to be alarming.
He has the price of electricity tripling since 1978. (He says that’s a 300% increase but a tripling is only 200%). If you annualize his costs over 48 years, the increase is 2.3% per year, which is commensurate with inflation.
His numbers for gas are hard to interpret. He says his rates went from .062 to 2.15 per therm. That’s a factor of 35, which his is calling 350%. Historically, natural gas was about $3 per thousand cubic feet in 1978 and about $18 today, an annualized increase of 3.8%.
The cost of water is going up. From Mr. Hubert’s numbers, at a 6% annualized rate. But again, this is no surprise. The Colorado River is drying up due to climate change and we should probably expect water to become a lot more expensive in the future.
Dennis Huber
Green Valley
Public power
People of Tucson, I am writing this letter about something of utmost importance, how the city of Tucson will power itself moving forward. Our city's contract with TEP is approaching its end. I believe we need to like our sister city Phoenix move to public power. We already have an effective public utility system in our Tucson water system so why not give the people the power over their power system in the same way? With that control we could choose how we collect our power and move away from wasteful energy and towards sustainable energy. We are beholden to TEP, a corporation that isn’t even American-owned. Why give a foreign company control over our energy systems? The city owes the people the right to determine their energy future. I believe the city should move to put public power on the ballot so the people of Tucson can decide what energy future they desire. Thank you for reading.
Ben Reilly
Midtown
Trump invaded America ... in his dreams
It's quite poetic actually... we are the victims of social engineering. Stand up if you agree with Trump on illegal immigrants, non-citizens with a criminal history ... how about DACA. As of July 2024, ICE released 435,000 migrants with a criminal history.
To all the uber patriots in Oro Valley did you stand up in your living rooms and applaud? Did your kids in their cribs stand up?
Shooting and incarcerating anybody that's not rich or white is the democratic way. Is our democracy broken? No. It's working the exact way it was intended to.
My children are in their 50s. I told them since they were teens: Democrats and Republicans are the exact same thing. Obama deported more people than Trump ever will. Biden continued building Trump's wall.
The President wants you to believe we are the victims. Stop believing in American exceptionalism. The government doesn't represent us. It has always represented capitalism. I have my reservations that you won't print this.
Thomas J. Plesniak
Midtown
Wildcat men's basketball
Arizona’s men’s basketball history is under-appreciated. Arizona was the last Pacific Athletic Conference team to win a national title (1997). Arizona was the last Pacific Athletic Conference team to play in a title game (2001). Not UCLA. Not Oregon. Arizona.
This year’s team is as good as or better than any team in America. What is their secret sauce? They have eight starters and an impressive bench. They have a record-breaking coach. They have the best fans in the nation. But what makes them unique is the way they have each other’s backs. I have never seen another team in any sport that reflects their high level of mutual respect and support. That camaraderie should successfully see them through the many games left to play this year, one game at a time.
Robert Rees
Northwest side
Will the real reason please stand up?
So, the reason Trump started a war with Iran is because, according to Reuters, he “had a feeling” there was an imminent threat to the United States. Or, he wanted to destroy their entire nuclear program, even though he proclaimed to have done that back in June. Or, he wanted regime change. Or, he is merely an instrument of God, ushering in the much anticipated, by some, End of the World.
But the truly mystifying reason is his declaration that he wants to deliver democracy to the Iranian people, ensuring their right to protest and guaranteeing their safety from their own government. Does anyone else find it disconcerting that he wants that for Iranians but not Americans? He is allowing masked ICE agents to pepper spray, tear gas, kidnap, enter people's homes without a warrant, terrorize and even murder legal citizens who are simply exercising their First Amendment Right to “petition the Government for a redress of grievances?” Irony is dead.
Anne Lane
Northeast side
Protesting
Some of you may have seen folks on various street corners during the morning and evening rush hours.
These folks are protesting the despicable ICE cruelty, fascism, Trump corruption, Ciscomani incompetence, and the cover up of the truth in the Epstein Files, just to name a few of the evils from this administration.
If you agree with the posters and placards, please honk. Join the protesting if you can.
You must be able to look your grandchildren in the eye before you die and say, "I did what I could to save the Republic." The Constitution was built with the intent to prevent a King, but we are in an existential crisis and get exactly that: King Donald.
Go to TakeActionTucson.org or Mobilize.org to see the activities and protests in Tucson. Get up and protest loudly. Join the No Kings protest on March 28. See Mobilize.org for sites.
Luther Creed
Foothills
A great idea
I have a great idea for a movie. A sociopathic, narcissistic world leader is involved in a huge scandal (sex, of course) and an election is coming up. What can he do? I know! Distract the voters by declaring war on a small country. We'll have an all-star cast. Robert de Niro, Anne Heche, Dustin Hoffman. Oh, wait. It's been done. See "Wag the Dog." 1997. Somehow it was funnier then.
Carol Conniff
Foothills
The balance of power
It is obvious to me and many others, I think, that our federal government isn’t functioning as our founding fathers intended. The balance of power or the so-called checks and balances concept upon which our democracy was founded has run amuck. We have a president who envisions himself as king and an inept Congress, on the Republican side I should add, that has surrendered its power to the president. The judicial system, mostly Trump appointees, is doing his bidding, as is a Supreme Court which is trying to interpret the Constitution to Trump's liking. The one thing that Trump and his minions in the Congress and in the judicial cannot control is the popular vote. We are the defining element in what our founding fathers brilliantly included in the concept of balance of power. Please vote. Let us take back control of our government. Resist.
Peter Morales
Midtown
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