Cathi Herrod (right), president of the Center for Arizona Policy
Two more deadly sins
Re: the Aug. 4 article “Seven deadly sins were never more relevant.”
Albrecht Classen was correct in his opinion column when he said the seven deadly sins described by early theologians (envy, gluttony, greed, sloth, lust, anger, and pride) are at the root of the problems in our contemporary society. Actually, the early Fathers of the Church, the desert mystics, taught about nine deadly sins. Eventually two of them were dropped from the Church’s list in the western world. We tend to not be able to see our own sin.
These two are fear and deceit. Fear is a sin because it underlies hate and prejudice. People fear what they don’t understand. Racial tensions and discrimination of all kinds are born of fear. Deceit is the fallback position of people who think success matters more than anything. They can’t allow anyone to see them fail. The “Big Lie” about a stolen election, perpetuated by someone who cannot bear being seen as a loser, is what is dividing our country now.
Sister Karen Berry, OSF
Midtown
Climate change and young citizens
I am surprised the younger electoral are not more concerned about climate change. I remember during the Vietnam War there was a very strong driving narrative for protests. Here we have lots of young people who are either uncaring or adamant about this striking change in our living conditions and food sources. Where are the young people to “demand” change? I am so sad that our young people are not DEMANDING change. I feel very sorry for my grandchildren all because of oil companies profits. And heads in the sand … not in my backyard. Yeah.
Mary Beth Schneider
East side
Vote out climate change deniers
In 2015, Senator Jim Inhofe, from Oklahoma, brought a snowball to the Senate floor and asked his colleagues “Do you know what this is?” He then said, “Mr. President, catch this,” and threw it. This was his way of proving climate change was a “hoax.” Most Republican Senators shared the same view. After seeing this stunt on TV, I sent him an email, asking him to throw snowballs to Tucson. At the time, Inhofe was the chairman of the Senate Environment Committee. He was one of the most vocal deniers of climate change.
Inhofe’s childish stunt took place eight years ago. Scientists have been warning us about climate change for decades. However, many of our Republicans in Congress have refused to accept the overwhelming evidence that Earth is getting warming. Today, almost all climate scientists agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change.
Let’s vote out all the ignorant ones in Congress and vote in real leaders that will actually address climate change as top priority.
Robert Ferguson
Sahuarita
Barry Jones
Re: the Aug. 4 article “Backers raise funds for man freed from death row in Tucson girl’s killing.”
As a life long and proud Democrat, I never thought I’d write this but I hope the GOP has a candidate for County Attorney. Her response to the Barry Jones released is sickening and the response is equally absurd. To portray him as a victim is unbelievable, he was responsible for the death of a innocent child. We need a County Attorney that punishes criminals and mostly not one that was a defense attorney.
Lupe Robles
South Tucson
Racism
Disgusted!
This past week President Biden signed a bill establishing a national monument honoring Emmett Till whose abduction, torture and murder in Mississippi in 1955 helped propel the Civil Rights Movement. This should be a step forward in taking responsibility for the complicated history of our country. But at the same time, guided by the Republican governor, Florida adopted new educational standards that whitewash history by teaching students that some Black slaves benefited from slavery because they learned useful skills. Further, the Alabama Republicans are refusing to draw a second Black congressional district in defiance of the Supreme Court. I find the actions of the Alabama and Florida Republicans disgusting and they should be condemned for their blatant racist actions.
Jerry Fay
SaddleBrooke
Biden money questions
How does a Senator from one of the smaller states in the US become a Multimillionaire while earning six digit salary? How does his family become fabulously rich? Why does he say he thought he would be able to make decisions? Follow the money.
How does a community organizer from Illinois become Senator on a six digit salary become President twice? Then on to becoming a multi-multimillionaire, running with some of the richest people on earth? And still continues to pull the puppet strings? Follow the money.
How does a Prosecutor who was overruled by the Supreme Court for misconduct chosen to prosecute a political opponent?
Why is he trying to switch the venue from Florida to DC?
Lawyers with any knowledge of the law should be asking the same questions as a lowly person in trouble with a skewed prosecutorial system.
How can I get Justice against the unlimited resources of the Government which I pay for? Follow the money.
Richard Barnes
East side
Conduct unbecoming for a President
What does the American public want from its elected (or previously elected) officials? The answer: respectful decorum.
A former president, and a contender for the 2024 presidential race, continues to spew, ad nauseam, about how he is being wrongly targeted because of many indictments. Will this former president’s behavior ever change? Probably not. But in the elegant words of Chris Christie, regarding this person (August 8, 2023) “Is this the kind of conduct that the Republican Party or the American people want from someone who could be president?” I hope that the answer to this question would be a resounding NO!
Mary Jo Swartzberg
SaddleBrooke
Abortion rights voter initiative
I support the new abortion rights initiative and will sign the petition to add this to the 2024 ballot. The initiative essentially codifies Roe: legal abortion to the point of fetal viability and after, if the physician makes a good faith professional judgment that the patient’s life or health is at risk.
To the surprise of nobody, Cathi Herrod opposes this, saying it’s “too broad” and predictably launches into the misogynistic myth that perfectly healthy women with perfectly healthy full-term fetuses are lining up around the block to get abortions.
If Herrod doesn’t think the patient’s physicians are qualified to make the determination of medical risk in a crisis pregnancy, who should make that call? The GOP state legislature? The church? Herself?
One needs only read the heartbreaking testimony of the women in Texas who were denied medically needed abortion care to see the damaged caused by non-clinical ideologues dictating medical practice. It’s time to stop letting politicians practice medicine without a license.
Jennifer Larson
Northwest side
Kudos for Op Ed
Re: the Aug. 9 article “Making politics miserable for the rest of us.”
Editor the Star:
Kudos to David Hoefferle for his unerring Op Ed. We do not have to put up with this misery, and he explains how, in honest and simple ways, we can turn the tide and reinstate civility in our discourse and actions.
John Barringer
East side
How many extreme weather summers will it take?
Re: the Aug. 6 article “Do we really need the Regional Transportation Authority?”
Thanks Curt Lueck for your comprehensive assessment of the Regional Transportation Authority. Your suggestion that a Regional Transit Authority would be more appropriate aligns with our two urgent challenges of building climate-friendly mobility and electric power infrastructure within this decade.
We here in Pima County have two primary ways of taking responsibility for our climate changing emissions 1. replacing our fossil fuel-based electric power generation with renewable sources and 2. creating a comprehensive regional transit and mobility system powered by microgrids of distributed solar energy and local storage. This challenge is paramount as we work toward successful local and regional elections.
How many more extreme weather summers will it take before we realize that absent this level of climate commitment, we will be left vulnerable to the inexorable heating of the planet with no end in sight.
Robert Cook, Past-Chair, Tucson-Pima Metropolitan Energy Commission
Midtown
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