When does a war end
When driving down Main Street in my home town during the 1950s my father, a veteran and medical doctor, would see WWI and WWII veterans he knew loitering or coming out of bars. He would comment on their service record and speak of “shell shock” and “too much war.”
After seeing the horrors of war and not being able to adjust back to a “normal” life many veterans turn to addiction of one kind or another. Keeping a marriage together, staying sober or parenting becomes difficult or impossible.
My father was very proud of his military service during WWII. He suffered a major heart attack while in the Navy. Following his discharge from the Navy his physical limitations caused him to give up his much loved practice of medicine. While growing up I remember the times I would wake up at night hearing him yelling in his sleep about an enemy airplane attacking his ship. For my father WWII didn’t end until April 17, 1999.
Al Kackley
East side
Mayor and Council compensation
Re: the Nov. 10 article “Tally shows pay raise for mayor, council voted down.”
The voters and non-voters of the City of Tucson should be ashamed of the defeat of the proposition to raise mayor and council compensation. A simple calculation of the current compensation for council members reveals that they are working for less than the minimum wage in our city of $12.15 per hour. The number of hours in a work year is generally considered to be 2080 hours; dividing that into their current $24,000 annual salary reveals that council members are paid approximately $11.54 per hour — less than minimum wage. Part of the argument is that council positions are considered to be part time; ask any council member if that is true. A similar argument can be made for the mayor’s compensation. While it is true that compensation is not a motivating factor for individuals seeking public office, we should acknowledge and be respectful of the time and effort that they devote in studying and addressing the many difficult issues that face our city.
R.M. Navarro
Midtown
Walk it, talk it, wear it!
Re: the Nov. 10 article “Rep. Gosar’s ‘creativity’ is disturbing.”
How long will it take for Congressional action to remove Rep. Paul Gosar from his office? Not only is he a public nuisance by his refusal to wear a mask but the words coming out of his mouth (which are mostly unintelligible) are a danger because of his threat of violence against fellow members of Congress. He is a devout practitioner, as is Trump, of stochastic terrorism, speaking long and loud to reach the most vulnerable who are immersed in their own “bubble” of doublespeak. Are people waiting around writing and proofing their press releases about “thoughts and prayers” if he sparks the next spasm of violence somewhere in the country or in Washington, D.C.? Is Congressman Kevin McCarthy ever going to step in and show how the GOP is the party of self-responsibility and obeyers of the nation’s laws? I think not! This is their “platform” for the country.
Alan Barreuther
Foothills
No to the current map
We are currently in the process of redrawing congressional and state legislative districts in Arizona. A draft map has been submitted and during November public comment is solicited. In-person and zoom meetings with the Independent Redistricting Commission have been scheduled. I encourage you to go to irc.az.gov to find a schedule of these meetings and let your voice be heard.
The Arizona Constitution, among other considerations, calls for these proposed districts to be compact, contiguous, and to respect communities of interest. I call your attention to Proposed District 17. This is a classic example of gerrymandering. It looks more like a dragon than a compact, contiguous district. To me, it grabs and connects areas of Tucson simply to combine like-minded voters. It is clearly drawn to favor one party over another. For this and other reasons this draft map should not be accepted.
Brian Templet
East side
Rail between Tucson and Phoenix
With the advent of the infrastructure bill in front of Congress, Tucson has the chance to bring high-speed rail between our two cities. The planning for this game-changing dynamic begins now. The least disruptive route would be using the median on Interstate 10. The train should stop in Casa Grande and Marana before reaching downtown Tucson. The benefits to our community would be enormous if handled properly. The planning for this should begin now and not wait. A committee should be set up to plan ahead.
Sheldon Feldman
Marana
Sen. Sinema should support democracy
Legislatures in a number of states have passed anti-democracy laws that allow election results to be managed in order to overturn the will of the people. These laws also make it more difficult for citizens to vote. Passage by Congress of the Freedom to Vote Act and/or the John Lewis Voting Rights Act would prevent these states from undermining our democracy. However, Republican senators are using the filibuster rule to block these pro-democracy federal laws. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema should discontinue her support of the filibuster or, at least, support allowing voting rights bills to be approved by a simple majority. Similar exceptions (“carve outs”) to the filibuster rule are used by the Senate for other measures, such as confirmation of federal judges. This is a democracy vs. autocracy issue, not a liberal vs. conservative issue.
Paul Marion
Oro Valley
Hate speech
Re: the Nov. 9 article “Kristallnacht anniversary is a reminder to end hate speech.”
I appreciated Dan Thalheimer’s article on Kristallnacht and a plea to end hate speech. I also am saddened that in our America and our democracy we continue to experience hate speech and violence to Jews and other minorities.
Thalheimer lives in Chicago and in Skokie, Illinois they have an incredible Holocaust Museum. We have a Holocaust center here in Tucson which could probably fit into a small corner of the Skokie museum. Though our center is small the message is big and the same, “let’s learn from our history and let’s put a stop to antisemitism and discrimination.”
Lynda Rogoff, Docent at Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center
Foothills
