Tucson Speaks Out: April 21 letters of the day

VP Kamala Harris’ visit to Tucson

So, after the Arizona State Supreme Court’s ruling reinstating a 1800s abortion ban for the state, VP Kamala Harris rushed to Tucson to denounce it and to support a Democrat sponsored Arizona Constitutional Amendment enshrining abortion up to six months into law. Notice how Harris has never rushed to Tucson to visit the Tohono O’Odham reservation, wherein under her and Biden, hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals from countries around the world have illegally entered the state/country. Now the epicenter of illegal immigration. She has not expressed any regret or sympathy for the Biden administration’s border policies that have stressed out local NGOs and local government continually looking for funding to accommodate people released from U.S. Border Patrol custody. That is of no interest to her. Not politically beneficial to her or Biden. It is quite obvious that Harris and Biden care more about protecting the right of women to terminate a developing human being than securing the border and protecting our public safety and national security.

Dorothy Monroe

Sierra Vista

Butch Cassidy and Kari Lake

Dear Editor,

Candidates for the United States Senate once took a measured approach to life and elections. Not so any longer.

Trump acolyte and Senate candidate Kari Lake in Arizona advises folks to “strap on a Glock,” presumably because everyone needs one of those to get their opinion across at election time.

In Utah, Republican Senate candidate and former House Speaker Brad Wilson has a TV ad where he discharges a rifle while talking about “fighting” Joe Biden.

I can see the handwriting on the wall folks, can you? The wild, wild West that has no respect for law and order has resurfaced in the form of Butch Cassidy and the MAGA Kid.

Kimball Shinkoskey

Downtown

Copper World isn’t potentially disastrous

Re: the April 17 letter “No to Hudbay.”

This letter is the typical overwrought, false narrative of potential disastrous air and water pollution from Hudbay’s proposed Copper World project, which is 27 miles distant from Tucson. Here’s a stark dose of reality for Hudbay’s detractors, including the clueless Star staff.

The Sierrita (aka Pima) Mine has been in operation for 65 years and sits literally on top of Green Valley and Sahuarita, combined population of over 56,000. Name any SIGNIFICANT air or water pollution incident connected to that mine in the past 65 years, during which, when mining laws have gotten much stricter. Same with the false fears of sulfuric acid, used for ore processing, shipped into and from the Sierrita Mine site. Nothing happened. Critics of Copper World exist on Chicken Little gnashing of teeth. That’s real world reality, everyone. Join it.

Stephen Sollenberger

Foothills

Promoting lies

Re: the April 15 letter “Good Jewish-American or bad?.”

If not so pathetic, this letter would be laughable. He promotes lies about Israeli ‘genocide’ against Gazans, asserts false expertise in discerning levels of Jewish observance, and conflates Israel’s moral obligation to defend its people with nearly every 19th and 20th Century human tragedy. Putting aside his Jew-bashing and unadulterated lie of genocide in Gaza, I fit his description of a ‘Bad American Jew.’ I want Hamas — terrorists sworn to Israel’s elimination and the murder of Jews — destroyed. I understand Hamas’ October 7 massacres as crimes against humanity. I want all kidnapped hostages freed unconditionally. I support Israel’s right to self-defense. And, as an unabashed Zionist, I believe that Israel represents the rebirth of the historic Jewish Homeland. Maybe millions of ‘Bad American Jews’ could make it easier for the letter writer to recognize us if we wore some sort of badge. A Yellow Star of David, perhaps?

Kent Blumenthal

Green Valley

Why is Trump better?

Re: the April 17 letter “Consider the alternative.”

The letter writer says that he “will most likely vote for Trump in November because, despite his many faults, he is soooooo much better than the alternative”.

I would greatly appreciate the letter writer explaining to me why a known criminal is soooooo much better than Nikki Haley, or Ron Desantis, or Mitt Romney, or Liz Chaney, or any of the other highly qualified, truly conservative Republicans out there. Why is his party choosing a morally and ethically bankrupt criminal as its candidate?

Steven Brown

Midtown

Laws from the Stone Age

I note in a recent article that in addition to the restrictions on abortion that came from the 1860’s law makers, there were also laws stating people of different races could not marry and laws against homosexual relations and laws saying girls of age 10 were proper bait for sexual contact. Are these laws still on the books? If not, when were they removed and how?

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Jeannette Studer

Marana

Mike Jette and experience

A retired criminal defense attorney recently wrote that Mike Jette, county attorney candidate, doesn’t have the kind of trial experience necessary to be county attorney. In his 16 years as a prosecutor, Jette has tried homicides, sexual assaults, frauds and other white collar crimes, federal immigration cases and tribal matters. He has essentially tried every kind of crime that gets prosecuted. At the moment I’m writing this he’s giving a closing argument in a high profile Santa Cruz County case because the county attorney there sought Jette’s expertise in trying that murder case. In contrast, the current county attorney has never prosecuted a case. Ever. The difference is staggering. Yes, Jette has the experience to be our next county attorney.

Rick Unklesbay

Midtown

Trump do over

Do you think DJT would want a do over on his hush money payments? If he would have used his own money and got NDA from both ladies he wouldn’t have violated any laws.

But no, he wants other peoples money to pay. The crime is that he used campaign funds to pay them and then recorded in his books as legal fees. Cohen paid them off and got caught in the scandal and went to jail.

Now DJT is stuck all day in the court. He can’t concentrate for 10 minutes let alone the entire day. He has already been put on notice by the judge to stop interfering with the jury process.

I wonder if the judge will put him in a separate hearing room so not to hinder the trial.

While he is stuck in court every day Biden is out doing rallies and speeches. Bad imaging for DJT.

James Mclin

East side

Beware of PayPal fees on tax payments

Pima County now offers online tax payments through PayPal. I decided to use this, processed the charge through my account and it was confirmed with a “Service Charge” of $15.28. There was no warning at all about this exorbitant charge. To put this in perspective the charge to draft a checking account is 50-cents. Pima Treasurer’s office refused to cancel the payment listed as “pending” on their website and referred me to their third-party processor Sturgis who also refused to cancel the charge. Be aware of the high price for using PayPal at the Pima Treasurer’s Office.

Steve Sox

North side

Friendships with Biden supporters

Re: the April 15 article “Questioning friendships with Trumpers.”

Shapiro proposes that we do not become friends with people who support Trump. Why not propose that we do not become friends with people who support Biden.

What should people who do not support either candidate do? I suggest that independent voters should not become friends with people who support the more evil candidate. My standard is how many people the candidate killed either directly or indirectly.

I will grant that Trump is a buffoon and erratic, and he has done many follish things. But Trump has killed only a handful. The best example is the killing of the Iranian General.

Biden’s record is horrendous. His support of the war in Ukraine has caused the death of almost a million of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers. Also over a millions soldiers have been seriously disabled.

Conclusions: Biden is more evil then Trump, and people should not be friends with Shapiro.

Saul Rackauskas

Southeast side

Presidents don’t control gas/food prices

Re: the April 18 letter “Back to $4 a gallon of gasoline.”

First, The U.S. is the world leader in oil production and has been for six straight years. In fact, 2023 saw the U.S. set the all-time world oil production record. Second, Saudia Arabia and Russia have both reduced what they are producing thereby putting pressure on gasoline prices (possibly to help Donald Trump this election year). Third, giant food conglomerate corporations are making massive profits while blaming inflation for higher prices. For example, Cal-Maine Foods 2023 profits increased 718% over the prior year, Kraft-Heinz profits increased 448% while Conagra brands increased 56%. Presidents simply do not have control over gasoline and food prices.

Gerard Lillie

Green Valley