Abortion rights
Re: the June 29 article “Time for compromise on abortion.”
I always find it a bit cavalier for men to express their opinion on how abortion should be handled. They really have no clue what being pregnant and not having the right to make choices regarding their own body would be like. Pregnancy is very risky and costly.
And to suggest “compromise” is amusing, too. The word is foreign to today’s Republican Party. They don’t seem to compromise on anything. If they did, Merrick Garland would have a seat on the high court, and Roe would likely be intact. There were already many limitations on abortion. It doesn’t make sense to have these vary drastically from state to state. And if it did, then why doesn’t that philosophy apply to gun ownership? Yeah, yeah, the antiquated Second Amendment. How about the right to privacy and bodily autonomy?
Mary Jordison
Northwest side
Good Samaritans
Driving north on Silverbell on June 28 afternoon I noticed a couple of motorists trying to get my attention to pull over to the side of the road. The driver ahead of me pulled over and let me know he saw flames under my engine. He then proceeded to help put out an engine fire. I want to express again my sincere appreciation and thanks for their help. It could have been a lot worse if they had not assisted. Also, a big thank you to the several people that stopped to offer a ride, to make a phone call, a bottle of water or other assistance. These acts of kindness made my day.
Scott Beach
Northwest side
Help me out here
Re: the June 8 letter “Help me out here.”
I am so glad that some reacted to my short letter.
It has given me a window into who is part of our president’s dwindling support.
I have never participated in an election where hatred of a candidate, instead of like and support, was reason to vote. Someone has invented a new way to choose a winner.
I am looking for answers from some of the 15% who still support him at this point in his administration.
Afghan pullout failure, inflation at 8.6%, gas prices at $5-plus a gallon, food prices, building supplies and all commodities all through the roof. The border under control?
Where’s the success?
The president’s economic advisor said that all this turmoil was all part of transitioning us to the new Liberal World Order.
Help me out here.
Rich Barnes
East side
My COVID experience
Because there is no doubt a stigma attached with contracting COVID, I considered not sharing this information, but I am anyway. I’m just an average person, and like many of you I began to let my guard down. I stopped wearing my mask in crowded indoor locations. Costco, grocery stores, restaurants, movies and yes even the D-backs’ Chase Field.
Four days ago, I awoke with a sore throat, not unusual for this time of year, then a stiff neck, then the sniffles, I wrote these off as a “summer cold.” Then my temperature spiked to 99.9, everything ached, my lungs burned, my head hurt, and I was congested. I took the home test, positive for COVID.
These were many of the same reactions I had when I had both shots and both boosters. While I was lying in bed and my lungs hurt, I thought, “this might be it.” And the isolation from my loved ones has been hell. COVID is here, it is unpleasant, wear your mask.
Richard Harper
Northeast side
Older women unite
Re: the June 29 article “This brave old lady ready to take on the legislators.”
Guessing I am a bit older than Kathleen Bethel, I found her editorial about being a “brave old lady” right on target. I also reflected on how in my younger years I admired Maggie Kuhn who founded the Gray Panthers in the 70s and how I vowed to be like her. She once said, “Old people and women constitute America’s biggest untapped and undervalued human energy.” There is still truth in this statement and might give the Star some thought to include a regular column on wisdom and reflection from the elderly.
The other wisdom from Kuhn’s life and work is that she joined forces with youth and the Gray Panthers’ motto was “Age and Youth In Action.” Doing some research I found there are still chapters of the Gray Panthers, although none I could find in Arizona.
With our democracy so much at stake today, let’s tap more of those “undervalued” resources and move forward. The more the merrier!
Gypsy Lyle
Northwest side
Dangerous intersection
Re: the July 1 article “Driver killed in crash.”
Aaron H. Lee, 53 was killed at the corner of Pima and Beverly. Please, somebody in charge of Tucson streets, drive south on Beverly to Pima. There by the abandoned Circle K, pull up to the intersection, look left and notice how impossible it is to see oncoming westbound traffic. You have to pull way out into the intersection to see anything.
I cannot figure out exactly why it is so hard to see. There are a few oleanders in the way, but I think it is more than that. It seems the whole intersection is out of alignment. Please investigate and correct before someone else gets killed, please.
Abigail Byrd
Midtown
Pro-life movement
Re: the June 28 article “For pro-lifers, ruling isn’t cause to gloat.”
I value reading diverse points of view. This editorial was disappointing, with naïve and deceptive arguments. It promises a commitment to “enact laws and policies that provide protection to the unborn and also wrap-around support to vulnerable mothers and families.”
The history of efforts to secure such policies as child allowances, maternal leave and even simple cash grants for poor families is one of consistent Republican Party opposition and general stinginess throughout our country. States have a shortage of licensed foster families.
The real priority of the pro-life movement was revealed in assertions that the U.S. has “truly been an outlier when it comes to abortion policy” and that most Western countries seldom allow abortions after the 15-week mark. The author also erased the history of violence by pro-lifers and suggests that pro-choice advocates are calling for vandalism and violence. Where is good research and respect for truth?
Ann Nichols
Foothills
Pro Trump
My wife an I have watched every minute of the Jan. 6th select committee hearings explaining the numerous schemes on how Trump tried to overturn democracy by Republicans. What I don’t understand is the TV and radio advertising and roadside signs for candidates that are pro-Trump. After watching the hearings, to us, pro-Trump means that you will lie, cheat, steal, intimidate, bribe, make up a conspiracy theory and resort to violence to win. How absurd that we live in two completely different realities.
Terry Louck
East side
Justice Thomas’ agenda?
Several writers have noted that in Justice Thomas’ statement, he identifies several decisions that could be overturned: same-sex marriage and contraception among them. They observe that the same reasoning could also overturn Loving v. Virginia (mixed race marriage) — which would cause his own marriage to become invalid.
Maybe that is exactly what he wants.
Claudette Haney
Green Valley
Unwanted babies
U.S. women, for various reasons, have between 600,000 and 900,000 abortions annually, depending upon who is counting. Knowing that, one wonders if the current members of the U.S. Supreme Court have thought about what happens when all those hundreds of thousands of unwanted, often fatherless babies soon begin overwhelming our welfare systems and as adults, our criminal courts. And then, homelessness.
Is that really what we want? We would wish for long-term common sense and wisdom from these justices rather than partisan ideology — but we’re not getting it.
Bill Perry
Ajo
Our country
Celebrating our nation’s birthday, I pray for our future as we are at peril. We are deceitful, lying about elections.
Instead of discussing differences in a civil manner, we call people names and send threatening letters. To solve disagreements we shoot others without remorse. We used to arrive at compromises for the common good, but now obfuscation and insurrection seem to be the order of the day.
Shame on us; our mothers and fathers would be disappointed. I fear for the country my grandchildren will live in. We have gone astray, and I pray every day people will look inside themselves, find their moral compass and regain the vision of our founding fathers.
We must regain control from those with extreme views who are trying to hijack the country, or we will no longer have a democracy.
Bruce Dockter
West side
The buck stops here
As the pandemic seemed to be endless, there seemed to be two thought processes. One, stimulate the economy and lower the unemployment rate, and risk inflation; or do nothing, as happened in the Great Recession. Unemployment skyrocketed, but inflation was kept low. Chances are, you can’t have it both ways.
Kevin McCarthy
Oro Valley
AZ Daily Star availability
Kudos to Tucson Appliance Company for making local newspaper content available to all online for free for the past week.
Thank you, Chris Edwards.
Kate West
North side
Loss of democracy
I think the recent Supreme Court decisions brought us a big step closer to transforming our democratic republic to a theocracy. The nationalistic Christian right’s goal envisions transforming the Office of the President to a combination Ayatollah/Grand Wizard/Pope-type position.
The government would then be based on the writings and interpretations of an ancient faith-based book, not on established law, science or reason. Women would be subservient to men, gays would be forced into hiding, and only white straight Christian men would be allotted full rights.
Citizens are expressing shock and anger at the dangerous direction of our country. However, during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings, information became available tying the nominees to extremist religious and political organizations. Nevertheless, they were confirmed to a lifetime appointment. Either we start mitigating the right wing transformation, or we lose our democracy.
Ed Espinoza
Southwest side
Morgan Abraham in LD 18
I will be voting for Rep. Morgan Abraham for the State Senate in LD 18. I’m a former public school teacher, and Rep. Abraham has been a strong voice for public education at the Capitol this session and played a crucial role in getting our schools over $1 billion from the budget. He has been fighting for public education in Arizona since he was a student at the UA, and always will. That is why he has been endorsed by the Arizona Education Association. He is the clear choice for education for the State Senate.
Kevin Volk
Midtown
Taking steps backward
When James Madison was writing the Constitution, he ignored the advice of his wife, Dolly, to be mindful of the women. At that time, women had no right to own property. If a man beat a woman it was his legal right to do so. If a woman beat a man or refused him sex she could be put in the stocks and severely punished. The children belonged to their father, and women had no right to say anything about their care or them being given to another. If a woman did not obey, she was considered insane and frequently locked up. If a baby was born dead or died soon after birth, the mother would be hung as a murderer. Six Supreme Court justices want to return to the way it was when the U.S. Constitution was written. That should give us all nightmares.
Bette Bunker Richards
Northwest side
Conception Cops
Now that Roe v. Wade has determined that birth begins at conception, it is necessary for society to assure compliance. Police departments need to recruit and train Conception Cops. Need not be equipped with body armor. But body cameras will be required. Voyeurs need not apply.
Kenneth Haber
Northwest side
School of embryology
I don’t know what they’re teachin’ these days at the school of embryology, but anybody who’s ever had a pap smear knows that the cycle of pregnancy starts at the first day of the most recent menses about two weeks prior to conception with the typical cycle being: ovulation, fertilization, zygote, blastocyte, embryo, fetus, baby.
The human heart develops fully in the second trimester (weeks 13 to 24) of pregnancy, well past the embryonic phase of development. Anyone who is telling you that a heartbeat is detected at week 6 is emotionally manipulating you. Anyone who has ever had an ectopic pregnancy or miscarried in the third trimester can tell you that it’s not actually a baby until it is actually a baby.
Cynthia Duncan
Midtown
