Tucson Speaks Out: Oct. 20 letters of the day

The end

Those wanting to close the border see this as a quick fix, easy solution. Although subject to debate, most trying to cross will die in a week without water. If they do get water, but no food, it will take a bit longer, up to three to four weeks for most to die. With nowhere to go, it won’t take long before the bodies will start to pile up at the border walls. Those getting to the border seeing all of the dead bodies immediately learn their fate with no way to prevent it.

For those living on this side of the border, the stench of hundreds, of thousands of dead bodies will become indescribable. Mexico’s only solution will be to transport the dead in front loaders to mass graves.

Not a pretty picture. No telling how long this would go on because those wanting to get into the United States would rather die than be killed where they currently live.

Jon and Cathey Langione

Marana

Remember next year

I certainly hope that everyone remembers that Juan Ciscomani voted for someone for speaker of the house who conspired with Donald Trump to overthrow the election on January 6, 2021.

He does not deserve anyone’s vote.

Michael Seibold

Midtown

A call for secularism in politics

It seems to me that the tragedy in the Middle East is largely the fault of God. If the concept of deity was forcefully ejected from negotiations the opposing factions might get somewhere in a generation or two. Gods are the worst political negotiators ever. As long as Gods are allowed a seat at the table there will be no compromise, no empathy, no surrender. I quote Roger Waters, “What God wants, God gets, God help us all.”

Thomas Maza

East side

Hudbay tax credits for a not so green project

Although Hudbay’s Copper World project is on private property and is not subject to the rigorous environmental review their Rosemont Project has undergone, both projects share many issues of environmental concern. The topic of Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (TENORM) has received significant attention by regulatory agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which published an evaluation of the concentration of naturally occurring radioactive material at Arizona copper mines (EPA, 1999). The ore bodies at Copper World share a similar provenance with the mines evaluated by EPA, where impacts by TENORM are documented. The potential exists for impacts from Copper World generated TENORM to air quality through fugitive emissions, to groundwater quality through seepage from heap leaching operations, and to surface water quality through surface water pathways. These very real public health concerns require an evaluation of potential TENORM impacts from Copper World before this project earns a “green energy” label.

Sheldon Clark

Vail

$1.5B Pima County Republican failure

Re: the Oct. 13 letter “Follow the money for incorporation.”

When I read the letter by Ted Maxwell of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council (SALC), I was transported to the mid-1990s. These were the arguments we used to try to pass a Pima County Charter.

The stats about the money loss was higher than my estimate. Mr. Maxwell estimates it costs the region nearly $50,000,000 annually for the unchartered areas of Pima County. This means that the anti-county charter Southern Arizona Republican business leaders of the 1990s have cost the region nearly $1,500,000,000 in funds that could have improved roads and built a better Pima County. Why? Because, while Republicans then claimed that the Republican-led legislature leaders were doing a good job representing Pima County, Republicans actually did not want the Democratic-led Board of Supervisors to possibly have more power.

SALC wants another Republican-run town as a powerbase and wants to add that town to the RTANext committee so that Tucson will continue to subsidize development outside its city limits.

Matt Somers

Midtown

Call our representatives to action

Re: the Oct. 12 article “A wake up call on poverty.”

Dear Editor,

The author explains clearly that we know how to cut the poverty experienced by 40% of Americans. In other words the hunger, homelessness, and even daily deaths of the 135 million Americans living in poverty is a policy choice. Initiatives like the expanded Child Tax Credit made an immediate difference and they can again. What is missing is the political will for Congress to take action. It is our voices that can help create the political will to end this deadly poverty in the world’s richest country. Let’s call those who represent us and tell them it is time to take action now.

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Willie Dickerson

Northwest side

Freedom-loving people

A basic tenet of democracy is to hold terrorists accountable for acts of violence. We must also recognize who the terrorists are.

Terrorism is not just carried out by “illegitimate” organizations like Hamas, but countries like Russia, who wage outright war against innocent neighbors. “Silent terrorism” is also perpetrated by corrupt officials who take land, and strangle the lives of marginalized people, whether they be Palestinians, Tibetans, indigenous people or demonized groups of any kind. These acts are particularly rampant among high-profile far right figures, for whom power and violence is signature, and who exploit and encourage their minions to use disinformation, violent acts and personal threats to air their grievances.

If we are to find lasting peace, our Republic must not only recognize who the terrorists are and hold them accountable, but also stop demonizing communities and ensure that all parties have a seat at the table.

Otherwise we cannot call ourselves a freedom-loving people.

Chris Hawkins

Midtown

The homeless in AZ

Every day on my walk to school I walk by Jacobs park. A park where I see two older men who are homeless. They are quite sweet saying hi to me every time I pass since I see them every day, but now these two sweet men are being displaced because it’s “unsafe” and there is a safety risk. So they decided to build a fence all over this beautiful park. Sadly them being “criminals and drug addicts” a stereotype plaguing every homeless person in Tucson. They are seen as less than, as if they are all constantly choosing to be in their situation. I plead with everyone, next time you see a homeless person give them water, talk to them, help them feel seen — it’s what we all yearn for. I’m tired of the dehumanization of the homeless.

Guillermo Chavez

Downtown

What the GOP is offering us

He said we need to suspend the Constitution. He calls our war dead suckers and losers. He openly admires the world’s authoritarian dictators. He thinks a long serving General should be executed. He incited an uprising to overturn an election. What could possibly go wrong with another four years of Donald Trump as President?

Mary Zimmerman

SaddleBrooke

Dead Man Walking

Juan Ciscomani signed his electoral death warrant by voting for hard-right extremist Jim Jordan. Ciscomani has announced his alignment with fringe Republicans and is out of step with moderate 6th congressional district voters. His predecessors — Kolbe, Giffords, McSally, Kirkpatrick — were all middle of the road legislators. Juan, we hardly knew you.

John Stark

Southeast side

What a prince

There’s an ad playing on television extolling the virtues of Rep. Ciscomani for supporting the 45-day extension to keep the government working and saving the economy from disaster. As if there was any other choice.

What a hoot these guys are. The ad is akin to those members of congress who voted against the infrastructure bill, but were sure to appear at the ribbon-cutting ceremonies in their districts, trying to brush some fairy dust on their actions.

Better not slap yourself on the back too hard, Juan. You still can’t elect a speaker and the deadline is fast approaching before we again face economic disaster. Plus we certainly don’t want you pulling a muscle in self-congratulations.

Larry Fleischman

Northeast side