Mideast troubles
There are no winners in the Mideast conflict, just losers. In Gaza, the innocent women and children will never be the same. If they live through the turmoil of bombs and rockets falling from the Israeli sky, destroying what little of life they had before, they will certainly have lives of fright physically for a long time to come.
No less for the people of Israel, who have lived under the continuous threat of Hamas attacking them for decades.
But then it is not the Gaza general population, the million or so, doing the harm. It is a few men from the ranks of Hamas poking the giant and then crawling back in their holes. To kill the few, Israel will devastate the many, and maybe not even get the few.
The Mideast has always been a sore place for America. We arm the Israelis and send aid to the Palestinians to make up for it.
Ron Lancaster
North side
The Polish Folk Ensemble and Wat Buddhametta food vendors get high traffic during lunchtime at the 50th annual Tucson Meet Yourself in Jácome Plaza, Oct. 13, 2023.
Tucson Meet Yourself
Re: the Oct. 21 letter “Friday the 13th.”
In a recent letter to the editor, the letter writer makes valid points regarding Tucson drivers, particularly downtown. However, in his final few non sequitur sentences, he disparages the fabulous Tucson Meet Yourself celebration, and I take issue with that. You cannot drive through this celebration, and there is ample parking nearby. We attended Saturday night with no problems (driving there or walking through) and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Give it a try next year, letter writer.
Pat Murphy
Northeast side
A walking path between courses
I do not understand the Tucson City Council’s need to create a pedestrian pathway between the Dell Urich and Randolph North golf courses midtown. There has never been a public outcry that this pathway be created ... why now? Most walkers happily walk the three miles around the courses or the two miles encompassing the Zoo.
Golfers, myself being one, cannot imagine the city placing pedestrians as living targets for golf balls. Has the city checked with their insurance department? Even the best golfers can hit an errant ball. Only last week, a golfer on Randolph hole one almost hit me as I was finishing on Dell’s 18th hole. Golfers are not accurate. I live across the street from Randolph and have had a skylight, and glass back door shattered, a solar panel destroyed, and a front porch light knocked out from errant balls. I also pick up three balls daily in my front yard. Does that tell you how accurately golfers hit their balls?
Anna Don
Midtown
Appropriate ageism
Re: the Oct. 15 letter “Answer to ageism.”
The letter writer gave an excellent answer to the issue of ageism. He compared President Biden’s record and behavior to that of the despicable former president.
First of all, this country elected President Biden to do his job. That is exactly what he has been and is doing! Why did we elect him? The choice was an obvious one, and there are still no democratic party contenders for his job. Why is that? It’s because he remains a decent elder statesman with 40-plus years of experience working for this democracy!
I’ll still vote for the man who honestly doesn’t believe in terrorism or communism. In the meantime, we all need to figure out how to legally deal with immigration. We need to care enough to support and vote for the right person for the job of president. Finally, we need to vote for the person who really cares about this country and our people.
Janice Campos
Foothills
Outrage, vote NO on Prop 413
Reading a daily paper has been an important part of my life every day, yet it has become a source of outrage lately. Our roads are a disaster: major thoroughfares bumpier than many country two tracks; unenforced traffic laws; deafening vehicles; life-threatening speeding; water issues continue without plans to limit growth; infill to continue the heat island effect; drinking sewage in the future; code enforcement laws, like traffic laws, which may as well not exist. And now, to reward such things, we are supposed to more than double the salaries of those responsible! Really? If it weren’t so sad, it would be laughable. When I moved to Tucson in 1994, it was a much nicer city. Growth now goes unchecked, laws unenforced. Vote no on 413 and support candidates for change.
Catherine Grossman
Midtown
Tucson water needs
I agree with Councilmember Kevin Dahl: water conservation should be our first priority. Just walking around town, you can see thousands of gallons of drinking water being wasted daily. It will be much more efficient (and less costly) to conserve the drinking water we have, rather than distill it from sewage water.
David Finkelstein
Downtown
A new idea for the Middle East War
Let’s stop the bombing and turn the utilities back on. Start dropping letters offering $1,000,000 for information leading to finding the hostages and the Hamas people who started the killing on Oct. 7. The Utility services that are now turned off; they need to be on, so the people have some place to give their information.
Do it for three months!
Will this work — who the hell knows? We do know that destroying Gaza is not working.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
F. Timothy Dugan Jr.
Green Valley
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No thank you, Prop 413
Election time: Vote this way, don’t vote that way! With so many directives, it can be confusing to know what way to vote. Take time to read the election pamphlets, and also take time to ask questions. Your vote is confidential, unless you choose to make it public. I’m voting NO on Prop 413 (to raise the pay for City Council members). The giant flyers say to vote Yes because people deserve to be paid for the full-time position. It shouldn’t be a full-time position. And if it does become one, reallocate their staffing funds. The argument claims that the pay raise will encourage a more diverse pool of applicants. Doubtful. It’s a money grab. For fair votes, let everyone run. Everyone campaigns on $100. Get rid of the City’s matching funds program. Use ranked-choice voting. Put all candidates’ opinions on the City’s website. Make the elections affordable, and people will run. Thank you for reading.
Felicia Chew, 2017 Tucson City Council Candidate (Ward 3)
Midtown
Why isn’t Iran being held accountable?
The only ones thrilled by the current conflict (s) are all-male, political, and religious leaders of Iran.
They chuckle as they suppress, imprison, and murder their own women, supply missiles and money to Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, Syrians and to others.
We can almost hear them laugh and sense their immense satisfaction from where we are sitting.
As others do all the dying.
Paul Zohav
East side
No confidence
As a supporter and regular donor, I am saddened by the recent events at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. Getting rid of the two executives and hiring the interim director was the right move, but based on recent reports from former volunteers, it appears the problems go much deeper. My question regarding this crisis is, where was the board oversight? I’ve been a member of various boards, and the main responsibility is to provide oversight of policy, procedures, and executive decisions. Based on past letters to the editor, there appears to have been cause for concern but little to no corrective measures on the actions of certain staff. The agency has hit a low point in confidence from the community. The best way to restore confidence is to clean house; the Executive Board Members should strongly consider resigning.
Edward Espinoza
Southeast side
