Holidays evolve
Recently, our holidays have changed names and changed the purpose of our holidays. Christmas has changed from celebrating the birth of Jesus to celebrating family get-togethers. Santa Claus is more important in some families than the life of Jesus. It is also time for Kwanzaa and Hanukkah.
Armistice Day celebrating the end of WWI was changed in America to Veterans Day, a day to honor all veterans, Columbus Day was changed to Discoverers’ Day and eventually to Indigenous People’s Day to honor the first settlers in our country. Native Americans settled in our country more than 12,000 years ago.
Now (according to an article on Fox online) there are several universities that want to change “Thanksgiving” to a “Day of Mourning.” Thanksgiving is more than celebrating the first Thanksgiving between Pilgrims and Native Americans. It is a time to count your blessings. Every one of us from the richest to the poorest has something to be thankful for.
Thomas Wenzel
East side
He forgot some conspiracies
Re: the Nov. 20 article “Conspiracy theories must be exposed as destructive”
Paul McCreary bemoans the fact that conspiracy theories are running amok. But he forgot to include some Democratic conspiracies as well as Republican. For example, he didn’t mention the now totally discredited Democratic conspiracy charge based on the totally discredited Steele dossier that Trump colluded with the Russians in the 2016 presidential election, and for two years the Democrats promulgated that conspiracy charge with no supporting evidence whatsoever. He also didn’t mention that Stacey Abrams, who lost the 2018 Georgia election for governor, still claims that election was stolen from her. So the conspiracy charges work both ways.
In any event, conspiracy theories offered by individuals are protected under the First Amendment, and citizens are free to believe any conspiracy theory they choose. They are harmless unless undertaken by our own government, which was the case with Trump.
David Pearse
Foothills
Electric vehicles
What is going on with the Biden administration? They have a conference on electric cars and don’t invite Elon Musk, the Tesla guy who has made the market for electric cars. The guy who has rooftop solar integrated into Tesla Corporation to power the vehicles in the garage. Not even taking into account the guy who has powered more rockets into space that anyone else.
Invite GM, Ford and the United Auto Workers, but don’t invite the guy with the vision, smarts and money! Probably because Tesla is non union? Maybe driving up the cost of fuel is also part of the program to push electric cars? Amazing!
Dave Locey
Foothills
Handmaiden servitude
The effort to force women to carry unwanted fetuses to term is a clear violation of the secondary part of the 13th amendment. That amendment prohibited slavery and involuntary servitude except in the case of criminal conviction. The draft has been ruled another exception, but soldiers are at least remunerated.
Possible remedies might include the U.S. granting citizenship to all fetuses, or the states criminalizing having sex unless pregnancy is wanted. Otherwise, those states that prevent voluntary abortion should pay the woman for the remaining term of her pregnancy, plus all medical costs, plus any disability or death resulting from the pregnancy.
In addition, the “unwanted” baby should automatically become a ward of the state unless the mother or father chooses to raise it, in which case they could be required to reimburse the state. A special tax on anti-abortion organizations (including churches) should pay for this. These more equitable rules would make conservatives be responsible for their choices, too.
Chuck Greeson
North side
Condition of Tucson
A few months ago, I wrote a guest opinion column regarding the condition of our roads and crime rate — which is higher than any other Arizona city our size.
Well, things have not gotten better but a lot worse. Our streets are falling apart, our traffic is totally out of control, and our streets are like the Wild West out there.
We can’t blame this on our police force as they are under-manned and underpaid. I see more fire trucks on the road than police cars.
A couple of days ago, I saw on the national news that a dozen U.S. cities have set annual murder records with three weeks left in 2021. Tucson was included on that list. With the current state of Tucson, one of the problems we are going to have is getting our city back under control. This will be hard to do, but it can be done.
Pat Darcy
Midtown
Appreciation for TPD officer
At a time when many of us in our community are reeling from the deeply disturbing recent behaviors by a couple of TPD officers, I’d like to share an experience bringing some balance. Officer Shaeffer of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department efficiently and good-humoredly helped us wrangle our escaped horses safely home. The situation was tense as night was falling near a fast, paved road. I’m sure there are many such public safety stories.
Connie Lauth
Northwest side
A huge thank you
Friday night my son was driving us to my home, when we pulled into my driveway and there was a car that pulled up behind us and called out my name. I didn’t know the people in the car, but they knew my name. Then they told me they found my wallet on 12th and Drexel. I didn’t know I had lost it, but they handed it to me and, yes, it was my wallet with all the contents inside.
I thanked them and they left. But after they left, I felt terrible that I didn’t even get their names. There were three people in a very nice black car. I hope you read this so I can express how grateful I am that you took the time to drive all the way to my home to return my wallet! I’m so sorry I didn’t express this to you more than I did.
Beverly Machac
West side
Roe v. Wade under attack
No one is pro-abortion, but women have been terminating unwanted pregnancies for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Without proper assistance from knowledgeable practitioners, many of those terminations resulted in the sterility or death of the mother. I think Bill Clinton had it right when he said abortion should be safe, legal and rare.
Now Roe v. Wade is under attack again with Texas and Mississippi both bringing cases before the Supreme Court. If Roe is overturned, 21 states would likely ban all abortions. The brunt of those restrictions would fall on the young, the poor and the disabled, many of whom are minorities.
The Woman’s Health Protection Act (H.R. 3755) has passed the first vote in the House and is now on the legislative calendar. It will standardize the laws in all states to allow safe, medical abortions up to viability (24 weeks). Contact your Congress members and senators and ask them to support this bill.
We cannot return to the Dark Ages.
Leadawn Anderton
Southwest side
Kentucky loss of life
Condolences to families and friends who lost loved ones in the recent tornado in Kentucky. For perspective, 66 lost their lives to COVID in Kentucky that day with an average of 59 per day that week. Some deaths are more preventable than others, please get vaccinated.
Joe Tabor
Midtown
