Abortion opinion
I am a woman, one of many. Abortion is an issue I leave to God. Why do so many think they do his job better than he does? My puzzlement over this issue deals with the fact that we woman would not need an abortion if men kept their pants on. Boy, am I missing my biology classes.
Pamela Fauxbel
Green Valley
Filibuster, Republicans and Democrats
Sen. Sinema is incorrect that removing the filibuster would lead to repeated radical shifts in policy. The fact is that the filibuster is currently used almost entirely by Republicans to block Democrats from enacting bills that both sides know to have majority support. The Republicans do not have any popular ideas that they want to push through, and that is why we have not heard Republicans calling for the filibuster to be removed, even when they could have done it.
The filibuster is not in the Constitution and was not envisioned by the founding fathers. States don’t have it. Other countries don’t have it. We already have two chambers and two other branches of government to provide stability. We have all the stability we need; what we need is a way to get legislation passed so the voters have something real to respond to rather than the endless gabfest of talking heads on TV and in Congress.
William Nelson
Downtown
Reason over emotion
Re: the Dec. 15 letter “Human embryo observations.”
First, let’s agree on one thing. The zygote/embryo/fetus is fully human. After all, what else could it be? Aardvark? The fact that every one of the cells of my body contains my entire genome does not impart independent status upon them or any growths arising from them. We are composed of clusters of cells.
The claim that the fetus “feels” pain assumes that it perceives. Reflexes are not perceptions. The underdeveloped cerebral cortex in utero is hardly the self-aware core of identity that is imagined to be under assault. There is good reason none of us recalls our time in the womb.
Solutions to our impending population crisis will demand rational responses grounded in realistic world models; not emotional ones mired in uninformed personal beliefs. We must choose reason over emotion or be doomed to continue hurtling headlong toward our inevitable, catastrophic conclusion, our rational capacity having been subjugated by our biological imperative. We are after all, fully human.
Robert Gavlak
Midtown
Sacrifices during COVID
There is much being written about this time of COVID-19. Some complain about how terrible the last 1½ years have been because we couldn’t eat in restaurants or go to large gatherings. Some complain about the loss of freedom because they have to wear masks or get vaccinated. Many refused to do either in the name of liberty.
I read these complaints and marvel about how little some are willing to sacrifice for the good of many. Try thinking of being drafted during WWII or Vietnam. Try being forced to leave your home for years, being told where to live, what to eat, what to say, what to wear, where and when to go, and worst yet, whom to shoot. Now that is a real loss of liberty, but one many made.
Now ask yourself, do you really think the small sacrifices we should make during this time even compare? Are they something to complain about? We are stronger than that.
Howard Strause
Foothills
Electric car batteries
Biden and Democrats are pushing America into purchasing electric cars that run on lithium-ion batteries, containing cobalt, a byproduct of copper or nickel.
In 2019, about 140,000 metric tons of cobalt were mined, 70% of that came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). China owns many of the largest cobalt mines there. The companies subcontract for workers at the mines.
A report from RAID (Rights and Accountability in Development) cited “workers who say they are subjected to excessive working hours, degrading treatment, violence, discrimination, racism, unsafe working conditions and a disregard for basic health provision.” Chinese owned mines were noted as the biggest abuser.
“Artesian” or small-scale mining also occurs, employing as many as 40,000 children. These mining operations destroy the environment and emit substantial CO2. Numerous big-tech companies like Apple, Alphabet, Dell, Microsoft and Tesla were sued in a lawsuit over deaths and serious injuries sustained among child laborers in DRC cobalt mines. Buying electric cars furthers the abuse and environmental destruction.
Haley Roberts
West side
Sewage problems in Guaymas
Re: the Dec. 12 article “Hours from AZ, sewage oozes at beach getaway.”
I would like to extend my thanks to Emily Bregel and Kendal Blust for their excellent reporting on the serious problems with sewage being faced by Guaymas residents.
We in the U.S. tend to take for granted things like efficient sewage disposal. As the article makes clear, it doesn’t always work that way, even in a beautiful town close to us — near where many Tucsonans like to vacation.
Maybe their article will shake loose some funding that will provide a safer and healthier sewage system for Guaymas residents.
Gayle Hartmann
Midtown
