TSA accepts immigration warrants as ID
Can you say insane, unbelievable or ridiculous? The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has confirmed that they are allowing undocumented entrants to use their U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued civil immigration arrest warrants, I-200 Warrant for Arrest of an Alien, and I-205 Warrant of Removal/Deportation, as alternate identifications to board commercial airplanes. Apparently this practice pre-dates the Biden administration, but it is still ludicrous. Just where are these people traveling to, back to their country of origin, which I doubt, or to some other destination within America?
Charley Favors
Three Points
Public money for public purposes illegal?
Let me see if I understand this correctly. The Republicans in the state Legislature want to prevent public entities (public education school boards) from using public money (taxes) to represent their interests (Arizona School Boards Association) to public governmental bodies (in this case the state Legislature).
Yet these same Republicans apparently have no problem with a public officer (the governor) using public money (federal grants for COVID relief) to fund enrollment in non-public schools (private and parochial schools) as punishment for those public school districts who have mask mandates.
It is more than ironic that it will be unlawful for public entities to use public money for a public purpose while at the same time it is perfectly okay for private entities to have access to public money without having to follow state public educational mandates. It is truly a strange state in which we live.
Craig Whaley
Oro Valley
Sinema, a model of bipartisanship
Re: the Jan. 22 letter “Sinema is no kind of leader.”
Sixteenth-century British writer John Heywood famously remarked “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” A letter writer stated that he had seen no evidence of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema attempting to reach a consensus or demonstrating leadership. Her record in the Arizona state Legislature shows otherwise, earning her the same sort of criticism she is receiving now from those holding the perverse notion that a representative government demands that elected officials accede solely to the interests of their political party, to the exclusion of those of the opposing party.
The Bipartisan Index published by the non-partisan Lugar Center, which is based on a count of bills sponsored by members of Congress that are jointly sponsored by members of the opposing party, consistently ranks Sen. Kyrsten Sinema near the top. Just within the past few months, multiple mainstream news sources have credited Sinema for the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
You need only open your eyes.
Stanley Kissinger
East side
Putin never threatened Ukraine under Trump
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine has started evacuating families. Putin has about 150,000 troops and hundreds of tanks poised on the Ukraine border ready to invade. How come that never happened under Trump with Putin having all that blackmailing evidence of election “collusion” and the videos of Trump consorting with prostitutes and urinating on a bed in Moscow? Why? I believe Putin found Trump strong and unpredictable. Obama and Biden had only provided Ukraine with non-lethal equipment, but Trump gave them Javelin anti-tank missiles. He took out ISIS leader al-Baghdadi and Iranian General Soleimani, both having the blood of many Americans on their hands. Putin knows Biden from having invaded Crimea, that resulted in modest sanctions. He has observed Biden’s cut-and-run disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Our European allies are not onboard for severe economic sanctions if Putin invades. And, Ukraine’s President Zelensky denounced Biden’s brilliant minor incursion into Ukraine remarks, seemingly indicating that it would be tolerated. None of this happened under Trump!
Donna Davis
Northwest side
Masking and omicron
I’ve been pleased that Tucson-area skilled workers are masked when they come into my home to do a job, but they are wearing either cloth masks or surgical masks. The CDC recommends KN95, KN94, or N95 masks during the surge of Omicron for the highest levels of protection. It’s my hope that local companies would care enough about their employees to provide these better masks, especially when they have to work somewhere inside. Doing so would seem to the employer’s benefit to help keep their employees healthy so that they can continue to work!
Glenna Ganster
Foothills
So much political division, so little attempt to bridge it
There is a lot of talk about how we should bridge our political differences. It may be impossible to do. It may be the natural evolution of any political system.
In the beginning of the country, both sides were willing to solve our common problems and did. As the years went by both sides had problems to solve that the opposing side were against and the divisions grew to where we are today.
There seems to be no cooperation or common ground on many of our problems.
The best example today is Roe v Wade and vaccination, where both sides are at the extreme of their views.
Should people have control over their bodies whether it be for abortion or to be vaccinated?
Donald Plummer
Northwest side
Why COVID anti-vaccine advocates spurn the vaccine
We have heard this personal freedom/state’s rights arguments many times in the past. Slavery was a state’s rights issue that the federal government should stay out of. After the civil war, it was segregation that was sacrosanct and none of the federal government’s business. Then came civil rights legislation, once again a state’s issue, with the additional argument that people should be able to decide who to serve, who to rent to and who could go to a public swimming pool, all based on race.
Now it is the anti-vaccination crowds turn to tout personal freedom/state’s rights, arguing variously that COVID is not real, it’s not dangerous, the vaccine is dangerous, or ineffective, or developed the wrong way or against my religion and a way for the government to track us.
Nowhere do the anti-vaxxers discuss personal responsibility or helping fellow humans stay healthy. For them, the death of close to a million Americans is just not enough reason to get vaccinated.
Howard Strause
Foothills
Cash bail in Pima Co.
Re: the Jan. 20 article “Pima board backs bid to eliminate cash bail.”
Last Thursday I spied an important article located on the last page of the paper, just before the funnies. Hmmm? Cash bail! Isn’t that the law passed in New York, state and city, that lets criminals out on the street almost before the police paperwork is finished, so said criminals can terrorize the public again? It is! Do we want that in Tucson and all of Arizona?
We have a system in place that seems to have worked well for many years, called the Community Bond Program.
Pima County “will now devote lobbying resources to the initiative.” Do you want your county taxes spent to lobby the state Legislature to pass this amendment to our state Constitution? If not speak up, and let your county supervisors know of your dissent on this very crucial matter.
Carolyn McSpadden
SaddleBrooke
