To Arizona political candidates
Please cease and desist with all your negative political ads that are unfounded accusations, fearmongering, and mud slinging at your opponents. Squabbling little children behave like that. If you want my vote tell me what you would do about poorly-rated Arizona schools, our dwindling water supply and heating climate, our deteriorating roads, etc. Tell me what you have accomplished that makes you worthy of an elected office that ought to work for all Arizonans, not just your own party.
Ann Litsas
Foothills
Jan. 6 and Watergate
I think Rusty Bowers and Brad Raffensperger got it right defending our election process, resisting any illegal attempt by Donald Trump to overturn the last election. Georgians recently got it right when they soundly rejected Trump’s candidates who were still holding on to the big lie of “stop the steal.”
The Jan. 6th committee is putting Trump’s lie to bed and shedding light on his inner circle’s conspiracy to subvert our democracy. The parallels to Watergate are evident as we remember the 1973 Senate investigation of Richard Nixon. Even though Republicans helped Nixon win in a landslide, they soundly rejected Nixon and his conspirators’ illegal actions. Many in Nixon’s camp went to prison. One critic, our own Barry Goldwater, said, “Nixon was the most dishonest individual I have ever met in my life. He lied to his wife, his family, his friends, his colleagues in the Congress, lifetime members of his own political party, the American people and the world.” Goldwater’s statement was accurate then and would be today about Trump.
Richard Harper
Northeast side
Political party over God
Rusty Bowers: How do you square your faith and everything you stood for at the Jan. 6 hearing? You just stated you will vote for Trump in 2024, as he continues to propagate the election lie you know is a blatant falsehood, that has led so many Americans astray in absolute fealty to Trump? The sheer numbers of his Cabinet and staff who deserted him by the end of his term have told numerous tales of his incompetent narcissism.
You are putting your political party over God and our nation’s people you have sworn to protect and serve. Is there no one else in your party guided by ethical principles that you and other like-minded, law-abiding constitutionalists would be willing to work hard to support? In your desire to choose party loyalty for your continued political power in Arizona over the future of our democracy, you have shown your true character as just another self-interested career politician. Your testimony lost its meaning for me.
Barbara Reuter
Southeast side
The Big Lie
Return to a time before the 2020 election. Polls indicated Joe Biden would win Arizona by about 2%, Pennsylvania by about 7% (Fox News), Ohio by about 5%, Georgia by 0.2 to 0.6%. Polls have an error factor, which is usually disclosed, but none are influenced in any way by bamboo ballots, dead people, ballot stuffers or any other conspiracy. Seems the actual results were not too far from the forecasts.
So much hate, so much distrust of our elections, so many threats and so much division created or exposed. So much money and time wasted to try to find fraud which did not exist. Some bought the lie, hook, line and sinker, not comparing the results to the forecasts. Others caved to pressure, ignoring all else. A few, like Speaker Rusty Bowers, sought proof and stood by their oath of office and duties. I am not aligned with Bowers politically, but he has my respect and admiration. Arizona would be a better place if our government had more like him.
Clarence Johnson
Oro Valley
Your vote more important than ever
I think conservatism, at least as practiced by today’s Republican Party, has lost its way. Republicans are turning into an authoritarian party which will do anything to stay in power and impose their views on the country.
Their positions on three issues are most concerning: abortion access, gun control and free and fair elections.
These issues fundamentally impact American society. Recent national polling shows overwhelming support for abortion access, expanded gun control and protecting voting rights. Republicans would eliminate abortion rights, do nothing to reduce gun violence and overturn elections if they could.
Don’t expect the courts, the Congress or the president to address these issues. But you, the voter, can begin to fix these problems by resisting the lies and false promises you will hear during the upcoming campaign season and not voting for any candidate who does not unequivocally support abortion access, common sense gun control and protection of our precious right to vote.
Your vote has never been more important.
Michael Mulcahy
Northeast side
Potential citizens sent to DC
Re: the June 23 article “AZ has bused 637 migrants to DC.”
I read with amazement that our tax dollars paid for 637 potential citizens shipped out of our state. I am sure we have at least 637 job openings here in Arizona, let’s just give up the political bantering and solve our immigration problems. As an added plus they would pay taxes.
Patricia Newman
Northwest side
Buck not stopping with Biden
President Harry Truman famously had a plaque on his desk that read, “The buck stops here,” meaning he took responsibility for things that occurred under his administration and did not pass the blame onto others. Fast forward to President Biden, he blames everybody else for the disasters that have occurred under his administration. He blamed Donald Trump for the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle that resulted in 13 service members being killed. He blamed Trump for COVID deaths during his term.
We have now surpassed 1 million deaths under Biden. He blames the current historic border crisis on Trump, although he was the one who quickly reversed most of Trump’s border policies. Biden blames Vladimir Putin for our 40-year-high inflation rates that actually began last year. June 23, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell contradicted Biden by saying that Putin was not the primary cause of inflation. Biden now blames oil companies and gasoline station owners for high prices at the pump, instead of his anti-petroleum rhetoric and policies. Pathetic!
Marty Jacobs
Green Valley
A well-regulated militia
Re: the June 23 letter “Guns over people.”
A recent letter to the Star asks for a definition of the phrase “a well-regulated militia” appearing at the beginning of the Second Amendment.
“A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
You can find the answer in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution where the Powers of Congress are enumerated:
Clause 15: To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions.
Clause 16: To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia…
That’s what a well-regulated Militia meant to the Founders, not some disorganized rabble like the Proud Boys cosplaying insurrection. It was also the common understanding in American law until the cynical Heller decision (2008) manufactured a right to guns of any kind in any hands out of the thin air.
Larry Winter
Midtown
The Dark Triad in leadership
In the world of psychology, there is a term for the confluence of several personality disorders in a single person. Those whom exhibit narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy are said to have the Dark Triad. Much has been said about Donald Trump’s mental state over the years, but I think it is quite obvious that he is narcissistic.
Machiavellianism is the belief that the means used always justifies the end result. The Jan. 6 riot and fake electors show this belief. Many noted psychologists and psychiatrists, including Dr. Lance Dodes, have stated that Trump is a psychopath. Trump’s apparent lack of a conscience, lack of empathy, lack of remorse and grandiose self-image are some of the indicators. I think Trump suffers from the Dark Triad. The danger of this disorder in a leader is that some of these traits can be emulated by followers, since the leader is a role model. The nasty abnormalities seen in the leader become normalized by followers to some extent.
Historically, Dark Triad leaders have been nation killers.
Steve Rasmussen
Foothills
What caused high gas prices?
For at least half a century, petroleum experts have warned that the supply of oil is not infinite. During that time, instead of conserving it, the use of oil has increased many times over. The sale of gas-guzzling land barges has steadily increased. Drivers are going faster and leave their vehicles idling for no reason.
This isn’t the first time people have been horrified by rising gas prices. In the 1970s the price of gasoline went to over a dollar! People curtailed driving, bought efficient cars, and even drove slower. But within a year, people went back to their wasteful ways. No one blamed the president because his political opponents didn’t have such an efficient propaganda machine.
A year from now, people will consider $5/gallon a reasonable price. We’ll continue wasting fuel until the next crisis and so on until we’ve extracted every last drop of oil. That last drop will probably be wasted.
Floyd Newsom
Northwest side
The time has sadly come
I think we, the American people, need to move to, no, rise up to decertify/remove/declare the Republican Party as Unamerican and ban it from American politics. They have drifted too far from democracy into Trumpian autocracy.
And we, the American People, will not live under that autocracy. We have domestic issues that immigration could gladly solve, and most important, I think we are witnessing the start of World War III in the Ukraine. The last thing we need directing this country right now is a bunch of RNCs (Republican Nut Cases). Now is the time for America to lead the world back to peace, an awesome, difficult task. It can’t be done by a bunch of deranged politicians trying to imprison doctors who treat gender-confused children!
Thad Appelman
Northwest side
The Catholic Supreme Court
When, in the 1960s, John F. Kennedy was campaigning to become president, a major attack strategy of his Republican opponents was to point out the fact that he was a practicing Roman Catholic. The openly claimed view was that, as a Catholic, his every decision would be dictated by his “bosses” in Rome, i.e. the Pope.
While the rational thinker would, and did, consider that scenario to be ridiculous, today our Supreme Court is dominated by six Roman Catholic justices. Each of the six firmly professes to be “profoundly devoted” to their religious beliefs.
Without question, many of that court’s current decisions are clearly determined with those six justices being steered by their religious views. Roe v. Wade falls first. The governor of Mississippi recently implied that contraceptive practices will be next.
When religion rules a nation, you sometimes get the Spanish Inquisition.
Eric Maurer
Northwest side
Leadership on Tumamoc Hill
I am shocked that the University of Arizona removed Ben Wilder from his position as director of the Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill. Dr. Wilder lifted the Desert Lab from stagnation and rejuvenated it. He celebrated the desert and its culture, inviting the young and old to learn with him. He encouraged a multicultural understanding of the desert by reaching out to Tribal communities and Mexican scientists and students. The Lab became a part of the Tucson community.
Tumamoc Hill has a nearly 120-year legacy of research to respect and continue. With that in mind, Dr. Wilder wrote a strategic plan to carry the Lab into the future. He seemed to be the perfect fit for the job, having been trained by some of the most important desert scientists. I hope that the university wakes up and realizes that the Desert Lab is one of Tucson’s jewels. Ben recognized that. His shoes will be hard to fill.
Susan Rutman
West side
Another Big Lie
Re: the June 25 article “Biggs denies he sought presidential pardon after Capitol riot.”
A simple question. Who do you believe to be telling the truth, Cassidy Hutchinson, a White House staffer testifying under oath, or Andy Biggs, a shameless shill for the well-documented Big Lie, refusing to testify under oath? Talk about depraved nonsense from a lunatic. I think Andy Biggs is a traitor and a liar.
Stanley Steik
Midtown
Trump in Forgottonia
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, locals frustrated with the lack of funding for transportation and infrastructure projects proclaimed a 14-county area of western Illinois “Forgottonia.” I remember “tolls” on rural bridges and other attention getters. Ironically, former President Donald Trump held a rally Saturday in the heart of Forgottonia in Mendon, a rural county seat town in Illinois with a population under 1,000. I wonder if he was foreshadowing his future.
Katherine Shindel
Foothills
