Traitors in our own backyard
While changing the flat screen I stumbled onto a war movie, “Hamburger Hill,” a true story of the battle in Vietnam! I got flashbacks of dead bodies, body bags, etc. Then I thought of my three high school friends, Chris Evans, Randolph J. Beylick and Donald Crone. Teenagers who died for our freedoms. Don was a MIA from 1970 to 1994. Please visit them in D.C. on the wall. Then I think of the people I consider traitors, the Kelli Ward, Trump family, Rep. Paul Gosar and too many more to list. Now we have a Trump puppet running for governor. Fraudulent electors here in Arizona, and other states. We didn’t serve to see cheating, hear lies, voter oppression and much more. I will vote Blue against the Republican Party from now on. The parents of my three friends died very young, of broken hearts.
David E. Leon
Vail
TSA screening to come home
I am old and was born and raised in this country. Recently, I made a trip to Costa Rica. To return to the United States, I was required to have a COVID test ($38), which if not negative, required me to quarantine in Costa Rica for five days before being allowed to return. I was negative, and when I entered the United States, I was thoroughly examined by Immigration, and my baggage was X-rayed. I then had to go through TSA again before continuing my trip.
As I experienced this, it made me wonder if the 1 million-plus undocumented that have crossed the southern border had faced similar scrutiny. I think not. It was amazing to me that I, as a law-abiding, tax-paying citizen, was considered a greater threat than an undocumented non-citizen with an unknown background who is entering the U.S. Amazing.
Pudge Johnson
Oro Valley
Who deserves treatment?
Re: the Feb. 19 letter “Admission ticket to our hospitals.”
A letter to the editor prompted me to think. Why stop at barring the maskless and unvaccinated? Why not bar those who smoke and get cancer and those who overeat and are morbidly obese and develop diabetes? How about barring those who accidentally shoot themselves with a firearm? We could bar those who drive too fast and get hurt in a car accident. Bar those who take illicit drugs and those who abuse legal drugs.
This would radically reduce the number of people coming to the hospital and provide a solution to the “problem” about which the writer is complaining. We could have the writer advise government officials on which categories of people deserve treatment and mark those who do not.
Dale Knight
Oro Valley
Autocracy or Democracy poetry
For us, it is a first, never before, more than a curse, sick, sick, to the core. Hate and division is here, promoting the big lie, our society, now, full of fear, to Democracy, we may say goodbye. As Hitler and Mussolini did, a coup they arranged, now Trump makes his bid, and is, as they were, deranged. The Republican Party has become a cult, with a leader promoting division and hate, heil Trump, heil Trump, to a fault, unless, we the people do not protest and demonstrate. Autocracy or Democracy, take your pick, with a Democracy, we are free, with an Autocracy we will be sick, and for sure, with this poem, to jail I will be. So, speak out, protest, history must not repeat, we all must do our best, or, our Democracy will take a back seat. No heil Trump, no heil Trump!
Mark Adams
Northwest side
Weekly report not enough
Gov. Doug Ducey is probably not 82 years old, probably not bothered by sinusitis, serious allergies, a damaged heart or kept alive by a CPAP sleeping machine at night, so he doesn’t feel a need to know when the daily case number gets back below 200 so those of us who do live with such maladies can go outside again after two years hunkered down living off of Schwan’s and Amazon.
I know, we’re way too much trouble for Gov. Ducey to pay us any mind, no loss if we have to go to the hospital and face death in the hands of exhausted health workers. I think Gov. Ducey just doesn’t want to be bothered anymore by this pandemic thing and the constant ringing in his ears of more Arizonans dying day after day, week after week, year after year.
Lyn Paul Relph
Southwest side
Karrin Taylor Robson
I find it curious that Karrin Taylor Robson’s political ads no longer mention her support for Donald Trump. She wants to finish the “Wall” — is Mexico paying for it again or perhaps a “Go-Fund-Me-Page?” What’s her position on the 2020 election — fair or fraud? How about public schools — does she support public education or the Republican party-led efforts to destroy it? Does she support the Republican-led efforts to make the voting process more difficult? She’s never held public office; why does that make her qualified to lead this state? Lots of questions to be answered during this upcoming campaign.
Tom Haslag
East side
Republicans and taxpayer funds
We have seen Arizona Republicans seriously challenged by reality even when proven wrong by actual fact. They claim they are the party of “financial responsibility,” but claims are challenged by stories about money lost on Data Ninjas, violation of electronic voting machines now useless, and now investing more money into the southern border wall.
They want to spend $700 million dollars of taxpayers’ money for the wall that a recent story in the Washington Post noted had been breached more than 3,000 times. The individuals passing through the barrier find it easier to cut through it than go around it. In fact, they patch previous cuts with tinted putty and use them over and over.
I guess Arizona can regain wasted funds from accused border wall fraudster Steve Bannon through property taxes on his house in Oro Valley.
Alan Barreuther
Foothills
Not setting an example!
On March 2, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had a press conference on Workforce Education: Cybersecurity. There were several teenagers behind the podium. They were all wearing COVID masks.
As DeSantis approached the podium, he scolded the teenagers by saying: “You do not have to wear those masks. Take them off! Honestly, it’s not doing anything, we gotta stop this COVID theater. So, if you wanna wear it, all right, but it’s ridiculous.”
A few takeaways from this glimpse into the behavior of the governor.
These teenagers will always remember the way in which they were treated.
These teenagers were given a glimpse into the character of a man who should have been a role model for them.
Mary Jo Swartzberg
SaddleBrooke
2022 Festival of Books
As co-chairs of the 2022 Tucson Festival of Books, we have heard from dozens of friends, acquaintances and complete strangers expressing excitement about our return to a live, in person event this month. The Festival is truly one of the highlights of our civic life. Its full-scale return is an important step in overcoming the trauma the pandemic has inflicted on our community.
A huge factor in making this happen has been the leadership and operational support of assistant vice president Chris Kopach and the entire staff of University of Arizona Facilities Management. In addition to the enormous burden they have carried responding to COVID for the past two years, every segment of the UA operations team has pitched in to prepare the campus for 100,000 plus visitors over Festival weekend. It’s an incredibly complicated process — planning meetings have the feel of preparing for a Mars Launch.
We hope that everyone who attends the Festival will give a thought to the many UA workers who have joined with over 1,000 community volunteers to make this event possible.
Lindy Mullinax and David Nix, Steering Committee co-chairs Tucson Festival of Books
Central
Proud to be a subscriber
One of the reasons that I subscribe to the Arizona Daily Star is that I value the Opinion section, both to see what people in my community are thinking and to get outside professional opinions on the major events in today’s world.
The March 3 Opinion pages were particularly enlightening, and I want to recognize the discussions about Ukraine and Nepal in particular for the outstanding background they provided. The choice of articles by Alexander Motyl on Ukraine’s leader Zelenskyy, Kirk Astroth’s on the background of Nepal’s current status, and George Skelton’s on Ukraine’s first independence day, as well as Tom Purcell’s prayers for Ukraine’s chief during this tragic time were all educational and thought-provoking, as well as expressing opinions from a depth of understanding.
Thank you for providing us with ideas that can help us be better-informed citizens in Arizona, the United States, and the world.
Delores Keahey
East side
Who’s next if Putin not stopped
Before we entered WWII, the USA watched Hitler march through Europe and did little or nothing to stop him. Our country tried to stop Japan expansion into China and other countries by putting an embargo on oil. Japan considered this an act of war and attacked Pearl Harbor.
Putin now states that sanctions are an act of war.
Will the “most powerful country in the world” and NATO wait to see mushroom clouds appear over their own countries before they act or simply capitulate?
I believe Putin is a bully and will do whatever he wants unless and until someone proves that he can’t.
War is ugly, but servitude is worse; and I say that as a former Air Force officer, both of whose brothers and brothers-in-law served in the military.
And, if Putin is not stopped, who do you think will be next, another former Soviet country or Taiwan?
John Cioffi
Northeast side
Trash all over highways
My son-in-law visited Tucson this week and asked why there is all the trash on the highway. I too am amazed. There are first steps the state could take that would help — it has in other states.
A $.05 bottle return would give incentive not to throw bottles/cans out car windows. Those desperate for money seem to help pick up the ones that litter. Plastic bags should not be allowed. The litter that you see attached to everything along the side of the road is plastic. The loud cars we hear everywhere should fail their emissions test if their engine / muffler sound was above the decibel allowed to reduce noise pollution.
Not easy fixes, but better than watching our roads get more and more trashed and vehicles get louder and louder. I remember littering was a governmental concern with the campaign “Give a hoot, Don’t pollute.” I don’t think Arizona wants trash to be what visitors take home as their first impression.
Susan Bennett
Southwest side
Censure of Wendy Rogers
It was hard to believe, but the Arizona Senate Republicans finally found something they couldn’t stomach, although it was certainly a low bar. They, along with every Democrat, censured Republican Sen. Wendy Rogers for comments she made at a white nationalist conference. It was far from the first time and likely not the last that she will make despicable, racist statements. But she still retains full senatorial privileges, even after threatening other Republicans.
When asked about her comments and his $500,000 donation to her campaign, Doug Ducey’s response was just as egregious. He said Rogers is better than any Democrat. What an embarrassment.
Maybe Arizona voters have had enough of Republicans passing laws to suppress votes, make it harder to get citizen initiatives on the ballot, give the rich massive tax cuts and underfund education spending. Much of which has made Arizona a laughingstock. If so, perhaps they will elect a Democratic governor and Legislature in November.
Dan Gipple
Southeast side
Common sense, common courtesy
It seems to me that so much of the anger, angst, hate, discord, intolerance, division, suspicion and distrust that is so grievously afflicting our beleaguered nation today could begin to be resolved if we would all go for one day without going on the internet and just talk to each other while practicing what I call the four C’s: Diligently apply common sense, common decency and common courtesy and earnestly strive to find common ground. My dear beloved mother, Lynn, always told me: “Nancy, it doesn’t cost you anything to be nice!” So why not give it a try?
Nancy Silberschlag
Foothills
