Tucson Speaks Out: March 21 letters of the day

Re: the Feb. 22 letter “Christian nation on abortion.”

The letter writer is mistaken. We are not a Christian nation. We are a nation under God. God is there for anybody who seeks him, not just Christians.

Annie Maud

SaddleBrooke

Fewer rapes = fewer possible abortions

Re: the Feb. 22 letter “Christian nation on abortion.”

The letter writer bemoans the fact that in states with very strict anti-abortion law, some 65,000 pregnancies resulting from rape are unable to be aborted. Why does he not focus on the bigger issue — that 65,000 women were raped! 65,000 men thought it was OK for force themselves on a woman — and we’re only talking about SOME states in our country — those with strict anti-abortion laws. How many more rapes occur in all the other states? Let’s think less about the pregnancies and think more about teaching men that rape should never happen. Parents need to teach their sons that raping a woman is the worst crime possible for a man to do. The letter writer would do well to work harder to discourage rape. Then there might be fewer resulting pregnancies that a rape victim wishes to eliminate. (Not that it’s any of his business, anyway...)

Karen Micallef

Oro Valley

Christian Nation

Re: the Feb. 22 letter “Christian nation on abortion.”

What country was he referring to? The United States is not a “Christian Nation” and never will be! I resent the constant drumbeats trying to make this country Christian!

Debbie Smith

Foothills

Air pollution

Re: the Feb. 18 article “In AZ, not driving a car is ‘Marxism’.”

A recent letter-writer raised the issue of increased air pollution due to road diets. Using the city’s traffic figures, a UA scientist recently calculated that a road diet on 5th/6th Street would result in an additional 18 million lbs. of CO2 per year into the atmosphere due to an increase in car idling.

Given that one tree can absorb up to 48 pounds of CO2 per year, Tucson will struggle to keep up with this increase. Factor in the number of residences and schools along this stretch of road, and that children breathe up to 50% more than adults, we risk increasing the incidences of asthma among this vulnerable population.

It would seem that some of our politicians care more about furthering their political careers than they do about our citizens.

Colette Altaffer

Midtown

Please look in the mirror

After reading numerous letters bemoaning the GOP, MAGA, or both, one theme shines through. Those folks are all in lockstep on the wrong side of what the left endorses. You can fill in the blanks as to why they think that way (racism, xenophobia, etc.) But a funny thing occurred to me. These complaints seem all to be in lockstep in their characterizations of the right. So next time you opine about those misguided and possibly bad people on the right please look in the mirror before you press submit.

Mark Moral

East side

Migrants at our border can fill jobs

Last May, two congresswomen introduced a bipartisan bill to step up border security and provide a path to legal residency for millions of undocumented people. Did you even hear about HR 3399, The Dignity Act?

Now that effort is left in the dust as citizens react to the surge of asylum-seekers at our southern border. Why do we link drug traffickers with desperate people trying to escape violence, often from cartels?

Yes, there is a crisis at the border. Thousands of migrants survive in dangerous conditions because there are few pathways to immigrate legally. Instead of viewing them as a burden, we should look at who could fill essential jobs in agriculture, food processing, and the hospitality industry.

Unless you are Native American, your ancestors came here as immigrants. They worked jobs no one else wanted until they could work their way up. It’s called the American Dream.

Denise Holley

North side

Embryos are children

The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos are children, and news media headlines followed. Confused Republican women interviewed on NBC News said they were pro-life but were shocked — shocked! — that frozen embryos should be declared children. Wake up and smell the coffee, folks. Pro-life has been saying for years that “Life Begins at Conception.” The Alabama Court simply applied this to pre-IVF frozen embryos.

Robert Yanal

Foothills

Zoning not cause of lack of affordable housing

The amount of affordable housing does not meet needs because banks will not lend to developers building housing for people with low incomes. Those who have money to invest want the best return on their investment. It is considered a good deal to buy an apartment complex and make some improvements and then raise the rent. Just building more housing does not lower the cost of buying a home or renting. Instead we see a bubble of frenzied building and when the bubble bursts the houses often sit empty while there are complaints about the depressed housing market.

Creative things can be done. The city of Tucson has restored and expanded existing buildings and motels for housing. They have streamlined the approval process in the Planning and Development department.

Realtors, landlords and apartment managers can be part of the solution by helping clients become successful homeowners and renters.

In traveling around Tucson I see many opportunities to increase housing, keep open space; and preserve historic areas and neighborhoods.

Rosemary Bolza

Midtown

Presidential age

The age of the presidential nominees is of significant concern. Having hit 80, I can relate. I’m better at some things than many my age and younger, and many more can outdo me. This is to say that age defined by a number is but one thing. Another is age as defined by the experience, knowledge and wisdom gained through the decades. Just as important is the value base, the moral underpinnings guiding each- their individual compassion and humanity. No individual can carry out the job of president by themselves. Successful presidents surround themselves with the most qualified advisors and then rely heavily upon their input to make their decisions.

This election is unique in that both candidates have been president. We can compare them based on past performances, not hypotheticals. Ask yourself: Who has the moral base you most respect? Who surrounds themselves with the most qualified advisors? Who has made the best life and professional decisions? Look beyond age; it’s just one variable.

Franz Camenzind

Northeast side

Authoritarianism

How bout that speech by Trump, over the weekend? Straight out of Adolf Hitler’s playbook. And there were actually people, listening to him. Let’s call it what it is. We have to respond, and let Trump know, we will push back, and we will push back HARD. What a demoralizing picture, he painted of America. Not my America, Donald! How dare you speak, of My America, in such terms! You liar, you absolute liar. You will be gone by November 2024. Evil always loses. Watch this space! As Rachel would say.

Mary Bradley

Northeast side

New kind of hate crime?

Various anti-hate campaigns in the media today fail to mention the biggest hate movement of all, the one currently sponsored by far-right Republicans against Democrats.

Republicans have incited hate crimes against Democrats with offices in Congress and private homes in California and have encouraged hate against judges and election workers.

Do Republicans really get a free pass to hate just because many go to evangelical church and many Democrats go elsewhere?

In Utah, Senate candidate Brad Wilson has a TV ad where he promises to “risk it all” and fires a rifle as he talks about “fighting” Joe Biden. In another ad he takes a sledgehammer to cinder blocks representing Biden’s agenda, which he claims is “destroying” the country’s foundations. This is outrageous incitement to violence against Democrats.

MAGA candidates in this election cycle need to be held accountable for both religious and political hate speech before their partisans actualize their candidates’ violent fantasies.

Kimball Shinkoskey

Downtown

March Madness

Wildcats, Both

March Madness, a tale to be told,

Wildcats, both, fierce and bold.

From Arizona, their colors fly,

As the teams reach for the sky.

The men’s team, with skill refined,

Two seed, will leave a mark behind.

Determined, they step on the court,

A force, adversaries they’ll distort.

But the mighty Wildcats’ dames,

They too, dance the blazing flames.

Selected to play in, prove their might,

With only eight, they’ll make fight.

With grit, battle to overcome,

To victory, they’ll never succumb.

Graceful, with a determined stare,

The ladies of Arizona, won’t despair.

Together, united, a force untamed,

March Madness flowing, unrestrained.

Their spirits soar, boundless and free,

Lighting the court with their energy.

The tournament begins, madness unfold,

As Wildcats fight, for glory untold.

From the court, to the stands high,

Arizona’s pride and passion, fills the sky.

In victory or defeat, to proudly stand,

For the spirit of their Arizona land.

Larry Whiting

Southeast side

Red light hell

Re: the March 18 letter “Running red lights.”

I agree, Tucson is bad for running red lights…recently I saw a school bus run a red light! We can fine the daylights out of them and make $$$ for the city. Not a cure. Tucson transportation engineers think a red light MUST be red. So, hitting a green is pure random luck. Add a driver needing to get to X soon, and you have a very frustrated driver. Like turning left onto Orange Grove off of Sunrise…two long lines, and after two lights you see green OMG it’s turning RED! Guess what happens next! No thought of flowing traffic anywhere. Back in the 70’s on Telegraph Road west of Detroit, once you get in a pod, flowing at 45-50mph, you could drive for miles, and see only greens, dozens of them in a row. The occasional red was no big deal. You can’t run a red light if they’re always green. Which should we choose?

Thad Appelman

Northwest side

Kyrsten Sinema

I’d like to thank Senator Sinema for her service. She promised to represent all Arizonians, and she did. Although she voted with Democrats 93% of the time and caucuses with them, she remained one of the most independent senators. She worked tirelessly to find compromises between the parties. She bravely refused to do away with the filibuster, preventing the Democrats from pushing through some of their more extreme programs. I liked her reasoning that the Senate’s purpose is to put brakes on rushed House bills. Remember, the Democrats loved the filibuster when Republicans held the Senate.

Sinema has proved to be peacemaker, something we need in these acrimonious times. She would be the perfect presidential candidate for the No Labels party. With the majority of Americans unhappy with both major party candidates, this is the perfect time to break their stranglehold over American politics.

Al Westerfield

Southwest side

Thoughtful leadership lacking with Trump

Chinese auto makers are dominating the electric vehicle (EV) market, with cutting edge battery research, innovative designs, highly automated manufacturing and brilliant supply chain management. The result is a high-quality car priced 30 to 50% below what US car makers can manage. Trump’s answer is a 100% tariff on Chinese cars to protect US jobs and car makers from Chinese competition. Sounds great as a campaign speech, but who’s going to pay that tax? It’s not the Chinese, it’s the American consumer who will have to buy an inferior product at an inflated price because US car makers and their labor force won’t have to compete for our business. Trump’s 100% tax on Chinese cars is great for US car makers and the UAW but the rest of us will pay dearly for that protectionism. We need more thoughtful leadership than Trump is offering.

Loring Green

Foothills

Tomorrow is yesterday

On 26 July 1920, journalist, iconoclast, and prophesier extraordinaire, H. L. Mencken, took stock of where the Republican party was going and wrote: “On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

Tom Dudley

East side

Ok, that’s enough!

Ok, today was so terrible re Trump and his saying Jewish people should not vote Democrat, the absolute nerve! I know my parents are turning over in their graves. I hardly know a Jewish person that doesn’t vote Democrat, except, maybe the members of my cousin’s club in Boca Raton Florida, shameless.

Binky Luckhurst

Woodward

Foothills