Tucson Speaks Out: March 26

Good for the goose

I would like Republican House Speaker Steve Montenegro, and all Republicans everywhere, to know that I support canceling Cesar Chavez, a man accused of sexual assault.

So long as it also includes Donald Trump, a man found liable for sexual assault in a court of law, is on record for saying where he can grab women and publicly bragged about wandering the Miss Teen USA dressing rooms to look at the teenage girls as they get dressed.

I’m sure we all agree that “...honoring a man who committed sexual abuse against children and assaulted women” is a problem.

Right?

To the Democrats in the Legislature: I challenge you all to attach this idea to any such legislation to see how sincere it really is.

David Reynolds

East side

Humane execution?

The Arizona Legislature is proposing a firing squad option for execution of people on death row. Supposedly, it is more humane than lethal injection. How can any execution be humane? The only humane way to treat death row inmates is to commute their sentence to life in prison.

Sister Karen Berry, OSF

Midtown

Christians

To our LTE author who recently asserted no Christian ever reads the Star. You are wrong, sir. Many of my God-fearing friends and I are avid believers in the power of local journalism, like our Star. We believe this administration is assaulting everything we hold dear as Christians. We believe that we follow Jesus, who (like the man of God he was) touched and loved the widow, the orphan, the foreigner…all those on the fringes who are tossed aside, neglected and abused by governments. We follow a man of peace, who despised even weapons offered in his defense. I believe there is nothing Christian about the hateful, greedy, vindictive, and outright mean actions taken by my country in these last two years. I am appalled, and I pray daily that we would turn instead to the compassion and care for neighbors Jesus called us to. We serve a God of love. Let’s live it.

Melinda Sims

Catalina

Bad idea

I am a retired U.S. diplomat who thinks our war of choice against Iran was and is a very bad idea. Here’s why:

— U.S. service members' deaths (13) and injuries (over 200)

— Iranian civilian deaths and injuries (including over 170 at an Iranian girls’ school)

— Same regime still runs Iran

— Regional escalation (Iran attacks Israel, Gulf countries, Iraq and others)

— Over one million displaced in Lebanon

— Sharp jump in prices of oil, natural gas and gasoline, leading to inflation and possibly global recession

— Sharp increase in Russian oil revenues, which finance war against Ukraine

— No buy-in by Congress, the American public or our NATO allies

Imagine if the nuclear agreement negotiated with Iran in 2015 were still in place.

David Dunford

East side

Rate increases

Some Tucsonans, and the not-from-Tucson Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), want the city to buy and operate TEP so "electric rates will stabilize and/or go down." Tucson Water, the example, is trying to float the latest multiyear graduated rate/fee increases. So local rate increases are OK?

Scott Thompson

East side

The Land and Water Conservation Fund

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has long protected the places and recreation opportunities that define life in Arizona. From boat ramps and fishing access sites to local parks and wildlife habitat, LWCF ensures important projects move forward while strengthening local economies and small businesses.

Since 1965, LWCF has invested more than $16 billion nationwide, benefiting every county in every state. It remains one of America’s most effective bipartisan conservation tools. The Great American Outdoors Act, signed by President Trump in 2020, permanently funded LWCF at $900 million annually using dedicated offshore energy revenues — increasing public access for hunting and fishing, protecting habitat and supporting outdoor recreation without relying on taxpayer dollars.

Today, however, LWCF faces serious challenges to its intended implementation. This includes threats to siphon away funding dedicated to this program, attempts to restrict the implementation of the program, and the withholding of required project lists from Congress that have created a bottleneck, delaying recreation access projects.

Robert Rees

North side

Red Star and DEI

Two LTEs from disgruntled conservatives were printed recently. One writer stated that he does not read the Arizona Daily Star because it is too liberal. He also stated that there are “hundreds of thousands of people in Tucson who love the Lord and love America." I agree, and many of those people are Democrats.

The other writer complained that the paper was not following the “one letter per month” policy. This person wants only one letter per month per writer to be published. That looks like advocating DEI to me. Letters should be printed based on quality and timeliness, not to fill a quota. I’m surprised that the writer of the LTE would support such socialistic policies.

Gary Haslett

SaddleBrooke

Frequency

I suppose Mr. Aufmuth would complain if this letter gets printed, since I just had a letter published the other day. Still, I hope it is printed as I think this needs to be said ... I believe it's a shame that the Star chose to waste space on Mr. Aufmuth's pointless and very likely biased letter (biased because if he really wanted to complain about excessive frequency, he surely would have mentioned Loyal Johnson's never-ending presence in the LTE section). My real point is, if Mr. Aufmuth is truly tired of the "same old BS," instead of complaining about it, why doesn't he submit a letter (or letters) that actually has something to offer in terms of meaningful commentary, whatever that may mean to him? In reality, I think Mr. Aufmuth's ire is not directed at writer frequency as much as it is to his displeasure at seeing ideas he simply doesn't like or agree with.

S. Ross Emmanuel

Southeast side

ICE already funded

The Democrats in Congress have forced two government shutdowns in the past year, both of which canceled paychecks for most of the Department of Homeland Security. However, for the latest shutdown, there has been almost zero media coverage explaining the insanity of the Democrats’ action.

For example: The headline AP story of your March 24 paper continues on Page A4, stating “Funding for the department (DHS) lapsed Feb. 14 as Democrats refused to fund ICE ...” This statement is untrue. The Republicans’ budget bill last year included ICE funding through next year, so no additional ICE funding is needed or requested for this year. The Democrats created this latest shutdown on the lie that they are preventing ICE funding for this year. Why doesn’t your newspaper, the AP, and most media call out that lie to educate their readers? Such fair coverage could quickly end the current shutdown, which is doing so much harm at our airports and many other agencies.

Tom Gordon

Northeast side

Forgetful, or uninformed

Did they know the name change from the "Department of Defense" to the "Department of War" was a warning? They forgot tariff wars and the increased prices. They didn't know what it did to farmers. They forgot the DOGE layoffs, and government workers in food lines. They forgot healthcare. They didn't know that Trump shutdown 2.0 stopped air traffic control paychecks. They forgot ICE murders and how they detained thousands of immigrants legally in the USA. They forgot the 140,000 dead in Ukraine.

They’ll forget Trump shutdown 3.0. They’ll forget that both parties agreed to a deal, but Trump killed it. They’ll forget the Middle East War and gas prices, and lifting sanctions on Russia, allowing more Ukrainian slaughter. They’ll ignore the words of former allies, who no longer trust the United States.

But they’ll vote for Republicans again in November. Why? Because they always vote Republican, and their fathers before them. They don't know. There are no more Republicans.

Cindy Doklan

Midtown