Let’s choose compassion regarding abortion
Re: the Jan. 25 article “Reflections on anniversary of Roe v. Wade decision.”
I drowned amid propaganda while reading the op-ed by Jodi Liggett, et al. Phrases like “constitutionally protected health care” and “reproductive justice” were used as euphemisms for the killing of an innocent life in the womb of its mother. Pro-life activists are painted as seeking power and control while causing stigma, and the real “pro-life” stance is to support abortions in order to “welcome a child into a secure and just world.”
Let’s be clear. The world is not secure. It is not just. It never has been and never will be. Millions of babies have been killed in the U.S. since 1973. There is no justice for those children. There is no health care for those children. There is no hope for them or our country if we continue to approve and pay for this heinous, hidden evil. Don’t be fooled by the rhetoric of those who seek to kill our future and misrepresent the power of compassion.
Molly Lamb
Northeast side
Hope for a better business future
With a change in administration there are many possibilities. Changing how the economy is measured is needed to better evaluate how programs are working. We must stop using growth as a measure of success.
In the adult body, when cells grow beyond replacement levels, it is cancer. The focus on economic growth has harmed the environment that we depend on for life. Who can live without air and water? Let us measure success by measuring innovation, well-being, and sustainability.
On a local level, a grant program for local businesses is needed. Businesses need help to transition from power derived from oil, gas and coal to sustainable energy that does not poison us. Business must be challenged to transform into products and services that increase well-being as measured by health, employment and education.
Rosemary Bolza
Midtown
A step-by-step guide to better voting
Four years to prepare.
Voting day becomes a national holiday like in most other civilized countries.
No absentee voting except for military stationed overseas and embassy personnel.
All voting machines manufactured in the United States. All the software on machines created in the United States and certified by the National Security Agency.
Ballots will have a designated spot next to a signature block for a mandatory fingerprint capture.
Those working in critical jobs that must work on the holiday will receive four hours from work to go and vote. They will be paid for the time.
No media personnel will be allowed inside any voting area.
All personnel authorized to be in polling place or ballot counting rooms will have a badge ID with photo.
No preliminary voting results will be released until the all polls close.
Persons medically unable or physically unable will be polled five days prior by a voting official.
Russell T. Hanam
East side
Dems smarter than most think
I’m appalled at the citizens of Tucson already claiming that the new president wants to burn down the country and let every undocumented alien in without consequence. You don’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar to understand that’s just not correct. But we’ve got a few.
One stated that Tim Steller won’t call out the hypocrisy of the Democrats for impeaching Donald Trump twice. They don’t care that he broke the law for his first impeachment and incited a takeover of the Capitol for his second. If it was Obama, he would have been tarred and feathered under the GOP.
Hypocrites are those that ignore the facts and only speak out for what they think is right, especially when they’re wrong. Thank you, Alan K., for helping me make my point.
John Bingham
Northwest side
Which ‘soul of America’ are we fighting for?
Joe Biden has stated that the 2020 election was about the soul of America. My question is, which soul? Is it the soul of Founding Fathers who touted that all men are created equal? Is it the soul of men who denied the equal rights of clearly identified minorities? Or is it the soul of opposing inequality, hatred and injustice?
At 240-plus years, it is beyond time to decide this question. Donald Trump and his ilk? Or something else?
The current crisis, involving seditious, armed insurrection is a testament to the real struggle for America’s soul. Many leaders actually represent the disgusting beliefs and actions of the Capitol mob. Not above the fray, but a major element of it. Over 400,000 Americans have died in a national pandemic.
The American people have the power to define the true soul of America. Which will it be? I want to believe in the goodness of us.
Terry Gray
East side
This February, be aware of heart health
Did you know heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women? As a survivor of a heart attack in 2018, and becoming a Mayo Clinic trained WomenHeart Champion, I want every woman to be heart smart.
Women fill many roles — mom, wife, grandma, caregiver, boss, employee, volunteer and all-around problem-solver. Women are notorious for taking care of everybody else before taking care of themselves.
Women’s heart attack symptoms are not like men’s. Here’s Mayo Clinic’s list: Neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort; shortness of breath; pain in one or both arms; nausea or vomiting; sweating; lightheadedness or dizziness; unusual fatigue.
I had all these warning signs and made excuses because I was too busy to go to the emergency room. Big mistake!
Thankfully, my cardiologist and hospital saved my life by getting me to the Cath Lab and putting in two stents. Always call 911 — it’s far better to have a false alarm than to die from a heart attack.
Susan Smith
East side
Sen. Sinema, please reconsider the filibuster
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema recently announced her opposition to changing the filibuster rule in the U.S. Senate. This loophole allows a minority of U.S Senators to block legislation. Per the COVID Tracking project, on average, in Arizona, over 130 of us have died from COVID-19 every day for the past week.
At that same time, about 7,000 of us have tested positive for COVID-19 every day. Some of us will die.
We are in a crisis, and we desperately need help from the federal government, which can only come through legislation. Yet if some senators decide to block that legislation — something Sen. Sinema thinks they should be able to do — that help will not come, and more people will die.
I call on Sen. Sinema to reconsider her position on this rule and do the right thing for the people of Arizona. Otherwise, more of us will join the ranks of the dead.
Caleb Hayter
Northeast side
Has the GOP turned its back on democracy?
Kelli Ward led the charge to censure Cindy McCain and Jeff Flake for supporting Joe Biden. It’s not a crime to choose who you want to vote for, but it is a Constitutional right. Doug Ducey was censured for following the science and trying to protect our very lives from a global pandemic.
But Kelli Ward and the Arizona State Senate have the audacity to punish Republicans for exercising their rights and punish Ducey for doing his job. How is this not a step toward tyranny?
Again, we have Paul Gosar and Ted Cruz trying to deny Arizonans our vote. They don’t like the result. But the right for citizens to choose, vote and have their votes counted is central to the Constitution and what we hold dear. The GOP no longer values democracy. I’m happy to be wrong, but they need to show me something different.
Patricia Stein
East side
Lions, tigers and bears — oh why?
The Reid Park Zoo has decided they want the area that encompasses Barnum Hill, the duck pond and trees for expansion. This area is the most beautiful section of the park. I can understand why they want this gem.
It has a stream, a waterfall, a duck pond and hills — all under a canopy of trees. People are drawn to this oasis. It’s a refuge to get out of the sun, to cool off, to enjoy, to see the ducks and other birds that live in the pond and trees, to sit, to walk, to run and play, to contemplate, to meditate, to read.
It’s a place for someone to bring their children, their partner, their friends and family. This gem is well used and loved by thousands of Tucson citizens, especially now during the pandemic.
This area is their breathing area. This canopy of trees provides clean air and cool temperatures. And the zoo will cut them down for two tigers. Are tigers more important than humans?
Margaret Guerrero
Downtown
‘Just following orders’ won’t cut it
I served in the U.S. military as an officer for 27 years and as a staff member of VA hospitals for almost 12 years. The Uniformed Code of Military Justice covers what constitutes a lawful order and what constitutes an unlawful order. Boiled down to its essence: following an unlawful order is unlawful and punishable according to the UCMJ.
So, the clowns that say they were following the order of the President of the United States to trash the Capitol and kill cops and members of Congress is beyond belief. And some of these clowns were trained in the U.S. military. They have no excuse.
Here’s a bit of history: “I was only following orders” was unsuccessfully used as a legal defense, most notably by Nazi leaders at the Nuremberg Tribunals following World War II. Hopefully, these new, native Nazi nut jobs (aka Vanilla ISIS) that stormed the Capitol will also be unsuccessful when they use this pathetically passive defense during their trials. Following unlawful orders creates chaos, destroys and denigrates a unit.
Mel Brinkley
Downtown
Sen. Sinema needs to support Dems
How dare Sen. Kyrsten Sinema give Mitch McConnell her assurance that she would not vote to kill the filibuster! That heinous cretin has done more to destroy the Senate and our democracy than any senator in history. That the Senator would side with him on his continued obstruction and vile agenda is beyond appalling.
Sen. Sinema was sent to D.C. to help her constituents as a Democrat, not as a fake Dem who only pretends to stand for our values just to get elected.
She was just marginally better than McSally (as her record of voting with Republicans in the House showed) and only got my vote because of that. Continue siding with Republicans intent on a power grab and, believe me, I and many others will not make the same mistake twice.
I urge Sen. Sinema to do the job we sent her there to do! Stop sucking up to Republicans, or we will see her to the door just like we did her predecessor.
Dana Kidder
East side
