Tucson Speaks Out: July 29

We started it

There was a great deal of criticism about the initial peace framework made with Iran. Yes, Iran asked for what they wanted. These critics complained that it was not good for the United States. What did they expect? We bombed Iran with no provocation. We killed children and innocent people.No reason was given to Iran, the international community or the people of the United States. We broke international law, not only by bombing Iran but also by blasting boats out of international water, invading Venezuela and stealing its oil. We are swaggering around because Trump says we can. The whole world knows what we did. The U.S. was wrong, and we should pay. Pay up and get out. If people think that there is some dignified way of ending this, look how long the U.S. was looking for that and delaying getting out of Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. There is no winning here. We lost when the first bomb fell.

Barbara Moore

East side

Star misses best sports story

I subscribe to the Star because I like following the local angle that it often covers. However, the Star completely ignored one of the best Tucson sports stories of the year. An athlete born in Tucson, a product of Tucson pre-schools, elementary, middle, and High schools, just competed in what could be argued as the most difficult sporting events in the world. And he did incredibly well!

On Sunday, the 25-year-old Native Tucsonan Matthew Riccitello finished the 2,063-mile Tour de France. This first-year TDF rider supported his team, went on breakaways and helped "pull" his team leader up countless mountain passes. Of the 184 riders who started this year’s Tour, Riccitello rode to a 24th-place finish. This is an incredible story about a native Tucsonan performing remarkably on a global stage, yet there was zero ink devoted to it in the local Tucson newspaper.

Come on, you can do better!

Todd Brown

Midtown

Our Tucsonan in the Tour

This year’s Tour de France race, which has just ended, drew somewhere between 12 and 15 million roadside spectators and somewhere over 3 billion television and online viewers. That is a HUGE global audience for this once-a-year event. This year, there was a native Tucsonan, Matthew Riccitello, who was racing against the very best riders in the world. Out of 184 riders who started the race, Matthew came in 24th. That is an astounding accomplishment, especially for this three-week event that many people considered the most difficult Tour de France ever. In a media news world dominated by the horrible things we do to each other and the world, I’d like to hear more about people in our community that we should be proud of.

Ivan Yocum

Southeast side

Pima County voter confidence

Voters in Pima County should have complete confidence in how our votes are processed and tabulated. This year I volunteered to be an Early Ballot Election Observer and was impressed by the professionalism of our election workers. The counting of ballots, opening of affidavit envelopes, and preparing ballots for machine tabulation is a secure, well-organized, non-partisan process.

I also participated as a Hand Count Auditor. Volunteers from all parties worked collaboratively to ensure that a sampling of ballots read by tabulation machines was accurate. At my table, they were 100%.

Pima County election workers and volunteers are committed to fair elections in order to protect and preserve our right to vote, a cornerstone of democracy. If you have any doubts, please volunteer to observe or participate in an audit. I guarantee you will come away with a profound sense of gratitude for and renewed trust in our electoral process.

Judi Moreillon

Northeast side

Couching viable gun law

Many events require inspection before entering a stadium or theatre. Why can’t Tucson declare that an event is taking place within a certain perimeter, including a number of streets where automobile traffic is disallowed, and inspect the public as it enters? Clientele would thus be assured that during specified hours, no drunkard within that perimeter could start shooting. I can see there are problems with this, but maybe solutions too.

Peter Harley

Midtown

Courageous humans

A letter writer is worried that now that the closet doors are opened (my description), same-sex marriage has become mainstream (I’m a lesbian who is married), there are more abortions and “transsexuality will increase dramatically in 50 years” . . . oh my. His concern is the bathroom and his granddaughters, even though it goes without saying that we all have been sharing our private spaces with transgender people for a very long time.

Transgender people are courageous humans who choose to live in wholeness and honesty despite the judgment and ignorance of those few who can’t mind their own business. And of course the transgender “threat” is an obvious political ploy by those in government involved in corruption, greed and power. They want us focused on the “gay agenda” or now, the “transgender ideology” instead of a failed, corrupt presidency which is a serious threat to our democracy.

Karen Allison

Three Points

Abandoned ship

In the Sam Levitz Parking Lot (Orange Grove and Thornydale), someone abandoned a 20-foot boat (no trailer, no motor, poor condition). What was the purpose of the abandonment?

Was this artwork provided by the City of Marana? Was there too much rain in Tucson/Southern Arizona causing it to float from Rocky Point? Was it time to abandon ship, with all hope lost? Did the price of groceries go so high that the person had to decide which was more important — the boat or the kids?

The boat seems abandoned for some time, because no one was showing any concern. Was this a sign of the times? When an abandoned boat in a parking lot is viewed as a common occurrence in America?

Hemingway’s “Old Man and the Sea” describes an old fisherman catching a prize swordfish. Then sharks began to attack.

Perhaps a “Sharknado/Dust Devil” dropped the boat in the parking lot? What was the reason?

Ray Bynum

Northwest side

Make Trump pay for his vanity

Illegal. No matter how Trump packs boards, staff or committees with puppets. Trump took about 80% of National Parks Service funds for illegal vanity projects. Congress must pass a law forcing Trump to pay personally for them, via corrupt profits accumulated while in office. Bills to date, including planning costs, I include Ballroom (and ”basement”) 600 mill; Reflecting pool and nine others, plus fencing 60.04 mill; July 4 90 mill; Arch estimates 100 mill; Kennedy Center overhauls and signage 257 mill; banners 1.1 mill; golf course 400 mill and Fed building paint 7.5 mill. No bringing back lives lost in national parks from lack of help (three to date in Grand Canyon). NPS backlog damages: 35 billion. Vanity bills total: $2,114,640,000. Did we have a say? Nope. Trump saves money firing 200,000 Fed employees. Trump has made 2.2 billion in office. Perfect! Project waste was OUR money! Vote in November and make Congress work for PEOPLE, not bow to a psychopath!

Nancy Jacques

Northeast side

Headlines

Re: June 27 “Article Many Americans Against Trump’s DC Projects” If you read the article reprinted from USA Today Network, you learn that 65% of those polled were either “upset or dissatisfied with the projects. . .” while “32% were enthusiastic. . .” about them. Later in the article, we learn that a whopping 99% of comments submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission about Trump’s Arch between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial criticized the project, and only 26% of people polled believe Trump wants to make Washington beautiful. 42% of those asked by the Post opined Trump was trying to glorify himself and another 22% felt he was trying to “leave his mark”. In my opinion, 32% qualifies as many and 65% and 99% qualify as most. Both words have four letters. Since space wasn't an issue, the headline should accurately reflect the polls? Please stop sanewashing Trump.

James Burchell

East side

Data center rules

I've helped develop data center zoning regulations and learned that communities need rules before approving projects, not after.

The proposed La Osa Energy Center and Project Midway would bring large-scale data center campuses, power plants, battery storage, and transmission infrastructure to south-central Pinal County, including areas along Ironwood Forest National Monument and the greater Santa Cruz River corridor.

At the last Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, commissioners asked whether the County was developing data center regulations. Staff's response was ambiguous, even as these projects move forward. A county ordinance should establish standards for appropriate locations, setbacks, water and energy use, wildlife connectivity, lighting, noise, cumulative impacts, public review, and decommissioning.

Pinal County should adopt those standards before granting approval to these projects. Doing so isn't anti-development. It's good planning. Clear rules protect residents, natural resources and developers alike by creating predictable expectations before the landscape is permanently changed.

Nick Maya

Foothills