Tucson Speaks Out: March 17

The Peace President goes to war

Trump's "little excursion" (as he put it) is costing us a billion dollars a day. No doubt the massive DOGE savings were eaten up in a few hours. Thanks to Trump's tariffs and war, prices are soaring on everything — gas prices rising daily. Recall the signs — "Kamala high prices, Trump low prices." According to Trump, "when oil prices are high, we make a lot of money." We? Oops! He meant, I and my billionaire cronies and donors. Trump does nothing without the goal of enriching himself. Those afflicted with TAS (Trump Adoration Syndrome) are fine with this. Republicans, tell me — just what we are doing in Iran? The Peace President is really the War President — irrefutable. Draft dodger Trump and former Fox News employee Hegseth have a very cavalier attitude about the human cost of this "little excursion". Trump is so ignorant, he wore his USA hat at soldier's funeral. Unserious President Bone Spurs makes childish, sensational war propaganda videos - totally insulting to our troops and to all Americans.

Deb Klumpp

Oro Valley

Somewhere over the rainbow

When we try to imagine a better future in today’s uncertain world, it can sometimes feel impossible. Our minds and our simple selves need a place to escape to, even if only for a moment, where we won’t be hurt and where trouble seems to fade away. Think of a trouble-free, proverbial place beyond the rainbow.

And remember, Trump and his administration are only temporary. They are unprincipled people acting out of desperation. They embody what political corruption looks, feels, and acts like. They cover up their corruption with no rule of law, no justice for the people, and no limits on what it takes for them to stay in power. Brace yourself, America. The worst is yet to come. So, find your place to go somewhere over that rainbow.

Jerry Wilkerson

SaddleBrooke

Shame on the Star

Shame on this newspaper for running an incendiary anti-Muslim hatchet piece under the guise of a news story about a Tucson imam killed in 1990. Sorry this is not "news," it is history and the two paragraph disclaimer at the end is a weak attempt to decry all violent attacks on free speech. I guess ICE murdering two citizens for their exercise of free speech in Minneapolis is OK because no Muslims were involved. This kind of yellow journalism only promotes violence against Muslims living in the US who are neither radical nor terrorists.I was tempted to cancel my subscription until I turned to the LTE page where I was heartened to see that Tucson has people who remember the debacles of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, common sense, and intelligence who are not sucked in by more Trumpian lies in support of an unjustified and immoral war.

Sally Wasielewski

East side

Our Greatest Warrior

Pete Hegseth often describes himself as the epitome of manliness and the quintessential military leader. It's time for him to take a personal leadership position in the Middle East and take charge of operations there, on the ground, where his great military abilities will shine forth in front of all participants. It's time for him to exhibit his self-proclaimed prowess in military planning and personally, in person, lead the military actions.

Cynthia Schiesel

East side

Do not count on the CAP

Tony Davis regularly reports that Arizona's CAP allotment is in danger because of Southwest aridification. I admire his reporting. But let's be real: We cannot count on the CAP going forward. This is a cost of global warming.

In just 11 years we have exceeded the Paris climate target of 1.5C. It is a virtual certainty that we will exceed 2C before 2040, and we will probably exceed 2.5C by 2050 (barring some epiphany on the part of politicians).

The Southwest is heating up much more dramatically than the global average. This year's Colorado basin snowpack is about 1/3 of the historical average, which is virtually unprecedented. In 10-20 years, this will likely be the norm.

This has consequences. For example. we should decide now: Do we allow Hudbay to mine our aquifer in exchange for a meaningless CAP allotment, or do we prioritize our own water security?

Doug Pickrell

Midtown

Bradley, meek?

Tommy Lloyd lamented, even at the beginning of the season, that Jayden Bradley was not getting enough credit as an outstanding point guard from the Eastern sports scions.

They always prefer the guy who scores more than anyone — no matter if his team loses. The guy who looks out for himself, never the team. (We have a President like that.)

By contrast, Bradley talks about his responsibility to team members, as a leader, skilled veteran, and mentor. And he performs when he is needed, not just to push up his average.

Some might see Bradley as meek and just not flashy enough to deserve the hype that ESPN creates just to draws ratings.

Meek is rarely understood or acknowledged as a virtue in our country — except in the words of Jesus. Huh?

I suggest a new definition for meek. That is, strength under control. I now realize my late father had it. And I wish I had it too.

Michael Craig

West side

Winning and losing

I have heard it said that sometimes when you win you lose, and that sometimes when you lose you win. This could be what will happen with Iran. If the United States declares it has completed the mission, declares victory, and sends the military home, the former powers that ruled Iran will still be ruling Iran. In this case the U.S. will have won since there was a military victory but lost since there was no change to the Iranian government or their policies. On the other hand Iran will have lost militarily but have won since the old government would still be in power. The only way for the U.S to “win” and for Iran to “lose” is for there to be a regime change in Iran. That cannot be done with air power alone. The price to pay for that is “boots on the ground.” Are we willing to pay the price?

William Brandt

Oro Valley

Letters to the editor

I write with concern about today's editorials section featuring two letters about letters to the editor — a troubling sign of a page that has lost its focus.

Is there adequate editorial oversight of this page? The ongoing, cyclical exchanges targeting one particular frequent contributor have gone on far too long. This kind of back-and-forth serves neither the publication nor its readership.

The Letters to the Editor page holds an important role in public discourse. I respectfully urge the editorial team to exercise greater curation and prioritize submissions that address matters of genuine community relevance and civic value — letters that inform, challenge, and elevate the conversation rather than perpetuate personal disputes.

Our readers deserve better, and I trust the Star is capable of delivering it.

Jean McKnight

Midtown

Shutting China from the world

Through his scowling gaze, the president announced that Cuba is next in sight. Yet he still has no plans for the war-not-a-war he started in Iran. Or how to rule Venezuela after illegally kidnapping Maduro. He started with the US/California, etc., (didn’t work — we still have knowledgeable and fair judges), tried Greenland, but Denmark, Finland, Norway, and NATO weren’t willing to just sit there.  

The world must be aware that the mad man from Mar-a-Lago is attacking the countries that do the most business with China. What do we do without sanity running the United States, when he attacks South Korea (already threatening verbally), Brazil, Japan, Taiwan or Vietnam, for the same reasons?

None of these attacks are legal without Congressional approval. He is completely ignorant of any laws and the Constitution. Since no one dares approach him with a fact, we’re stuck. When he is impeached, he will not leave the Oval Office — or the White House.

Sheldon Metz

Northeast side