Tucson Speaks Out: September 29

Monday, Sept. 29, marks Day 60 from Beale Infrastructure’s July 31 press release announcing the development and “release within the next sixty days” of a joint Beale/TEP clean energy plan to support Tucson’s clean energy future. I am looking forward to the timely release of the plan, and hope to learn more about the input provided by the unidentified “energy development community” and the “key local stakeholders” engaged in the development of the plan.

Sheldon Clark

Vail

To know thyself

Here’s the thing about our current insistence upon an “unbiased” presentation of American history.

George Washington, with the Continental Army, defended New York in 1776. Expecting attack from large British forces, he neglected to defend the Jamaica Road. Consequently, British forces outmaneuvered and defeated our Continental Army. Washington did what he would do for several years hence. He skedaddled. A good choice given the reality on the field. He was able to do so because our side knew the road networks better than the British occupiers. The army lived to fight another day.

If we are to hope for an unbiased telling of our history, it should include the history of those who built those roads. Not just those who decided there should be a road, but those who actually worked to build those roads. This would be the history of the working class and, markedly, of those who were enslaved by our culture. Removing this history is the true bias in our telling of American history.

Jim Sinex

Midtown

Data centers

There have been numerous recent comments regarding proposed data centers in Tucson. Data centers are energy hogs and use substantial water for cooling, even when it is recycled through cooling systems. The question that should be asked is, why do we need these huge data centers, and the answer is because of you. If we all did not demand cell phones, unlimited access to the web, online shopping, online bill pay, streaming, instant news, the ability to watch sports at any time, and a multitude of other activities, data centers would not be required. Are you ready to revert to dial-up, checks, using catalogs for ordering, actually used mail, rabbit ears for your TV, and so many other luddite-type activities? No. That is why data centers are ubiquitous and proliferating in our society. Is it fair to say “not in my backyard”, even though you enjoy all the benefits of such data centers. A look in the mirror reveals who is the real problem.

Loyal M. Johnson Jr.

Oro Valley

Nobel recommendation for ‘Autism Solved’

Elinor Brecher has my vote in the Star’s edition of Sept. 27.

She may have saved many lives and has provided some guidance through our confusing times.

Dan Bannon

Midtown

An international embarrassment

I am currently in Paris, and I get a consistent response from locals when I mention our current president. Either a severe frown, eye rolling or a clear dismissive attitude. I am not fluent in French to ask what they base their thoughts on, but it is abundantly clear that people in other parts of the world are also disgusted with the antics of the current American president. I’m embarrassed to be an American.

Kathi Marak

Northwest side

Free speech

This newspaper published an editorial by the Las Vegas Review regarding free speech. The editorial lauded free speech, but promoted censorship in our schools because it did not like what some were saying.

Let me be clear, the speech being derided had nothing to do with violence, but instead promoted ideas the editorial did not agree with, calling them Marxist claptrap. Charlie Kirk was held up as a paragon of virtue despite promoting racist, bashing gays and misogynistic ideas.

The editorial promoted going back to the good old days. It stated that Americans need civil discourse, using the Civil War as an example. How blind, this was a war because Americans could not agree slavery was wrong.

Finally, the editorial called for “removing false and poisonous notions from our schools”. In other words, any ideas it disagreed with should be banned. Hardly a free speech stance.

Howard Strause

Foothills

Governing Gaza

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is being considered to lead a body called the Gaza International Transitional Authority (Gita) that would have a mandate to be Gaza’s “supreme political and legal authority” for as long as five years. It makes perfect sense given that the United Kingdom has such a stellar history when it comes to managing the Middle East. What could possibly go wrong?

Maureen Salz

Oro Valley

DOGEd

Regarding the “triple sabotage” of the U.S. President’s recent “time at the United Nations” — “Screeching halt” of the escalator, the teleprompter going “stone cold dark,” and the sound apparently compromised on his microphone -

Maybe, just maybe, perhaps, could be, that those responsible for keeping it all functional were DOGEd during the DOGE’s efficiency purging? Not sabotage but efficiency?

Camille Gannon

West side

Vets without citizenship fear deportation

While extremely sympathetic to vets without citizenship, fearing deportation, I’m wondering why Julio Torres never sought citizenship since he’s been in the country legally since he was 5 years old.

Sharon Goodberry

Southeast side

Tyrants and enablers

A tyrant making laws without the support of a legislature is a classic example of concentrating power, which many political thinkers consider the very definition of tyranny. It violates the principle of separation of powers, where distinct branches of government are designed to check and balance each other’s authority. When will his enablers decide enough is enough? Congress isn’t even needed right now as DT pens more orders and his Supreme Court gives him carte blanche to do what he wants. Going after anyone? The administration is conjuring vast, imaginary conspiracies as a thinly veiled ruse to crack down on its political opponents, based on their viewpoints. He has masked men carrying out his misguided deeds? Cracked down on free speech? Putin must be proud. Ignoring court orders. The Supreme Court is enabling and must be proud, too. The court is far from supreme. Trump is far from great.

Peter Bisschop

East side

Cut from the same (tattered) cloth

Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent diatribe to the United Nations was a mirror image of President Trump’s tirade to the same body. Each speaker attempted to project defiance, but instead, the resulting speeches demonstrated the mistakenly messianic messages that typify these politicians. Both Trump and Netanyahu scolded Britain, Canada, Australia, Portugal and France for recognition and promotion of a Palestinian state, a stance that gains international acceptance daily. Trump claimed United Nations countries are “going to hell” over migration, followed by hyperbolic claims that global warming and climate science are “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.” The Israeli Prime Minister avoided any promise to end the war in Gaza, the cause for catastrophic death counts and famine for Palestinians and a subject that until recently, Trump has ignored. Clearly, both leaders are losing their shiny veneers, revealing hollow, self-absorbed narcissists.

Roger Shanley

East side

Living in a dictatorship

I am beginning to understand what it is like to live in a dictatorship. Freedom of the press is under attack, as is free speech and freedom of expression. Anyone who speaks out against administration policies may find themselves fired, harassed or otherwise in trouble. People are being rounded up at their jobs, in schools and even at places of worship by ICE agents and held in detention centers. In many cases, they are being deported, sometimes illegally. Court orders, even some Supreme Court decisions, are being ignored. We have an administration that believes that it could do whatever it wants, the public be damned. If you are not with us you are the enemy is its mantra. I am fairly certain that this is not the type of country our founding fathers envisioned when the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were written.

Martin Greene

East side

Free speech op-ed

The authors of this op-ed twist and misrepresent the philosophy of Paulo Freire, who led an effort to bring literacy to the Brazilian working class. His efforts were squashed in 1964 by a military junta. This was the context in which he wrote his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1968).

Contrary to this op-ed, Freire promoted the idea of a “liberatory education,” which values the students’ own knowledge and experiences and empowers them with the freedom to critically question. This critical thinking is precisely what free speech – and democracy – require.

In order to debate ideas, educators must allow students to use all the tools of the First Amendment — namely the freedoms to read, write, and speak, of religion, to peaceably assemble, and petition the government for grievances. It seems to me that those who would “prescribe behavior” in classrooms are speaking from the conservative — rather than the progressive — side of the aisle.

Judi Moreillon

Northeast side

Democracy: ‘Reports of my death ...’

It’s bad but not irreversible — and we can’t give up on our democracy!

According to The Institute for Policy Integrity and NYU, Trump’s win rate in federal courts for his sweeping and lawless executive orders, deployments of troops, and other illegal actions is just seven percent.

A litigation tracker from the Brennan Center for Justice found 29 blocked actions, 82 temporarily blocked actions, and 19 blocked actions pending appeal as of September 2025.

The damage is serious, though, in part because it takes significant lengths of time for individuals, organizations, cities and states that have been victims of Trump’s lawlessness to mount legal challenges and for legal processes to reach the point of decision — not to mention compliance by entities of Trump’s regime.

Yet we must fight on and keep up hope. Our democracy may say, to echo Mark Twain, “the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

Chuck Barrett

Midtown

Cyclist fatality on The Loop

My condolences to the cyclist’s family and friends. From reports I have read, Enrique Mercado was a good and caring individual. My comments are in no way meant to place blame nor cast a shadow on Mr. Mercado.

News reports give the impression that Mr. Mercado was a lone cyclist when stabbed. Mr. Mercado was riding with a group that meets every Tuesday evening, then rides en masse on random routes in and around Tucson. The number of riders can vary from several dozen to hundreds. I rode with this group a couple of times years ago, and saw a group that gleefully takes over streets/intersections and shows little respect for others.

The police report states that Mr. Mercado was stabbed during a confrontation. I have not seen any indication of what prompted the confrontation. It is lazy reporting to merely blame “those druggies” without the full context of what occurred.

I ride The Loop regularly and have interacted with those homeless individuals. Don’t bother them; they won’t bother you.

Randy Garmon

North side