USAA complicit
in Carlson attack
I believe a free and open society needs a variety of news networks that report the news from different perspectives. As an Army veteran, the daughter of a veteran and an attorney, I believe the First Amendment is sacrosanct. I was raised to believe we fight, whether on the battlefield or the courtroom, to preserve this right. However, I also believe I do not have to financially support views that I find abhorrent. As a child, I remember my father being spit on at my great-grandmother’s funeral when he told a woman he was on orders for Vietnam.
I believe Tucker Carlson has metaphorically spit on the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and has shown disrespect for military members and veterans. I am appalled that USAA, a members’ organization that represents military personnel and veterans, supports this disrespect to our military. Carlson and Fox have a right to their opinions. I also have a right not to financially support their views.
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Anna Dolak
Oro Valley
Water gushing
in Winterhaven
I literally live in the desert and am very aware of this. My land is extremely arid and the few plants I have, beyond native vegetation, are all drought-resistant and on a slow drip system.
Water is precious so I am very cognizant of my usage; not flushing toilets each use, turning water off while showering, washing dishes, brushing teeth, etc.The only time my water bill goes over $50 is for the few months I use a swamp cooler.
A few days ago my husband and I decided to drive through Winterhaven after getting gas in town. We drove through Winterhaven during the daytime and it was beautiful, non-native greenery and huge trees all over, and almost every house had lush green lawns. Sprinkler systems gushed water, some into the street, not on the grass. How much water does it take to keep the lawns green in summer? Huge amounts! Guess who will most likely receive a water rate increase? Fair?
Barbara Mongan
West side
Next impractical
quest for GOP
Obviously Sen. Karen Fann and the her Republican allies in the state Senate have a laser-like focus on the important issues facing Arizona. In example re-re-recounting votes from more than six months ago.
But somehow she has missed one of the most pressing issues facing Arizonans — dragons! Now I know you are thinking dragons are not real. That is based on the fake media. Tell that to the people of Komodo.
And exactly how do you think we arrived at the images for our tattoos. We all know that the earth is 10,000 years old. Therefore it follows that the bones identified as dinosaurs are actually ... dragons. Have you noticed it is getting hotter? Dragons. More wildfires? Dragons. UFOs? Dragons. If Israel has an iron dome, why not Arizona? I hear there are leftovers from the beautiful border wall. Make Arizona great again — ban dragons!!
Kalvin Smith
Midtown
Systemic racism
explains much
Re: the June 30 letter "VP Harris not ready for prime time."
For the writer who believes that Kamala Harris and others are chosen for jobs based on their gender and race and not because of competence, have you ever wondered how it is that government and corporations are overwhelmingly run by white men and have been since the beginning of our nation?
Do you really believe it's because only white men are competent to do these jobs? So now, when responsible people are looking at this and wondering if we shouldn't be looking for other competent people who actually represent the make-up of our country, you cannot complain that they are chosen because of their gender and race — we've been doing that for centuries.
As long as we only elect or hire white men, that is the group who will get the privilege of their position, will make sure they maintain it, and we will reap only their point of view. If you're a white man, that works well for you — not so much for the rest of us.
Kathleen Harris
North side
Collapse carries
a larger warning
So it seems like the board that ran the condo that collapsed in Florida were aware of the seriousness of the buildings problems for some time, but could not get it together to decide what to do about it. There was no doubt the situation would only get worse and cost even more to fix the longer they dithered. But they waited too long.
The similarities between what happened to those people and what will happen to the whole world if we don’t get our act together real soon are clear and terrifying. The Republicans refusal to vote for Joe Biden’s infrastructure and climate change plans, because “it will cost too much” is the epitome of shortsightedness. It is insanity. What do you suppose the board members of that condo (that lived), who kept voting to delay the repairs because they didn’t want to spend the money are thinking now?
Robert Scanlon
Midtown
GOP sham audit
an embarrassment
Every single Arizonan should be embarrassed by the shameful conduct of the GOP Senate-led "audit." To think that a partisan "audit" conducted by a company with no election audit experience led by a conspiracy theorist will yield accurate results is ludicrous. It makes all of us in Arizona look ridiculous.
We had a free and fair election. The fact that the Republicans lost the election doesn't mean it was fraudulent. It means that more people voted for the other candidate. Now, our voting machines are compromised and the taxpayers will have to foot the bill for new machines.
People who have no business interfering in our voter information, are now in possession of our information. This whole exercise was criminal because the main purpose was not to audit, but to change the ballots and get voter's information so they could "prove fraud." These senators are a disgrace to the office they hold. They need to be held accountable, as well as those who allowed this to happen.
Ilene Scannell
Northeast side
If teaching role
is vital, fund it
Re: the June 26 article "Lawmakers want anti-communist plank in schools."
This article was interesting in a not-funny way.
Finding time and resources to get this done will add to the workload of our schools and our teachers. And yet, these same Republicans prevent the same schools and teachers from being adequately funded.
Either these leaders have to believe that schools matter, have a teaching role to play, and are worth funding. Or they have to believe schools are useless and not worth funding. They can't have it both ways.
Kalyanraman Bharathan
Midtown
