Letters to the Editor: Feb. 15

My wife and I were both shocked to see a TV ad for presumptive Republican candidate for governor, Ms. Karrin Robson, posing with an AR-15 “handgun.” Unlike the more familiar AR-15 rifle, the “handgun” variants shown being handled by Robson are despised by law enforcement since they are particularly deadly and easily concealed....the assailant in the Boulder, Colorado “King Sooper” mass shooting on March 22, 2021 used an AR-15 “handgun” nearly identical to the one shown in the hands of Ms. Robson. Although there is room for vigorous debate on gun rights, Robson’s political advertisement seems to advocate ownership of a deadly weapon instead of a sporting firearm. We look forward to Robson’s clarification of her message.

Charles Stack

Green Valley

Republicans are attacking our constitutional rights

Our country has lost its way. We run amok in a panic as everything up is lost and everything down is sideways. Republicans who once defended the Constitution now defy the very rights given to its citizens by that very document on the claim of protecting it.

Freedoms are challenged by the right more than at any time in American history — freedom of religion (Michael Flynn), freedom of the press (Donald Trump), right to vote and 14th Amendment (Reps. Madison Cawthorn, Mark Finchem and Republicans across the country), free public education and democracy (Trump, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mo Brooks, Paul Gosar, Lauren Boebert, et al).

The Second Amendment, disputed in and by the Supreme Court since its adoption in 1791, provided a Constitutional check on Congress’ power under Article I Section 8 to organize, arm and discipline the federal militia. Intended to “protect the country from enemies, foreign and domestic,” it opened the door to a perceived right to an “individual’s right to carry and use arms for self-defense.”

Sheldon Metz

Northeast side

A perspective on history

I am a 94-year-old history enthusiast and fear today’s partisanship divide represents the gravest threat to our republic since the Civil War. Primarily responsible, in my opinion, is a morally corrupt former president leading his gullible followers down the rabbit hole of tyranny and despotism, aided by a conservative news media for whom truth and integrity are alien concepts. Equally culpable is a political party having abandoned all democratic principles, whose only agenda is voter suppression and opposition to progressive legislation.

Germany’s history in the 1930’s illustrates the fragility of democracy when a sociopath transformed the Weimar Republic into a brutal dictatorship, his Brown Shirts and storm troopers seem to me to be the mirror image of Jan. 6th insurrectionists. It’s said history repeats itself for those who ignore it and evil will triumph if good people do nothing. Conservatives need be careful what they wish for. If this evil triumphs they too will suffer the heavy hand of oppression as our cherished freedoms fade into the twilight of our history.

Joseph Stanley

East side

Who’s to say who is ‘best qualified’?

Re: the Feb. 6 letter “Biden’s nomination plan.”

This letter disingenuously claims that President Joe Biden is choosing his nominee for the Supreme Court “based on gender and race” rather than naming the best qualified person.

Look at the long list of Supreme Court nominations and confirmations. Was every one of the white men nominated to the court over the last 200 plus years “the best qualified person?”

History, including the recent past, tells us no.

Why is it that when people of color are being considered for important positions, the immediate assumption is that they are not qualified?

The writer also asserts that Barack Obama was among Democratic U.S. senators who filibustered in 2003 to stop an African American woman from being named to the Court of Appeals. That’s a no, too. Obama didn’t become a U.S. senator until 2005.

Shraddha Hilda Oropeza

West side

Facts over nonsense

Re: the Feb. 4 letter “Time to accept COVID-19 reality.”

This letter showed a complete lack of knowledge about this virus. It also displayed the “me” mindset that the unvaccinated need only be concerned about their own situation. The author suggested those infected with COVID who have minor, or no symptoms, really aren’t sick, and therefore don’t have a “real” case of COVID. In other words, if you don’t have significant symptoms, it doesn’t exist — an ignorant and dangerous belief! Never mind that asymptomatic people can spread the virus. To suggest the medical community is using these “non-cases” to inflate COVID numbers is ludicrous. The letter ends saying the government should focus on providing resources to handle COVID issues, rather than push vaccination. The government is doing both. Some conservative-leaning places are refusing financial help, like Cochise County, where the Board of Supervisors recently turned down $1.9 million in COVID relief funds. Brilliant! Those supervisors who voted “no” probably agree with the nonsense presented in this letter.

Deb Klumpp

Oro Valley

Unconscionable commercial

Arizona political candidate Jim Lamon’s SuperBowl commercial shows him shooting at our U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly whose wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, was actually shot in the head 11 years ago in Tucson.

How greedy do NBC, KVOA and other NBC affiliates in Arizona have to be to ignore the inherent harm in airing such a TV commercial during the SuperBowl and afterward?

Lamon and everyone who authorized the airing of his ad should be taken to task, and held personally and criminally responsible if anyone actually shoots at Sen. Mark Kelly.

There are too many mentally ill and suggestible people who will see this. At what point should an advertising manager say, “No, we won’t air this”?

Rep. Eric Swalwell was correct when he said that Republicans who can’t win elections have gone all in on using violence as a path to power.

Renee Neumann

Green Valley

Disturbing parallel

I’m sure that most of the trucker protesters are too ignorant of history (or anything else, for that matter) to know that massive trucker strikes in Chile were the final blow that brought down a duly-elected president, Salvador Allende, and ushered in many years of dictatorship. How tragic and maddening it is that so many “freedom-seekers” can so readily be led by the nose by self-serving miscreants of every stripe.

Michael Svob

Northwest side

Showers of Love spreading in Tucson

Let’s start a new tradition throughout all of February: sprinkling “Showers of Love” on the street where you live, in your neighborhood, and across the miles to family and friends far and near, too. Young and old can enjoy the fun in the giving as well as in the receiving acts of kindness, and the many ways people show love: appreciating and caring for one another and showing fondness, friendliness, goodness, liking, regard, tenderness, and warmth.

Here’s some of the ways neighbors are sprinkling Showers of Love in my neighborhood: hearts on windows and doors, writing little notes, passing along a poem or book, baking cookies and brownies, children painting little rocks for neighbor’s entranceways and drawing chalk paintings on sidewalks and all around their school, too.

Gladys Richardson

Midtown

Winners and losers

The Super Bowl rings and hoopla goes to the Los Angeles Rams. As they were being cheered and weeping for joy by their fans, the Cincinnati Bengals were seen slinking away and their fans were wiping tears of defeat.

In America, second place is no place. In championship games, there is first place or last place. To the loser is shame and anger, even though being the second-best team in the country might seem a mark of merit, but not in this “winner takes all” culture.

It may be a flaw in the American character that in order to strive to be the best, the many who cannot reach the pinnacle of their profession are considered an also-ran. Pretty good is no good.

Otherwise, it was a great game. But I wasn’t sure what the half-time show was about; a showcase of energy?

Ron Lancaster

North side

What if Russia does not invade Ukraine

I don’t hear anyone talking about what happens if Russia does not invade Ukraine.

I see two possible scenarios where Russia does not invade Ukraine. One is that Russia retreats and moves the troops back to wherever they came from. If that happens, I predict that Ukraine and NATO would take substantial steps to deter Russia from doing this again. Maybe Ukraine does not join NATO but it would build up its army and become more fortified with western weapons. If Russia became upset about what Ukraine was doing, it would have a much more difficult war.

If Russia does not invade, I think it is more likely that Russia will maintain its threat by building permanent encampments. Ukraine could not improve its defenses without provoking an invasion. If Russia were to move towards building permanent encampments, NATO will wish that it had preemptively sanctioned Russia and was offering to remove the sanctions when Russia removes its troops.

Jonpaul Barrabee

Oro Valley