Warming isn’t something to ‘adapt’ to
Re: The Dec. 6 letter “Reasons to believe we can adapt to warming.”
How do we “adapt” to sea levels that will rise 65 feet or more, vanishing snow packs and melting glaciers that supply the water on which Arizona and much of the world depends? As for Earth enduring “similar cycles of heating,” if the writer is referring to the Milankovitch cycle, with a little research she would have discovered we are indeed “spitting into the face of Mother Nature.” The Milankovitch cycle “is now in the decreasing phase,” (per Wikipedia) i.e., the Earth would be getting cooler not warmer if we were not consuming unsustainable volumes of fossil fuels.
Our prosperity has been more dependent on hundreds of millions of years of “ancient sunlight” (fossil fuels, what Nobel-winning chemist Frederick Soddy called “nature’s capital”) than brains and imagination. Unless we discover unlimited sources of “natural energy” we can use without cooking the planet, it is past time to, like our ancestors, “be entirely dependent on the revenue of sunshine.”
People are also reading…
Steven Lesh
East side
Views of abortion foes mischaracterized
To begin, there are many pro-lifers, including myself, a conservative Christian, who strongly oppose the death penalty except in rare circumstances and support a right to bear arms. I know pro-lifers that disagree and totally support capital punishment. You can’t compare the death penalty or a gun issue to abortion. That is why Right To Life is neutral on these issues.
It is not inconsistent to contend that convicted murderers should be executed but innocent babies should not be, and “enlightened” to support abortion for the innocent while opposing the death penalty for the guilty. You have to admit there is a difference between someone that has taken another life to that of an unborn baby that has never harmed another soul.
Joan Jacobson
Oro Valley
Separation of powers for thee, but not me
Jonathan Hoffman’s criticism of Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs’ settlement of a lawsuit would be laughable if it were not so predictable of how some conservatives are blind to the actions of their own party. Hobbs settled a suit filed by the Navajo Nation that sought equal treatment for the ability to correct mailed ballots by completing the signature requirement after a ballot is submitted without one. Several Republicans in other counties had previously filed suit for the same thing and won a court order requiring the counties to continue counting ballots.
Hobbs’ action created a process so everyone’s ballot is treated equally (something of anathema to some conservatives). Hoffman points to Obama’s actions in protecting “dreamers”when Congress wouldn’t act and complains that Democrats are ignoring the constitutional requirement of separation of powers. Hoffman apparently thinks that Trump’s redirection of funding of the military to build his wall is an acceptable use of power. Conservatives, as Mitch McConnell promised, need to start controlling this president.
Rick Unklesbay
Midtown
Botanical Garden’s luminaria event shines
After not attending the Tucson Botanical Garden’s Luminaria Lights for a couple of years, boy were we in for a delightful surprise Saturday night. Simply put, TBG has upped their game to a whole new level of seasonal grace and beauty. The gardens and the improvements are indeed impressive. Food/beverage trucks and seasonal entertainment on multiple stages round out a topnotch display. Hope you can go see for yourself.
Monty Turner
Midtown
DPS chief should accept consequences of ticket
Reading the article about DPS Col. Frank Milstead displaying his badge when stopped for speeding brought back some memories. I am a former highway patrolman from another state and part of my training included dealing with such instances. I learned that in some cases, i.e., an expectant woman rushing to the hospital or a doctor on an emergency call, leniency could be granted. A law enforcement official should be treated exactly the same as any other person being stopped. And we were never to offer our badges as a means of currying favor with another.
Is the old-boy favoritism still being observed? Of course it is. But the preferred way should be to man up and accept the ticket. And though Milstead insisted that his officers give out 30% as many warnings as tickets, I sincerely doubt that many warnings are given to drivers exceeding 90 mph and weaving through traffic. Be a real leader and accept the consequences.
Phil Reinecker
East side
Milstead loses credibility
Injustice! If I was going 90 mph and weaving in and out of traffic without using indicator signals, I would surely get a ticket. Because Col. Frank Milstead plays the trump card, he gets away with a warning. Someone who is in charge of safety and risks the lives of others has now lost his credibility to serve the public.
Christy Barreuther
Foothills
Star’s bias makes stories unreadable
Re: the Dec. 8 article “Contract for stretch of Arizona border wall raises concerns of improper influence.”
Please excuse me for not reading this featured story past the headline.
I know that the wall is a toxic subject for the Star’s progressive journalists who have enthusiastically reported on it. Let’s try and remember: aquifer depletion, endangered snails, sacred land desecration, dead Saguaros and now corrupt contracting. Is there a single column inch in this 1,300-word report suggesting that a wall may have some merit? I think not. Tucsonans are realizing that the Star is willing to sacrifice journalistic integrity to stop wall construction.
We look forward to not reading next Sunday’s exposé professing that the wall is a major cause of climate change.
Jeffrey McConnell
West side
Trump has delivered on his promises
I moved from California to Arizona last month to escape the socialists that forgot JFK’s challenge, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”.
After reading the opinion page of the Arizona Daily Star for a few weeks, I have concluded the Tucson area has it’s share of these socialists. Donald Trump’s policies have delivered the strongest economy in the history of our nation. Every class of people is sharing in this historic growth. His foreign and domestic policies are exactly what we have needed for years, and his popularity is outstanding compared to other recent presidents. He is the first president to deliver his promises that were the reason he was elected.
Ken Wolfe
Northwest side
Automatic voter registration a good idea
Come January, the legislature will be back in session. Will we again see efforts to dampen turnout among younger, nonwhite and poorer voters?
In 2018, Arizona joined other Republican-controlled legislatures seeking to pass bills which would have the effect of disenfranchising voters, allegedly to prevent voter fraud. However, since 2010, there have been only 21 Arizona convictions/plea agreements related to voter fraud out of about 18 million ballots cast.
To counter the repressive measures coming from our legislature, the Arizona Automatic Voter Registration Initiative may appear on the ballot in Arizona as an initiated state statute on Nov. 3, 2020. If successful, anyone seeking an ID from the DMV would automatically be registered to vote, unless that person opted out. They would simultaneously be disenrolled from a prior address, thus preventing dual voting. Consider signing the ballot initiative. Also, ask your legislators to support democracy and your right to vote.
Margaret Nichols
Oro Valley
