Laura Loomer watches on her phone as Donald Trump gives a speech.
Children of Gaza
Oh horrors! The wounded children of Gaza are invading the United States! Raise the drawbridge, arm the citadel. Laura Loomer has spoken. Donald Trump has listened. Marco Rubio has abandoned common sense. And these children are accompanied by adults! Oh, my goodness! These wounded children, with their amputated limbs, aren’t traveling alone. They are coming with adults! Raise the drawbridge ... man the citadel ... God help us.
Sister Karen Berry
Midtown
Word to the wise
I wonder how many people currently on Medicaid or Medicare will examine their benefits before the midterm elections in 2026 and be perfectly happy because the prediction of disastrous reductions had not come to fruition. In a quite clever move, the politicians and architects of OBBBA included provisions for many of the most damaging cuts in funding of critical federal programs like Medicaid and Medicare to not take effect until January 1, 2027. The means voters will not see any changes until after the midterm elections in 2026.
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So, a word to the wise — pay attention to this fact. You will see changes come January 2027, including reductions and the provision that most Medicaid recipients will be required to work, volunteer, or attend school for eighty hours per month.
The midterm elections couldn’t be more important.
Duke Southard
Green Valley
Red carpet for a war criminal
Trump’s red-carpet welcome for Vladimir Putin in Alaska was a sickening sight. The Alaska summit was a total betrayal to Ukraine — a sovereign country that was invaded without provocation by Russia. The citizens of Ukraine continue to suffer unspeakable brutality and war crimes perpetrated by Vladimir Putin.
Decorated Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath said it best: “I’m sorry but it’s hard to get over the picture of the airmen (US airmen) on their knees, in front of the Russian jet, rolling out the red carpet for a mass murderer. Just never thought I’d see that.”
The only deal that must be made by the “art of the deal” President is one that unequivocally supports Ukraine: Russia must pull its troops out of Ukraine, end its occupation of illegally seized territories, stop the indiscriminate bombing and brutality, and return the 20,000 abducted Ukrainian children. Shockingly Trump echoes Putin’s position, leaving him free to continue to do whatever they hell he wants in Ukraine.
Kathy Krucker
Midtown
City Council and NDAs
Here we go again. Another company with an NDA wants to locate to Tucson. What part of “you work at the pleasure and for the people of Tucson” does the council not get after the Project Blue fiasco? Now they are writing a rule to allow 7.48 million gallons of water use per month? That’s pretty specific. I smell a rat. Why not a nice round number like 6 million? How about you are allowed to build provided you don’t mess with environment and tell us who you are? Hiding behind NDAs is just BS. Everybody in your industry knows your business. We like our clean air, the water that we have, and the smaller community we crave. We are not Phoenix!
Doug Heaberlin
Vail
Parents’ lawsuit against Marana
I was surprised to read in Sunday’s article that the mother of the student suspended from a Marana high school say that her son made “one little mistake that he didn’t even realize was as big a mistake as it turned out to be ... and everything he trusted kind of turned on him.” What was he trusting? In this day of frequent deadly school shootings, to feel that some threats should be taken less seriously, as a “joke” and a First Amendment right, whether posted or not, is careless and irresponsible. We have had little warning or oversight in the past to say who will actually act on those threats, whether now or in the future. The thought occurred to him and he let it be known. That is why schools have had to implement the surveillance systems for school safety and the parents are informed of its existence.
Christie Cummins
Midtown
Election results and early ballots
Election night is filled with anticipation and excitement for candidates and for voters. Most expect results within hours after polls close. Unfortunately, early ballots, delivered 27 days before the election, take 2 or 3 days to count. Early ballots go through a rigorous process, like verifying signatures in person, counting and recounting affidavits, the envelopes that hold the ballot and have your signature. Dealing with many issues takes time. Election officials work diligently to make sure every vote is counted. Kudos to them for their hard work!
Early Ballots when returned early, provide many benefits to voters and election officials.
For voters, benefits include:
- Convenience and flexibility
- Avoiding potential obstacles like bad weather, long lines or work conflicts
- Potential for increased voter turnout
For election officials:
- Allows more time to resolve irregularities
- Ensures accuracy and transparency
- Financial savings, reduces need to staff and equip additional locations
Turning in your early ballot on Election Day negates all the benefits. Do everyone a favor, return your early ballot as soon as possible.
Elda Lopez
Southwest side
What I need
I wonder what the phone call sounded like when Trump called governors and asked them to send military troops to Washington, D.C.
Governors: How many troops do you need?
Trump: I’ll tell you what I want to do. I just need 11,780.
Peter Bakke
SaddleBrooke
Vote out the ACC now
The ACC has failed us. They get over $80k/yr for one meeting/month. They repeatedly vote for you to pay more for electricity, give away your money and water to gas power plants and force you to pay for pipelines.
They decided AZ doesn’t subsidize in anything but fossil fuels.
They want you to pay for a pipeline investment of natural gas subsidized even though in 2024 APS reported $5.12 billion in revenue.
The ACC enables APS and TEP to raise your costs for this revenue. Typical stock dividend of APS is 10%. So you are paying the shareholders this dividend. You pay for the gas power plant development. You pay for the infrastructure and then you get billed extra for dividends and CEO salaries as you live thru brownouts and blackouts.
The ACC should stop forcing out solar developers, businesses and jobs. They should stop giving money to other states for gas while increasing our energy costs.
Vote for better ACC representatives like Clara Pratte in 2026.
Carissa Sipp
Midtown
Brighty killed and eaten by tourists
The legend of Brighty the Burro of the Grand Canyon excludes the whole truth. During a winter when some tourists were stranded at the Grand Canyon and were out of food, they killed Brighty and ate him. This factual omission is typical of Park Service personnel who often try to deceive the public. They now say they did nothing wrong in letting the Dragon Bravo fire burn out of control and destroy the North Rim. Far from the truth. The Park’s superintendent and every single one of the honchos who let that fire get out of control are criminally negligent and should be fired. You do not allow a fire to burn during the hot, dry summer months in a forest where the fuel load is extreme. You wait until the winter months to use fire to thin out that dense vegetation.
Ricardo Small
Northeast side
Fraud waste and abuse
The budget just passed for Homeland Security includes $45 billion for incarceration. That amount of money would provide Medicaid coverage for the coming year for the people in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Oklahoma.
Barbara Moore
East side
Would we stand for it?
Just to make sure I understand, if Russia invaded Alaska and gained control over a section of our territory, we would then be OK with a peace agreement that ceded that territory to them. I don’t think so. I know that we as the people of a free and sovereign nation would rise up, just as the Ukrainians have done, to defend our nation, and settle for nothing less than removal of the invaders from our land. Why should we expect anything less from our allies? Neither Trump nor our European allies should bend a knee to a dictator who is doing exactly what Hitler did, gain territory by military force.
Carl Foster
Green Valley
Ukraine
The LTEs now focus on President Trump’s actions in attempting to find a resolution of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. First, I do not recall any significant by the Biden Administration to attempt to resolve the conflict, just send more arms. The more interesting question is: What would you do, since you seem to have the answers? Continue sending arms with the resulting slaughter of young men until there are no young men left? Or continue to talk, and if the talks to not result in an acceptable solution, bring Russia to their knees with onerous sanction. And then, even with the debilitating sanctions, will Russia bend? If not, then what, endless conflict? Your erudite answer for the resolution of this conflict would be most welcome for the entire world.
Loyal M. Johnson Jr.
Oro Valley
Shades of North Korea
The USDA slashed a pandemic era program that provided a billion dollars in funding to schools and food banks to buy supplies from local farmers to help low-income families. Meanwhile the USDA managed to spend $16,000 to buy a giant banner with Trump’s face to hang on its headquarters. It does seem a bit like North Korea to have banners and pictures of the dear leader everywhere while the population goes hungry.
Mary Zimmerman
SaddleBrooke
Presidential pardons
I believe presidents should not be able to pardon people for crimes. It’s an idea that questions the separation of powers.
This power should not exist with the executive.
It can undermine the Rule of Law. Granting a pardon can override the outcomes of extensive investigations, trials, and judicial processes. This can give the impression that certain individuals are above the law, eroding trust in the justice system.
The most common criticism is that presidents use the power to reward political allies, friends, and family.
Recent pardons issued by Donald Trump to associates who were charged in connection with his administration or campaign were wrong.
Biden’s numerous pardons of his son and hundreds of others were wrong.
Shifting the power to a non-partisan board or commission that would review and recommend pardons, may be the answer.
Requiring some form of congressional review or approval for pardons may be the answer.
Presidential pardons have a history of controversy and self-serving applications that has led to abuse.
Tom McGorray
Northwest side
