Tucson Speaks Out: April 4

Reject patriarchy, believe Huerta

Three cheers for Raul Aguirre! (Star, March 31) How wonderful to know that a man says we need to reject patriarchy. And that we need to believe all the women and girls who have the courage to come forward with their stories, even if many years later. I have been the victim of a serial seducer, so I wasn't actually assaulted, but I know firsthand that it took courage to bring even that story into the public arena.

Aguirre's whole article is so right on that I wish absolutely everyone could read it. His sentence, "Patriarchy must be challenged and dismantled if we want to protect women, children, and our planet" really nails it all. He goes on to say that "Believing Dolores doesn't mean erasing history. It means completing it." Let's hear more from Raul Aguirre!

Aston Bloom

East side

Resource use

Put your political views on immigration, ICE and detention centers aside. Focus on life in AZ. Like the sword of Damocles, a water issue hovers over AZ.

Be it 1,500 detainees in Surprise or some other number elsewhere, water use should be a decision factor. If all the detainees were in AZ before being arrested, the issue would be moot, as a zero-sum matter. Based on ICE's past, we can expect most or even all the detainees to come from out of state. Should ICE say only AZ arrestees will be detained in AZ, is that believable given their track record?.

Ignore drinking, cooking, clothes washing and bathing needs, focus on flushing; 1,500 detainees flushing four times a day at two gallons per in a year is almost 2.2 million gallons. It isn't a new mine or a data center, but usage is usage.

Tell ICE to take detention centers somewhere water is plentiful and not take a precious resource away from the people and businesses in AZ.

Clarence Johnson

Oro Valley

Democratic platform

My message to all Democrats running for elected office. Stop focusing on Trump's crazy antics. The press can do that. Instead, tell us what you will do if elected.

A Democratic platform should include the following:

1: Redirect the ICE budget to fund local police and firefighting budgets around the country. This would allow them to increase salaries, add personnel, replace old equipment and improve training.

2: Stabilize and renew relations with our NATO allies. We need each other more than ever in the battle over totalitarian regimes.

3: Environment: Refocus on renewables. Everyone in this country is experiencing what is happening with our weather. Fossil fuels are literally killing us, and our bombing of Iran has only exacerbated global warming.

4: Return all federal workers dismissed by Musk. Expertise, experience and competence are sorely needed.

5: Finally, rid the CDC of RFK Jr. and his voodoo medicine. Return it to the scientific organization it was. Restore confidence in vaccines before old diseases like measles really take hold.

Morton Cederbaum

Green Valley

A little gem

Recently, my husband and I spent a few days in Costa Rica. This beautiful country remains one of the most popular destinations in Latin America. Upon arriving at our hotel, we were greeted by Pura Vida, which literally means "pure life" but translates as "everything's great." Costa Ricans, generally, are easygoing and friendly. People living and working there said someday they would visit America, but not now. Politely, they explained they like the American people, but declined discussing our government. One of our drivers had the only American country music station on the radio. He wants to visit Tennessee to see where country music originated.

How refreshing to see people interacting with respect. From an early age, they were taught to be considerate and kind. We enjoyed their company and conversations and even had a few laughs while on a drive.

I wish Pura Vida was our American greeting too! Oh, to be able to say "everything's great" again.

Sally Mayersohn

Northwest side

Desalination is the answer

Middle Eastern countries that use desalination of seawater to provide fresh water for their people include Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Israel, Algeria and Egypt. We have one such system serving San Diego.

Why does Arizona keep trying to divide up the dwindling resource of the Colorado River when proven technology is available, as shown by the above countries? The solution is so obvious it is mindboggling that our leaders can’t get on with solving our water problem.

Jack Walters

Northeast side

Current thoughts

If Trump says America has lots of oil to sell, why is fuel 33% higher than a month ago?

Pete Hegseth leads prayer services at the Pentagon while at the same time advocates “no mercy to the enemy.” Jesus preached to have mercy.

Iran’s nuclear capabilities were eliminated last summer. We must have missed quite a few places to now engage in a war. Slipsies happen in pool, golf, ice skating and war.

The stockpile of missiles is getting low after only one month of bombing. What happens if a real war happens, like WWII?

Current events question: Who is the enemy? The left, the Magas, NATO, Venezuela, Cuba, China, North Korea, Russia, SCOTUS, Epstein, Newsom, aliens. Is the “Who is on first” really your enemy?

Trump likes his name and face on buildings and coins. Everyone uses toilet paper. Trump should get his own brand of toilet paper with his likeness on every sheet. I would buy stock in that company and become instant millionaire or billionaire.

Ed LeGendre

East side

Sheriff training

The latest news in the Guthrie case is not a breakthrough. The training of the sheriff needs to be expanded. I'm sure that everyone assumed that 100 hours of viewing "The Andy Griffith Show", then add 100 hours of "Adam-12" to give the viewpoint of the streets, and add to that 100 hours of Barney Miller to provide insight into the management requirements. Lastly, the hours spent considering the old west perspective of Walker, Texas Ranger. What else can we ask from the professionals that protect us. The best part is that we, the voting citizens, gave this leading Democrat our trust and confidence and we are not laughing at him, we are laughing with him, as compared to the rest of the country that is laughing at us. Since the level of skill is not an issue, I would like to throw my handcuffs in the ring for the next election.

Loran Hancock

Northwest side

Why did this Democrat hide?

Last Monday at the Arizona State Capitol, two Democrats took great care to hide their support of Republican justification for the war in Iran by not stepping into the frame of the camera recording the proceedings. One of them, Consuelo Hernandez, is my representative for District 21. In 2022, Consuelo claimed to oppose "those who serve a political machine or special interests," but this year she voted in favor of HB2758 to allow hedge funds to drain and sell western Arizona groundwater. We have a state budget crisis, an affordable housing crisis, a public education crisis and a water crisis. Why do we continue electing corporate Democrats who only serve special interests at the expense of average Arizonans? As a political organizer, union member and Democratic candidate for District 21, we need lawmakers who refuse to take corporate PAC money, and I will fight for the social and progressive economic policy we need to support Southern Arizona’s working-class families.

Miranda Lopez

South side

Affordability, whatever that is

A hot topic for both political parties seeking reelection this November is "affordability" because it has no definable definition for success, but I offer one for Arizona.

We read that rental prices are plummeting in the Phoenix area by 3 to 8%, and the "experts" are perplexed.

I suggest an unsubstantiated argument that uninvited guests are self-deporting to California or south of our sovereign border, freeing up apartments for our citizens.

What say you?

Jeffrey McConnell

West side