Tucson Speaks Out: September 15

Tipping point for Turning Point?

In the aftermath of the Turning Point's founder's assassination, what will become of his organization now? Possible Kirk replacements include: Tyler Bower, David Engelhardt, Doug DeGroote or our very own Justine Wadsack. Will the new voice of Turning Point continue having outdoor venues on college campuses throughout the U.S., or elect to have them indoors, complete with metal detectors and an army of security personnel? Will colleges and universities continue allowing Turning Point USA to conduct rallies on their campuses, knowing full well the dangers that they pose? Will topics about mass shootings and gun violence be curtailed or amplified now? Will Turning Point's popular podcasts continue on? Who will be the spokesperson for The American Comeback Tour's next stop at Colorado State University, "Prove Me Wrong Table" on Sept. 18? Would Kirk want this tour to be canceled because of his untimely death? Your guess is as good as mine.

Max LaPlante

Southeast side

Democrats support crime

As Trump sends in the National Guard to cities primarily run by Democrat mayors, the Democrats are losing it by calling him a dictator among many names. In Chicago, there were 58 shootings with eight people dead over Labor Day. For years, the Democrats have adopted defund the police, no cash bail, not prosecuting crime. They advocate for the criminal and ignore the victim. In the past election, the electorate voted to reduce crime, that is exactly what Trump is doing. Interviews with those who live in the cities welcome the Guard to get rid of the gangs and criminals making their streets again. The Democrats are defining themselves by taking all positions contrary to what Trump is doing. It makes no difference what your political party is all sensible individuals want safety on their streets and want those victims of crime. considered.

Bill Dowdall

Oro Valley

Truth about Trump Republicans survey

I received a very official-looking mailing from the National Republican Committee. Enclosed was a "Truth about Trump Republicans Survey" and questionnaire. This mailing included an impressive looking Registration Number with instructions "Do Not Destroy" was a fund-raising appeal disguised as a "survey." The cover letter began with the statement "The Democrats and their allies in the biased media want you to believe that Trump Republicans are a "threat to democracy," that MAGA is a slur etc. The document included a series of 18 carefully worded questions with Yes or No answers designed to reinforce MAGA messages such as: Do you believe President Trump has chosen top-quality, qualified men and women to serve in his administration?; Are you in favor of repealing Biden's extremist environmental polices?; Do you believe the Republican Party must go all-out to expose phony "moderate" Democrats in the U.S. Senate ...?

Each question was designed not to take the "pulse" of Republican voters, but to receive a desired response to reinforce MAGA messages.

Ronald Esutice

Northwest side

American ideals and political violence

Charlie Kirk in his own words. Deserving of the Presidential Medal of Freedom? You decide.

"If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, boy, I hope he’s qualified."

— The Charlie Kirk Show, Jan. 23, 2024

"Happening all the time in urban America, prowling Blacks go around for fun to go target white people, that’s a fact. It’s happening more and more."

— The Charlie Kirk Show, May 19, 2023

"If I’m dealing with somebody in customer service who’s a moronic Black woman, I wonder is she there because of her excellence, or is she there because (of) affirmative action?"

— The Charlie Kirk Show, Jan. 3, 2024

"The American Democrat Party hates this country. They want to see it collapse. They love it when America becomes less white."

— The Charlie Kirk Show, March 20, 2024

"America has freedom of religion, of course, but we should be frank: Large dedicated Islamic areas are a threat to America."

— The Charlie Kirk Show, April 30, 2025

Tamzen Pickard

SaddleBrooke

More than 'thoughts and prayers'

First, let me be clear. I deplore the killing of Charlie Kirk, just as I deplore his hateful beliefs and comments about blacks, women, immigrants, homosexuals, trans people and anyone else who displeased him.

But let me suggest that the response to this killing and that of so many innocent victims of senseless gun violence is not to send "thoughts and prayers." Rather, it is to implement sensible laws to deal with the American cultural phenomenon of gun worship and violence.

We are becoming the most violent country in the world. Is it normal that a large part of our population believes that the deaths of innocent school children are necessary to protect our right to possess weapons of war?

Yes, send thoughts and prayers if you like, but that will not solve our problems. We must work together to change our laws, our values and our country.

Bruce Hilpert

North side

Be careful what you wish for

The article in the Star (Sept. 6) Could AZ drop vaccine mandates, brings to mind Robert Kennedy Jr. and the effect he had on American Samoa in December 2019.

An outbreak of measles in Samoa had caused 5,667 reported infections and claimed 81 lives, after Kennedy Jr. convinced authorities there to be skeptical of the vaccine.

Fortunately for those born in 1962, then-President John F. Kennedy signed the Vaccination Assistance Act, which provided Federal grants to States for mass vaccination programs against polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, and tetanus. I wonder if parents who decide not to have their child vaccinated would feel if their insurance company refused to pay hospital bills because of a lack of vaccinations, or perhaps if a child died, they would be charged with child neglect? Really don’t think parents would stand on principles knowing that they can be held liable. As for Kennedy, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Clyde R. Steele

Oro Valley

Slavery shaped Arizona, and America’s borders

Slavery is not just a Southern story. It is woven into the very map of our nation. The United States gained Arizona and the land stretching from Texas to California through the Mexican-American War, a war driven largely by the desire to expand slavery westward. The infamous “Cotton Kingdom” sought new territory, and enslaved people’s labor became the silent engine behind this expansion.

That is why it is so disturbing that the present administration seems intent on minimizing slavery’s role in our history. We cannot understand America’s past — or its present — without facing this hard truth. Honest history doesn’t weaken us; it strengthens us by reminding us of the dangers of denial and the costs of injustice. To tell the full story of slavery is not to condemn America, but to ensure its promise of freedom is real for all.

Lawrence Mazin

SaddleBrooke

My daughter is not judged by your ignorance

It was wrong for someone to shoot Charlie Kirk.

Also, Charlie Kirk wasn't a decent human being.

Both these things can be true.

It's relevant because I have a daughter with black heritage, and this is what he said about black women:

— "Black women do not have brain processing power to be taken seriously. You have to go steal a white person's slot.”

It's relevant because I'm a doctor who worked damn hard to be where I am, and this is what he says about black professionals:

— “If I see a Black pilot, I’m gonna be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.’”

So, to lionize, glorify or otherwise whitewash him because you're a fan of his isn't some "difference of opinion." It's a statement of who you are, and reflection is how you feel about me and my daughter.

My life is reserved for people who don't think my daughter is "less than."

Much love to all of you.

Joseph Thompson

Vail

What we do with prisoners

I would like to add a point to Joe Watson's opinion piece of Sept. 12. Unless everyone convicted of a crime is going to be sentenced to prison for life, they will eventually get out. Maybe doing something like providing education, vocational training, mental health care, substance abuse counseling, assistance upon release from prison instead of just incarceration would help lower the recidivism rate?

When a person is released from prison, don't we want them to be better than when they went in? Don't we want them to be a productive member of society? Maybe even a tax-paying citizen?

Larry Hammond

Southwest side

I am now at risk

Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10, President Trump said, “we have to beat the hell” out of “radical left lunatics.” Elon Musk posted that “The Left is the party of murder.” Wisconsin Republican Representative Derrick Van Orden claimed that Democrats “hate God.” I guess that makes me a target: I am a registered Democrat, therefore a God-hater, lunatic, and murderer.

Actually, I am an unremarkable older woman, a mother of two, the wife of a Vietnam veteran, a member of a Christian church, someone who became a librarian and helped children, parents, teachers, and home-schooling families interested in reading and the pursuit of knowledge.

If standing up for oppressed people, advocating for human rights and inclusiveness, pressing for compliance with the United States Constitution, and promoting a rational, fact-based approach to politics — if these things are considered left-wing, radical behavior, well, yes, then, I am now at risk. Our President has said so.

Janet Oslund

Oro Valley

Political violence

The assassination of Charlie Kirk is a completely unacceptable act of political violence. No one should be physically attacked for their political statements or actions. At the same time, no one should be glorified because they were attacked. Charlie Kirk was a racist with vile beliefs. Don't take my word for it, look at his own words. He said if he boarded a plane and there was a black pilot in the cockpit, he would take another flight. I guess he forgot that one of the most decorated and requested fighter squadrons for bomber escort duty during WWII was the "Red Tails", the Tuskegee Airmen, an all-African American squadron. He also said homosexuals were an abomination and that all women should be married, procreate, and have mortgages. Is this the model you want for your sons and daughters?

Don and Lin Ries

Southeast side

Trump’s 50% tariff against Brazil fails

Thursday, Brazil’s Supreme Court found Jair Bolsonaro (ex-president of Brazil) guilty of plotting to overthrow democracy. He is 70 and is facing 27 years in prison. He is a good friend of President Trump. Trump used an executive order to punish the Brazilian people and courts to protect Bolsonaro. Their Supreme Court did not give him immunity and found him guilty. This is a failure for all Americans, and it points out the lack of leadership of Trump’s SCOTUS.

Dan Bannon

Midtown