Tucson Speaks Out: June 3 letters of the day

Re: the May 8 article “Affirmative action and the logic of reparations.”

Contrary to what Brent Harold would have us believe, the U.S. did not become an economic superpower on the backs of slaves. To the contrary, cotton contributed only 5% to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 1860, and at that time northern factories manufactured nine-tenths of industrial goods in the country. Investments in slaves actually impeded industrialization and economic growth in the South, so that overall it was undeniably and unequivocally economically negative for that region.

The negative effects on economic growth can be seen even today in that the more dependent on slavery a state was, the poorer it is today. Arkansas, Mississippi, West Virginia, and Alabama, all previous slave-holding states, today have the lowest GDP per capita of all states.

I suggest that Mr. Harold collect voluntary reparations from his fellow liberal/progressives rather than forcing the rest of us to support his dubious reasons for them.

David Pearse

Foothills

Benefit our community

East of Oracle and south of Rudasill are 53 acres that comprised Quail Canyon nine hole golf course, closed now for several years.

The former golf course has been purchased by a CA developer that wants the property rezoned for over 100 houses and seven apartment buildings that will have 210 units. Most of this property lies within Pima Wash, a drainage from the Catalina mountains to the Rillito. This area is critical habitat for Sonoran Desert plants and animals.

The Pima County Board of Supervisors should say NO to rezoning — leaving this riparian area as a wildlife corridor. Other reasons planning and zoning missed by approving the rezoning 7-2 are:

Flooding, Pima wash is a designated flood zone

Traffic, at this time there is limited access to Oracle road; high density traffic will use Rudasill

Natural open space, keep as the golf course had for years

Leaving the land as it is, will benefit our community.

Dorita Brady

Catalina

Instant infamy

Even before smartphones, selfies etc., essayist Walker Percy suggested that the craze for snapshots of ourselves implied deep worries that we were invisible or even didn’t exist. I believe social media (and fear of trolls or of being ignored) multiply this psychological anguish. And it might also account for the crazed motives of mass shooters: from Columbine onward, these tortured males (i.e. weapons-lovers) have never voiced coherent reasons for their acts. They are not Muslim or Christian terrorists (though sometimes racists). I have elsewhere suggested that they cannot understand the finality of death, their own or their victims, but they know that these suicide notes written in blood will not be forgotten soon.

All power to those working for restrictions on the vilest weapons, but the terror of anonymity is existential, beyond mental health programs. See especially the writings of Kafka, Dostoevsky, and even T. S. Eliot.

Herbert Schneidau

Foothills

Racism is institutionalized

Have Texas Governor Abbot’s proposed pardon of the soldier who shot a Black man and the Republican Party’s and Governor DeSantis’ calling for the freeing of the former Marine who killed by chokehold a Black homeless man on the New York subway become a new and acceptable form of lynching without accountability? Racism and White Supremacy are finally blatantly institutionalized!

Don and Barbara Benjamin

Foothills

Applauding efforts to combat cancer

Early cancer screenings are vital to combating cancer, and I am encouraged to hear that cancer centers — like where I was treated at the University Cancer Center in Tucson — recently offered free screenings in recognition of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week. It’s also a good reminder that Congress has an opportunity to expand access to early cancer screenings even further. Lawmakers are currently considering Medicare coverage of Multi-Cancer Early Detection screenings which can detect dozens of different types of cancers. Sadly, our senior population is at the greatest risk of being diagnosed with cancer but only a few cancer types can be detected by screenings currently covered under Medicare. If this legislation is passed, doctors will have additional tools to catch a greater number of cancers earlier and greatly improve outcomes. A previous version of this bill received strong support from Arizona’s congressional delegation last year. I encourage our elected officials to sign on to the bill again. Seniors are counting on them.

Chris Coronado

Midtown

Appreciation of service

Our health care systems these days are taking a real hit. Underappreciated nurses and doctors who don’t have enough time to treat patients the way they were trained to do. I had an experience this past week giving me hope. I had an appointment at the Pain Institute of Southern Arizona with Dr. Eric Cornidez, the most warm and compassionate doctor I have ever met. Even though I had seen him two years previous, I had no expectations he would remember me. As we closed out our appointment, his parting words were “You know, I remember you.” It wasn’t much, but it made a difference to me.

Jackie Daniels

Oro Valley

Thanks, Governor!

I am thrilled that Governor Hobbs vetoed a Republican-backed bill that would have banned the use of photo radar and red light cameras. I thought the GOP called itself the party of “law and order,” so why they oppose catching bad drivers and criminals is beyond me. Since moving to Tucson, I have been appalled at the number of people who run red lights — not by a little, but blatantly! Even when I get the green light, I never advance into the intersection until I have looked both ways to make sure there isn’t someone trying to rush through the red light, even though they have time to stop. Honestly, I think running red lights is a sport for some.

Red light cameras will hold law breakers accountable, save lives and money. Statistics show red light cameras reduce accidents dramatically. That can only be a good thing.

Karen Micallef

Oro Valley

Sad state of affairs

A Trump on steroids is not the answer to our national and international challenges, especially one who dismisses Putin’s criminal aggression in Ukraine as a local “territorial dispute”. Being the darling of Cuban and retired Floridians is not an automatic and sufficient qualification for the U.S. presidency, particularly when there is ample evidence that he hasn’t yet emerged from political puberty. Also, anybody who considers January 6th the expression of patriotism or a legitimate political discourse, shouldn’t be a candidate for the highest office in the land.

Our country has a huge arsenal of qualified individuals in all fields of human endeavor. However, those potentially talented statesmen who would qualify for the presidency, e.g. certain senators and governors, are either few or reluctant to enter today’s toxic presidential campaigns.

Unless candidates with intellectual acumen, experience, wisdom and courage emerge in the not to distant future, we will most probably be faced with a tragic repeat performance of the 2020 presidential confrontation.

Frederick Leinfest

Oro Valley

Zoning — religious freedom?

Re: the May 28 article “OV zoning fight continues.”

Let me understand; a church buys a property that isn’t zoned for the purpose, and expect the Town Council to let them put up a multiplex sports facility in the name of the religious freedom? I see no mention of basketball in my Bible. I hope to see many letters from the church members expressing their desire to have this facility in their neighborhood. As I read it, the best use would be as a parking lot.

Charlene Brewster

Marana

234 Arrests, 0 Convictions

During the Trump inauguration in 2016 the Capital rioting that we witnessed in DC was awful. It was organized and orchestrated by the left wing anarchists (Antifa) with massive destruction of property and damage.

Our Justice System worked to bring these people to Blind Lady Justice for adjudication in DC. 234 Arrests, 0 convictions!

And yet in 2020, even Grannies who entered the Capitol after being invited in by the police, were tried and convicted.

Lady Justice is not blind in DC!

Even those who were never there had visits by FBI agents. How many arrests — how many convictions?

In DC you can indict and convict a Ham Sandwich. It all depends on whether you are a Dem or a Republican!

DC is Democrat ruled, as are many big cities and as Tucson appears to be.

This is where our Republic has arrived.

Sad!

Rich Barnes

East side

Schoolyard leadership

With all the emotional maturity of prepubescent adolescents, MAGA leadership declared the debt ceiling compromise a “turd sandwich”.

So as not to confuse these victims of arrested emotional development with highfalutin terminology, I would like to point out that the real “turd sandwich” here is that this extortion is occurring at all. The Constitution demands that all debts be paid. No negotiation is required.

I can only surmise that MAGA leadership never progressed beyond the 7th grade, either emotionally or intellectually.

Rick Cohn

West side

The Texas Impeachment

The impeachment of Texas Adjutant General Ken Paxton for abusing his office will hopefully impact the Constitutional oath-breakers still in office here in Arizona. I try to forgive the Texicans for invading us during the Civil War and even today for not allowing all their citizens to vote, but in our Republic that’s for Texans to decide. Lest we forget and move on, however, remember that Paxton led 20 state AGs in bringing suit to overturn the certified 2020 election results in our state. Had the Supreme Court agreed to consider this obviously un-Constitutional lawsuit and supported it, our votes in Arizona would have been nullified. Arizonans that created fake electoral votes and/or objected to the counting of certified electoral votes on January 6th deserve impeachment, if not criminal prosecution. Our Constitution, and the Republic for which it stands, must endure. That 60 of 85 Texas House Republicans voted to impeach him may be the start of reforming the GOP. Let’s hope so.

Frank Hartline

Foothills

PAG/RTA Citizens Advisory Committee

As a Tucson-based member of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee of the Regional Transportation Authority, I quit.

For a year and a half I have fought for increased public transportation, safety for pedestrians, more green space and less road-widening. Due to disability, I am not able to drive and I want more mobility options for all of us. At every step I have been ignored, lied to, and circumvented by staff and certain members of the RTA leadership.

The PAG RTA is not an organization that operates in good faith. Instead, it is an organization beholden to suburban interests who want to leech off of Tucson’s tax revenue and simultaneously dictate to Tucson that road-widening must take precedence over everything else.

I refuse to be a part of this sham process any longer. I urge my fellow Tucsonans to reject whatever ridiculous plan the RTA tries to put up for a vote.

Rachel Wilson

Downtown

Target puts LGBTQ folks back in the closet

I recently heard about various retailers being reluctant to promote Pride month because of complaints from a few customers ... well, I am a customer too, and my complaint to these companies is that they are essentially putting people who identify as LGBTQ back in the proverbial closet by moving merchandise to appease some very narrow-minded people. I went to my local Target store yesterday and it took me 10 minutes of searching to find the Pride merchandise in the back of the store hidden amongst the workout gear. I spoke with the manager who told me the items were moved because people want to see swimsuits and summer gear at the front of the store. I don’t believe it for one minute. During Black History month, Hispanic Heritage month, etc. items were not moved, nor should they have been. This is caving to bullies. Stand up for one another and celebrate our differences ... if a few fragile snowflakes are intimidated by rainbow clothing, they don’t have to buy it.

Terri Hicks

Northwest side

“… Just like Florida

Ron DeSantis main platform is to make the US just “… just like Florida.” What does that entail? In no particular order:

Reduce free speech to those who agree with him

Suppress voter rights for minorities and qualified citizens released from prison

Suppress women’s access to medical treatment

Take over the educational systems to only teach what he thinks is correct

Make an unfriendly atmosphere for businesses to grow in the state

Appoint unqualified people to major cabinet positions and the educational system

Ban books that don’t fall into his philosophy

Reduce or eliminate the safety net for the working poor

Personally I don’t want to be “… just like Florida.” He wants to drag us back to the 19th century where our hard earned rights don’t exist.

Scary that he is a major Republican candidate for president.

James McLin

East side