America
What does America mean to us? With all the critical opinions about the governing of our country, do we sometimes forget the blessings we have by simply belonging to America?
As an elementary school teacher and former wife of a military man, I hold the name and fame of this country in high regard. Anyone who has lived in, not merely visited, another country knows the value of being an American citizen. Sacred and precious.
Katherine Lee Bates wrote the lyrics to our patriotic song, “America the Beautiful.” Most children were formerly taught this song, but only teachers who now sacrifice time to teach the truths in this song feel the necessity of sharing the good about America.
“Oh, beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
People are also reading…
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev’ry gain divine.”
Let us promote the noble, selfless, positive qualities that will make America still the promised land.
Pamela Gore
Sierra Vista
Trump & the GOP
The Grand Old Party was founded by patriots. For The GOP to adopt Donald Trump as its Presidential Candidate would be a denial of the Founders’ intentions and a betrayal of veterans of all foreign wars. Patriots must not vote for an anarchist.
Billy H. Conn, PhD,
WWll veteran
Midtown
The new Pied Piper: Trump
Ex-President Donald Trump, speaking at the state GOP convention in Columbus, Georgia, on June 10, rejected all charges by the DOJ and described the federal indictment with these words: “Either the Communists win and destroy America, or we destroy the Communists.” The crowd enthusiastically welcomed his words, jeering on this Pied Piper, firmly subscribed to a Manichean worldview according to which the apocalypse could be avoided only if Trump assumes the presidency once again. He ominously claimed that the DOJ is “a sick nest of people that needs to be cleaned out immediately,” closely resonating Hitler’s words against Jews. No wonder that a woman like Kari Lake spoke at that convention, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. In the fairy tale of the Pied Piper, the mysterious figure eventually disappears in the mountain, with all the children because he had not been paid enough money for his service to eliminate the rats. What will happen in reality in our country with this new piper?
Albrecht Classen Midtown
Left-turn arrows
I would like to suggest a simple but effective solution to the city and county. Left turn arrows, some have signs stating “leading left turn” my proposal is to make all left turn arrows prior to the light and after the light. This would help significantly to the snowbirds and stop the confusion, mainly because some people are not paying attention and would probably save fuel consumption. Making all left turn arrows would be universal to all drivers. No confusion and stop people from honking as to try and make the light before it changes.
Mark Kern
Southwest side
Schedule upgraded — for road games
Finally, the UA men’s basketball team is upgrading their nonconference pre-season competition with the likes of Duke, Big Ten schools and even Alabama. Unfortunately, few of those games will be seen at McKale. We all know that fans have been jettisoned for TV money with “neutral-site” and late-starting contests. And the powers that be choose to ignore a final home-and-home series with UCLA so we wouldn’t be denied those crucial games versus Oregon State and Washington State. So far, only Wisconsin and USC look like marquee matchups for fans in Tucson.
Thomas Rothe
Foothills
Trump’s classified documents claim
Donald Trump is absolutely right that the DOJ is on a witch hunt, except the hunt is for which documents he has.
Larry Gray
SaddleBrooke
Hold Trump accountable
It is seldom I agree with Donald Trump. I do agree with his 2016 declaration that the laws safeguarding classified material should be enforced, that the person in the White House should know what “Confidential” and “Classified” mean, and that no one is above the law. Hence his recent indictment is reasonable. The evidence the public has seen certainly warrants an indictment. The Grand Jury, made up of citizens, thought so, and they had even more evidence. He is innocent until proven guilty, and no one can make that judgment except a jury. Our judicial process should be followed just as for any other defendant. I do know that as a former Air Force officer responsible for classified information, including Top Secret, I would still be in the brig if I had done what Trump has. If President Joe Biden or Bill Clinton has violated the law, produce the evidence and prosecute; otherwise, shut up.
Don Ries Southeast side
Affirmative action isn’t needed
Re: the June 12 article “Affirmative action makes a positive impact.”
Salvador Gabaldon claims he needed affirmative action to attend college. Why? Anyone of any race can do what he did — attend a community college, then transfer to a four-year college to get a degree. For anyone who can’t afford college, loans are available. No one needs affirmative action to do this.
Affirmative action — favoring one race over another — is the very definition of racism, and that’s why Americans continue to vote it down. Gabaldon favors affirmative action because it leads to diversity, but most of us believe that college admissions should be based on achievement and merit rather than race and diversity. Thus, at UC Berkeley, though Asian Americans constitute just 17% of California’s population, they represent over 30.6% of students there. Hispanics and Latinos constitute 16.3% of students, while Blacks are at 2.42%. These disparities accurately reflect which races emphasize educational achievement more than others.
David Pearse
Foothills
Southern AZ VA
Re: the June 113 article "Vets waited long enough for health reform."
The opinion of Ms. Pipes regarding the care vets are getting from the VA in the Star surprised me. I, and many friends, get all our healthcare at the Tucson VA and have nothing but praise for the level of care we get. Granted, many of my friends are fellow members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, which puts us high on the priories list but other veteran friends who were not wounded in combat also claim to receive excellent care as well. Ms. Pipes should have specified she was writing about a particular VA facility, not the VA as a whole. Here in Tucson, we get great care, as I did at the Washington DC VA hospital before moving to Tucson. The staff and volunteers go out of their way to make visits to the hospital pleasant.
Dave Bertagnoli
West side
