Tucson Speaks Out: Jan. 26

RTA Next

A thank you to Ruth Reiman for her op-ed in which she fact-checks a recent RTA Next open house. I wish to add that the RTA has failed those of us who live on the Southeast side and daily deal with the chaos at the intersection of Old Spanish Trail and Houghton. This intersection involves one lane in each direction of both busy routes compounded by the lack of left turn signals and made worse by the opening of the much-needed hospital. The widening of and improvements to Houghton originally were to have been completed by 2025. The postponement is an insult to those of us who pay taxes in Pima County. What happened?

Jennifer Aviles

Southeast side

Keeping politicians out of my clinic

I thank Mr. McConnell for his reaction and will try to communicate clearly.

By politicians, I do not mean conservatives, I mean all politicians that we the people, of any party, vote for. I do not mean to nor wish to be partisan here. I am simply of the opinion that medical treatment options need to be left to medical doctors and the organizations that oversee us. For what happens if we leave this to politicians? Would you trust them to treat your pneumonia or diabetes? Sure, you would say, that is totally different, but is it, what truly stops the next Congress to act like that? It is a terrible slippery slope. Next time a party comes into power with a different morality then yours, and suddenly there is this medical care that you can't get. Not because the insurance doesn't pay, but because it is now against the law.

Regarding the intersex comment. As a doctor, 1 in 200 is not that uncommon, so this is more a glass half full or half empty situation and so we both are correct. Yet, as a doctor, my job is to see it as common, for I never wish to overlook a diagnosis even 1 in 200 times.

Please be careful to label these folks as misfortunate, let them speak for themselves. They certainly have all too often been treated poorly and with much misunderstanding both medically and by society. This has many parallels of how we as a society currently treat trans and gender, the reason for me to bring this into the discussion.

Sander Zwart

Midtown

Staying out of decisions, Part II

Jeffrey, if you want to communicate, you have to listen. I never demanded that you be a physician, only that you back up your statements of "misguided" or "engaged in scientific experimentation." An opinion should be proffered as an opinion, not as a fact. Gender confusion is traumatic for anyone facing it and should not be a topic for know-nothings to clumsily wade into. In response to the rest of your world salad: "According to major medical associations, there is no evidence that minors are being coerced into sex changes. The vast majority of medical professionals agree that gender-affirming care for minors experiencing gender dysphoria should be provided with parental consent and only after careful evaluation by specialists, with most interventions focusing on hormone therapy rather than surgery at young ages." Individualized treatment plans through qualified assessment are stressed. Mr. McConnell, your attempts at erudition are tiresome.

Hope Gastelum

East side

It's coming together

I am surprised at how well President Trump’s path to dictatorship is coming along. He now controls the Supreme Court, Congress and the Senate.

Next, he will need to control the military, and a good way to do this is:

1) Create as much chaos as possible.

2) Do this as soon as possible to overload current resources.

3) Test how much control he has of the military when called in to stabilize the resulting chaos.

4) This is when the “warrior board” gets ready for action sorting out all those woke Generals getting in the way.

5) From then on everything is set except choosing a successor. Oh, right, never mind.

James Galvin

Sahuarita

Protect domestic violence victims

Mike Humphrey is right on when he points out that the current Legislature will never enact any kind of bill limiting guns in any way — not even when it could save the lives of domestic violence victims. However, with enough pressure on the Speaker of the House (Steve Montenegro), maybe we could at least get it heard in committee.

It is already against the law for people convicted of domestic violence and those with a restraining order to be in possession of firearms. This law would ensure that any guns they have would be surrendered to protect their victims. Due process would be carried out and the ban is temporary for orders of protection.

People always say we should just enforce the laws we already have. Well, domestic violence perpetrators are already prohibited possessors; this law would just make sure it is carried out.

Kathleen Dubbs

West side

Masculine, godly misconduct

The letter "Political Genders" was one amazing Trump apologist piece. It put forth a Biblical gender-based defense of Donald Trump, claiming his "masculine traits" are God-given, shared by all males. Traits like "security, strength, logic, tell-it-like-it is, take charge". Did Mr. Evans forget about Trump's masculine traits like sexual aggression (assault, rape, grab 'em by the p****). What about his continual lies about election fraud and self-proclaimed 2020 win — hardly "telling it like it is". Mr. Evans claims that liberal writers, especially women, don't like Trump's "masculine personality." No, we don't like a lying, criminal felon who assaults women and threatens and carries out political threats and violence. We don't like someone who idolizes dictators and billionaires. The letter was incredibly misogynistic, suggesting that liberals and Democrats possess the "soft" traits God intended for females, rather than strong (Republican) masculine traits. He finds it ironic that women who write the Star criticizing Trump aren't displaying their nurturing, emotional role God intended. Spare me!

Deb Klumpp

Oro Valley

Ruben Gallego — the invisible man

Where is Ruben Gallego??

He has no phone numbers available for his constituents to contact him at his Phoenix and Tucson offices.

His D.C. voicemail box has been full literally for weeks — can’t contact him there.

I’m tired of having to use his email all the time; as a constituent, I have a right to be heard, not just read (if my emails actually are read).

If he doesn’t improve his communication system, I won’t be voting for him again. He’ll be truly invisible to me.

Jennifer Dawson

Midtown

Electric vehicles

There have been interesting letters to the editor, recently, regarding electric vehicles. It is doubtful that progressives will buy Tesla now that foreigner Elon Musk, much like foreigner Rupert Murdoch, is hell-bent on dividing and destroying the USA. But Lucid Motors has super-reliable all electric vehicles. I own one and I love it! Charging it overnight, when it's on empty, using a simple plug-in portable charger, gets me 400 miles by morning. It seems like Trump wants to reverse the EV trend and burn fossil fuels, but the EV horse has left the barn. Even ranchers and farmers who own all-electric trucks, now know they are much faster and can haul much heavier loads than combustion-engine ones. The future is now. No comparison.

Louis Hollingsworth

West side

A man of God?

It was quite a moment when the Bishop of Washington D.C. stood at the pulpit, looked Donald Trump in the eye, and reminded him of the teachings of Jesus. We have been told by his followers that he is a man of God sent to save America. This Bible salesman could only squirm in his seat and become angry. All he could do after the service, in his usual pathetic style, was criticize that soft-spoken woman and the message he and a lot of his "Christian" followers need to hear. Trump is incapable of compassion, mercy, and looking out for the needs of others. I don't think it was God who sent him to us for another four years.

Mary Zimmerman

SaddleBrooke

The Oscars

Wouldn't it be nice if they canceled the Oscars and donated all the money Hollywood planned to spend on clothes and the pomp and donate it to the fire victims and the people of of North Carolina affected by the flooding!

Harry Whitney

Catalina

Not stealth anymore

To gain insights into what has led to the "unrelenting assaults on our political institutions" and subsequent chaos, a previous letter writer suggested reading Democracy In Chains by Nancy MacLean. For those of us who wish to deeply understand how we came to this moment in American history, this book is a must-read. The six-decades-long “stealth plan for America” is coming to fruition.

Howie Adams

Northeast side

I’m so glad

Democrat heads are exploding.

Your progressive policies & agenda were rejected.

DEI as opposed to merit is dead.

I want the best people making my medical decisions, not DEI positions awarded because of scales tipped in the direction of what color or what preferred pronoun you selected.

Please admit that your policies were soundly rejected.

Please stop preaching felon, dictator, Hitler, etc. Ad nauseam.

The voting public has spoken, and you lost. “Elections have consequences," according to Barack.

Richard Barnes

East side

Mr. McConnell's America

I have to disagree with Mr. McConnell about what makes one an American. I certainly hope that he doesn't believe that people who come to America don't want to become Americans. Everyone who has ever come here or will come here will bring what they thought good about their countries of origin, yet the attraction of America leads them to come here. Americans of Irish descent celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but to tell them that they can't be Americans if they do so will get you a fight most of us would want you to lose. Having one language does not mean you can't be loyal to your chosen country. Switzerland is an excellent example; it has four languages: German, French, Italian and Romansch, yet it is and has been a truly unified country for centuries longer than the U.S. has been a country. Broaden your horizons, Mr. McConnell.

Michael Price

Midtown

Dignity of human life

Throughout history, we have witnessed the evil that arises when an entire population of people, children and adults alike, are vilified and dehumanized. We saw it in the horror of the Holocaust. Israel experienced it on Oct. 7, 2023, with the savage, brutal massacre and hostage-taking by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups. We see it in the retribution waged by Netanyahu and his right-wing enablers. Here in this country, we now bear witness to a president who perceives immigrants in this same vein.

Thank you, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, for speaking truth to power at the National Cathedral, pleading for our newly elected president to honor the inherent dignity of every human being. Bravo.

Jonathan Insel

Foothills