Tucson Speaks Out: Jan. 18

Arizona politics

It would seem to me that the governor and all the mayors of Arizona’s cities have sworn to uphold the law of the land.

You must make every effort to uphold the law of the land. Entering the U.S. without legal standing is against the law and it is a crime. If you support or abet anyone entering and staying in the country, you are committing a crime.

Governors and mayors, you are in the middle of this debacle. Trump’s felonies pale in comparison to your abetting of this crime. I don’t care how bleeding your heart is.

We are a nation of law, and illegal immigration or entry is a crime.

Richard Barnes

East side

Tucson traffic

Welcome snowbirds. It’s time for the annual local traffic reminder.

1. The signs on the side of the road with numbers can be disregarded. Unlike where you come from, they are just for show.

2. It’s a state law (I’m pretty sure) that you must drive as close as possible to the vehicle in front of you. We’re all in a hurry, let’s keep up.

3. You must change lanes at least four times per every mile driven. Signaling optional.

4. We have traffic lights here but unlike home, they are for show. The colors at Christmas are very festive.

5. Another state law (pretty sure about this) is that you must drive as fast as you can between intersections. Traffic flow, people, step on it.

6. If you decide to bike or walk in the metro area, make sure your health, life, and disability insurance is up to date.

That covers the basics. As the old Esso ad said, “Happy Motoring.”

Gary Stoeger

Northwest side

The transfer portal

I must admit that the college transfer portal for athletes has made a difference in the way I follow my favorite college teams. With athletes moving from team to team, it has destroyed the loyalty I might develop by following a team for four years. However, I realize that I am being selfish and that the portal rules are for the benefit of these students. They have the right to change schools if their educational needs are not being met. If another university offers a stronger major in their area of interest, they should be free to pursue it. I do have some questions, though. Do their grades transfer or just the credits? Are the required courses the same at each institution or do they have to start anew when they transfer? Do these student-athletes need letters of recommendation from their original professors? Let’s hope that it all goes smoothly and their graduation with a bachelor’s degree takes place on schedule in four years.

David Cowan

North side

Hunting dogs

The reasons behind the petition to restrict electronic collars on hunting dogs were quite clear. The reasons against the petition, however, were not clear other than the old “slippery slope” warning. That, and we enjoy it, we’ve always done it, it’s a tradition that goes for generations. What is missing is any justification in this urban age for killing mountain lions other than the lust to kill. Perhaps the writer failed to report that these hunters were all ranchers defending their livestock. What came across for the opponents of the petition is nothing more than the selfish pleasure of harassing and killing wild animals, once noble creatures reduced to ego boosters (trophies).

Sally Wasielewski

East side

Poking the bear

Three jeers for MAGA. They are filling the airwaves with conspiracy theories designed to cause consternation among the suffering in L.A.. It is working, but not because of what is said, that comes to us from the witless ones. It is because one set of Americans are taunting other Americans when they are down.

Still, many hostile citizens are jumping on the bandwagon. And I thought monkey-see, monkey-do was dead. No, now there is a growing chain of copycats doing the monkey.

That is bad, but not the worst. That prize goes to Trump and his pals who demand certain conditions be met before any aid is released. That is at the top of the charts in spite, and the bottom rung of sleaze.

Folks, these are our leaders for years to come, and their defenders have locked in on a fun game, poking the bear when it is tied up.

Ron Lancaster

North side

Once upon a time ...

Once upon a tim,e a spoiled rich kid lied and cheated his way to having a football team. Because he was rich, there were people who kissed up to him because of his money, and always told him how great he was. No one really liked the spoiled rich kid, but he had money. When the spoiled rich kid got his football team, he needed skilled people who could win games. Finding skilled and competent players didn’t matter because the spoiled rich kid just gave positions on the team to the people who kissed up to him. He just wanted attention. The players who were skilled professionals were not asked to be on the team. The spoiled rich kid didn’t care about having a winning team. He just wanted to surround himself with people who would tell him how great he was. The team never won a game. The end.

Richard Bechtold

West side

Health insurance

Re Mr. O’Rourke’s opinion: Frustration is not understandable.

We have had UHC for many years. One of the benefits is home meal delivery after a hospital stay. My husband was released from the hospital on 11/20. I notified UHC on 11/23 but collapsed at home due to COVID and taken to the hospital by ambulance.

When I tried to follow up on Dec. 23, it was denied because the 30-day deadline had passed by three days. Extenuating circumstances fell on deaf ears.

Even with the assistance of our UHC representative, it was still denied.

Be forewarned.

Valerie Golembiewski

Southeast side

Words matter

George Bernard Shaw said, “England and America are two countries separated by a common language.” Forget England, the quote also applies to dialog among Americans of differing political views; we simply to not have a common language. Cases in point, all hot-button issues:

• Immigration. Are these uninvited guests illegal aliens, undocumented or migrants?
• Banning books and drag queen story hour. The language issue centers on the word children. Are they 3, 6, 9, or 17 years of age? We may have differing views for different age groups.
• Sexual assault. Is this rape, groping or an unwanted kiss? I’m guilty of the latter.
• Human trafficking. Is this only about the world’s oldest profession?
• Homelessness. Are they unhoused, vagrant or unsheltered?

We muddy up the terms to impede real discourse. Use whatever language that you want if trying to virtue signal and feel good about yourself, but if you want to change mind, choose your words carefully.

Jeffrey McConnell

West side

What I will miss most

What I will miss most about outgoing President Joe Biden is all the things he wasn’t. He wasn’t tweeting vitriol at 2 a.m. He wasn’t appointing incompetents to his cabinet. He wasn’t abandoning his base in exchange for buyouts by tech-titan billionaires. Sure, Biden did things I didn’t like. I’ll be eternally annoyed that he said he’d be a transition candidate, then ran for re-election — to the detriment of his party and the nation. Still, I’ll miss boring ol’ Biden. I will remember him for the quiet dignity of his leadership and the benefits of his Infrastructure Act every time I drive over a rebuilt bridge, drink water from an unleaded pipe, get electricity from an improved power grid, and most particularly, when I see the completion of I-10 widening between Tucson and Phoenix. Goodbye Joe, I’m gonna miss you.

Thea Chalow

Oro Valley

Offensive idea of national defense

Hegseths’s personal problems are bad enough, but they’re no worse than Trump’s. You wouldn’t want your daughter dating him. What few have mentioned is that over 100 high-ranking officials in the military and Defense Dept., including Trump’s last Chief of Staff. signed a letter before the election saying that Trump was unfit for office; Hegseth is the revenge. He may manage to stay sober and leave out-of-bounds women alone, but he will follow Trump’s orders, such as shooting protesters (in the knees {etc). Migrants, soldiers who don’t want to torture captives, and those who object to handing over the Defense and other departments to Fox News cranks, look out.

Herbert Schneidau

Foothills

Biden’s gloomy farewell speech

In his farewell speech, President Biden spoke of an ascendant “tech-industrial complex,” and that “an oligarchy is taking shape in America that threatens our entire democracy.” These are strong words from a lame-duck President who leaves office with a 37.6% approval rating. Biden is bitter, having been rejected for reelection by his own party and is trying to salvage his legacy. His parting shot is a feeble effort to malign Donald Trump’s efforts to select the best and brightest to serve as advisors and in his cabinet. The incoming President has chosen proven leaders to guide America’s future and Congressional hearings show the wisdom of his choices. President Biden promised to be a unifier, a president for all Americans. Instead of being a unifier, Biden has used “class warfare” and negativity to divide our country into categories; friend or foe, oppressed or oppressor and trusted or not. Biden’s gloomy goodbye is a dark contrast to Donald Trump’s efforts to Make America Great Again.

Ronald F. Eustice

Northwest side

Artificial intelligence

There has been a lot of recent discussion about how to determine when an artificial intelligence has developed to the point where it can be considered sentient, i.e., fully human. This is really a very simple matter. An AI can be considered fully human when it kills without having been programmed to do so.

Dale Mann

Midtown