Constable Martinez-Garibay stood out
There are some people that you only meet once, but they leave a lasting impression. As a member of the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson, I was honored to serve as moderator for a Constable Forum. These forums act as a live interview for candidates for constable positions. Deborah Martinez-Garibay really stood out. She came with an understanding of the trauma of eviction and with sources and solutions that could be shared by constables at the time of eviction. She did not get the position, as there was a more qualified candidate, but the fact that she was appointed when the next opening came shows how impressive she was.
Why was the firearm not removed the first time the man threatened someone with it? On behalf of all our constables, I for one will continue to fight to assure guns are not so readily available.
People are also reading…
My heart hurts for her family and for all of us that this very special person will no longer be among us.
Dee Maitland
Marana
General election
As an Independent voter for a number of years, I always voted for the person, not the party. I generally swayed to the Republican candidate.
However, this general election, I can guarantee my vote to any candidate not supported by Donald Trump. The man has no morals, no ethics and little respect for women and minorities. I can only believe that holds true for those he supports, unfortunately.
I will happily cast my vote for those running against a Trump candidate!
Vicky Smith Marana
Petitions and direct democracy
Re: the Aug. 24 article “Voucher petition drive meets foe.”
Tim Steller reports on protests urging people to not sign the petition to refer the universal voucher expansion bill to the ballot. He reports that proponents of universal school vouchers are “outraged that Save our Schools think they know what’s best.”
Both supporters and opponents of vouchers think they know what’s best. Placing the issue on the ballot allows the majority to decide. This right to direct democracy is spelled out clearly in the Arizona Constitution, Article 4.
Let’s be clear: Signing the petition is not a vote. It does not mean you support or oppose the voucher bill. It means that you are concerned enough about this issue to place it on the ballot where it will be decided by majority vote in the 2024 general election. By obstructing the signature collection process, the protesters are denying Arizona citizens their constitutional right to direct democracy.
Opportunities for signing the petition are at teamsosarizona.com.
Greer Warren
Midtown
Migration conversation needed
Re: the Aug. 24 letter “Migrants and the wall.”
The writer referred to the Aug. 21 article “Crates can’t stop migrants” to argue that complete walls would help avoid hundreds of migrant deaths by forcing them to enter at established legal entry points. Yet he ignores the main point of the article. According to the chief Border Patrol agent of the Yuma Sector, Chris Clem, there needs to be an overhaul of the 1986 and 1990 immigration framework. “We need comprehensive immigration reform,” he said, calling for a higher-level conversation to address the root of the problem.
As a volunteer advocate for migrants at my church, I would add that most asylum-seekers and other desperately poor people wait on our southern border for many months, stopped by U.S. public health policy Title 42. They are victims of corrupt governments, cartels, U.S. political and economic policies, and climate change. No number of crates or length of wall will keep people from seeking safety and family reunion.
Marjorie King
Midtown
Pima College child care centers
Re: the Aug. 18 article “On-campus child care huge for some at Pima CC.”
As a retired preschool teacher with 31 years of experience, I know that quality child care is definitely needed in our community. While I applaud Pima College for opening a center, I think it’s important to remind people that beginning in 2001, Pima had three quality child care centers at three different campuses. All the centers received grants from federal and local entities to assist parents with tuition. Pima spent a lot of money on resources, staffs, equipment, supplies, etc.
Highly qualified staff with years of experience provided excellent educational and developmentally appropriate programs. They spent countless weeks and months meeting requirements in order to become nationally certified.
Inexplicably, the centers were closed in 2011. Now Pima is reinventing the wheel.
Seems like wasted resources and lost time. I hope this current Pima administration is more supportive than past ones.
Janet Kellner
West side
Mission school closed
The San Xavier Mission has brought visitors from all over the world, and of course tourist dollars for Tucson. The Mission School has been part of that historic gem for a long time, and it adds to the ambiance of that place the moment we drive down the road to the plaza. And now, for economic and other reasons, the school is closing. The City of Tucson has been supporting newcomers to the United States. It seems that the federal government and Tucson, with its surplus of money, should care enough to find a way to support the Mission School to preserve the beautiful traditions that these schoolchildren have contributed to the city and this whole area.
Ted Crisboi
Southwest side
Unanswerable questions
Re: the Aug. 19 letter “The idea of the soul.”
Metaphysical science is the study of unanswered, perhaps unanswerable questions. Is there an afterlife? Is there a soul? Do humans have a spirit? And not only the question when does life begin, but what exactly is life?
Metaphysical scientists study essences that have no physical properties, no atoms, no subatomic particles. These essences are the mind, thought, consciousness, spirit and life, among many others. The essence of life is not physical. There is no solid proof as to the spirit, or when life begins.
Pro-lifers have faith that life begins at conception. But that is all it is — faith. And faith is belief without proof. The law defines life as in the Texas case law of Roe v. Wade. “A person is an individual who is born and is alive.” So, which is it, the Bible or the law? At conception or when born? Perhaps an unanswerable question.
Jon Langione
Marana
Student debt
President Biden just erased $10,000 to $20,000 of student debt. Forty-five million former and current students are applauding this.
However, this is a kick in the seat to: The many people who chose not to go to college. The many people who held down two jobs while attending college to graduate without debt. The many people who took responsibility and paid off their student debt. The many people who joined the military for the GI bill to pay for college. The gold star families that lost children in the military who joined for the GI bill.
Tax payers on the hook for up to $500 billion.
Thomas Wenzel
East side
Rule of law smells good
Re: the Aug. 21 letter “Petulant Garland”
After many years of presidential vendettas, it’s no wonder the letter writer assumed Attorney General Merrick Garland was doing the same.
Unlike unchecked presidential vendettas, here there are checks on power. It was the National Archives that alerted the DOJ about many high/highest level documents in the national interest that were taken without authorization.
So DOJ attorneys commenced negotiations to retrieve them. Two-plus months of negotiations commenced. Donald Trump’s lawyers stopped talking to the DOJ, saying everything had been returned. The FBI investigated — provided factual evidence a crime had been committed — and the DOJ wrote an affidavit based upon that investigation. Sure Garland signed off on it, but something this politically explosive demanded that the highest authority sign off on it.
Then there was another check on DOJ power. An independent judge, appointed during Trump’s tenure, reviewed the affidavit and agreed there was probable cause a crime had been committed. Only then was a search warrant issued.
Critics say the whole process stinks, but from where I sit the rule of law smells pretty good.
Rick Rappaport
Oro Valley
