Tucson Speaks Out: Oct. 18 letters of the day

A young man put his head on his shoes

Trying to catch a nap in the shelter

His eyes to the ceiling, he heard himself:

“Who Am I?

Where do I come from?

Where Am I going?

I once had direction

Now any road will take me

Home is a feeling, house is a building”

That’s what happens

When home ceases to be warm

The impossible journeys

Braving infinite skies, daring ruthless oceans

From places they used to call home

To places they need to hear a voice saying “come home”

The African sun neglected them – they froze

Will the snow in the U.S., Europe cover them warm?

She is running from Ukraine

He is running from Afghanistan

They are running –escaping drug cartels

They’re running from torture in Uganda, Rwanda

They keep running from Sudan –

that place where you hug, but with a gun

They are world citizens (without a home)

Looking for a place to feel safe and warm

Because home ceased to be warm

Sam J. Ssemaganda

Foothills

National secrets

Former President Trump cannot be trusted with sensitive materials that pertain to national secrets. This was shown by his not following proper handling procedures, insecure storage of classified materials and telling sensitive information to unauthorized persons and foreign nationals. If he becomes the next President, he will be the ultimate authority for classified information. But it doesn’t seem prudent to give an untrustworthy person sensitive information that he might share with unauthorized persons just to impress them with his knowledge. So, how would our government agencies pass or not pass sensitive information to him? What national secrets do you risk being shared?

Antone Hagen

Sierra Vista

Solution agreeable to all is hard to find

Re: the Oct. 14 letter “Biden ignores the elephant in the room, Iran.”

Nobody I know, although some I suspect, have full information on who is helping who in the Middle East. Diplomacy is often a nuanced backroom dance where accusations cannot be made public. The truth is out there, but very hard to pin down. Just as Hitler did, and Hamas has done before, declarations were made that all the Jewish people in Israel (world) must be destroyed. I don’t think I would turn my back on someone who declared that I and my family MUST be destroyed. I feel for the Palestinians, but they voted for Hamas, and none of them appeared to clue Israel in on what they should expect and when.

I have always been in favor of a 2 state solution — the 2020 Oslo Accords. Arafat wouldn’t sign because he feared for his life. Begin would have signed and paid with his life just for his participation.

Nobody I know has any other solution agreeable to all parties.

Cindy Soffrin

Northeast side

Why I’m a Yes on Prop 413

As the immediate past-mayor of Tucson, I write in support of Proposition 413. If you like your current electeds, you should support this initiative; they deserve the raise. If you don’t like your current electeds, you should support this initiative. It will incentivize others to run.

The mayor and council members’ jobs, if done correctly, are full-time jobs, and yet there has been no salary increase in over 20 years. Council members make a salary of $24,000 per year, and the mayor earns a salary of $42,000 per year. Despite the low wage, this body is responsible for a budget that is approaching two billion dollars per year.

The current compensation structure discourages a broad base of qualified persons in our community from running for office. The city would be best served by attracting a diverse group of candidates from whom the citizens can choose the best to govern their city.

I urge a “Yes” vote on Proposition 413.

Jonathan Rothschild

Downtown

Give her a chance

I’m no Republican crony, but if I were, I’d want to nominate Liz Cheney as Speaker. I believe she could get the votes needed by the Democrats.

Diana Carolan

Northwest side

Settling the age issue

Other than rhetoric and debates about President Biden’s age, I suggest a variation of “trial by combat.”

Biden should propose a 3K running race vs. the other party’s poll-leading candidate. The outcome should prove Biden’s fitness over his corpulent opponent. However, his opponent would not agree to participate. Bone spurs, you know.

Dennis Winsten

Northeast side

Violent deaths of children

We watch in horror at the latest violence in Israel and Gaza, innocent people dying. Over 2,600 combined, perished on both sides. Videos run continuously showing brutal deaths.

But, US statistics show in 2021, over 4,700 children under the age of 18 died by guns.

AGAIN, 4,700 young Americans PERISHED, never to grow old or see their lives fulfilled. Massacres at Sandy Hook and in Uvalde left scenes of carnage so appalling victims were only identifiable through DNA. Oou response? Nothing!

Did we destroy or bomb the NRA or gun manufacturers, as Israel’s decimation response in Gaza will be full decimation? No, we continue to turn a blind eye to the number one cause of death in children... gun violence! All humans have the right to live in peace, but in the U.S., the right to carry weapons of war anywhere, anyplace, anytime trumps the right to live for our next generations … really?

Jonathan Schultz

Northwest side

Copper, ‘critical material’ designation

Re: the Oct. 16 article “Designation may help AZ copper producers.”

“No change in copper production is required for the transition to sustainable energy. Lithium refinement needs to increase dramatically, but lithium ore itself is extremely common throughout Earth.” — Tweet from Elon Musk, Jan. 22, 2023, with 5.8M views

In Tesla’s last quarterly earnings call, Elon detailed the need for additional mining/minerals for the imminent electric transition.

And during the next 30 years, it’s probably safe to say that Tucson’s population will become at least 25 to 30% larger. For the future of our children, we need our Madera Canyon habitat more than ever to remain relatively undisturbed, IMHO.

Charles Dunn

Foothills

Ban on assault weapons

Re: the Oct. 15 article “Victim urges support for assault weapons ban.”

In a recent editorial by Catherine Woodall, I was inspired to write letters to my senators about co-sponsoring and supporting U.S. Senate Bill 25, the Assault Ban of 2023. I decided to also express my opinions to my representative, Juan Ciscomani. Here is part of his response: “No law-abiding American should be denied their Second Amendment right. As a gun owner myself, and as your representative in Congress, rest assured that I will continue to strongly defend our right to keep and bear arms.” Talk about standard responses to constituents. Not even an acknowledgment regarding my point of view. Wow, sure tells me a lot about who he actually truly represents.

Sam Prouty

Foothills

Support Prop 496

Re: the Oct. 15 article “TUSD’s bond initiative matters for us all.”

I wanted to add my support to Steve Lynn’s op-ed in the Daily Star. The upcoming TUSD bond prop 496 is very important to support the physical structures and update the technology of the district. If we want to continue to have a vibrant community, we need well-trained people.

The arts including music are very closely aligned with math, physics and technology. Last week, I attended an afternoon concert by the Pueblo High School Mariachi Aztlán. Visiting with these young musicians, I learned about their aspirations. Some are graduating this year, but the skills they are learning from practice and perseverance will last a lifetime! I asked one student if he was going to major in music. He replied, “No, I will be studying engineering!” My exposure to music brought a lifetime of participation.

Please support this bond with a YES vote. Your YES vote is less than $8 dollars per $100,000 valuation in your taxes. Citizens must provide direct support to enhance schools.

Neil West, MD

Northeast side