Tucson Speaks Out: August 15

FEMA payments

The Trump administration is STILL withholding FEMA funds from states that did not vote for him. If you are living in one of those states or know people there (regardless of your politics), you are responsible for their suffering. Many of your neighbors and friends have had to declare bankruptcy because the funds are not available and insurance payouts are insufficient for rebuilding. It's time to stand up and speak up for your neighbors and demand that the FEMA funds be distributed equitably.

Cynthia Schiesel

East side

Quotes and observations

Some observations and quotes:

• "Anyone that goes into politics and makes money is a crook.” — Harry S. Truman

• Why doesn't Juan Ciscomani have the word "Republican" on his campaign signs?

• Does Trump issue Executive Orders or Royal Decrees?

• Does the "C" in NCAA stand for collegiate or cash?

• Israel treats the Palestinians like the United States treated Native Americans.

• "When everyone is thinking the same, no one is thinking.", General George Patton

• Where is the evidence, not allegations, of election fraud?

• “A politician looks to the next election. A statesman looks to the next generation.” — Unknown

• Why do people with no experience in education think they can be education administrators? And why do we vote for them?

• Considering all the "issues" with the Reflecting Pool, should we expect anything better from any project Trump touches?

• How do Christian Nationalists reconcile their philosophy with the Constitution's Article VI, which states, "no religious test will be required for public office"?

Larry Hammond

Southwest side

The Trump of doom

I had a dream of the Trump of Doom last night. He appeared as a great shambling, orange-coiffed mythical Bigfoot. The number 47 glowed red on his forehead, followed by a pulsing MAGA.

His torso arched across the Middle East, paws striking at centers of deceptively small but mighty beings with angry stings. They made Big Foot do a painful, jerky dance. One paw struck Tehran, another, Riyadh, yet another stomped Beirut, and the fourth stumbled deep beneath Hormuz. Every time he slapped one trouble spot, another halfway across the region erupted, stinging his pads and claws.

He raised his orange-streaked head, howling in pain, but then lowered it to gobble up derricks in Doha and Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, back at home, most of the MAGA cubs no longer paid him worship. They were climbing trees, looking for shelter and for something to eat.

Chuck Barrett

Midtown

Repeal the 'Law of the "River'

The “Law of the River” is an arcane collection of laws, decrees, customs and SCOTUS decisions that determines who will get the vanishing flow of the Colorado River. The process hasn’t worked well for the past 150 years, and the upcoming intervention by the Bureau of Reclamation will make it even worse. We should repeal the “Law of the River” and replace it with the “Law of Supply and Demand”.

There is little we can do about the supply side of the equation; it is what it is, but if the two remaining variables, price and demand, are allowed to interact freely, equilibrium can be achieved. The price of water will go up, the demand will go down to meet the available supply, and all will be in harmony.

Loring Green

Foothills

Rusty is a hero

Thank you, Rusty Martin, for your incredibly personal, thoughtful and powerful editorial. I just finished it and am inspired to immediately write to acknowledge your strength of character, not only make the most brave decision to take control of your situation, but to share it so eloquently with us all. That we as society continue to allow dogmatic fantasy, which is fine for an individual to indulge in, to frame our judgment of policy and laws for all is shameful in this day and age of science, logic and reason. I am quite familiar with the gruesomeness of Alzheimers and how it tears at the hearts of everyone who has to experience its wrath on a loved one. To smugly dictate to all the completely unsubstantiated arguments that a god’s will should be our only guidance in these matters is criminal. May you rest in peace, Rusty, knowing you have contributed immensely in “bending the arc towards justice” for mankind in your beautiful writing.

John Eric Persson

Northeast side

Autism

This a quote. "The distinct behavioral traits of autism were observed and documented throughout the 1800's." Az Autism United (AZA United). "But it has only been recognized as a distinct diagnosis for about 80 years." Therefore, it cannot be because of vaccines. Which came about in the 50s.

Shiela Carlson

Southeast side

Life cycle matters

Tuesday's Opinion pages contained diverse views on end of life. National Catholic Register's cartoon depicted states' Assisted Suicide Laws as marring "Respect for Life". An early Alzheimer victim wrote of his plans to go to Switzerland to access assisted suicide not available here.

I, now ninety, agree with others oldsters who do not fear death; we fear dying. We live in a medical world where disease/death is to be fought, but nothing shows less respect for those ending their life cycles than being kept alive. Nothing terrifies me more than a diagnosis of an illness which foretells years of inevitable decline. There is no reprieve.

Life cycle matters. Recent technology has revealed an evolving universe. Not just Earth has life cycles; so does the Sun, the Milky Way and all beyond.

Perhaps better awareness of the universality of life cycles can free us from past dogmas. Death is a vital part of life. We give our pets a way out. Isn't it time to do the same for humans?

Ruth Beeker

Midtown

Prop. 144: Kolodin’s Revenge

The GOP-controlled legislature has referred 5 constitutional amendments (LRCAs) and 5 amendments to state statutes (LRSSs) to Arizona’s November ballot. Many are being challenged in court. Proposition 144, which addresses voter identification and citizenship requirements, is a first step toward eliminating vote by mail in Arizona. Proposition 144 does not in itself eliminate mail-in ballots, but it includes a requirement to demonstrate proof of citizenship to vote — including by mail — by an as-yet-undetermined mechanism guaranteed to make voting by mail difficult. The architect of Proposition 144 is election denier-in-chief Alexander Kolodin, GOP candidate for Secretary of State. Kolodin spearheaded Arizona’s fake electors circus, and in 2023 was reprimanded and placed on probation by the Arizona State Bar for filing claims in bad faith and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. Not ideal qualifications for Secretary of State.

Sheldon Clark

Vail

Kino Border initiative

The Kino Border Initiative, an agency located in Nogales, Sonora, was formed to help primarily migrants. Migrants who came to wait for their asylum appointment. The program is over, but some are still there. Migrants deported to Mexico and landed in Nogales, mostly men. KBI provides food, clothing, shelter, medical care and legal services by Mexican attorneys if needed. The number of migrants coming in continues growing. The location in Nogales needed expansion as a result. With the help of large and small donors plus a great administration, UPI was able to finance and build a new Migrant Community Center. The Center has become a tremendous resource for the work ahead. The Center has areas and spaces that can be used by the Nogales community. Migrant and the Nogales community badly needed integration. A substantial amount of money, $600,000, is still owed. I donate. Hope you can too. Gracias.

Manuel Hernandez Garcia

Midtown