Tucson Speaks Out: October 11

Trump’s dictatorship

Trump’s usurping control of the National Guard and his directives to the masked thugs of ICE have now spread from Washington, D.C. and Portland, Oregon, to Chicago, with planned or threatened forays into other “blue” cities. The modus operandi of these quasi-military raids, includes but is not limited to, rappelling from hovering helicopters, banging and knocking down doors in the middle of the night to drag away terrified people, some of whom prove to be U.S. citizens, and smashing windows to gain entry or access to undocumented persons in order to drag them off to undisclosed locations.

The only difference between the actions of Adolf Hitler and his Gestapo of World War II, and Trump’s “icestapo” is the technology available to them to carry out their atrocities; Hitler’s thugs didn’t have helicopters and night-vision goggles.

Jack Graef

SaddleBrooke

Freedom belongs to us

Donald Trump claimed grocery prices are going down when they’re going up as the tariffs take effect; inflation was defeated, but it’s accelerating; and electric bills are coming down when they’re sharply increasing.

He and his Republican Party are wrecking our health care system, attacking scientific and medical research, throwing innocent people into foreign gulags without due process, and leading an extraordinary cover-up of a prolific sex trafficker and pedophile. Trump now gives dangerous medical advice to women from the White House podium and assaults our free speech.

All of this is happening as he enriches himself and uses the government to lawlessly pursue and silence domestic opposition. This recklessness puts people in jeopardy and in danger.

Trump and the GOP don’t fear Kimmel’s jokes. They fear those who will not bend the knee and will not be silenced. Speak out about the lawlessness that’s devastating America. After all, freedom belongs to all of us.

Teresa Jenkins

SaddleBrooke

What dictatorship looks like

Re the so-called Trump Compact with the UA, my first thought was “Give me liberty or give me death. I will fight this kind of intellectual bribery until my last breath.” What unmitigated gall on the part of people who orchestrated such a rotten scheme. This is not American conservatism. This is fascism, plain and simple.

William Buckley would roll over in his grave at the incessant attacks on our Constitution.

John G Schmidt

Southwest side

Arizona Supreme Court’s flawed ruling

Rich special interests have, for nearly three years, used dubious, tortured arguments in state courts to prevent the implementation of a popular 2022 law, the Voters’ Right to Know Act, intended to unveil the sources of dark money influencing our elections. Arizona voters approved the Act by more than 72% (1,736,496 Yes; 664,111 No), a nearly 3-1 margin.

Finally, we get a decision from the Arizona Supreme Court, which ruled 5-2 in September that the Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature can vote to change the Act, essentially opening the door for special interests to gut the new law.

The opinion, written by Justice Clint Bolick, overturned both trial court and appellate court rulings. Justice Bolick, who was head of litigation for both the Goldwater Institute and the Institute for Justice, was wrong on this dark money case.

Justice Bolick should have let the will of the people prevail.

Stephen Yozwiak

Northwest side

Care-based shoppin

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Recent events have had me reconsider how and where I shop for food, clothes and other items. I would prefer to support makers and sellers who care deeply about their customers and look forward to having a relationship with them. Fortunately, Tucson is full of just such places. It does mean I have to shift up my routines a bit. Going to farmers’ markets or trying different cafes and smaller shops has opened me up to a world of delightful merchandise as well as creative efforts by many people. I think that where I put my money is a way to vote for the world where community and caring is emphasized over just making money. Have you checked out places in your neighborhood that look interesting?

Barbara Rose Gaynor

Midtown

An explanation please

An explanation is needed. The US gave $20 billion to Argentina. But the U.S. refuses to permit $20 million of health insurance subsidies for U.S. citizens. With the infusion, Argentinian farmers will be able to sell soybeans to China. While U.S. soybean farmers are prohibited by U.S. foreign policy. Explain.

Kenneth Haber

Northwest side

Supreme Court plays Russian Roulette

The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear cases with profound implications for our country: cases about 1st Amendment rights, voting rights, campaign finance laws, federal vs states’ rights, religious and transgender rights, plus Trump’s emergency cases elevated from the shadow docket.

The incredible deference the Supreme Court has shown the President does not bode well for Americans. Approval of the Court is approaching an all-time low. The majority on the court often rule as partisan ideologues, and if they continue to cater to Trump in cases such as Birthright Citizenship, they will further alienate the American people. Reasoned decisions have been few and amount to mere crumbs thrown to Democracy advocates to maintain a veneer of legitimacy.

So, do they continue on this path and lose all credibility or do they disappoint their Heritage Foundation backers who have already made a down payment on their souls? It’s Russian roulette.

Gretchen Winters

Oro Valley

Moral leadership

I commend all 104 Christian pastors of Bear Witness Now for public moral leadership in the declaration of love and tolerance published in the ADS on 10-5-25.

They are correct in their advocacy of humane-centered responses to the many social, economic, and political problems we all face. Only responses based in love will help us overcome them. Intolerance, hate, greed, and dominance are responses that only perpetuate a World out of balance. Thank you for raising your voices in a time of increasing Darkness.

Their statement echoes pastors who endured hateful responses, death threats, and crosses burned as they were run out of Mississippi in 1963 for publicly supporting integration as a Christian response to Jim Crow.

Richard Fridena

West side

Three cheers for the Star

It’s not often that we old folks who still relish the feel of a print newspaper get credit for our long-time support of the Star. It was heartening to hear the appreciation of the Executive Editor of our wonderful newspaper in Wednesday’s edition. We were so relieved after arriving in Tucson in the 1970s to find that we could rely on the Arizona Daily Star to bring us the latest news with our morning coffee. This has been our custom for all these years, and although there may be some delay with the print edition trucking in from Las Vegas, we can still count on the Star to deliver a physical paper, hold the news in our hands, and pencil in the Cryptoquip and the Jumble.

Thank you, thank you.

James and Wanda Torrey

West side

Shutdown

I served this country with honor, and it’s unacceptable to see Senators Kelly and Gallego shutting down the government — not to serve the American people, but to demand $1.5 trillion in taxpayer dollars, including massive health care handouts for illegal immigrants.

That’s what’s happening. The House passed a clean bill to fund the government. Senate Democrats blocked it.

They are using extreme demands as a way to block the Trump administration, which has worked hard to support our armed services and strengthen our military. Veterans like me are being told to wait while Washington fights for people who broke the law to be here.

Senators Kelly and Gallego, do the right thing. Stop obstructing the administration that the majority of Americans elected. End this shutdown. Americans come first.

Bobbie King

Southeast side

Vote?

Why do Tucson representatives ignore constituents?

I will vote for those who care about and properly respond to emails from constituents. I miss Mayor Rothschild and Councilman Kozachik. They personally responded to constituents’ questions and concerns. If they did not know the answer, they connected the constituent to the person who did know the answer. They were/are awesome people.

Today, city leaders and their questionable assistants completely ignore most emails or respond with a rote “...we receive many emails and cannot respond to all.” My email inquiries are ignored. I rarely receive an answer to my question or have my concern redirected to someone who can help me.

Traditionally, pay raises are given for excellent work done. The city greatly increased the Mayor’s and city council’s salaries, and yet they proudly ignore most constituents’ inquiries. Tucsonans must require the lovely and professionally mannered style of representation that previous Mayor Rothschild and Councilman Kozachik modeled so well.

Tucson needs mannered representatives who are going to respond correctly to Tucson constituents.

Cheryl Kelli

Downtown

Re-elect no one

In the ’80s, there was a full-page ad in the Tucson Citizen that stated, “Re-elect no one.” How novel! This idea should be front and center on every American’s mind.

Our elected officials have shown us that they cannot even agree on how to disagree. The sole purpose we elect them for, is to agree on how to agree.

Government workers are sent home without pay. BS, they will get back pay while they don’t go to work, inconveniencing the public. Who suffers, the public. How about sending the government workers back to work while docking the elected officials of their pay and benefits. Let the bureaucracy do its job while the elected officials get the boot. The reason, they didn’t do their job. Simple!

All 435 Representatives and one-third of the Senate will be new. New eyes should be wide open while it digs itself out of the mess it is replacing.

Ignore the big money campaign ads. Simply re-elect no one.

Ed LeGendre

East side