Any regrets?
I wonder if Vladimir Putin second guesses himself regarding his invasion of Ukraine. This decision, which has not only created a quagmire, has also created a geopolitical shift among formerly neutral European states. In Finland, polls showed support for joining NATO was around 20% pre-invasion. It is now around 80% and growing. A similar public opinion shift is happening in Sweden. This hardly seems “genius.” It will be interesting to see how Putin’s North American minister of propaganda, Tucker Carlson, spins this. Anti-NATO former president Donald Trump can’t be happy as NATO’s purpose is vindicated. A loyal, obedient Fox News audience awaits the latest messaging from Moscow.
Rick Klumpp
Oro Valley
Early voting
Re: the May 23 article “Voting list challenge likely to advance.”
People are also reading…
This recent article described the arguments brought to Judge Dominic Lanza about the elimination of the permanent early voting list. Lawyer Rodney Ott submitted precise figures about percentages of various racial and ethnic groups and their participation in the 2020 election. I don’t see how these figures can be determined. Where did he get them? Voter registration does not keep that data about voters, so how can he pull these figure out of thin air? Every eligible voter should be able to vote early if desired. But let’s not get drawn into the trap of believing that election officials keep track of, and report on, the race and ethnicity of voters.
Paige Hamner
Northeast side
Who’ll save the children?
On April 8, 2022, three gun store workers at Lock Stock and Barrel Shooting Range near Grantville, Georgia, were murdered in their gun store. All three were proficient with the use of all types of guns. All three were surrounded by long rifles, handguns and even AR-15s. Yet the murderer(s) had the drop on them. All three were executed.
On May 24, 2022, a teenager who bought two guns for his 18th birthday killed 19 elementary school children and two adults. This begs the question: if three gun owners surrounded by deadly weapons can be shot and killed, how can arming teachers save innocent children?
I think saying more arms are needed to save children is like saying more water is needed to save drowning victims.
Matt Somers
Midtown
Stop awful laws, solve problems
A recent writer outlined the bills proposed by Democrats in the Arizona Legislature for things we need: education funding, affordable housing, water issues, minimum wages, elections, health care, child care, gun safety, and climate policy.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to hear about Democrats’ bills because Republicans have a one-vote majority and refuse to even discuss Democratic bills.
So we got Republican laws: an expensive sham election audit, elimination of our vote-by-mail (PEVL) procedures, and new voting restrictions. We now have laws preventing most abortions, restricting what teachers teach, prohibiting teachers from having confidential conversations with students, and preventing most COVID vaccine requirements. Republicans also want to allow guns on college campuses and make gun purchases tax-exempt.
And taxes we have paid for government services will be refunded to the uber wealthy; these refunds will permanently consign schools to 49th place and reduce funding for police and fire protection, health care, efficient elections, and infrastructure repair.
We need solutions to community problems. Vote for Democrats.
Lisa Wolfe
North side
Muskets for all
Some people say the Constitution does not protect abortion because it is not specifically mentioned in the Constitution. Well, in that vein of thought automatic weapons and any weapon with more than one projectile is not covered by the Constitution. When the Constitution was written, there were only one-shot muskets available that took minutes to reload for a second shot. Therefore, multi-shot weapons are not covered by the Second Amendment. Also, where is the “organized militia” mentioned in the Constitution. Maybe gun registration and background checks are a required method to join an “organized militia.” So, in following the Constitution one should expect an American should register their musket to join the militia required by the Second Amendment. I’m just saying.
Richard Bechtold
West side
Mass shootings
Before politicians use the old, worn out NRA excuse “it’s too soon,” let’s tally up the current score of mass killings in Democracies. Australia: 0, New Zealand: 0, Japan: 0, England: 0, India: 0, Germany: 0, France: 0, Canada: 0, USA: 213! (and we are not yet halfway through the year! The difference: guns. An accurate reading of the Second Amendment (only necessary as the NRA never quotes it correctly) “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” Now ask yourself how many of the mass murders — killings — were currently serving a “well regulated Militia.” While I’m at it what was a Militia in 1789?
The Southern states demanded, as a condition of signing the Constitution, that they could maintain separate military force (Militia) apart from the newly created federal army so they could have a method of hunting down and returning escaped slaves.
Robert Cozad
Oro Valley
Blame game
You give your friend your car and he crashes it. It must have been the brakes. So, you give him your car again and he crashes it. It must have been the dog in the road. So, you give him your car again; he crashes it, and hurts someone. It must be that the other driver didn’t have a seatbelt. So, you give your friend a bigger car and he crashes it and kills a child. It must be that the child’s car seat wasn’t working properly. So, you give your friend your car again, because now he is renting it from you, and he crashes it, killing several people, including more children. Maybe the other drivers just need to have bigger cars to keep themselves safer. While your friend doesn’t have a driver’s license, he has been around cars his entire life and needs a car to meet his daily needs, so what else can you do?
Robert Pitts
Downtown
Mark Follman spot on
Re: the May 26 article “Mass shooters don’t suddenly break.”
The article completely captures my own feelings on mass shootings. Indeed, the idea of Stockholm syndrome shows how very fluid our minds are and that the idea of “mental illness” is often misapplied. Certainly, there are organic forms of mental illness comprised of neurologic and physical anomalies, but even so called “normal” people fall prey to psychological stress-induced aberrant behaviors. Freedom of speech certainly needs protection (liberty) and pacifists need to feel safe (life), but it seems that the left wing is OK with someone’s brain “Squirming like a toad” if they don’t go shooting people and the right wing only seems to care about fetal tissue. “Pursuit of Happiness” should be the real focus, then people won’t want to go kill other people. Of course, that’s hard to do, but well worth the effort.
Dan Pendergrass
West side
A good man with a gun?
So Donald Trump tells the NRA that what we need is “a good man with a gun” to stop the bad guys? All 19 of them couldn’t stop one bad guy in Uvalde. He also stresses mental health, but not his own. There are plenty of individuals with mental health issues in other countries, but they do not have guns. We have 400 million of them. It is not the bad people, it is the guns. Period.
Get rid of those lethal war weapons and then we can save “thoughts and prayers” for rain?
Harvey Wolfe
North side
Trash on our streets
Re: the June 8 article “Too much trash on Tucson streets.”
I must echo the sentiments in the opinion piece by Ms. Filipponi about our trashy streets. I have repeatedly asked the Ward 3 office to investigate placing a trash can by a bus stop on Ft. Lowell Blvd. I have been told that there are simply not enough stops at this site to support the placement of a can. I do not understand using this metric. It only takes one person to toss the water bottles, soda cans, empty food wrappers and partially eaten food on the sidewalk before getting on the bus. This is a sample of the stuff I walk by every day. It must be the passengers because there is no trash on the nearby sidewalks. This is another example of the city’s disregard for this issue. I have been told it is all a matter of money. I would even don a pair of gloves and throw the stuff in myself.
Marcy Tigerman
Midtown
Gun violence
I am horrified and sickened by the recent massacres in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas. Not to mention the other, almost daily, mass shootings that occur in this country.
I fear we may have reached a pathetic point in our country where everyone knew someone or knows someone who knew someone who was murdered by gun violence.
We must expand background checks for gun ownership and ban assault weapons now!
Mary Topmiller
Oro Valley
Abortion
Now I understand why so many want to abolish abortion. Where else will we get the cannon fodder for our schools?
Nancy Hummel
Northeast side
Gun massacres
Republicans in Congress, aided and abetted by the corrupt SCOTUS, fight tooth and nail in the name of “pro-life” to strip women of autonomy over their body, as well as to ensure that anyone can buy weapons specifically designed to rapidly kill people.
The GOP, the party of protecting a clump of cells while making it easier to massacre children. “Pro-life” indeed.
Jessica Hamdan
West side
Too much trash on Tucson streets
Re: the June 8 article “Too much trash on Tucson streets.”
Sandi Filipponi recently wrote about the disheartening amount of trash in and around Tucson. Spot on! Like Sandi, I pick up “other people’s” trash periodically and I am in complete agreement. We need to clean things up. Unfortunately as quickly as we clean it up it’s trashed again. Most of the trash I pick up are fast food wrappings, bottles and cans that have been thrown from a car. Who taught the offenders that this is OK? We need to break the cycle. Littering is learned. We aren’t born with a littering gene. Picking up after someone just treats the disease. Wouldn’t we be better off heading off the disease before it manifests itself in another generation? Maybe this can be addressed in school citizenship classes. And just maybe some of the educated younger ones will challenge their friends or parents next time they roll down the window to litter. For now I’ll just keep picking up other people’s trash.
Guy Brunt
West side
Price gouging
Every time I go to the grocery store, I’m shocked at the sharp increase in prices. Then I drive by the gas station hoping for lower prices but am not surprised by a five-cent increase from the day before. Seeing the rise in these prices is a cyclical journey for me. I feel like I can never escape the idea of spending more than I need to.
While I spend more, food and oil companies are raking in record profits. Seeing those articles when I have gone way over on my monthly budget is disheartening. Companies that favor their shareholders and profiteering instead of providing consumers a fair price are taking advantage of all Arizonans.
Our government needs to hold these companies accountable for exploiting their leverage on essential goods to overcharge Arizonans. Senator Mark Kelly and Rep. Tom O’Halleran have led the charge to call out corporate price gougers. They give me hope that companies will be compelled to stop taking advantage of hard-working Arizonans!
Diana Alexander
Oro Valley
Change must happen
Something has to change to stop U.S. mass shootings, but our federal government continues to fail at limiting access to weapons designed for war. So what can other institutions do? Social media and broadcast/print media can greatly reduce or simply stop coverage of the shooters and their justifications. Coverage of individual shooters may increase media clicks, ratings and profits, but it also gives the mass murderers attention and enables copycats. And what can the rest of us do? We can tell our legislators that we want changes to gun policy that greatly reduce reckless gun access and use while still supporting responsible ownership. Where are we now? Kids are afraid to go to school. And be honest: aren’t you afraid to drop them off?
Joyce Cheney
Midtown
