Apply the leeches!
Thank you to the AZ Supreme Court for their inane decision on abortion rights. Why don’t we, as a state, just revert to the standard of practice guidelines consistent with those in the 1860s? Little hygiene, no antibiotics, no anesthetics, well, OK, maybe a little ether; not much in the way of analgesics. Vote blue all the way down the ballot to dog catcher.
Joanne Eaton-Quebedeaux
East side
View of Starr Pass Golf Resort and trailhead parking lot from Old Pueblo Mine site.
Ignoring our sacred land
About a year ago, I began playing golf at Starr Pass on a regular basis. In contrast to the Tucson city courses I usually play, the three courses offered something unique — abundant wildlife, mature trees and a picturesque landscape away from the city.
About a month ago, I was shocked to see that whole swaths of the beautiful trees and brush had been cut down. This not only decreased the value of the course to me but also destroyed the habitats of scores of birds, coyotes, rabbits, and more.
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The staff informed me that the vegetation was being trimmed to enhance sight lines but I observed many trees cut down in areas well off fairways and in no way impeding play.
This wholesale denuding of the land surrounding the fairways might have gone down without protest in other Troon locations like Scottsdale and Las Vegas, but it won’t go down without a fight here in Tucson, where we value our wild habitat and the animals that live there.
Tejpal Spring
Downtown
Shame on justices
Shame. Shame on Justices John Lopez, Clint Bolick, James Beene and Kathryn King for arrogantly and ignorantly voting to revive Arizona’s 1864 zombie anti-abortion law.
They chose to remove choice from the women of Arizona. They chose to imperil women’s health and plunge them back into the 19th century and the era of Civil War medicine.
Katharine Donahue
Foothills
Practicing medicine without a license
Why are we not asking our legislators why they are practicing medicine without a license?
Pamela Ryan
East side
Ward 6 appointment
When the City Council meets to choose a replacement council member for Ward 6, I hope that they choose someone who will pledge to not run for re-election, and instead will serve in a caretaker role for the remainder of the term.
It is important that the candidates in the next election all start off on an equal footing, without any incumbent advantage. Ted Prezelski has made such a pledge, and he has the advantage of several years providing constituent services in a different ward. Placing Ted in this role will allow the needs of the people to be met without giving any one person a head start in the next election.
Eric Lybeck
West side
No more season tickets for me
Every coach and player talks about dedication and loyalty to the team, the University and to Tucson. Then suddenly, all that vanishes in a heartbeat! Nobody honors their commitments. I’ve had my heart broken too many times. I’m done with college sports. No more season tickets for me!
Tommy Moorehead
Northwest side
Abortion care
For you who supported and voted for abortion bans: 1. if you or your spouse/partner has ever had an abortion, you’re a hypocrite; 2. are you going to help raise these children? Will you pay for their care and education? You will never know them.
Will getting a few diapers and hand-me-downs suffice when there’s no money? You complain about handouts and programs, but there will be more need for this assistance.
Many states don’t/won’t make exceptions for rape or incest. Women who have life-threatening pregnancies have to wait until they are near death to get abortion care. Babies will be born with lifelong illnesses and deformities. Will you help them? Babies will be born who were not wanted and resented all their lives.
There will be back-street abortions and women who will attempt to end pregnancies themselves. But people with money will be able to get safe illegal abortions.
Taking away abortion care is an injustice and criminal.
Deborah Newman
Downtown
Politicians
Current politicians who are to be respected and admired:
Mary Jo Swartzberg
SaddleBrooke
1864 Backpedal bandwagon
Trump says abortion is the purview of the states. The implicit message? Trump won’t sign a federal abortion ban. Or will he?
The 1864 law is reinstated, and suddenly, Ciscomani backpedals. From a “Proudly Pro-life” to “today’s ruling is a disaster.” Kari Lake goes from “great law already on the books” to trying to get AZ lawmakers to appeal it. Add Matt Gress and Nikki Haley to the list of early backpedalers.
Will the backpedal list get longer? Expect a Republican flash flood of contradictions to soothe abortion access Republicans. “We will protect you from 1864!” As they keep shoving immigration (that they dropped) and inflation (ballooning profit) to the forefront.
Beware the side whispers, winks and nods to the evangelicals and pro-lifers. If you vote for Republicans, they will push the national abortion ban through as lightning quick as the 2017 deficit bloating tax cut. And Trump will sign it. A 2025 law, with an 1864 mindset.
Cindy Doklan
Midtown
A good way to live
Re: the April 6 article “Activist, theater founder Goldsmith dies.”
Over the years, I have experienced many Borderlands Theater productions. With each play that he directed or produced, Barclay Goldsmith not only showed his appreciation and love for Mexican American people, and for Latino and Latina culture, but also for his wife and children.
Goldsmith passed the torch of the theater to Milta Ortiz and Marc David Pinate who are reaching for new heights in storytelling. They are creating World Premieres about the people of Tucson. Love continues.
Gary Stone
Midtown
Astonishing House GOP priorities
As Russia continues to bomb Ukraine back to the Stone Age, House Republicans refuse to bring the Senate Ukraine aid package up for a vote. Instead, our patriotic GOP House members are preparing to vote on the Liberty in Laundry Act (H.R.7673), the Refrigerator Freedom Act (H.R.7637), and the Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act (H.R.6192).
The GOP is more focused on household appliances than supporting our Ukrainian allies trying to defend their country against Russia’s brutal and barbaric invasion.
While Putin continues to perpetrate horrific war crimes and barbarous acts in Ukraine, perhaps Speaker Johnson and his do-nothing incompetent majority should form an investigative committee to ferret out how the Biden-Harris Administration is going after your refrigerator.
The GOP wants more protections for household appliances than they do for Western democracy. For that matter, home appliances seem to be prioritized over protecting election workers, voting rights, and women’s reproductive rights.
Kathy Krucker
Midtown
County Attorney needs experience
Re: the April 14 letter “Mike Jette for County Attorney.”
There have been several letters recently endorsing Mike Jette for County Attorney.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he has worked for many years, lures away experienced Pima County Deputy Attorneys with the promise of greater salaries, which is also the case with the Federal Public Defender poaching the best Pima County Public Defenders.
A few dedicated County prosecutors and defenders stay with the County, despite the allure of greater salaries, because that’s where the action is, and they are much needed. The U.S. Attorney in Tucson prosecutes mostly immigration cases involving illegal entry and transportation, as well as drug crimes, mostly involving persons crossing at the port in Nogales with drugs in their cars and on their persons. Even white-collar crime, which should be its forte, is mostly prosecuted by the Arizona Attorney General. Mike Jette has very little experience prosecuting serious crime, the kind that makes up much of the County Attorney’s docket.
Sean Bruner
West side
What Republican party do we want?
“Gettysburg, what an unbelievable battle that was. It was so much, and so interesting, and so vicious and horrible, and so beautiful in so many different ways — it represented such a big portion of the success of this country ... Gettysburg, wow — I go to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to look and to watch.” — Donald Trump Gettysburg Address 2024
“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us-that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” — Abraham Lincoln Gettysburg Address 1863
Do we want a Republican Party of Trump or Lincoln?
Rick Apling
Foothills
Friendships with Trumpers
Re: the April 15 article “Questioning friendships with Trumpers.”
Well said Mr. Shapiro.
Mark Patterson
Oro Valley
No to Hudbay
Let’s remember when we hear this rah! rah! Hudbay, the primary beneficiaries of the copper mined and the wealth generated from this Arizona property are Canadian.
The primary losers are Tucsonans who stand to permanently have future water sources depleted, fouled and made unusable. Air quality in the Tucson basin will suffer greatly. We hear about planning for “100-year catastrophic weather events,” only to find these occur much more frequently.
Why would an open pit mine be allowed to dig so close to an existing large community? Nearly 9,000 people live in Corona de Tucson. The tailings pile will accumulate on property two miles from an elementary school. There are other beautiful schools 10 miles from the epicenter of this environmental disaster. Ranchers, retirees, developers and young families have invested their lives here. The public has paid for the infrastructure that supports this community. Will we allow this foreign company to take that all away? Let’s hope not!
Elaine Wolter
SaddleBrooke
Consider the alternative
Re: the April 15 article “Questioning friendships with Trumpers.”
To: Dr. Gil Shapiro
I don’t particularly like Donald Trump, nor do I admire him. I am not sure that I even respect him. However, I will most likely vote for Trump in November because, despite his many faults, he is soooooo much better than the alternative, in my humble opinion. Perhaps a sad commentary on our choices in the 2024 presidential election.
If this means I am off your friendship list, I can live with it.
Roger Ingersoll
Northeast side
Migratory birds and insects
Re: the April 13 article “Migratory species are threatened and need help”
Thank you to the scientists from EMIGRE for reminding readers of the obstacles we humans have placed in front of migratory birds and insects. I appreciate that they shared their knowledge with us and made us more aware of examples like the plight of the monarch butterfly in the face of avocado farming. This information can help us make informed decisions as we consume natural resources.
Carol Tepper
Midtown
Biden needs to get serious about climate
In contrast with Trump, Biden at least acknowledges humanity’s most serious threat, global warming. But he is so addicted to power, at home and abroad, he is rolling the dice in a game of geopolitics with Russia. In an interview recently, Biden expressed pride in extending the borders of NATO up to Russia’s. He continues to spend hundreds of billions that could be spent for genuine national and planetary defense on geopolitical ‘Great Games’.
Biden is defending is a system of political economy allowing the world’s richest people to turn their money into evermore money; a system that allows the governments they control to create that money as debt that can — backed by military force — be used to control of evermore of the world’s wealth.
He is creating an army of Trump supporters who know something is wrong but haven’t been told what it is.
Steven Lesh
East side
If you can’t win — cheat
The motto for the GOP should be, “If you can’t win honestly, cheat.”
I am appalled that Arizona Republican legislators plan to put numerous anti-abortion measures on the November ballot in order to confuse voters and dilute the vote for the initiative measure that would enshrine in the state constitution a woman’s right to govern her own body.
The GOP is fixated on taking away women’s rights, ignoring the truth — that nearly 75% of Americans want safe and legal abortion services. But because the Republicans know they are on the “losing” side of this issue, our state legislators seek to confuse and deceive the voters.
I hope voters read all the November ballot carefully, then vote for the true abortion rights measure — and vote out Republicans while they’re at it.
Karen Micallef
Oro Valley
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