Tucson Speaks Out: Feb. 18 letters of the day

President Kamala Harris

Re: the Jan. 18 letter “Harris vs. Trump.”

As a follow-up to this letter, Harris is one of the most qualified to be President in the history of our country. Her past positions — California Attorney General for six years, United States Senator for four years, Vice-President — make her well-familiar with the workings of our government. She has achieved an impressive record concerning:

Health care reform

Path to citizenship for Dreamers

Ban on assault weapons

Tax reform

Successfully prosecuting criminals, thereby decreasing the high violent crime rate in San Francisco.

Her career, as well as her degrees in political science and economics, make her more than capable of fulfilling the office of President of the United States.

Diane Stephenson

Foothills

Historical fantasy

PragerU, TrumpU, Alternate Facts ... what’s the difference? None. Nada. Zip. There are facts, and there are beliefs. Facts can be proven.

Beliefs are merely personal thoughts until expertly examined, which may or may not prove them to be valid.

Do these PragerU cartoon shows reveal the savagery used in capturing these slaves? Do they show families being separated, the torture inflicted to get the most work out of the slaves before they die? Perhaps the students will assume a bucolic farm where everyone sings and laughs after dinner.

Until shown otherwise, I assume this is biased, as Secretary Horne describes it, and an abomination to education along with his shilling for private schools. This man is no educator, he is an ideological tyrant and should never have been entrusted to use his twisted, archaic philosophy to guide the future generation, the future of Arizona.

Ted Morrison

Midtown

UA President Robbins must resign

UA President Robbins is paid $954,000. His pay ballooned as he created a budget shortfall of $177 million. The UA also bought him a $1.3 million home, and he gets $10,000 for a car.

Despite his royal treatment:

Robbins lied about the CFO’s resignation (surreptitiously giving her a new title and the same $500,000 salary)

He allowed security lapses that led to the in-class murder of Prof. Thomas Meixner

He acquired Ashford University, with its history of fraud, downward enrollment, and money-losing record

He loaned the insolvent athletics department $86 million, which it has not paid back

Worse yet, he stonewalls news organizations while pretending to be available for an interview

As the university finances crumble, it has not gotten what it paid for. I join the many calls for the Board of Regents to fire Robbins.

The university’s plan is to start making cuts from the school’s administration.

Let’s start at the top and kick this incompetent leader to the curb.

Larry Bodine

Foothills

Biden competency

The Star whitewashed the 384-page Hur report regarding Biden having classified documents in his possession. The article omitted the primary message in the report that Biden is not competent mentally to face a trial. He is too old and frail. As a Senator and Vice President he is not allowed to have classified documents, only Presidents have that right. The report cited that if prosecuted, he is too old and senile to recall his actions. In a five-hour interview, he could not remember when he was VP and numerous other issues that were alarming. All who witness Biden know he is failing to the extent that he is not competent to continue to be President let alone run for another term. This man is conducting talks with our allies and adversaries, the U.S. is in big trouble. His arrogance will not allow him to face reality. The Democrat leaders see this and are allowing him to continue. The deep state is running the country.

Bill Dowdall

Oro Valley

Nobody is above the law

The Declaration of Independence was a directly worded “in your face” document to the King. We will not be ruled by a King from abroad. The Constitution was carefully crafted to make sure that we would not ever be under the rule of an omnipotent ruler. If a person has complete immunity from any crimes or misdeeds they are in effect a dictator, despot or a King which the 14th amendment tries to avoid. If Trump is not found guilty of aiding an insurrection that will set a dangerous precedent of law for future presidents. Jan. 6 was just a small disturbance, but what if Trump became President again? What would he say if Russia decided to come across into Alaska with tanks and warplanes? “Oh, they’re just coming over for a snowball fight and have some practice shooting up snow forts.” How long would he delay in calling our troops out to protect our country? I don’t trust him.

Daniel Poryanda

Southeast side

Border invasion

Faux journalist and MAGA darling Tucker Carlson has given a platform to Putin for him to justify his invasion of Ukraine. Apparently, it was a heroic act to protect “native” Russians from invasion by NATO. By the last census, 17.3% of Ukrainians are of Russian descent. If we are to support Putin’s logic, then Mexico has every right to invade militarily Texas with 40.2% Hispanics and Arizona with 32%. Native Hispanics need protection.

Maybe Republicans are killing border bills because they are as in thrall of Mexico’s president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, as they are of Putin. Is their fear-mongering about the “invasion” at our border just a cover to blame Biden while their mega-donors get the cheap labor with no increase in their taxes for expansion of border services or aide to Ukraine?

Dee Maitland

Marana

To MAGA Christians

Dear Christians trying to purify America to make it great again: Your zeal to follow certain politicians to suppress people who don’t look, think, or behave like you, namely, non-Christians, asylum seekers, the homeless, LGBTQs, Christians like me, etc. is questionable.

Could you honestly justify your actions according to Jesus (a Jew)? He told the parable of the prodigal son about repentance and forgiveness and the parable of the good Samaritan (an alien and outcast) about loving your neighbor; he sat and ate with sinners, prostitutes, and tax collectors; he touched the “unclean” leper; he shared the good news with a multi-partnered Samaritan woman; he rescued the woman caught in adultery; and he forgave his executioners. Would you prefer to be among the sheep at the last judgment (Matthew 25:31-46)?

Repent! Truth, not lies or deceptions (Revelation 9:12), will make you free (John 8:32). Be brave, make America graciously anew! Amen.

Ke Chiang Hsieh

Midtown

Ciscomani fails to support Ukraine

The Senate has passed legislation, by a 70-29 vote, for military and economic assistance for Ukraine. This is essential and long overdue. To my knowledge, all surviving national security advisers and secretaries of state (including those who served under President Trump) support aid for Ukraine. The two top Republican leaders in the Senate, and all three of the Republican leaders of national security-related committees in the House, support aid for Ukraine.

House Speaker Johnson has indicated that he will ignore this legislation, objecting that it does not include border security measures. Johnson and other House members undermined an earlier version of the legislation that included border security measures. This is duplicitous and incredibly irresponsible. A person who is this intellectually dishonest does not belong in the House, let alone in a leadership position.

It is embarrassing that our Representative, Juan Ciscomani, continues to support Johnson. This is unacceptable.

Doug Pickrell

Midtown

Sen. Tommy Tuberville

Today, I listened to an interview of Alabama’s United States Senator, Tommy Tuberville, during which he praised Vladimir Putin “as being on his game.” He went on to say that Ukraine had forced Putin to invade their country because Ukrainians militarily defended their border with Russia. In my lifetime, I have never heard a United States Senator state such falsehoods in order to laud a war criminal’s actions!

Let me briefly inform Senator Tuberville what Putin’s “game” means to Ukrainians. It means launching hundreds of cruise missiles at countless Ukrainian targets, such as hospitals, apartment buildings, and schools. It means lobbing countless artillery shells at Ukrainian towns and villages in order to level them.

It means rounding up Ukrainian men, women and children and shooting them in the head. It means raping women and kidnapping children and sending them to Russia.

You are right Senator Tuberville, Putin is on his game; ask any citizen of Georgia, or Chechnya. Your blatant lies are acts of sedition perpetrated against the United States.

Edward Heller

Northwest side

Ciscomani is Trump’s puppet

Ciscomani voted to impeach DHS Mayorkas — a political stunt (with no evidence behind it) to make Trump feel better about HIS impeachments.

Ciscomani voted down the border-crisis bill — ignoring the fact that it had been crafted specifically to the wishes of the House GOP.

Ciscomani has not spoken up for the bill giving funding to Ukraine. The House extremists say that the bill has no funding for domestic security (i.e., the border) — which was what the bill they had just voted down was all about.

Trump says “Jump!”

Ciscomani asks, “How high?”

Arizonans deserve better. Voters need to support Kirsten Engel.

Jon Benda

Midtown

Trump the terminator

Trump bragged that he was responsible for “terminating” Roe v. Wade.

Trump has “terminated” my rights as a woman.

Trump has “terminated” women’s right to reproductive health care.

Trump has “terminated” truth about elections.

Trump has “terminated” voting rights for many eligible voters.

Trump wants to “terminate” LGBTQ and trans rights.

Trump wants to “terminate” aid to Ukraine.

Trump wants to “terminate” Obamacare healthcare for 21 million Americans.

Trump wants to “terminate” a once-in-a-lifetime, bi-partisan border security deal so he can campaign about the “border crisis.”

Trump wants to “terminate” democracy on “day one” so he can be dictator for a day.

To the former president fantasizing, “I’ll be back,” voters should reply with the line from Terminator 3: “The future has not been written. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.” We voters have power over Trump the terminator. Make sure you use it.

Rachel Rulmyr Ed.D

Oro Valley

Trump/Reagan

In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, followed in short order by the reunification of Germany, the freeing of Eastern Europe from the Russian bear and the collapse of the Soviet Union itself.

After 40-plus years, the West had won the Cold War, a victory Republicans almost universally attribute to their hero, Ronald Reagan.

Now the Rs worship a new hero, who says if elected he will eviscerate NATO and encourage Russia to re-invade Eastern Europe, undoing the hard-won victory of a generation earlier.

The irony seems lost on those mesmerized by the Trumpian cult of personality, as Reagan turns in his grave.

Roger Voelker

Southeast side

Homelessness intensified

Re: the Feb. 11 article “Showing compassion to all.”

The claim “homelessness and hunger have always been present in Tucson.” I doubt the degree has never been so large, widespread, visible, so destructive or abusive. I didn’t have homeless people living in my neighborhood or stealing from my nearby grocery or drug stores when I moved in five years ago. His argument was for compassion. I witness on a daily basis the enormous amount of garbage, waste and filth that is left behind by those who are living on our streets, behind our houses, and in our washes — discarded chairs, mattresses, shopping carts, clothing, trash, bottles. I disagree with the writer that these people “are a part of our community the same as you and me.” We make our community better. These people aren’t even from our community, have never contributed to our community. Being a friendly and generous city with good climate we are the perfect opportunistic choice for living. They contribute nothing yet take what is best about our city, our compassion.

Christie Cummins

Midtown

Setting Catalina ranger facts straight

Re: the Feb. 14 article “Santa Catalina stand down: Question of leadership.”

I would like to correct inaccuracies in this guest opinion.

The US Forest Service leadership at Santa Catalina Ranger District did NOT “prevent our Santa Catalina Volunteer Patrol (SCVP) members from volunteering.” In fact, the SCVP Board of Directors suspended volunteer activities on Jan. 9 to update our membership on new policies from the US Forest Service and US Department of Agriculture.

An email to all SCVP members was sent stating: “SCVP is temporarily suspended in order to update our Volunteer Service Agreement with the Forest Service. This is a formality due to important new rules for Patrol duties and US Department of Agriculture policy requirements”.

Santa Catalina District Ranger Don DelMastro fully supports the relationship of SCVP and signed our Volunteer Service Agreement. The SCVP Board of Directors is currently completing its update for SCVP members and anticipates a return to volunteer Patrol activity Feb. 18.

Mark Wright, MD, President, Santa Catalina Volunteer Patrol

Foothills