Tucson Speaks Out: Feb. 10 letters of the day

Tom Horne’s ideological agenda

Attention public school teachers!

State schools boss Tom Horne tells you he thinks “it’s unprofessional for a teacher to use a captive audience to push their own ideology,” while Marissa Streit, CEO of PragerU, tells us, “We don’t support a political agenda. We support an ideological agenda.”

By my reading as a former public school student, those Prager not-a-University cartoonish videos Tom Horne recently approved should in fact NOT be shown in your classrooms, because they are correctly described by the producers as part of an “ideological agenda.”

Tom Horne is a simply a hypocrite, using his captive audience of Arizona public school teachers and students to push the ideological agenda he shares with the Prager posers.

Jack Cohen-Joppa

Midtown

Superintendent of charter, private schools

Tom Horne’s ads for the hard work he is doing for the Arizona public schools only mentions vouchers and supporting charter and private schools. He’s lying about his title. It should be “Superintendent of Charter and Private Schools” not “Superintendent of Public Education.” He has done nothing for public schools and ignores them publicly and financially. He is making videos from PragerU (NOT a university but a nonprofit) available to AZ schools offering unsubstantiated views which don’t belong in a public-school classroom. One is an animated video about Christopher Columbus, stating, “Being taken as a slave is better than being killed, no? I don’t see the problem.” The head of PragerU admits she has no support that Columbus said this but feels these are his thoughts. Step down or change your title, Tom!

Barbara Mongan

West side

PragerU videos

Re: the Feb. 1 article “AZ offers conservative videos to schools.”

What a headline. Author Howard Fischer warns parents that PragerU courses might not spread the approved propaganda. Mr. Fischer implies that an animated PragerU video about Christopher Columbus approves of slavery as “… better than being killed.” This grossly distorts the message.

Columbus tells Layla and Leo, two time-traveling children, “Slavery is as old as time and has taken place in every corner of the world …. Being taken as a slave is better than being killed, no? I don’t see the problem.” Layla, taken aback, says, “Well, in our time we see slavery as being evil and terrible.” Columbus responds, “Ah, magnifico! That’s wonderful! I am glad humanity has reached such a time.”

Mr. Fischer could have related all of this, but that would not serve his purpose — to promote the notion that conservatives are pro-slavery. I hate to disappoint him, but NO ONE today favors slavery in the U.S.

Richard Taylor

Vail

The GOP loves to hurt people

The Republican Party in America seems only to believe two things. They think Donald J. Trump can do nothing wrong, and they only want laws that hurt large numbers of people. The Trump cult is what it is, but I am not sure where the desire to injure people is coming from.

It is hard to think of any Republican-proposed laws or policies that do not guarantee that thousands of people will be crippled or killed by these proposals. Don’t personally want to get a COVID shot? Try to impose your views on enough people to kill hundreds of thousands of Americans. Don’t like immigrants? Make coming to the USA as deadly as possible. Does your religion say abortion is against God’s will? Kill pregnant women to protect a non-viable fetus. Don’t like government regulation? Don’t reform them, eliminate them so you can go back to dumping waste in streams and rivers and pouring gases into the air.

Name one major GOP policy that doesn’t kill people?

Graeme Williams

Southeast side

Still unworthy to serve

Images of President Biden honoring the dignified transfer of three Army soldiers dull the complaints here about anti-Trump letters. Remember when Trump received a Purple Heart from the vet who earned it? “I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier,” he blurted. Even though it was returned, his initial response was insulting and disrespectful.

I’ve only met one person who “wanted” one: A company clerk on the next stretcher, during our Medevac flight home from Vietnam, via Japan, who bragged about awarding himself one after a filing cabinet fell on him.

Trump has repeatedly shown he is unworthy of commanding our troops and honoring their families, much less governing for every citizen across this diverse country. BTW, I’m not against those who stood on principle (or good fortune) and didn’t serve. I’m just not supporting dishonest, self-centered jerks.

Bruce Kaplan

Northwest side

Not funding Ukraine and Israel

History always repeats itself. We abandoned Saigon and repeated that failure with Syria’s faithful collaborators in our help and being constructive for our help and then abandoning Afghanistan.

Now we are embarking on leaving our friends … Ukraine in the “heap” and telling our “allies” we will stand with you only for our purpose!

We should ALL be ashamed of our actions and being disloyal to our friends when the reality is we either FUND Ukraine/Europe or we stand up and fight with them by their side. I think the Republicans should not be able to sleep with what they have “created and put in motion.”

Mary Beth Schneider

East side

Pres. Robbins and the community

Re: the Jan. 28 article “Prominent Tucsonans back UA president.”

I am happy that Tucson’s community leaders support Dr. Robbins and the job he is doing as President of the UA.

But why do their opinions deserve to be on the front page of the paper above the fold? What use are the platitudes to the thousands of UA faculty and staff in the trenches having to deal with the budget cuts, hiring freezes, layoffs, and financial uncertainty on a daily basis?

In the 20 years I was on the UA faculty, I lost track of the many other budget crises and budget cuts we had to deal with though I recall no self-inflicted wounds of this magnitude. I am sure that those leaders who had success in their businesses believe in accountability and would never tolerate such fiscal mismanagement in their own organizations.

Vance Holliday

Foothills

Republicans

While Republican congressional zealots are busy killing legislation for American military aid to Ukraine, the Russian military is busy killing Ukrainian women and children.

There are two primary beneficiaries of the malignant gridlock, long-time buddies Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. It screams at you.

Weaver Barkman

Midtown

Inflation Reduction Act hysteria

Re: the Feb. 7 letter “Biden is the real authoritarian.”

I find it laughable that the writer finds the (actual) president’s efforts to transition society onto renewable energy generation, while simultaneously providing rebates to consumers who want the take advantage of cleaner and more efficient household appliances that can run off it, is being characterized as a grand intrusion into our civil liberties.

Also, the manufacturing of everything related to this — electric car batteries, heat pumps, induction cooktops and solar panels — is finally returning to these shores and providing good paying jobs here. Oh, the tyranny of it all!

Perhaps it should be reminded that the IRA acronym stands for the Inflation Reduction Act here, not the Irish Republican Army. And even though it wasn’t explicitly mentioned, the writer no doubt is deluded into believing that it’s all being done to perpetuate a grand hoax; that wind turbines cause cancer and “the climes” are doing just fine. Noted.

Benjamin Nead

Northwest side

You can help

If you think living in Putinland would be peachy; if you think over half the adult female population of the U.S. is stupid and immoral; if you believe your religion should be the law of the land for everyone; if you believe many of your fellow citizens are less than human, then this advice is not for you.

If, however, you are appalled, horrified and panic-stricken at the dire prospects awaiting all of us in November, there is something you can do. Take out your voter registration card, find your Legislative District number and contact your LD Democrats to see how you can help. There are many ways, big and small, to volunteer right now. I do it. You can too!

Tina Whitley

Northeast side

Border bill cartoon

Re: the Feb. 7 editorial cartoon by R.J. Matson

I saw the cartoon by R.J. Matson about the Border Bill being “DOA” in your paper. It would be funny if it wasn’t so true. Congress seems to be unable to pass meaningful legislation if it requires cooperation over the aisle.

This brings me to another threat Arizona faces I sincerely hope Congress will address. The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing an unprecedented number of regulatory changes that will have profound effects here in Arizona and across the country.

They would regulate or even ban chemicals that are essential to manufacturing semiconductors, sterilize medical devices, and electric vehicle components. This poses a threat not only to industries here in Arizona but could actually harm the environment by impeding efforts to move on to something other than fossil fuels for energy.

I hope Congress will make sure the EPA does not make these changes without considering the overall effects they will have on our economy and environment.

Tyler Garcia

Downtown

Chaos and democracy

Our current Congress is going through the normal evolution of a declining governing system.

Its chaotic performance in the last year is messed up beyond belief.

What comes next is up to us in November?

Donald Plummer

Northwest side

GOP governing culture wars or the country?

Each day I read the paper I become more appalled at the extent to which the Republican Party chooses to focus on culture wars instead of addressing real issues. They continue to introduce absurd bills, such as blocking care for gender affirmation, but support bills to authorize gender-reversal care, bills to teach about communism, yet block instruction about this country’s own history of slavery. They continue to fight against teaching African American, Indigenous, or Latino history thereby squashing their contributions. They support bills to fund private schools and ones to ensure public schools fail. They introduce bills to block aid to Ukraine, humanitarian securing of the border, and bills to ban satanic displays (Whew! the general public is SO worried about the <1% of people who follow Satanism overtaking our country —LOL). I thought our representatives were there to represent, not fight wars that don’t exist. Do Your Job!

Terri Hicks

Northwest side

Now we know why zebras can’t be in cages

Like most locals, I was thrilled and intrigued to read about the baby zebra at Reid Park Zoo. I have to admit I am grieving the loss of this rare, beautiful creature. But now we ALL know why zoos are simply a hideous idea.

Peggy Hendrickson

Green Valley

Border deal downed by GOP

Now that the GOP has torpedoed a border deal that would give them exactly what they wanted they’ve decided they don’t want it anymore. Will our “loyal” friends in Pima County now start actually blaming the GOP for all the problems at the border that they have accused Biden of creating?

John Bingham

Northwest side

Our country ‘tis of thee

The USA appears to be heading down the tubes and it’s depressing as we, the voters, let it happen. Recently I felt a small ray of hope while watching the PBS Newshour for Feb. 7.

Sen. Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat representing the state of West Virginia, and will not be running again for his seat in Congress, was interviewed by Geoff Bennett.

Senator Manchin would make a great President of the U.S. Mainly, he is disgusted at the animosity between the two major parties, especially the business model used in both houses of Congress which is so profitable for them personally that Congress is not going to change to do what is right for our country.

Sounds eerily familiar to what is going on at the University of Arizona and practiced by Robbins, Rulney, and Regents. Go to pbs.org newshour Feb. 7 to watch.

David Streeter

East side

Supreme Court

Open letter to Chief Justice John Roberts:

Two cases are coming to the Supreme Court: 1. Does the 14th Amendment disqualify Donald J. Trump for serving as President for having incited an insurrection against the United States; 2. Does Donald J. Trump have absolute immunity from prosecution for crimes he committed while in office.

As the Supreme Court parses the words of the 14th Amendment, examines precedent, etc. etc. they may want to consider the effect of their decision on the future of the court. If Trump regains the presidency, how would he view the Court’s decisions he opposes? Would Trump simply ignore those decisions he doesn’t like? Or would he send the MAGA mob to Supreme Court Building?

Food for thought.

Thomas Hefley

East side