Witch hunt?
A witch is said to have evil, magical powers.
For example, the evil and magic of using lies and deceit to hold millions of people in thrall.
Thus, Donald Trump calls it correctly: It is a witch hunt.
Michael Chihak
West side
Asylum seekers’ claims of “credible fear”
A December 2022 report from Syracuse University reflected that about 1,565,000 people are currently awaiting their asylum hearings before U.S. Immigration Judges or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Asylum Officers. Most of these people are at large in the U.S. Recent asylum applicants at the border have been issued Notices to Appear in court as far in advance as 2035. There is a new CBP online asylum application form I-589 that applicants must now use. DHS/CBP defines grounds for asylum as being based on suffering persecution, or fear that they will suffer persecution, due to race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Hundreds of thousands of people, who illegally crossed the border claiming asylum, have been admitted under the Biden administration. I fully believe that many of these claims are bogus. These people are not stupid. I believe they have been educated by smugglers, friends, relatives, social media, etc., as to what to say when claiming asylum.
People are also reading…
Alan Ruiz
West side
Errors vs disregard for the law
Re: the June 16 letter “Trump is unique.”
Most, if not all of his (Trumps) lawbreaking should be ignored, wrote another because he was a citizen president and unique. Really? Before, during and after his term in office, he had a cadre of attorneys, many at taxpayer expense, advising him. He knew what laws he was breaking before he broke them. Lacking knowledge of controlling law, is no excuse in the unlikely event it were the case.
When did uniqueness equate to having the right to do as you please and violate laws with impunity? Extending the writer’s reasoning actors, professional athletes and any other party with uniqueness could avoid legal consequences for lawlessness.
Guess the writer feels the rule of law and it applying to everyone is just not applicable anymore. Hopefully, I’m not the only one to disagree.
Clarence Johnson
Oro Valley
Where’s the NRA when Hunter Biden needs them?
We’ve seen the NRA come out fighting for individual’s gun rights, going down to the mat for people who actually shot and killed others. But not so much for Hunter Biden. Why? I sense some hypocrisy here.
John McConnaughey
Oro Valley
Why you should support the student loan forgiveness plan
The value of higher education should be recognized, as it prepares individuals for various professions and contributes to economic growth, innovation, and social progress. The rising cost of education has made it impossible for many to pursue college without accumulating significant debt. Expecting individuals to shoulder such burdens is unfair, especially considering the broader benefits education brings to society.
Supporting those burdened by educational debt helps level the playing field, ensuring equal opportunities for individuals from all socioeconomic backgrounds. It’s important to note that not everyone comes from a privileged background, and many face barriers to accessing higher education. Investing in the education and well-being of college graduates benefits society by providing skilled professionals in fields like teaching, healthcare, entrepreneurship, science, law enforcement, IT, and other industries.
Assisting individuals with educational debt leads to a more educated and skilled workforce, a stronger economy, and a fairer society.
Michele Clark
East side
Supervisors OK rezoning
Re: the July 12 article “Supervisors OK rezoning Quail Canyon Golf Course.”
Concerning the headline in this article — as we used to say in Chicago, “We have the best city government money can buy.”
Jerry Helm
Northwest side
Coerced to speak?
In its recent ruling — Creative v. Elenis, the SCOTUS cited First Amendment free speech protections as also prohibiting “coerced speech”. In a nutshell, if your business is one in which you are asked to express a POV that you don’t agree with, you can refuse. The irony is that the liberal press railed against that finding as “discriminatory.” This is the same press that routinely selects or rejects letters to the editor or editorials based on their content. If the news media (opinion publishers) can choose what they see as appropriate, why then would that same right not apply to all American citizens and businesses? Forcing a creative web designer to publish something they don’t believe in is no different. This ruling should in fact be applauded by ALL those who want to retain the right to choose what they will say under the masthead of their businesses — including this newspaper. Hopefully I’ll make the cut!
Bud Snyder
SaddleBrooke
Guardian of the law becomes an abuser
Re: the July 9 article “Man gets probation for bobcat shooting.”
William Scott Simmons, the retired deputy of Pima County Sheriff’s Department, who shot the bobcat “Sadie.” a well publicized collared bobcat in a University of Arizona research program, was sentenced last week. His penalty is 18 months of “unsupervised probation and to enroll in a Urban Wildlife Course at the University”. Given this deputy’s prior history of reckless gun use, this punishment is not enough. He stated he fired his gun in warning to protect his dogs but managed to kill the bobcat. He did not report the death of a collared animal. Much damage was done by this deputy’s callous behavior. Pima County Sheriff’s Office is a big loser as people wonder if other officers still employed have such bad judgement. Our whole Tucson community suffers as following Sadie brought happiness to many. The very least penalty this callous former deputy deserved was “supervised” probation!
Marion Weber
West side
A path forward: A plea for common sense
Re: the July 11 article “We the people.”
I agree with the author that a Congress or Legislature that does not enact laws favored by 60-70% of Americans needs to change. But I disagree with his solution-voting them all out of office. We need a more targeted response. We need to make the 2024 election about issues, not parties. Republicans and Democrats will always disagree on some things, but let’s encourage them to work together where consensus does exist. In 2024, let’s send that message by electing people from both sides who pledge to support legislation that the majority of Americans want.
Lynne Hudson
Northwest side
So a letter writer believes we should “Learn about Miguel Ortega” for Ward 1?
Re: the July 12 letter “Learn about Miguel Ortega.”
This letter writer stated that we should read “an article from The Arizona Republic featuring interviews of our primary candidates,” to learn more about the issues Miguel Ortega is concerned about.
Hmmm? So, Tucsonans should be learning about our LOCAL candidates from the Phoenix newspaper, rather than seeing their responses to well thought-out questions posed by our LOCAL newspaper, The Arizona Daily Star? The Star did an excellent job laying out specific questions, tied to issues of interest to LOCAL Tucson residents (rather than Phoenix concerns). This IS the LOCAL Ward 1 seat that they are campaigning for.
That writer added, “Unfortunately Mayor Romero and Councilperson Santa Cruz did not respond to the questions” posed by the Phoenix questionnaire, while ignoring that they were both very direct and specific in their responses to the LOCAL questionnaire, although her preferred candidate was not as direct in his. Incidentally, I reside in Ward 1, the other writer resides in Ward 3.
John Roldan
West side
