Remove shameful city names
Re: the June 19 article “We have our shame: 136 Apache in 1871.”
Reading David Fitzsimmons piece about the slaughter of Apache women and children in Aravaipa Canyon … I weep.
The worst of human behavior had its way and now knowing the viciousness of the men involved and learning that they have been “honored” and commemorated by having local neighborhoods, parks and a mountain named for them — I cringe with disgust and fury.
I ask that these ugly acknowledgments be headlined in the Daily Star and their acknowledgments removed. The City Council can do this in a moment.
There can be no atonement for this brutality, but the lies upon which much of Tucson history are based, can be revealed and we can begin the process of looking into our hearts and minds to begin to eradicate those fears and hatreds that perpetuate the insanity of such horrific cruelty.
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Peg Kazda
Midtown
‘Perfect Storm’ coming?
Let’s see, we have a dullard governor who has shown he is willing to let people die to appease monied interests. We have a (new to us) COVID variant right here in Pima County that is more virulent than any others before.
We have 25,000 or so kids coming back to school in eight weeks. Kids who have shown they value beer bashes more than anything else. We have a general populace of science-denying, COVID-denying, politicized anti-vaxxers.
Sounds like a “Perfect Storm” to me, and we know how that ended.
Timothy Canny
Oracle
Vote with your conscience
Re: the June 19 article “Poll: Many in US resuming pre-virus activities.”
My high school statistics teacher rightly said that there are three types of information: facts, lies and statistics. Statistics are somewhere in between facts and lies.
The co-authors of the article seem to suggest that restrictions were lifted too quickly by citing a poll; 34% of Americans thought they were lifted too quickly, while 27% thought they were not lifted quickly enough. The following sentence says that 4 in 10 Americans felt that the rate of reopening was about right (or 39%).
If you add 39% to the 27%, then you get 66% (a clear majority) of Americans believe that restrictions were lifted about right or not soon enough.
An opinion polls’ veracity is directly related to the size of the sample (larger is better) and the diversity of those polled. A politician who bases their vote on opinion polls leaves themselves open to manipulation by their constituents. Our elected officials should vote according to their conscience.
Victor Panizzon
Northwest side
Immigration reforms
Despite what some would have you believe, the border crises of the past no longer exists. Since taking office, Joe Biden’s Secretary of Homeland Security has been instituting much needed reforms.
New facilities with improved health and sanitation requirements have been built to safely accommodate immigrants. The asylum system is being rebuilt according to the laws previously passed by Congress. Foreign aid is being reinstated to tackle the root causes of people fleeing and safe and legal pathways for children and others to reach the U.S. are being developed.
Although most adults and families are still being returned to Mexico or their home country, no unaccompanied minors are being expelled. Instead, they are being sheltered until they can be placed with a sponsor or with a family member residing here.
For President Joe Biden, securing our borders does not require us to ignore the humanity of those who seek to cross them.
Dr. Rachel Rulmyr
Oro Valley
Bishops wrong to rebuke Biden
Re: the June 19 article “Bishops act on possible rebuke of president.”
As a lifelong Catholic, I am appalled at the recent decision of US Conference of Catholic Bishops to consider rebuking President Joe Biden for a political decision, not a personal one (about which he has been very clear) to support women’s rights and personal choice.
President Biden has spent his entire adult life in support of our poor and underserved populations, including minorities and immigrants. The church has spent many of those same years attempting a cover-up of the devastating sexual abuse scandal, thereby significantly lessening their moral authority to condemn anyone.
Our church teaches us that God is all-loving and all-forgiving. One would hope that the bishops would exhibit similar compassion and stay out of politics.
Judith Dinniman
Foothills
We need to fix economic system
Re: the June 20 article “Sleepless on the street.’
For anyone who doubts that one would ever choose to be homeless, I suggest reading Tim Steller’s description of life on the street when the temperature hits 111 degrees.
By emphasizing the humanity of the men and women he encountered and their struggle to survive without a regular source of water, shade, personal safety and protection from harm, Steller reminds us that the gap between the haves and the have-nots is all too real.
It points to a failure of our economic system to provide for the most basic needs for survival. We can and should do better.
Nancy Bissell, Co-Founder, The Primavera Foundation
Downtown
Trip down memory lane
Re: the June 20 special section “Celebrating Candrea.”
Thank you Arizona Daily Star! What a beautiful tribute you provided for your readers in publishing the salute to Coach Mike Candrea. It was such a wonderful trip down memory lane as we were able to recall his fabulous career with your detailed outstanding reporting. Thank you for the tremendous well deserved recognition of Coach Candrea.
Bear down!
Linnea Bass
Northeast side
Ducey, rescind executive order
Re: the June 16 article “Ducey: Universities can’t require masks.”
Gov. Doug Ducey, would you prohibit the MVD from administering tests to evaluate a driver’s competence and knowledge of traffic laws? Of course not. Having qualified licensed drivers is a matter of public safety that impacts us all.
With the emergence of the highly contagious and more severe Delta variant, infections are destined to rise. Why then would you deny a university its obligation to protect the health of its students?
Parents send their children to school with a reasonable expectation that they will be safe. Hence, the vaccinations required by K-12 schools, which you acknowledged should be kept in place.
Why should it be any different for college students? Are they less deserving of protection? ASU’s requirement that students either be fully vaccinated or undergo regular testing to ensure they remain COVID-free is not unreasonable.
As a responsible leader, you have a duty to protect Arizona’s college students from another disastrous outbreak. As a matter of public safety, it is time to rescind your executive order.
Dr. Jacolyn Marshall
Oro Valley
Monsoon coverage is hopeful
I have lived in Tucson for four years. Every year in May, the news media starts the monsoon drumbeat. Columnists warn us about the danger of high, fast-rising water.
TV weather people focus the bulk of their time on the daily chances of rain due to the monsoon, most of which are wrong. TV has contests to guess the amount of rainfall during the monsoon.
Every year the monsoon season ends with a disappointing amount of rain. But come next May, the monsoon again becomes the big story.
Maybe our monsoons are like the East Coast’s snow storms — something benign to talk about. Except that snow storms are real.
Mimi Pollow
East side
