Tucson Speaks Out: September 16

Trump and Ukraine

Finally! Finally, after “strongly considering” additional sanctions on Russia for its war against Ukraine (way back in March) and threatening “severe consequences” if Russia did not agree to a ceasefire during his summit with Putin in Alaska, President Trump is at last taking action: He is asking our allies to do something about Russia.

John Prugh

Foothills

Sundays in the park a perfect recharge

Why? There is so much vitriol all around us. We all need a break; let’s experience the beauty around us, engage in positive interactions and unwind. We have a multitude of neighborhood parks for our enjoyment. Bring the dog, the kids, the grandkids, your neighbor who lives alone. Turn off your phone and give all your senses a treat. Today I watched the dogs on holiday; smiling as they sniffed and peed and sniffed some more. I saw older residents with their binoculars searching for that elusive bird that reportedly nests nearby. I felt a light breeze and admired the beautiful puffy clouds while sitting under a big shade tree. The playground was my favorite spot. Toddlers observed older kids climbing and sliding and tried something new. Older siblings helped little ones. Young parents chatted with other young parents who looked different, spoke different and perhaps came from very different backgrounds. No hint of judgement. No political discussion.

Sundays in the park. Try it. We all deserve a break.

Holli Nebel- Sussman

Northeast side

Hello Democrats

With the 2026 midterm elections looming your minority political party is feverously reassessing how to communicate with mainstream voters.

On crime, are you still the party that wants to defund urban policing, plea bargain felonies to misdemeanors, and champion no cash bail?

About immigration, do you remain in opposition to today’s zero illegal crossings policy and defend the open borders of the previous administration?

Regarding the culture war, is it still your position that men can use women’s bathrooms, participate in women’s sports, and give birth?

We voters will want to know.

Jeffrey McConnell

West side

Star’s alleged bias in publishing LTEs

A loyal Star reader bemoans that despite the 58-42% Harris victory in the 2024 Pima County presidential election, he estimates over 90% of Star LTE submissions favor Democrats. He wonders if this is because “… Pima County conservatives are all illiterate, red-necked rubes who are incapable of expressing a cogent opinion.” Or, he opines, although it seems almost every other day readers are subjected to his allegedly erudite opinion, this perceived disparity is indicative of bias by the Star.

While he may be correct about the former given Trump’s inordinately high vote total, he may also simply be indulging in a bit of projection. But perhaps given all that the current administration has inflicted on the nation, they are embarrassed they were taken in by the Grifter in Chief and are no longer willing to follow him any further down the rabbit hole. Whether the former or the latter, loyal reader, “Me thinks thou doth protest too much.”

James Burchell

East side

Too many deaths

I am left with conflicting feelings in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s death. He said and presumably believed some pretty egregious things: “Young ladies need to be able to submit to a godly man,” and “it seems reasonable that some people will have to die to preserve the Second Amendment.” He also insisted that prominent women of color like Ketanji Brown Jackson and Kamala Harris weren’t smart or capable but got their positions because of DEI. To him only Christian, white males should be the ones in power.

I certainly don’t condone his assassination. But he didn’t just represent a political point of view, he was proselytizing core beliefs in the subjugation of women, in the insistence that people of color are inherently lazy and less qualified than whites.

Half the country is weeping over this one bigoted man while over 25 innocent, unnamed children have died in school shootings so far this year. My outrage and my tears will be for them.

Beth Dingman

Green Valley

Charlie Kirk assassination

While there will be many, no doubt, who will question my sincerity when I state that no one deserves to be a victim of gun violence regardless of their political opinions or stances, the sad and tragic irony of Kirk’s murder cannot be overlooked.

I suspect that few in the general public are even aware of Kirk’s more outrageous views on race, immigration, LGBTQ rights, or that he embraced the “Stop the Steal” movement. However, it is his views and comments on gun rights that are the most ironic given his horrific murder.

In April of 2023 while speaking at the campus of Awaken Church, Kirk said that gun deaths were “worth it” and a “prudent deal” necessary to protect the Second Amendment.

He leaves behind a wife and two young children who may now question the validity of such statements in a manner that transcends partisan politics.

Glen Vann

West side

Will we make it?

As we stumbled through the Felon’s first term, I wondered “what secrets about these Republican Senators and Representatives does he have proof?” It seemed impossible to me that intelligent, responsible people would ever agree with such a man because he threatened their reelection and whose policy proposals were blatantly going to harm the lives of many constituents. They energetically supported every lie and forwarded every legislation he desired. I didn’t think the country would make it through those four years, especially after the J6 Riots at the capitol.

After Biden was inaugurated, I slept peacefully. Finally, our leadership returned their attention to our crumbling infrastructure, reduction of our dependence on fossil fuels, instructing their administrative departments to act on behalf of US citizens (not the corporations that put profits above safety). Too bad my peace was so short-lived. Now I fear our country is, once again, off the rails and I am wondering, “will we make it”?

Cindy Soffrin

Northeast side

Stop with the transgender rhetoric

This needs to be said. Nature is messy. It is never black or white. This statement pertains to the diversity, unpredictability and untidiness of nature as opposed to the human need for order and neatness. Many people believe there are two sexes, male and female, based on chromosomes, XX (female) or XY (male) and on identifiable reproductive organs. But sometimes a baby is born with atypical (ambiguous) genitalia. The doctor immediately makes a determination by observation as to gender. Later, the child may think they have been born into the wrong body. A Tucson gentleman wrote an article in the Star recently about his journey discovering he had ovaries. He offered to discuss this with anyone interested. The award-winning movie Conclave’s theme was discovering that the elected pope had ovaries. Should he be pope or not. I had a male student that had an extra X chromosome (Klinefelter Syndrome). Accurate scientific information is available to you, too.

Margaret Gordon Magruder

Downtown

Truth is the antidote

Approaching 86, I’ve learned that all flavors of authoritarians share a common fear. Whether they command a household, a company, an institution, or a nation, they live with the dread of being overthrown. To smother their own fear, they impose it on others.

When a boss boasts he can fire anyone at will, fear of unemployment spreads. Once fear takes hold, pleasing compliance follows, and injustices are ignored.

Hans Christian Andersen told it beautifully. The emperor strutted in “new clothes” while everyone praised him. Only a child broke the spell: “But he has nothing on.” Authoritarians rely on silence; they crumble when truth is spoken aloud.

Authoritarians thrive on whispers. Freedom requires voice. Jesus made it clear: “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Mark 10:15) and “The truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Honesty, not surrender, is the path to freedom.

The question is: Do we dare to speak the truth?

Ke Chiang Hsieh

Midtown

Response to Terry Bracy op-ed

As a 15-year weekly co-contributor to the Bill Buckmaster radio program, it has been my honor to join Terry Bracy on that program. Terry has become increasingly concerned about our country’s direction and our inability to engage “normal” processes to slow things down.

I agree that the Trump administration is moving too quickly, causing more harm than good to most Americans and to the post-WWII world order.

The headline to the Op-ed cites the possibility of secession, though Bracy himself never quite says he supports that. Until the balance of power in Congress is reversed, those who disagree with Trump’s initiatives must first evaluate their results and then if appropriate, slow things down or stop them outright.

In the meantime, it falls to the governors of about a dozen states, among the wealthiest and most industrialized in the Union, to find a peaceful way to rein things in, communicate with constituents and support an orderly process for action by the electorate next November.

Sheldon Fishman

Midtown

Ruining Medicare bit by bit

We are about to experience more of what the Trump administration is doing to diminish our healthcare. The Center for Medicare Services, part of RFK Jr.’s HHS and overseen by Dr Oz, has embarked on a program to withhold benefits for 50% of Medicare recipients.

CMS has announced a pilot program in six states, including Arizona, that will require “prior approval” for people with Original Medicare. Currently, the dreaded prior approval requirements are imposed only for people with Advantage Plans. Now, those of us who thought we wouldn’t be subject to prior approval will find treatments for Parkinson’s disease, cervical fusion, impotence, incontinence and 13 other procedures delayed or denied.

CMS is hiring private A.I. companies to determine whether we will receive these treatments. Medicare will pay these companies a share of the money saved when they reject coverage.

If you thought you were safe from the harm inflicted by the Trump administration, just wait until you need one of these treatments in Arizona.

Eloise Gore

Northeast side