Robin Nourse, left, and her sister Susie Nourse shake their tambourines at passing motorists Thursday afternoon on La Canada Drive, part of dozens of people protesting a possible data center in Sahuarita.
Ban all data centers
Data centers are a clear and present danger to public health, including the noise, the toxic emissions, toxic fires which may be difficult to extinguish, possible groundwater contamination , and the consumption of up to 5,000,000 gallons of water a day. We, the citizens of Pima County, elected and pay our Supervisors. They owe their loyalty to us, not to wealthy corporations. They have the authority to ban all data centers under an exception to the Private Property Rights Protection Act. They should exercise that authority to immediately and permanently ban all data centers in Pima County. As a Pima County homeowner and a concerned Sahuarita resident, I do not think either Sahuarita or Pima County and our schools, churches, homes and hospitals should be a sacrifice zone for the AI buildout. I call on our Supervisors to do the right thing and protect us from this reckless gamble with public health and safety.
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Keith Denny
Sahuarita
Together, we can keep Tucson’s neighbors fed
Tucson becomes a better place when we come together to care for our neighbors. Over the last 11 years volunteering at the St. Francis Community Services, I have seen what volunteers, donors and community partners can accomplish together.
A year ago, our St. Francis food pantry averaged 25 to 40 individuals and families weekly. Today, we see over 350 individuals and families weekly. SNAP benefit reductions are contributing to this unprecedented demand on our pantry.
At 3550 N. First Ave., Suite 260, we welcome neighbors with groceries, kindness and respect. Meeting this growing need takes all of us.
Please consider a financial donation at sfcstucson.org to help us keep food available for Tucson families.
Every contribution is an investment in a stronger, more caring community. Together, we can help keep our neighbors fed and make Tucson a better place to call home.
Charles R. Dunn
Tucson
The rise and fall of the American empire
History tells us that the fall of the Roman Empire was caused by a number of things, including economic crises, inflation, political instability and the rich vs. the poor. Yikes, sound familiar? The US, it seems to me, is on the same path. We have a spend-with-no-consequences administration. We have a two-party system that reacts to extremes on both the right and the left. We have a political party in charge that caters to the wealthy. The fall of the Roman Empire was also caused by the barbarians at the gate. Seems to me that we have created a similar situation by dissolving all of our global alliances, and that is resulting in new global alliances that ultimately can threaten our very existence. To quote Barry McGuire: "But you tell me over and over again, my friend, how you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction". So this November let's vote to get America back on the right course, of economic stability, strong global alliances and a functional two-party system.
Frank Flasch
Midtown
No more pictures
I applaud the letter (Sept. 24) from Ken Shearer. We all know what the mug of our president looks like. Like the Bush family was quoted, "No more photos of the president." Please continue to keep us informed on all the president says (lies included), but no more pictures. Thank you.
James Torrey
West side
Lindsey's ominous forewarning
The late Senator Lindsey Graham once said, “if we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed …” How true his forewarning!
The President has laid waste and destruction to our Constitution and the rule of law. He has devastated our national security agencies and environmental protections. He cozies up to brutal dictators while betraying our staunch and loyal allies. He is destroying confidence in our elections that have always been secure and fair. This list is long, and the destruction may be unrecoverable.
Our country is for sale — whether it’s selling pardons to criminals or selling off our National Parks and federal lands to his cronies — our country is one corrupt grift for the President. While he slathers D.C. in gold and builds his vanity projects, his reckless Iran war and absurd tariffs are destroying our economy and security.
While Lindsey was right, the unleashed destruction of our country lies with the GOP, Supreme Court and sycophants. They all could stop the President but refuse to do so — traitors all!
Kathy Krucker
Midtown
Shoot at tires?
Donald Plummer, in a letter to the editor published Sept. 24, states the ICE officers should "shoot at the tires" instead of the person. This tired trope demonstrates a complete lack of knowledge of using firearms. Typically, law enforcement uses either 9mm or .40 caliber pistol ammunition. Neither of these is effective against rotating car/truck tires. The difficulty of hitting a small moving object, such as a tire, increases the chances of missing the target, or ricochets, and possibly striking an unintended target. Additionally, if the tire is struck, it does not disable the vehicle or stop its movement. Many jurisdictions ban the practice of shooting at tires. Instead of recommending useless tactics anyone stopped by any law enforcement agent should obey the directions of the agent/officer/deputy and litigate the disagreement in court.
Dale Knight
Oro Valley
Prop 320 is the wrong approach
Proposition 320 is presented as a way to improve public education, but its approach would undermine the very schools and students it claims to support.
The proposition requires public school districts — but not charter schools or private schools receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in public vouchers — to direct 60% of their budget toward "direct classroom instruction," as defined by the Auditor General.
The problem? That definition excludes critical services that students depend on, including special education, school counselors, psychologists, speech therapists, librarians and literacy and math support programs.
Districts that fail to meet the target will face substantial reductions in their Classroom Site Fund distributions. This is funding approved by Arizona voters through a half-cent sales tax and dedicated to teacher compensation and professional development, dropout prevention, and student support services.
Think about that: Districts could be forced to divert already inadequate resources to meet an arbitrary spending formula — or risk losing funding that directly supports teachers and students.
Amy Krauss
Foothills
President Trump
President Trump’s approach to governing is causing unneeded chaos, corruption and cruelty in the USA and around the world. We clearly see this every day now. His approach is not serving America well. He is an elitist, surrounded by yes-men and with a cabinet stacked with billionaires. This is not normal. Clearly, he, much of his family and his enablers are corrupt, and they are making huge sums of money off him being President. This is not right. No more wars, reducing debt, being honest, lowering prices; these goals are now a joke as his people (almost all Republicans) clearly don’t care. Their chaos, corruption and cruelty approach is clearly un-American and sometimes illegal. ICE is terrorizing and killing Americans. I urge you not to support people (almost all Republicans) who support this bad approach. It was only a few years ago that most Republicans would be sickened by the current federal policies; now they seem to support them. President Trump is not on the ballot, but his enablers are; please do not support the enablers (Republicans). It’s time for a change. Please vote for only Independents and Democrats this November.
Ron Wilcocks
Catalina Foothills
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