We have to set limits on immigration
Re: the July 2 article “Group behind ‘sanctuary city’ initiative has 18K names.”
Ridiculous idealism. Is this group going to give up their homes/cars/income to take care of all the people wanting to get into this country? We have to set limits on immigrants. If we are going to let more people into this country they should be screened and make sure they have the skill, trade, and education to be an addition and helpful, rather than a drag on society.
Suzanne Lischynsky
Foothills
Tanks in streets
do not prove strength
When you have the strongest military in the world, you don’t need to put it on display.
People are also reading…
You exhibit your strength by showing thousands of people enjoying a summer evening picnicking and listening to great music while celebrating their freedom. You never see images of thousands of people in countries such as North Korea enjoying similar relaxed occasions. Goose-stepping soldiers, tanks in the streets, and politicians giving speeches do not prove strength; they prove only weakness and fear. Let’s keep America great, by not giving in to fear.
Judith Smith
Oro Valley
Why is every Trump supporter I know racist?
I consider myself a fairly average American. I have political opinions, but I rarely mention them to others. I just meet people and talk to them.
Since Donald Trump decided to run for president, and especially since he actually won, every single Trump supporter I know, friend or just an acquaintance, has expressed what I would have considered extremely racist views at any time before Trump. Just a note, none of these people had ever expressed openly racist things to me before the Donald Trump phenomena occurred.
I’m sure they just feel empowered by what is happening in the White House.
I don’t know why the President of the United States feels it is necessary to empower the racists of this country. I guess he feels he needs the support of white supremacists and Nazis to stay in office. I just know that his support has empowered the far-right hate groups.
Graeme Williams
Southeast side
Principle, not politics, and the Nike flare-up
Re: the July 3 article “Ducey strikes culture-warrior pose in Nike flare-up.”
When you state “Republican governor seeing opportunity in these culture-war flare ups and inflaming them further for political benefit,” how can you be so certain that’s the case? Perhaps our governor is inflamed out of principle, and not politics? Sometimes when politicians take a stand, it actually may not be due to political motivation/opportunity, as unbelievable as that might sound. I would argue that this is usually not the case, but in this particular situation, it may very well be. Frankly, I am proud of Gov. Ducey, and very proud to be an Arizonan.
Brian Shawler
Vail
Beginning of the end for buffer zone
I live on property bordering Saguaro National Park East and have fond memories of the years I spent working on and running the fire crew at Manning Camp. Thankfully, I will not be directly affected by the traffic, light and noise pollution, etc., that will ensue from construction of the “Bike
Ranch
” (motel) immediately outside the park entrance.
This travesty will, however, eventually impact every park neighbor and visitor and most importantly, the ecological integrity of the park itself. This is the beginning of the end for the buffer zone that has protected the park from urban encroachment for many years.
I therefore humbly suggest that El Cortijo LLC, the investment group behind this debacle, should rename themselves Los Vendidos LLC, (the sell outs) in recognition of Supervisor Ramon Valadez’s and Saguaro Superintendent Leah McGinnis’ support. It is only fair that they receive the recognition they so richly deserve.
John Higgins
East side
Baize’s influence extended beyond TUSD
I never met Sheila Baize in person, but as the then-e
xecutive d
irector of the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona, I had the privilege of working with her, on a virtual (email) basis, for the last four years of her career. On top of her 60-hour work weeks as TUSD’s a
thletic d
irector, Sheila volunteered on the Women’s Foundation’s grants allocation committee, helping to review financial requests and allocate thousands of dollars to support girls’ participation in team sports. Her expertise enabled the f
oundation to maximize the impact of limited funds, and her commitment to equality of access for female athletes was inspiring.
Laura Penny
Foothills
Administration’s defense is lowest bar
Donald Trump’s administrators deride the term “c
oncentration c
amp,” when describing the plight and terrible conditions of the holding areas being used for asylum-seekers. Their defense rests on several premises, that these people are not going to be rounded up and killed by us, and they can return to their native countries if they want. Very low bars, indeed. That their families have been disrupted, their children separated from family, kept in cold, crowded facilities with poor food and sanitation, and little or no medical attention is hardly something to be proud of. How would any of us feel about our children or family being treated this way under any circumstance?
Returning them to their native country often means sending them back to Central America, to be killed, raped or tortured by the gangs there. This is more akin to countries in WWII sending Jews, gypsies, and other “undesirables” back to Germany. Shame.
Norman Epstein, MD
Midtown
Trump must be contained
Every time Trump comes up with another self-serving or inane idea, I keep wondering when our lawmakers will finally do something and say enough is enough. I can only find some comfort in believing that there are enough true patriots at the top level of government who will stop or ignore any truly dangerous order that he may give.
His latest is the Fourth of July fiasco. Now that he has hijacked and politicized our holiday and turned it into one of his rallies, all that is missing is the goose step. Heil Trump!
Arnold Kerman
Foothills
Toll much larger than actual body count
Re: the July 3 article “U.S. to retry border aid worker Warren, minus conspiracy charge.”
Dear Editor: The Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner reports that more than 3,000 undocumented immigrants have died within Pima County since 2001. What does “more than” look like? Humanitarian aid organizations estimate the actual number of fatalities to be anywhere between 3 and 10 times greater than the number of human remains recovered. It is impossible to know the precise numbers given the nature of the Sonoran Desert terrain.
The estimated unrecorded figures are based on the number of phone calls that humanitarian aid hotlines receive for which there is no resolution. These people are euphemistically called “the disappeared.” Every single death matters. It is critical to acknowledge that the actual body count is a mere fraction of the reality of the lethal impact of U.S. border enforcement policy.
John Heid
Ajo
