Tucson Speaks Out: May 19

White South African 'refugees'

As a white ex-South African who immigrated legally to the USA 49 years ago because of Apartheid injustices, I am amused at the showboating of the Trump administration in bringing these white South African “refugees” to this country, while ignoring and blocking thousands of genuine refugees from elsewhere. Despite the ending of Apartheid over 30 years ago, whites in South Africa have maintained a privileged status. Whites are about 7% of the population and hold about 50% of the land. South African whites have historically held enormous power and advantages over Blacks, holding them back economically and educationally and denying them basic human rights. They established and enforced Apartheid in 1948. It is not surprising that the current leadership of South Africa is trying to narrow the wealth gap and bring up the standard of living and property ownership for the Black population. Allegations that white South African Afrikaners are threatened by a “genocide” are laughable.

Leonard Joffe

Foothills

Party or sick baby?

June 14's military parade (or birthday party?) means $45 million feeds Mr. Trump's ego, and $45 million will not support the medical research and innovation that saved a sick baby's life.

That baby and his parents are lucky DOGE was too late to eviscerate the development of CRISPR, along with research and training of scientists and medical specialists who created it and devised a successful treatment. But the next baby with a rare or unheard-of condition?

We now face far less (and in some cases no) support of our scientists, doctors and specialists who study, experiment, and work to come up with innovations to save your life or that of your child. I wish many birthdays to that rescued baby. And hope Trump and cohorts (and their babies) don't have to face diseases with no one to invent a cure.

Melody Sears

North side

Hitler comparison

This is poppycock. Hitler was very clear prior to taking power, in his intention regarding the Jews, which was to eliminate them. Nothing in Trump's speeches, writing or actions since taking office are anything resembling the plain goals of the National Socialists.

In fact, Trump has done his best to protect Jewish college students from harassment by the supporters of Palestine and, by extension, Hamas.

Further, for 60 years the academic left has deliberately silenced the voices of right-leaning thinkers by hiring exclusively faculty that resemble themselves. Multiple credible surveys reveal the extent that self-identified left-wing Democrats have come to totally dominate the faculties in all universities. I would ask the professor, how many of your colleagues openly supported Trump in the past election? I can guess the answer.

If Trump openly declared that all registered Democrats on the UA faculty must be fired, I will join you. Until then, I suggest you take a deep breath and save us from this facile hysteria.

Douglas Wolf

SaddleBrooke

Is 'stable genius' really that dumb?

In 1946, the U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union, W. Averill Harriman, was gifted a wooden seal of the U.S. from Soviet school children. The seal hung in the ambassador's residence until 1952, when it was found to be full of KGB bugging devices.

In 1979, the new U.S. Embassy in Moscow was started with Soviet workers. By 1985, construction was stopped due to the amount of bugs and use of rebar as transmitters in the new embassy. The embassy's construction restarted in 1997 and was completed in 2000 with U.S. security-cleared workers with materials transmitted from Finland under U.S. armed guards.

How do we know that the 747 "gift" Qatar wants to give to Trump doesn't have Iranian, Chinese or Russian bugging devices?

Trump says only a "stupid person" would not accept the airplane. Amazing.

By the way, the B-52 airplane is 70 years old and is extremely functional.

Matt Somers

Midtown

Conservative letters

Friday, the Star published two more LTE from your favorite conservative writers, L. Johnson and L. Hancock. Although articulate, they again fail the standard of offering factual or insightful ideas.

Hancock states in the letter that Biden had 25% inflation when the peak inflation was in June 2021 of 9% and in 2024 for the year was 2.9%. It is President Trump who campaigned last fall that the price of eggs would fall on day one, and Democrats are justified in pointing out that has not occurred in the first 115 days.

A few weeks ago, the Star published a Hancock letter with the outrageous claim that Trump had a mandate with 70% public agreement. I remind Hancock that Trump won the election with less than 50% of the vote, and his popularity is less now than ever.

Perhaps the Star can publish LTE from some of the 42% of Pima County voters who supported Trump in the election (Harris had 58%) who can offer more reasonable letters.

Michael Hamant

East side

Trump's competent secretaries?

In his recent letter, a Loyal Trumpster claimed that “Competency, not race, sex, or sexual orientation, is now the watchword” in Trump's administration. Say what? Carla Hayden, the Library of Congress' former director, has a Ph.D. in Library Science, a 50-plus year career working in libraries and was president of the American Library Association. Trump replaced her with the lawyer who unsuccessfully defended him in the Stormy Daniels payoff case. He has no experience with libraries or archives.

Trump's Secretaries of Defense, Transportation, Education, and Health and Human Services have made headlines for their lack of administrative experience and expertise in their new fields. Their qualifications? Loyalty to Trump.

The fact that a person is female, black or gay does not mean they are unqualified. Jesse Owens did not win Gold Medals in 1936 due to DEI. It was because he was the fastest sprinter in the world.

Bruce Hilpert

North side

Who supports terrorists?

If you still support the person who is running this country, then tell me why you would after he said this about a country that has given support in treasure and blood to Hamas and Hezbollah, who have killed Americans. This is what your president said about Qatar, and it is the exact quote,

“We are gonna protect this country. It’s a very special place with a special royal family,” he said. “It’s great people, and they’re gonna be protected by the United States.”

Could it be he sold out every veteran and citizen in this country for an airplane? Does protecting them mean we will fight for them?

I do not want my tax dollars going to this country, do you?

Mike Dai

Midtown

SCOTUS

Let history show, with factual accounting and reading of recent opinions and dissents, that Samuel A. Alito, Jr. and Clarence Thomas are so deep into the pocket of right-wing thought and conspiracy that they cannot grasp even the smallest of jurisprudence argument and considerations in front of them. Messrs. Gorsuch and Kavanaugh are not too far behind. Please put on your big-boy robes and stand up for the Constitution and all the people (citizens and non-citizens) that you represent.

John Van Echo

West side

Foothills water rates

Foothills households have more than double the income of Tucsonans (U.S. Census, 2023). So, if a family has an irrigated acre in a higher-income area, that’s their choice.

Water in Tucson is somewhat pricy because we have a redundant, fully water-banked system, which makes our water very secure and reliable. Yet, our desert water budget can’t "afford" abundant turf or tropical gardens here. The City wisely charges large users much more than average users, both in town and a bit more for county residents who are more costly to serve.

If Pima County residents had some trees and ornamentals, and use the average 8 Ccfs, then, as my Councilmember said, they’d be paying about $5 more than I will per month, as projected next year. I consider our water to be precious, and I’m grateful to have it, and pay for what I use.

W Mark Day

East side

ICE home invasion

On April 24, armed ICE agents conducted a home invasion of a U.S. citizen mother and her three young daughters in Oklahoma City, where they had just moved from Maryland. The agents forced the family outside in the rain in their underwear, ransacked the house and took their phones and all their cash to live on without telling them how to retrieve their property. The mother said, as reported by Newsweek, "They were very dismissive, very rough ... I kept pleading ... They were treating us like criminals."

Weren't the Gestapo thugs smart enough to realize they were harassing unintended subjects, or was terror the objective, as ICE recently arrested a Wisconsin judge and the mayor of Newark while roughing up three members of Congress?

Fascist regimes lose their legitimacy and keep power with such terror. If you are not outraged by these atrocities against U.S. citizens, what the hell is wrong with you? Demand Congress investigate. Resist.

Ronald Pelech

Midtown

Search for Osama bin Laden

I just finished watching a three-part documentary entitled "America Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden." In summary, it documents CIA's 10-year search for Osama bin Laden, culminating in the Seal Team Six's attack on his compound, and killing him. Remember the Russia/America summit in 2018 when Trump said he preferred Russian intelligence agencies over American? The CIA never gave up. This 10-year search resulted in Bin Laden's death. The documentary included many comments from CIA agents directly involved and how Seal Team 6 carried out the mission. Of particular interest was then-President Obama's announcement to the world about the death of Osama Bin Laden. It was a very short speech, nor more than five or sixminutes. He didn't take credit for it, nor did he blame his predecessor for not getting bin Laden. He didn't pat himself on the back for the encouragement he gave the attacking force. No, it was a simple statement that the man who was responsible for 9/11 was dead.

Jerry Lujan

Oro Valley

Banner on the USDA building

With respect to the USDA, I find it offensive that the 1984-esque banner of President Trump is portrayed on this government facility, where the only thing that Mr. Trump has sewn is chaos, corruption, racism and revenge for any and all imagined slights. While president, he succeeded in growing only his fortune by hawking different items such as his bible, shoes, “gold cards” as a way to obtain a green card and thus citizenship, as well as bitcoin. He is not in the White House to serve the nation, rather he is there to serve himself through the people who serve him.

Rather than Mr. Trump, I would hope the institution would recognize a truly great man and scientist such as George Washington Carver who was an American agricultural scientist and inventor who introduced alternative crops and prevention of soil depletion, not as a means to gain fame and fortune but to aid farms and farmers that supported themselves and their families by what they grew.

Richard Rebl

East side

Biden’s record deserves better

It’s disheartening that "Original Sin" by journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson focuses on President Biden’s aging symptoms without offering any evidence that it impacted his ability to govern.

President Biden led this country through major crises with competence and vision. His doctors, including the White House physician, affirmed he was fit to serve. He passed the American Rescue Plan, providing relief to millions and stabilizing a shaky economy. He secured bipartisan support for a major infrastructure bill. Under his leadership, job growth surged, and investments were made in public works, clean energy, and broadband.

He led a stable, competent administration where leadership remained consistent, without frequent firings and public turmoil.

Internationally, Biden rebuilt alliances and helped form coalitions like the Quad and AUKUS to counterbalance global threats. He supported Ukraine while avoiding direct U.S. involvement in war.

Did Biden govern effectively? The record speaks for itself.

Kali Van Campen

Midtown