Tucson Speaks Out: July 21

Mistreatment of Fitzsimmons' work

Tucson should know that Lee Enterprises, which is not located in Tucson, has demonstrated shocking greed and a lack of conscience. Lee, the parent company of the Daily Star, is refusing to allow retired cartoonist David Fitzsimmons to donate his extensive cartoon archives to the University of Arizona Library's Special Collections Archive. This selfish action is a travesty that none of us should tolerate.

Fitzsimmons is a local treasure, and his cartoons, dating back to 1986, are a reflection of Southern Arizona history. Lee wants the library to sign a financial agreement. The special collections belong to a library, not another for-profit company seeking to make money.

Lee's actions inspired me to cancel my subscription. I invite all Southern Arizonans to join me in protesting Lee's self-interest. Who at Lee made the decision that a "donation" must make a profit? This defies the idea and spirit of donations.

Lynne Cadigan

Downtown

Tucson has your back

The ongoing election subversion tactics need to be taken seriously. Opponents of free and fair elections are trying to convince us that the system is rigged and we shouldn’t bother to vote. Nothing could be further from the truth. While every effort is being made to adjust the electoral rules to discourage voting, we need to double our efforts to ensure high turnout. We can all play a part in educating and registering voters. Civic engagement and early voting are our tools. High volume of voters will be our defense against anti-Democracy strategies.

Rest assured that our local elected officials are highly motivated and prepared to protect the primary and midterm elections. In coordination with state and local agencies, the City of Tucson has a planned and measured command center operating to ensure the integrity of our elections. Don’t be intimidated by the propaganda; ignore the fear-mongering and disinformation. Above all else, please participate in our democracy by voting and convince others to do the same.

Margo Itule

Midtown

A hundred years of water?

I was stunned by the front page story in the Star stating Tucson has an assured 100-year water supply! I wonder which production home builder contributed to that statement, the same as the big builders have been winking at for lo these many years when we find ourselves on the brink of massive cuts to CAP allocations.

I believe that headline was irresponsible and misleading, creating a false sense of water security among our population.

Thomas Knox

Northeast side

Ciscomani is making life worse for Arizonans

Over one year ago, Ciscomani voted to kick thousands of Arizonans off of AHCCCS, gut food assistance for hardworking families, and slash energy tax credits that brought good jobs to Southern Arizona. Hospitals across Arizona are closing, 7% of Pima County residents no longer have access to SNAP, and hundreds of people who worked at an electric vehicle manufacturer in Casa Grande lost their jobs — thanks to Ciscomani.

He has turned a blind eye to the pain our community is feeling and will continue to do that if he wins his seat back.

I’ll be voting for JoAnna Mendoza. Jo doesn’t just understand what we’ve been feeling; she’s lived it. From growing up on Medicaid and using SNAP, Jo knows just how important it is to make Arizona more affordable. There is no doubt in my mind that she’ll spend her time in Congress fighting for us.

Don’t settle for another wanna-be Trump. Vote for a new, independent voice. Vote for JoAnna Mendoza.

Linda Kunsberg

East side

ACC candidates

Ralph Heap, MD, a retired orthopedic surgeon, is a candidate for the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC). Members of the ACC are the most powerful politicians in Arizona in effecting household utility costs. It is unclear to me why a physician with a clear record would aspire to that office.

However, Dr. Heap does not have an entirely clear record. During his senior year of medical school [1977-78], he was a visiting medical student at Enga District Hospital in Papua New Guinea, where I was Medical Director. As he was exiting PNG, I was notified that he was attempting to smuggle two rare PNG birds in his baggage — a crime in PNG and other similar nations.

Given this proclivity for clandestine profit and the potential to indirectly profit from membership on Arizona’s ACC, one might hesitate to vote for him.

Ronald Pust

University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson

Midtown

Beware of unintended consequences

A recent LTE concerning water usage in Arizona cited its use in mining, data centers, tourism and regional growth as a serious problem that we need to rectify only needs to look no further than oneself as a contributing factor because everyone uses this resource, which has become scarcer over the last several decades. The elimination or restriction of these activities will only create other and potentially more serious difficulties for Arizona and our nation. Instead of condemning certain activities, Americans need to find constructive ways to work together to overcome these and other challenges we face as a society.

David Briggs

Northwest side

Miller is beyond belief

I attended a protest demonstration at our Congressman’s office. I did not realize I was giving myself away by my appearance, but Steven Miller called us all out:

“It’s not a coincidence that when you look at these violent Antifa demonstrations, you see any photograph of those who are assembled, to be blunt, not one of the people that is demonstrating looks like a normal person ... They’re all deformed in some way, in their appearance, in their dress, in their mannerism ... the people that are violently demonstrating, why is there not one normal looking person ...? Every one of them, through the course of their life and their decisions, has scarred their body and their appearance ... to the point in which their outer appearance becomes a manifestation of their inner hatred.”

Guess I just couldn't hide the "inner hatred" my life and decisions as a social worker and disability rights lawyer showed in my horrific appearance.

There is some really weird and crazy stuff going on here.

Kathleen Harris

Foothills

The lies continue

Trump lied throughout his address on Thursday night. Some examples: The U.S. was never dead. When Trump took over in January of 2025, the U.S. economy was the best in the world according to the Wall Street Journal and The Economist. Inflation was lower than in most of Trump’s second term, employment was higher than at any time under Trump, wages were rising faster, and gas was more than a dollar per gallon lower than now. The 2020 election was the most secure ever, according to Bill Barr, Trump’s AG and Trump’s election security officer. All of Trump’s claims of election fraud were thrown out of court by judges appointed by Presidents from Reagan through Trump. All election recounts showed no fraud. Trump’s CIA and intelligence community reported no election fraud, that not even China tampered with our voting. So why do people believe his lies?

Don Ries

Southeast side

Another fear campaign

Our presidential trickster is at it again. As in his Jan 6 coup attempt, he uses fear to attack democracy's greatest expression and weakest link: elections. Jan 6 was a conspiracy to use fear of "losing your country" to manufacture illegal electoral votes, declare a national emergency and overturn the 2020 election. This time, the objective is the 2026 mid-term election — using fear of Chinese hackers and non-citizen voters to restrict voting to those most likely to be tricked. Again, no credible evidence is offered because there is none. Like emergency gerrymanders, seizing voting records and threatening states and poll workers, our presidential fear-mongers hope the SAVE America Act will save their floundering administration for another two years. It is past time to unseat Arizona congressmen who voted for the SAVE Act and continue to avoid their Constitutional responsibilities. The Senate is preparing to make it a law, perhaps with another budget-busting reconciliation bill before the midterms. Our primary elections have begun — don't be tricked again.

Frank Hartline

Foothills