Tucson Speaks Out: May 6 letters of the day

I’ve known Ted Prezelski for decades and I’ve always been impressed by his knowledge of the issues in front of our community and his passion for Tucson. He’d be a fine choice for a replacement for Steve Kozachik when the council fills the seat later this month.

Ted is one of a handful of candidates who has pledged not to run for a full term, as he believes that the choice for a longer-term replacement must be made by the voters without giving someone the advantage of incumbency. That desire was also expressed by the council and it is a wise choice.

Vicente Fuentes

Midtown

Student demonstrations are not all the same

Student demonstrations are not a new thing as any quick search on the internet will show. In the 1960s, students were demanding that their government end racism in accordance with the laws that had been passed and to end an illegal war which could have very personal consequences to the students.

Now, the reasons for demonstrating are to demand that their institutions divest their portfolios of investments in companies in the countries that the students find immoral (South African apartheid and the Israeli indiscriminate bombing of Gaza).

University investments earn money that are needed to support the activities of the university. This is not for personal wealth but to improve the university’s programs. Without that investment portfolio, tuition would have to be raised or programs dropped. Students have no say in how a university invests its money but they can leave and go to a university that does not invest in those companies that they disfavor.

Cindy Soffrin

Northeast side

Trial attendance

Re: the April 30 letter “Trump is denied the right to campaign.”

No hatred for Donnie to put aside, but a few matters to address. NY law requires criminal defendants to attend their trials every day, be they surgeons, teachers or semi-unemployed politicians. They can be excused at the judge’s discretion, but doubt it occurs often. Some felony defendants arrive in police cars wearing orange jumpsuits, and others in caravans wearing blue suits and long ties. When court is not in session, those on bail can work or not as they wish. Multiple days so far, Donnie has decided to golf rather than campaign. His strategy to delay the trial is the main, if not sole, reason it is not long done and why it is even close to the election. A better question then is this any way to run an election, is this any way to run an everyone treated equally criminal justice system?

Clarence Johnson

Oro Valley

No shame

Re: the May 1 letter “Help Wanted-Alternate Electors.”

This letter was a great contribution. Add to “Additional Attributes Preferred” the qualities of: Shamelessness, phony patriotism, and phony religiosity. Fake elector Anthony Kern says he is proud to be indicted by the attorney general and is using the indictment to raise campaign money. This is the caliber of person embraced by the Republican Party in AZ and nationwide. Shameful!

Deb Klumpp

Oro Valley

Deja Vu

Recent campus protests against Gazan genocide echo the Occupy Tucson experience in morality, economics, and civic engagement. Both exemplify nationwide, nonviolent uprisings marked by non-hierarchical mutual support met by governmental suppression. In both, violation of basic moral tenets compelled us into tents in public spaces. Both demonstrate cries for change.

USA measures worth in dollars. War profiteers, extractive industry titans, and robber barons are held to account by a different set of values than used to judge our teachers, nurses, librarians, caregivers and low-wage workers. When policies become intolerably skewed toward profit and away from inherent humane practices the tents go up.

Peacefully and plaintively the camps are established. Everyone is fed and cared for through mutual support at little cost to City coffers. Only to be met by expensive, intense police suppression. And follow-up legal action adds to the government bill. All happening on land that was free of property deeds in Father Kino’s time.

Who owns the right to determine humankind’s future?

Mary DeCamp

Downtown

Biden’s contempt for the U.S. Supreme Court

During his State of the Union speech, President Biden chastised members of the U.S. Supreme Court, who were in attendance, for their vote reversing Roe vs. Wade. Sending the abortion issue to the states. Frankly, a political gift to energize the Democrat vote, as will happen with the Abortion Amendment to the AZ Constitution likely on the upcoming November ballot. Last year, the Supreme Court ruled Biden’s $400 billion taxpayer college debt relief giveaway to be unconstitutional. Biden has since announced billions more in relief, which will be challenged in federal courts again. Another political bribe by Biden just before the election to attract young voters, who are not enthusiastic about him. In 2022, the Supreme Court ruled against Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates regulating carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Since then, his EPA has announced more sweeping regulations on automobiles, appliances, manufacturing, etc. What is obvious is that Biden has contempt for the U.S. Supreme Court and thus our Constitution. A dangerous precedent.

Charley Favors

Three Points

Forget those two old men

Instead of concentrating only on the two old men running for President, we should concentrate on the people who will become the Vice President. The Republican frontrunner has said several times that he will pick the person who can bring the most money to the campaign. The Democratic frontrunner already has an attorney in place described as intelligent, honest, and level-headed, even by her adversaries. Is there still a question?

Cynthia Schiesel

East side

Peace is a two-way street

We read on the front page of the Daily Star that President Joe Biden spoke again with the Israeli Prime Minister to end the hostilities in the Gaza Strip. His message was clear: Benjamin Netanyahu must end the conflict.

I wonder why our president isn’t also talking directly with Ismail Haniyeh, since if the Hamas leader would agree to lay down their arms and surrender we would have peace instantly.

Biden should heed fellow Democrat President Carter, who in 1978 put his skin in the game by personally mediating the Camp David Accords, which established a framework for a lasting peace treaty between Israel and Egypt/Jordan. The incumbent president is only concerned with shoring up his fragmented and dissolving voter base until the November elections.

Peace is a two-way street.

Jeffrey McConnell

West side

RNC to be congratulated on DEI policies

I rush to applaud the Republican National Committee on its embrace of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies to include in its top leadership those who may have quite unfairly been shunned in the past.

With the appointment of indicted State Sen. Jake Hoffman, the RNC has taken the courageous stand of including at its highest level an individual who has worked to undermine the U.S. Constitution and thwart the will of American voters. Surely such a small blemish should not stand in the way of such a visionary having a large say in determining RNC policies.

Further, former state Rep. Liz Harris was bestowed a similar honor. The RNC has now boldly demonstrated that it will defend the rights of those who have committed multiple ethics violations and supported whacky QAnon conspiracy theories. The fact that her actions have been so ludicrous that even her own GOP-controlled House booted her should not detract from the reputation of such a high-minded public servant.

Thank you, RNC!

John Covert

Northeast side

Riposte to climate deceit

Re: the May 2 letter “Global warming.”

In this letter, the writer relies on standard conservative talking points that are patently unconvincing because they are based on deceit and falsehood. He wants us to abandon all efforts to combat climate change because China, India and other developing nations are increasing their use of fossil fuels. While China and India fossil fuel consumption rates are currently increasing, both countries are also implementing ambitious and far-reaching green energy programs.

The combined efforts of the United States, China, India and other countries have reduced the world’s rate of increase of fossil fuel consumption, and will over time, reduce it. These combined efforts have bought the world valuable time to address climate change and prevent a climate change catastrophe.

If we follow Pearse’s advice and do nothing, we will condemn the world to a rapid descent into a catastrophe beyond our imagining.

Jon Dorschner

Midtown

Global warming

Readers know that China, India, and Russia (among others) are desperately seeking to step into the USA’s standard of living, and we know that involves burning a lot of coal, don’t we? There’s no secrets or trickery here at all here. The USA has the largest GDP in the world, and everyone is scrambling to catch up to us. We need to be the leaders in the fight to save our planet. Thank goodness for the Chinese flooding the global market with solar panels. I’m sure the Indians will gratefully install them as they move their cities inland. You can’t stop people from aspiring to our standard of living, especially when we’re making a ton of money selling it. It’s like telling women they don’t have control over their uterus. I look you straight in the eye when I say read the IPPC report on global warming. We may have blown through decades of tipping points, but we’re Americans — not quitters.

Cynthia Duncan

Midtown

Traffic restrictions

If you think about it, virtually every left turn made while driving involves making sure there is no oncoming traffic. Now, in their wisdom, our city planners have decided that we are too stupid to take that precaution at major intersections. So now we find ourselves staring at new red-turn arrows holding us in place while there is no oncoming traffic. Meanwhile, these busy left-turn lanes fill up; often to the point where cars back up into traffic lanes. All of which just translates into more traffic congestion, delays, and frustration. Stop trying to save us from ourselves. Stop this nanny-state nonsense!

Gordon Hamilton

Midtown

Federalist Society

The Federalist Society is the incubator for the right-wing lords of justice. Its members are of one mindset because only conservative doctrine is espoused.

The results of their efforts are clear in the current Supreme Court. Every decision unravels more spools of chaos. This band of brothers is waxing mad for the benefit of the strong white male. Three of the women on the court are just outmanned by the grim vision in vogue now, even though they are bright patches of sanity on this blanket of dark.

There is a sense of chill when the men march into the courtroom in their black cloaks and Mongol countenance. They are there to stake a place for ill will with the good people of America, who expect the court to be a catalyst for fairness.

Instead, we get rulings bent to accommodate favored persons like the fright who would be President again.

Ron Lancaster

North side

Lifespan of Native Americans

Re: the May 3 article “Report: Native Americans have shorter life spans.”

The Daily Star had an article about the shorter life span of Native Americans. I am not a sociologist, nor do I have any particular skills in evaluating different peoples. I am, however, a trained investigator and observer who, while employed by DES, spent much time within Native American reservations interacting with the people there. Generally, the people I spoke to were laid-back, polite people of a private nature. The reservations contained an inordinately large number of alcoholics and obese individuals. This is commonly known in the social service industry and is not meant as a condemnation but as a fact. With nothing else to explain I suspect that the shorter life span can be somewhat attributed to these two items.

Philip Reinecker

East side

Wrong on conclusions

Re: The May 3 letter “Climate change.”

The letter writer in response to a guest opinion is simply wrong. He argues that climate change regulations will cost money. Actually, not mitigating climate change already costs billions and those costs, left unaddressed, will grow exponentially. His argument that CO2 remains in the atmosphere for hundred of years is correct, but his conclusion that we should therefore not address it makes as much sense as arguing that a burning fire will burn for a long time and therefore, we should set more buildings on fire. The cause of climate change is the burning of fossil fuels. We need to stop using them as quickly as possible. We can do that by placing a gradually increasing fee on carbon emissions, rebating the proceeds to the public, and imposing the same fee on imports.

Mike Carran

East side