I stand by my letter
Re: the Feb. 26 letter “Check the facts.”
On Feb. 9, the Star published my letter “Migrants carrying contagious diseases.” On Feb. 26, the Star published a letter disputing the veracity of my letter. There have been increased incidents of tuberculosis, syphilis, gonorrhea, chicken pox, measles, etc., attributed to newly-arrived migrants. New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan stated that migrants coming from the border were bringing contagious diseases such as tuberculosis and polio. During COVID, migrants were released into the public carrying the virus. A 2019 JAMA study found 1,280 influenza, 1,052 chicken pox, and 301 mumps cases at 22 ICE Detention Centers. Under Biden, over seven million people from 160 countries have illegally entered the country. The Border Patrol is quickly releasing 85% of them from custody. They are overwhelmed processing people. How much medical screening time do you think they are doing, and they are not physicians? Latent tuberculosis and other contagious diseases cannot be detected by a cursory medical screening. I stand by my letter(s) and their “facts!”
People are also reading…
Stella Murphy
Midtown
Kozachik
We’ll miss you, Steve K.
Has there ever been a more effective City Council member than Steve Kozachik? Whether working with Ross Rulney so the Monastery provided temporary shelter to migrants, creating an incredible plastic recycling program, or questioning the return on our investment in the RTA, Steve got things done. He was a tireless champion for neighborhoods against powerful corporations and utility companies. Finally, without naming many City officials who were not, he was always responsive to phone calls and emails from his constituents. Thank you for your service to Tucson, and good luck in your new venture. You helped make our community a better place to live.
Elliot Glicksman
Midtown
Tucson Festival of Books
Kudos to all involved in putting on a spectacular Tucson Festival of Books 2024. So much good will, diversity, smiles, exposure, knowledge and understanding happens during those two days. Thank you!
Karyn Zoldan
Midtown
A prosecutor’s malpractice
As a public defender, one of my tasks was to review grand jury proceedings to determine if there were any errors for possible motions to remand or dismiss.
In the tens of thousands of pages I read, I never found a single arguable error. That’s because the indictments were presented by competent lawyers who knew how easy it was to present a valid indictment if you knew what needed to be done.
We now learn that Fani Willis, in the major case of her career, apparently couldn’t get it right. As a result, Trump will likely dodge a bullet on the most slam-dunk charges of all — his blatantly illegal attempt to convince Georgia officials to phony up the election.
If I were Trump, I’d reconsider my motion to dismiss her. If she can’t get an indictment right, how in the world could she try a case to conviction?
Larry Fleischman
Northeast side
Spring Fling should change its logo
UA’s Spring Fling has been canceled for the past four years. For a few years they blamed COVID-19 on the cancellations. Last year ASUA said they had a lack of volunteers, yet my two kids (enrolled at UA) were awaiting the volunteer announcement so they could participate. This announcement never came. My daughter graduated last year, never experiencing Spring Fling during her time there. Looks like my son will also graduate without having a Spring Fling at UA. Last year, ASUA promised to come back for the 50th anniversary. I just called the ASUA office, and they said it will be canceled once again. They had no explanation. The old motto for Spring Fling was “There’s nothing else like it.” My suggestion? Change it to “There’s nothing.”
Marjorie Ford Nenadich
Midtown
Vote as you see fit
Re: the March 6 letter “Ciscomani.”
In response to the letter writer of Marana, and to all those she/he “assumes” also wrote to express their extreme disappointment in Congressman Ciscomani, I must say I heartily disagree. I am not disappointed and will vote for him, again. Others may — and no doubt will — vote as they see fit; that is the system in which we live, thanks to the Framers of the Constitution.
Vicki Small
Northeast side
Harm of smartphones
Re: the March 2 article “Schools grapple with cellphone use in class.”
In the long run, our children will suffer for their countless hours playing with their smartphones instead of paying attention in class. And in the short run, the damage has already arrived.
Today’s kids, with their eyes perpetually cast down, are in a kind of adoration of fantasy; real life being a part-time endeavor. It is the making of a lost generation.
Who shall we blame? Is it the students who insist on the fun of being entranced by YouTube or TikTok?
Or is it the teachers, who are flummoxed and frustrated by their wily, determined pupils?
Or is it the parents who buy the phones and pay the monthly fees so their kids can take them to school?
Yes, I think it is the parents who play deaf to this craziness they are party to. They are the enablers of this fast-growing tide of present and future ignorance.
Ron Lancaster
North side
Bidenflation
On the way to work this morning, I noticed I was low on gas and checked the price at the gas station. I gasped when I saw the price had jumped another $0.20 per gallon, and that was the lowest price I could find, with others going up $0.30 per gallon. The price of gas has almost doubled since Biden took office. His latest commercial says inflation is 5%, but understanding basic math it seems that the price has gone up almost 65%. Then I figured it out, if you don’t include all of Biden’s time in office (3-plus years), and look just at the last month, then the increase is less than 5%. Of course, that price increase has also applied to everything, including groceries. The price of eggs has jumped to around $4 per dozen and, like so many others, I like eggs for breakfast, and it isn’t just eggs. Looking back, eggs were consistently priced while Trump was in office.
Loran Hancock
Northwest side
No hope with Trump in office
Re: the March 15 letter “Unbelievable.”
I don’t recall President Biden suggesting that “all” border problems can be resolved by passing the Senate border bill. It was a four-month bipartisan effort by Senators Lankford (Republican), Murphy (Democrat) and Sinema (independent) to address and negotiate a problem which has gone without same for decades. This bill was derailed in the Senate due to the unethical action of private citizen Trump, who insisted that Republican senators veto the bill for his political reasons. As a result, Senator Lankford was censured in his own Republican state for daring to work in a bipartisan manner. The writer claims the Biden Administration is a “Joke” and suggests a vote for Trump offers “Hope”. What hope can a man provide who was twice impeached, lied excessively, tried to destroy our democracy and Constitution on Jan. 6 and has threatened retribution to anyone who ever challenged him if re-elected? With the name Loyal, loyalty to your country’s democracy and Constitution should be your first consideration.
Chuck Cabrera
Northwest side
Putty in Putin’s palms
Trump has been against Ukraine ever since Volodymyr Zelensky refused to go along with Trump’s request to come up with dirt on the Bidens in exchange for military aid. Recall Helsinki, where Trump sided with Putin against his own intelligence people. Recently, he said Russia could do “whatever the hell they want” to NATO countries who, according to Trump, aren’t paying their fair share. Trump has convinced a vast majority of Republicans to withdraw support for Ukraine. How many Republicans would support a Russian invasion of Poland, Baltic countries, Sweden, France? The Republicans — who used to be rabid Cold War warriors not so long ago — have flipped to be pro-Russia, at Trump’s behest. I have no doubt Trump would not hesitate to make the top secret documents he stashed at Mar A Lago available to Putin. There’s probably a big payday looming for him. Trump tries to portray himself as a strongman; in reality, he’s a Putin puppet — the North American version of Lukashenko, molded by sophisticated KGB flattery.
Deb Klumpp
Oro Valley
Rocketman
Admitted I am powerless over the news and my life has become unmanageable. Came to believe a power greater than myself can restore me to sanity. That greater power is fun entertainment, so, today I watched ‘Copacabana’ and ‘Rocketman.’ I began the day watching Trump mumble and spew his contempt upon immigrants. I was somewhere between enraged and depressed. Nothing but angst on the TV that has been going on for … well … now years. Folks think it, but it will not end in November. The rasp of hate will continue ad infinitum. Right now. This moment. We are in perilous times, but seeing it thrown in my face every day … I think not. I am in recovery. Tomorrow I shall watch “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Jon Langione
Marana
New ethical concern, not IVF or abortion
As troubling as ethical considerations about abortion and IVF are, there is a new concern emerging: human cloning. And it’s real.
On Jan. 25, 2018, in the New York Post, a front-page article, with picture, appeared: “Man-made monkeys.” Two precious Macaque twin monkeys, who had been cloned, were pictured. Little Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua were shown happily playing with brightly colored toddler toys. Only 77 Macaque monkeys died so they could survive.
Their human-god creator Dr. Mu-Ming Poo, “expects human cloning will be banned for ethical reasons once scientists get closer to making it a reality”.
I do not, for one minute, believe that. Because, as I write this, I am sure that scientists in secret labs across the globe are scrambling to make the human cloning business appealing to deep-pocketed investors. Just as IVF treatments are heavily funded and very expensive for the average couple.
So, for everyone concerned about 21st-century ethics — don’t worry. The money-gods have this.
Karen Papagapitos
Northwest side
Biden facilitated entry of violent gang
President Biden and DHS Secretary Mayorkas have abused Immigration Parole and Temporary Protection Status (TPS) by allowing almost 500,000 Venezuelans, who entered the country undocumented, to stay with employment authorization. The Border Patrol releases foreign nationals without the ability to conduct background checks in their home country. Members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), that began in a Venezuelan prison, are now “newly” in America. Two members of the gang, illegally in the U.S., have been arrested in the violent attack on two New York City Police Officers. Seven “migrants” have been indicted in that case. TdA “migrants” have also been involved in over 60 robberies in New York City. A Venezuelan man, who entered undocumented and was released via parole, has been arrested for the murder of University of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. In 2023, over 600 paroled Venezuelans were arrested in Chicago for committing crimes. President Biden’s and DHS Secretary Mayorkas’ border policies facilitated these crimes and victims. They are a disgrace!
Gary Beachwood
Green Valley
National anthem
It made my blood boil when I recently saw EX-president Trump, and his supporters, singing the national anthem and saluting. Well, some of them semi-saluted while he — Trump — wearing that dumb MAGA hat saluted. I guess none of his supporters were ever in the Boy Scouts or the military and never learned the proper way to show respect for the national anthem. I know for sure the military-hating Trump never was in the military. In any case, this is the proper and only way to salute the national anthem:
“Conduct During Playing — During a rendition of the national anthem, all other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, and men not in uniform, if applicable, should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.”
For someone who had been president, to not know the proper protocol is shameful!
Jerry Lujan
Oro Valley
Environment
Re: the March 20 article “Mouse population taking over fragile island.”
Though it is far from home, an article about mice on an island near the Antarctic caught my attention. In the article, a plan is explained that will kill all the mice as they are killing seabirds and threatening the ecology. Climate change is the culprit for the out-of-control overbreeding of mice. The solution, however, makes no sense to me. The plan to drop 550 tons of poison sounds counterproductive. While the claim is that the poison will only kill the mice, how can we take that at face value? How do we know what the poison is, if it really works and if it indeed will kill all the mice? The words protect the ecology and poison in the same sentence has me scratching my head. Who vets the writers at the Associated Press? Where is the editor? The whole thing sounds ridiculous. Or maybe it is just an early April Fool’s joke.
Anne Groth
Oro Valley
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