Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., departs a news conference Tuesday where he marked the seventh day of the government shutdown at the Capitol in Washington.
A disappointing Speaker
When Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, was first elected, he told the country he would govern by the Bible. Many of us hoped that meant humility, honesty, compassion for the poor, and integrity. Instead, we’ve watched him walk a very different path.
Since taking the gavel, Mike Johnson has misled the public, shielded the powerful while dismissing the vulnerable, and shown little of the mercy or truth-telling the Bible instructs. Scripture says, “Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me,” but Johnson has supported policies that harm struggling families and immigrants. It says, “Do not bear false witness,” yet he defends a president whose politics thrive on conspiracy and grievance.
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The Bible calls for courage and moral clarity, yet Johnson too often bends the knee to Donald Trump, echoing his falsehoods and protecting his power rather than helping people.
Lawrence Mazin
SaddleBrooke
Securing public spaces
I’m a retired police officer. I found Time Steller’s article; “Securing Public Spaces” interesting as he compared the mission to care for the homeless with the need to secure public places. In actuality, police patrols benefit not just homeowners/renters but also those who suffer from being unhoused. Sufficient numbers of police do make a difference, but we do not have enough officers to meet the demand for services. Low staffing means less coverage of hot spots. According to research from Penn University criminologist Aaron Chalfin, police staffing does help reduce homicides and other serious violent crimes. It also increases arrests for low-level offenses like liquor violations and drug possession. Per Chalfin, “an additional 10 to 17 officers hired prevented one new homicide per year.” The Tucson Police Department has the right crime response strategies; they desperately need more officers assigned to critical areas because we need more “eyes” on our problem spots. If we want better protection, we need more protectors. It’s a profession worth seeking.
Richard Harper
Northeast side
Bloomberg article
Thank you for printing such an important article. Tucsonans of Ukrainian roots appreciate this.
President Emeritus, Ukrainian American Society,
Ihor Kunasz
Northwest side
Masked men
What I recall from watching the coverage of the 2020 George Floyd protests in Portland were unidentified masked men grabbing people off the street and taking them away in unmarked cars. It was later reported that the “Department of Homeland Security, US Marshal Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Federal Protection Service, were all in Portland, deployed by Trump under Operation Diligent Valor. They were recorded using unmarked vehicles to apprehend protesters in downtown Portland. Videos circulated online showing these agents, who were often described as wearing masks and body armor, driving up to individuals, detaining them without explaining the reasons for the arrest.”
I condemn the wanton destruction of property by any group, but I also condemn the destruction of our civil rights as Americans. And one is much harder to restore than the other.
Katharine Donahue
Foothills
New name for Republicans
1. Today’s Republican Party is essentially one person — Donald Trump. What he says and does is what they are.
2. Trump repeatedly proclaims himself a “nationalist” — “America First”.
3. Commentators like George Will have questioned Trump’s government financial involvement in companies like AMD and Nvidia. When Democrats did it, it was deplored as “picking winners and losers.” Now they’re starting to call it “state socialism.”
4. Combining “nationalist” and “socialist”, we get “National Socialist”. Why not change the Republican Party’s name to “National Socialist”? Doesn’t that sound like a good name?
5. Oh wait ...
George Timson
Midtown
The Blaumilch Canal in Tucson
The Israeli author Ephraim Kishon once wrote (1952) this marvelous story of a lunatic called Blaumilch who suffers from a digging compulsion, escapes from the asylum, steals a jackhammer and compressor, and begins to dig up the main artery in Tel Aviv (movie in 1969). No one in the city bureaucracy knows who had commissioned this project, but they all assume that they are required to assist the man, who eventually creates a huge traffic disaster and senseless destruction. Since elections are coming up, no one dares to question Blaumilch’s actions, so, he eventually reaches the Mediterranean and can flood the entire city. The helpless mayor hence announces that Tel Aviv has thus become the new Venice of the Middle East.
Tucson seems to follow this model, considering the endless and useless construction projects, especially on 6th Street and on Grant Road. All motorists who are forced to use those arteries are strongly reminded of Blaumilch’s activities and a bureaucracy that does not even know what they do.
Albrecht Classen
Midtown
All the news that’s fit to print
Thank you for your commitment to keeping our local newspaper in print. I’ve been a subscriber to the Arizona Daily Star print edition for 37 years, and will continue my subscription for as long as the print edition continues. The free press is one of the last remaining bulwarks against the collapse of our democracy, which depends on literate, educated and informed citizens. There are other more instantaneous sources of information — or in many cases, misinformation and disinformation — than a local daily newspaper; but there is no substitute for reading about and reflecting upon current events to form rational, thoughtful opinions. Thanks to all at the Star who make this daily miracle possible: writers, editors, photographers, graphic artists, advertisers, subscribers, and the delivery people who rise in the middle of the night, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, to bring us the news.
Will Clipman
West side
Pointing fingers
In a childish exchange between Senator Gallegos and CD 6’s gerrymandered Representative Juan Ciscomani on the subject of the GOP shutdown, Ciscomani stated, “I did my job…”.
Au contraire, my ill-informed representative, your job is to produce an actual budget, not kick the can down the road with a CR and point fingers. You and team MAGA have the White House, Senate and House, and once again failed to do what is arguably your only job as a member of the House.
Enough distractions. Release the Epstein Files and get back to the people’s business.
Kevin Henderson
Foothills
Responding to LTEs
The last sentence of J. McConnell’s LTE of Oct. 5 stated “Reducing political divisiveness starts with respecting others’ right to their view and their product without punishment.” I fully agree, except it actually starts at the top, so please tell Mr Trump to stop the hate, retribution, threats, and demands that Democrats be “taken care of.” Just a few attempts at civility and unification could do a lot, but I’m not holding my breath.
Then the end of L. Johnson’s LTE of Oct. 5 stated “To put the entire blame on Israel [for killing 67,000 Gazans plus 6,000 more buried in the rubble, mostly women and children], which is only trying to ensure its very existence on this earth, is absurd.” The problem here is that no one is doing that, and instead, most are shocked at the mass killings and starvation of women and children and non-combatants in Gaza: a genocide without remorse, in the fight with Hamas.
Steve Cox
Northwest side
If you think things are bad now ...
For the first few months of the new Trump Administration, I was totally blown away by the planned MAGA chaos ... I thought, how are we ever going to get through this presidential term, as it seemed every traditional institution was being attacked and dismantled: The renaming and restructuring of The Kennedy Center? The re-renaming of the Cleveland Guardians baseball team back to the Cleveland Indians? What?
Then I found the antidote to my impending depression. I watched the award-winning 2012 movie directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Daniel Day-Lewis. Wow, was I inspired. That period of our history was true mess that showed what a great leader can achieve. President Lincoln and his backroom deals produced an environment that mended a fractured nation. Lincoln was the anti-Trump: No retribution, after a terrible Civil War, was needed or required.
If we could get through that period, then we can get through this. Watch the movie and be inspired. We will get through the rest of this presidential term.
Albert (Bert) Hanson
Northwest side
AG Pam Bondi, the good soldier
I watched United States Attorney General Pam Bondi’s audition for the lead in the next sequel to the movie “Mean Girls” in front of the U.S. Senate Judicial Oversight Committee. She refused to answer questions reasonably put to her by members of the Senate Committee. Instead, she repeatedly read canned non-answers and hurled personal insults at U.S. senators who had the nerve to try to exercise their purpose and obligation to do oversight. Her performance was intended and offered to an audience of one ... truly her only client, Trump. As a retired attorney and judge, I am disgusted with such a blatant and notorious violation of her ethical obligations as an attorney and oath of office as Attorney General to support and defend the Constitution of the U.S.
Paul Simon
Northwest side
Budget shutdown
I’m appalled at the GOP shutdown and the GOP lies. The shutdown is not about benefits for illegals. The GOP would rather give my hard-earned money to the wealthy supporters of the White House than help govern our country. You swore an oath to protect the U.S. and support the country fairly. This budget holdup is not about non-citizens, far from it. The GOP needs to stand up for Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, the needy and the less fortunate. It would do Republicans good to re-read their oaths of office. They should speak the truth and act accordingly. The lies are ruining our nation. And where in the world is Juan Ciscomani, Carmen San Diego? This “break” is supposed to be a time to meet in person with constituents.
Peter Bisschop
East side
