Tucson Speaks Out: August 22

Advice from a fellow autocrat

Trump wants to eliminate mail-in ballots after listening to advice from that authority on free elections, Vladimir Putin. Putin told Trump that you can't have a fair election with mail-in ballots. Why would Putin even comment on United States election policy? It's just one more way to weaken democracy in our country by filling Trump's empty head with more delusions of grandeur. Imagine if Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, or Joe Biden had suggested such a thing. Fortunately, Trump does not have the authority to do this by executive order unless election law is changed either by each state or by Congress.

Mary Zimmerman

SaddleBrooke

Trump as a peacemaker?

Trump a “peacemaker”? Recall, please, that after Russia invaded the Ukraine, Trump proclaimed of Putin: “he’s taken over a country for $2 worth of sanctions. I’d say that’s pretty smart” (Salon.com, HuffPost). So, should Trump be trusted to impose peace terms on Ukraine?

Russia will never voluntarily remove itself from conquered territory as long as it has battlefield success. Russia should not and cannot not be rewarded by forcing Ukraine to hand over unconquered territory to Russia. Solution? A cease-fire followed by a truce along the border between what Russia occupies and Ukraine still holds, similar to North and South Korea. Then, an arrangement to guarantee the security of Ukraine against a possible resumption of the war by Russia.

If that plan is rejected by Russia (Putin) then provide Ukraine with weapons and policies to make Russian attacks as expensive for them as possible and hang tight.

Cutler Umbach

Northeast side

I'm so blue

All the whining by the bad losers in the Project Blue debacle was bad enough; move on folks, maybe next time be transparent with the community and provide realistic projections on the impact to Tucson. Creating water and building nuclear reactors is laughable.

Now we have to hear from the poor winners crowing over their victory. Enough already, you got what you wanted. Thanks for enlightening us on how inclusive and altruistic you are.

The demonstration at the city meeting where the project was voted down was a demonstration of Tucson at its worst. Screaming epithets and waving rude gestures at the representatives of the development company was shameful. Is this how we want companies considering bringing business here to think of the city?

Neither side came out of this looking good. Let it go.

Joe Reiman

SaddleBrooke

Facts

Dec. 5, 1994: Russia, U.S. and the UK sign the Budapest Memorandum, granting security assurances against the threat or use of force against Ukraine's territory or political independence.

Dec. 4, 2009: In a joint statement, Russia and the U.S. confirm the security guarantees made in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum.

March 18, 2014: Russia annexes Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and provides support of ongoing insurrectionists in Luhansk and Donetsk provinces, in violation of the Budapest Memorandum, saying that their prior assurances were given to a different government, not the elected government. U.S. and the UK acknowledge the violation.

Feb. 24, 2022: Russia invades Ukraine, again against the Budapest Memorandum with the solid U.S. assurance to provide security against the threat or use of force against Ukraine's territory or political independence.

Now Trump says: "Trust us, we will provide for your security." Just like we have in the past.

Ronald Nowicki

Green Valley

Weak

President Trump stood at slumped attention and clapped enthusiastically at the appearance of his idol, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska. It was a ridiculous scene: American soldiers kneeling to lay a red carpet for a Russian dictator, while Putin smiled broadly and subsequently posted images of the U.S. fawning over him on Russian propaganda stations. Just a week prior, Trump had threatened Putin with "very serious consequences" if he did not agree to a ceasefire. Obviously, Putin changed his mind. Why did Trump need to call Putin during his meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky and European leaders? Was Trump reassuring Putin that he was on his side?

It would all be hilarious if not for how tragically shameful and disastrous it is for the United States. President Trump appeared weak and made our country weak with him.

Jean Meconi

Oro Valley

Paint it black

Peals of laughter, intermingled with disbelief, embarrassment, incredulity. Strains of the Rolling Stones' classic tune running through my head - "I see a red door (wall) and I want it painted black" all this brought on by seeing Homeland Security head Kristi Noem at the border wall, announcing that Trump has decreed the entire wall be painted black. Our brilliant and sophisticated leader understands "very well" that something painted black becomes hotter under the blazing sun! This will deter illegals from trying to scale it! According to Ms. Noem, the wall is already so tall and anchored so deeply that it's practically impenetrable "as is". So why bother painting? Possible cheaper alternatives: Coat the wall with a thick layer of grease, or electrify it with sufficient voltage (much like the walls enclosing the Nazi death camps). Paint it black! America voted for this sheer idiocy. Noem and cohorts had a fun photo op applying black paint with paint rollers. "I wanna see it painted, painted, painted painted black."

Deb Klumpp

Oro Valley

Rooting against our economy

Star AP news articles never highlight what the current administration intends to accomplish, only providing relentless negativity of the consequences of their actions. This is echoed in LTEs and columns.

Take the economy: Trump is in mid-execution of a groundbreaking and risky tariff and reshoring initiative that could generate unprecedented wealth for our children, and his success is indeed a toss-up. Still, Star pundits confidently declare that today’s sub-3% inflation will skyrocket due to Trump’s “failed” policies — before any failure occurs, while notably, none claim that inflation will hit Biden’s 9% peak again.

This isn’t about statistics; it’s about a liberal Democrat mindset that appears to cheer for America’s economic failure solely to spite Donald J. Trump.

Honest answers only: Are you rooting for or against America?

Jeffrey McConnell

West side

Finding our roots, not facing south

For many years, we have enjoyed Tim Steller's insightful editorials in the Star. He is a Tucson treasure. His recent column about Latin American historical and cultural connections between Tucson and Mexico is excellent and culturally astute, but could have been framed differently. The biota of southeastern Arizona is complex with many tropical species such as coral bean, desert feather tree, trogons, and jaguars reaching their northern limits. Often to understand biogeography and evolution in our area, everything needs to be viewed from south to north, New World tropical to northern temperate. Similarly, the culture of New Spain and then Mexico was strongly tropical for 300 years before the temperate American culture moved into Arizona after the Gadsen Purchase in 1854. Tucson is the strong fusion of these two cultures, proudly showing our Hispanic roots, not quaint reminiscences of Anglos looking south.

Tom Van Devender

North side

Not a war hero

Recently, Trump praised Netanyahu as a “war hero”, followed by “I guess I am, too.” How ludicrous and disgraceful.

Real war heroes don't boast about their actions. Cadet Bone Spurs is as far from being a hero as it gets. As a Vietnam combat veteran, I’m highly insulted. He had his chance to at least try to become a hero, but he was much too afraid to fight alongside us.

That’s for the best. In an Infantry platoon, those who are too cowardly to fight endanger those who do fight and can get them killed.

For this blowhard tough guy wannabe, in particular, to even suggest that he is somehow now a “war hero” is just one more instance of his contemptible lack of respect for all those who have served and especially those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Dan Gipple

Southeast side

Save our air and water

The EPA was created Dec. 2, 1970, and improved the air and water quality for all of the USA. Now it is being decimated under the Trump administration. The lead activists are Russell Thurlow Vought and Lee Zeldin. Vought was a Heritage foundation employee and one of the 2025 document authors, and Lee Zeldin a former congressman. Trump and MAGA must be held accountable for the degraded air and water quality that will result from the rewrite of the landmark endangerment finding that planet-warming greenhouse gases put public health and welfare at risk. The reduction of regulations for the fossil fuels will result in increases of illness and death. Some of the diseases caused by this reduction in air quality are asthma, lung disease, bronchitis, and various cancers. It is estimated that the combustion of fossil fuels results in 200,000 premature deaths each year. Two trillion dollars has been saved by EPA regulations as of 2020. Call your Senators and Representative to stop this dismantling of good regulation.

Joseph R Sipp

Midtown

Gaza

What is happening in Gaza tears at the imagination of our collective souls. It terrorizes innocence and reminds some of us that we have a lot of work to do on ourselves. We can easily judge on how bad our so-called leaders are like in Israel, Russia, El Salvador, and America; However, what am I thinking, saying, and doing? Is it constructive or destructive? Yes, I am as mad as hell when I watch the people of Gaza be denigrated, starved, maimed, and murdered. But the God I believe in isn’t as mad as hell, vengeful, or condemning, but love, and this is the difference between most of us and the source within.

Joseph Robinett

Midtown

Water usage rule

I appreciate it that Tucson finally has a water usage rule for large users. Surprised it didn’t already exist.

What else is there that the Mayor and Council are unaware of, and Tucson needs 21st-century requirements for these other obvious issues?

Be better.

Gerard Maryak

East side