Letters to the editor - Sunday, Oct. 8

The Tucson City Council has been insulated from political pressures from its left for too long. We may be a political blueberry in the bowl of tomato soup that is Arizona. That doesn’t mean our progressive city should settle for inaction.

I was incredibly disheartened by the mayor’s tone-deaf reread of his DACA statement in front of a crowd that demanded more than a cookie-cutter response. I’ve also been continually disappointed by council members who don’t see the need to answer the more systemic concerns of fearful and struggling residents. Ideas such as Strong Start Tucson have been scoffed at by the local establishment; meanwhile, they refuse to address pressing issues in new ways.

Tucson can draw a line in the sand against our harmful federal and state governments. We don’t need base-quelling sound bites. We need to fight back.

Ryan Kelly

Northwest side

First we have Madeleine Albright telling us “there is a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other,” during Hillary’s campaign. Now Michelle Obama is scolding women who voted for Trump because, in her opinion, “Any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton voted against their own voice.” Where do these progressive liberals get off badgering, insulting and dictating how we’re supposed to think and vote? I guess I should be grateful, because the more they berate us, the angrier we get, and we become more steadfast in our support of Trump’s policies.

Carolanne Flagg

North side

I like columnist Greg Hansen, but I think he is dead wrong to suggest that the UA should immediately put itself on probation because it will be better for the program in the long run. We have just been notified that one person was greedy and had his hand out. We don’t know any other facts. Are these just the misdeeds of one or endemic of the whole program? We will only know when the investigation is complete. Think of the great kids who committed to us this year. Don’t burn down the building because you find rats in the basement.

Ray Lindstrom

Oro Valley

Everyone in the sports world is aware of the University of Arizona basketball scandal. However, is featuring the jump for Tim Steller’s column on the Wildcats — featuring coach Sean Miller’s picture — next to the obituary page someone’s idea of “humor”?

Raymond Behnke

SaddleBrooke

Re: the Oct. 1 article “Sedgwick, on TUSD board, is accused in work complaint.”

Rachael Sedgwick’s rhetoric and behavior toward a TUSD employee is outrageous. She admits the grossly unprofessional behavior and is quoted in this article: “I fully admit that what I did was rude, and I behaved inappropriately. In a professional workplace, you’re not supposed to write snooty emails.”

Really, this needed to be pointed out to her? I know she is an elected official, and I’m not sure why TUSD did not pursue this further; but as a retired human-resources director, I would not have dismissed this action. I would have called for her resignation. Which, as a matter of fact, as a taxpayer in Tucson, I will do — Ms. Sedgwick, you should resign.

Karen Clifton

Midtown

Every day, everyone in this nation runs the risk of being murdered by going to a public venue. The laws and regulations concerning gun ownership haven’t been effective in preventing mass murders. The Second Amendment is moot for our current society. It’s more important for people to be safe instead of upholding the “right” to own guns. It’s time to make it illegal to own a gun except for hunting rifles and antique gun collections.

All gun stores must be shuttered. These stores sell weapons that are sometimes used to commit murders. There are better ways to earn a living. Hunters don’t need semi-automatic weapons. Those who enjoy target practice can keep their guns locked at shooting ranges. Numerous children are hurt or killed each year in homes that have guns. Every year, thousands of women are killed by gun-wielding ex-partners. True freedom means being safe in public. Objects can be replaced, but a murdered loved one can’t.

Eleanor Navarro

Midtown

I am amazed there have been no letters about the real crisis of having Amazon move to Tucson with the promise of thousands of jobs and growth for the region. My question is, where is the water going to come from for all of this? We are in a desert with a limited supply.

Marilyn Bernzott

Southwest side

On Aug. 1, 1966, Charles Whitman, a former Marine sharpshooter, took bolt-action rifles to the observation deck atop the Main Building tower at the University of Texas at Austin and opened fire on random students. During the next 96 minutes, he killed 15 people and wounded 31 others. We’ve come a long way in the weapons that allow one to kill and injure massive amounts of victims.

Despite the carnage, conservatives continue to argue that more gun laws are not the answer. It is indisputable that appropriate gun laws could have prevented Stephen Paddock from purchasing his assault-type rifles and their modifiers from his local gun shop. Gun laws will not prevent future massacres, but they can certainly limit their impact.

Ed Espinoza

West side

Re: the Oct. 4 guest column “Problem is lack of morality, not too few gun laws.”

Ken Rineer writes in his piece that no legislation is needed on guns, but rather it’s our collective morality that is the problem. I guess he thinks the rest of the industrialized world is simply on a higher moral plane than the U.S., as those other countries don’t have the numbers of mass shootings we do.

Of course that’s not the case — we simply have more guns and fewer regulations. Rineer states that nothing would have stopped the Las Vegas shooter as he went through background checks. Yet the shooter was able to legally buy a kit that turned his semi-automatic weapons into, effectively, automatic ones. Let’s start there, make those illegal. Can the gun lobby at least give up the legal ability to make automatic weapons? Not holding my breath.

Rick Unklesbay

Downtown