Local district disproves Barr’s thesis
Attorney General William Barr “decries the fact that public agencies, including public schools, are becoming secularized.”
He objects to the Constitution’s First Amendment, which prohibits government from establishing religion.
He implies that those individuals of other than his religion or of no religious identity lack morality. He is wrong!
Commitment to secular public schools does not require children to leave their prayers and their beliefs at the school door.
Free exercise of religion is protected by the Constitution as long as prayers and beliefs are not imposed on other children who are required to attend school. Morals are based on values.
Schools, both secular and sectarian, help children by articulating values that every child and adult can support.
People are also reading…
The Amphitheater Public Schools district proudly posts its values: achievement, caring, creativity, curiosity, diligence, diversity, fairness, honesty, kindness, respectfulness, responsibility and service to the community. Supporting those values may be old fashioned, but they are what helps America to be a great country for all.
Kent Barrabee
Northwest side
Who would trust the US now?
Donald Trump has demonstrated to the world how he treats an ally by abandoning the Kurds. The NATO countries that were previously under the yoke of the Soviet Union now must come to grips with the fact that the U.S. is an uncertain ally.
Trump has never been supportive of NATO, and has openly questioned if we should fulfill our treaty commitments under Article 5.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, with his invasions of Ukraine and Georgia, has shown no compunction about invading sovereign nations. Would we rush to defend the Baltic states? Trump has certainly given Putin room to doubt.
Chuck Kennedy
Foothills
Tate doesn’t seem to be a team player
I’m disappointed with Khalil Tate’s seemingly blase performance as of late and absence of a team-player attitude.
During the last few games that he has been sidelined, he has been seen during the game being a “social butterfly” on the sidelines with his teammates and fans in stands, instead of being right next to the offensive coordinator or head coach cheering on and helping his replacement succeed.
Perhaps it’s just me, but I feel there is a feeling of iciness between Tate and the newer coaching staff since their arrival.
Jeffrey Faircloth
East side
Teamwork will help solve our water problem
Re: the Oct. 20 article “Report: AZ will wrestle with finding water for its suburbs.”
This is an excellent article on the pressing need to review and revise legislation and policy governing our water use in the Southwest.
It rings true, especially with regard to the antiquated laws governing mining and other resource extraction.
This is no longer the Wild West that needs settlers to certify our possession of land taken from indigenous Americans and Mexico. Let’s figure out how to make this work without destroying southeastern Arizona and losing our ability to live here.
Mike Judd
Foothills
Santa Cruz water has come at a cost
It’s great to see recharged water trickling along the Santa Cruz riverbed in South Tucson. It’s even better that the river has resurfaced on its own near Mission San Xavier del Bac.
However, let us not forget that it is Colorado River water that makes this possible, and that the CAP, which brings it to us, dried and decimated the once rich Colorado River delta.
Carolyn Leigh
West side
Obama’s Syria policy didn’t exactly work
In August 2011, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden called for Syria’s Bashar al-Assad to step down, but he did not to do so. During the Syrian civil war, about 400,000 civilians were slaughtered and 5 million refugees fled the county.
Obama-Biden failed to take military action with their “red line in sand” after the Assad regime used chemical weapons on civilians, killing 400 children.
Instead, they allowed Assad to give his chemicals to Russia. The Assad regime allowed the Russian military into the country and later again on several occasions used chemical weapons on civilians.
Russia had not had a military presence in the Middle East since the 1970s. Obama-Biden delayed for years arming “moderate” rebels during the civil war, then later wasted $500 million on a failed rebel training program.
Obama-Biden withdrew our 10,000 troops from Iraq, which created a vacuum for the Islamic State, which had developed in Syria, to enter, slaughtering thousands of civilians, destroying historic Christian religious sites, and causing and influencing numerous terrorist acts in America.
David Burford
Northwest side
Voting, not violence, is the answer
This concerns me immensely. Social unrest as it is happening now, with violence, is unacceptable. The right wing and the left wing belong to the same body; the USA. Our unique country is in a sad state. These violent actions could or will destroy us.
What happened to “United we stand, divided we fall?”
We settle differences with our vote.
Let’s all do it the American way.
Martha Johnson
Northeast side
People must stand up when Republicans won’t
Imagine if President Trump was a Democrat. Would congressional Republicans be investigating him after these 1,000 days? Recall Kenneth Starr investigating President Bill Clinton. Impeachment for lying about an affair?
Today, congressional Republicans respond to a lying, emoluments-defying, sexual-predating president like puppies seeking belly rubs to avoid beatings. Note how contagious, how corrupting Trump’s behavior is as Republicans seek, not the truth, but diversion from it. They’re attempting to censure a Democrat seeking truth behind possible corruption of the nation’s electoral system by Trump. How ironic.
Congress isn’t a kennel. Men and women — including Sen. Martha McSally — took oaths to uphold the Constitution — not a party, not a narcissist — and to speak out against wickedness. They remain silent, even on Kurd abandonment.
Are short-term policy gains worth destruction of democratic institutions? Data illustrate Republicans caring little about oaths. It’s up to us to retain the integrity of our institutions by throwing out self-aggrandizing fools. Maybe then our nation will be respected again.
Nancy Jacques
Northeast side
Trump wanted Doral simply to show off
Furor from the left regarding President Trump‘s decision to stage the Group of Seven summit at his Doral resort (now reversed) is based on the believe that our president would profit financially, thus violating the emoluments clause. He may be wrongly accused in this case.
Rather, his motivation in using his property is clearly to swagger and show off before world leaders, filling his psychological need to brag of his so-called accomplishments. This action fits perfectly in what we have in this president
Bob Hutchens
Marana
Prop. 205 confusion and snowbirds
Re: the Oct. 22 letter “Prop. 205 could chase the snowbirds away.”
We might have some confusion with geography. The Green Valley author of the letter threatens to discontinue visiting Tucson if the sanctuary city proposal passes. Hmmmmm.
John Arnold
Green Valley
Our democracy depends on supremacy of reason
I have observed that many Americans believe in what they do not know and choose not to believe in what they do know.
The result is that we all get what we deserve by doing this.
Even so, I still believe in the eventual supremacy of reason. Our democracy depends on this.
Darel Mayo
East side
