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The world is watching

What is Israel’s goal? Israeli settlers continue to forcefully displace Palestinians from their legally owned land, primarily in the West Bank. The UN and other Human rights organizations have called this illegal. Not every Palestinian is a member of Hamas; however, these actions of the Israeli settlers and the Israeli army in Gaza, are only pushing Palestinians in just that direction. It is clear that Netanyahu’s goal is to totally eliminate any Palestinian sovereignty, if it takes the life of every Palestinian. This explains Netanyahu’s refusal to engage in peace talks regarding the establishment of a two-state solution. It also explains the Israeli army’s killing of Palestinian citizens and their resistance to the distribution of food and medical aid. Again today, a report of more Palestinian deaths from starvation as a result of the Israeli blockade. A number of them children. This is intentional, as even more are killed by Israeli soldiers as they frantically attempt to get what little food is allowed into Gaza. Resist.

Peter Morales

Midtown

Never seen before

I have never seen this before. Unprecedented. Highly unusual. These statements have become common among professionals watching the Trump regime’s shenanigans.

The outcry to release the Epstein files prompted Ghislaine Maxwell to file for her conviction to be overturned. This led to the Department of Justice’s meeting with Maxwell and President Trump commenting that he could pardon her. Maxwell has now been moved to a minimum-security camp in Texas. Where is the transparency? There is none. Just behind-closed-doors deals and the scrubbing of the Epstein files to remove Trump’s name.

Jean Meconi

Oro Valley

Time for a recall?

Project Blue is horrendous for the citizens of Southern AZ. It has only long-term pain in store and a loss of revenue. Upwards of $300+ million per year loss. That is in addition to hundreds to thousands of higher electricity bills in the near future.

It is, in summary, a deal with the devil for an initial payoff for the city.

The same Mayor and Council we, Tucson residents, voted to increase their salary in 2023, want to sell us out in 2025.

The Mayor’s salary increased from $42,000 to $95,750 per year, while council members’ salaries increased from $24,000 to $76,000 per year in December 2023.

At this rate, I don’t feel like I have the representation I pay for. I elected the Mayor/Council to listen to me and Tucson residents. Now we are having to take off work, educate the council and Mayor how the City Manager is creatively accounting for the water and electricity.

Recall time.

Dan Hunt

Midtown

Trump as a dictator

On Friday, Aug. 1, President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after a government report showed that hiring had slowed down significantly over the past three months. This behavior smacks of something not even Kim Jong Un in North Korea could emulate. On the same day, the S&P 500 ended the day down 1.6 percent, capping one of the index’s worst weeks. Perhaps Trump should try to fire the members of the New York Stock Exchange and the formulators of the S&P index.

Joseph Alexander

Oro Valley

Thanks for the letters/opinions

Great writers, and we need them.

Andrea K. Gerlak for democracy in action.

Michael A. Chihak for public’s right not to know.

Phineas Anderson for ride the wind.

Dan Bannon

Midtown

Get out the vote

As I read today’s headlines in national news: Trump firing the Dept of Labor chief because Trump didn’t like the jobs report numbers; the defunded Corporation for Public Broadcasting shutting down, Supreme Court approving legislative redistricting to suit political not democratic objectives; Trump moving nuclear subs closer to Russia after online word skirmishes with a past Russian president, I just unexpectedly started to cry.

Then I took stock of myself and doubled down on doing whatever I could possibly do to feel empowered in some way. I didn’t write a long lament about the tearing of the fabric of America. I’m not going to run into the streets carrying protest signs. I’m going to do this: actively help/money/licking stamps/whatever it takes to wake up America and voters to the inhumane treatment of our people and venerable institutions.

There were more people who didn’t vote at all than who voted for either Harris or Trump. I’ll start with them.

Rick Rappaport

Oro Valley

Keeping voters in the dark

Any supervisor who signed an NDA for Project Blue should resign or be recalled, but this letter does not criticize a Project Blue representative who tendered the NDAs. They work in the private sector, not the public. But the supervisors are public officials who were elected by the voters, and an elected public official who was a signatory should hang their head in shame, not because of policy differences but over the principle that they are supposed to serve us. When any one of them signs an NDA, it means agreeing to keep the voters in the dark and uninformed, which smacks of arrogance, creates suspicions of improper conduct, and contributes to the demise of democracy. Party affiliations aside and eloquent speeches included, actions speak louder than words. I am a retired attorney, and this is a personal, not legal opinion.

John Messing

Midtown

Follow this advice

Re. LTE “Where is the money going to come from to shore up Social Security and Medicare, how do we fund education to become the world’s envy, what is compassionate immigration?� Suggestions: 1). Stop borrowing against and raiding SS to wage wars; have DoD reimburse it for once. Stop jailing and deporting people who actually pay into the system. 2) Cease politicizing and “religionizing� textbooks, curricula, and school boards and focus on education, as do the 11 nations that beat us. Make it a national priority, hire more and pay teachers fairly, fund school programs for teaching literacy and analysis, provide supplemental food and exercise to give underserved future voters resources instead of taking their votes away. 3). Understand that compassion means giving a caring response to another’s distress. Lead with our hearts, not our hate, then a way can become clear.

Wes Ward

Oro Valley

Oro Valley Categorical Lies

To July 31 letter: I come to bury “unsubstantiated speculation,� not to praise absolutes.

Inflation: Tariffs are impacting the price of imported goods, therefore consumer spending is modified. Like it or not, PCE (personal consumption expenditures) are inching up.

Kool-Aid, anyone? The cessation of Medicaid benefits are closing rural hospitals. Elderly are losing access to medication. 2.6 million people with disabilities are supposed to work? 40% to 60% of homeless people are actually working.

As you proudly proclaim you’re from Oro Valley, some of your neighbors might be on food stamps.

On your denial of the dictator: When has a real President ever resorted to shake down a university or extort a media outlet?

Trump is controlling federal spending, bypassing Congress and his stooge Vought is enacting rescission bills, done by imposing majority rule. Trump’s “tough on crime� rhetoric is shorthand for repression of Blacks, Latinos and Arabs.

Sorry, kids, but Daddy Bezos needs his 53rd yacht.

Thomas J. Plesniak

Midtown

City ratepayers first, not Project Blue

Thank you, Mayor Romero, for realizing there are still many unanswered questions regarding the Project Blue proposal. One big question for Tucson Mayor and City Council this week is: Why should Project Blue get the nod to receive massive amounts of clean, renewable electric power when residential and business ratepayers have been denied this request for many years?

And thank you for considering a rule-making process so we actually have City requirements for any data centers within the City’s jurisdictional boundaries.

However, it’s not only Tucson; Pima County and the region as a whole are lacking any vision and set of regulations for how this water/energy guzzling industry should be treated.

As a Pima County Planning and Zoning Commissioner, the County was remiss in presenting this muddled case to the Commission in April. Given the lack of comprehensive analysis, the Commission simply rubber-stamped this overhyped project and sent it along to the Board of Supervisors for approval.

Robert Cook

Midtown

LTE Maccabi issue

The issue is with you, sir. The kids came from Israel, where they witnessed the events of Oct. 7; from Ukraine, where they witness bombing from Russia; kids from the United States and Canada where they witness antisemitism every day in the schools they attend. We have had all faiths volunteering for this event that brought kids together in fellowship and was completely harmless. This actually brought our community together.

You have no idea that a letter that you wrote affects us all. It is not at all written with any facts, just hate. Just leave us alone. This letter today was very hurtful. It is children, for God’s sake, and this is America, where we should have gatherings like this for children. Don’t ever compare us to Nazi Germany.

Andrew Kunsberg

East side

Current White House

We should all agree that we need a 90,000-square-foot addition to the White House. While the BBB cut funds for Medicaid and USAID funding. Meanwhile, gerrymandering goes on in Texas, so the incumbent will have control of the House of Representatives. Republicans should be ashamed.

Craig Hill

Oracle

You’re fired!

Firing the labor stats boss for telling you that you have low job numbers is like firing your dentist for telling you that you have cavities.

Terry Louck

East side

Truth be damned

There is no place for truth in Don’s house. Purge all references to two impeachments from Smithsonian’s U.S. history. Eliminate the lifelong bureaucrat who revised and corrected the previously incorrect employment numbers. Remove the 5 CPSC (Consumer Products) board members because they dared to judge the safety of consumer products. Purge the attorneys who sought truth in Jan. 6 prosecutions. Replace those purged, removed and/or eliminated with any that emit the truth according to Don, regardless of consequences.

Kenneth Haber

Northwest side

Firing the messenger

Trump is hurting the economy by trying to massage the numbers.

Americans are not that stupid.

He threatened to fire Jerome Powell for not lowering the Federal Reserve rate.

Now he has fired U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner Erika McEntarfer.

Wake up and resist BS, American voters.

Don Bannon

Midtown