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Pentagon's religion change

I served as a chaplain for 20 years in the US Navy. During that time, it was my privilege to serve with many chaplains of various religious backgrounds whose purpose was to “minister� to sailors/marines of ALL faiths and beliefs. Not once did I encounter a chaplain who even hesitated to help a service member who was struggling with a problem, be it spiritual or emotional. I did experience a situation with my commanding officer, who complained about a chaplain who was Mormon. I told him, at risk of my own career and personal friendship with him, that the chaplain was assigned to the troops, and was responsible for the “spiritual� wellbeing of all of them regardless of their religious beliefs. It is beyond my comprehension that a Secretary of Defense could limit the lists of Christian chaplains, and by extension of any chaplain to a list of approved “ministers� to serve the military. 

Robert Coapman

Sierra Vista

Pancreatic cancer breakthrough

I read the news of the incredible breakthrough recently revealed at an annual cancer conference in Chicago a few weeks ago. A new drug has shown to nearly double the life expectancy of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It was a huge moment in the fight against cancer. But it should also serve as a beacon for what this country can achieve. We currently have a system where drug developers are able to spend tremendous resources in order to achieve breakthroughs like the one just discovered, but that would not be possible if we had a system that mirrored Europe's with their price controls and government restrictions on medications. There is zero doubt that we need to reign in drug prices, but it must be done with more thought than the current Administration's pressure for a European-style system. A recent poll showed 60% of Arizonans do not want this type of health care system. After reading about this breakthrough against cancer it's easy to see why.

Maria Birkett

West side

Lightning AI

The article about AI discovering lightning today somehow completely missed the revolutionary invention of real-time lightning detection at the U of A. In the 1970s, lightning lookout towers were common in the U.S. The invention of real-time lightning detection at the Department of Atmospheric Physics made them nearly extinct within a decade in the western U.S. and Alaska. Staffed towers are rare because lightning detection locates all ground strikes within a millisecond to a distance accuracy of less than 100 yards. This is the same data source that provides lightning information on TV weather reports, as well as powerline repairs, and many other applications. The article completely skipped over that revolution.

Ron Holle

Oro Valley

Desperate legislators

The GOP at the state legislature fears the Protect Education petition currently gathering signatures in Arizona. They must know that this initiative, which would create restrictions on vouchers (ESAs), has wide support from voters and will win if on the ballot. The proof: in the final moments of the legislative session, they referred to the ballot a measure to compete with Protect Ed in November. In an appeal to our sympathy for military families, this measure asks us to change the Arizona Constitution to guarantee military families will get something no one should: the ability to pay for post K-12 schooling with unused ESA funds. Not only that, should both measures pass, the latter will, by design, nullify Protect Education, regardless of how many votes it gets. Don’t be fooled!

ESAs are designed to pay only for K-12 education. Other uses are unjust. No one should get to bank excess funds for uses other than K-12 education.

Vote for the Protect Education Act in November!

Nancy Smith

Midtown

Retail marijuana

Why is legal marijuana not tested for street drugs? With the rush to make legal product more potent, more exciting, those are the first thing I’d test for! The idiot state just "trusts" producers to not add that crap? They must test for "microbial and fungal contaminants," whoopie! I’d rather know there were no street drugs in my weed ... big time. So maybe those tests are more expensive, so what? You guys are making a fortune selling legal weed ... please make sure it’s only weed. I’d certainly buy a brand that advertised they do that, but the state must require it.

Thad Appelman

Northwest side

Moral grandstanding

Council Member Lane Santa Cruz’s defense of fare-free transit misses the point. Nobody is against single mothers, veterans, seniors, students, or working people having transportation. The question is whether Sun Tran is safe, clean, reliable, and accountable.

Are drivers raising safety concerns or threatening strikes because they dislike serving vulnerable riders? Obviously not. They are seeing the same problems riders and residents see: drug use, harassment, disorder at stops, and a system City Hall keeps defending with emotional language instead of results.

Tucson can support transit and still demand rules, enforcement, cleanliness, and accountability. Compassion is not letting public spaces fall apart while politicians hide behind good intentions. Tucson does not need less compassion. It needs less excuse-making

Damonich Meister

Midtown