Archive for the ‘Opinion/Guest Commentary’ Category
December 24th, 2009
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Author: You don’t want a for-profit company making decisions about fire and police services … do you?
by Ken Tucker
I was privileged to serve as a 911 fire and medical dispatcher for the city of Tucson for nearly 15 years, before retiring in 2001. The city’s Communications Division and, of course, the Tucson Fire Department itself are staffed by the most professional, highly trained and dedicated people you could ever hope to find. In my experience, residents living within the Tucson City Limits could, with rare exception, count on an emergency-response time of less than five minutes. In the…
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Winterhaven’s leaders need to realize our region is in the midst of a severe drought
by Ken Mowbray
I live in Winterhaven, and I have a major concern that needs to be brought to the attention of all Tucson residents. This concern: the negligent and irresponsible water usage in the Winterhaven neighborhood. As most of us are aware, the National Weather Service’s Southeast Arizona Drought Monitoring data clearly indicates that all of Pima County is in a severe drought. The reason for my alarm pertains to the various water companies and communities that utilize—and waste—more water than others…
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The 60-vote requirement that U.S. Senate Democrats keep bemoaning? It’s a ritual, not a rule
by Dennis Myers
Some of the most polarizing issues of the era have been approved by narrow votes in the U.S. Senate. The war over Kuwait was authorized by the Senate in 1991 on a 52-47 vote. Clarence Thomas’ nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court was approved 52-48 that same year. Two years later, President Clinton’s economic program won approval with 51 votes—including a tie-breaking vote by Vice President Al Gore—against 50 in opposition. But that was then. Today, those simple majorities would…
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VOICES: I am a proud sister of a U.S. Army veteran
by Stephanie Fleming
When I was young, my brother Patrick and I were always close. We would play Zelda together, or eat buttered tortillas and watch The Emperor’s New Groove. In 2005, all of that changed. He stopped hanging out at home, and he spent more time with his friends. One night, I was in my room, and my mom and dad were in the family room watching TV. Patrick walked in the door and said, “I’m joining the Army.” The next few…
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Neighborhoods should take measures to protect themselves from unwanted developments
by Jonathan Hoffman
In the early part of the 20th century, the University of Arizona occupied a quaint, two story brick building now referred to as Old Main. Meanwhile, not far away, a number of “sanatoriums” were being built for tuberculosis patients arriving in Tucson from all around the country. The neighborhood north of Speedway Boulevard was nicknamed Lung Hill. Today, the University of Arizona has metastasized into a gigantic sports, research and educational facility with an international student body that numbers around…
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A battle between a 24-hour coffee shop and its frustrated neighbors rages on
by Vicki Hart
The Duncans moved into the Samos Neighborhood in 2002. The neighborhood that the Duncans and I live in is bounded by Campbell and Mountain avenues, and Grant Road and Glenn Street. The Duncans loved their home and found the Samos neighborhood to be friendly and eclectic. However, their feelings on the neighborhood would soon begin to change. Coffee X Change started keeping its doors open 24 hours a day—and a neighborhood nightmare began. Soon, the Duncans’ sleep was disrupted on…
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More and more Native Americans are fighting tribal governments on behalf of the environment
by Jonathan Thompson
In late September, Joe Shirley Jr., president of the Navajo Nation, sent out a provocative press release charging that “environmental activists and organizations are among the greatest threat to tribal sovereignty.” Shirley made his attack while joining Northern Arizona’s Hopi tribal council in “unwelcoming” conservation groups from those tribes’ lands, which sprawl across portions of three Southwestern states. The national press played the story this way: Job-starved Indians were fed up with white urbanites who put flowers and bugs above…
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These days, the Arizona Department of Economic Security is not fulfilling its mission
by Germar D. Townsend
They want you to give up and leave,” someone shouted recently at a Tucson Arizona Department of Economic Security office. Those hopeful of receiving benefits and the chair-swiveling number-callers both seemed justifiably indignant. The language was R-rated, and the mood was bleak. The Arizona Department of Economic Security’s Web site includes text that reads, “Every child, adult and family … will be safe and economically secure.” That is a bold statement, to say the least. It was my fourth such…
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TUSD seems to be focusing on ’social justice’ rather than academic standards
by Jonathan Hoffman
Dr. Ben Chavis, a Native American from North Carolina who earned both a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate in education from the University of Arizona, took over a failing charter school in Oakland, Calif. He instituted high academic standards and was a tough disciplinarian who passed out detentions freely. Dr. Chavis’ American Indian Public Charter School (AIPCS) has been consistently rated as one the top five of the roughly 1,300 junior high schools in California. Back in the Old Pueblo,…
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This weekend in downtown Tucson, the drag kings rule
by Isabella Soto
After returning from a college semester in the San Francisco bay area, I found myself researching Tucson’s nightlife and culture, eager to see what my hometown had to offer. As I obsessively combed coffee shop poster boards, fliers for Boys R Us, a gender performance troupe, caught my eye. The fliers were intriguing, featuring women with handlebar mustaches, men with bare chests and whips. One of the ads read, “International Drag King Extravaganza XI: Boys R Us presents NO BORDERS.”…
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