Members of the so-called alt-right led a torch march through the University of Virginia campus on Aug. 11, the night before the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.
Trump and antisemitism
Lately, the Trump administration has become very concerned about antisemitism on college campuses to the point of withholding funds, searching student rooms, and arresting students. In August of 2017, during the first Trump administration, a Unite the Right rally consisting of Neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and the KKK marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, chanting," Jews will not replace us" and "Blood and soil." "Blood and soil" was a theme of the Nazis in Germany. Trump's reaction to this demonstration, the counter-protesters, and ensuing violence was to say there "were very fine people on both sides."
By definition, being a Nazi, white supremacist, or KKK member means you are not a very fine person. Yet, Trump made no effort to say or do anything about the blatant antisemitism of the Unite the Right rally. Why are people protesting Israel's treatment of Palestinian civilians antisemitic, but the demonstrators in Charlottesville are very fine people?
Larry Hammond
Southwest side
Partisan school board races
The article titled "Proposed AZ law would require partisan school board races" really got my attention. My reaction is that this is so very wrong when the voting public is considering members of the school board based upon any type of politics. School boards should always be void of any political orientation. School boards have only one mission. They are there for the benefit of the children. Their decisions must be made based on what is best for the students based on peer-reviewed educational research, best practices, and assessment results of continued evaluation of the students' progress by the teachers. School boards need to adhere to a sound fiscal policy but not to the determinant of sound educational practices. The educators need to have the freedom to use creativity in their profession and not be influenced in any way by politics. The board members are elected by and represent their district but also represent the total community.
I am a retired teacher, school psychologist and district administrator.
Del Zander
Green Valley
You have been duped
It has been difficult to explain our draft-dodger-in-chief’s behavior. The last few months have been particularly problematic. It is clear that once you recognize the claim that he is a Russian asset is true, everything falls into place. Why else would he: side with Russia parroting lies about Ukraine starting the war, during his first term siding with Russia contradicting his own intelligence services, put in place leaders of our governmental institutions who are clearly unqualified incompetents, attempt to dismantle NATO, and try to tank our economy with tariff wars when economists know this to be a game that everyone loses? If you voted for Trump, I am sorry to report you have been duped.
Bruce Corner
Oro Valley
ICESTAPO?
Re: Mar. 14 article "ICE resumes detention of immigrant families." 47 has turned ICE into ICESTAPO to round up the people he has designated as undesirables, a sad attitude which will stain our culture for generations. All of the innocent people who get swept into the raids are not important to him. The trauma enacted on these people is reprehensible. Don't you wonder how far back in time he will force us until his purification efforts have been achieved?
Don Gerlach
East side
The Gilded Age
Donald Trump regales us with the glories of the Gilded Age (1875-1900), telling us that the period was a panacea for all Americans. We should all remember that those years were so wonderful that, while the robber barons thrived, Samuel Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AF of L) to help average Americans survive!
Barbara Benjamin
Foothills
Photo op
It was just about a week that the paper had not run a photo of the current occupant of the White House on the front page of any section of the paper. What a better way to wake up and read the news. But those good mornings are gone, photos for the last two days. If it is necessary, could you make it smaller, less obvious, and in the bottom corner where my coffee spills over?
Carol Castillo
Northwest side
Here I am
Responding to Rich, who believes people who don't like the felon he helped elect president are "wandering in the wilderness." No one suffers from TDS other than the T, himself. No one other than him and maybe his mini-me believes they are above the law. No vicious gang member has more rights than you, Rich. How you came up with that is just idiotic. He says that Dems who voted for "electrifying" our autos are now destroying them and burning them to the ground. Polaris and Rivian electric vehicles haven't been burned. Only the Muskrats. The richest man in the world. I know where we as a nation went wrong. We elected a criminal. In my youth, someone like the con man could never be elected. Now we have an entire political party supporting the destruction of America. Why not ask yourself, Rich, where did you go wrong?
John Bingham
Northwest side
An open letter to Rep. Ciscomani
I am a former VA doctor.
I believe the U.S. going to crash sometime in the next four years. This breaking will not be just about the economy (though we are being set up by Trump for a recession), but will involve breaking all sorts of structures in the United States such as the separation of powers (Congress, The Supreme Court and the Presidency), medical and scientific research, I.R.S., U.S.P.S, etc., etc. Trump has already informed us that he wants to be President for life, and "I am … the law.".
Congress, the courts (including the Supreme Court), and possibly even the military will go along with Trump if and when Trump declares Martial Law. Mr. Ciscomani, you could be on the right side of history and be remembered as a hero by standing up for Democracy and helping save our 250+ year experiment in freedom by opposing Trump and his wicked agenda.
Sally Masters
Green Valley
Due process
It is a shame that citizens like Richard Barnes have no clue what due process of law is and why it is a foundation of our legal system. Mass arrests of any kind of people without the chance to prove that they are not as accused (in this case, a member of a gang) and deporting them to Salvadoran jails flies in the face of what our country is based on. Every federal judge regardless of political party understands the nuances of due process and its parameters. What minimal due process these undocumented Nicaraguans are entitled to is unknown since the Trump government didn't bother to find out in its power grab to ignore the rule of law.
The politics of grievance and resentment that fuels MAGA is on full display here, leading Barnes to conclude that "they" (insert your favorite targeted group here) have more rights than you.
Sally Wasielewski
East side
Re: After Prop 414, a forensic audit
This opinion article poses a very good question for the city. What is the budget being spent for? For example: Although we spend more per capita than Phoenix, Mesa and Gilbert, these cities (and even Queen Creek) have Police Officer starting pay higher than Tucson. In my experience, the roads are much better in those cities also. Blaming the failure of Prop 414 on Trump misses the target. Trump may be a lot of things, but the city council is entirely controlled by the “Grijalva Machine” of a single party. Mr. Jacobsen is exactly right. We need a detailed audit of city expenditures. The citizens voted the council a pay raise, we now need to see some results. Maybe $1 million on the election, a contract study of the electric franchise and a million trees were not the right direction.
David Germain
East side
U.S. Constitution
Social studies teachers: When you teach about the separation of powers under the Constitution, are you using present-tense or past-tense verbs?
Donald Reese
Southeast side
Arizona Republican legislators
I suggest that those of us who are displeased with the Republican agenda need to be aware of what in-state Republican legislators are doing.
Arizona's Republican legislators placed nine ballot referrals on the 2024 General Election ballot. As you may recall, this resulted in an extended two-page ballot.
So far this 2025 Legislative session, just short of 30 ballot referrals have been generated by the Republicans ... and there is still the 2026 Legislative session yet to come. These ballot referrals are a result of the Republican legislators knowing that Governor Hobbs (Democrat) will veto their extreme bills, so they are taking them directly to the 2026 General Election ballot.
A Legislative ballot referral requires only 47 yes votes (16 Senate; 31 House) as compared to the 250,000+ valid petition signatures required to get a Voter Initiative on the General Election ballot.
It is imperative that Democratic voters, and like-minded Independents, begin taking action to assure that the Democrats take control of the Legislature in 2026.
Randy Garmon
North side
Understanding Trump
Trump has one trait that explains most of his actions. Everything is transactional. His marriage is obvious. All that matters is how he benefits. He registered as a Republican in 1987, and since then he has changed his party affiliation five times. There's no coherent moral basis for his actions. He hasn't an altruistic bone in his body. He didn't understand why soldiers would sacrifice.
Craig Miller
Northwest side
DOGE
Title that is truly an appropriate name for DOGE: Department of Gigantic Egocentrism. It is operated by No. 47 and his ultra-rich cohort. Neither one of whom cares about anything else but ensuring the ultra-rich beyond belief at the expense of roughly 90% of our citizens.
Stuart Ulanoff
Oro Valley
Jackie Robinson revictimized
Jackie Robinson is a baseball hero, a war hero and a civil rights activist. During WW2, Jackie served in the 761st Tank Battalion and then became the first black baseball player to be permitted to play in Major League Baseball, breaking the color barrier. In the Army, Jackie refused to move to the back of the bus, and the Army disciplined him but lost in court. The verbal/physical abuse he took that first year in the big leagues without responding back was an incredible feat of self-control and grace. President Trump mandated that all DEI references or associations be taken down. The web page about Robinson on the DOD website was removed. What kind of racist nonsense is going on? Sports athletes in America should refuse to compete until Trump issues an apology. Every uniform should carry the No. 42 with a black armband. Fans and players must come together for a sports moratorium on behalf of our fellow black Americans. Send a message: Black lives matter!
Richard Harper
Northeast side
Signed, sealed and delivered
Mr. Barnes, your Letter to the Editor dated March 19 cries out for some crowd-sourced fact-checking. So here I am! Democrats do support Title IX and equal opportunity. We just do not see transgender people as a threat to women's sports, the military, or our way of life. That is more than anyone can say about Trump or Musk. There are no "Doge findings" that can negate that fact. When your fellow citizens gather at the Tesla dealerships, they do so to protest against an unelected technocrat who is circumventing the legislative branch with devastating results. We still support electric vehicles and alternative energy sources. We still choose to protect the rights of the immigrant as well, because ultimately it means we are protecting our own freedom. Please join us, the brave judges and organizations who are defending the rule of law and the Constitution. Resisting Trump's actions is not a sign of mental illness. It just means you woke up to the threat he represents to this democracy.
Sherry Ivester
Midtown
Grijalva left lessons for a new generation
The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico lost a champion upon the death Congressman Raul Grijalva.
As Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, Grijalva campaigned to provide a permanent, non-colonial political status for Puerto Rico.
In 2021, Grijalva introduced a bill rejecting the Insular Cases of the U.S. Supreme Court. These decisions are still used to justify the unequal treatment of U.S. territories like Puerto Rico.
He also supported the decision to exclude the unequal and undemocratic territorial status option from any future status plebiscites.
In a 2020 letter, he reminded the Department of Justice that Island residents want to end their status as a U.S. territory.
In 2021, Grijalva held multiple hearings on Puerto Rico’s status to create the compromise bill on Puerto Rico’s status, which was passed by the House in 2022.
“Finding a resolution to Puerto Rico’s political status has been one of my top priorities as Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee,” Grijalva said in a statement.
Gene Roman
Bronx, NY
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