Prisoner Cruelty Doesn’t Make a Case for Legalized Prostitution
I fail to see how the unfortunate death of a prisoner exposed to triple-digit heat in an outdoor cage serves as evidence for the legalization of prostitution (Messina, Feb. 25). Aren’t unshaded outdoor holding cells inhumane for any prisoner? Surely, Irene Messina could use better examples to bolster her cause than Marcia Powell’s death.
Manuel Peters
The Road Where José Rincon Jr. Was Killed Is Indeed Dangerous
Bicycle-riding is dangerous enough in Tucson without having to contend with impaired drivers and poorly designed roads (Danehy, Feb. 25).
Clearly, the Broadway Boulevard traffic lane leads directly into the bike lane going east from Harrison Road. Drivers, even sober ones, could easily be diverted into the bike lane. I suggest Mr. Danehy drive this road at night and see what he thinks about the road design. It needs to be fixed before another accident occurs.
Doug Koppinger
The F-35 Program Deserves Our Support!
Regarding louder jets at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (Guest Commentary, Feb. 18), I do not know David Ray, but I did know Dr. Herbert Abrams, and although we shared the same last name, and he was our neighbor, we were not related. He was a wonderful man and contributed much to our community.
However, Mr. Ray is short on facts in his article.
The F-35s, if based in Tucson, will fly out of the Arizona Air National Guard facility at Tucson International Airport. Also, there is no firm conclusion, but some data indicates the F-35 noise level is comparable to that of the F-16, some of which operate out of Davis-Monthan. The study currently underway will provide more definitive information.
Perhaps someday, we will have a sense of purpose and a willingness to do away with, “Can’t they put it somewhere else?” to achieve a higher goal.
In the spirit of complete disclosure I served in a Bomb Squadron that flew B-47s (not at D-M) and later served in the Arizona Air National Guard.
Support the F-35 program.
Stanley P. Abrams
The F-35 Program Is Patriotism Turned on Its Head!
The Air Force wants to locate F-35 fighter-bombers in Tucson. Some applaud this as an economic stimulus. The apparent logic is that keeping planes here, even such exotic planes as F-35s, will produce jobs.
In reality, this is all about saving jobs, not creating new ones … and very few jobs at that.
Military personnel are not notorious consumers of civilian goods, since they can be gotten for free or more cheaply via the military—so no new jobs there. Plus we are not talking about increasing the number of military jobs, merely keeping those already here. If all the F-35s were to go elsewhere, the economic effect would be negligible.
The irony is that there is no plausible mission for the F-35 other than to support our troops in Afghanistan, where our people shouldn’t be in the first place and from which we will be ejected ultimately as all other invaders have been. They are a replacement for the stalwart F-16s. In the modern world, both aircraft are being put out of business by pilotless drones.
Then there is the issue of oppressive audio pollution that can have deleterious physiological and psychological effects. The Air Force can’t measure these effects, and doesn’t try to, but audiologists and sociologists can. It’s irrefutable: More noise is a bad thing for individuals and communities.
Some additional items to think about: A typical jet flightier aloft for an hour consumes about 1,000 gallons of jet fuel. Each gallon of jet fuel burned produces 22.5 pounds of CO2. A gallon of jet fuel goes for about $4 per gallon. Thus, a jet fighter aloft for an hour costs $4,000 per hour and produces 2,250 pounds of CO2.
There is no benefit for Tucson in any of this. Besides wrecking our peace and quiet, F-35s will add substantial amounts of CO2 to the atmosphere, just for practice. This will hasten global warming, thereby threatening Tucson’s already precarious hold on life in the desert.
Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel or the person with an agenda, be it military aggrandizement or personal financial or political gain. One codger was quoted in another publication, “When I hear the sound of a jet fighter going overhead, I hear freedom.” From what? Invaders from Mars? When I hear the sound of a jet fighter passing overhead, I hear distant and meaningless war, death and destruction. This self-destructive “investment” is patriotism turned on its head and kicked in the behind.
Robert Jacobson
Corrections
Due to an editing error, in Downing (March 4), we implied that St. Mary’s Road, Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue are all the same thoroughfare. We meant that St. Mary’s Road, Fifth Street and Sixth Street are the same thoroughfare.
In “Sunny Solutions” (Currents, March 4), we reported that roofs need to be flat for solar panels to be installed on them. That is not correct.
We apologize for the errors.
This article appears in Mar 11-17, 2010.
I don’t know how the apparently well educated Mr. Jacobson gets his unrealistic “logic”. If jet fuel consumption and CO2 is the problem, should we destroy all automobiles, trucks and motorcycles operated every day in Tucson? By my calculation, if he eliminated all I-10 traffic and local traffic we would reduce the CO2 level and ambient noise many times over that which take-offs and landings of all aircraft produce or would produce when the F-16s are replaced with the F-35s. One wonders how he would feel if Metropolitan Tucson was attacked with no defenses. Tucson is one of the top 25 likely targets in the US of A because of our defense design and manufacturing facilities.
I note Mr.Jacobson says “I hear distant and meaningless war”. Isn’t the fact that it is distant and not here worth anything. By my definition, patriotism is love of country. One wonders if Mr. Jacobson is so much a pacifist that if armed gang members broke into his home, that he would invite them to have whatever they wanted and not defend his loved ones or property. Those of us who are patriotic love our country and will die to protect it if necessary.
In Robert Jacobson’s comments on the F35 fighter (March 11), he says “Each gallon of jet fuel burned produces 22.5 pounds of CO. Given that a gallon of jet fuel weighs about 7 pounds, isn’t this about the same as stating that a “5 ounce bird can carry a 1 pound coconut” (from Monte Python’s ‘Holy Grail’)?
PVK: What do you mean, an African or a European swallow?
Combustion reactions require fuel and oxygen (and a source of ignition, of course, but that’s immaterial here). I don’t know what the proper ratios are for jet fuel but for automotive gasoline the ideal air to gasoline by mass ratio is 14.7. So you take 14.7 units of air and react it with 1 unit of gasoline. Gasoline and oxygen react to form carbon dioxide and water (among some other things) and so it’s not difficult to see how 7 pounds of combusted jet fuel can result in a much greater weight of reaction products.
Seeing as Tucson has been in drought conditions for so long perhaps we should encourage more driving/flying/etc simply to capture all that water coming out the tailpipes! (tongue in cheek, of course)
In response to Derek Berry’s comment asking how one would feel if metro Tucson were attacked with no defenses I feel it only appropriate to point out the fact that the mainland USA hasn’t been substantively invaded in well over a century. I find it little likely that this is to change any time soon. That being the case, why do we need deadly force flying over our heads all day?
There is a whole lot of empty land in this country. Let the air force move 15 or 20 or 50 miles out of town and then they can fly all the noisy jets they want without detracting from the lives of the public.
to Robert Jacobson
“Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel or the person with an agenda, be it military aggrandizement or personal financial or political gain”
And Global Warming and bashing troops is a stout cry of anti-American, military hating liberals who wouldn’t have a single clue what it is like to serve our nation and fight for the honor of living here. Bottom line, don’t like it, LEAVE! You are not wanted or needed!