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POLICE DOGS

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Lovejoy wrong to attack sheriff

Chandler police Sgt. Tom Lovejoy had his day in court and was found innocent. I was saddened by his choice of words to describe the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, their decision to prosecute, the investigation, and the trial. I, too, would be emotional after having been through Lovejoy’s ordeal, but, it was necessary. Imagine, if you will, what would have happened if Sheriff Joe Arpaio hadn’t made the investigation of Bandit’s death so public and so thorough.

Not only would we have heard about preferential treatment, police wrongdoings being swept under the rug, and the good ol’ boy’s club in law enforcement ad nauseum, but we’d have what I’ll call the Bandit effect. Tired of Bowser or Kitty? Simply work a double shift or feign a severe cold and leave ’em in the car to cook. And for the next decade, anyone who kills their pet like that and claims it was an accident will point to Lovejoy and claim they’re not getting equal treatment under the law if there’s any trouble.

I’m sorry the Lovejoys had to deal with their lives being put under a microscope, that they will be paying enormous legal bills for years to come, and that the memory of Bandit’s final hours will be Lovejoy’s special torment for the rest of his life.

But, the super-detailed investigation of Bandit’s death was something Arpaio had to do, for the sake every animal whose life has become inconvenient.

RED THOMAS

MESA

CONGRESSIONAL RACES

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Unpopular candidate wins GOP primary

Republicans were excited by the hope of regaining press favorite Harry Mitchell’s bought-and-paid-for seat in the Fifth Congressional District in the November election. Much congratulations goes to the six Republican candidates who competed for the party nomination in the Sept. 2 primary.

But with six people fighting for the same nomination, the winner had only 30 percent of the total vote. That means that the nominee to run against Mitchell did not have the support of 70 percent of the Republican primary voters and might not be the best candidate to beat Mitchell. He also might not be the best representative of the vast majority of the Republicans in the district where we live.

I hope Republicans consider this, and realize the need for some sort of reform. We either need a run-off election, until somebody receives at least 50 percent of the vote, or else we should get to pick our first, second, and third choices so we can achieve a more representative outcome. I did not vote for David Schweikert, and though I’m sure he is a good man, he seemed to be little more than a one-or two-issue candidate and not exactly the sort of Republican I wanted to represent me. I think the right candidate could have beaten Mitchell. I don’t think Schweikert can do it and I cannot vote for him enthusiastically, though I’m open to persuasion.

I fear that we must suffer two more years of the affable, “Gee whiz, I’m a congressman. Tell me how to vote, Harry and Nancy” dullard partisan running on some lame GI Bill and on name recognition, even though nobody can say what good Mitchell actually did as mayor of Tempe. The best people could say about Mitchell is that he wasn’t Neil Giuliano, or Sam Coppersmith.

ROBERT C. BARBER JR

PHOENIX

PEGASUS AIRPARK

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Developers’ claims untrue

We are in opposition to the permit amendment for Pegasus Airpark to allow jets and helicopters. All concerned residents can voice their opposition by attending the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting 7 tonight at the Queen Creek Town Hall. This amendment is supported by investors who own lots to sell. Slick marketing strategies claim immediate and long-term benefits to the town such as increased tax revenues and property values. There is no solid evidence to show that jets and helicopters at Pegasus will make this happen.

Why can’t these benefits and improvements in air park operations happen under current stipulations? The community at large will pay the price of living with the negative impact of jets and helicopters, not outside investors who disappear.

Approval for this amendment cannot be based on assumptions, speculation, promises and predictions that cannot be substantiated or guaranteed. Noise levels, enforcement, safety, security, uncontrolled air space and the additional impact of increased air traffic from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport have been issues that have been masked by Pegasus presentations overloaded with technical jargon and statistics.

Please contact town officials, and attend tonight’s meeting to stop Pegasus jets and helicopters.

TOM AND NANCY HENKEL

QUEEN CREEK

QUEEN CREEK GENERAL PLAN

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Real changes bypassed

If you voted for or against the new General Plan, your vote was wasted. Why? The most significant changes to the Queen Creek landscape are made through a General Plan amendment. In this process, Queen Creek takes directions from developers to make wholesale changes to the General Plan — without your vote.

Here is the process as I see it. A developer wants to put up a lot of houses on small lots or wants to create overly dense apartment complexes. They present the idea to town staff, who begin to defend the proposed changes. The town holds General Plan amendment open houses where the few residents who care make comments. Town staff prepares a recommendation to the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Town Council that represents their opinions and the opinion of the developer, not the opinions of the residents in opposition.

The developer-friendly Planning and Zoning Commission rubber-stamps the staff position. The Town Council meets and hears long fairy-tale presentations from the developer, whom they congratulate on a wonderful job. Then they hear limited comments from residents and approve the changes — without your vote.

If you don’t agree with the continued urbanization and congestion of Queen Creek, attend every public forum available to you, contact Planning and Zoning Commission and Town Council and raise your voice. If you agree with the direction the town is taking, just sit back and let the developers do the work.

THOMAS SCHUETT

QUEEN CREEK

ANIMALS

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Dead dogs merit attention

Recently I noticed a large dog that had been hit by a vehicle on Hunt Highway by Johnson Ranch laying beside the road. Does anyone care about it? I saw on a Saturday that it had a red collar and then on Sunday morning nothing, but someone had covered it with a blue blanket. That person needs my praise.

I was on my way to work but would have stopped and said a prayer for it. I know that is a poor excuse, and I am sorry. On a Monday, I slowed down to 32 miles an hour to say a prayer for it and had a Pinal County deputy sheriff tailgating me!

What do they see? It must not be dead animals on the side of the road or the people who care.

SANDRA SUPAN

QUEEN CREEK

GOOD SAMARITANS

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Q.C. aids slain teen’s family

On Aug. 17, a well-loved Queen Creek teenager named Anibal Mendoza was shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Family and friends have gotten together to help raise money for the Mendoza family’s funeral expenses by holding car washes.

Most people help their communities in organized groups, but in this case, the community of Queen Creek did random acts of kindness by donating large amounts of resources and money for the cause. The Mendoza family and Anibal’s friends greatly appreciate the donations and hard work everyone has contributed.

This tragedy made many Queen Creek teens realize how short life really is and not to take it for granted. It’s awful that this tragedy is what brought everyone together when this community should be like that all the time.

LAUREN REYES

QUEEN CREEK

SCOTTSDALE ELECTIONS

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Lane wrong to go partisan

The only fatigue we have in Scottsdale is due to the negative impact Jim Lane, Bob Littlefield and Tony Nelsson have had on the city. It is Mayor Mary Manross who has moved our city forward and we are better off because of her leadership over the past eight years. On the issues moving Scottsdale forward, Lane has largely been a “no” vote.

I am an informed voter who supports both Republicans and Democrats alike and I am a strong supporter of Manross as are Republicans such as Sen. Carolyn Allen, Jim Bruner, Art DeCabooter and every community leader in Scottsdale. I am appalled that Lane’s campaign paid for tens of thousands of negative and partisan phone calls to each registered Republican, attacking the mayor. It was all aimed at Manross, it was disgusting and it went against the city charter to turn the race partisan. And don’t be so naïve to pretend that those thousands of calls didn’t swing enough votes to Lane and to hold off Manross’s certain victory.

Now we go into a runoff in November and the results will be far different. With a large voter turnout and a true cross-section of the community voting, Manross will be swept back into office by large margins in November. No wonder Jim Lane is afraid of a runoff.

MICK RIVERS

SCOTTSDALE

Focus on people first

For Mayor Manross, Betty Drake, Ron McCullagh and Wayne Ecton, the role of “representing greater Scottsdale” is no longer about representing the individuals who live here but rather “the machine,” the city that we are building and keeping alive. How it affects the people who live here seems to be just an afterthought used to justify the direction that they decide to take.

Unfortunately, we as Scottsdale citizens contribute greatly to this type of representation.

We support decisions that supposedly benefit the greater good in lieu of a few citizens’ wants or needs as long as those decisions do not affect us directly. If it’s not in our backyard, we won’t argue it. We choose not to see the pain of individuals and families who are directly involved and we continue to justify dust ordinances, relocating electrical substations adjacent to pre-existing neighborhoods, plowing artillery road systems through existing neighborhoods and the use of eminent domain to claim properties of homeowners who may have nowhere else to go. In many cases we state that these individuals, when fighting to keep what they have, are being selfish. Ironic, isn’t it?

We need to walk in our neighbor’s shoes in order to understand the impact of decisions being made. This is not about stopping progress. This is about creating a stronger community where positive progress can take place which is not strictly dictated by the chamber of commerce and developers.

We need to come together as citizens and take back our city. We are the stakeholders and should be determining the future of Scottsdale. We have an opportunity to elect individuals to City Council who have not become entangled with the special interests of the chamber of commerce and developers. All of the incumbents need to go.

MARY WADDLE

SCOTTSDALE

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION LETTERS

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Troops not supporting Obama

This is a reply to Kirk Muse (Letters, Sept. 2) who stated that most of our military is voting for Barack Obama. That is not true! I have three Marines and a Navy son in my household who have fought in every major war since Vietnam. My 20-year-old son is serving in Iraq now and his brother who served twice may re-enlist to serve with him. They have hundreds of friends who say they don’t trust Obama with our national security when he has never served this country and knows nothing about national security.

If we cut and run from Iraq, we will be telling our enemies that they are stronger than us and they will not be afraid to hit us again. Have we already forgotten that President Bill Clinton was soft on defense and they attacked us on his watch?

The Democrats try to compare Obama to a young JFK, but JFK was a real war hero who actually served his country.

PAT ENGLEMAN

MESA

McCain loves wrong kind of wars

After John McCain graduated from the Naval Academy near the bottom of his class and before returning back from Vietnam, McCain was shot down while bombing civilians in Vietnam.

McCain fought to support a U.S.-installed dictator in a nation that never attacked the U.S., a war of choice that resulted in the unnecessary deaths of 3 million Vietnamese and 60,000 U.S. troops.

McCain has not learned from Vietnam. Former national security advisor Richard Clarke recalls that McCain pushed for war with Iraq before Bush did. The McCain-Bush Iraq war of choice has already resulted in the unnecessary deaths of 4,146 U.S. solders, including 110 Arizonans, and at least 308,000 Iraqi civilians.

Americans know that the cost of one day of his Iraq war could provide health insurance for one year for 85,900 uninsured children.

MITCHELL RUBIN

PHOENIX

Republicans failing with al-Qaida

Recently I saw a bumper sticker that read “Give al-Qaida A Chance — Vote Obama ’08”. Obviously, this sticker was created by a right-wing organization to once again instill fear in Americans that Democrats will not be tough enough on the national security front.

Even more shocking than the sticker’s message is the fact that the right would even have the gall to make such a claim. Let’s see, it’s been seven years since 9/11 and our Republican administration still hasn’t captured Osama bin Laden. And, under the same Republican rule, the Taliban and al-Qaida are gradually reasserting themselves in Afghanistan. Perhaps the right-wing smear-machine should look at its own record of “giving al-Qaida a chance” before insinuating that Barack Obama won’t have the strength of his conviction to fight terrorism and keep our country safe.

Perhaps the Democrats should create a few stickers of their own. How about “Give Big Oil A Chance — Vote McCain ’08”? Or “Give War A Chance — Vote McCain ’08”?

And for all us folks with young loved ones out there, “Give The Draft A Chance — Vote McCain ’08”. The old Karl Rove-ian scare tactics of the past are not going to go unnoticed in this election!

STEPHEN YOST

FOUNTAIN HILLS