Mine Games To the Editor, Jeff Smith's "Killer Copper" (Tucson Weekly, June 27) is about as far from factual as most articles written by those whose habits are limited to offices. Those of us who inhabit the real world broke out in honest laughter at the naiveté of the article. There are many fallacies in the article. I will try to point out some of the obvious errors. Solar is nifty but it will take more copper to turn it into a reality, not less. Because of the limited and expensive capacity of solar energy, high efficiency equipment is needed to make the most of any energy, solar or otherwise. The best super high efficiency motors use copper windings. Only cheap motors use aluminum wire. Fiber optics are replacing copper wire only in signal transmission. Most power wiring is still copper. Even if we could get our homes off grid power, using aluminum wire would only exacerbate the problem by requiring even more photo-voltaic panels. Only an idiot would assume that aluminum wire is a suitable alternative to copper. Do your homework on how messy, polluting and energy consuming the aluminum production industry is. As for the specifics of ASARCO and the Santa Ritas, Jeff ought to get out of the office more and go hiking in the Santa Ritas. I have, and have seen first hand the photo-voltaic well pumps that ASARCO is using to fill water tanks at Rosemont Ranch. I have also seen the reclamation projects that ASARCO has done further south of Patagonia. This was not their mess that they were cleaning up--but as the new property owners, they did the work anyway. Good thing, too; they are one of the few companies with pockets deep enough to foot the bill for cleaning up the mess. I can personally show you places that you can not distinguish from the surrounding natural terrain that were once mine tailings dumps. I have worked with many mining companies in Arizona. Some we nicknamed the Three R Mining Co. (Rape, Ruin and Run). I personally am glad that ASARCO is mining the area instead of one of the afore-mentioned companies. As for copper lending bias to local thinking, it is true that it does. This a matter of historical fact as well as local culture. In the old days, most natives were descendants from one of four industries. You were either a cotton farmer, a copper miner, a cattle rancher or a sleazy land developer. These few industries helped pay the bills for our schools, infrastructure and so on. I am proud to be a Tucson native and from a mining family. The old phrase is still true: If it does not grow on trees or on the hoof, we will have to continue mining it out of the ground. Solar energy does fall out of the sky, but if we do not have the minerals to turn it into energy, all it will yield is a good case of skin cancer. --Joel B. Stump Beats Dogpatch To the Editor, Just in case Marana is still looking for a motto, here are a few suggestions: Marana: Growth, growth, growth! (With and without a lisp) Marana: Coming soon to a strip mall near you! Marana: Not to be confused with melanoma, the other cancerous growth. --Michael P. Burkholder Promising A Rose Garden To the Editor, Regarding Jeff Smith's "Jeff's Revenge" (Tucson Weekly, June 20): This is a great example of why you should practice what you preach. Although Smith often professes the merits and necessity of doing business locally, he went for the price rather than stick to his written though obviously not practiced beliefs! Having worked for one of our local florists, I can assure Smith that none of his rose and credit card fiasco would have happened if he had patronized a local establishment. First, he would have spoken with a courteous, knowledgeable individual who would have sought the necessary information to make sure his order was completed accurately. Second, had there been any difficulty with the order, he would have been contacted immediately on alternate choices and how we could solve the problem (commonly called customer service). And third, because you chose to support this local florist, you could have called or walked right in, asked to speak to the manager and/or owner and been given complete satisfaction. Restitution would have been made instantly and on the spot. Shame on Jeff for not supporting local merchants. I hope that when he gets back his money, he will call a local florist and have roses delivered to himself. He can then evaluate local service, support his community and get the bonus of enjoying those gorgeous roses or pass them on to cheer up others. --Judy O'Leary Low Sierra To the Editor, In Gregory McNamee's "Hell--With Flowers," (Tucson Weekly, June 6), Diana Hadley is quoted as saying, "The Tarahumara have no cultural tradition of taking care of the old." This statement is not only racist, it is based on profound ignorance of the situation in the Sierra Tarahumara. In fact, there is no food and no work for anyone. Elderly Tarahumara give any food they have to their grandchildren. I believe they have made their own correct choice. Adult Tarahumara do leave the mountains to seek work--as do people in similar circumstances around the world--leaving the older people and children at home. With no mail or communication with the outside world, there is simply no way to send any money back home to the Sierra. It is no secret that the Mexican economy is in an ongoing crisis. With all of Mexico desperately scrambling to find work ( and hundreds of thousands toward the U.S. border), there is simply nothing left for the Tarahumara. For Diana Hadley to casually observe "neglect of the old" specifically by the Tarahumara shows her mind set and that of others of her group. This group of ultra-liberal armchair activists have been selling out the Tarahumara for years--for personal profit in this case, it seems. With anthropologist "friends" like Diana Hadley, do the Tarahumara need enemies? --Richard D. Fisher We Want Letters! Thrilled by our brilliant insights? Sick of our mean-spirited attacks? Need to make something perfectly clear? Write: tucsonweekly@tucsonweekly.com

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