Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

Arizona’s oldest continuously published newspaper will hit Tucson newsstands and doorsteps for the last time on May 16.

As a longtime reader of the Tucson Citizen, I think I speak for many when I say the paper’s closure will be like saying goodbye to an old, trusted friend.

What a friend it has been. The Citizen already was 11 years old when it told us about Wyatt Earp’s shootout at the OK Corral in 1881. It had been around 42 years when Arizona became a state in 1912. And when the city of Tucson celebrated its bicentennial in 1975, the Citizen had a 105-year record of reporting behind it.

Tucson will be very different without the Citizen. Our community will have one fewer voice, one fewer watchdog, one fewer place to go for the news we need to understand our increasingly complex world.

Many believe that, as an afternoon newspaper, the Citizen’s days have long been numbered. Perhaps, but the loss of the Citizen is emblematic of a far more troubling trend. The entire newspaper industry is struggling as never before, thanks in part to a seismic shift in how we get our news.

Today the Internet, not the daily newspaper, serves as our window to the world.

For news junkies and avid newspaper readers, this is a truly sad turn of events. I count myself among this shrinking community.

Sure, going online is fast and handy. But old school types love newspapers – we love holding them, with a cup of coffee at hand, and learning about what has happened in our neighborhood, city, state and country.

Some of us – the real die-hards – even like comparing competing articles and editorials on the same subject among rival newspapers. Tucson was one of the few cities where this was possible; ours was one of the last two-newspaper towns left in America.

With the demise of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the Rocky Mountain News in Denver over the past month, Tucson is by no means alone in having to rely on one newspaper. That, however, is little comfort. Competition is a good thing for newspapers, as it is for any business.

Having two newspapers fostered a competitive spirit that allowed the Tucson Citizen and Arizona Daily Star to bring out the best in each another. Reporters, editors and photographers at each of our papers wanted to scoop the other guy. In that race, readers were the winners.

Since 1870, the Citizen has kept southern Arizonans informed. We didn’t always agree with an editorial position or like the angle of a news story, yet we kept reading.

We needed the Citizen. Sometimes we needed it to figure out a City Council decision. Sometimes we needed it to tell us how the Wildcats did. And sometimes we just needed it to tell us when movies began at The Loft.

The point is, the Citizen was there for us.

From the era of the Butterfield Overland Stage to the Phoenix Mars Mission, the Citizen helped chronicle Arizona’s amazing journey from a rough and tumble territory to the second-fastest growing state in the country.

It was an indispensable part of our community. It educated us, entertained us and inspired us. It will be missed.

Goodbye, dear friend.

Gabrielle Giffords is a member of the U.S. House representing Tucson and southern Arizona.

If confirmed as the new commander of our military’s Central Command, Gen. David Petraeus finally will have the opportunity to apply his counterinsurgency strategy to the war against global terrorism.

One of his greatest challenges will be finding a way to better prepare our troops for the non-conventional demands of this strategy while also maintaining the overall readiness of U.S. Armed Forces.

Our military, especially our Army, is being stretched to the breaking point by repeated and extended deployments.

Equipment and soldiers are worn down. Only one full brigade is currently ready to respond immediately to unexpected threats.

Adding to these readiness concerns is the fact that in this post-9/11 world, our military faces new and unconventional enemies. This different kind of warfare requires skills not normally taught in basic training: cultural awareness and language proficiency.

In the 21st century, our troops will continue to be engaged in areas of the world quite different from our own. Most of our operations in the future are likely to involve enemies that do not have national borders or standing armies.

Gen. Petraeus is well aware of this reality. In the Army’s counterinsurgency manual, which he co-authored, it stresses that all successful military operations depend on a thorough understanding of the societal and cultural context of the insurgency.

On March 5, the most recent CENTCOM Commander, Adm. William Fallon, affirmed the need for more soldiers to acquire these skills.

At a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee on which I serve, he stated that, “Language expertise is crucial in counterinsurgency, counterterrorist and counterintelligence operations and will continue to be in high demand. . . . We need service members and career civilians with the requisite language and cultural skills.”

Better preparing our troops for the challenges of global terrorism – giving them the unique capabilities they need – starts right here in southern Arizona.

The U.S. Army Intelligence Center at Fort Huachuca is the Army’s only chartered cultural training center for non-Special Operations personnel.

The center is geared towards training regular Army soldiers to develop cultural expertise and “cross-cultural competence,” not just awareness. It conducts intensive language training for soldiers to learn critical languages such as Arabic and Farsi.

Unfortunately, only about 3,500 regular Army soldiers, among over a half-million active duty personnel, are able to participate in Fort Huachuca’s cultural training program each year.

As of December, less than 1 percent of all active-duty soldiers, including Guard and Reserve personnel, were graduates of this course. Only 400 are able to participate in Fort Huachuca’s intensive language program.

This is why I am drafting legislation to increase the number of service men and women with these critical skills.

My bill would provide financial incentives for cadets in officer training programs and reservists taking advantage of GI Bill benefits, to study foreign languages and culture as a part of their academic programs.

Additionally, it would require the president to appoint a new undersecretary at the Department of Defense to coordinate cultural training efforts across the services.

This senior official would be charged with ensuring the military provide this critical social science research and the training for their personnel.

Success in the conflicts of the 21st century requires well-educated, well-trained and adaptable warriors – men and women who are as comfortable speaking foreign languages and understanding diverse societies as they are in tracking down terrorists.

Such warriors may even help end a war.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is a Democrat representing southern Arizona’s 8th Congressional District.

Securing our nation and protecting it from terrorist attacks are our greatest responsibilities in Congress. We can and must do this while maintaining the individual freedoms of all Americans.

Arizonans have been hearing a lot about federal surveillance laws.

Unfortunately, this information is coming from misleading and partisan television ads paid for by a foundation that will not disclose its funding sources.

As your representative in Congress, I want you to have the facts.

First and foremost, our nation’s ability to conduct intelligence surveillance of potential enemies has not been diminished.

Under current law, our government may continue to monitor communications of any foreign target, including every known terrorist group.

If a new terrorist group is identified, our intelligence agencies can move quickly to take steps to protect us.

Second, let me give you some background. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act became law in 1978 to provide a legal framework for the electronic surveillance of Americans who could be involved in acts of espionage, terrorism or treason against the United States.

At the time, Congress rightly sought to strike a balance between protecting our civil liberties and providing the intelligence community with the ability to collect vital information.

Since the enactment of FISA, much has changed. Technology has advanced at an astounding rate, and the Internet has revolutionized the way we communicate. U.S. surveillance laws have been updated many times over the past three decades.

I believe reforms are needed. We need the best tools possible in our fight against terrorism.

FISA legislation proposed by the Bush administration last summer, the Protect America Act of 2007, went too far. It failed to strike the right balance between personal freedom and national security.

PAA became law in August without my support. It authorized the warrantless interception of all foreign electronic communications routed through the U.S. even if the constitutional rights of Americans were violated in the process.

It also eliminated any meaningful oversight by the FISA court, expecting intelligence agencies to police themselves and opening the door to possible abuse by the executive branch.

The PAA reforms were controversial, so they were only put into effect for six months, until Feb. 16, 2008.

More permanent FISA reform legislation was still needed, so the House of Representatives on Nov. 15 passed the RESTORE Act, to allow our government to collect intelligence and combat terrorism while protecting our individual freedoms.

I supported this bill. It specifies that no warrant is required to intercept communications between non-U.S. persons outside the United States and provides the administration with the emergency authority to conduct surveillance for 45 days before obtaining a warrant.

It also states that conducting surveillance of Americans for the purposes of intelligence collection in the U.S. requires a warrant from the FISA court.

The RESTORE Act was sent to the Senate at the end of 2007, where it was extensively revised. The Senate sent its version back to the House on Feb. 12, just four days before the PAA was set to expire.

Unfortunately, negotiations between the two chambers failed, and no permanent FISA reform legislation was brought to the House floor.

I opposed adjourning the House for the Presidents Day District Work Period. It was irresponsible for Congress to go home when this issue had not been resolved.

I sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging that she keep members in Washington until compromise FISA legislation could be voted on and sent to the president.

I called for cancellation of the district work period so this important work could be completed.

The only vote before the expiration of PAA, however, was for a 21-day extension of current law so the House and Senate would have more time to negotiate permanent FISA reform.

I voted for this measure and was extremely disappointed it did not pass. Although the expiration of the Protect America Act does not prevent our intelligence community from gathering the information it needs, I remain committed to meaningful and permanent FISA reform.

I sent Speaker Pelosi another letter Feb. 26, encouraging her to resume negotiations with the Senate as soon as possible.

Securing our nation and protecting it from terrorist attacks are our greatest responsibilities in Congress. We can and must do this while maintaining the individual freedoms of all Americans.

Democrat Gabrielle Giffords represents Arizona’s 8th District.

The effectiveness and impacts of border checkpoints have not been studied comprehensively since 2005, so a new study is in order.

Border security is my top priority as U.S. representative of Arizona’s 8th Congressional District.

The Tucson Sector is the most porous stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border, with more than 48 percent of our nation’s drug traffic and 44 percent of illegal immigrants entering through southern Arizona.

Every day, an average of 1,049 illegal immigrants and 2,749 pounds of drugs cross our ranches, highways, precious lands and communities.

I cannot and will not stand by and allow our region to remain a dangerous thoroughfare. All smart options to address this problem must be considered.

It is my responsibility to ensure that effective border security efforts, tailored to meet southern Arizona’s unique characteristics, are made by the Department of Homeland Security and the Customs and Border Protection Agency,

The Tucson sector is the only border stretch that does not have a permanent, interior checkpoint.

A cross-section of southern Arizona residents studied this issue last spring and summer, as part of my work group on checkpoints.

Residents along the Interstate 19 corridor, from Nogales to Tucson, participated in many public forums and spent countless hours investigating whether a permanent checkpoint should be placed on that roadway.

Strong and divergent sentiments emerged. One group of residents supported more security directly on the border instead of stationary checkpoints; the other group advocated for a permanent I-19 checkpoint in addition to efforts directly on the border.

Throughout the summer, the need for credible data on the effectiveness of checkpoints became increasingly more obvious.

Do such checkpoints reduce the flow of human smuggling and drugs? Do they create flanking, driving criminal smugglers into local neighborhoods?

The work group submitted an exceptionally thorough analysis in August.

As a result, the Border Patrol agreed to scale back the size of a proposed permanent checkpoint on I-19 and to place an interim checkpoint at kilometer 41.5 or 42, away from the most densely populated areas near Green Valley.

I believe an interior checkpoint on I-19 is critical, and I support it.

But I also believe we need an examination of existing checkpoints, including the interim checkpoint now near Tubac.

The most recent study of checkpoints did not address all concerns cited by the work group.

It also was conducted before the I-19 checkpoint became stationary in November 2006 and before the addition of new border security technologies.

I have been working with Sen. Jon Kyl to design a new GAO study to provide thorough, up-to-date information about the operational effectiveness of existing checkpoints and any impacts on nearby communities.

My colleague’s expertise as ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Terrorism, Technology & Homeland Security Subcommittee has been extremely helpful.

I am pleased that Sen. John McCain joined us in making this request, with six other members of Congress, including the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security and the House Intelligence Committee Chairman.

The GAO request has been made by a bipartisan, bicameral group representing Americans living near the border.

We share the goals of securing our border while protecting residents and making the best use of taxpayer dollars.

I made a commitment to my constituents, after careful study of the work group recommendations, to do all I could to enhance border security and to demand accountability on the effectiveness and impact of interior checkpoints.

This request to the GAO is an important part of my pledge to better secure our border and provide vigilant oversight of the federal government initiatives.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat, represents Arizona’s 8th Congressional District.

———

MORE GUEST OPINIONS
EDUCATION: Schools need to foster a new kind of thinking

CLIMATE: How you can slow global warming

CAMPAIGN 2008: Why Mitt Romney should be president

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on a recent trip to Iraq.

A glitch in the tax code has effectively penalized soldiers for combat pay, reducing their eligibility for the tax credit.

Without prompt action by the Senate and President Bush, thousands of military families will be hit with significantly higher tax bills next year.

Because of the so-called “Soldier Tax,” more than 10,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in combat zones stand to lose eligibility for the earned income tax credit in 2008.

Fort Huachuca Army Spc. Adam Hebert and his wife, Mijin, who have two children, will lose hundreds of dollars if the Soldier Tax is not repealed.

The well-being of our troops and their families is one of my top priorities as a member of the House Armed Services Committee and representative of a Congressional district that encompasses two major U.S. military installations.

Our military men and women are putting their lives on the line to keep us safe. Going into combat, the last thing they should have to worry about is their tax returns.

That is why I introduced the Combat Troops Tax Relief Act, HR 3808, to repeal the Soldier Tax.

On Nov. 6, by a vote of 410 to 0, the House passed this provision as part of a comprehensive tax package, honoring our soldiers’ patriotism and commitment with more than rhetoric.

The unanimous vote was an overwhelming statement of support for our men and women in uniform, who never should be penalized for their service overseas.

Now the Senate and White House must act to make Soldier Tax relief the law of the land.

In 1975, Congress enacted the Earned Income Tax Credit to provide tax relief for low- and moderate-income families. The tax credits or refunds range from $100 to more than $4,500, depending on family size and income.

Millions of Americans and more than 150,000 military personnel depend on the tax credit to make ends meet.

Unfortunately, many soldiers and Marines who face deployments next year are at grave risk of losing this benefit.

Soldiers such as Hebert are paid $20,000 to $24,000 a year. Tens of thousands of them are in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Current law grants tax-free status for some military compensation, including housing allowances, certain financial incentives and pay for imminent danger and hostile fire.

However, a glitch in the tax code has effectively penalized soldiers for combat pay, reducing their eligibility for the tax credit.

This is inequitable and inconsistent with our nation’s commitment to those who fight to preserve our freedom.

The men and women who choose to serve our country in the armed forces do so with great courage and conviction, without expecting financial reward.

They accept the hardships of military service, spending long periods away from their homes and loved ones.

When going into combat, they should have confidence that they can afford to take care of their families. They deserve nothing less than our full support. They have earned it.

Gabrielle Giffords is U.S. representative for Congressional District 8 in southern Arizona.

———

MORE ON VETERANS DAY

EDITORIAL: The debt we owe our troops, ourselves: no more war.

HIDDEN WOUNDS: VA helping veterans with traumatic brain injuries, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

NEUHARTH: The war in Iraq is a tragic misadventure that must end, USA TODAY’s founder says.

Smaller, stationary one best for now

Tubac and Green Valley area drivers have become accustomed to being stopped at this Interstate 19 checkpoint.

The Tucson Sector is the most porous stretch of the entire U.S.-Mexico border.
Here, 48 percent of the drug traffic and 44 percent of the illegal immigrant traffic cross the border.
An estimated 1,049 illegal immigrants and 2,749 pounds of narcotics are smuggled through this region every day.
We are the weakest link on the U.S. border. Every other sector has far more infrastructure, and most have checkpoints.
There are 34 interior checkpoints between Texas and California.
It is not a coincidence that southern Arizona is experiencing an unprecedented flow of illegal immigrants and drugs.
I cannot and will not stand by and allow this sector to remain the major route for smuggling into our country.
We need a comprehensive strategy to address this serious problem. Such a strategy must include checkpoints.
Earlier this year, the Border Patrol drafted plans to build a large, permanent checkpoint on Interstate 19 between kilometers 51 and 52, near Amado.
My constituents strongly objected. They argued that such a facility would not work at that location because of the dense population. The size of the proposed structure also drew strong criticism.
In response, the Border Patrol discarded its initial checkpoint plan and has agreed to operate an interim checkpoint at kilometer 41.5 or 42 – the site of the current one – and to abandon the idea of a massive structure like the one in Laredo, Texas.
These are significant concessions. They will not please everyone, but they go a long way in meeting the concerns of residents along I-19 while also giving the Border Patrol the tools it needs to do its job.
I believe an interior checkpoint on I-19 is critical as part of an essential, secondary defense strategy designed to capture those who elude security measures directly on the border.
I support a checkpoint that is stationary, away from major population centers and equipped with the technology and manpower to effectively apprehend illegal human and drug traffic.
The checkpoint must be part of a plan to enhance the public safety of nearby communities and accommodate the flow of commercial traffic.
Checkpoints are not new to us in southern Arizona. We have had them on I-19 for many years.
Despite its deficiencies, the existing makeshift checkpoint has played an important role in apprehending illegal immigrants and seizing drugs.
From October 2006, when it stopped moving up and down the highway, to July 2007, the Border Patrol arrested 6,925 illegal immigrants. During a comparable timeframe when the checkpoint was still moving (October 2005 to July 2006), the Border Patrol had only 3,690 apprehensions.
Marijuana seizures while the checkpoint has been fixed totaled 59,346 pounds, compared with only 17,562 pounds seized during the same number of months when it was traveling back and forth.
But we can do even better. The existing checkpoint does not have adequate cameras, radar and Border Patrol agents to deter flanking and unintended impacts on nearby residents.
The interim checkpoint will include these improvements.
Over the coming months, I will be closely monitoring the progress of interim and permanent checkpoint planning and focusing on several key factors:
• Effectiveness: I have asked the Border Patrol to report to Congress every six months on apprehensions, seizures, levels of community violence, costs, traffic patterns and environmental impacts.
The Border Patrol must be held accountable. I and other members of Congress want to see the numbers. The examination of a fully equipped interim checkpoint will provide us the opportunity to evaluate whether a permanent structure makes sense and is cost effective.
I also will ask the Government Accountability Office to provide an independent, third-party evaluation of the effectiveness of checkpoints in the Tucson Sector and elsewhere. Joining in this request will be Arizona’s U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl and Rep. Raúl Grijalva. This study will also look at how a permanent checkpoint fits into a comprehensive border security plan for the Tucson Sector.
• Community safety: Checkpoints will only work in southern Arizona if they make our border more secure while providing more safety, not less, to our communities. To that end, I wrote to U.S. Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar in May, asking him to take steps to improve community safety near the existing checkpoint.
He responded favorably by adding more patrol agents, sensors, sky watch towers and ground surveillance radar.
More public safety enhancements are needed at the interim checkpoint. A checkpoint must be properly staffed and equipped – with high-tech capabilities including radar, cameras and ground sensors – to ensure the safety of nearby residents.
These features must be part of the Border Patrol’s interim checkpoint.
• Overall strategy: As many of my constituents have argued, checkpoints must be part of comprehensive border security, and we must focus on securing the border at the border. This must be the Border Patrol’s primary emphasis. Cameras, ground sensors, radar and satellite communications, fencing and vehicle barriers in strategic areas must be increased at the border, along with more patrols of roads adjacent to the border.
Other critical elements of a comprehensive strategy include additional resources for the federal judicial system to enforce immigration laws.
• Local law enforcement: I have deep concerns about the impact of illegal immigration on local law enforcement agencies. They simply cannot be asked to do the work of the federal government in enforcing immigration laws.
This is why I fought to increase funding for the state Criminal Alien Assistance Program. I am pleased to report that we were able to add $70 million to the program. Checkpoints must not place an extra burden on our sheriffs.
Our environment, public safety, national security and financial stability are threatened by our border security crisis.
Also, hundreds of people are dying in our desert every year. Since Oct. 1, 2006, at least 186 people have lost their lives crossing the desert in southern Arizona. The situation is unacceptable.
Insufficient border security is only one aspect of our broken immigration system.
I am a strong advocate for comprehensive immigration reform, and I supported efforts in the House and Senate to pass such legislation.
I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make the federal government more accountable and effective in managing immigration policies and to take common sense steps to bolster border security.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords” is the Tucson Democrat representing Arizona Congressional District 8.

The Border Patrol discarded its initial plan for a permanent checkpoint and has agreed to operate an interim checkpoint at the site of the current one - and to abandon the idea of a massive structure such as the one in Laredo, Texas (at right).

We must think big and move faster toward solutions. Imagine our Sonoran Desert as the engine of solar power for the West - an example to the world of how nature can be harnessed without being destroyed. Imagine our homes and workplaces fueled by sun power.

U.S. dependence on foreign oil affects our foreign policy, homeland security and military calculations in the Middle East.

It also perpetuates our use of carbon fuel and increases our emissions of toxins into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.

Hundreds of the world’s top scientists recently issued a sobering assessment of our planet’s health. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report stated that the Earth’s temperature is rising at a dangerous pace and that humans are largely to blame for this crisis.

Sooner or later, climate change will touch our entire way of life: our economy, health, recreation and environment in the American West.

Ending America’s dependence on foreign oil and investing in clean, renewable energy, such as solar, is the Apollo mission of our generation and southern Arizona is taking on the challenge.

More and more solar energy projects are emerging in the Tucson area.

Davidson School, in cooperation with Tucson Electric Power Co., has installed a solar energy system.

The city of Tucson recently was awarded a grant to hire a full-time solar coordinator, Vice Mayor Shirley Scott’s office has a solar energy system and a large solar array will soon be operational at the Thornydale Reclaimed Water Reservoir.

And every day more solar panels are being placed on public buildings, private homes and entire developments such as Civano and John Wesley Miller’s Armory Park del Sol.

These are great signs of progress – but as a member of the House Science and Technology Committee, I have learned that climate change may be more far-reaching in its impacts than ever considered.

We must think big and move faster toward solutions. Imagine our Sonoran Desert as the engine of solar power for the West – an example to the world of how nature can be harnessed without being destroyed. Imagine our homes and workplaces fueled by sun power.

It can be done. And I believe that achieving success calls upon not only our creativity and perseverance, but also our ability to collaborate with new partners.

Working with my newly formed Solar Energy Advisory Council, I introduced The Solar Energy Research and Advancement Act of 2007 that will promote solar energy through a work force development initiative and a dedicated research program.

Ongoing work with this incredible cross-section of experts in the region will guide my efforts to support both private- and public-sector solar energy initiatives.

New solar companies are opening offices here and need to be welcomed. SOLON AG, one of Germany’s premier solar panel manufacturers, soon will be expanding its operations in Tucson. And Prism Solar Technologies, based in New York, recently opened a development center here.

They are joining a small but growing solar industry in the region, currently led by Global Solar Energy Inc., a Tucson manufacturer of solar technology.

Big ideas often emerge from superb academic thinking. I am honored that several representatives of the University of Arizona are members of my Solar Energy Advisory Council.

The university has cutting-edge research projects under way, including an optical solar concentrator being developed at the school’s Mirror Lab. These projects must be encouraged.

The wonders of our free- market economy – science, engineering and innovation – must come together if we are to solve the growing threat of climate change. Our goal is to create a brighter quality of life that is more dependent on the sun than on foreign oil.

Tom Hansen, Tucson Electric Power Co. vice president: Solar power saves green, powers the grid

Edward J. Sanaghan Jr., longtime solar contractor: For homeowners, water heater an easy entree into solar

Gabrielle Giffords is a Democratic member of the U.S. House representing Tucson and parts of southern Arizona.

High-tech inspection site would help cut smuggling of drugs, humans in Tucson border sector

Open since April 2006, a permanent Border Patrol checkpoint about 30 miles north of Laredo, Texas, has six service lanes that can process 21,000 trucks a day.

The wide, gaping hole in our border security is one of the most challenging problems I have inherited as the new representative for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District.

After closely examining our deficient inspection infrastructure compared with that in other border states, I am not surprised the Tucson sector has more drugs seized and illegal immigrants apprehended than any other sector bordering Mexico.

In Yuma recently, President Bush said “people are coming to work . . . to put food on the table.”

I believe that to be true.

I remain concerned, however, that U.S. Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona seize an average of 2,670 pounds of drugs and apprehend 2,000 illegal immigrants every day. This is a serious problem that must be addressed.

Considering the intense activity and vast desert areas along our 261-mile border with Mexico – many of them difficult to monitor – we have no idea how much contraband or how many people actually are coming across.

Tucson has become the largest land corridor in the country for marijuana and the most heavily used route for undocumented immigrants.

Arizonans have paid the price with increased costs to law enforcement agencies, the health care system and schools.

While all of Arizona requires additional border security, some communities are affected more than others.

The current makeshift checkpoint on I-19 just north of Tubac creates an intolerable situation for nearby residents.

Human and drug smugglers know this setup is a flimsy security measure that can be easily circumvented or penetrated.

As smugglers attempt to go around the checkpoint, traveling through neighborhoods and ranches, violence and crime have increased.

Residents, tourists and business people have been inconvenienced by the Tubac checkpoint because it pinches the road to a single lane, with no place for cars or trucks to pull over for a secondary inspection.

Last year, a federal law that prohibited Arizona’s development of a permanent checkpoint in southern Arizona was rejected by the U.S. House of Representatives.

However, at my request, U.S. Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar agreed that no permanent checkpoint will be planned for our sector without significant community involvement.

Southern Arizonans must work with our law enforcement agencies to create a plan to help secure our borders and reduce the violence against citizens and immigrants.

On April 3, more than 200 community members attended a forum in Sahuarita to hear about Congress’ efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform and to learn how a permanent checkpoint would differ from the temporary one.

Faith leaders, business leaders, good Samaritans and anti-immigration advocates all had an opportunity to ask questions and express their views to me, Chief Aguilar and new Tucson sector Chief Robert Gilbert.

We agreed to form a working group of residents along the I-19 corridor to collaboratively decide what future security measures need to look like.

A permanent checkpoint on I-19 can reduce drugs and illegal immigrants only if several additional measures are taken.

These include active community involvement in planning for the checkpoint and an overall network of border security technology that includes surveillance cameras and an array of sensors and vehicle X-ray technology similar to what exists at our ports of entry.

The Secure Border Initiative electronic surveillance network, or SBInet, to be installed in June across 28 miles of border near Sasabe, is a good start to this use of technology in our state.

As the representative for southeastern Arizona, it is my responsibility to make sure we have all of the possible tools and technologies to secure our border, protect our citizens and promote a healthy business environment.

I believe strongly that decisions are best made at the local level.

The change in federal legislation banning a permanent checkpoint on I-19 provides citizens and law enforcement officials an opportunity to work collaboratively to protect our communities and foster a secure and vibrant economy.

About the author

Gabrielle Giffords is the Democratic congresswoman for Arizona’s District 8. The president of the Tubac Chamber of Commerce has an another view.

A Border Patrol agent explains the workings of the Laredo, Texas, checkpoint to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.

‘I came away more convinced than ever that we must move quickly and responsibly to end our country’s presence in Iraq.’

Mike Ryan, a Tucsonan serving in Iraq with the 162nd Fighter Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard, poses with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. In his civilian life, Ryan is a police officer with the Tucson Police Department.

Growing up in Tucson near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, I have long understood the importance of the military to our community.

But during my recent trip to the Middle East, I gained a much greater appreciation for southern Arizona’s role in making our armed forces the most formidable in the world.

Davis-Monthan, the Army Intelligence Center at Fort Huachuca and the committed men and women serving at these installations give every Arizonan – no matter how they might feel about the war in Iraq – a real reason to be proud.

These airmen and soldiers are vital to the success of the ongoing global war against terrorists.

The congressional delegation trip to Kuwait, Iraq and Israel was led by Sen. Jon Kyl and included Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Rep. Steve Pearce of New Mexico. I was the only Democrat in the group and the first freshman of the 110th Congress to visit Iraq.

As a member of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, this trip was an opportunity to get a firsthand look at the region that has been the topic of most of my briefings and hearings on Capitol Hill.

Questioning policy experts in a congressional hearing room cannot compare with questioning top U.S. commanders on the ground in Kuwait and Iraq.

There is no substitute for meeting with our military leaders and soldiers face to face.

I was privileged to meet several service members from southern Arizona, including soldiers and airmen from Fort Huachuca and Tucson’s 162nd Fighter Wing.

They are outstanding military professionals, with an inspiring commitment to their mission.

Sadly, not all the troops deployed from southern Arizona have come home.

Since I was sworn into office in January, four young men from Arizona’s 8th Congressional District have died in Iraq, and many have been wounded.

Their sacrifices are profound, and the nation will be forever in debt to them and to their loved ones.

Although our trip was brief, it offered me a vivid context in which to examine issues facing Congress such as military readiness, veterans’ health care, foreign relations and the status of equipment being used by our troops in combat.

I came away more convinced than ever that we must move quickly and responsibly to end our country’s presence in Iraq.

The problems there are not just the result of 35 years of Sadam Hussein’s regime, but also of centuries of sectarian divisions.

It is not reasonable to expect our military to be able to resolve such ancient conflicts.

In addition, this war has diverted precious military assets away from Afghanistan, where the Taliban is once again on the rise, and it has eroded our standing in the Middle East and with our allies.

It has imposed extraordinary burdens on the military – especially the Army.

Top military leaders have expressed concerns that stretching the military so thin threatens our ability to respond to other crises.

Instead of supporting a “surge” of troops, I agree with the many military and foreign policy experts who have been calling on the administration for a diplomatic surge.

Maybe such advice is finally being heard. This past week, the secretary of state announced that the U.S. will participate in regional talks in the Middle East.

Focusing on multilateral and regional diplomacy, one of the central recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, is a step in the right direction.

Visiting Iraq made me even more proud of the contributions being made by southern Arizonans in making the U.S. Armed Forces the most impressive military in the world.

It also confirmed my belief that adding 21,000 more troops is simply not the answer. It will not bring long-term security to the region.

We need a more targeted strategy to identify and combat terrorists around the globe while also encouraging economic stability and sustainable peace in the Middle East.