⚰️ Disrespect in Death: Conservative Host DeSimone Attacks Grijalva's Legacy on Memorial Day
DeSimone calls congressman's celebration of life "polishing a turd" while community mourns long-time representative
This is based on Wake Up Live with Chris DeSimone, a maga-conservative podcast in Southern Arizona, which was broadcast by Live The Dream Media on 3/26/25.
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾
🎙️ A local podcast in Tucson called "Wake Up Live" talked about several important topics that affect our community. 🏞️ The host, Christopher DeSimone, discussed homeless people staying in parks, 🐶 animal shelters adopting out dogs that might be dangerous, and a local game store owner who helps people connect through playing games together.
🎲 The conversations showed two very different ways of thinking about community problems. 🤔 Some people want to blame others and push problems away, while others work to bring people together to solve problems by understanding them better. 🤝 The game store owner showed how businesses can create places where everyone feels welcome and can have fun together, 🎉 which seems like a better way to make Tucson a good place for everyone. 🌟
🗝️ Takeaways
🏠 Conservative radio continues to dehumanize homeless populations by referring to them as "drug street criminals" while offering no substantive solutions to addressing the housing crisis
🐕 The debate over "no-kill" shelter policies requires nuanced discussion about transparency, public safety, AND addressing root causes of animal surrender through affordable veterinary care and housing stability
🎮 Local businesses like Tucson Games and Gadgets demonstrate how entrepreneurship can create community spaces that bridge divides rather than deepening them
🗣️ The stark contrast between divisive political rhetoric and community-building efforts on the same radio program highlights the choice Tucsonans face about what kind of discourse we want to define our city
🤝 Despite polarizing media narratives, Tucsonans continue to seek connection across differences through shared experiences in community-centered spaces
DeSimone's Radio Waves Crash Against Tucson's Progressive Shores
From Airwaves to Activism: A Morning of Conservative Contradictions
Tucson's morning podcasts were once again filled with Oro Valley Mayoral hopeful Christopher DeSimone's distinctive voice on his "Wake Up Live" show. Offering his particular brand of commentary, this blogger reached for both a notepad and an antacid. Today's episode featured conversations with Dan Shearer from Green Valley News discussing animal welfare policies and Mark Kadao from Tucson Games and Gadgets sharing insights about local business growth.
As I tuned in, coffee in hand, I couldn't help but notice the jarring contrast between moments of genuine community discussion and the host's penchant for inflammatory rhetoric. Is it possible to extract valuable local insights while wading through the murky waters of MAGA talking points? Let's find out.
"Help Huts" and Hostile Rhetoric: DeSimone's Take on Homelessness
Before his guests arrived, DeSimone zeroed in on Tucson City Councilwoman Karen Uhlich's proposal to designate certain parks for homeless services. Dubbed "help huts" in Uhlich's newsletter, the initiative would allow aid groups to provide daytime assistance and overnight campsites in parks throughout the city.
Instead of engaging with the substance of the proposal, DeSimone mockingly referred to the concept as "Karen Uhlich drug camps" and displayed a map where he planned to place these camps in progressive voting districts: "The lighter the area, the more we're going to give them a park," he declared with audible glee.
"We are now going to designate these places as the drug street criminal places," DeSimone continued, reducing unhoused individuals to a monolithic group of criminals while offering no substantive solutions beyond suggesting camps on the "outskirts of town" away from "their drug dealers."
Ah yes, the time-honored conservative approach to homelessness: Push vulnerable people out of sight, out of mind, and preferably out of their voting districts. Heaven forbid we address root causes like housing affordability, mental health care access, or wage stagnation.
What was particularly telling was DeSimone's acknowledgment that parks had "already" been made unsafe for children years ago – a tacit admission that current policies aren't working. Yet rather than considering comprehensive approaches that balance immediate needs with long-term solutions, the conversation devolved into dehumanizing commentary and calls for listeners to create nicknames for the "Karen Uhlich Memorial Drug Camps."
This cruel politicization of homelessness reveals the fundamental disconnect at the heart of modern conservative politics – a willingness to weaponize human suffering for partisan point-scoring while offering little in the way of constructive alternatives.
Grijalva's Ghost: Disrespect in Death
In a particularly tasteless segment, DeSimone chose the very day of Congressman Raul Grijalva's celebration of life to launch into an extended attack on the recently deceased representative's legacy.
"This legacy scrub is possibly one of the greatest polishing of a turd moments in Tucson history," DeSimone declared. "If there's a guy who has screwed this town up more than anyone else, it is that young man."
The tirade continued with DeSimone attempting to position himself as respectful with the caveat "Raul the human being, yes, I'm not here to judge your soul," before immediately proceeding to do precisely that: "I do love that they did a rosary for him last night even though the guy was the most rabid abortion bastard humanly possible."
Nothing says "class" quite like launching personal attacks on someone who can no longer defend themselves, on the very day their family and community gather to mourn.
DeSimone went on to claim that Grijalva's decades of advocacy for environmental protection, immigrant rights, and working families left "nothing beneficial that's lasting from him." This erasure of Grijalva's significant legislative record—from expanding public land protections to securing water rights for tribal communities—highlights the larger conservative agenda of rewriting history to align with their preferred narrative.
The disrespect shown toward a long-serving public official during a time of mourning crosses lines of basic human decency that should transcend partisan divides. Regardless of political disagreements, allowing families to grieve without such vitriol should be a baseline expectation in civil discourse.
Dan Shearer on PACC: When Animal Welfare Gets Politically Pawed
When Dan Shearer from Green Valley News joined the program, the conversation turned to his recent column about Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) and what he described as problematic adoption practices. Shearer's investigation alleged that PACC had been adopting out dogs with histories of aggression without fully disclosing their behavioral issues to adopters.
"Is it right that you do not tell somebody who's about to adopt a dog absolutely everything you know about that dog?" Shearer asked, framing his concern in terms of transparency and public safety.
While these are legitimate concerns worthy of public discussion, the conversation quickly veered into breed-specific territory, particularly targeting pit bulls. "There are very, very few things in life that make me nervous. Pit bulls make me nervous," Shearer admitted, before recounting the story of a dog named Zeus with a history of attacking people and other animals.
What was striking about this segment was what remained unsaid. Neither host nor guest substantively addressed the systemic issues in animal welfare: how economic inequality, housing instability, and lack of affordable veterinary care create conditions where pets are surrendered or abandoned. Instead, the conversation presented euthanasia as the primary solution, with Shearer noting that he'd received praise from PETA for his column – an organization notorious for its high euthanasia rates.
Interesting how discussions of "no-kill" policies bring out calls for "personal responsibility" from the same voices that refuse to support the social safety nets that would help pet owners keep their animals in the first place.
When challenged by local dog lovers in Facebook groups, Shearer dismissed their perspectives, suggesting they "already know what they think and you can't teach them anything else." This rejection of community input exemplifies the traditional conservative approach of dismissing lived experiences rather than engaging with diverse perspectives.
What could have been a nuanced exploration of animal welfare policy instead became another example of how complex community issues are flattened into simplistic narratives that align with pre-existing ideological positions.
Bhattacharya and Conspiracies: Selective Skepticism
Between interviews, DeSimone celebrated the Senate confirmation of Jay Bhattacharya as the new director of the National Institutes of Health, describing him as "a perfect example of the tyranny" faced by those who challenged mainstream COVID-19 policies.
Bhattacharya, a Stanford professor and co-author of the controversial Great Barrington Declaration, was portrayed as a martyr who had been "blackballed by the Biden administration, Fauci and all these other bastards" for advocating an approach that would have lifted lockdowns while purportedly protecting vulnerable populations.
DeSimone failed to mention that public health experts widely criticized the Great Barrington approach for potentially sacrificing vulnerable populations and that many of its premises were undercut by subsequent research. Instead, he claimed "900,000 public health and disease experts" had signed off on the declaration. This number includes non-verified signatories and bears little resemblance to the actual consensus among epidemiologists.
The irony was particularly thick given that earlier in the show, DeSimone had mocked believers in "chemtrails," joking about a bill in the state legislature. This cognitive dissonance – dismissing some conspiracy theories while embracing others that align with his political stance – exemplifies the selective skepticism that characterizes much of contemporary conservative media.
Fascinating how the same folks who demand rigorous evidence for climate change accept fringe COVID theories with open arms. It's almost as if their skepticism is politically motivated rather than evidence-based.
Mark Kadao: A Refreshing Business Voice
The show's tone shifted remarkably when Mark Kadao, owner of Tucson Games and Gadgets, joined the conversation. With four locations across Tucson, including a new outpost at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Kadao offered a refreshing perspective focused on community connection rather than division.
"I would say we are an entertainment destination for you," Kadao explained. “We have basically 50% of our locations as play space. We have thousands of games. You can come in and grab and just sit and play."
What was striking about Kadao's business philosophy was its emphasis on face-to-face interaction in an increasingly digital world. He described scenes where families gather to play games together: "You'll get a mother with her two kids that's happening to be passing by and they come in and then they set up [a game]... They're not really playing a full game, but they're just playing with the kids for 30 minutes and the kids are having fun, rolling a dice and laughing."
The conversation highlighted how his stores have become community hubs, with regular events like kids' Dungeons & Dragons sessions on Saturdays creating lasting friendships across the city. "You're getting to watch these kids grow up and they all friends and some are going to be going to college eventually. And it's pretty crazy to watch them grow like that," Kadao shared.
Unlike the divisive rhetoric that dominated earlier segments, Kadao's business model demonstrates how local entrepreneurs can build bridges within communities. His focus on creating welcoming spaces where diverse groups can gather and connect stands in stark contrast to the exclusionary politics advocated elsewhere in the program.
Now THIS is the Tucson I know and love – creative spaces where people connect across differences rather than retreating into ideological bubbles.
The conversation with Kadao also turned to the restaurant scene in Marana and Oro Valley, with both host and guest lamenting the lack of certain cuisines on the northwest side of town. This section offered genuine insights into local business development challenges, including the difficulty of attracting workers to suburban locations without reliable public transportation – a rare moment where systemic issues were acknowledged rather than dismissed.
Behind the Microphone, Beyond the Rhetoric
As today's episode of Wake Up Live faded to commercial, I found myself reflecting on the stark contrast between divisive rhetoric and community-building efforts showcased within the same three-hour program. While voices like DeSimone's work to divide our community along partisan lines with dehumanizing language about vulnerable populations, local entrepreneurs like Mark Kadao demonstrate how businesses can create spaces where diverse groups come together.
The juxtaposition raises important questions about media responsibility in our fractured discourse. When radio hosts use their platforms to mock solutions to homelessness without offering alternatives, denigrate the recently deceased, or promote selective conspiracy theories, they contribute to an atmosphere where compromise and collaborative problem-solving become increasingly difficult.
Yet the success of community-centered businesses like Tucson Games and Gadgets suggests that Tucsonans themselves are hungry for connection rather than division. Despite the discouraging rhetoric filling our airwaves, our city's spirit of diversity, creativity, and compassion continues to shine through in the everyday actions of community members working together for positive change.
From Critique to Action: Building the Tucson We Want
Rather than simply lamenting the state of local discourse, we can channel our energy into supporting businesses and organizations that create spaces for genuine community building. Visit your local game store, bookshop, or community center. Attend neighborhood meetings and advocate for evidence-based approaches to challenges like homelessness and animal welfare.
For those concerned about how homelessness is discussed in our community, organizations like Sister José Women's Center, Old Pueblo Community Services, and the Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness offer opportunities to volunteer and learn about humane, effective approaches.
If animal welfare is your passion, look beyond the polarized debate to organizations doing the hard work of addressing root causes – groups focusing on affordable veterinary care, spay/neuter programs, and foster networks that keep animals out of shelters in the first place.
Most importantly, we can commit to engaging with our neighbors as complex human beings rather than political caricatures. The real Tucson isn't found in inflammatory radio segments but in the countless daily interactions where people of different backgrounds and beliefs find common ground in their love for this unique desert community.
That resilience – not the divisive voices claiming to speak for us – represents the true heart of the Old Pueblo.
What do you think?
Has the tone of local media made it harder to have productive conversations about challenges like homelessness in our community? What spaces have you found in Tucson that successfully bring together diverse groups for positive interaction? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Have a scoop or a story you want us to follow up on? Send us a message!
Notable Quotes:
Absolutely shameful!