Contact Butch

L.S. “Butch” Mazzuca
Columnist, Photographer

7590 E Rudasill Rd
Tucson, AZ 85750

Direct: 303-882-5588
bmazz68@icloud.com

Butch’s Commentaries

Based on the emails he receives, Butch’s commentaries are read by people across the U.S., Europe, and even as far as Shanghai, China. He aims to share ideas and opinions that encourage readers to see things from a slightly different perspective.

Highlights from his observations

On relationships

“In many cases, the best ‘present’ a man can give to a woman is just to ‘be present.’ And ‘being present’ doesn’t mean being there physically—it means being emotionally present.”

On the history of marriage

“In the 14th and 15th centuries, people married in June because they took their yearly bath in May; however, they were starting to smell just a tad, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.”

On customer service

“When it comes to customer satisfaction, there are two maxims: First, the customer defines quality, and second, quality, service, price—the customer wants at least two.”

On what schools don’t teach our kids—but should

  • Positive attitude
  • Belief in one’s individual importance
  • Making wise choices
  • Positive habit building
  • Creative thinking
  • Persistence

On geopolitics

“The World Court does not have a clear mission, it is not underpinned by any particular body of law (as the U.S. Criminal Justice System is), and three fourths of the nations endorsing the court do not subscribe to trial by jury—so just how prudent would it be for the U.S. to become a member?”

Visit the archives at www.vaildaily.com to see more commentaries.

Columnist | Writer | Author

Butch’s writing career began with a screenplay, later adapted into a cheeky “singles” book: From the First Date to the Bedroom: The Single Man’s Official Guide to Success With Women.

Background

  • Born and raised in Chicago, IL
  • Graduated from the University of Dayton and the University of Michigan School of Advanced Business Methods
  • Commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps
  • Carrier-qualified Naval Aviator, including a tour in Vietnam with over 400 combat missions
  • Twice recipient of the “Outstanding Young Men of America” award
  • Area President of a regional office of an international insurance brokerage firm
  • Chaired numerous professional boards; actively fundraised for The American Heart Association, The Children’s Hospital Foundation, and appeared on local Denver TV for Muscular Dystrophy fundraising
  • Insurance consultant to businesses in Chicago, Denver, and the Bay Area
  • Winner of the 2019 Colorado Press Association Award for ‘Best Serious Column Writing’

Recent Commentaries

Closing the Loop

For as long as I can remember, communication had built-in closure.  A verbal acknowledgment.  A letter answered.  A phone call returned.   And every face-to-face comment earned, at minimum, a nod.  There was an endpoint—a signal that the message had been received and...

It’s Not Just About Pajamas

Walk through any airport today and you’ll see pajama bottoms, sweatpants, and slippers.  And it’s not just younger travelers.  It seems as if comfort has become the default uniform of public life in America That’s not to suggest we return to the 1940s and ’50s, when...

When Belief Overrides Logic

To understand what we may be facing in the Middle East today, it helps to revisit a moment when fanaticism and power collided in 1945. By mid-1945, the United States was preparing for a full-scale invasion of the Japanese home islands.  Japan was already reeling—its...

Two Things Can be True at the Same Time

In today’s post I’m going to pick up where I left off yesterday to bring context as to how we got to this point with the Iranian regime. Controversy is always attendant to military engagement and the current war with Iran is no exception.  However, there is a pattern...

When Doctrine Ends, Vacuums Begin

During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, President John F. Kennedy informed the nation and the world he had imposed a naval “quarantine” around Cuba, signaling the United States would not tolerate the Soviet Union’s “offensive military buildup” in the Western...

When Does a Threat Become Imminent?

There has been a lot of accusations from democrats in Congress whether the Iranian regime actually posed an “imminent threat” to the United States.  So, I thought we might examine the word imminent from the dictionary’s perspective versus what it means in the context...

Was Attacking Iran the Right Call?

Last week I wrote that Donald Trump didn’t start the current conflict in the Middle East.  He’s just the first American president who believed we could not kick the can down road any longer without posing grave risks to the United States and the world.  I also wrote...

The ABCs of the Iranian Conflict

Today I want to share a few thoughts about the current hostilities in the Middle East... A)The United States has been involved in more than 150-armed conflicts since our nation’s founding.  However, the United States Congress has only declared war in five (5) of those...

Questions for Democrats

One of the things I miss most about writing commentary for a public newspaper is reading the letters to the editor in response to one of my political opinion pieces.  Unfortunately, this website doesn’t allow for responses, but today I’m going ask a few questions in...