Is Trump really displaying toughness in court? | Opinion

Tough enough?

In the May 1 letter, “Tough guy,” the writer noted that former President Donald Trump is coping as a criminal defendant, facing future criminal trials and dealing with the media in such a manner that the writer calls him “a tough and most resilient person.”

In contrast, the writer opined that President Joe Biden would be unable to handle it were he faced with the same stresses. Really?

Yes, Trump is coping. Is it because he shows up to court? Does sleeping in court constitute coping well? Is it because he doesn’t whine about his troubles?

Oh yeah, he does whine — constantly.

Let’s all remember that Biden coped with the sudden and tragic loss of his wife and 1-year-old daughter on the eve of his being sworn in as a U.S senator in 1972. And while serving his second term as vice president, Biden also suffered the loss of his 46-year-old son to cancer.

Biden didn’t whine and he didn’t blame; that’s tough and resilient.

Gary Kreisberg,

Pinecrest

South Dade debate

As Miami-Dade County Commissioner Danielle Cohen-Higgins rightly points out in her May 4 opinion piece in the Miami Herald, the residents of Cutler Bay, together with the county, did chart a course for progress in South Dade that included economic growth, innovative development, and most importantly, housing for residents in the area.

The Homeless Trust shares that vision and our proposal is designed to further it by adding 107 units of permanent housing not far from where another 4,500 units are planned as part of the Southland Mall redevelopment.

Our transit-oriented development will allow people, many of whom could work in the newly developed shops and restaurants across Caribbean Boulevard, to live in the community in which they work.

Senior citizens who are among those most impacted by Miami-Dade County’s rental housing crisis can enjoy a walkable community and the many amenities that are planned. Let’s not leave some out of this transformative project that should be welcoming to all.

Somehow affordable housing is now something to be feared and fought, and we can only conclude that is because the purchaser of the La Quinta hotel has the word “homeless” in its organization name. The negative stigmas must not be allowed to perpetuate.

The NIMBYism (not in my backyard) in Cutler Bay must end. The Homeless Trust has been doing the work of ending homelessness for 30 years, helping people less fortunate than ourselves.

We have 5,000 people in our care living successfully in permanent housing across the county without incident. We are grateful for Commissioner Cohen-Higgins’s deep respect and support for our organization. We respectfully ask that she allow us to help those in our care succeed.

Homelessness impacts all areas of Miami-Dade County – all municipalities and all commission districts. The solutions need to be comprehensive and countywide. The Homeless Trust wants to ensure any acquisition improves the area, is compatible with the surrounding redevelopment, and enhances the quality of life for all.

The economic boom that is expected to result from the Southland Mall redevelopment project will make an investment in the La Quinta a good one for the Homeless Trust, those it serves, and taxpayers.

Ron Book,

Chair, Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust

Playhouse of cards

Re: Mike Rosenberg’s May 3 op-ed, “Miami theater needs Coconut Grove playhouse.” Rosenberg is not part of the solution, he is part of the problem. Opposition to the county plan will eventually result in the collapse of this historic structure.

Stuart Blumberg,

North Bay Village

Alternate responses

Former President Donald Trump excoriates the “Kangaroo Court” deciding whether payments to Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels constituted election interference. Meanwhile, “gagged” Trump has acolytes on every panel proffered by CNN and MSNBC.

If the press were truly fair, guests on such news shows would represent Daniels, McDougal and Michael Cohen. Deprecating Trump’s critics is a miscarriage of justice.

James L. Wilson,

Plantation

Stage fall?

While I appreciate Mike Rosenberg’s impassioned May 3 op-ed, “Miami theater needs Coconut Grove playhouse,” I am disappointed that among his list of theater choices in the Greater Miami area, he blatantly omits GableStage, the approved theater-in-residence of the Coconut Grove Playhouse, at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.

GableStage has been the recipient of 64 prestigious Carbonell Awards for theater excellence and its recent production of “The Lehman Trilogy” was reviewed by critics as one of the best productions of the play anywhere.

Susan R. Jay,

Miami

Faulty premise

Re: Andres Oppenheimer’s May 2 opinion column, “‘Anti-Zionism’ is no different than antisemitism.” Zionism is a complicated term with many facets hinged to the support of Israel.

An American citizen can and should promote religious and cultural freedom, yet can become an anti-Zionist when witnessing American Jews who support Israel at all costs over the United States.

While we should be considerate of the welfare and needs of other countries and peoples, our national interest should always come first. Unfortunately, one can dissect and analyze the semantics and the labeling at will, but the killing of 34,000 people, “half of them civilians,” is very sad, indeed.

While there is no easy solution, I put my trust in President Biden to lead in a positive direction that serves the complex national interests of our country.

Don Deresz,

Miami

Case in point

In the May 1 letter, “Tough guy,” the writer praises former President Donald Trump as “resilient” for being able to juggle all of his high-stress issues while maintaining his composure.

Falling asleep in the courtroom and being held in contempt of court for insulting the judge and other court staffers on social media screams of many other descriptive adjectives rather than resilient.

The writer stated that President Joe Biden would be unable to deal with this type of stress. That comparison is laughable and totally misses the point. Biden is not on trial for multiple civil and criminal offenses.

Any presidential candidate competent to serve should never be on trial for such a multitude of crimes.

Marcy Russillo,

West Kendall

Building empathy

The May 2 full page paid ad in the Miami Herald, “Bringing hate to anyone. Brings more hate to everyone,” by Robert Kraft, founder of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, is a heroic open letter that should serve all. Each paragraph contains the true knowledge that each protesting college student should be able to acquire at each university campus but unfortunately does not.

Teach more tolerance — a willingness to accept feelings, habits or beliefs that are different from your own — as opposed to hate, which is a negative emotional aversion that leads to violence.

Sylvia Viyella,

Coral Gables

Protecting women

The proposed constitutional Amendment 4 would allow abortions up to about 24 weeks just as Florida law had until Gov. DeSantis enacted a 15-week ban in April 2022. As of May 1, 2024, DeSantis’ six-week abortion ban became law. At six weeks, women and girls often don’t know they are pregnant.

As history proves, people will continue to need abortion access. Desperation leads to unsafe back-alley solutions. I am a senior, so I remember reading about those horror stories more than 50 years ago. The young might not appreciate the pain and harm women and girls suffered before safe choices became available for such difficult, personal decisions.

Books such as “Looking for Jane” and “The Lost Child of Philomena Lee” reminds us of the other side of the story, when women were forced to deliver and often forced to give up for adoption babies they wanted to keep, just because of other people’s religious views.

If you support the concept of “less government,” then vote yes on Amendment 4 on Nov. 5. End the six-week ban and allow our fellow citizens to make decisions about their own bodies without government interference.

Candy Banks,

Jupiter

I got you, babe

When my daughter was born 71 years ago, our pediatrician told us not to use baby powder because “it might cause powder pneumonia.” He was was an old-fashioned doctor. He came to the house, sat down, had a cup of tea, then checked the baby.

Now, so many years later, I hear about chemicals in baby powder causing certain cancers.

Was my pediatrician clairvoyant or just a good doctor?

Bunny Shey,

Pembroke Pines

Election cure-all

The most favorable thing that happened recently to support former President Donald Trump’s re-election is when President Joe Biden was endorsed by Vice President Kamala Harris during a recent TV interview with Drew Barrymore.

Gilbert Schwartz,

Aventura