Brightline danger; DeSantis, Trump & Florida abyss; 2020 election cases | Letters, Feb. 1

Brightline lives, folks die, by rules, regardless of safety

There have been some very astute letters to the editor lately about the death trains. The reason they are fencing the Brightline stretch from Cocoa Beach to the Orlando airport is because federal regulations for trains going 125 mph require it.

The trains ripping through our communities at 110 mph? There's no fencing required, and they can cross streets at grade or street level. In fact, there are currently NO trains in the United States going 110 mph crossing streets at grade, unfenced, through populated areas. This will be the first.

And to answer another letter: The state didn’t “approve” the trains on this route and no one “voted for it.” The corporation owning the FEC freight rail system said, “we own the land and tracks, we can do what we want,” and it did. Although two earlier studies said the coastal route was bad for high-speed rail (trains going 125 mph), the corporation dropped to 110 mph to build on the cheap, while doubling its freight capacity.

A Legislature-funded study in 2018 found the Florida Department of Transportation regulates the system, not the Federal Railroad Administration, and the state had no regulations for trains going over 79 mph. Isn’t it about time our elected officials from our cities, counties and Legislature demand FDOT explain how they are going to make 36 trains per day going 110 mph crossing 150 streets at grade with open tracks SAFE?

With 76 deaths already on the Brightline tracks at 79 mph and the infamous designation as the deadliest system in the nation, our coastal communities are in real peril when they go 30 mph faster. As one letter writer said: Speed kills! And it will!

Susan Mehiel, Vero Beach

Unenlightened can lead Florida into abyss

From where I sit, I find all this talk about wokeness confusing ... and disturbing.

To me, it sounds like woke equates with enlightened, and I thought enlightenment was a good thing. So why fight it? Why muzzle all the teachers at all levels in our communities?

I'm old enough to still believe that to be a liberal thinker is to be open minded, and being open minded leads to enlightenment. Unfortunately it seems like we are headed for a return to the dark ages rather than to a new age of reason.

If Gov. Ron DeSantis has a soul, I urge him to pray for it. But if, as I suspect, he has already sold his soul, he might as well just keep doing what he's doing: destroying the great state of Florida one Draconian law at a time. I just hope someone will be around who will be brave enough to stop the slide into the abyss.

Wake up, people, before it's too late.

Julie Eisdorfer, Vero Beach

DeSantis acts like Trump on Warren ruling

A judge ruled that Gov. Ron DeSantis suspending the ELECTED state attorney was UNCONSTITUTIONAL, but there is no mechanism for the judge to reinstate him.

In Trumpian fashion, a DeSantis spokesperson declared: "Today, Judge (Robert) Hinkle upheld Gov. DeSantis' decision to suspend Andrew Warren from office for neglect of duty and negligence.” The governors press office put out a release that was major spin.

That’s not what the judge said at all; the judge ruled it unconstitutional, just like DeSantis drawing the congressional maps and spending $12 million of taxpayer money to pick up illegal immigrants in Texas.

While some people rejoice, the governor walks all over the Constitution.

Don Whisman, Stuart

2020 election challenges tossed not for lack of evidence

Your newspaper published a front-page story Jan. 6 that repeats the canard that Donald Trump and his minions sought to overturn the 2020 election results “that had been verified as accurate and ruled lawful in scoresof court challengers.” This conclusion is misleading.The American Bar Association has published a summary of all ofthe legal “challengers” to the 2020 election. You can find it at tinyurl.com/abalist1The list contains 67 cases, and the challengers lost every case.

But HOW did they lose? Some of the cases were filed PRIOR to the election (procedural issues over mail-in ballots, etc.) and these were summarily dismissed. If there is a problem, the courts opined, file your case AFTER the election.

Conversely, several cases filed after the election were dismissed by asserting that the challengers should have filed BEFORE the election (!) if they were aware of serious problems.Some cases questioned state certification of the election; the courts said that they could not constitutionally interfere with state certification. Scores of cases were simply dismissed for “lack of standing.”

In an important case filed by the state of Texas against Pennsylvania (and several other states), Texas alleged “votingirregularities as a result of lack of proper ballot-integrity protections.” The Supreme Court simply denied the motion and held that “Texas lacked standing under Article 3 of the Constitution.” The substantive issues were never debated.Procedural issues and not any lack of evidence doomed the majority of the legal challenges to the 2002 election. To my knowledge, not one evidentiary hearing was ever permitted in any of these cases.Dom Armentano, Vero Beach

AP African-American class controversy sign of fear

Re: The story Jan. 21 about the Florida Department of Education rejecting the AP African-American Studies course.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Stop WOKE Act makes it against the law for the Department of Education to allow an AP course on African-American studies. The department’s Office of Articulation stated the class is “inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.”

That hurt my head!

“Lacks educational value …” implies there is nothing we can learn from anything African Americans have contributed to our society in all the years since slave traders took them from Africa and forced them into labor. That part of their history does not need to be taught in any class. Everyone knows how awful that time was for their ancestors.

The article goes on to state that the curriculum of this AP course would cover “literature, the arts and humanities, political science, geography, and science ... ” which could educate our students about contributions and experiences of African Americans.

Wouldn’t a course like that benefit all students, so they could all learn a more positive history of African Americans in our country? Couldn’t it instill pride in our African-American students, who learn only about the oppression and racism that still exists today?

There could be a positive way to teach African-American history. What is anyone afraid of? The article goes on to address the “Don’t Say Gay” Parental Rights in Education law; another show of fear and ignorance.

Carol Grube, Stuart

Simple solution to end school shooting danger

With all the school shootings the past few years, it never ceases to amaze me that our elected officials, both on and off the school boards, have not taken the most reasonable solution to protect our students. A simple wood door with an interior Kevlar panel and bulletproof glass seems to be that reasonable solution, since most shootings occur inside the classroom. Make the door lock when closed and the students are safe.

I, a civilian, can buy a sheet of Kevlar sufficient to stop an AK-47 for under $250. I can only assume a school district could get one for less in quantity. Add $200 for bulletproof glass and the right lock for protection.

So please, elected officials, tell me how many children have to die before you do the right thing? 10? 100? I understand budget restraints, but why let them die?

Edward Marasi, Port St. Lucie

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Brightline danger; DeSantis & Florida abyss; 2020 election | Letters