Friday's letters: DeSantis visits Jacksonville for campaign, not compassion

DeSantis’ Jacksonville visit hypocritical

If you don’t believe that Gov. Ron DeSantis is a hypocrite, then just look at his visit to Jacksonville on Aug. 27 after the fatal shooting of three innocent people by a racist.

This is the same governor who has systematically disenfranchised groups of people, remapped a district in Jacksonville to serve him better when voting and decimated the teaching of Black history in the schools. He is lucky that all he received were boos from the crowd.

More: You're not going to be president, Gov. DeSantis. But how about this great job offer?

His visit did not show empathy or compassion; his visit was strictly a campaign ad. DeSantis has no empathy or compassion for anyone unless you can relate his visit to “Power Over the People,” which should be his campaign motto.

Rainer O. Hentschel, Lakewood Ranch

U.S. has become a banana republic

With the fourth indictment of former President Donald Trump, we Americans just experienced another "Day of Infamy." This may be the day American justice died.

America has become a country for selected persecution for your thoughts, beliefs and religious values. We can no longer trust the FBI, CIA, Justice Department or any other federal agency.

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Writing this, I wonder if I may hear a knock on the door in the middle of the night because I dare to express thoughts different from those of the extreme liberals currently in power. We have become no better than a banana republic with our enemies drooling in anticipation of our destruction from within.

We are in a revolution I fear my country may not survive unless “we the people” come together and work to change the current path of destruction that some are following at any cost.

Thomas Paine said it best that “these are the times that try men’s souls” and “tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered.” But conquer it we must if this country is to be saved.

Roderick Smith, Sarasota

Opt out of PragerU indoctrination

My thanks to the nonpartisan League of Women Voters for its guest column Aug. 29, “PragerU’s fake propaganda doesn’t belong in Sarasota County schools,” informing parents that they can exercise their parental rights and opt out of this attempt to manipulate their children.

Dennis Prager, the namesake of PragerU, has clearly stated that his little cartoon videos are intended to indoctrinate. As a radio talk show host, Prager has also been an advocate for the pornography industry. He thinks that women should not be exposed to porn, but it can be a good thing for men.

This is the caliber of people that DeSantis and his government are using to corrupt public schools. Parents beware. You are empowered to write on your school Prior Written Notice/Parental Consent Form, “Do not expose my child to any PragerU products or material.”Dr. Michael Weddle, Venice

Do students read banned books?

The uproar over “pornographic” books and pictures in elementary school libraries is quite the irony.

Considering the alarm over how many kids apparently can’t read above the third-grade level (whatever that is), I’m wondering if anyone has looked at the school databases to see how many elementary children of any age have ever even checked out the banned books, much less read them.

There is something very wrong when only two people in the state can basically censure school media specialists, teachers, administrators and school boards over selection of library and classroom books statewide because of multiple frivolous objections.

Banned books: School Board requires parental consent to read anti-racism book

Given the national stats on current age of onset of puberty, child pregnancies and horrific child abuse cases, there is certainly a need for maturing kids to learn about natural human body processes as well as criminal abuses.

And when will people understand that sexual orientation is not a personal choice?

Jennifer G. Smith, Richmond, Virginia, retired Sarasota County school district administrator

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Flip-flop: Governor cares about Black people, at least in Jacksonville