Friday's voters: No CRT to ban, no cigarettes or cigars, Jan. 6 hearings for show, more

Set record straight: No CRT in schools

I have waited far too long for school boards, administrators and teachers, as well as this newspaper, to state clearly and without ambiguity, that critical race theory is not being taught in local schools or any public K-12 schools in the country!

In the July 17 paper, a photo ran on the Opinion page of a man berating the Sarasota County School Board. According to the caption, residents at the meeting spoke for and against critical race theory and wearing masks in school.

Every time a reference is made to CRT, a notation that it is not being taught in schools should follow. By omitting this information, more people are under the false impression that CRT is being taught in our schools.

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Likewise, board members must make that point every time CRT is angrily hurled at them in meetings. In so doing, I’m guessing we would get to the real objection, that slavery, Jim Crow, the Ku Klux Klan, lynchings, redlining, etc., are being taught (or darn well should be!).

None of this is CRT. It is part of our history and it needs to be taught. Funny, as a white kid, I learned all this in school and never felt the least bit defensive or, to use the governor’s word, “uncomfortable.” I felt horror and repulsion. Still do.

Gary Muzio, Punta Gorda

Exemption for cigar smoking nonsensical

Sarasota Mayor Erik Arroyo said, when speaking about the new law that allows cigarette smoking to be banned on Florida beaches, that in his experience cigarettes are more often found on the beaches than cigars, which makes it reasonable for the law to distinguish between the two (“Local governments respond to new beach smoking law,” July 16).

Is he really serious? So since there are fewer cigars on the beach, that’s OK?

So let’s ban 7-Eleven cups on the beach since there are more of them than cups from Wawa. That would be another good idea.

The new law allows local governments to ban cigarette smoking on the beach, but not cigar smoking.

What the mayor fails to mention in his absolutely ridiculous comment was that the state of Florida got a huge donation from the cigar industry before the bill was put to a vote.

Arnie Moschin, Sarasota

Democrats use Jan. 6 hearings as cover

The Democratic Party show trial that purports to “investigate” Republicans for protests at the Capitol on Jan. 6 is nothing more than a sad attempt to distract from the various failures of the Democratic Party and the president that the party pushed over the finish line.

The mock seriousness of the committee is an obvious cover to the show trial aspects of this production (which actually has a TV producer).

Any fair trial has a prosecutor and a defense. But during the committee meetings, no defense is allowed – and no cross-examination takes place.

The participants were all hand-selected by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who refused the Republican members submitted by the House Republicans.

When the country has actual problems – such as inflation, excess spending by the Democrats, a fuel crisis brought on by the green policies of the Biden administration and civil disorder in Democratic cities ­–Democrats try to distract with a maniacal energy and laughable self-righteousness.

We should focus on the real problems of the country, not a contrived Democratic production designed to hide the truth of governmental failure.

Anthony S. Lefco, Siesta Key

Independents will play part in primary

Did you know that a whopping 28% of Sarasota County voters are registered as independent?

These voters are not accustomed to being allowed to vote in a primary election because Florida is a closed primary state, but the primary Aug. 23 is not your usual primary. This primary election is extraordinary because it includes nonpartisan races like the School Board and, most unusual, our state Senate.

All voters, regardless of party affiliation, may vote in these contests.

Indeed, there will be no state Senate seat or School Board races on November ballots in Sarasota County because the winners will be chosen in August.

I’m concerned that our independent voters will find out Aug. 24 that their state senator and School Board member elections already happened, and they had no clue!

State Sen. Joe Gruters attempted this year to get a bill passed to make School Board elections partisan, thus prohibiting the participation of independent voters. But the bill died at the Senate committee level.

Gov. Ron DeSantis last month endorsed two School Board candidates known to favor right-wing extremist views, thereby making the nonpartisan election partisan.

Voters approved keeping school boards nonpartisan 24 years ago and this ruling still stands, but our governor acts as if that never happened.

Rita Hummel, Sarasota

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Repeat after me: No CRT in public schools; no cigarettes or cigars