Germans 'got it right' on history; why do we need a fake lagoon? Letters, Oct. 30, 2022

Flag policy at national cemetery deserves update

As a regular visitor to the Cape Canaveral National Cemetery in Mims, I an always impressed and awed by the peace and beauty that make up its acres. Headstones placed with such precision that when you look at any stone from ground level, the stones behind are invisible they are so perfectly aligned.

However, in recent days a change has taken place that affects the placement of small flags next to a headstone. When my wife Donna became part of the cemetery, we placed a flag next to our stone and it remained there for months until I replaced it as it faded. Now, rules indicate that flags placed on grave sites are to be removed every Thursday and taken to the maintenance shed, where they can be picked up by families and replaced on the site. The problem is that many of us can only get to Mims on weekends when the maintenance shed is closed as is the office, so there is no chance to recover the flag.

Now, when you visit this beautiful resting place for the nation’s finest, there are virtually no flags visible, I believe that is really sad. That flag is there to celebrate the service of one who lies beneath the stone, a comfort today as it was in life. And unfortunately, there is no notice indicating this change in policy anywhere at the cemetery office building.

I have discussed this with management, but the rule still stands. Maybe one or more of the veteran’s groups can discuss the policy with management to arrive at a solution.

Robert L Willett, Rockledge 

Co-existing with nature: We can do this

Extending the EELs program isn’t just about land. It’s about much more.

Take the Florida scrub jay. At a maximum of 3.3 ounces, how can it possibly matter up against arguments about land use? On the other hand, its been around for two million years. That sort of longevity bespeaks a reason.

Poets and theologians have commented about the inter-connectivity of man. English poet John Donne wrote that “…no man is an island, entire of itself…”  Dr. Martin Luther King wrote: “In a real sense all life is inter-related …”

John Donne and Dr. King spoke of man. Yet, their philosophies extend to the animal kingdom in very real senses. If we lose an animal, lose a wee bird that few ever see and even fewer care about, what does it matter? They matter because of their inter-connectivity to the ecosystems in which they live.  The ecosystems we live in, benefit from, survive in.

We must strike a good balance between land use and animal survival, neither to the detriment of the other.

It matters.

Steven T. Smith, Indian Harbour Beach

Fake lagoon in land of real beaches? Get real

We're done, finished, as a society, as humankind, everything. How stupid, asinine, and completely, utterly nonsensical. One of the truest and most telling points in the devolution of all things sensible. A true tribute to the loss of intelligence in the ever-increasing reach for profits and taxable revenue for the government. In which the lines of separation seem to be blurring daily.

With 72 miles of some of the best beaches in the state, this is what it comes down to: Five miles away from said beaches, let's build a fake lagoon — read, "Dig a big hole and fill it with water, build a fake beach around it, add some umbrellas and a couple tiki bars, and give it a fancy name. Then we'll build some commercial buildings and some upscale condos all around it so the developer can make some money and the tax revenue flows freely."

Seems to me that not too long ago there was a proposal to use some other property across from the airport to expand services for the homeless and families in need of assistance. Maybe the powers that be could convert a tiki bar or two into shelters and food banks. Nope — no money in that and it makes too much sense.

Jay Post, Indialantic

Thanks to all who spoke up on Cocoa zoning issue

To update everyone who read my recent letter on the potential changing of the zoning at Indian River Drive and Dixon Boulevard in Cocoa: I guess you want to know what happened.

I am glad and thankful that the city council voted 3-to-2 to leave the zoning as it is: low density. We had some real heroes step forward with very important facts that they tirelessly researched and presented with such grace and honesty that they managed to sway three of the council ( the mayor, the assistant mayor and our only female council person) to vote to save Indian River Drive and Dixon Boulevard from multi-family or moderate density housing. The wetlands there are just not suitable for homes. The surge that we got at that location as hurricane Ian passed with only 8” of rain was evidence to that opinion.

Everyone who spoke, 15 or more, were articulate and impassioned over this issue. Now you can walk, bicycle, or ride in that area to our wonderful village and enjoy the view of the river and the destination of our very special downtown. No condos, no apartments, just river and lovely homes. Thanks to all for that privilege.

Sarah Callahan, Cocoa

Golden Rule: still a trusted guideline

“We The People.” To say these words is nothing. To mean these words is everything.

There is no enemy in "we." The ideals of the Constitution of the United States of America are rooted in the idea of unity. That which nourishes the roots of unity nourishes the ideals of this country. Anything else destroys it.

If this resonates with you, then, on any issue, you can ask a simple question to clarify your choice:

"Does this nourish the roots of unity?" The answer is inside of you. It is what makes you a human, being human.

Why does history repeat itself? Could it be, like education, we repeat a course because we simply fail to learn the content?

“In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” How simple and how true. In my opinion, The Golden Rule is not just about compassion or empathy. It is the strong and solid gold standard of human behavior. Its purpose is to guide choice to nourish the roots of unity. When we courageously demonstrate it, we all win.

Division destroys and history repeats itself, again. Could we Americans trust in our unity for just an instant? The ideals of the U.S. Constitution are not a mistake.  The Golden Rule resides in all of us. There is no problem we cannot solve, together. We learn or we fail together. The choice is ours.

“We The People.” Do we just say these words, or do we mean them?

Jeannie Gaydan, Cape Canaveral

What point do local GOP members want to make?

I am struggling to understand the purpose of the recent letter to the editor titled “Our freedoms: Is it really that simple?” and the point that the members of the Brevard Republican Executive Committee are trying to make.

In my opinion, their statements are vague and generalized, and they don’t site any examples of the issues and problems that they are attempting to address.

It would be helpful to me if they would provide specific, concrete examples of the issues and problems that they are trying to solve, and the solutions that they would propose to solve them. That is what we need from our leaders.

Neils Poulsen,  Cocoa Beach

Biden administration has wrecked economy

I had to shake my head in disbelief as I read a letter to the editor from Seeta Durjan Esmailbegui,

What is “temporary inflation?” Why would Republicans have less of a chance of fixing this? Joe Biden’s executive orders have caused this.

When we became energy dependent, prices began to rise steadily, and the domino effect gets worse daily.

This administration has wrecked our economy. The border is an absolute travesty. To say our border is closed is an outright lie. Millions have come here illegally since Biden took office. How often is this covered by media outlets?

China is mass producing fentanyl that is smuggled across our border. We are losing thousands of young Americans to fentanyl daily.

Crime is increasing every day in Democrat-controlled cities who knowingly let repeat violent offenders go with no bond. Republicans kept schools open during the pandemic.  What happened in Democrat-run cities and states should be remembered in the voting booth. I will never vote for the destructive policies of the Democratic Party.

Judy Shattuck, Viera

'The Germans got it right' on history

I have visited the notorious concentration camp at Auschwitz, Poland (under German government during the war), where 1.5 million Jews were killed during WWII. There had been German doctors at the camp, not to treat the prisoners, but simply to determine which of them were strong and healthy enough to work in Hitler's munitions factories nearby, the others (mostly women and children) were immediately scheduled for the gas chambers.

The Germans got it right. After losing the war, they could have removed all references to Hitler's "Final Solution" for Jews from their books, and bulldozed the wartime internment camps. Instead, they opened the camps to visits from the public, both German and foreign, so that all could see and remember what had happened there, and resolve "never again." The effect was cathartic for the Germans, and their history since World War II is one that they can be proud of, one of responsible, representative government, with all facets of their society participating.

Contrast that to the U.S., where anyone referring to some of the uglier chapters of our history is termed "woke," and laws are made to prohibit the teaching of these issues, lest they make someone feel upset or guilty upon learning about them.

I say that if you don't know about the Tulsa Massacre of 1921, the internment of Japanese citizens during World War II, or what happened at the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama, your knowledge of American history is incomplete, and "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

You can call knowledge "woke" or anything else you want, but the only way to improve the future is to resolve to do better than we have done in the past. The Germans got it right.

Robert Palmquist, Palm Bay

Diesel shortage doesn't bode well

Diesel fuel is critical to moving products around the country.

According to an article in The Epoch Times, "The United States is down to 25 days of diesel supply as a top White House official declared the stockpile levels to be 'unacceptably low.'"

Data provided by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) show that diesel stockpiles are at their lowest level for October in records that date to 1993, according to a Bloomberg News analysis. EIA data show that the United States, as of Oct. 14, has 25.4 days of supply — down from 34.2 days of supply four weeks prior.

How is this not aiding and abetting our enemies?

Ilene Davis, Cocoa

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Why build fake lagoon in land of real beaches? Letters, Oct. 22, 2022