Gopher tortoise plight a stain on development
I used to think that Big Pharma represented the worst of the worst in terms of greed without a drop of compassion or morality but now I see that developers are hot on their tail. The Post’s continuing coverage of the plight of gopher tortoises is just heartbreaking. I had to stop reading a mere few sentences in when it stated developers Pulte Group paid a nominal fine for destroying 22 burrows, asphyxiating the animals and cutting others in half with machinery. I will never understand how the people who knowingly make these decisions can justify environmental destruction, animal torture and death for the sake of profit. There is no going back. Soon there will no longer be any burrows to annihilate.
Gigi Beach, West Palm Beach
D.C. protests don't compare to Jan. 6
Guest columnist Fred Fiske's Sunday column is wrong. There is absolutely no comparison, nor equivalency, of the Jan. 6 violent insurrection at the Capitol, with Black Lives Matter, Vietnam, or the civil rights movement. I am surprised at his memory and eye witness account of the May 3, 1971 May Day Demonstration. Of course, there was law enforcement “everywhere.” That goes with any public protest. But, as the photograph shows, this was a “sit-down” demonstration. Not climbing walls, breaking barricades doors and windows, injuring 140 police officers and five deaths, and certainly not physically threatening Congress and stealing their property. No, this was not at all the same type of protest. This violent protest stands alone and troubling in American History.
In addition, there is no way that Black Lives Matter leaders would ever think about bombarding the Capitol. They understand that would be a “death march” and would not satisfy their peaceful goal. That is why whether civil rights, human rights, poor people, or Black Lives Matter, the marches always stay true to the goal. That is to change the system in a non-violent manner. Thank you Rev. Dr. King, Jr. for the strategy.
William “Bill” Nix, Delray Beach
Capitol riot a bad opening act
Guest columnist Fred Fiske posits that the Jan. 6 insurrectionists are to be compared to Black Lives Matter and Vietnam War protesters. He concludes by stating, "The Capitol invasion was a disturbing, costly sideshow." One is left to wonder what the main event will look like.
Stan Hastey, West Palm Beach
Vote by mail issue should've been prevented
I was more than a little bit bemused by attorney Esther Zaretsky’s letter detailing her and her husband’s vote by mail signature validation difficulties and vote-by-mail cure affidavit issues. My understanding of vote by mail is it was originally implemented to enable deployed service members, the aged and infirm, and those unavoidably away from home, say on business, to cast a ballot.
Lately it has been used increasingly, I fear, by lazybones who could easily go to the polls. Also, signature validation certainly is somewhat of an inexact science, which in addition surely must impose an increasing staffing burden on supervisor of election personnel. What seemed ironic was her statement about rushing to the voting precinct to vote in person and "... was disenfranchised.” Maybe she could have just done that to begin with? Also, I do hope her suspicion that voting fraud occurred is unfounded.
John B. Harvie, Lake Worth
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Rampant development killing Florida's Gopher tortoises
