Hillsdale offers a welcome change from stale leftist views - and New College does, too

Newsletter conservative, not 'extreme'

In the Nov. 9 paper, a letter writer opined against Hillsdale College being a model for New College of Florida.

I became interested in Hillsdale several years ago by reading its free newsletter, Imprimus. It provided me the opportunity to read viewpoints from distinguished individuals. Opinions from Margaret Thatcher, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Bjorn Lomborg and Charles Krauthammer.

Are they and other conservative contributors to be considered the “greatest hits of the extreme right wing,” as the letter writer describes them? I beg to differ.

Imprimus offers its readers opinions that differ from radical leftists. Imprimus offers an alternative to the leftist writing in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle.

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The writer worries that New College may not achieve the status of “our previously highly ranked local institution.” US News & World Report ranks New College of Florida the No. 6 public liberal arts college in the nation. Not a bad start.

Ed Manning, Lakewood Ranch

Mind your own (bathroom) business

Full disclosure: I use bathrooms, have for over 70 years.

I have used them in my home, in public places, rest stops along our highways and byways, free and paid, even the floor toilets in China.

So I feel I can say with some authority that everyone has to use the bathroom.

To even consider fining, citing or taking away a person’s job for using a facility that may not align with his or her gender has to be the peak of absurdity or the absolute best example of a fabricated First World problem.

I have read the threats made against the transgender community, but not one threat by them.

My advice: Keep your hands out of my pants, and everyone else’s.

Mary Lynn Endter, Sarasota

One teammate missed boat, the other died

Chris Anderson’s column honoring the anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy stirs memories of my own connection. My best friend and teammate at Wilmington College (Ohio), Paul Ripa, dropped out with another teammate, Lenny Cifelli, to work on the taconite ore carriers on the Great Lakes.

Paul was a fullback and full of muscle. We dated two girls who were roommates, so we were very close. Paul and Lenny were hired as crew on the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Ore carriers at the time had a crew of 30 but, as fate would have it, Lenny got really drunk in Duluth and missed the boat. This is why 29 men – and not 30 – died on that fateful night.

May God rest their immortal souls.

David C. Strout, Nokomis

Moms no longer fooling voters

Abraham Lincoln supposedly said, “You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you can’t fool all the people all of the time.”

Now that the Moms for Liberty agenda has been revealed for what it really is, people are rejecting it by overwhelming majorities. Co-founder Tiffany Justice tried to put a bright side on the losses by saying that they had “365 people elected over the past 2 years.”

My guess is that many of those who remain in office have not come up for reelection and will share the same fate as this year’s losers. Most Americans do not share these extreme right-wing viewpoints and will continue to vote them out.

Paul Weiner, Sarasota

Free hostages before considering cease-fire

On Nov. 13, guest columnist Rami Nashashibi asked “the world” for a cease-fire in Gaza (“I asked Biden for cease-fire in Gaza – now the world is asking with me”).

Nashashibi neglected (or forgot) the reason the Gazans are suffering. On Oct. 7, Hamas, which rules Gaza, attacked Israel. Over 1,200 innocent civilians were killed and about 240 people taken hostage.

Israelis who were just living their lives were murdered, raped and mutilated. What would any country do when attacked by barbarism?

Hamas controls all aspects of the Gazans’ life. Of course, Hamas knew how Israel would retaliate.

Why do you think Hamas cares about its people? Gaza’s mission is to destroy Israel; if its own people are harmed or killed in the inevitable attack by Israel, no matter.

Mr. Nashashibi, what about the 240 people kidnapped by Hamas? Should the world just forget about them? Your one-sided compassion for the Palestinians does not ring true.

Carol Shatoff, Lakewood Ranch

Give peace a chance

There can be world peace when all races, religions and nations step away from their ideology, biases and teachings.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono wrote of this awakening. Too bad we are unable to even begin to believe this is possible.

Just imagine and don’t give up hope.

Marc Pegram, Sarasota

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: New College shouldn't be afraid to emulate New College