Letters to the Editor: June 23, 2022

Put aside our differences: We need to be able to protect our families

More than ever we need to protect our families from horrific crimes.

Marjorie Taylor Greene recently told a story of when she was a sophomore in high school and a crazed gunman intent on killing people entered her classroom. She was lucky that this gunman was talked down. She feels that if there were more “good guys” with legal guns they could protect kids in schools. Because of the 1990 gun-free school zone act, people bent on murder find schools an easy target.

Actor Jon Voight, on May 29, posted on Facebook his heartbreak for all families that lost their innocent precious children and for teachers killed in Uvalde, Texas. He titled the post, “Put aside our differences.” He went on to say “We must not allow mental illness to take away our right to bear arms. It’s not about left-right, guns or no guns, this is about brains that are dysfunctioning.”

In places like Chicago that have the most strict gun laws, gun crimes continue to skyrocket.

With open borders, illegal guns are flowing freely into our country. Violent gangs use these illegal guns. Gun control will never stop bad characters from obtaining illegal guns.

We should have learned after 9/11 that planes weren’t responsible for killing more than 3,000 people. In Waukesha, Wisconsin, a deranged driver used his SUV to plow through a Christmas parade, killing at least five people. We never blamed his SUV. Every summer holiday, drunk or drug-using boat owners kill people. We do not blame the boats.

As we continue to pray for all those families grieving their losses in Uvalde, let’s not allow our administration to politicize this event to push gun control and take away our freedom to bear arms.

Janet Wenz, Palm City

More: Letters to the Editor: June 22, 2022

The longest day of the year is also World Humanist Day

Did you know that World Humanist Day is June 21? Most people don’t.

In the 1990s, the American Humanist Association and Humanists International agreed to declare June 21, the longest day of the year, as World Humanist Day, a day to educate others about the core values of Humanism.

The American Humanist Association defines Humanism as a “progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.”

Humanists who feel more comfortable with religious language and rituals join religious Humanist organizations, while others like myself are secular Humanists. It’s important to underscore that secular means not religious. It does not mean anti-religious. In fact, secular Humanists, religious Humanists and the traditionally religious often join forces to promote social policies that end discrimination based upon race, religion, nationality, socioeconomic status, gender and sexual orientation. Instead, we promote policies based upon compassion guided by reason for all those sharing our planet. Humanists also believe that government should be neutral on religious matters and treat all religions equally.

Humanists support policies that improve people’s lives and are willing to change their stance on an issue if experience shows us that the policy in question hurts rather than helps humanity and our environment.

One can learn more about Humanist values by googling Humanist Manifesto 3, or the Affirmations of Humanism by Paul Kurtz, Ph.D. These references don’t dictate what Humanists must believe but outline the general beliefs Humanists share.

Joe Beck, Port St. Lucie, is the founder of Humanists of the Treasure Coast.

'My Pillow Guy' Lindell says Walmart is canceling him for his political beliefs

I just read that Walmart will not sell My Pillow products in their stores any more and are taking them off their shelves. The owner, Mike Lindell, says the company is canceling him because the 2020 election was fraudulent and he sued several parties and is in litigation over those claims. This is what the man believes. He did not cause any crime or riot or try to take over the government. He just stated his opinion strongly (free speech).

Mike Lindell is a businessman here in the United States who started a business basically from scratch and transformed it into a very successful operation (a true rags to riches story and the dream of all Americans).

Truthfully, I do not see the logic of Walmart trying to punish this American man. Everyone has strong beliefs, including the Chinese, who also have some unusual political policies in addition to human right abuses. However, Walmart sells millions of their products without punishing them for their beliefs.

Mike Lindell is a true American who lives here in the U.S., has a U.S. company that makes and sells his U.S.-made products here in the U.S., and employs many U.S. citizens. He is just one man trying to compete with a country the size of China.

After all the controversy over the beliefs of Mike Lindell, the management of Walmart came up with a lame excuse that his products didn’t meet their rating criteria although they were selling his products for years. However, millions of products from China that Walmart sells seem to be just fine.

Hard to believe this all came about because of one man’s strong belief, not because of a  product rating.

Herb Bopp, Vero Beach

The present government is failing to protect us from mayhem and murder

I am curious how many people are aware there has been more than enough fentanyl coming across our southern border to kill us all. For whatever dubious reasons the Big Tech companies are not making those who should be aware.

Having a daughter-in-law come into our country legally, and now be a productive citizen: That approach was and is the true purpose of the system.

Our country was founded based on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Crossing our border legally is the law. The inability of our present government to even attempt to protect each of us from the mayhem and murder is totally inexcusable and causing irreparable harm to our beloved nation.

Robert S. Hall, Vero Beach

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Cancel culture, protecting our families, humanism: Letters, June 23