Letters to the editor for Saturday, July 29, 2023

Letters to the editor should be 250 words or less. Include your name and city or community of residence. Guest opinions should be 600 words or less and include a brief summary of the author’s credentials relevant to the topic. Guest opinions may include a head shot of the author. For the Fort Myers News-Press, email submissions to mailbag@news-press.com and for the Naples Daily News to letters@naplesnews.com

Leading through crisis at NCH

As we approach another hurricane season, Southwest Florida is preparing once again. Leaders, like those at NCH, make difficult decisions about maintaining critical services. NCH, a cornerstone in the community, imbues resilience, never closing its doors even during severe storms, a tribute to both good fortune and extraordinary leadership.

Jennifer Smith, NCH's Director of Emergency Management and Public Safety, highlights three key principles: prioritizing people, thorough preparation, and effective communication. She emphasizes empathy, clear role assignment, and preemptive training, crucial in crisis management.

Smith underscores three more principles during the response: inclusive leadership, effective decision-making, and excellent change management. Leaders observing authenticity and transparency, combined with agility and empathy, help ease the discomforts when the path forward may be uncertain or ambiguous. Regular debriefing supports strategy refinement, clear communication, and psychological resilience of the teams. Successful change management relies heavily on well-executed communication strategies. These strategies are pivotal in sustaining achievements and addressing areas for enhancement, thereby creating a feedback cycle that aids in future crisis planning.

NCH stands agile and readied for this season. We extend our gratitude to Smith’s unwavering systems safety leadership. Also gratitude for NCH CEO Paul Hiltz for his support and our staff who remained on campus for several days during the storm, as well as the relief teams for their integral role in the recovery process. Our sincere gratitude extends to our community members who continue to place their trust in us and allow us the honor to help everyone live longer, happier and healthier lives.Christina Volpicelli, manager, Strategic Learning & Organizational Development, NCH Healthcare System, Naples

Let's have a trial

Tax fraud and illegal possession of a firearm?  Hunter Biden says, "Not guilty." Really?  I say forget any plea deal, let's have a trial.  The nation needs it.

Don Cummins, Fort Myers

Naples police applicant

Kristen Ziman is an applicant for the Naples chief of police position.

Our hope is that the selection committee will see, and appreciate, this rare opportunity for Naples to employ someone normally far out of its reach. Someone anxious to earn the admiration of the citizens in this city that she has fallen in love with.

It won’t take long for the people of our city to understand what makes this particular woman an exceptional leader, consummate professional, an enormous asset and no ordinary applicant for a police chief’s job.

Kristen is a critical thinker who has been asked to share her wisdom and ideas with USA and international law enforcement and business leaders.

She shows a refreshing sense of fairness that is rooted in knowing the proper balance of law enforcement, civil service, human rights and modern policing.

Kristen raises the bar beginning at the top, yet all the while making everyone feel like they are contributing to the department's successes. Her motivational skills are truly masterclass.

She has an uncanny ability to see around corners and anticipate what will happen next. Others with this skill often use it to make better deals or to make more money. Kristen, however, sees better ways to protect people and better ways to improve the lives of everyone around her.

It is our good fortune that Kristen left her police chief’s job in Illinois to move to Naples. We hope that she will soon lead the Naples PD.

Mark Sandler, Naples

Guns and the law

There has been a lot of consternation about dropping the requirement for a state license to carry a firearm. I do agree, the lack of education might be an issue but the media could step into that void instead of simply writing hyperbolic stories. They could get the same people who used to give those classes some PSA time to point out the laws that still exist around firearms. As the instructors tell you in the CCW class, you have the right to carry a gun but that doesn't mean you have the right to flash it (brandishing in the law), you can't threaten anyone with it (aggravated assault)  and if you do shoot it, you better be prepared to demonstrate an imminent threat of grave physical harm. If people are going to take this responsibility, they need to understand the law and what their responsibilities are.

People need to bear in mind that even though George Zimmerman was  successful in demonstrating that imminent threat and his shooting was eventually judged justifiable, his legal fees were a half million dollars. That would mean bankruptcy for just about anyone so you can't say he got away with it.

Greg Fretwell, Estero

Zoo too small for orangutans

I am very concerned about the possibility of Naples Zoo and Caribbean Gardens acquiring orangutans from the Tampa Zoo. Orangutans are very intelligent creatures and require enormous, mind stimulating, safe enclosures. Naples Zoo absolutely cannot provide that, it's too small. Please remember Eco, the beautiful tiger, that was killed because of an unsafe enclosure. Look at the terrible cement enclosures that the giraffes are being kept in. The orangutans need to be placed in a sanctuary. They've paid a high price already for human entertainment and business profit. I've contacted the International Primate Protection League and they are now investigating this. Please contact this League and support the well-being of these magnificent creatures. Also let Jack Mulvena, CEO of Naples Zoo, be encouraged to place the orangutans in a sanctuary that has many acres for them to roam.

Jayne Croasdale, Naples

Vietnam War veterans

In letters to editor, July 22, "Russia's Military" letter writer states, "...Vietnam where the world's largest military, the USA, got it's butt kicked and handed to them."

I am a combat veteran, CAV platoon leader.  My brothers and sisters did a fine job conducting that war.  We did not get "Our butts kicked" fighting that war.  We, the troops, were winning, until the politicians pulled the rug from under us.

It is obvious you never served, or never were in combat.  It is more than 50 years that we are home.  So please stop this BS and leave us alone.

Steve Goldstein, Fort Myers

Governor's political career

Governor DeSantis has pushed his agenda in Florida to the right of Attila the Hun. With the help of an overwhelming majority of Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives has gone so far as to imply that being a slave was almost an honor. How the people of Florida could elect such people is beyond me.

Now our governor is running for president of the United States. He has found the national audience is not as easily swayed as the people of Florida. As a consequence he is being ignored by that larger group and is desperately trying to stay in contention. He has gone so far as to say he had nothing to do with the radical laws he pushed through the Florida Legislature. Even claims he had no knowledge they were happening.

His words are falling on deaf ears. His political career is coming to an end. Hello Mr. DeSantis.

E.R. Santhin, Naples

Character counts

Mr. DeSantis’s latest campaign exhortation is “Joe Biden is on his deathbed, don’t vote for him.”  I must have missed Mr. DeSantis's defeat of the other Republican candidates for the Republican nomination for president, to include the leading Republican candidate who still has Mr. DeSantis’s lip imprints on his ring. The question for Floridians is how did you elect a governor whose political ambitions have so blatantly robbed him of his humanity and moral courage? How do you continue to support Mr. Trump with more and more evidence showing him to be a common thug, now found to have asked a maintenance worker to delete video footage at Mar-a-Lago to keep it away from the FBI? Try as Republicans might, there is never any separation between the character of the person one supports and the axis of the policies they promote. Petty, vengeful, biased character will get you petty, vengeful, biased policies as we have seen here in Florida and more recently promised by Mr. Trump should he ever again regain the presidency. The Marines defined a coward as someone who would curl up behind a blade of grass when the bullets started flying, thinking only of himself and his welfare. Mr. DeSantis is looking increasingly like that person as he sees his expected presidential anointment become more of a public political guillotining. As the legal walls close in on Mr. Trump, the country will witness even clearer evidence of the moral cowardice of the man elected to the highest office in the land in 2016. No need to speculate on that. Meanwhile, Mr. Biden continues on his day job, working to reduce health care costs for Americans, bring manufacturing back to the shores of the U.S., protect the climate, secure a woman’s right to control her own body, rebuild our infrastructure, protect veterans, reduce gun violence and keep an international coalition together to combat Russian aggression, all without running to a microphone daily to pat himself on the back. We can debate policy until the “cows come home” as my father would say, and then in a democracy we get to vote, but character remains destiny. I will take Mr. Biden’s any day.

Thomas Minor, Bonita Springs

Why they're leaving Florida

There was an article in the paper recently that said more people want to leave Florida than any other state.

The article never stated the reason why but part of it is we are stuck with a governor who feels we should all buy into his false morality. He can ban books, but anyone can have a gun.

His latest idiocy is slavery was no big thing. The slaves supposedly prospered and after 14 hours of picking cotton on one glass of water they all went to a hootenanny and did wood carvings to pass the time.

He has dumbed down education at all levels as he has a great fear of people being able to think for themselves, which would make everyone smarter than him.

Now with his anti-business policies conventions are leaving Florida which if you are part of MAGA you believe this is good for business.

We have a senator in Scott who thinks tourists should stay home especially if they are proponents of big government. Tourism is the biggest industry in Florida and our senator wants to kill it. Scott, who obviously has less brains than a tree, does not know that when people come to Florida it is to eat, go to the never-ending happy hours, sit on the beach, golf and get sunburned. Big government or even small government is the last thing on their mind.

Then Donalds, our congressman, goes along with all it. Why should Blacks be allowed to vote just because he does? We know he is what is now considered a conservative, tell him a lie and he will believe it. The truth makes his knees buckle. He doesn’t even know Trump is a liar or worse yet a seditionist.

Florida has no state income tax but the highest insurance rates in the country for both home and auto. It simply negates having no state income tax. And there is no relief in sight.

Locally Cape Coral continues to build with no thought of the end result. Pine Island Road has a good chance of becoming a four-lane parking lot in about two years.

Anyone moving here from “up North” because it is cheaper bought into a lie.

And of course, liberals are always wrong except for the above.

John Hart, Cape Coral

Patriotism and the anthem

Last night I tuned into the World Cup women's soccer match between the USA and Netherlands. To say the least, I have seen better games between high school teams.

The World Cup type of games start long before the first whistle is blown. They start with total enthusiasm from every team member. I did not see that last night.

During the playing of our national anthem, I noticed only one American woman visibly singing those inspiring words with her lips actually moving.

Her American team mates were silent in total contrast to every member of the Netherlands team singing their anthem at the top of their voices with emotion, enthusiasm and vigor.

Yes, at least, each American team member held their right hands over their hearts, far better than taking a knee but not quite good enough to show what American patriotism truly is. Teach them the words to our national anthem so that the world will know they fully appreciate being on that field representing the entire USA.

Brian Whitehouse, Cape Coral

Governor's reckless actions

This past week, The New York Times came out with a scathing article on Ron DeSantis’ turnabout on COVID vaccines and the deaths which that caused.

Ron DeSantis convened a Florida grand jury to look into the efficacy of COVID vaccines. Joe Biden ought to convene a federal grand jury to look into whether Ron DeSantis committed the federal crime of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of thousands of Floridians by virtue of his reckless orders and legislation relative to COVID. The DeSantis grand jury investigation itself may be corroborating evidence of manslaughter since the medical profession viewed the convening of that jury as as “flawed and counterproductive to promoting public health.”

The New York Times evidence is sufficient to establish a prima facie case against Ron. The federal crime of manslaughter (18 U.S. Code § 1112) does not require an intentional act; only the lack of due caution and circumspection which produces the death of others. The maximum federal sentence for involuntary manslaughter is eight years,

Maybe Don and Ron can serve time together for the next four years while Joe Biden serves his final term as president.

Joe Haack, Naples

Kamala Harris gets it wrong

Vice President Kamala Harris recently commented on Florida’s new middle school history curriculum and said it includes lessons “that enslaved people benefited from slavery.” At least it was not her typical word salad which nobody can understand, but her comments were not true.  Her remarks were condemned by Dr. William Allen, the former chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, who helped to create the curriculum and approved it.

Dr. Allen indicated that “It was never said that slavery was beneficial to Africans.” Here is what it does say: “Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” Harris would have been smart to read the entire curriculum which is readily available, and not focus on one line out of the curriculum.  Slavery was a terrible, ugly period in American history and as part of Black history it should be taken seriously.  There are other aspects of Black history that deserve attention and should be part of the curriculum.  The Florida standards do just that.

I am sure that there were many valid debates about what should and should not be included in the Florida curriculum. That is good and there ought to be more of them. It is hard to do though when we have politicians that grandstand and have no appetite for the truth or to discuss these issues.

Vice President Harris carried the party water on this one and the damage has been done.

Nick Blauwiekel, Naples

Freedom according to Ron

Young, brash, athletic,  a Florida homeboy. Handsome features taking advantage of all the federal government could offer, Yale, Harvard and the Navy. Watching prisoners force fed at Guantanamo and offering up that wide mouth big bass phony laugh that resonates today with his lemmings. He will still be governor after he has spent all the money and political capital his donors offered for inside benefits but his campaign and all the phony hypocrisy is now sinking faster than the ill  conceived, ill designed submersible. In a month or two his campaign will implode but unlike the victims of Titan he will thrive In Tallahassee with his cadre of yes men to put you and me at risk. We have no freedom, only the freedom Ron says you can. He can’t be recalled. Only impeached but eunuchs have no fortitude so there you have it.

Laurence Jacks, Estero

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Letters to the editor for Saturday, July 29, 2023