Letters to the editor for Sunday, August 27, 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

Support Collier arts grants

I became a resident of Collier County in 2020, a community that attracted my husband and I based on its diversity of arts, culture, and entertainment. In 2021, I established my business in the Naples Art District, north of Pine Ridge Road. Although I am relatively new to Naples, I have had the opportunity, through my involvement with the Naples Art District, to meet many amazing visitors that have chosen to come to Naples each year to enjoy all that we have to offer. Hearing their stories of our common love of Naples has inspired me to write to you regarding the funding of the Collier County Tourist Development Council (TDC) grants.

I was concerned to learn that the current Collier County leadership may not support the grants and the cultural vitality that sets our community apart from all others in Southwest Florida, despite the economic benefits provided to the county and surplus of funding they reported in July. Florida’s arts and cultural industry generated $4.68 billion of economic activity, including $2.29 billion by nonprofit arts and culture organizations. This economic activity supports 132,366 full-time jobs and generates $3.35 billion in resident household income.

I urge the commissioners to provide their consent to the TDC approved grants awarded to our local 501 c3 nonprofit arts organizations. Certainly, these grants which are also mandated by Florida state statute are an investment in the cultural vibrancy of our community for residents and tourists alike and a significant revenue generator for the county.

Tekla Taylor, Naples

Remove Chiquita lock

My husband and I are both in favor of removing the Chiquita lock in Cape Coral to protect and save the manatees.

Glenn and Beverly Kafka, Cape Coral

Baby manatee perished

I absolutely encourage them to remove the Chiquita lock. It is a mess. I remember one horrific day before Hurricane Ian when we were going out and we could see a mother manatee and probably a father and definitely a baby. It looked like three that were behind the lock area. When we came back in the baby was floating dead on the side going into the canals. Absolutely ruined my week and every time I go by there I remember it. It was devastating to see. That lock is so old and antiquated it's ridiculous. They need to widen that area and make a nice clean opening and give the manatees a chance to survive. Hope this helps.

Linda Wyman, Cape Coral

Water quality improves

Please remove the lock, there is no good reason for the lock to remain.

The original purpose for the lock is no longer a valid concern.  City water and sewer is used almost exclusively in the homes along the entire canal system.

Since Ian, when the lock was opened, the water quality in the canals has improved markedly, algae growth is significantly less, the manatee can access the canal system without danger, the fish stock has markedly improved and there has been no change in the water levels in the canal system.

The lock was open during the storm surge so removing it will have no significant detrimental effects should we experience another storm.

Remove the lock.

Paul Jenkins, Cape Coral

Bring back arcades

Bring back arcades for all seniors and those people who need somewhere to go to utilize them for something to do. We are lost without them.

Jeanette Rauccu and Charles Spalty, Fort Myers

Seniors will miss arcades

There surely must be a solution to keeping the arcades open and still fulfill laws. Many seniors enjoy the entertainment near their homes. Driving to the large casinos is often not an option nor safe for older people. It’s very sad that alternatives to closing the arcades were not considered.

V. O'Russa, Fort Myers

Take off the halo

Collier County Commissioner Chris Hall not only violated Florida’s election code during his campaign by implying he was the incumbent, he went on to falsely imply that a verse from Isaiah 54 applied to him. The verse metaphorically uses a “barren" woman’s plight to describe the new Zion, the new Jerusalem. This brings to mind the words of Antonio in Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice”: “Mark you this, Bassanio, the devil can cite scripture for his purpose. An evil soul producing holy witness, is like a villain, with a smiling cheek, a goodly apple rotten at the heart."

Chris Hall, in his candidate's statement wrote “God… has to be reinstated in our nation, our state, our country, our counties, our cities.“ Subsequently he went on to reject, as a Collier commissioner, $1.2 million in federal COVID grant money to provide health education for migrants.

Let’s remind Chris Hall of some other lines in Scripture. In Matthew 25, Jesus identified those who will inherit the kingdom of His Father as those who aided immigrants: “I was a stranger and you invited me in… Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me.”

Take off the halo, Commissioner Hall.

Joe Haack, Naples

No reason to keep lock

Please remove the lock.  You have had plenty of time since the hurricane to assess if there is a downside to keeping the lock open with water depth etc. and it appears there is no downside.  Boats are backed up sometimes 15 deep on the weekends waiting to get through the locks.  It’s time to remove.

Jeff Hardel, Cape Coral

The free state of Florida

I applaud the recently passed initiatives of our school boards and elected officials, inspired by our governor.  I agree that the mandates requiring permission to use nicknames in schools or permission to gain access to school libraries has been long needed in our school system.

However, I think we need to go further. There should be an approved list of nicknames issued by the governor.  Nicknames should only be selected from the Bible and issued at birth. Also, all books should be stamped as “Approved by the Governor.” ( Special exemptions would be for the Bible and “The Courage To Be Free.”) Books should be required to have no big words and lots of pictures.

Other restrictions should be considered. Florida is flooded with tourists. I suggest that all out of state tourists wear colored wrist bands. Red for Republican, blue for  Democrats. Red wrist bands would get preferential seating at restaurants, nor have to tip. Blue wrist bands would have seating before 4:30 or after 9:00 and be required to tip 25%. Special wrist bands for Disney visitors would indicate that their background checks have been completed. (Californians need not apply. )

While we are talking about colored wrist bands, we should also consider designating color coded Florida license plates. Red  plates would have access to free toll lanes, no speed limits, and special parking places at Publix. Democrats would have to park in special, unlit areas of the parking lot.

Let’s face it, our college system is ripe for free thought and expression. This must be prevented. All college administrators should be required to report professors who speak out against accepted facts such as  the world was created in seven days, and Donald Trump is the Savior and the Second Coming. We all know this to be true!

The governor has made Florida the Home of  Free Speech.  Let’s keep it that way!

Ed Mayotte, Naples

You can vote him out

So far Republican Florida has banned free speech, appointed cronies to important positions with their only qualification to be DeSantis puppets, hides travel expenses that we are liable for, sent immigrants to other states from other states (inhumane, ignorant and surely immoral), fires elected (YES, ELECTED) officials who don’t applaud his ignorance. Banned books on the complaint of ONE Republican. Definitely a phony Christian who doesn’t believe all are created equal. Hides contributions to a super PAC, contributors not identified! (Could Putin contribute, no one knows.) Remember only you can vote this wannabe Nazi out! Trump should take him as his running mate!

Kevin D. Ryan, Estero

Rising antisemitism

Nazi wannabees parade at the entrance to Disneyworld, a rabbi is accosted in Naples, and the Jewish mayor of Surfside receives an online death threat. Incidents like these are heinous in and of themselves. But even more alarming is the fact that they are only waves in a rising tide of anonymous threats, harassment, and constitutionally protected expressions of antisemitism washing Florida’s shores.

Jew hatred in its ever-shifting forms transcends time, national borders and political boundaries. It may represent a psychotic belief system, but it is durable. Its central credo – that Jews are the cause of any and all problems in the world – is completely irrational but is certifiable fact to its acolytes. When antisemites act against particular versions of "the Jewish problem," we see institutionalized demonization of Jews and the Jewish State from UC Davis to Princeton and from UNSCOM to CNN. Demonization of Jews results in stabbings in Monsey, beatings in Borough Park, and murders from Pittsburgh to Tel Aviv. Attacks now come from the "left" and the "right." American Jews are well-practiced and comfortable fighting antisemitism from the "right," but the need to stand up to the "left" is more necessary than ever, even though it may be less instinctual to do so.

Thankfully, enlightened public policy and educational efforts have confined Jew-hatred in Florida to the fringes of society. Effective law enforcement and fortunes spent on security have minimized property damage and personal injury, but the menace remains. Antisemites – like bullies, mobsters, extortionists, and dictators everywhere – gain power by separating, isolating, and intimidating their victims. We must never allow that to happen here.

At its best, America is anchored in Jewish-Christian values. We need to mobilize people who adhere to those values. The Christian faith has its roots in the Hebrew Bible and American Evangelicals have long been Israel’s most visible supporters. Now more than ever, these Christians must extend that support to their Jewish neighbors. American Jews must not be allowed to stand alone against the world’s oldest racism. For their part, despite two thousand years of persecution, Jews need to embrace Christian allies who extend the hand of friendship.

Jews and Christians may share a common heritage, but that alone has been insufficient to overcome history, mutual ignorance, and well-deserved suspicion. The Christian-Jewish Partnership of South Florida is committed to building a better future by dismantling the old barriers and bringing our communities together as a bulwark against all forms of Jew-hatred. Until that day comes, our prayers and support go out to Mayor Danziger of Surfside, his family, and all victims of the plague known as antisemitism. Please know that you are not alone.

Tricia Miller, Ph.D., Allen Menkin, M.D., CAMERA’S Christian-Jewish Partnership of South Florida

Catastrophic failure in Maui

The catastrophe in Maui was an unspeakable development: The ensuing loss of life visited on people unable to escape a hot, fast-moving fire shook me to the core. Many victims were not even aware of the danger until they were enveloped by it. I cannot imagine being forced to scramble for my life with precious few options.

The horrific turn of events in Maui immediately reminded me of Uvalde, TX, where public safety and law enforcement officials who were trained, paid, and relied upon to act quickly and effectively failed miserably.

Starting to unpack the details of why so many Hawaiians lost their lives in such a hideous and ghastly way is as unimaginable as it is telling.

Much-needed water to douse or contain the flames was apparently delayed until it was too late. An emergency management official ostensibly bereft of expertise in disaster preparedness or response was calling the shots. And sirens that were designed to alert the public of imminent harm were deliberately silenced lest the residents would run into and not away from the inferno.

Here again, as in Uvalde, public safety officials who were trained, paid, and relied upon to act quickly and effectively failed miserably.

As a nation we mourn for the victims and their families. As an individual I deplore the absence of swift government actions that might have mitigated the severe impact of the fires and presumably saved lives.

William E Leggiero, Jr., Naples

MAGA movement culpable

The indictments of Trump by both the GA prosecutor’s office and the U.S. special counsel on charges ranging from perjury to defrauding America demonstrate that he’s a criminal. He’s innocent until proven guilty, but the evidence presents a degree of proof that is overwhelming.

The fake electors scheme across seven states, where Trump’s team sought to rob the 81,000,000+ Biden voters of their votes, is particularly alarming because so many of his MAGA sycophants embraced it without reservation.

The peaceful transfer of power is the singular demonstration of the strength of America’s democracy. The willingness of the MAGA cult to do anything and everything to keep this racketeer in power ought to set off a five-alarm fire of concern for us who believe in a “government of the people, for the people and by the people should not perish from this Earth.”

It has not yet done so.

Violent insurrectionists like Christopher Worrell wear ankle bracelets while being celebrated by county commissioners for political speeches as they prepare to skip town. Even while under indictment, Trump continues to incite his mob to violence against multiple targets, including Barack Obama.

Why are we tolerating this treason?! Because his movement is vast.

Trump must and will be held accountable for his actions in a court of law. But, as he says, he is only the “voice” of his cult. It is the MAGA movement that has been indicted. A guilty verdict for him will convict it too.

Michael Sales, Naples

Proposal makes sense

These days, it's tough to promote or to support any GOP program because the very few that are out there are mostly worthless. However, an article in the Sunday, Aug. 13 edition of The News-Press, on climate change, mentioned the Baker-Shultz plan which may be found in its entirety in the May/June 2020 edition of Foreign Affairs magazine. That article is entitled "The Strategic Case for U.S. Climate Leadership." The proposal is well thought out and makes a great deal of sense, especially as a national endeavor. Its' worth seeking out, reading and supporting. I haven't looked for it online, but it may be there also.

Wayne Walter, Fort Myers

Make your voice heard

So currently, Governor DeSantis has an approval rating of 54% with Florida voters (which I think is too high, but it is what it is). So the remaining 46% of the voters are being subjected to new laws from DeSantis that they don’t agree with. Some of these new laws are reverting back to 50 years ago and others wiping out the progress of social issues these past few years. Well in the history of mankind, everything changes and progresses forward as society’s ideas change. In other words, we try to learn by what didn’t work in the past, we don’t go backwards, thus evolving into a more caring and compassionate society for ALL. Now we may not all always agree with some of these changes right away, but most of us will try to understand for the betterment of society. In addition, any new laws that are a detriment to certain segments of society that cause division and hostility have to be changed or removed.

So what can we do as voters opposed to the whims and fancies of DeSantis? Our ONLY recourse is at the polls where our voices can be heard and counted. We also have to look deep into our hearts and do what we feel is right for the sake of humanity.

One of my favorite quotes from the great Martin Luther King Jr. Is always kept close to my heart, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Dan Donlon, Naples

Biden not a strong leader

One could argue that the appearance of strength is as important as strength itself. The same applies to weakness and Joe Biden continually exhibits weakness. Whether stumbling over words, having to read answers to predetermined questions, or falling asleep at public affairs, Joe exhibits weakness.

Does anyone think that Putin or Xi or the mullahs are afraid of or even intimidated by him?

His weakness is also illustrated by his unwillingness to address difficult issues or situations. The southern border, the train wreck in Palestine Ohio, the wildfire on Maui or the avoidance of the gold star families. All show his weakness and illustrate that he should not be re-elected. America needs a strong leader and Biden does not fit that mold.

Let's not repeat the result of the 2020 election.

Michael Zubrow, Naples

Trump support indefensible

Now let me understand this, Donald J. Trump is the leader of the Republican Party running for president and has four grand jury indictments against him.

Really! This is the best you have?  A failed president, who has four indictments pending and you want to vote for him to be president again. My God! What is wrong with you people? Stop and take a look at yourselves and see if you look anything like the thugs that Trump incited to storm the Capitol on January 6 in an effort to overturn the 2020 election that he claimed was fraudulently stolen from him without any evidence. If you still believe this you are as dangerous as those blind supporters that Trump called to Washington with the hope they would do his dirty work.

If you voted for Trump in 2016 and still support him today, you have succumbed to this flawed individual who lies about whatever serves him. He has stolen your soul and your ability to rationalize fact from fiction that would allow you to see the truth.

I'll never get it, except that your hate for Democrats and liberals is greater than your willingness to see the truth.

Roger W. Quagliano, Estero

Indict the media

President Trump's private residence at Mar-a-Lago gets raided by law enforcement and the media shouts "no one is above the law." Yet a newspaper in Kansas gets raided and the media cries "freedom of the press" in their view that media is in fact above the law. Double standards or hypocrisy by the media? Take your pick. Personally I think all media should be raided, indicted, and convicted for the garbage they spew including slander, innuendos, half truths, outright lies, threats, human brain trafficking (a.k.a. media brainwashing), political bias, and publicly trying court cases with political bias and influence in the media before the court does. Just like they're doing with President Trump.

This rag newspaper and USA Today being the first to be convicted.

David Liebenguth, Fort Myers

Where DeSantis belongs

I will definitely vote for Ron DeSantis to a position he is well qualified for; assistant mosquito catcher of S.E Immokalee.

Russ Chekirda, Estero

Trump may be disqualified

Conservative legal scholars are increasingly raising a constitutional argument that 2024 Republican candidate, Donald Trump, should be barred from the presidency because of his actions to overturn the previous presidential results.One of the conservative scholars stated: “The people who wrote the 14th Amendment were not fools. They realized that if those people who tried to overturn the country, who tried to get rid of our peaceful transitions of power are again put in power, that would be the end of the nation, the end of democracy. All officials, federal and state, who have a responsibility to put on the ballot candidates for the presidency of the United States are obligated under the Constitution to determine whether Donald Trump qualifies to be put on the ballot.  The former president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and the resulting attack on the U.S. Capitol, place him squarely within the ambit of the disqualification clause of the 14th Amendment.   He is therefore ineligible to serve as president ever again.”

This disqualification does not require a conviction of a crime. The determination can be made by a state or federal official placing a candidate on the ballot.  If Trump wants to contest that determination, he can initiate a lawsuit; but unless and until a court overturns that determination, Trump cannot run for president.

Also, this doesn’t apply to Trump alone.  It applies to all who held an office and participated in the insurrection.  That might even include representatives, senators and judges who aided and abetted Trump in his attempt to overturn the election.

Maybe we still do have a government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Sally Lam, Naples

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Letters to the editor for Sunday, August 27, 2023