Letters to the editor for Sunday, July 2, 2023

Exercises in futility

I just read that the governor's drag show law failed to get approval in federal court. That follows closely on the heels of his anti-gender affirming care law thrown out last week. These failures follow in a line of similar exercises in futility engineered by the governor and his fawning Legislature. Doesn't sound like good governing to me, or were they just vehicles to promote his lagging presidential campaign? Whaddaya think?

Raymond Brooks, Fort Myers

Move on from Trump, Biden

The leading presidential candidates today offer a choice between Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Both candidates have taken classified documents and both have serious legal problems – Trump with his business and rape allegations, and Biden with his son’s laptop. Neither should win the next election or even be nominated.

The idea that no one is above the law has been proven wrong by both sides of the aisle. While in power, Democrats did not pursue Lois Lerner and higher ups at the IRS, nor Hillary Clinton with her home computer, nor the FBI agents who lied to the FISA court and perpetuated a ridiculous narrative. Now a Republican House is probing Democrats and defending Donald Trump.

I think the country doesn’t want either Biden or Trump as candidates. It’s time for the old guard to retire and allow new blood to replace them. Out of respect for a sitting president, however frail, there aren’t yet campaigns by other Democrat contenders such as Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris. On the Republican side, there are already too many candidates. As a Republican, I want to see the crowd narrowed quickly so Trump can’t claim the nomination just by a plurality. As a Floridian, I’d like to see Newsom and DeSantis battle it out, but I worry that the latter’s too strict abortion law won’t play well in Northern states.

I see the top Republican contenders as Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott and Chris Christie. Should Scott not gain the nomination, he would be an excellent candidate for vice president. The others, including Mike Pence, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy are well equipped to run agencies. In early primaries, all candidates who don’t receive double digit vote percentages need to drop out for the sake of the party and of the nation. In later primaries, the cut should be much higher until there are only two candidates or less.

The sooner that Biden and Trump are both out of the running, the better!

Ira Cotton, Naples

Two tragedies, different coverage

There was notable difference in coverage of two tragedies this week.

There was discussion today on PBS regarding the difference in coverage of the tragedy on a migrant boat crossing of the Mediterranean and the coverage of the tragedy of the submarine visiting the Titanic wreckage tragedy.

Indeed, the tragedy of the Titanic submarine generated much more coverage and much more interest, it seems. The difference: one involved poor people, majority of color. The other was predominantly rich people with power.

There is much interest in preventing future tragedies in such undersea adventures. It seems that there is little interest in preventing tragedies on boat crossings of migrants.

People with money and power can secure their interest. However, it seems more the usual that poor people have not only a lack of power, but a lack of will. The result of that is very apparent for soon there is one party that will take away the right to vote. They will probably have some means of selling the right to vote back to them: Vote for me I’ll set you free.

Lewis Robinson, Fort Myers

Paper's liberal mindset

I have been north for a few weeks but am back and inspired by your Sunday offerings. Please have your Divisive and Exclusion Team take a good look at the Doonesbury cartoon and tell me why liberal foolishness is tolerated but Mallard Fillmore was considered misinformation and hate speech. You folks must be very proud of your efforts on behalf of the Progressive State.

The next item was your concern regarding the plight of the illegal immigrants and the impact their leaving the state would have on crop picking and the hospitality industry. I noticed that you did not mention the impact on income tax and Medicare/Medicaid collections. I am thinking a better plan would be to remove any and all incentives not to work for able-bodied citizens and/or at least enforce a workfare program. I know the liberal mind abhors any hint of racism and that in most cases prevents common sense solutions.

Don Rader, Naples

Restaurant success story

Was nice to read that article about the success of Mr. Phelan including the first Pinchers, which we often went to back in 2000 because of its friendly atmosphere and its good food. We often had to sit and eat outside because it was so busy but it was fun to do and yak with the customers. Still remember meeting Liz back then,  a waitress who now is at the Pinchers on 41 where we often still go. Plus now go to the Bay House too! Have to admit, Mr. Phelan has great food and service (like Liz)  and grateful we can go to such great places to relax and have a great meal!

Richard Quist, Estero

Rejection of science

Right wingers accept the benefits of science but reject the conclusions of science if it interferes with their beliefs.

They accept medical care, but reject a pandemic and the scientific tools required to control it (masking, social distancing and vaccines).

They accept the technological benefits of semiconductors based on quantum physics, but reject climate change and  the scientifically shown environmental impact of human behavior.

They accept physiological and psychological therapies, but reject the science of transgender as a natural happening.

They accept statistical analysis for business operations,  but reject it when it comes to the proliferation of semi-automatic weapons among civilians.

They accept medical assistance, but reject a woman’s right to lifesaving gynecological treatment.

They accept the labor of minorities, but reject the equal treatment of those minorities.

Right wingers reject science whenever science threatens their agenda of white male supremacy.

The Right’s agenda mimics the Sharia Law of Muslims:  (1) Women have fewer rights than men, (2) Homosexuality is outlawed, (3) Science is rejected in favor of religious doctrine, (4) Abortion is illegal and (5) There is no separation between church and state.  Right wingers have merely bleached Sharia Law to make it look like their supreme male selves.

Sally Lam, Naples

Chilling effect on education

Public education in the state and in the nation is going through a time of upheaval and transition. Superintendents, teachers and staff in public schools are under attack almost constantly. The educational enterprise has been transformed from a cooperative to an adversarial one. This serves no one well, especially the students.

I want to share my concern about how these nationwide, vitriolic attacks orchestrated by those with a narrow political/religious agenda affect educational professionals, students and our public education system.

"Anticipatory compliance" is a concept that describes my concern.

I fear that well trained, experienced school people will hesitate -- will not rely on their best professional judgment -- when making the hundreds of daily decisions that are part of any school and classroom community because they fear reprisal if they make the slightest misstatement.

I fear this “chilling” effect will work its way into book selection and curriculum development making the most bland, least interesting, least challenging the norm so that any criticism -- no matter how unfounded --  is avoided.

A positive, cooperative, understanding relationship between the teacher and the parent -- between the school and the parent -- is central to any student’s learning and growth.  Every parent’s concerns and questions should be discussed and resolved in a spirit of making the best decision for the individual student.  If a parent makes a decision to deny their own student access to a book that is their right.

However, personal, highly negative public attacks on teachers and schools create a terrible conflict for students.  This conflict  inhibits their learning, undermines confidence in their own feelings and worsens behavior.  I urge those who take issue with the schools to do so with respect for your student’s sake.

Again, I support and will continue to support the educational professionals to work together to make decisions -- not all of which will be perfect -- for all students that will provide the best education to live successfully in our democracy.

I end with John Dewey, “How can the child learn to be a free and responsible citizen when the teacher is bound?"

Madelon V. Stewart, Ed.D., Fort Myers

New disturbing poll

Donald Trump has been indicted once again for taking and keeping hundreds of documents, many classified and very secret, unlawfully from the White House.

He no doubt will be indicted in Georgia for trying to change the vote count in the 2020 presidential election.  Trump is not only the biggest con-man and liar on the planet, he is also stupid and the worst defendant in America.  The only time he tells the truth is when he has committed a crime and tells everybody on Fox News.

Special Counsel Jack Smith is probably going to indict Trump for the Jan. 6 insurrection, and if he is convicted, the “14^th Amendment—Section 3” of the Constitution has protections for exactly this situation.   It explicitly bans anyone who has engaged in an insurrection from ever holding public office again.

There is a new disturbing poll out, that shows there are 12 million dangerous Republicans who think it’s OK to use violence to restore Trump to the White House. I’m sure the majority are from the racist far-right hate groups, all GOP supporters.

Sadly, it is likely that we will have another “Timothy McVeigh — the Oklahoma City Bomber” from this group one day.

Special Note: The FBI is one of the greatest law enforcement agencies in the world.  With all the disparagements of the DOJ and the FBI, we now know who is against law and order in America. It is Trump, DeSantis and most Republicans in Congress, plus the hate groups.

E.L. “Bud”  Ruff, Naples

Protect right to body autonomy

Thank you so much for reporting on the coalition, Floridians Protecting Freedom, that seeks to protect access to abortion in the Florida Constitution.

Florida’s six-week abortion ban is one of the most extreme in the U.S. Abortion is banned before most people even realize they are pregnant (the six-week count begins the date your last period began, so when you miss your first period, you are already at the beginning of week five). Every situation is unique and there are many reasons why someone may make the deeply personal decision to have an abortion. No one, including politicians, should be allowed to interfere or prevent doctors and nurses from treating their patients.

Freedom is the liberty to make choices based on one’s personal circumstances. Freedom is the ability to make health care and reproductive decisions without government interference from a few politicians. The six-week abortion ban is forced pregnancy, not freedom.

Floridians Protecting Freedom is a statewide citizen-led ballot initiative campaign to get reproductive rights on the 2024 Florida ballot. This would put the right to reproductive choice into Florida law for generations to come by creating a constitutional amendment (like Kansas just did). They need over 1 million petitions signed by registered Florida voters in the next six months. If you believe that we have the right to body autonomy, please visit their website to read the amendment and download and sign their petition: FloridiansProtectingFreedom.org

Linda Scherzinger, Marco Island

Biden has delivered

Joe Biden has had many accomplishments:

Medicare is able to negotiate the price of certain high-cost drugs.2021 and 2022 were two strongest years of job growth in history. Nearly 11 million jobs created.A manufacturing boom is taking hold across America: companies have announced nearly $300 billion in manufacturing investments including bringing semiconductor production back to America.The American Rescue Plan changed the course of the pandemic and jump-started recovery.The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: improves roads, bridges, ports, and airports, upgrading public transit and rail systems.PACT Act – the most significant expansion of benefits and services for toxic-exposed veterans in more 30 years.The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, major piece of gun safety legislation requiring ages 18 to 21 to undergo enhanced background checks; and clarifying who needs to register as a dealer.

Worked with allies to support Ukraine, coordinated and imposed economic sanctions, provided critical weapons and humanitarian assistance.Moved to strengthen NATO providing reassurance and support to allies.Debt relief for student loan payments.Took executive action and signed legislation to develop clean energy, accelerate adoption of electric vehicles, and reduce pollution.Lowered the cost of health care for millions who can now find coverage for $10 a month or less. 16 million signed up for affordable health coverage.The reason we had to raise our debt ceiling is Donald Trump whose tax cuts for the rich created a gigantic deficit.The real causes of today’s inflation are COVID, deglobalization, consequent supply disruptions, Putin’s war and a shortage of workers. Fidelity, MarketWatch, Bloomberg, J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs agree with this conclusion.

The task of a government is to make life better for its people and that is exactly what Joe Biden has done.

Joe Haack, Naples

DeSantis view on transgender

Dear Gov. DeSantis, please explain to me exactly what it is, in your opinion, that makes transgender citizens sexual in any nature?

Kathrine Hamilton, Estero

Dress up lighthouse

Thankfully the Sanibel Lighthouse survived Ian's fury but would it be sacrilegious to suggest putting a skirt over her spindly legs? She is a tough lady but in terms of beauty she pales in comparison to the scores of similar structures that dot America's shorelines. Sanibel is a rare spot of tropical beauty and its inhabitants are by no means paupers so they can afford to clothe their showcase light in attractive garb.

Gerald Ponder, Cape Coral

Choosing your words

Socialism/communism: I see countless times people use words condemning these words.

Please remember Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid would fall under socialism umbrella. I have yet to find a person not collecting Social Security payments or Medicare!

There may be some who believe in authoritarianism over democracy. Examples include Jan. 6 coup, gerrymandering electoral districts, massive tax cuts or no taxes for the "American oligarchs," accept Nazi demonstrations and failure to accept election results. That is un-American and anti-democracy.

So consider the facts. Choose your words and opinions seriously.

Glenn Mueller, Naples

Trump's new justification

Having trotted out a number of different — and inconsistent — justifications for absconding with and improperly maintaining classified and sensitive government documents that do not belong to him, former President Trump and his dwindling legal team seem to  be horsing around with a new one: He was overly pre-occupied to comply with the law.

Within hours of his indictment here in Florida a couple of weeks ago for the Mar-a-Lago data  stashing, he explained that he was too “busy” to  review and return the wrongfully withheld materials before he left the White House or afterwards, either. Shortly  thereafter, he doubled down on that purported justification in a Fox TV  News interview by proclaiming he was “very busy” in his waning days in the White House and thereafter.

Never mind that he has previously said he was well aware of what was in the boxes and also explained that he is  entitled to maintain them, the indictee is correct about his being  awfully “busy” in  his final weeks in the White House. He spent his time  trying to overturn the election result and then orchestrating an insurrection; since he relocated to his various golf and  resort retreats, he has been devoting his time to golfing and campaigning to return to the Oval Office,  where he can bring the boxes back to where they belong.

His I’m-too-busy plea is a hollow version of the remark by Jesse Ventura, then an actor before becoming  governor of Minnesota, in the “Predator” movie that he “ain’t got time to bleed.” For the former president, he “ain’t got time” to obey the law.

There’s an old saying, dating back a few hundred years in jurisprudence, that “ignorance of the law” is no defense.

The former president ought not be allowed to introduce a new one: too “busy” to comply with the law.

It will not fly any better than the others he has tested and crashed.

Marshall H. Tanick, Naples

History at The Dwarf House

There were more than a dozen of us drivers in total and at one point for a time I was stationed in the East Point area, which is more or less a suburb of Atlanta today. It wasn’t easy doing 350 miles a day in Atlanta for a year in the mid-1970’s, especially in a Ford 150 Van with a six-cylinder motor, but that was about my average. I was a courier for a small, specialized company that had as its primary account blood deliveries between the Red Cross headquarters downtown and the various hospitals that dotted the I-285 ring around the city.Lunch one day brought me to a little, sit-down, counter restaurant and my favorite plate lunch, a ribeye steak with French fries and coleslaw. The place was called “The Dwarf House.” After I’d ordered, the cook came out and asked me to try a new sandwich they were trying out. All there was of it was a toasted, buttered bun, a deep-fried piece of chicken and a slice of pickle. I put some mayo on it and told him it was delicious.Today, that same bun and piece of chicken is known as the signature product of one of the largest, most popular fast-food chains in the nation, “Chick-fil-A.” How many people do you know who can say they probably had one of the first Chick-fil-A sandwiches ever made? Imagine, even if I’m never famous or rich, my stomach has made history!Maurice McCoy, Bokeelia

Boaters, wear the life jacket

Life jackets save lives, but only if they are worn.

Two recent incidents highlight the importance of wearing a life jacket. First, a boat with three individuals took on water and capsized on the Manatee River. That same day, another boat with four passengers capsized about 40 miles west of Egmont Key. Luckily, both groups were wearing life jackets, were rescued and are okay, but that unfortunately isn’t always the case.

In the most recent USCG boating statistics, 85% of the people who died in a boating incident drowned because they weren’t wearing a life jacket. Many of these people considered themselves long-term boaters who knew how to swim, but if knocked unconscious when entering the water, it can be impossible to swim. You wouldn’t try to put a seatbelt on in the middle of a car crash. Likewise, it is not possible to try to put on a life jacket when you are in the middle of a boating emergency.

Whenever you’re on the water in a boat, make sure to always wear a life jacket. If you need to borrow one, check out the Sea Tow Foundation's Life Jacket Loaner Stations. You never know just how lifesaving a life jacket could be.

Gail R. Kulp, executive director of the Sea Tow Foundation

DOJ priorities

The DOJ has repeatedly bragged about the Jan. 6 investigation as the largest, most extensive in history. While the events on J6 were disgusting, only one or two rioters died that day. On the other hand, around 100,000 Americans are dying each year from drugs. Child trafficking is rampant. Crime takes thousands of lives each year. Gangs seem to have control of our border and human trafficking is rampant. There seems to be significant white collar crime and the corruption throughout our government seems highly likely. Does the DOJ have their priorities right? It almost appears that the DOJ thinks it is more important to get conservatives off the street than to save lives. Remember their emphasis on parents at school board meetings and protestors at abortion clinics?

Ron Wobbeking, Naples

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Letters to the editor for Sunday, July 2, 2023