Letters to the editor for Sunday, November 12, 2023

∙ Editor's note: Got a message you'd like to share in our Thanksgiving edition Nov. 22? The deadline is early so send it by Nov. 16. 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

Heroes in health care

The theme of Nurse Practitioner Week 2023 “We Recognize Heroes in Health Care“ celebrates the more than 355,000 nurse practitioners who are improving the health and lives of millions of patients in their communities each and every day. Nurse practitioners are leading the way in providing high quality, cost-effective care and helping to solve our nation’s pressing access to health care challenges. Nurse practitioners are highly trained clinicians who offer a comprehensive perspective from their years of bed-side caring expertise with an added emphasis on a holistic caring as well as disease prevention and chronic health management. Nurse Practitioner Week (November 12-18, 2023) recognizes the positive impact nurse practitioners play in various health care settings within our communities and the vital need to expand access and reduce barriers especially within the most vulnerable populations, including but not limited to mental health. This year, according to the US News & World Report, the nurse practitioner role was identified as the number one job that helps people. Nurse Practitioner Week is an opportune time to recognize the value nurse practitioners bring to health care and to highlight the important impact on their communities. Nurse practitioners do make a difference each and every day! Thank you to my friends and colleagues for your continued passion and dedication!Arlene Wright, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, Fort Myers

Riviera Golf Estates

I was quite disappointed to see the recent article entitled "Collier County to poll Riviera Golf Estates residents about buying their golf course." Based on the content of this article it might have been appropriate if published in April 2023. Unfortunately much has changed since that time. If the reporter had attended or read the transcript of the October 24 commissioners meeting, it would have been clear that our Board President Patricia Campbell and I informed the BCC at this meeting that we felt the costs of this proposal had become prohibitive and that our HOA should not be saddled with fixing a drainage system which has been neglected by the golf course owner for the past 20 years and is now under a County Code Enforcement violation notice. County streets and the golf course land get flooded with every tropical storm. It is not OK to shift the financial burden of stormwater issues from a private landowner to the residents of a senior community, many of whom live on a fixed income. Moreover, the county has now determined that the whole $5.8M price for this Bert Harris notice against the county should be hoisted onto the backs of our seniors, many of who are veterans and have served their country proudly.

Please read the transcript to the October 24 BCC meeting and set the record straight.

Alan Carpenter, Riviera Golf Estates HOA, Naples

Outrageous decision

The public library is one of the great ideas in the history of humanity.  Public libraries exist in most nations of the world and are often considered an essential part of having an educated and literate population. The IFLA/UNESCO Public Library Manifesto of 1994 states: "This Manifesto proclaims UNESCO's belief in the public library as a living force for education, culture and information, and as an essential agent for the fostering of peace and spiritual welfare through the minds of men and women."

Libraries give all citizens of our community access to information, learning, experience and culture, and we should be doing all we can to support our libraries. Since 1876, the American Library Association has supported public libraries with programs, resources, and funding to help librarians better serve their communities.  The decision of our county commissioners to sever ties with the ALA, after almost no discussion, is outrageous!  Commissioners claim to have heard negative things about the ALA from constituents; I reckon most residents of our county have never even heard of the ALA.

The ALA has no political agenda: what critics object to is the sexual orientation of the ALA president, Emily Drabinski and her commitment to diversity and LGBTQ rights.  The ALA has a stellar reputation as a force for the betterment of our nation and the decision to sever ties with it is a black mark on our community.

Ray Clasen, North Fort Myers

Climate change action needed

A recent survey by Florida Atlantic University reveals that 90% of Floridians consider climate change as factual. In addition, this survey portends that citizens of Florida desire government action to combat the impacts of climate change. These survey findings indicate public opinion merits positive change to battle the negative effects of climate change at the state and federal levels. As consecutive hurricanes increase, it becomes more challenging for coastal communities to recover. If we continue to burn fossil fuels, greater heat-trapping carbon pollution will enter the atmosphere, not only intensifying climate disasters but also exacerbating expenses for damages. Over the past 20 years, damages from climate crises have risen to $16 million per hour, yet fossil fuels are subsidized at a rate of $13 million per minute according to the International Monetary Fund. Policy solutions are urgently needed to reduce carbon pollution and accelerate a clean-energy future that benefits all. Contact your legislator to co-sponsor the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. This robust, economy-wide price on carbon is an effective and essential component to reduce America’s carbon pollution by 50% by 2030. Legislating a “price on pollution” will not only lead to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, but it could also save 4.5 million lives over the next 50 years as climate pollution decreases. Households will benefit from the fee recycled back to them in a monthly carbon cashback check and will gain access to affordable and reliable clean energy.

Eileen Briening, Naples

Taking a human life

It amazes me to see the number of people who do not understand that having an abortion is taking a human life. And their leader, Joe Biden, calls himself "a devout Catholic" while he supports and promotes abortion. How can you be so wrong?

Joyce Maloney, Naples

Disconnect on abortion

In the results of the Ohio referendum we see the major disconnect between the Republican Party, the Supreme Court and the majority of voters on abortion. If gun control could get on the ballot we would probably see a disconnect there also. That is why in Florida the governor and his attorney general are trying to thwart the people's will by derailing the voters' choice on abortion. The Florida Supreme Court is stacked with DeSantis appointees who can be counted on to be biased in his favor. This is how authoritarian regimes enforce unpopular laws. The only choice for voters is to vote out Republican legislators and the governor. These are the same people who let our property insurance go out of sight, refuse to pass Medicaid expansion which would help both our hospitals and almost a million poor people and pass outrageous culture war laws. Let’s make Florida truly free.

Albert King, Naples

Remember 2016 election

The "Today in History" column reminds us that on November 8, 2016 Mr. Donald J. Trump defeated Secretary Hillary Clinton for president of the United States. Secretary Clinton was the runaway favorite. Very few of the pollsters and political pundits could explain why Mr. Trump won.Republicans and even a few Democrats should keep this in mind.

Harlan Boise, Naples

Reluctant to criticize Israel

Those of us who remember Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941, and what it took to end that war, including two atomic bombs leveling major cities, are very reluctant to criticize Israel. We credit Israel with allowing civilians to exit from areas to be attacked in order to destroy an enemy.

Albert Myers, Fort Myers

Don't blame Israel

Why is it so difficult to separate Hamas from Palestinians? Yes they are from the same area but one is a barbaric terrorist organization and the others are Palestinians living and raising families. The major difference is the people of Palestine voted to have Hamas run Gaza. If the Israelis are such bad people then why did over 150,000 Palestinians have work visas in 2023? Traveling back and forth over the border to work in Israel? Why? Because Hamas built rockets instead of building a prosperous city. The visas ended when the animals on October 7 started this war. Don't blame Israel look at your own stupid decision to have Hamas as your government. Release, surrender and this war will end.Arthur Maranian, Naples

Two state solution

Netanyahu should resign, today. The Likud and its religious nationalist allies contributed mightily to this disaster. Their settlement policy was deeply wrong-headed, demonstrated their thirst for over-reaching long before this war. Their egoism dishonors Judaism. Like the Republicans here, power is all that counts. Resign.If Israel has a right to exist, it has as a right to defend itself against a terrorist organization that delights in murdering its citizens. This organization has ripped off the population of Gaza to kill Israelis and pursue its objective of exterminating Jews.Iran shares these objectives. Hamas’ Gaza is one of the many fronts in which Iran has been pursuing terrorism against Israel for decades.The murder of 85 innocents in 1994 at the Jewish community center in Argentina is an example. It’s a very long list.What is happening in Gaza is, obviously, a profound human tragedy, as all wars are. And all wars need to be seen in the context of the history of the combatants.Some version of an internationally secured two state solution is the only way for Israel and its neighbors to coexist. If one does not believe that Israel has a right to exist, there will never be any peaceful resolution to this conflict. Under those conditions, once Iran has nuclear weapons, they will be exchanged with Israel, and the horrors of today will look like a head cold in comparison to brain cancer.

Michael Sales, Naples

Hamas enablers

Israel needs to clearly pursue its two goals, without President Biden interfering. The only two goals are as it prosecutes a Just War against the genocidal living terrorist next door – recover the hostages and to eliminate the Hamas terrorists forever and its enablers.  This includes the “innocent” Gazans that voted them in office in 2015, fed them, sheltered them, celebrated their atrocities and praised them as “martyrs” after every attack on Israelis over the years. Could Hamas build all the tunnels, made all the weapons, stored all the materials and created all the tunnels and subterranean “city” without assistance from the “good” Gazans? Are these “good” Gazans any different than the “good Germans” that elected Hitler and profited from his “final solution” on the Jews? In both cases the enablers feigned innocence when faced with what they created and supported.

Edward Alexander, Naples 

Let the world see

When Eisenhower visited the concentration camps at the end of World War II, he was disgusted and amazed by the atrocities committed by the Germans. He insisted that pictures be taken for the world to see so that the truth could be seen and never forgotten.As difficult and obscene as it may be to view, pictures of the depraved torture and killings of innocent Israeli children, men and women by the inhuman Hamas soldiers must be shown so that the world can see the truth and so the lies spewed by Talib et al can be dismissed. Truth always wins but truth must be visible and not hidden by censured organizations and attitudes.

Michael Zubrow, Naples

Antidote to prejudice

Some of my best friends are Jews. There's a beauty we've all heard before. Haters have been justifying their bigotry forever as though their tolerance for a few "good ones" among a larger group somehow absolved them of any moral taint. It could as well be some of my best friends are Black or whatever; the intent is the same. They want us to know they're not really haters -- yeah, right. But here's the thing. I'm not Jewish, but some of my best friends actually are Jews. And I have a proposition for all of you Jew haters out there.I want you to spend one day with me and my Jewish friends. We'll just hang out and do whatever people do. We'll grab a bite, have a beer, shoot some hoops, tell a few jokes, worry about our kids, whatever. And after that day, I want you to look me in the eye and tell me you still hate Jews. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think you'll be able to pull it off.

Geremy Spampinato, Naples

Solve Middle East crisis

The Middle East crisis has been a problem since the foundation of Israel in 1949. It’s time to solve this issue once and for all.One of the major sticking points to the negotiations of a two state solution has been the question whose capital is Jerusalem, the Jews, or the Palestinians.To solve this crisis, let’s declare Jerusalem “the capital of the world” and move the United Nations from New York to Jerusalem. I believe this would resolve this sticking point to negotiations of a two state solution.Then sit down and come up with a mutually agreeable two state solution, so that both the Jews and the Palestinians have their countries and can live together in peace, which they so richly deserve.And finally, I believe the United States should remove their troops from the Middle East and stay out of that region.Henry Pfendt, Naples

Citizen involvement recognized

In every election, there are thousands of ordinary citizens who give of their time and energy to further the cause of a man or woman whom they think will alter and improve the state of a community or nation. These special people do so because they care about the people around them and seek, through their efforts, to better the environment and lives of family friends and neighbors. They are admirable toilers in the vineyards of the vote.

In every election, there are winners and losers. But, not so the volunteers who have given of their time in the various efforts. These wonderful people have demonstrated a superior quality of American citizenship that is admirable. It should be recognized by their friends and family.

Citizen involvement is the backbone of what America is all about. It is who and what we are as a nation. A cadre of involved citizens, who give of themselves to make where we live a better place, is the noblest contribution a person can give to others.

So, both my compliments and my kudos to all those of you who have had the goodness and decency to become involved in all of the local and national political races. You are what makes this country what it is and can become.May the good Lord bless these United States of America. And also recognize those special people who make the whole system work. May the roads rise up to meet y’all.Joseph Xavier Martin, Estero

GOP died before my eyes

Dearly beloved we are gathered here today, to bid farewell to the Grand Old Party. I actually knew it was sick; I just prayed it would get better, sooner rather than later. Many, well at least eight, believe they were sent to break ( Byron Donalds) things. The party I belonged to and believed in has died right before my eyes. Once the party of law and order. Once the party of governing. Now a shell of itself. It's said (well Trump said it) we need to rewrite the Constitution, and allow one-person rule by edicts. Perhaps a continuing farce of self delusional rants is needed. If there's to be a civil war; just look to our own history, at it's chance to be successful. I ask these people: What happens to this nation's economy, Congress, what will be the legal tender? No one I've asked can answer these points. Seems to me, it's just a teenage boy's feverish dream. Please remove yourself from this cultish behavior. Before you're asked to drink the Kool-Aid!

Robert Jenkins, Naples

DeSantis took an oath

The First Amendment guarantees the freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. These freedoms are number one in the Bill of Rights because of their importance in protecting our rights to express our deepest beliefs in words and actions.

Below are Governor DeSantis’ efforts to limit free speech and shape discourse in clear violation of the First Amendment:

1. Legislating criminal laws against citizen protests protected under the First Amendment.

2. Silencing Disney over its belief regarding LGBTQs.

3. Seizing control, by legislation, of content on social media regarding LGBTQs.

4. Imposing anti-woke codes in schools and corporations.

5. Punishing those (Disney) who criticize the governor. A government may not use its sovereign powers to punish people who criticize elected officials or their policies. (U.S. Supreme Court - HARTMAN v. MOORE [2006]). After Disney denounced the Don’t Say Gay law, Florida retaliated by passing a law to dissolve Disney’s control over its kingdom as a punishment.

6. Imposing speech codes on university professors. DeSantis now wants to control what “social issues” can be debated on state campuses. His SB266 Florida regulations would expressly limit free speech by restricting the discussion of such issues as “topics that polarize or divide society among political, ideological, moral, or religious beliefs...”

DeSantis has twice promised: “I do solemnly swear that I will support, protect, and defend the Constitution and government of the United States …. so help me God.” DeSantis, by violating the First Amendment, has broken that oath. He cannot be trusted. So help him, God.

Joe Haack, Naples

Trumpian ideology

While the Supreme Court has struck down the Biden administration’s effort to aid college students and graduates with a debt forgiveness plan, the Republicans have come up with their own financially friendly education program.

Since there’s supposedly no profit involved, it’s quite unGOP-like. But it’s  promoted by the party’s titular head, former President Trump, a tell-tale sign that something’s afoot.

That something is the creation of an institution  to be known as the American Academy. As conceived by the former president, it would be a nationwide, certificate-granting school of higher education geared to preparing  people to work for the federal  government or its contractors. That’s somewhat of a tautology because he also has announced plans to cut the federal workforce and strip the remaining employees of job security and other protections, although his worker reduction plan isn’t as gruesome as the one of our Governor DeSantis, who doubled-down last week on his full-throated pledge to “slit the throats” of the federal  workforce.

The Trump plan would be funded by contributions extracted from existing universities on some type of unspecified basis. Like its funding, its curriculum also is undefined,  although he says it provides an alternative to liberal arts schools that he characterizes as staffed by “communists and jihadists.” The courses presumably would be imbued with Trumpian ideology like “How to lie with a straight face,” “Insulting your adversaries,” and  “Marching with torches at night: White Supremacy on display,” among other academic anomalies. As for its admissions policy, don’t expect affirmative action or racial preferences; the ex-president’s Supreme Court appointees have done away with that.

It seems like a throwback  to another pre-presidential pedagogical undertaking: Trump University, which conned thousands of gullible erstwhile students before the undertaker took it down and, right after the 2016 election, its victorious owner paid a $25 million settlement to its defrauded students after he had pledged that he would not settle their fraud lawsuit against the sham school.

Trump’s Academy may never take off, especially if he’s not re-elected. But if it does, it will have at least one difference from his prior venture into academia: it will be free — and probably worth every penny that  the students pay to enroll in it.

Marshall Tanick, Naples

New movies, old actors

Actors still on strike?  Now that AI is coming on, it should be possible to create new stories, bring back long deceased actors and produce a whole new series of films with the folks we used to love.

How about Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe together?  Or Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton together again in a romantic comedy?  Or Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall doing a series on Netflix?  The possibilities seem endless.

More fantasy to take our minds off the madness surrounding our everyday lives.  I can stay in my personal bubble and just watch new movies with old personalities.  Take a note, Tom Cruise and Matt Damon and Taylor Swift, you might get swallowed up by a return to the past!

Charlie Berry, Naples

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Letters to the editor for Sunday, November 12, 2023