Letters to the editor for Sunday, September 3, 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

Profoundly ignorant

Earlier this week, a majority of our county commissioners, led by Chris Hall, decided to pass an ordinance which appears to be one of the most profoundly ignorant things ever enacted by our local officials: becoming a “Bill of Rights Sanctuary” county, whatever that means. This has the overtones of the laughable Sovereign Citizen crusade and any lawyer will tell you how ridiculous that position is when it's argued in a court of law. The lone dissenter was Burt Saunders, an attorney who knows constitutional law better than the entire rest of the group put together. Aside from the fact that the bill violates the Supremacy Clause, the Anti Establishment Clause and a host of other state and federal laws, it was intentionally drafted to be vague, which is the kiss of death for any law’s enforceability. Perhaps Msgr.’s Hall, LoCastro and McDaniel were doing it to placate some of their constituents by passing a piece of dreck they know would never stand up to any scrutiny, but when the first case comes along which threatens someone’s obtuse interpretation of their “rights,” the taxpayers will be footing the bill for defending it and I believe that money could be used in far better ways.

Ted Hudgins, Naples

Regressive ordinance

Unrestrained development, traffic, crime, beach erosion, water pollution, habitat destruction, and workforce housing — apparently none of these real issues are worth serious attention from most county commissioners.  Instead, at their meeting on Aug. 22, commissioners engaged in political theater while passing the latest meaningless county ordinance.  During the production, several hours were spent hearing from citizens who demonstrated their misunderstanding of federal law, U.S. history, the Constitution, flag etiquette (the flag is not a garment), and geometry (does a “sphere” have a “tip”)?  But the meeting truly reached its lowest point with a speaker warning Mr. Saunders (the only attorney on the BCC) of election revenge in the future if he voted no.  Shameful.

Why do we need an ordinance that currently has no application or relevance?  And what was the county attorney thinking during this discussion?  If there was any suggestion of sound legal advice — I  must have missed it. As for the oft repeated refrain by several commissioners regarding my “God given rights,” they must have skipped over the First Amendment’s rejection of government established religion.  The Constitution never mentions “God”-- a purposeful effort by the framers. No deity, nor county commissioner, is accountable for my basic rights.

The BCC’s job is to manage the business of the county in an ethical, responsible manner — these meaningless, purposefully “vague” (Hall) ordinances do not fulfill that mandate and will only invite litigation. This regressive ordinance does not benefit county citizens. The BCC needs to re-prioritize and focus on real county issues to the benefit of everyone rather than pandering to a  group of angry anti-government agitators.

K. Finer, Naples

I am appalled

Boy, was I wrong! My heart leapt when I read the headline "Collier declares itself a sanctuary." Yay, I thought, we're really getting serious about protecting our native wildlife. Oh, wait... maybe we're protecting the LGBTQ+ community and declaring ourselves a county where the civil rights of all people are guaranteed.Wrong on both counts. Our elected officials are calling Collier County a "sanctuary" from the obligation of following federal law.I am appalled.

Maggie Dimon, Naples

The purpose of education

We send children to school to expose them to different aspects of learning. We send them prior to college to supplement home learning (and sometimes our young people teach their parents!)  In our schools they should get a chance to learn poetry from our great poets, art from our best artists, literature from a variety of past as well as current writers. We should be challenging our students to THINK. They must know history as it will repeat itself — we learn from our mistakes and we admit to them. We do not homogenize or sterilize their learning. Education is exciting.

We have a framework of learning. It is a curriculum. The purpose is to include relevant material in an organized fashion.  We are preparing our students for the real world that they will encounter. We hope we have taught them in an environment that encourages questions and helps them expand their world of living.

We must not narrow their world. We do not keep hiding critical information. We do expose them to learning in an environment that enables them to question and figure out whether this was good for our society or wrong. Let’s not be afraid to uphold the framework of learning. It is truly the right thing to do!

Did you understand my message, Mr. Rutherford?

Judi Palay, Naples

What about state overreach?

I compliment the Collier commissioners for passing the ordinance designating their county as a "Bill of Rights Sanctuary." While I am unsure whether it will withstand judicial review, it could be a start toward stifling federal interference in the county. I only have one question though. Where is the corresponding "state" version?

Raymond Brooks, Fort Myers

Which America?

A little over 60 years ago, a coalition of over 250,000 American citizens led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., of all races, all ethnic groups, all sexes and all sexual orientations (the organizer of the march was a gay man) came together to march on the nation’s capital to advocate for equal voting rights, equal justice, fair housing, equal opportunity in education and employment and basic human dignity for Black Americans. A good number of Americans who experienced that day and were and still are affected by the issues being protested are still alive today. I am one of them. The record is clear that all these rights were being denied Black Americans and encoded in the laws of the country. Many states such as Florida, through legislative subterfuge, actively seek to take rights away from their citizens even today based on race, gender, sexual orientation and even political party affiliation. The words used by the speakers that day in 1963 were ones of unity and non-violence to accomplish these goals. The march began and ended peacefully. On January 6, 2021, over 10,000 American citizens, predominately white and male, heeded the call of a twice impeached, clinically narcissistic, defeated president, and gathered in the nation’s capital to protest losing an election. Over 61 previous court cases and testimony by the former president’s own election experts substantiated that there was not widespread election fraud, and the election was called one of the most secure elections in history by Mr. Trump’s own top election security official. None of the attendees on January 6 had ever been denied an education, an opportunity to make a decent living, a seat on public accommodations, a seat in a public restaurant, the chance to attend their school of choice or subjected to daily human indignities as they went about their daily routines solely due to the color of their skin. I would challenge any insurrectionist on that day to compare his or her grievances to mine and their response to my response. The words heard around January 6 were “it’s going to be wild,” “fight like hell,” “take names and kick ass,” “let's have a trial by combat” and “fight to the very end.”  The march ended with over ten deaths directly or indirectly connected to the attack on the Capitol, over 138 police officers injured and the vice president of the United States and members of Congress fleeing for their lives.  As voters go to into the voting booth in every upcoming election, they should ask, “which America do I choose,” the one being represented by the Donald Trumps of the world that attacked the Capitol on January 6 with their faux grievances or the America represented by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on August 28, 1963, advocating peacefully for much needed change?

Thomas Minor, Bonita Springs

The worst outcome

This is addressed to Trump’ s “lunatic fringe” for  their much needed education on what would be the worst outcome for our democracy, if Trump gets elected again.  Do his MAGA followers have any idea of his plans?  He has no loyalty to them, it is only what they can do to benefit him.  Like funding his defense for all his court cases!

He plans on dumping our democracy. That is his idea to Make America Great Again.  He wants to establish a dictatorship, such as his buddy Putin has.  He has always idolized that power and glory for himself, and to hell with our country.  He is a very warped and dangerous individual.

Have you ever experienced existing, not living, in such a dictatorship where you can be arrested for nothing or saying anything?  Not free to live as you want with your every move spied on and restricted, and your personal needs denied unless approved by the state? Life under Hitler was total hell for WW II Europe, especially for Jews and LBGTQ individuals  They could be shot on the street, or sent to die in concentration camps.  My cousin just returned from a week in Moscow and he couldn’t wait to get back here to America!

Read some books, or do some research to learn, for goodness sake. Some titles: "The Whisperers" — Figes; "Life in Communist Russia" — Streisguth; "Spirit of a Hummingbird" — Heath; "One World Order" — Coleman.

Pam Cannon, Naples  

Saving democracy

Here’s the Republican platform in a nutshell: pass a federal ban on abortion; loosen rather than strengthen gun control measures; ignore the impending perils of climate change and protect the profits of the fossil fuel industry; overturn the SCOTUS decision permitting gay marriage and continue attacks on the LGTBQ community; continue the assault on public education by undermining the credibility of educators, banning books and rewriting the curriculum to eliminate discussion of the role of racism in our history.  I could go on.

Most Americans want no part of the elements of the GOP platform I’ve noted, but almost half our electorate is so committed to the Republican Party, they can’t conceive of voting another way.  Just as most of us reject the far Left, most of us reject the far Right, but unfortunately the far Right has become a rather large cult with a charismatic (I’ll give him that) leader who has no intention of stepping aside for the good of his party or the country.

Democrats can’t save our democracy; only non-cult Republicans can do that.  They need to pledge their loyalty to their party and the Constitution and let our judicial system put the cult leader and his minions behind bars, where they deserve to be for plotting a coup against our republic.

Ray Clasen, North Fort Myers

Disappointing debate

The recent Republican debate turned sickening when six of the eight aspirants raised their hands affirming that they would support an ex-president even if he is convicted of conspiring to overturn the results of an election he clearly lost. One of this spineless lot was Mike Pence, who found himself in grave danger when Trump’s minions attacked the Capitol. Pence’s willingness to forgive and forget is inexplicable. These wannabes will do or say anything to latch onto some of Trump’s base.

Trump followers are true believers bereft of any truth. They’ve convinced themselves that the moon is made of cream cheese, the tooth fairy is for real, and Trump won in 2020. Believing the big lie is an act of willful ignorance. These zealots are not likely to be dissuaded, but someone they might trust has to try.The Republican hierarchy, to include those running for president, know the truth, but they’ll only whisper it in shadows. They have no doubt Trump lost, but they won’t band together to refute the lie vociferously and explain to the loser’s dedicated dimwits just how wrong they are. Maybe then they could rid themselves of this threat to democracy, reacquaint themselves with conservative Republican values, and fairly debate the issues that challenge us.Let’s put Trump in the rear view mirror and have reasonable discussions about immigration, abortion, guns, crime, climate. and a host of other issues.

Kevin McNally, Bonita Springs

Debate reaction

The recent Republican debate was a big disappointment. Instead of discussion on economic, immigration, crime, or energy policies or a plan for the insolvency of Social Security and addressing the national debt we got questions about an indicted politician that wasn’t there to respond, questions about UFOs, and a prayer session.Nikki Haley raised some hope when she clearly explained the issues involved with abortion legislation and explained the national debt was the result of poor fiscal policy of both parties. My favorite, Hurd, did not qualify for the debate and Asa Hutchinson couldn’t get traction. Ramaswamy seemed to channel Barak Obama as he made the appeal for the younger generations to rise up and overthrow the old government while fending off Pence and Christie’s personal attacks since he has no record or past experience to criticize. Neither Scott or Burgum said anything worth repeating.The real embarrassment was DeSantis going into this crazy diatribe repeating a dubious post from a radicalized anti-abortion website (Faces of Choice) of women claiming to be surviving aborted fetuses (no kidding). DeSantis claimed to personally know this Florida woman “Penny,” aborted at 23 weeks in 1956 and thrown in a pan on the back porch. He misleadingly claimed he was deployed (with) the Navy Seals to Iraq. I was in Iraq from 2004-2010 and my firm supplied logistical services to all branches of our military especially in Ramadi/Fallujah area in 2004-2007. Legal aid was deployed to advise all military units in this area after the Haditha massacre and numerous other military code infractions by our troops.No plans, no discussion, no ideas…

Robert Martin, Naples

Deaths from firearms

How can “GOP support for gun restrictions slip”?

A recent analysis of data collected by the Center for Disease Control reports that, in 2021, 4,752 children died from a firearm injury. About a 42% increase from 2018.   The study was recently published in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal. 2021 is the second year in a row in which guns were the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States. It surpassed death by cars, by drug overdoses and by cancer.

What can we do to prevent our children and grandchildren from being a death statistic from firearms? At the very least, we can require mandatory background checks and ban all automatic assault weapons.  The new school year is beginning across the nation.  Will more killing now begin?

Sally Lam, Naples

Flaunting truth, morality

When appearing at the Fulton County Jail for arraignment, former President Trump filled out a form indicating he was 6'3" tall and weighed 215 pounds.  Obviously he understated his weight by 50 or so pounds.  The man can't even fill out a form without lying.  But, if you ask MAGA Trumpers, you'll find a number of them will believe him in spite of his Pillsbury DoughBoy figure.  How is this possible?  Well let's remember Trump's comment during his 2016 presidential run when he said "I like the uneducated voter."

Of course Trump's weight is not important, but the acceptance by Republicans who swear by anything he claims is of great significance. Republicans once were the Party of Law and Order. Now that the law is finally catching up with them, the Justice Department has been "weaponized" to unjustly arrest Republicans and should be disbanded, according to (of course) Republicans. The Republican voter, who seems to embrace Trump values as their own (and, in view of his record of flaunting ethics and morality as well as a total lack of decency, is shameful).  Anyone pulling the lever accepting Donald Trump as their president reflects negatively on the values this country is supposed to represent. That won't stop anyone in a MAGA hat, but it should.  Oh, I forgot the "uneducated" part of the voting block.

Robert F. Tate, Naples

Justice for Trump

For many of us, we've long feared there would never be accountability -- certainly not for a former president monikered "Teflon Don."Yet now, judges are literally coordinating their dockets around his four criminal trials.

We've been gaslighted and held hostages of his criminality for years.No more.These federal and state prosecutors are deliberate, methodical, and deferential -- perhaps to a fault.After exhaustive investigations, followed by weeks of testimony and evidence presented to four grand juries in four separate jurisdictions, he stands now formally accused of 91 felony counts. Justice has been grinding much too slowly for most -- but it will be a much richer, smoother brew at the end.So, while I don't think any of this is cause for celebration, I will say, "Enjoy the aroma, America. Our cup of justice is brewing."

Marc Krein, Bonita Springs

Remedy at ballot box

So the guy with the menacing mugshot who wants to suspend the Constitution, called Jan. 6 a "great day" and had a fundraiser for the seditionists in prison is the leading Republican presidential candidate.

The only president in history to refuse a peaceful transfer of power and has lied about election fraud for 2 1/2 years, tried to threaten Brad Raffensperger to steal the Georgia election, tried to coerce Mike Pence into spitting on the Constitution by nullifying millions of votes, directed fake electors to try to steal the election and lost in court 61 times with his election fraud lies is the choice of Republicans.

If  American democracy is to survive the white nationalist party of cruelty, hate and voter fraud must be destroyed. Real Americans don't do that by storming the Capitol and attempting to kill Nancy Pelosi and hang Mike Pence. Real Americans will destroy the Sharia Law authoritarian Republican Party at the ballot box. 

Bill Linehan, Naples

Important issues ignored

One of the many important issues ignored in the debate last week by the Republican Presidential candidates was gun safety and the Second Amendment.

Granted the time limitations and disruptive crowd noise restricted the number of matters that could be addressed,  but this is a vital one that deserved at least as much time the question about UFOs, inexplicably directed to Chris Christie when the logical recipient should have been Vivek Ramaswamy, the candidate unofficially running on the QAnon conspiracy platform.

The need to address this vexing issue is particularly timely here in Florida, the site of such horrific military-style  firearm mass slayings as the Parkland school in 2018 and the Pulse nightclub in Orlando two years earlier, among others. Then came the latest outrage, the racist killing Saturday of three Blacks at the Dollar General store in Jacksonville by a lunatic white supremacist, who lawfully bought the slaying weapons after temporary detention for mental health services under the state’s Baker Act.

Florida is becoming  ground zero for these incidents, aided by the permitless conceal-carry gun law championed earlier this year by Governor DeSantis, whose efforts at soothing at a post-shooting vigil for the victims properly berated racism but conveniently overlooked  his own  encouragement of firearms proliferation in this state and the whitewashing of teaching about racism so students can appreciate the background and continued  existence of this scourge and try to do something rather than mouth the usual platitudes

The Fox News moderators will get another shot at it next month at the second GOP debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation compound in Southern California. Hopefully, they will have gun safety in their sights there.

Meanwhile, time  to roll out the hearts and prayers, again.

Marshall H. Tanick, Naples

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Letters to the editor for Sunday, September 3, 2023