Letters and feedback: Jan. 16, 2022

Are leaders afraid of compromise?

Talk, talk, talk. When do we meet?

Our great nation would not exist if interests on all sides had not been willing to compromise. We don’t compromise much anymore. We haven’t lost the ability to compromise. We’re just wrapped up in the impossible task of satisfying the influential, and leaders are afraid compromise weakens

However, time is no longer a luxury. Citizens need confidence-building actions by our leaders now, and that will only happen if they restrain pride, discard the attitude of disagreeing in order to control, and be willing to compromise.

John Russo, Titusville

Governor's policies: 'ruinous'

Ron DeSantis doesn't worry about the ruinous policies that his hapless administration has made during the pandemic, since his constituents don't hold him accountable for any falsehoods or inaccurate statements that he makes.

The only thing that matters to his supporters is that he stokes their fear, hate, and anger against the "others" in pursuit of his autocratic tendencies that will ultimately prove damaging to even his minions.

Ernest Lee, Melbourne

Is this commissioner a team player?

I will start by stating I am not a wildlife expert. The article on the Malabar scrub jay habitat said the county plans to remove over 100,000 trees to save the habitat.

I wonder how long this would take and what the cost would be. I cannot imagine these birds would stay in the area with all of the constant noise of tree removal plus the smoke from prescribed burns. After all this effort is there any guarantee these birds would even remain or come back to this area?

I also love Commissioner John Tobia's comment about the Malabar representatives. Tobia reportedly said "I kind of enjoy the fact that we're getting under these folks' skin." Sounds like he is not much of a team player. This sounds like a game to him. This is a poor attitude for a county official.

Lenox H. King, West Melbourne

'Dismay' over columnist's Jan. 6 take

I read with dismay columnist Bill Mick’s take on what occurred at our beloved U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

He and I must have watched the events unfold from different planets. I was horrified as hundreds of rioters bashed their way into the building with weapons. Some expressed the desire to hang the vice president and do harm to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others if they found them.

The riots led to the deaths of five people. Others were injured. The rioters invaded the House and Senate chambers as well as Pelosi’s office.

Just because they weren’t smart enough to figure how to ‘"take over," they still tried. In my book, that’s called an insurrection.

Jessica Broyles, Titusville

How do you define insurrection?

I read with interest an article online from Time magazine titled, “What the History of the Word ‘Insurrection’ Says about Jan. 6.” And then I read Bill Mick’s column from Jan. 12, titled “Were Jan.6 riots unseemly? Yes. An insurrection? No way.”

Here’s the last paragraph from the Time article:

“This war of words is nothing new. Long before the debate over whether the January 6 event was, essentially, a “protest,” a “siege,” a “coup,” or, indeed, an “insurrection,” there has been ongoing discord over the difference between “riots” and “rebellions.” What’s new is whose actions are being discussed: In the past this debate often focused on the rising up of Black people in America.”

Susan Zwieg, Merritt Island

Jan. 6, 2021: no Pearl Harbor or 9/11

The Democratic Party formed a committee to investigate Jan 6, 2021, considering it to be the worst day ever at the U.S. Capitol.

I was not happy with what I saw at all. It seems that committee and the Democrats want to blame President Trump for inciting these actions, thus their continued investigations.

On Jan. 6, 2022, Vice President Kamala Harris stood up prior to President Biden speaking and stated that the incident on Jan. 6, 2021, compares to the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor and the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Nothing could be further from the truth. We lost a lot of citizens and military members in those attacks.

I provide details on possibly the worst three previous attacks in recent years on the Capitol.

March 1, 1954: Five congressmen were wounded on the House floor by terrorists who fired 20 to 25 shots.

March 1, 1971: A group called the Weather Underground caused $300,000 worth of damage in the Capitol Building.

Nov. 7, 1983: A device was detonated on the second floor of the Senate wing by a group called the Armed Resistance, causing an estimated $250,000 worth of damage.

So as much as the Jan 6, 2021, incident was a shock to the current administration and the world, I believe it was a demonstration of dissatisfaction as were the other attacks on the Capitol.

It would seem that after previous attacks over the years, security would have been beefed up before Jan. 6, 2021.

Bruce Mochwart, Melbourne

'Unseemly' doesn't began to describe it

I usually get a chuckle when reading Bill Mick's ultra-right-wing rantings, but he has stepped over the line in his characterization of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol as "unseemly."

I would certainly agree that the injuries to 138 police officers, and the deaths of five people is "unseemly." However, Mick is stepping into the territory of Tucker Carlson — an admitted liar — when he claims that this was not an insurrection.

The House of Representatives considered it an insurrection when they impeached Trump for "incitement of an insurrection." More than 30 people who are members of the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, etc., were charged with conspiracy to plan the attacks. More than $30 million was spent for repairs for the damages caused by these so-called demonstrators.

The sole goal of this mob was to overturn the election results. It certainly seems like an insurrection to me, regardless of the Merriam-Webster definition of that word.

Robert A. Casey, Palm Bay

Call Jan. 6, 2021, events what they were

Columnist Bill Mick is irked the media and politicians call the events of Jan. 6, 2021, an insurrection. He asserts there was no attempt at a government takeover.

As the date for Congress to certify the election approached Trump pressured Vice President Pence to unlawfully throw out electoral votes.

At the rally, speakers used violent language. Trump again falsely claimed the election was stolen, called on Pence to “come through for us" and encouraged the crowd to go to the U.S. Capitol, where the Electoral College vote was being certified.

Hundreds attacked the Capitol. Many were armed; some chanted “Hang Mike Pence." When the violent crowd fought their way into the Capitol they began to search for Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. At one point the mob forced themselves within 100 feet of Pence. The life of Vice President-elect Harris was threatened by a pipe bomb. With Trump refusing to concede, an attempt at a government takeover was in progress.

A multipronged attempt was made to prevent the lawfully elected government from taking power and to have the loser of the election take power. Investigations are slowly revealing the extent of the plot, in which stopping the certification was an integral part.

It is correct to call the events of Jan. 6, 2021, what they were — an insurrection.

Mick has let his political perspective warp his view of facts. Loyal citizens should face facts and resist undemocratic forces trying to seize power.

Kenneth E. Rhoden, Melbourne

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Letters and feedback: Jan. 16, 2022