Letters: Why won’t Gov. DeSantis talk about his Navy service at Guantanamo prison?

Tell us about Gitmo, governor

During an April press conference, a reporter asked Gov. Ron DeSantis about his duty at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station and its detention facility. The question elicited a bitter retort in which the governor seemed incensed. His response indicated that he didn't think anyone would remember him from that time. His "gut" response made me think that there was possibly more to the story.

As a former psychiatric nurse working at NAS Jacksonville at the beginning of the 21st century, I was aware that some of our corpsmen received temporary duty to that facility. The stories they brought back indicated that the conditions were difficult to say the least. The behavior of the inmates was at times stressful for the staff because of some of the things that they observed. It appeared that this was not an easy duty for them.

Just this week I read that Guantanamo detainees were recently able to speak to an independent UN investigator regarding their complaints. Many have been captive for 20 years and are now elderly. Some were implicated in the 9/11 attacks and other crimes. Their complaints included: scant contact with families; health problems, including psychological and physical scars from abuse; forced feedings for those on hunger strikes; and having suicidal ideas. Up until the current administration, no one was allowed to observe or interview those detainees.

I've heard Gov. DeSantis was a JAG officer in the Navy and I wonder what he did while stationed there. If he had any observations or interaction with detainees, they might remember him, especially if they were subject to any type of abuse. Although some information was classified, now it may be more accessible to the public.

Margaret E. Wright, Jacksonville

U.S. built by immigrants, Congress must help

As we recently celebrated our nation’s independence, we should also remember our nation’s history and honor our patriotic symbols for what they are, such as the Statue of Liberty. Lady Liberty stands as a beacon of hope and welcome to those who seek refuge and safety. Many seem to have forgotten that.

Years of policies that target people because of their immigration status have deterred immigrant families, which include millions of U.S. citizen children, from accessing health care and nutrition. Parents know how important our immigrant community members are in keeping our families and kids healthy. Immigrants make up 17% of the nation's health care workers, 18% of child care workers, 38% of home health aides and 12% of the education workforce — they are caregivers in every sense of the word.

Our elected officials should look to the example of Lady Liberty to protect immigrants with legislation like H.R. 1511, Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 (also known as the Registry Bill); H.R. 4170 and S. 2038, Lifting Immigrant Families Through Benefits Access Restoration Act (LIFT the BAR Act); and H.R. 1325, Asylum Seeker Worker Authorization Act of 2023. These are bills that could help boost immigrant families and create a better future for the children.

This is an opportunity not only for bipartisanship, but also for keeping immigrant children safe and healthy.

Nadine Hughey, St. Augustine

Get rid of the fossils

Every time I look at the latest effects of climate change occurring, I get furious thinking what it will be like next year and the year after that. Here in Florida, we have a House and Senate that are apparently not interested in slowing or stopping global warming. They are literally doing the opposite of what will help, because I suppose it doesn't fit their political profile.

Fossil fuels are the main problem and we should be moving away from them as quickly as possible, while moving towards renewable energy. But what does our elected body promote? Nothing that involves getting rid of the thing that is killing our planet; instead, they see cultural issues as the biggest threat to the planet. Unfortunately, we will be severely affected by climate change in exchange for their politics at this critical time.

Voters, wake up. Get rid of these fossil fuel supporters in our legislature and replace them with people who rely on science rather than politics. Find out if the people you voted for support protecting the environment or are supporters of coal, oil and natural gas.

Our planet is at stake — just look at the current weather and think how much worse it will get in the next few years.

Peter Bishop, Jacksonville

Politics also part of the problem

In his July 8 letter, Gary Schuran suggested that raising the income threshold would address the Social Security program deficit.

As an actuary, I can say that mathematically he is correct. I can also say that there are many other mathematical solutions. However, the problem is also political (e.g., President Biden won't increase taxes for folks with less than $400,000 of income and Republicans won't increase taxes at all).

Whether it be math or divine political intervention, something has to be done. The current Social Security Report says its trust fund will run out in 2033 and all future benefits will be cut at that time by 23% (a built-in automatic adjustment).

I don't know about anyone else, but a 20% reduction of my income ― or more — would hurt. I suspect for many it would be a complete disaster. Let's get this fixed before it's too late.

Scott Schleifer, Jacksonville

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Reader questions what Ron DeSantis did while serving at Guantanamo