'RoboCop' critics missed the point of the movie | Letters

JD Vance was right the first time

In a time when the right is calling on the left to tone down the divisive rhetoric, we only have to look to former President Donald Trump’s VP choice to find the most inflammatory language of anyone. JD Vance famously referred to his running mate as a total fraud, "cultural heroin," "reprehensible," "a cynical a**hole," "a moral disaster" and "America’s Hitler."

Vance has now, of course, changed his mind and professed his love and admiration for the man he publicly trashed when he was a “never Trumper.” During the Republican National Convention, many commentators tried to paint this flip-flop as a positive. Don’t we want people to change and grow? Isn’t it a politician's job to try to convert people to their side?

While that may sound admirable, it is just more proof that the Republican Party has become a bunch of Trump lackeys. No one dares to speak out against this "reprehensible” man for fear of losing their political careers. Compromising their morals so that they can hold on to power.

We need to heed JD Vance’s first impression of Donald Trump. His disingenuous change of heart is as disgusting as he once thought his running mate was.

David Cash

Detroit

That's not what 'RoboCop' was about

The criticisms raised in Neal Rubin's article on the RoboCop statue in Detroit are off the mark. "RoboCop" is not "raw bigotry," nor is it an attack on the people of Detroit. ("Some Detroiters view ‘RoboCop’ film, statue as raw bigotry," Detroit Free Press, July 4.)

It is an indictment of a corporate capitalist system that puts profits for corporations and the rich over the needs of the people. "RoboCop" attacks the deindustrialization and disinvestment that characterized America in the 1980s.

The corporate fat cat villains have privatized just about every public service, all to make a buck. The film could have occurred in Pittsburgh, Gary, Flint or any American city left behind in the "greed is good" decade.

We are still dealing with the outcomes of those policies, yet these critics think it's more important to go after a movie criticizing them. What have they done to fight against plant closures, tax giveaways to the super-rich or the destruction of our environment? Those are all worthier targets than a film trying to warn audiences about where Reaganomics would lead.

Hank Kennedy

Hazel Park

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I'm a Detroiter and I don't support a residency requirement

This letter is in response to Free Press reporter Dave Boucher's article on city officials who don't live in the city of Detroit. ("45% of high-ranking officials in Duggan's office don’t live in Detroit, analysis shows," Detroit Free Press, July 19.)

I was a Detroit police officer when the city had a residency requirement. It didn't bother me, because I grew up in the city, and chose to live in it. When I would tell people where I lived, the usual response was the assumption that I lived in the city because I was forced to. I saw first hand the resentment officers had at being forced to live in the city. Often, their families — for many reasons, including jobs — lived in other communities. Trust me, that didn't make for a happy, committed public servant. After being laid off from the city, I joined the Los Angeles Police Department where there was no residency requirement. My observation was that where an officer lived had no bearing on the level of their commitment to their profession, to their employer, or to the community they served. If anything, the employees were able to use off-duty time to decompress and to de-stress. They became better employees.

Residency requirements also hinder the recruitment and retention of the best workers

Wayne State University Assistant Professor Jeff Horner told Boucher that he supports a residency requirement, although he notes that when the city had an employee residency requirement, police officers concentrated their housing in a few so-called "Copper Canyons." What advocates for residency don't seem to recall is that many city workers would combine resources and rent a small apartment which they would call home, whether they lived there are not. In the meantime, their families lived in other communities. Think about that … how does that impact morale or family life? Negatively, for sure. In addition, the enforcement of residency required a residency squad that would follow city workers to see where they spent the night, where they shopped, etc. A waste of money and personnel that only bred resentment.

The mayor and city officials should focus on making the city safer, cleaner, more tax-competitve with other communities, along with improving transit, schools, and recreation. Do that, and more people will want to live in the city.

Thomas E. Page

Detroit

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Don't wait to use a life jacket until it's too late

A recent incident in Macomb County highlights the importance of wearing a life jacket. Four fishermen fell into Lake St. Clair after their boat capsized due to choppy waters. Fortunately, they were all wearing life jackets and were rescued, but that isn’t always the case.

In the most recent U.S. Coast Guard boating statistics, three out of every four boaters who died in a boating accident drowned, and of those deaths, 87% were not 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.

When going out on the water, ensure everyone on board has a life jacket that fits properly. If you need one to borrow, check out one of the Sea Tow Foundation’s Life Jacket Loaner Stations. You never know just how life saving it could be.

Gail R. Kulp

Southold, New York

This new law would support moms

Mental health conditions that occur after pregnancy are the most common pregnancy complications, and impact one in five postpartum individuals.

There is currently no standard for how, when and by whom mental health screenings should occur, which leads to wide disparities in screening, symptoms being recognized, and treatment being received. Lack of treatment increases the risk of long-term negative consequences for the mother, infants, and their families.

If screening consistently occurred, it would help ensure timely detection and treatment, which would, in turn, translate into better health outcomes for the individual and child, as maternal mental health conditions are a significant risk factor for long-term negative outcomes for a child.

House Bill 5169 would amend the Michigan Public Health Code to implement universal screening for postpartum depression. Passing this bill would ensure that these individuals and their children are protected from the detrimental effects of postpartum depression. Please contact your state lawmaker to support this bill.

Alyson Halsted

Onondaga, Michigan

Divine intervention, or ...? Tell us your theory in a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.

I see the hand of God in Donald Trump's rise

I've said that former President Donald Trump is God's candidate.

When many asked why I would say that my response is that God uses people in certain situations.

Saturday's colossal security failure proves my assertion. Obviously, the security team couldn't keep Trump safe from a gunman on a rooftop 150 yards away with a clear line of fire. If Trump hadn't moved a few inches at that precise second …

I think God protects and gives Trump strength. Could any other man but Trump have gone through all the investigations, impeachments, indictments, and now an assassination attempt, without God's help?

Patrick Gilligan

Sterling Heights

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Vance and Trump, 'RoboCop,' life jackets, postpartum care | Letters