Sunday's letters: Campaign ad shows desperation, opt out of election, no need for labels

Rubio’s ads reflect poorly on his campaign

Last week, I heard the latest campaign ad from U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. His ad says, in effect, that Democrats counsel young boys to become girls.

The rest of the ad features his usual litany of lies and distortions, even mentioning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as evil incarnate. Seriously?

His ad is disgusting and reflects poorly on his character. If nothing else, it shows how ineffective Rubio is as a campaigner and how desperate he is to win at any cost.

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While I might have favored Rubio in the past, his salacious campaign ad coupled with his generally poor performance as a senator turn me against him and toward his Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Val Demings.

Rubio’s ads show the depths to which Florida Republicans will go to win an election.

Larry Tobin, Venice

Moderate Republicans should skip election

There was a time when Democrats and Republicans could work together on so many good things. We had our differences, but nonetheless there was a mutual respect and a belief that we were working to make things better for all Americans.

Today, I want to ask all the moderate Republicans who have been alienated by events and things that candidates are saying and doing, and that obviously don’t jibe with your respectable core values, to opt out of voting in the coming election.

I realize that asking you to vote for a Democrat would be asking too much, but if you are alarmed by all the ruckus going on in your party, just take a step back and push the pause button.

I won’t go into the grubby details of all the goings-on, but for all the wars we have fought together and all the hard work we have done together to make a better life for our kids and grandkids, we need to rein in the GOP before it short-circuits the entire democratic system.

Please opt out in November as a symbolic protest and take back your Republican Party.

Robert Thompson, Sarasota

Regulate abortion, promote birth control

The Supreme Court made the decision that abortion regulation is not a federal matter and deferred all abortion decisions to the individual states. This was not a Democratic or Republican decision.

Each state can regulate abortion as directed by its citizens. Most states continue to allow abortions.

Florida has decided that abortions will be provided up to 15 weeks after pregnancy.  Florida decided that late-term abortion (killing the baby) is not humane.

Most people agree that late-term abortion is not acceptable, and many believe that 15 weeks is ample time for a woman to choose to continue or terminate a pregnancy.

Rather than inciting women to resist basic regulation on abortion, wouldn’t be a better idea to promote birth control for all who want sex and don’t want children? Unprotected sex for those who do not want children is the problem, not having each state decide on its own abortion laws.

Mark Collier, Sarasota

Heading toward future without labels

A letter in defense of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law cites a teacher's decision to eliminate from her lesson plan a reference to the fact that Sally Ride, the first female astronaut, was a lesbian (“Parental Rights law already working,” Sept. 19).

The writer asks, “Why is it necessary to identify an historical figure by his or her sexuality?” She's right. It's not. And it shouldn't be.

Just as it shouldn't be a factor in our judgment of any member of a minority group, or as in the case of women, discrimination based on traditional views of what their role in society should be. 

When we finally reach the point where all people are freed of the biases against them, we won't have any need to identify them by labels.

Long way to go but consider the milestones. John F. Kennedy was our first Catholic president. Thurgood Marshall was our first Black justice on the Supreme Court. And yes, Sally Ride was both our first woman and first lesbian in space.

We’re headed in the right direction.

Kenneth H. Bradt, Sarasota

Immigrants could ease labor shortage here

It would appear that Gov. Ron DeSantis did not take Economics 101, let alone Economics 102, at Harvard.

Human beings are a very valuable commodity and yet our governor is spending tens of thousands of dollars to ship these immigrants out of Texas, rather than spending the money to train these people for the many, many jobs that need to be filled in our state.

Using human beings for political gain is just immoral. I guess he did not take ethics at Harvard either.

George B. Kenworthy, Bradenton

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Rubio's campaign ad desperate, moderates should opt out of election