Sunday's letters: Confederate memorial best forgotten, Sarasota roads shameful
Keep Confederate monument out of sight
Manatee County commissioners are considering restoring a Confederate monument to downtown Bradenton. The monument, removed in 2017 following a protest, bears the names of Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee.
Opinion:Place Confederate monument at Ron DeSantis Park
Davis, president of the Confederacy, made his views on slavery clear when he said, “We recognize the negro as God and God’s Book and God’s Laws, in nature, tell us to recognize him: Our inferior, fitted expressly for servitude.”
A man who expresses such views and was guilty of betraying his oath to the United States hardly seems worthy of a monument on the town square.
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Those who favor restoring the monument argue that this is an opportunity to bring back a crucial part of Manatee County history. Does that mean the Manatee County commissioners agree that people of color in our community are “fitted expressly for servitude?”
We can only hope the commissioners will vote to keep the monument where it belongs – out of public view.
Bill Welsch, Punta Gorda
College diversity, but only for chosen few
I am running out of popcorn watching all the New College elitists squirm and squeal over the appointment of new board members by our governor, Ron DeSantis.
As a fellow “right-wing barbarian,” I applaud the breach and welcome the conflict. Part of the joy is watching all these promoters of “diversity and inclusion” face off against the prospect of exactly that.
More:Students say board appointments go against school's values
There is no greater proof of biases than their disparagement of the incoming board members’ bona fides. Such displays of “academic privilege” are exactly the point of the exercise.
New College was founded as a private institution in 1960 by an impressive group of “Old Sarasota” benefactors who modeled the curriculum of New College in Oxford, England.
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Only 15 years later, the local school required a financial rescue and turned to the state. The advocates of New College are now fighting the aspect of “unwanted” state control.
People like myself, who revere the history of conservative Hillsdale College, chortle over the irony.
Michael D. Sprout, Venice
Sarasota roads too rough to ride
I was born and raised in Sarasota, and although I don’t like a lot of the growth and destruction that has occurred, we still have one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and myriad cultural options and are a highly popular housing destination.
Yet our road system stinks! It’s like traveling on an old wagon trail that is bumpy and full of potholes. You often feel you’re off-roading instead of pleasantly driving through beautiful Sarasota.
More:Frustrating construction on Cattlemen and Palmer
Work on Beneva Road and Bahia Vista Street has taken two years and millions of additional dollars to reopen one lane of each road. The only accomplishment was clearing debris and poorly "patching” the asphalt. It's still horrible to drive on.
Another example is Tuttle Avenue and the months taken to “get it right.” Shame on you, county officials!
Locals deserve better. We want visitors to spend lots of money and possibly settle in Sarasota, but we subject them to constant construction and horrible streets to navigate.
When will it ever improve? So sad!
Lynda Franklin, Sarasota
Art programs improve seniors' lives
Sarasota has long had a reputation as an arts community, aided by the talented artists who live here and display their art.
Unfortunately, they don’t receive the credit they deserve. Instead of visiting local artists, people go to museum gift shops and find items from other states and China in the sales gallery.
The city needs to go further and develop a program that caters to its senior population like AFTA, Arts for the Aging, which has been in operation in Maryland, Washington and Virginia for more than 30 years.
It is well known that engaging older adults in art results in health improvement and life enhancement. AFTA receives public, corporate and philanthropic funding and pays its administrative staff and contract teachers.
The program targets poorer communities, adult day care centers, assisted living facilities and seniors with moderate cognitive impairments.
There is also OMA, Opening Minds through Art, designed by Scripps Gerontology at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. The program assists Alzheimer’s patients by relying on imagination instead of memory to improve their mood and behavior and focusing on strengths instead of lost skills.
If we could establish programs like these, we could really call ourselves an art community.
Sally Coler, Sarasota
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Don't bring back memorial to Jefferson Davis, Lee and Jackson
