Sunday's letters: DeSantis struggling to gain momentum against indicted former president

Trump backers loyal despite charges

I see Gov. Ron DeSantis is rebooting his campaign in response to poll numbers that lag tremendously behind Donald Trump. (“DeSantis 2.0: Leaner, meaner campaign,” July 26). The governor laid off more than a third of his staff.

I wonder if his campaign donors will get a return on their investment or will it turn out like Enron? Hmm.

I see Trump rising and gaining strength in the polls no matter what the Democrats and the liberal legal system charge him with. How many of us could withstand the financial and mental anguish that comes with each charge? And there are many. I couldn’t.

Whether Republican or Democrat, many Americans may not realize how attorneys can trump up charges and manipulate the law. How pathetic is that?

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How many innocent people have gone to prison or had a financial loss due to their attorneys’ incompetence or questionable charges/actions? How does a lay person fight back when justice is not on their side?

If Trump wins the election, my request is to establish an agency to overrule state Bar decisions and make it easier for a lay person to fight for justice. Weed out those who should not hold a law license. 

Elizabeth Martin Sullivan, Bradenton

Students won’t stand for censorship

Gov. Ron DeSantis and appointees to the state Board of Education have proposed to sanitize Black history curricula in our state consistent with the 2022 Stop Woke Act, which prohibits instruction that could prompt students to “feel discomfort about a historical event because of their race, sex, or national origins.”

Curriculum changes would, for example, teach middle schoolers that enslaved Americans developed skills that “could be applied for their personal benefit.”

What? Really?

What DeSantis fails to realize is that students aren’t so stupid as to accept such nonsense. They will reach out to learn more.

With a few computer keystrokes, for example, they can access authoritative websites such as “SlaveVoyages,” where scholars post and update information about the slave trade.

Students learn that some 12 million Africans were kidnapped from their homes and enslaved, including over 300,000 shipped here to the U.S. They also learn that an estimated 12% of those captured didn’t survive the trip due to “endemic gastro-intestinal diseases and a range of epidemic pathogens, together with periodic breakouts of violent resistance.”

We are fortunate that soon-to-be voters have easy access to information demonstrating the absurdity of the DeSantis censorship effort.

Steve Johnson, Punta Gorda

Play, exploration key to child development

July is National Make a Difference to Children Month, a time dedicated to celebrating children and recognizing the potential they hold for the future. Central to healthy development is the importance of exploration and play.

Through play and exploration, children engage their senses, boost cognitive skills, form social bonds and lay the foundation for future academic success. For children who are overcoming developmental challenges, it becomes a unique pathway to explore their capabilities, build confidence and acquire essential life skills.

As 1 in every 6 children has a diagnosed developmental delay or disability, our community is fortunate to have numerous organizations focused on children’s needs. At The Florida Center for Early Childhood, we specialize in evaluation, therapeutic intervention and inclusive education for young children.

Our L.E.A.P. (Learning through Exploration, Activity, and Play) campaign is aimed at enhancing play spaces and wraparound supports for children at our Sarasota and North Port campuses, benefiting more than 1,000 children annually.

In honor of National Make a Difference to Children Month, we encourage you to support the needs of children, whether it is spending quality time with a child in your life or contributing to initiatives that improve the lives of other children.

Dr. Kristie Skoglund, CEO, The Florida Center for Early Childhood, Sarasota

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Desperate DeSantis reorganizes two-month-old campaign