Thursday's letters: Flynn had bad track record of leadership in military

‘We’re at war’? Don’t bank on Flynn

The headline July 14 was “Flynn tells Venice GOP ‘We’re at war.’” To my Republican neighbors − and I include those at the sanctuary city for Proud Boys and anarchists called “The Hollow” − be careful who you go to war with.

Disgraced Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn’s “combat” career began as an intelligence officer during the invasion of Grenada, where U.S. troops were held up on the beach waiting for translators because “intelligence” was unaware that Grenada is an English-speaking country.

Flynn retired early from the Army after being forced out of the Defense Intelligence Agency for poor leadership and suspicions that he was a Russian agent. Even then, he continued passing sensitive U.S. policy information to Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and had to apologize for lying about this to Vice President Mike Pence.

More: How to send a letter to the editor

Colin Powell, a general who did not disgrace his uniform, called Flynn “nutty.” Flynn became part of the now-famous “Team Crazy” with Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, facing defeat in a way every soldier knows is foolish, with complete denial.Going to war? Good luck with that.Mike Weddle, Venice

Commissioners again side with developers

Who do the Sarasota County commissioners really serve? I regularly see large-scale, controversial developments approved over the strong objections of the surrounding residents.

Recently, the Englewood Prose multistory apartment complex was proposed for vacant property immediately adjacent to my Englewood home.

Why didn’t the commissioners hear the voices of the 1,200 people who signed a petition in opposition to the project? Did they read the 450 letters opposing the development?

They certainly had to see the 300 people, dressed in red, who attended the Planning Commission meeting.

When the county commissioners held their July meeting, they heard dozens of people raise concerns about increased traffic and potential flooding of neighboring properties, not to mention the incompatibility of the 11 monolithic buildings with the surrounding single-family homes.

Yet when it came time to vote, the commissioners overwhelmingly supported an out-of-state developer with no vested interest in Englewood.

Are they blinded by the dollar signs they see of an increased tax base and money freely flowing into the county coffers?  Or are they simply so aligned with developers that they dare not offend them by voting against their requests?

Shouldn’t they instead be listening to their constituents?

Steven J. Parent, Englewood

President Biden great for the country

We have a phenomenal president. He has made good decisions that will have a permanent effect on our country. And if the Democrats win the majority in both houses of Congress in the 2024 election, 2025 will see some important positive changes.

Yes, Joe Biden is getting old. He stutters. He can be undiplomatic when he expresses his true feelings.

But he’s honest. He has more experience in government than all the potential Republican candidates combined. And he is a consensus builder.

The first lady, Jill Biden, is a quality person.

Inflation is behind us. Unemployment is lower than during the last 12 years. The war in Europe will be behind us soon. China relations are rational. And by election time the economy should be in good shape.

Edward Carlstrom, Sarasota

End of affirmative action fits GOP agenda

As if the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade wasn’t horrific enough, the rogue U.S. Supreme Court turned back the clock on 50 years of precedent by ruling that race can no longer be considered in college admissions.

Thanks to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, the justices carved out an exception for military institutions, saying that affirmative action was still copacetic there. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson saw through Roberts' fallacious logic, excoriating him in her dissent.

This ruling fits in perfectly with the Republican agenda to rid our society of diversity, equality and inclusion. Red states have now had the top federal court endorse their goal of eliminating DEI in educating our children.

Related story: DeSantis bans funding for college diversity programs

What’s next up in this horrendous march toward abrogating personal freedoms and ignoring what’s right and just? Suppression of voting rights, attacks on the LGBTQ community and banning books? Oh, sorry, those are already in process.

Many Americans are frustrated with the Supreme Court’s recent rulings as being out of touch with the majority in this country. The only way to change that is to elect representatives who will support issues that are important to you.

To quote former President Barack Obama, “If you don't like the current situation, don’t complain, VOTE!”

Steven Berry, Sarasota

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Flynn a bad risk as leader, based on record in military