Trump-Biden II? DeSantis travel secret; Parkinson's; AR-15 use; Militias; gospel | Letters

Proposed exemption on DeSantis records could jeopardize faith in Florida

The April 14 article, "DeSantis travel records may be concealed by lawmakers," left me contemplating the following:

Spokesperson Bryan Griffin is quoted as saying that  some of the governor's trips are "not paid for at the taxpayer's expense." Then who pays for them?

In addition, state Rep. Jeff Holcomb, the sponsor of proposed legislation to create public records exemptions for security and transportation services, has some, but little, merit. Details surrounding security issues and travel itineraries do not need to be broadcast. However, the citizens of Florida have a right, and a need to know, how public and/or private funds are spent by public servants.

The public's trust in our public servants is supported by truth, openness and transparency.

Ronald D. Roberts, Sebastian

Discrimination against LGBTQ+ folks evident at Pridefest

When are we going to stand up and say enough is enough?

I was at Pridefest on April 22, and it was such an uplifting event, but we were missing half the people. Not knowing whether the Legislature’s latest attempted ban on LGBTQ would be in effect, the organizers decided to limit attendees to those 21 or over.

What a shame. The booths there ran the gamut from St. Julian of Norwich old Catholic Church to the Humane Society, Planned Parenthood and the Save Our Democracy booth by the St. Lucie Democrats.

Tell me what in the world is wrong with spreading information to our young people? I hung around at the Democrats' booth to eavesdrop on some of the conversation and was heartened to hear so much positive feedback to the legislative information being given out and a desire to learn more and be active, coupled with outrage that our government is trampling on our basic human rights.

Oh, that is except when it comes to our guns. Our children can’t read books, can’t learn about history, can’t express themselves and determine who they are.

Come on, let people be people and stop this nonsense!

Ginger Provost, Palm City

Florida legislators must protect citizens on security deposits

Current law in Florida concerning security deposits for rental properties is colossally unfair to renters.

I have no problem with a landlord keeping a portion of a security deposit for legitimate repairs. Florida law states that the landlord is required to provide a list of items that were damaged and required repair, but a landlord is not required to provide receipts or proof that they did, in actual fact, pay for and replace or repair any of these items.

To get to see the receipts, you must sue the landlord. Laws in other states require landlords to actually provide a tenant with receipts or invoices ― proof that the security deposit was used for the purposes they claimed.

The Florida Legislature should act to protect folks like my relative ― a retired and disabled Air Force veteran who was recently taken advantage of by his previous landlord for a $2,000 security deposit ― by requiring landlords to provide receipts or invoices to tenants that show the work for the repairs they claim against a security deposit was done.

The current state of affairs is simply unfair to anyone who rents.

I'm willing to bet that my relative's former landlord has kept each and every security deposit he has ever received. That is thousands of dollars from hardworking Florida families over many years.

Most of us aren't willing to go through the hassle of a court case for a $2,000 security deposit, and that is exactly what this landlord, and many others like him, is banking on.

Andrea Cirranello, Stuart

Support for Parkinson's year-round in Indian River

Since 1983, April has been designated Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month to spotlight a disease that affects nearly 1 million people in the United States.

Each year, 90,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Statistically, it can be estimated that Indian River County has more than 1,000 people with this disease.

Even though April is the designated month to recognize Parkinson’s, the Alzheimer & Parkinson Association of Indian River County is here to serve both individuals with Parkinson’s and their caregivers year-round.

Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disorder which affects a person’s movement. Some of the common symptoms include tremors, gait and balance issues, limb stiffness or rigidity, and slow muscle movement. The result is often a reduced ability to perform common, daily activities. Most people who develop the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease do so after the age of 50, but Parkinson’s can affect younger people as well.

The Alzheimer & Parkinson Association has been serving Indian River County since 1982. Presently, we offer free programs and services which include dozens of programs for those with movement and memory disorders, as well as their caregivers. From chair yoga to aquatic exercises, to dancing and singing and even boxing, plus support groups, our programs are offered beyond the walls of our building and in the community. We value our partnerships with the VNA, Vero Beach Museum of Art, the Brennity and the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.

The generosity of our community allows us to offer all our programs free of charge. We are not part of any national or governmental agency, so all donations made here, stay here.

If you or loved one need more information about Parkinson’s, including learning the early warning signs, please reach out. We are here for you.

Peggy Cunningham is executive director of the Alzheimer & Parkinson Association of Indian River County.

Better uses for AR-15 than shooting fellow Americans

When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. When you have a gun, everything and everyone becomes a target.

Turn in all th AR-15s and ship them to Ukraine with plenty of ammo. They really need them!

Melissa Reynolds, Vero Beach

Handling life's simple challenges should be same on airplane as anywhere else

All week we’ve heard about the screaming baby on the airplane, and the screaming man acting like the screaming baby.

Not that it would have made any difference knowing this, but no one has mentioned that the baby may have had very painful ear pain, which can happen on an airplane, and just maybe there should be a notice with suggestions on what you can do about it: chew gum, etc.. But if it’s a baby, just deal with it as another one of life’s tests.

Joan Hall, Vero Beach

Congress can use militias to suppress insurrections, so ...

Fear of mass killings grows with every media report of them. Defenders of Second Amendment “freedom” go undeterred. “Guns don’t kill; people kill,” they say. Yet no one without a gun ever shot anyone.

Their arguments are: self-defense and defense against a tyrannical government.

The counter to the first is statistics, long held: We are likely to be shot by someone we know or by suicide.

As to the second, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” our Constitution says. Militia is capitalized, which is no accident because it is a lawful institution and not a rabble of the hateful, easily misled provoked by sinister rumor. State is capitalized, noting not a “state of mind” but an actual state. In the 1790s, and for years, Congress eschewed a large standing army.

One argument goes the Holocaust would have been avoided had Jews had guns, outlawed in the 1930s by the Nazi Party. Had the Anne Frank household had even AR-15s (they didn’t exist then), that would have momentarily interrupted its demise only, but certainly eliminated its stay in a Holocaust prison with extermination on the spot.

Who would have organized a Jewish militia then or any militia then or now? Where would a militia hold covert meetings undetected and for how long? How do militia members identify their own from citizens not amenable to their cause? AR-15s can’t stop an Abrams tank. The insurgents are divided; defeated. These are well-regulated militia issues; military issues.

Article 1, Section 8, 15th paragraph: “Congress shall … provide for calling … forth the Militia (to)…suppress insurrections ... "

Armed insurrection even against tyranny, real or perceived, is insurrection.

Richard C. Silvestri, Fort Pierce

Beware fascist demagogues masquerading as faith leaders

The trail of humanity, from survivors though many oppressors, has been sustained through religion and faith: faith in words of comfort about that which is unknown. Sell people on the faith of what you preach and you will lead them.

It is said that faith can move mountains. With belief in the "faith" that produces cooperating manpower and orchestration, yes it can! Faith in a common effort can work miracles.

However, all who preach faith are not saints.

Look around you: Some of those who are holding one of the Holy Scriptures high, while they censure books, excoriate minorities, eliminate women's rights and take away the rights and voices and then punish those who oppose them, are not people of the faith you think they are.

Some are fascist demagogues. Wake up!

Craig Pratt, Jensen  Beach

Satire: Time to change Gospel to fit woke times?

There's great news for Florida’s Christian white nationalist brethren! Our Legislature and governor have enacted laws to keep Florida woke-free, sanctify charter schools and deregulate concealed carry.

Our darling little snowflakes can now, at taxpayers expense, learn everything their parents believe is true in woke-free schools blessed by God. A God whose son, Jesus, challenged his followers to treat other people the way they wished to be treated, suggesting that empathy and love should guide our moral compass. Such wokeness will shatter our little snowflakes’ hearts.

Concealed carry forces us into a moral dilemma. Does carrying a gun lead us into temptation or deliver us from evil? Jesus advised us: Do not resist the evil person; if someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer them the other cheek. So, woke!

• Jesus’ teachings are clearly out of step with the modern conservative religious agenda. A special legislative session urgently is needed to de-woke the Gospel and bring it in line with contemporary practice. Some suggestions for The Woke-Goes-To-Die Gospel:

• How you treat the least among you is how you treat losers.

• If a person strikes you on your right cheek, open fire.

• It is easier for a rich man to get everything he desires than for a poor woman to get anything she needs.

• Appoint judges, least you be judged.

• Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in Fox; trust in Trump.

• When I was in prison, did you vote for me?

• Let he who has most sins the cast the first stone.

Send your suggestions to your state representatives. With a few tweaks, the Gospel will be ready to rumble in the great state of Florida.

Ric Stange, Fort Pierce

Biden vs. Trump: We're better off than four years ago

Where does one politely begin in response to Patricia Perrone’s letter April 12, "Where’s the media outrage of Biden’s misdeeds"?

First, foreign policy experts say such allegations made against Hunter Biden do not add up to a picture of Joe Biden being corrupt or pursuing policies contrary to the national interest. There is no evidence that Hunter came close to breaking any law, much less any evidence that his father has done so.

Allegations were originally made against the Bidens by Donald Trump himself mainly in defense of his own misdeeds. The same Donald Trump who perpetrated the big lie he won the 2020 presidential election, when in fact he lost it by almost 8 million votes. As virtually everything that Trump expounds is untrue, it is wise to always fact-check his claims.

Trump has been indicted on 34 criminal charges, by New York, with the state of Georgia and other prosecutors working on their own cases.

Fox News, itself under scrutiny for knowingly lying to its viewers, was sued by Dominion Voting Systems to the tune of $1.6 billion for the lies it told about the company during the election.

The writer's claim that President Biden undid all of Donald Trump’s accomplishments? Really? What accomplishments, exactly? Undoing President Barack Obama’s Iranian nuclear deal? Pulling out of the Obama-led Paris climate change accord? Trump's many failed attempts to destroy the Affordable Care Act?

In truth, Trump's only notable accomplishment was to create a mistrust of government by shamelessly lying to the American public.

Finally, there is no doubt about it, we are much better off now than we were four years ago. That’s a no brainer and all thanks to Joseph R. Biden.

Joan Parvin, Jensen Beach

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Trump-Biden II? DeSantis travel secret; Parkinson's; AR-15s | Letters