Trump indictment; Hillsdale standards; Lawmakers acting badly; Defining 'woke'; Brightline

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Stuart needs a Brightline train stop

I took the Brightline to Miami from West Palm Beach yesterday to play golf with my son.

To get to the station, I could either take the Martin County No. 1 and 20x bus followed by the Palm No. 1 bus, or if my daughter is available, ask her for a ride. Life would be so much simpler if there was a station at Stuart.

At the moment, Stuart has to suffer the pain of the trains rattling through, but no gain from having a station. Look how well the new stations at Boca Raton and Aventura are doing.

Those worried about Stuart becoming Miami should believe in their building code, green space rules, building height and density rules, etc., to maintain the "village" look, but not restrict tourists for popping in for a quick pint!

Also, could the Martin County circulator No. 3 bus actually stop somewhere? People might actually get on it then.

John Arthur, Stuart

Set higher bar for educational standards

The recently appointed trustees of New College stated that the college seeks to become the "Hillsdale of the Southeast." Hillsdale is a Christian-oriented, liberal arts, conservative institution with fewer than 1,500 students in Michigan. Forbes ranks it 237th in the nation.

Seems to me better strive to be the Southeast's "Ivy Leaguer" or Georgetown/Notre Dame.

Peter Gorry, Vero Beach

DeSantis loves freedom? Tell that to Disney

Cheers to Disney for successfully combatting Ron DeSantis.

His move against Disney was never the will of the voters as stated by his board appointee Ron Peri. DeSantis’ move against Disney was all about his will only. This man who speaks about freedom in the state of Florida took revenge on the company simply for disagreeing with him.

That’s not freedom, folks; that’s a dictatorship and rings like Russia. Keep an eye on DeSantis … it’s all about what he wants, not the general population of Florida.

Go Disney!

Denis Thibodeau, Port St. Lucie

Democrats have plenty of bad actors on political scene

I was quite mystified at Conrad deFiebre’s answer to whoever responded to his original letter, daring anyone to name politicians on the Democratic side who were as bad as Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene. The person answering his “dare” included people who were no longer in office, so he concludes that the “pickings must be pretty slim.”

For the record, Donald Trump did not call for an “insurrection.” Since the Jan. 6 dog and pony show refused to show the part of the video where Trump told his supporters to go “peacefully and patriotically to make your voices heard,” I’m not surprised that deFiebre doesn’t get the full picture.

The trial was meant to tarnish the ex-president and to intimidate his supporters. Both Hillary Clinton and Stacey Abrams refused to admit that they had lost and can be heard doing this numerous times on national television.

He actually needs an example of how wacky AOC is?  Does he ever listen to her? How about her wearing a designer dress she got for free, to an expensive black-tie event with red paint slashed across the back, saying “tax the rich”?

And of course we have Chuck Schumer, who lied repeatedly during the Trump impeachment hearings, saying that he had “verifiable” proof that Trump was colluding with Russia. Both the pretend whistleblower and his proof never materialized.

He also stood on the Capitol steps making a thinly veiled threat against the Supreme Court if it turned abortion over to the states. It’s all on TV, but probably not on the stations some people are watching.

It’s not surprising some people don’t know how bad this administration is because most of the press is complicit in keeping people like him in the dark. Yes, there are “devotees” to Donald Trump but mostly, people just want a government that is not pivoting to the left more each day.

Patricia Perrone, Stuart

What does being 'woke' really mean?

If being “dead to woke” means not being able to distinguish the statue of David from pornography, then I am proud to be called a "woke."

David Kimball, Vero Beach

Anyone else notice extra charges at restaurants?

I have noticed a lot of restaurants are adding an extra charge for using your credit card. They blame it on food prices going up.

First, they all have raised their prices on food. At least I could pick something off the menu of the price I want to pay. Do they think everyone wants to carry a lot of cash around now? I don't think so.

Many people I have spoken to have said that the servers are going to be given less because of this, and I agree.

As far I know, businesses have always been charged by the credit card companies for using a card.

Bonnie Leahy, Vero Beach

Opinion Brightline, it's time to pick Treasure Coast station for Orlando-West Palm Beach service

Time to stand against Florida's creep towards fascism

I sit here in disbelief over what our state is becoming. We are allowing our LGBTQ to be marginalized, books to be banned, race being erased, DEI programs to be erased, etc. We are allowing Renaissance art to be called pornographic.

We are allowing this administration, which is so afraid of indoctrination, to indoctrinate our children with its beliefs that discussion of race is wrong, that it's wrong to be gay, that sexual education is unnecessary, that art is a thing to avoid, that history is a nice Disney movie (while using government retribution to punish Disney for speaking out against the "Don't Say Gay" bill).

Our kids deserve a education that is on par with the rest of the country. These laws are prohibiting that. They are making our children ignorant, unaccepting and painfully behind other states.

Not only that, but historically this state is on a precipice of going where no one should go. It is dangerously mirroring Nazi Germany.

It started with book bans, shaming people that are different, etc. If you doubt this, read the tweet our governor posted with an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.

Is this really the road we want to go down? I, for one, am disgusted that we are just sitting here and allowing a handful of right-wing extremists to take over our state. Every day, every new law passed, every college taken over, every thought censored, we are edging closer and closer to fascism. When are we going to stand up against it?

Adele Burich, Vero Beach

Attacking Anne Frank story adaptation is going too far

I was horrified to read in the April 6 newspaper that the illustrated adaptation of "The Diary of Anne Frank" has been removed from Vero Beach High School library shelves. A parent group complained that the book minimizes the Holocaust and “shows the young girl’s thoughts about other female bodies.” The illustration, the article says, shows Frank walking among classical nude female statues.

The book was adapted by the son of Holocaust survivors, again, according to the article. Are we to doubt that the Holocaust was minimized in his family? So now are we not to show classical statues to teenagers? And not allowed to expose our young to the thoughts of an adolescent about her body?

What century are the complainers living in?

At family dinnertime TV, we are treated to ads for erectile dysfunction, drugs for treating HIV showing gay men kissing, and cures for curved erections, among other possibly distasteful subjects, including bladder leaks and chronic constipation.

Wake up, group!  (Excuse the word "wake"). Maybe you should turn your attention to the TV and the internet, rather than school libraries. Take the blinders off your eyes, and put a fig leaf over your mouths.

"The Diary of Anne Frank" is one of the most important books about the Holocaust, any way it comes.

Brenda Gordon, Stuart

More: Version of 'Anne Frank' removed from Vero Beach High School library after complaint

Why have things changed so dramatically?

When did things change so dramatically? Not so long ago, we were debating the age to talk about condoms in high schools; now we’re arguing to keep highly sexualized books in schools.

We were debating whether two people of the same sex should marry; now we’re arguing about school policies telling second-graders they can be any sex they like.

Used to be you didn’t hear swear words or see naked bodies on TV before 9 p.m. because “the kids could be watching.” Now, some insist books about 13-year-old boys exploring gay sex or young teen girls being raped in the sex trade must be in school libraries. You’re labeled a “radical book banner” if you don’t agree, while all books are readily available in public libraries and stores.

As parents, we were concerned if our schools weren’t focusing on college preparedness or job skills for successful adults. Now an army of elite educators have convinced many the school’s job includes being involved in the psychological and physical health of school children. Textbooks and lesson plans focus on not just accepting but also revering all lifestyle choices. A male swimmer identifying as a woman and competing in women’s events is praised as courageous while he wins their prizes.

It wasn’t that long ago if a 12-year-old girl preferred boys’ clothing and said she wanted to drug herself and have a double mastectomy, we’d say she had problems and her parents were referred to counselors. Now, she’s prescribed puberty blockers. Who exactly changed the game and better still, why?

Who benefits from a generation of drug-taking, poorly educated, and confused young people who can’t excel in any field and require the government to pay their way? Corporations? Foreign enemies? Fentanyl, anyone? Follow the power and the money.

Susan Mehiel, Vero Beach

Tennessee's return to the bad old days of race relations

Today on national TV, I witnessed a lynching, something I had assumed was long over in these United States. But I guess nobody told Tennessee, as they literally turned their backs on the fact someone had shot up their school in Nashville, killing three students and three teachers.

The Tennessee House of Representatives, in its infinite wisdom, saw fit to expel two elected representatives who sided with their constituents for a ban on guns. They dared go into the well and address the problems befalling their flocks, but rather then listen to them and the throngs of protesters, the legislators were brought up on charges of causing an insurrection.

An insurrection akin to the one on Jan. 6. This comparison totally bowled me over as it wasn't even close.

No one was killed or maimed. No one overran the security. No one defecated in the hallowed chambers. No one used the flag as a weapon. The legislators merely used words to defend the people who had elected them and who had expressed the wish for stricter gun control.

They were made to feel the wrath of the heirs of the KKK. Only the Black legislators were expelled. This was a travesty of justice. One I had not seen since the 1960s, but then again, I was privileged to grow up in the "free north."

Joseph De Phillips, Stuart

Trump's alleged crimes damaged the entire country

The first indictment against the former disgraced and twice-impeached president has finally been delivered. Hopefully, this indictment will not be the last one, but the first of many to come.

I've already heard the noise coming from the ridiculously supportive GOP:             

1) This is a politically motivated witch hunt.

2) This is a ploy to disturb the former president's current run for the presidency.

3) This supposed "crime" has hurt no one and to prosecute it is a fallacy.

Allow me to explain why this alleged "crime" did hurt others. This pretender to the presidency was elected without the most damaging news being released because of his election interference. If the word had come out about his manipulation of Michael Cohen and his payoff to a porn star before the election, that information might have changed the results of that election.

There was also an alleged payoff to a New York City doorman ($30,000) to silence his claims that Trump had fathered a child out of wedlock and a payoff to another woman who had also had an affair with him.

In the meantime, this nasty man was able to pack the Supreme Court with ultraconservative jurors who would come to destroy women's rights to safe and legal abortions. How different our world would be if the competent and wonky Hillary Clinton had been elected instead of Trump.

Residents of this country have all been damaged by his shenanigans. Our country has been consumed for years by trials and tribulations due to Trump. History will show his descent on the escalator with his betrayed wife in 2015 will be one of the worst moments in our American story.

Sharon E. Garland, Hobe Sound

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Trump indictment; Lawmakers acting badly; Defining 'woke'; Brightline