Trump, Stuart, Twin Pairs, Brightline, Israel-Hamas, school security, veterans | Letters

Re-electing Trump will usher in authoritarianism

Less then one year remains until we go to the polls again and choose who will lead our country. If we re-elect "that man," Donald Trump, as our president, the sacrifices of so many Americans will have amounted to little.

He will use his power to form a puppet government that will be used to round up dissidents, Muslims, migrants, Jews and anyone else who displeases him. The suppression of ideas and dissent will lead to the implementation of an authoritarian regime.

Our country, which is not perfect, is a model for liberty, a land whose existence is dependent on freedom and the rule of law. Putting him in a place of power will be the beginning of the end of our "grand experiment."

May good overcome evil. God bless America.

Charles Proulx, Port St. Lucie

Could we really make this same mistake twice?

I remain hopeful that the local reading public has taken the time to read the excellent commentary by Lawrence Tribe and Dennis Aftergut, printed in the Nov. 14 edition of the Stuart News, concerning the disqualification of the former president from another bid for the presidency in 2024.

I, as well as other informed voters, have been aware of these facts, but the general public may not have been paying attention in the last two years, so it is requisite that this information is being made available to the voters.

Whether or not you are a registered Democrat, Republican or unaffiliated voter, one should make a point of achieving as much informed truth as possible in order to prevent the dissolution of our democratic republic.

The aforementioned prior president has visions of autocracy and despotism in his dreams and that's exactly where they should stay. He has shown his stripes to us for years now with no attempt to mask his desires.

If you aim to retain our beloved U.S.A., as we have known it, then please consider that this man is a proven criminal and, if not for his former position, would already be spending the remainder of his years in prison. To ignore his many treasonous crimes against this country, not to mention the many other offenses against various women throughout his lifetime and his corrupt business dealings involving the Trump organization is to assist him in the attempted furtherance of his unadulterated power. Bad Idea.

Sharon E. Garland, Hobe Sound

Stuart Community Redevelopment Agency is a 'sham'

I am writing to challenge the community redevelopment process and the efficacy of the Stuart Community Redevelopment Agency.

The process requires the developer to notify the citizens of Stuart of a planned redevelopment project, to post a sign on the proposed site announcing the meeting with the Community Redevelopment Agency and to send written notification to residents in the vicinity of the project.

The responsibility of the Community Redevelopment Agency is to "hear, consider and recommend."

In my recent experience, a notice for redevelopment was posted at 101 Colorado Ave., a dead end. At the Community Redevelopment Board meeting, several citizens were present. The developer gave a 40-minute presentation with renderings of the proposed restaurant and a request for a minor waiver of the minimum distance for off-site parking.

He reported 16 unanimous responses from citizens he contacted. Then followed a 10-minute speech by a board member posturing his somewhat disingenuous empathy for the neighboring citizens. None of the citizens present, all neighbors of the project, had received a notice.

All were against the proposal. When the chairman asked for comments, he said questions were not allowed. If asked, questions would not be answered, and any speaker would be limited to three minutes.

I was the first speaker and was cut off halfway through my presentation. After three other attendees voiced their opposition, the board voted approval. Opposition of the project was ignored.

The Community Redevelopment Agency is a sham. It will ruin the historic heritage of Stuart in its quest to increase the tax base and promote tourism. It is a rubber stamp for the development community. It should be eliminated. The residents and taxpayers of Stuart need a voice.

Edward Lucente, Stuart

Columnist Reisman does his homework

In response to John Ryan's opinion of our columnist. Larry Reisman sees it as he wishes. He goes to all public meetings to educate himself on issues being presented. His job is to present the issues as he sees them. He is our local columnist. We love him. Does Mr. Ryan go to all the meetings as well?

Millie Hirsch, Vero Beach

Start preparing for Brightline's failure now

The concern and desire for a train station in our area needs to be studied with the requirement that whoever "wins" has a plan for the building in five years when the geniuses at Brightline throw up their hands and say "we can't make money on passenger service."

They then revert to running freight on the tracks the public financed. Which has always been the intent.

Next time you are stopped at a railway crossing as the Brightline speeds by, look inside. The cars are empty. A $320 far for a family of four one-way to Orlando? A private limo is cheaper.

Everyone needs to take a step back and think long term. Taxpayers already financed the tracks, so why finance more private industry?

Daniel R. Braden, Stuart

Anti-Semitic protestors are violating the law

Once again, this country is beset by demonstrations attacking our very moral fabric as a free and open society that allows peaceful dissent. What we now observe in mostly Democratic cities is demonstrators who are essentially anti-Semitic, pro-Hamas and anti-American, who think nothing of obstructing commerce, denying peaceful workers the right to enter their workplaces and most importantly, feel they have a right to vandalize property, attack peaceful counter-demonstrators, and, on occasion, violently attack our police officers.

What is truly alarming is that many of these demonstrators are here on student and work visas. In most cases, our authorities have shown great restraint as these protestors violate our laws, and disrupt college campuses, and regretfully only a relatively few are arrested.

Unlike the massive and peaceful pro-Israel demonstration in Washington D.C. recently, where Israeli and American flags were openly displayed, not an American flag was to be seen by these anti-Israeli and anti-American protestors.

Until the inept Joe Biden administration and its equally inept secretary of the Department of Homeland Security take action against those violating the law, these violent and disruptive protests will continue.

Charles Miller, Port St. Lucie

How did we get here with school security?

When did we start needing guards in the school to protect the children? Not just from the bad guys outside the school, but also from the bad guys inside the school? Metal detectors checking students for weapons? In schools?

New York City Mayor Eric Adams says he can no longer hire guards. The money is needed elsewhere, so he called for parents to volunteer to protect their children while in their schools.

When I went to school, Sister Elizabeth of the Dominican Order was all that was needed to maintain law, order and tranquility.

What happened?

Jim Grant, Jensen Beach

Return to journalism's good old days

We need honest reporting. If all the media honestly reported the news, we wouldn't be misled by social media.

What has happened to journalism that so many allow their own views for the political to affect what are reporting to the public. Where are the journalists of the caliber of Edward Murrow, Walter Cronkite, Tim Russert, Tom Brokaw and Fahey Flynn, who reported the news without their own prejudices?

Jan Behrens, Jensen Beach

Isn't it funny what politicians don't like to tell us?

How do the Republicans plan to solve “Biden’s economy problem,” the same problem the world has been wrestling with since the pandemic? What are Joe Biden’s policies that are causing so much concern?

The fact that he wants to fix our crumbling infrastructure, make the internet available to all areas, make us more energy-independent without adding to the climate crisis (while Republicans want to drill and frack)?

They worry about his age and his stamina, so they haven’t noticed how many trips he’s made to parts of the world in crisis. Notice who is using most of his stamina traveling back and forth to court cases for fraud, sexual assault, causing an insurrection.

MAGA people don’t like Biden’s foreign policy and think Donald Trump’s is better … pardon my laughter. Wasn’t it Trump who thought we should get out of NATO? Wasn’t it Trump who didn’t think Vladimir Putin interfered in our election, the one Trump won?

Yes, there's a border crisis, one we have had for many years, during both Republican and Democratic administrations. Why haven’t politicians come up with a solution? Maybe because it’s such a great political point against the other party?

Yes, this country has a lot of debt to handle. The Republicans conveniently forget about the huge debt increase during Trump’s administration, but now want to talk about cuts. Sure, let’s cut the IRS funding.

Doesn’t the IRS always go after middle-income people, certainly not the rich, who surely need to save on taxes? Surely Trump’s 2017 tax “reform” helped middle-income people who own golf courses, private planes?

Have lower- or middle-income Americans felt the “benefit” from this reform? And isn’t it interesting when a cut to a particular program is suggested, the politician says no, not that one, not when it could affect his constituents?

Anne Brakman, Vero Beach

Is a 'fifth column' infiltrating American government?

In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, General Emilio Mola surrounded Madrid. He announced he had four columns of troops to the attack the city and a fifth column in the city.

The fifth column, in the city, was to undermine the government by infiltration of various official posts and learning institutions. Spinning rumors, misinformation and demonstrations and instilling distrust of government institutions, thus dividing the country.

Are we experiencing a fifth column in our country today? Is China watching?  Russia? Iran?

Just a thought.

Jim Grant, Jensen Beach

A restaurateur who supports veterans

As a veteran, I look forward to Nov. 11 every year. It’s an opportunity to pay respect to the people who volunteered their lives to fight for the greater good. As a thanks, we collect some great offers from various restaurants.

I salute one such restaurateur: the owner of Stringers, Dolphin Bar and Conchy Joe's. This man seems to support everything Stuart, Jensen Beach and surrounding areas. His generosity goes far beyond anything I’ve ever experienced.

Thank you, sir. You are appreciated.

Terry L. Worden, Ocean Breeze

AR-15s aren't the problem; magazine sizes are

For years, I have been reading and hearing from people and all forms of the media about how all the mass shootings are caused by the AR-15 rifles. This, in fact, is a misconception about the firearm.

In fact, this gun is not much different from a Winchester, Remington, Browning or any other semi-automatic rifle sold, except is is better, lighter and more modern than the rest. You can buy all the other firearms mentioned above to hunt or target shoot for thousands of dollars or you can get an AR-15 for around $700, which will do the same thing as a $4,000 rifle, but better.

The AR-15 is just a more modern and advanced rifle then those mentioned above, but has a physical look which is entirely different. In fact, you can buy a 20-shot magazine for most Winchesters and Remingtons and they could fire the same number of rounds as the AR-15.

So it's not the particular gun that allows so many and quick shots, but rather the size of the magazines one can put in the gun.

If you outlaw the AR-15, then you are wasting your time doing so, because almost every other semiautomatic can do the same thing by getting a bigger magazine. To be much more effective, spend your time attempting to outlaw magazines that hold 20, 30 or 50 rounds.

Edward Marasi, Port St. Lucie

Save Stuart's Seminole Street

Downtown Stuart is a lovely place. There are actually pockets of neighborhoods spread throughout. One such neighborhood is along Seminole Street.

My mom moved on Seminole in 1972 since it was so quiet and quaint. There is a proposal to take a small, waterfront bungalow home and transform it into a 150-seat bar. The issue is there is no parking at this residence.

An architect has proposed using a business to valet cars 600 feet down Seminole. Our quiet street will have runners flitting by our residences. Will the valet service honor the 15-mph speed limit? For six hours, seven days a week, our quiet neighborhood will be no more.

A precedent will be set that anyone could hire an architect and transform a house into a commercial bar. If having another waterfront restaurant is so important, maybe we need to sell the waterfront Stuart City Hall and transform it into a superb restaurant with a rooftop bar. At least there is parking at this location.

A proposed Hilton is coming on Colorado Avenue with a bar. Are we becoming another Key West or a Bourbon Street?

We are asking the city commissioners to vote down this blatant greedy Seminole land grab that will affect our lovely neighborhood ambiance and equanimity. In essence, would you want a 150-seat bar by your house with all the traffic to boot?

Please come to the Stuart City Commission meeting at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 27 and Dec. 11th to help Save our Street, Save Seminole, Save our neighborhood (S.S.S.).

Marty Bielicki, Stuart

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Trump, Twin Pairs, Brightline, Israel-Hamas, school security | Letters