Letters to the editor from 09/29/2021

Political motivations

I wouldn’t say our new Florida surgeon general is a henchman, a quack, or a whacko. Dr. Joseph Ladapo has impressive academic and professional references. But we wonder which of his qualifications Gov. Ron DeSantis encouraged the appointment of someone with a special opinion to this extremely important position.

And we wonder where Ladapo, during his medical training and subsequent research, found that the best public health strategy is to encourage everyone to expose themselves to COVID-19 so that survivors would then benefit from herd immunity; that vaccines approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health are somehow unsafe; that masking is unnecessary; and that school children without mandatory masks would be better educated, even when exposed to others known to have tested positive.

Ladapo insists that public health decisions should be based on science, not opinions, dogmas or politics. But DeSantis apparently appointed Ladapo because of the opinions he holds and disseminates, opinions that oddly (or not so strangely) reflect DeSantis’ own views, views based more on political motivations than medical science.

Do hospitals, doctors, and nurses have to keep stressed and another 53,500 Floridians die just to satisfy DeSantis’ political ambitions?

Richard Hiers, Gainesville

Further letters:

Iron Dome Funding

The U.S. House of Representatives voted almost unanimously (with the exception of nine Democrats) to give Israel an additional billion dollars to replace missile-intercepting missiles in its Iron Dome system, which Israel uses to block missiles fired from Gaza. The reason was: “Save civil life”.

Since 1985, the US has provided Israel with nearly $ 3 billion annually. Currently, the US gives Israel almost all of its US $ 3.8 billion annually in military assistance; $ 10.5 million a day of our taxpayers’ money.

With all the billions we give to Israel, a country the size of New Jersey, is it unable to buy its own interceptors? And whose civil life are they saving? Not the Palestinians.

Since September 29, 2020: 137 Israeli children killed; 2,338 Palestinian children; 1,285 Israelis (adults and children) killed; 10,283 Palestinians; 12,324 Israelis injured; 164,038 Palestinians; and 32 Israelis killed by the above missile attacks; 4000 Palestinians.

Palestine has no army, navy or air force. Israel has one of the most advanced military in the world.

And let’s never forget that Israel is occupying Palestine illegally and yet continues to build illegal settlements and evict Palestinians from their homes.

Pam Meyers, Cedar Key

Consequences of immigration

Millions of immigrants enter our country legally and illegally and reduce our quality of life by overcrowding natural resources and infrastructure. This increased demand for public facilities, parks, schools, medical care, criminal justice, social services, multilingual services and highways puts a strain on families who have paid taxes for many generations.

Children will inherit economic disaster and not experience the natural beauty of the American countryside. This overcrowding harms our environment; the once pristine Florida springs are being ruined. The parents and grandparents of new immigrants paid nothing to build this nation.

Immigration must be managed responsibly and Article IV, Section 4 of the US Constitution requires that we be guaranteed republican government and protected from invasion. If this is not corrected, Florida and many other states will be ruined.

Both parties are responsible for the attempt to reconstruct the infamous Tower of Babel. This is still not going to end well.

Lloyd W. Bailey Jr., Gainesville

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