Synagogue shooting

Lori Kaye was a most courageous woman, who paid the ultimate sacrifice by tragically taking a bullet for Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein.

The shooting at the San Diego synagogue is indeed a hate crime.

Hate begets hate, as it continues to manifest.

How do we ever get to the root of it?

Fine felons

I agree with the State House bill to prevent felons from voting. Just because you served all terms of your sentence, does not mean you should gain the right to vote.

You should be responsible to pay for all fines, restitution and all damages caused by the criminal activity, to include court costs and other expenses associated with the incarceration, before that right is restored.

Taking a stab

Re the April 29 editorial cartoon, I must be out of touch — can you explain this cartoon?

[Editor’s note: The cartoon is a depiction of a ‘socialist’ U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders throwing knives at a ‘capitalist’ Sanders.]

Felons should vote

The Florida House is proposing a vicious distortion of the will of the people who voted for Amendment 4!

Ex-felons should not be expected to pay any monetary restitution that is not stipulated at the time of sentencing.

Upon release, a workable payment plan should be created — all the while granting them all their civil rights, especially the right to vote.

Why hurt seniors?

Florida State Senator Manny Diaz introduced Senate Bill 824, which would usurp the rights of condominium associations to control vacation rentals in their communities.

This bill could destroy the single family residential character of every condominium community in the state and force millions of retirees to sell their condo and find another place to live in peace.

I want to know why Senator Diaz was motivated to take this drastic step, one that is obviously bad for the millions of citizens of Florida who live in residential condominium communities.

Let probe persist

The April 28 editorial, “Impeaching Trump isn’t worth it” demonstrates the lack of understanding so prevalent regarding the purpose and process of impeachment.

The nation’s founders did not think it was okay to allow a person as unfit for office as described in the editorial to simply continue until the next election. If that were the case, they would not have permitted impeachment in the first place. We cannot allow a president assume the power to ignore the legislative branch with impunity. That’s what would be the danger for the future.

Secondly, forget the impeachment of Clinton. His crime was personal, and has no relationship to the crimes of Trump. Yes, House committees should investigate, but they should do that as part of an impeachment investigation which would then be brought before the whole House.

Guns in school

It is beyond comprehension how any sane person could think that arming teachers would benefit learning or keep schools safe.

According to research conducted at Johns Hopkins University, which compares law enforcement officers’ track records with armed assailants, versus estimates of teachers’ responses in similar situations, highly trained officers and professional law enforcement officers statistically do not shoot accurately in crisis situations.

Teachers, who are given very limited training to handle firearms, would do much worse. It is a dangerous mistake to arm teachers, one that will only cost more lives.

Let Congress act

The Miami Herald’s April 28 editorial cartoon, “I’m the NRA,” showing the NRA shooting itself in the head because of a recent scandal, is no different then the Herald’s same-day editorial, “Impeaching Trump isn’t worth it,” except that, in this case, it’s the Herald shooting itself in the head.

Supporting this line betrays what a free press is all about, something that is jeopardized daily by the man in the White House who refers to media as the “enemy of the people.”

Ever hear of the U.S. Constitution? There’s nothing in there about being worth it, but it does lay out the responsibility of the U.S. Congress to act as a check on a president who clearly has committed high crimes and misdemeanors, as has been made more than clear by the redacted Mueller report, and provides impeachment as a remedy.

The Herald is mollifying its own political (and subscription) base by pandering to what it perceives as their political preferences.

The political cartoon shows editorial courage, but it was not written by the Herald, which clearly has no idea what political courage is, particularly in the sorry Age of Trump.

Head scratching

If you ask Americans if they want clean water to drink, my guess is an overwhelming majority would say “yes.” If you ask Americans if they want clean air to breathe, almost everyone would again say “yes.”

Ask farmers if they are interested in sustainability of their crops, I would venture most would agree. Ask developers if their next undertaking would be green, I’d guess most would say “yes.”

Then why are the above being ignored? Is it greed on the part of some? Is it self-interest or power? Is it ignorance? Do they feel it is a hoax?

What will it take to convince our Republican friends in Congress to wake up before it’s too late? They must be aware of how Americans feel, so why are they not acting to assure clean air and water and sustainable crops for the people who vote for them?

It's a puzzlement.

Lead, don’t tweet

Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson. Historians have recognized that these presidents were brilliant and had outstanding leadership skills, both of which were necessary to solve crises during their terms of office.

Leadership is the art of mastering a group of people to act toward achieving a common goal. A leader possesses the personality and skills that make others want to follow his or her direction.

Two of the most recognized characteristics necessary to become a great leader are honesty and integrity. Tweeting is not among them. When will the people in this country wake up?