Democrats for Cubans? Party’s historical disregard for the community shows otherwise | Opinion
Unhelpful Dems
After thanking every Democratic president since John F. Kennedy for their open policy toward Cuba, Ileana Fuentes, in her Jan. 16 op-ed, “Jimmy Carter: Yet another Democrat who helped Cubans,” proceeds to double down. She takes a jab at any Cuban American with a different point of view, particularly those of us critical of the political party for its 65 years of soft stance toward Castro and his cronies. She calls us irrational instead of being thankful.
Yes, we will be forever critical of JFK, for betraying 2,200 men who were left on the beaches of Girón during the Bay of Pigs invasion to be massacred.
Yes, we will be forever critical of Carter’s ineptness on the world stage, allowing Castro to outmaneuver him by emptying Cuba’s prisons and mental institutions, sending common criminals and mental patients to Miami during the Mariel boat lift.
Yes, we will be forever critical of Bill Clinton for the Elian Gonzalez fiasco and for his wimp response to the downing of Hermanos al Rescate (Brothers to the Rescue) aircraft over the Florida straits by Cuban fighter jets.
Yes, we will be forever critical of Barack Obama for flirting with the Castro brothers, enjoying mojitos at the Floridita bar while political prisoners rot in Cuban prisons.
And yes, we will be forever critical of Biden for his late night removal of Cuba from the list of terrorist nations, as one of his last decrees, to spite Donald Trump and the Cuban exile community.
Willy A. Bermello,
Coral Gables
True nature
A law enforcement officer, at any level, is clothed with a certain amount of discretion in making decisions, from whether to issue a traffic citation, to indict an individual for a major felony, or to protect the public from predatory businesses. An example of the exercise of that discretion was on display when former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi declined to investigate allegations of fraud by Trump University.
Despite several dozen complaints filed by Florida citizens with her office and despite that the attorneys general of several states had brought class actions against Donald Trump, Bondi declined to pursue any of the claims.
While considering the possibility of pursuing the bogus “University,” Bondi received a $25,000 contribution to her political campaign from a Donald Trump PAC. Bondi immediately declined to join the other attorneys general; Trump paid a fine for violating tax laws in making the donation.
As Bob Dylan so aptly sang: “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” Bondi will become the highest law enforcement officer in the United States and she has shown us who she is. We must believe her.
Allan B. Marks,
Coral Gables
Matching feathers
Re: the Jan. 14 Miami Herald editorial, “Lawmakers: Make the flamingo our state bird already.” Yes, we all love the beauty and unique characteristics of the graceful flamingo, however, the mockingbird is a better match as our state bird. After all, so much of what happens in Florida is “mocked” by the rest of the country.
This bird fiercely guards it’s territory, just like our power-hungry, ego-driven politicians and greedy developers. The flamingo is great kitsch and fun to watch, but the gray mockingbird reflects those who make our headlines.
Linda Faber,
Miami
Empty law
It should come as no surprise that Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed an election denier to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. In 2020, after Donald Trump lost the election, Florida’s Attorney General, Ashley Moody, filed a brief with the Supreme Court supporting a Texas lawsuit to invalidate the election results in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Georgia. Moody claimed the filing was made for the “sake of democracy.”
DeSantis also took actions in an effort to appease those who believed Trump had won. Among those efforts was the creation of an elections crimes unit which, as part of a broader law, was put in place to conduct investigations into alleged violations of Florida’s Election Code.
If, as DeSantis once bragged, Florida’s elections were the “gold standard,” then why create a law that assumes Florida’s electoral system is corrupt?
Jim Paladino,
Tampa
Dance on film
I enjoyed reading ArtBurst Miami writer Carolina del Busto’s interesting and descriptive Jan. 16 article in the Herald about this year’s ScreenDance Miami. Now in its 12th year, the festival was the brainchild of Mary Luft of Tigertail Productions. I’m pleased to have been part of ScreenDance Miami from the beginning, until Miami Light Project took it over in 2018 upon Luft’s retirement.
Under ✓Pioneer Winter’s excellent direction, Miami Light Project’s ScreenDance Miami continues to be a leading proponent of the art of dance created for the camera. It’s nice to read that ✓Gabri Christa’s new work is included this year. Gabri has been closely associated with the festival since its inception in 2014.
That Tigertail was not mentioned in the otherwise excellent coverage is disappointing. All of Miami Light Project’s promotional materials credit Tigertail as the creator of ScreenDance Miami. I strongly urge South Florida’s dance and film enthusiasts to attend the festival’s screenings, which run through Jan. 25 and are free.
John Kramel,
Hudson, NY
Put it bluntly
Gov. Ron DeSantis has, under the guise of immigration reform, proposed that the children of undocumented residents lose the benefit of paying tuition at state colleges at the resident rate. These children, sometimes referred to as Dreamers, often arrived on our shores as infants, a situation of which they had no control at all.
Many have led extremely productive lives, which include the pursuit of higher education, an activity to be encouraged. The governor’s proposal is not immigration reform — it is simply cruel and mean.
Tyler Swanson,
Punta Gorda
Name, image, money
Miami Herald Sports reporter Omar Kelly says it all and says it correctly in his Jan. 17 opinion, “The entitlement era of athletes is just beginning.” The NCAA has become a professional league that has taught college athletes how they can make more money from NIL, in many instances, by staying in college than by entering professional sports leagues.
While these college players bring billions to their schools, they are also entitled to financial reward. However, under this system, attending professional and college sports will be financially unsustainable for many fans.
Meanwhile, streaming companies are outbidding broadcast networks for telecasts of games, paying big money and perhaps with fewer viewers.
Norman Goldenberg,
Miami Beach
Foreign policy
The Monroe Doctrine, enunciated by President James Monroe in 1823, holds that the United States protects the Western hemisphere from foreign military intervention. In recent years, American foreign policy has ignored this important doctrine, which advanced American interests.
In 2024, Russia sailed military vessels to Cuba and Venezuela with little push back from the Biden administration. Russia and China are advancing military and economic intervention in Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and other left-leaning countries in South America.
Restoring a sensible foreign policy will be a positive for the incoming Trump administration under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as he is thoroughly knowledgeable about our Hemisphere. He will be able to enact pro-American policies which support free nations in our “backyard.” This will be a welcome change and a counter to China.
Tim Seale,
Miami
An adult — finally?
With President Donald Trump’s off the wall cabinet picks, I never thought I’d find myself saying that now former U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is the best of the litter!
Barry Wilen,
Hollywood