A brutal irony: Kimmel’s suspension coincided with US Constitution Day | Opinion

Free speech?

Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Myers and Jimmy Fallon provide late-night comedy with conscience, clarity and credibility — qualities deemed offensive by Team Trump and the MAGA cult, despite the right of every American to choose to watch these late-night talk shows or not.

The brutal ironies behind Kimmel’s suspension are that this occurred on U.S. Constitution Day and that the president predicted and celebrated it, as he had with the forthcoming cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s Emmy-winning program.

The presidential perspective here is that all media must appreciate and promote conspicuous authoritarian impulse, an affinity for dictators worldwide, domestic and international policy failures, diminished U.S. national security, ignorant rambles, an incompetent, sycophantic presidential Cabinet and a compliant congressional majority.

Given the ongoing administrative war on free speech and the First Amendment, we can perhaps anticipate nightly TV entertainment provided by two (perceived by many) stand-up comedians — Don Jr. and Eric Trump.

Paul Doell,

Coconut Grove

An ideal mix

On Oct. 9, the Miami-Dade County Commission will consider on second reading my proposed legislation allowing community composters to operate legally in our county. This ordinance will open the door for environmentally responsible, community-based operations to turn food scraps into nutrient-rich soil — benefiting our neighborhoods, our farms and our planet.

The urgency is real. Miami-Dade’s landfills are nearing capacity. Hauling garbage farther away is costly and harmful. Nearly 40% of what we throw away is food scraps and yard trimmings. Instead of rotting in landfills and producing methane — a greenhouse gas 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide — these materials could be transformed. Composting can keep more than 30,000 tons of waste out of our trash stream annually and help achieve our zero-waste goals.

Under current rules, small composters face the same costly requirements as large industrial facilities. This legislation creates a new permitting process so smaller operators — like those who collect and compost food scraps through subscriptions — can operate on agricultural land without endless red tape and expensive bureaucratic procedures. Strong environmental safeguards will remain in place, including protections for groundwater and stormwater.

Community composting can be powerful. At Compost for Life, local food scraps are transformed into rich compost that supports Vizcaya Museum and Gardens’ horticulture program and nourishes the Green Haven Project, a community garden in Overtown feeding families in need. These local solutions reduce waste, build food security and strengthen Miami-Dade’s resilience.

Composting enriches our soil, reduces dependence on chemical fertilizers, improves water retention and strengthens our environment. To protect Miami’s future, we must act today by accelerating composting now.

Eileen Higgins,

Miami-Dade County commissioner,

Miami

Life lessons

Charlie Kirk did not deserve to die for his words; no one does. His death is tragic and our empathy goes out to his wife, children and loved ones who mourn a man they knew beyond the public figure.

Kirk’s life also leaves us with a difficult lesson. His public platform often lacked empathy and a “live and let live” attitude. Through religious rhetoric and moral judgment, he fueled anger and division rather than respect and understanding needed for the debate he invited. He lived in a small, carefully crafted bubble that excluded many and left little room for personal growth.

While there is mourning for his passing, there must also be honest reflection on the harm his rhetoric caused and the missed opportunities for insight, reflection, compassion and humility needed to truly be a source of inspiration.

Empathy and openness are not automatic. They’re learned, practiced and essential for any society that hopes to heal and thrive. Let this insight be Kirk’s legacy.

Enid Garber,

Palmetto Bay

Forced to flee

Re: the Miami Herald’s Sept. 14 front page story about the Freedom Tower. The many thousands of Cubans who passed through “El Refugio” were “refugees” not “migrants.” Herald editors ought to be better informed of the vast difference between these two terms. It is inaccurate and insulting to Cuban refugees — myself included — to be described as migrants.

According to Google Dictionary, “a migrant moves by choice to improve their life for reasons like work or education, while a refugee is forced to flee their home due to conflict, war or persecution and is unable to return safely.”

Alfredo Manrara-Gaston,

Miami

Common-sense values

As usual, the Miami Herald is spot on. How dare Charlie Kirk teach our youth morality, the importance of children growing up with a mother and father and that a democracy can only survive with law.

Melvin Safra,

Surfside

Improve HOAs

State Rep. Juan Carlos Porras has said he intends to file legislation to abolish homeowners associations (HOAs) for single-family homes. While his concerns about abuse and accountability are understandable, this would create more problems than it solves.

HOAs are not authoritarian regimes. They are elected boards, chosen by neighbors, operating with open meetings, public budgets and democratic oversight. Recent reforms have strengthened accountability further through mandatory board training, closer scrutiny of contracts and stronger safety requirements.

Surveys conducted in 2024 among Florida HOA residents also show that most homeowners are satisfied with their boards. In Florida, 65% of residents report satisfaction. These are hardly numbers that justify dismantling the system altogether.

Florida has nearly 49,000 HOAs, serving almost 9.6 million residents. Abolishing them would dump responsibilities onto local governments, reduce services and raise taxes.

The smarter path forward is to keep improving HOAs.

Sara Mullis,

real estate advisor,

Four Corners Real Estate,

Coral Gables

Self-censoring?

Charlie Kirk defended gun violence and said that President Biden should receive the death penalty. Meanwhile, people are being fired from places that claim to celebrate freedom of speech (Washington Post, University of Miami, etc.) for pointing out Kirk’s hypocrisy.

I recoil in disgust at the epidemic of hypocrisy infecting the leaders of these formerly respected institutions.

Philip K. Stoddard,

South Miami

Peace Corp at 64

September 22 marks a major milestone in the history of the Peace Corps. On this day in 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the original Peace Corps Act, formally authorizing this independent agency that has become perhaps the most recognizable example of American goodwill to millions of people around the world.

The theme of enabling Americans to volunteer in poor countries appealed to Kennedy because it fit in with his campaign themes of self-sacrifice and volunteerism, while also providing a way to redefine American relations with the Third World. Now, 64 years later, nearly 250,000 American citizens have proudly served our country in more than 140 nations around the world.

The Peace Corps’ official goal is to assist developing countries by providing skilled workers in fields such as education, health, entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment and community development. Volunteers are American citizens, typically with a college degree, who are assigned to specific projects in certain countries based on their qualifications and experience.

For more information about the positive difference Peace Corps volunteers have made overseas and how that service has changed the lives of these returned volunteers, visit peacecorps.gov.

David Garcia,

president,

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Florida,

Homestead