I’ve shopped at Publix my whole life. Open-carry decision is a betrayal | Opinion

Shopping elsewhere

I’ve been shopping at Publix my entire life, but that ends today. Publix has voluntarily chosen to allow people to openly carry deadly firearms in their Florida stores. Having spent time in states that allow open carry, I’ve experienced the fear, discomfort and intimidation of being in a store when a person with a gun on their belt steps next to me as I reach for a carton of milk. It’s scary.

Publix is not required to allow open carry. Though its public statement implies the decision is in keeping with the law, the recent court decision does not mandate private property owners allow people to openly carry firearms. Such owners may choose to allow open carry on their properties.

Luckily, you too, can boycott Publix and still shop for groceries without the terror of seeing your children running up and down the cookie aisle while a man with a gun on his belt walks toward them. Consider Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Sprouts, Whole Foods, Target and Winn-Dixie — all have chosen to prohibit guns in their stores.

Amy Turkel,

Miami

Tall, proud words

On Sept. 22, President Trump declared Antifa a U.S. terrorist organization, but his Executive Order did not provide specific, helpful information.

Where is Antifa headquartered? Who are its leaders and its organizers? What is its specific policy agenda? Is there a public list of intended institutional and personal targets?

The president, his personal attorney general and his Cabinet — drawn from Fox News — cannot answer these appropriate questions, despite the clear ability of U.S. intel agencies to identify terrorist structures and their leaders worldwide.

The truth here is easy. Independent, self-motivated U.S. terrorists from the left and the right operate across the nation. There also are peaceful individuals and community organizations known to oppose the Trump agenda. However, there is no structured “Antifa” in the United States.

“Antifa” as an organized effort is traced to communists in Germany during the Weimar Republic from 1918 to 1933. The word “Antifa” in the United States has for years been a condensed reference to “anti-fascist,” an honorable characterization applied by many historians to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and the U.S. Armed Forces who fought heroically to win World War II, toppling the fascist regimes of Hitler and Mussolini.

Team Trump can only pursue its developing fascist tendencies in an organized, strategic way. The American public is witness to and does indeed protest Team Trump’s dismissal of the U.S. Constitution, political retribution, the slow but certain creation of a police state, the end of free speech and public criticism, open promotion of a Trump dynasty and sustained deference to dictators worldwide and other indicators of autocratic rule.

What is Antifa, as used by the president?

It is “We the People …”

Paul Doell,

Miami

Rapid transit?

From 1983 to 1996, I was a bus operator for then-Metro-Dade Transit. I saw the birth of Metrorail and imagined a future where it took Miamians where they needed to go.

South Floridians, however, are in love with their cars and loath to easily give up the independence they provide. That is one reason why Metrorail ridership numbers never met expectations. Another is Metrobus’ atrocious record of punctuality, questionable bus purchasing and overwhelmed maintenance crews, resulting in frequent missed runs. I don’t have knowledge of those issues today, but wouldn’t be surprised if they persist.

The intersection of U.S. 1 and Marlin Road by Cutler Bay is typical of those near the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line. Mornings, when the crossing arms go down, the lights on U.S. 1 seem to not be synchronized, allowing many cars turning left from the highway to westbound Marlin to block the entire intersection, with nowhere to go. Those crossing arms have been installed and active for some months, not days or weeks. If county administrators want this BRT system to succeed, it must do better.

Parking lots with EV chargers are great only if you feel safe leaving your EV there. A quick ride to the rail is great, if you aren’t packed in a crowded bus due to a breakdown. Prioritizing bus flow is key to the plan’s success, but not at the cost of traumatizing local traffic.

I wish my old agency nothing but great success, because that would be a win for taxpayers, drivers and commuters alike.

Marcelo Yanes,

Cutler Bay

Exercising democracy

As I watch the Donald Trump cult unfold, I remind myself of Nietzsche: “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” I grew up in 1960s and 1970s America — a time of upheaval and violence. Yet those turbulent years strengthened our democracy and forged resilient citizens.

Can the same happen now? Or has our wealth and comfort bred a generation lacking drive, adaptability and grit? Where is today’s equivalent of Civil Rights, anti-war, or Women’s Liberation movements? What will it take to mobilize public outrage and confront this cult of personality?

Sometimes, the smallest sparks can ignite bigger change — perhaps an attack on two fundamental American pillars: the First Amendment and our teachers.

Could today’s headlines about teachers under fire for social media posts awaken our resilience? How more un-American can it get than an assault on free speech and on those who educate our children?

History offers a sobering lesson: “Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men and weak men create hard times.” We ignore history at our peril. Even the Roman Empire, lasting more than 1,200 years, fell. Our democracy is just 249 years old; its survival depends on remembering, acting and strengthening it.

Mayree Morin Fernandez,

South Miami

No hate

When the Speaker of the U.S. House, Mike Johnson, characterized the “No Kings” demonstrations as “people who hate America,” that in itself is hate speech and sends a loud dog whistle that these peaceful demonstrations are traitorous.

One of my neighbors, whose political persuasion is unknown to me, has an apt bumper sticker on their pickup truck: “Abide No Hate.”

David Kwiat,

Dania

Income source

Predicting how the Trump administration’s undeclared war on Venezuela will end is pretty easy. The bombing and killing of alleged but unproven Venezuelan drug smugglers will conclude when that country pays hefty compensation to the U.S. or gives us favorable access to its vast oil reserves. This is similar to what the Mafia or other crooks call “protection money.”

Uses for that revenue are plentiful. Some could be applied to finance that $20 million price tag for the new White House ballroom, or a facility to store the new Air Force One jet that Qatar gifted to the president. The funds could also help construct Trump’s post-Presidential Library in downtown Miami, if that site ever clears its litigation hold, or for other presidential emoluments.

Once the arrangement with Venezuela is finalized, similar gambits can be expected to enrich the coffers of the aggressor.

Marshall H. Tanick,

Naples

Stronger together

Ask your Trumpist friends and they say it is Obama’s fault. Some of us think it started with the MAGA movement. The reality is, we have a very divided country.

Because the pope blessed a piece of ice and is concerned about global warming, many Catholics (Trump backers) criticize him. How sad!

My adult grandchildren, who do not like Trump, suggested I shouldn’t display the American flag outside because that’s a MAGA support sign. What?

Health issues, like vaccines, are a sensitive topic in some families. Never mind the COVID-19 pandemic; just don’t go there. Again, how sad!

Hope things change and we again become the United States of America.

Maria Pino,

Miami Springs