Loud, obnoxious guy ruins birthday with political drivel; fix Lake Okeechobee mess | Letters
Enough already! Stop big, bold political pronouncements at the bar
Recently, my husband and I went to lunch for my birthday at one of our regular spots in Port Salerno. It wasn't very busy, and we sat at the bar as we usually do.
There was a group of three people seated to my left, and the large man in the middle boisterously and brashly professed to anyone who could hear him (which was everyone) his political opinions the entire time, using foul language, racial undertones and otherwise offensive inferences. He was rude and obnoxious and ruined my birthday lunch.
The primaries are over, we know who the presidential candidates are, and nearly all of us have already decided who we're voting for. In the current political landscape, none of us will be swayed by the others' opinions. You're not changing my mind, and I'm not changing yours. Therefore, there is no reason for anyone to sound off in a public place, making others uncomfortable.
There used to be an unofficial rule that said: "No religion or politics at the bar." We need to re-introduce that concept in all public spaces to allow for more civil and pleasant social experiences for everyone. Perhaps the owners of bars, restaurants and public establishments could help encourage that by posting funny signs (there is a place in Jupiter with such a sign and it seems to be effective) and discourage patrons from getting out-of-hand so that everyone can have an enjoyable outing.
It's a long time until November and the only place your voice is needed is at the voting booth. Until then, all I want is a nice lunch out.
Corinne Duplessis, Stuart
Eminent domain better way to solve Lake Okeechobee pollution issues?
According to a recent article in this newspaper, more than 17 billion gallons of Lake Okeechobee water was discharged into the canal that dumps into the St. Lucie River at Stuart. All of this lowered the lake by less than an inch.
Everyone knows that when you discharge huge amounts of freshwater into a river with some salt content, it lowers the salinity, which then kills the clams, oysters and seagrass, which leads to the death of the manatees.
Billions upon billions of dollars have recently been spent in an attempt to rectify this, but apparently it isn't working. This gets me wondering if this was just a government boondoggle or something worse.
Before the government decided to drain the Everglades watershed for farming and development, this water just naturally ran through the Everglades into the Atlantic Ocean for 10,000 years and caused no harm. Even after spending billions, it is killing marine life, poisoning the waters and causing all sorts of additional damage.
Seems to me it would have been a lot cheaper and more efficient to return it to its natural course over the land dried out by just taking that land by eminent domain and putting up with the lawsuits.
Edward Marasi, Port St. Lucie
St. Lucie River, Indian River Lagoon victimized by government's special treatment of Big Sugar
TCPalm and The Stuart News have a long history of impactful environmental journalism that dates back to the late, great editor Ernest Lyons. Local reporters have worked hard to hold polluters accountable — particularly the sugarcane industry — and detailed the immense harm of Lake Okeechobee discharges to the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon.
However, a recent front page of the newspaper fell far short of that proud tradition. The headline characterized Lake Okeechobee discharges as "a necessary evil," suggesting we have no choice but to accept polluted Lake Okeechobee discharges to the St. Lucie River (and west to the Caloosahatchee River).
That's simply untrue.
This environmental "evil" is a conscious choice made by the South Florida Water Management District, Army Corps of Engineers and lawmakers in the state of Florida, who have prioritized drainage and irrigation for the sugarcane industry over our environment.
There's another option: Instead of sending billions of gallons of untreated Lake O water east and west, send it south to about 60,000 acres of manmade marshes (known as stormwater treatment areas). Currently, about 90% of the water into these taxpayer-funded STAs comes from sugarcane fields in the Everglades Agricultural Area, with only about 10% coming from Lake O.
Why does Big Sugar get near-perfect irrigation and drainage of its fields, while the northern estuaries suffer? This isn't a necessary evil. It's a rigged system.
Eve Samples, Stuart, is executive director at Friends of the Everglades.
Fort Pierce mayor should resign? Time for Mast to go
Oh, the irony!
U.S. Rep. Brian Mast publicly complains about the condition of Fort Pierce and offers no solutions other than to ask for the resignation of Mayor Linda Hudson. Hudson has done an excellent job of bringing Fort Pierce to where it is today, a vibrant town that appears to be growing in a healthy and sustainable direction,
Mast, on the other hand, belongs to a political party in the throes of self-destruction and a Republican House of Representatives so dysfunctional it resembles more a circular firing squad than a representative body.
I wish Hudson continued success as mayor of Fort Pierce, and I call on Mast to resign.
Carlotta Grandstaff, Fort Pierce
Florida Democrats lose opportunity to excite the base with at least a primary
One of the very first things I did when I moved to Vero Beach 13 years ago was register to vote. It was quick and easy. Register your car, register to vote.
Voting was easy, too, with the options of early voting, mail-in voting and in-person voting on Election Day available to all.
But this primary season, I feel like I’m shirking my duty. When I see the early voting signs around town, run into poll workers with their bright yellow vests, hear on the TV news about the polls being open and yet have no ballot to cast, nowhere to go, I almost feel like I’m disenfranchised.
OK, so on the Democratic side, it’s a one-man show. But I think it was a big mistake on the part of the state Democratic organization to not hold a primary, not to get the voters out there, start the build-up, gather some steam, see and be seen.
I'm not sure if we can make Florida a swing state again, but shouldn’t we at least try? November will be here before we know it, and an opportunity was missed to start building some momentum.
Can’t we at least hope to become a purple state?
Julie Eisdorfer, Vero Beach
Bipartisan TikTok bill makes a lot of sense
The TikTok bill in the Senate is intended to rein in the medium's influence.
The TikTok we are familiar with in the United States is not available in China. Byte Dance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, has a different version within its own country. Preteens in China are limited to 40 minutes per day to view things like science experiments you can do at home.
It is no surprise that a survey of pre-teens in the United States and China revealed the following:
When asked, “What is your most aspirational career goal?” the most common response from the American preteen was “an influencer.” From the Chinese pre-teen, “an astronaut.”
Tristan Harris, once described as “the closest thing Silicon Valley has to a conscience,” compared the two versions of TikTok as “a spinach version versus an opium version.” The “opium” version is on 170 million phones in our country. Another technology expert, Kara Swisher, noted she uses a burner phone when on TikTok.
I applaud Congress for passing a bipartisan bill. I strongly support efforts to rein in TikTok’s ability to collect and share data on American users and to weaponize their algorithms to spread misinformation. (Both the Congressional Intelligence Committee and the director of the FBI have identified TikTok as a security threat to the United States.)
I hope that technology experts had a role in its crafting. We know that lobbyists working for the Chinese Communist government have had a role. (Source: Congressman Mike Gallagher, Wisconsin Republican, Chair, House Committee on Chinese Communist Party and former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer.)
Let us hope that our representatives in Washington are acting in the best interest of the United States without regard to their party’s political interests or goals.
Bess Mosley, Jensen Beach
Interviewers should be careful of dangerous questions
The recent episode of Don Lemon‘s ascent to X (formerly Twitter) and Elon Musk’s quick canceling of the program's contract apparently resulted from a Lemon-Musk interview. During this interview, Lemon pursued issues surrounding Musk’s supposed drug use and his perceived failings at fighting hate speech on X.
The abrupt ending of Lemon’s affiliation with X is reminiscent of the ending of Peter Kessler’s show on the Golf Channel.
Kessler interviewed Arnold Palmer and raised questions regarding Arnie marketing certain Calloway golf clubs, which were not consistent with USGA requirements. In the discussion, Kessler stated (I paraphrase): “If Winnie were still alive, I don’t believe you would be doing this.”
Winnie Palmer (Arnold’s spouse) had previously died of cancer. Within days, Kessler was gone from the Golf Channel.
Apparently, Arnie, being a powerful force in creating the Golf Channel, was profoundly disturbed over this reference to his deceased wife and him.
Oftentimes, so-called TV journalists and commentators seem to believe that they are so important and powerful that they can venture into any subjective area and escape ridicule.
Sorry, but as the adage goes: "Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”
Lemon should have exhibited more savoir faire in interviewing the owner of X. Remember, there was only one H.L. Mencken — and Lemon will never achieve his level sarcasm, wit or sphere of influence. And, the same could be said to Mr. Kessler.
Ron Smith, Brigantine, New Jersey
Ban TikTok? Should any president have such power?
After reading a recent article by Matt Taibbi, a contributing editor for Rolling Stone and winner of the 2008 National Magazine Award, I am inclined to side with recent comments from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, to keep TikTok solvent and to support free speech.
What has not been discussed regarding the reasons for "redoing" TikTok is that the recently passed "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" actually gives whomever is president extreme powers to determine free speech, to wit: any "website, desktop application, mobile application, or augmented or immersive technology application” that is “determined by the president to present a significant threat to the National Security of the United States” is covered.
In other words, if the president doesn't like it, it's toast.
Whether you are for Joe Biden or Donald Trump, do you really want any president to have such power?
I, for one, do not.
Ray Mancari, Vero Beach
Homewreckers have serious problems
There are people who don't search for narcissistic supply in a relationship. There are people who don't seek relationships much at all. People like this wouldn't think of including catalysts for jealousy and envy upon the person he or she cherishes so deeply.
What would cause a person to find countless relationships with evil and cruel human beings to force into the lives of another or others? Why do the mindsets, or pathologies, of such people know the difference between this behavior adverse to what is good of the heart, even soul?
No one could have it that many ways around.
Yet, what kind of antisocial cruelty would go behind the backs of others to find people who can act as "weapons of cruelty" to home-wreck? I wouldn't connect to this type of person, nor let them in at all. What kind of person enjoys being a catalyst for jealousy in another's life? Not good people. Not healthy human beings. To live vicariously in others' lives who take no part in deceit is mean and cruel.
Didn't the Ten Commandments warn the human population against such behaviors?
As far as going behind the backs of others to wreck homes, do they believe in higher judgment? Do they imagine everyone would be amicable? Is such cruelty a nurture process? Is cruel and deceptive homewrecking a winning process nurtured by a needy parent? Friends?
That is a serious form of neediness ― to dream of winning though wrecking homes, vicariously through a child. In fact, it's a sickness and an act of dishonest cruelty. The false correlations related to a neediness that would take advantage of others through their child's deceitful tendencies are ignorant ones.
What kind of loved one would be on the side of these behavioral diseases? Why?
Anna Santacroce, Fort Pierce
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Take land to end Lake Okeechobee pollution of St. Lucie | Letters
