School board needs to go away
What is wrong with the Brevard School Board? What is wrong with Mark Rendell? Why are they persecuting this young teacher?
IF this is the way the Brevard school committee and superintendent are going to behave, THEY are the ones who need to go…far away and quickly!
John Grimanis, Palm Bay
Billboards for Charlie Kirk?
I confess, I did not know Charles Kirk. What I have heard and read now, I may or may not know much more. Some called him a bigot and misogynist and worse. That he was popular among the young there is no doubt. If he was a liberal, the other side might have called him a “Groomer” of the young. I would not. But, the hype over his death, however repugnant, seems to have reached new heights of Idolatry and hypocrisy. When a prominent Business Man puts up 15 Charlie Kirk billboards in Brevard County, I wonder, If he follows his Savior, and gives $150,000 to his favorite Charity, in Charlie’s name. I know Jesus would look favorably on the gift to Habitat for Humanity. Similarly, many of the other tributes could be done likewise. White Christian Nationalism. Is just another “Ism”. It is neither Christian nor is it true Nationalist, but it is “White”. When we abolished Slavery, we recognized that a terrible wrong had been done to one particular race. That was many years ago, however, many did not and do not now, accept, in their hearts, that “All Men were created (by God) equal”. This, and the First Amendment, issues are really just more distractions from the realities facing our Nation. Our recourse to prevent an American Autocracy and a one party system of government is at the ballot box. Vote by all means available.
Tom Loper, Satellite Beach Florida
Illegal detention centers are wasteful
No matter what you think of immigrant deportations you should be outraged by the administration of Florida’s immigration detention centers. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on opening, closing and running so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” and “Deportation Depot”, shuffling detainees from one facility to another, paying per day to keep them incarcerated and paying for their hospitalizations when they get sick. The promise was that immigrants who committed violent crimes would be identified and deported. Instead, most of the detainees either have committed no crime or a minor “crime” like invalid paperwork. The government literally can’t keep track of where these people are, much less provide evidence of the crimes they supposedly committed. The state has violated a cascade of laws so that we can spend thousands of dollars per day in illegal facilities that harm the environment to detain people who could be contributing to our economy by working at their jobs. The abuse, waste and fraud being perpetrated by the government is completely open. It does nothing to make our quality of life better, wastes our money and only benefits the DeSantis donor companies that profit from the graft.
Kathy Freeman, Melbourne
Roots of America’s disfunction
Without a doubt, at least since 2016, America has become increasingly tribal. You might say we are in a civil Cold War of ‘us’ versus ‘them’ aided and abetted by the ubiquitous media pandering to their prospective audiences. Conservative media is targeting, among others, ‘white men with no college degree’ and marginalizing minorities and other people of color. That alone tells part of the story of division. What’s happening to the right is something called Identify Fusion which is a psychological term where someone embraces a strong charismatic authoritative figure who really believes “I alone can fix the system” and becomes one with that person’s beliefs. The MAGA cult has fully embraced Identity Fusion. They look past or ignore Trump’s felonies, myriad lies, sexual abuse accusations, and obvious cognitive decline any of which would have disqualified him long ago as long as they can perceive to ‘own’ the people who they believe are causing all of their self-made problems. They will support him if they believe he is addressing their grievances even when it is antithetical.
Feckless Republicans in Congress will support him in lockstep no matter what he does for fear of losing their puissant jobs and the greed and money that comes with them, or in some cases, fear of physical harm to them or their families. They no longer believe in what’s right for the country, only what’s right for them and their party.
This is exactly why we need term limits for Congress.
Ed Dean, Merritt Island
Selfish acts diminish our world
We had a difficult couple of days earlier this month. On September 10th, Charlie Kirk was assassinated and the very next day was the 24th anniversary of 9/11. These events, coming just a day apart caused me to reflect. It’s not the first time I have recognized that the cause of the evil in our world boils down to one word ― selfishness. From the rude neighbor who plays music too loud to the drug traffickers who attempt to smuggle deadly fentanyl to the person who believes that it’s acceptable to end the life of someone with whom you disagree; it’s all based in selfishness. These people don’t stop to consider how their actions will negatively affect others, or, worse, they know, but do not care. As trite as it sounds, if we would just stop to think of the consequences of our actions, the world would be a better place. You’re not the only one who lives here, so be considerate and think before you act. That small step will solve a lot of problems. As Charlie would say, “Prove me wrong.”
Shari LeDoux, Indialantic
No vaccines? Just wait.
I have a scary feeling that a few decades from now young couples hoping to start a family will be told by their medical provider that one or both of them are sterile as a result of a childhood disease which would have been easily preventable by a safe, common vaccine. Their parents will have to confess to them that they followed the advice of politicians and conspiracy theorists instead of the scientific community.
By then, Gov DeSantis and Surgeon General Ladapo won’t be around to explain their thinking on the matter. But for the family, no biological children/grandchildren.
Bill Bjork, Palm Shores
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Reader wants to know what’s wrong with school board; Letters to the Editor, Oct. 1 2025
Reporting by Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Reader wants to know what’s wrong with school board; Letters to the Editor, Oct. 1 2025
Reporting by Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
