GOP choosing ‘right’ over ‘good’ Abortion limits create more orphans

As I read your report about Republican Speaker Paul Renner of the Florida House of Representatives advocating making it illegal for children under the age of 16 to use social media (“Florida lawmakers seek to ban kids under 16 from social media,” Jan. 18), the lines from Tennessee Williams’ play “Summer and Smoke” came to my mind. In the movie, a man was trying to convince a woman to be intimate with him. She kept refusing his advances and in frustration the man blurts out: “You know what your problem is? You’re so full of what’s right you don’t know what’s good.”

The Republican politicians keep pushing the “right” at the expense of the “good.” Who are they to tell Florida parents what the parents can and can’t approve for their own children to read, hear and see? This really is Big Brother looking to take control of virtually every aspect of our lives. Soon Florida residents won’t have to think to do anything. The Florida Republicans will do it all for us. Welcome “1984.”

Richard Sutherland

Lakeland

Disturbing protests

Seeing worldwide protests in support of Gaza and Hamas is extremely disturbing, especially when the real motives are based on Jewish hatred disguised as anti-Israel.

If these protests were really sincere, it would be understood, although it would

still be disturbing. Israel is at war with Hamas because of atrocities committed against its citizens. Unfortunately, innocents die in close-quarter conflicts.

However, have the protesters ever marched against the holocaust in Syria, where more than 600,000 people were killed to keep a tyrant in power? Or how about Iran, where peaceful protesters were slaughtered because they wanted freedom of expression and the right to dress as they wished? I do not recall worldwide marches against these horrible deeds.

No, only Israel and Jews deserve such attention. As I said before, if the protests were sincere, it would be understandable. It’s about Jewish hatred, period.

Marvin Hofberg

Boca Raton

‘Doonesbury’ hypocrisy

I was a bit surprised by a letter-writer’s concern for children who might be exposed to the word rape on the comics page of the Sentinel (“Doonesbury strip was inappropriate,” Jan. 17). What is curious and surprising to me is that many of those same people apparently are not concerned at all about restoring a man to the White House who has been found liable for the crime of sexual abuse. Patricia Geary Schoene

Maitland in Florida reject pro-choice options and the right to have an abortion. I would now like to remind all of those pro-life folks that there are more than 10,000 children in foster care here in Florida alone. There are more than 400,000 children in foster care across the United States.

Has the governor figured out how to build some state-run orphanages? We’re going to need them since we’re going to have more children who can’t be taken care of by parents that are unable to take care of them. Let’s revisit the line from “A Christmas Carol” where the ghost of Christmas present asks Scrooge “Are there no work houses? Are there no prisons?” He then shows Scrooge the two wretched and horrible children under his robes and says to Scrooge, “Look well upon these children for they are mankind’s children. They are want and ignorance.”

I say to all of you that are pro-life: You are now suffering from the children of want and ignorance. Want and ignorance and lack of family planning and sex education leads to people having children they cannot afford or take care of. So instead of giving money to your favorite Republican politician give money to foster care, or better yet, take in a foster child and adopt them. Otherwise, shut up.

Joy Putnam

Daytona Beach