mailbag@news-press.com

Apple out of line

Listen up, techies. We don’t yet live in the U.S. of Apple; we live in the U.S. of America. When a court of law issues a search warrant, the judge gets testy when someone says he won’t obey it. If he is feeling judicious, he may grant a time to appeal to a higher court. Notice his appeal in not to Congress, but to an appellate court. It is not a political question, but a legal one.

If a court issued a warrant to search room 134 at the ABC Motel, the landlord could not legally refuse to open the door because his key also could open every other door. His appeal would be on the adequacy of the evidence presented to the judge. The police are not interested in all the other rooms, only that one, the one the warrant is addressed to. In my view, the Apple CEO is way out of line on this one.

- Sam Alessi, Fort Myers

Gateway trees

Reference to previous correspondence concerning the tree situation on Gateway Boulevard in Gateway. All the royal palms have been removed from the island median near Stoney Brook. They have been placed along the side of Gateway Boulevard at an undisclosed cost.

Now, new smaller palm trees have been placed in this island median. Why? Aren’t these trees also a danger to safety? This was a reason for removing the previous trees, along with insurance and Lee County concerns prior to accepting Gateway Boulevard as a county road.

What is going on here? Gateway Boulevard has not changed. What has changed is that Gateway CDD and Lee County have decided to change their minds on how this area should look.

Go figure.

- Martin Conley, Gateway

An inspirational leader

I don’t ever want to be told again I have to vote for the lesser of two evils. Right now is the time when we save democracy, save our planet and remind democrats of our progressive past.

This is when we defeat Hillary Clinton and not because she is a woman, because she is a wolf in sheep’s clothing who has done enough damage and we are done with both the Bushes and the Clintons. Now is the time to start a political revolution that wins back our party, our government, our American jobs and restores the American dream.

We didn’t get into the shape we are from some imaginary thing. We got here because of bad human decision. We can change the course of our country with good human decision.

As Clay Aiken said recently on CNN, Bernie is not a normal politician. He takes no corporate money and he believes we can help all the people and not just the wealthy 1 percent.

When we embrace a truly inspirational leader like Bernie Sanders, we turn the page on a four-decade attack on the American people by the people we called our leaders.

The younger generations need to know what it’s like to be a truly great country again. Bernie is that once in a lifetime candidate.

- Joe Hadley, Muncie, Indiana

Quietly observing VA

It doesn’t take a lot of skill and brain power to experience what goes on in a VA clinic. Yet our politicians need studies and committees to figure out what is going on.

If any of them, and The News-Press, really cared all they would have to do is take a book and go sit in the setting areas and be quiet. Move from clinic to clinic and observe. Make notes to refresh your memory of what goes on. Observe the standing around, talkfests, lack of doing anything except killing time.

You will see mouthed politeness about thanks for your service and we are aware of your wait and you will see someone soon. They won’t let you behind the locked doors to see a warren of offices, unstaffed or people carrying paperwork around.

It is inefficiency at its highest and any everyday person could visit and observe it in action.

No one is going to fire these VA employees. In fact, no one is going to reprimand them. So without a threat to their employment, the situation perpetuates itself and the politicians mouth words with no action. They can’t even be bothered to take the time to quietly visit and observe.

- Robert Harris, North Fort Myers

Park in disrepair

The park on Orange Grove Boulevard is in a very bad state of disrepair. The swimming pool is nice, but the surrounding park is an eye sore and with broken concrete scattered around, is also unsafe.

It would be really nice if Lee County Parks Deptment could fix up the tennis courts and put nets back up, install playground equipment, and possibly, basketball courts. There are two public schools within walking distance of the pool in this residential neighborhood, and the pool might be more utilized if the surrounding park was more presentable and safer for families.

A spruced up park would be an asset to the neighborhood. Perhaps The News-Press could send someone out to take photos to show the disrepair of this park!

Good parks make good neighborhoods!

- Sharon Provinzano, North Fort Myers

Understanding sacrifice

When we as a nation fail to recognize, honor and pay tribute to those whose sacrifices gave to us the protection our freedoms through the years, we will see the failure of our democracy.

Our political system is so broken, with most of those in office today only knowing how to take from a nation without understanding the sacrifice of giving back in true nation building.

“A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.” — Thomas Jefferson.

- Jack Wagner, Cape Coral