Letters and feedback: April 12, 2018

What will it take to fix lagoon?

Vince Lamb's column rationalizing the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program's support of the ineffectual activities (fertilizer runoff) of our government leaders is contradicted by the Feb. 14, 2018, international press release from Peter Barile, PhD, who is a senior scientist at Marine Research & Consulting,

Dr. Barile published a study that specifically identifies widespread sewage pollution as causing an ecosystem collapse in our Indian River Lagoon. Mr. Lamb continues to identify fertilizer runoff from homes and faulty wastewater infrastructure as primary causes. Our politicians have to face the fact that the real cause is their failure to invest in sewage infrastructure. Brevard County needs to immediately adopt a program to replace the 90,000 residential septic tanks by creating a loan program that will attach a lien to those homeowners who can't afford a current repayment program.

"Reducing the sewage wastewater problem was a primary restoration strategy for recovery of Sarasota Bay and Tampa Bay and the Florida Keys, but was not made a priority for the restoration of the Indian River Lagoon," reports Dr. Barile.

Mr. Lamb also fails to point out that Dr. Barile estimates that $3 billion will be needed to fix the Indian River Lagoon's faulty wastewater infrastructure. Eventually, these failures are going to be a national story.

Raymond J. Land, Satellite Beach

Tobia not looking out for IRL

Commissioner John Tobia is no friend of the Indian River Lagoon.

His recent opinion column panning the purchase of artificial grass instead of spending it on the lagoon is a political stunt aimed at defeating Commissioner Smith in the next election. He knows taxes generated from the increased field use and less maintenance will more than pay for additional lagoon projects.

If Commissioner Tobia really cared about the Lagoon, he would not support increased density rezoning for properties with septic systems. He would not vote against requiring cruise parking lot developers to submit a surface water retention plan, even when they are directly adjacent to the lagoon. He would not recommend pumping a "massive pile of muck, stinking with the smell of death and decay" (his words) to an area adjacent to the lagoon with known flooding issues, with no requirement to ever remove it. He is even building a new home adjacent to the lagoon with a septic system.

Where is his history of supporting environmental issues? The people of Brevard can spot a political ploy and this one smells even worse than a pile of lagoon muck.

Chris Cook, Merritt island

'Let the silent majority speak'

To those who are cheering at President Trump's lawyer's office being raided by the FBI, If the president of the United States doesn't have the right to attorney client privilege, then normal everyday citizens can hang up every right you've got.

To those saying "I've done nothing wrong, I have nothing to fear": Congratulations, you've just achieved the mindset the Jews had just prior to Hitler trying to eradicate them all.  To those claiming Trump is like Hitler, you are the ones trying to insist he take your guns away."

It's time Americans stood up and said no to this corruption. Let the silent majority speak again now to your congressmen and again in November 2018.

Robin Ricker, Titusville

We mustn't arm everyone, everywhere

The Supreme Court says we can all be armed per the Second Amendment. Some jurists now question its validity. It’s not 1776. We don’t have a militia. We aren’t expected to grab a musket off the mantel when called upon, run outside and save ourselves from ... what in 2018?

We have concealed carry laws. Who's armed? Who's safe? Where?

Arming school personnel will help ... really? Where does that end? Arm school bus drivers? Arm your child? It’s not just schools. Arm park rangers? Arm priests? Arm bartenders? Arm lifeguards? Arm grocery store cashiers? Arm … everybody, everywhere for everything. It’s dangerous out there. Need we be an ever-more violent society? 

We need to re-think this whole violence issue. We should look again at what others are doing successfully to make their societies kinder and safer and make ours the same.  Start with gun violence. It  should make me proud to read, hear, and watch how our government is solving gun violence. We should trust that process to go to work and get it right. Can we?     

I note the Florida Legislature may reverse the new, weak gun violence legislation, so Marjory Stoneman Douglas students are recommending voting Rep. Randy Fine out.  Interesting, and if they're 18, they can vote. Mothers are beginning to get mad and organized and they vote. It’s not MADD anymore. They took on drunk drivers and won. It’s MDA now, Moms Demand Action. Students and mothers. Can they get it done when nobody else can?'  

Pete Crumpacker, Melbourne