Letters to the Editors

Dismantling state library devalues Florida heritage

Since Gov. Jeb Bush's recommended budget for fiscal year 2003-2004 was made public late last month, a number of professional organizations, as well as scholars, journalists, library leaders, educators and concerned citizens, have expressed dismay over the proposed elimination of the Florida State Library, effective July 1, 2003. If this proposal is approved by the Legislature, the state library's priceless collection of nearly 1-million documents representing the history and heritage of all Floridians will be in jeopardy. The governor's plan calls for transfer of the collection to Florida State University, but FSU President T.K. Wetherell has said that the university lacks adequate space to house the collection, not to mention staff and funds to maintain it. In fact, FSU is in line for a $17.6-million cut in state funds.

A coalition of professional groups opposing the dismantling of the Florida State Library includes the Florida Association of Museums, the Florida Historical Society, the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, the Florida Archaeological Council, the Florida Anthropological Society and the Florida Genealogical Society. The American Library Association is reporting the story on its Web site and has adopted a resolution in support of the State Library of Florida.

Dismantling the state library and balkanizing the Division of Library and Information Services seem inconsistent with the following:

The governor's recently asserted goal of making Florida "a state of readers" and the $19-million in his budget for "Just Read, Florida!" Reorganization of educational governance, during the governor's first term, to create a "seamless K-20" educational system, partly to improve the flow of information and enhance communication among educational systems and institutions. The governor's proposal would chop up the Bureau of Archives and Records Management, reassigning some responsibilities to the Department of Environmental Protection and others to the Department of Management Services. Such a move would impede the flow of information and hamstring communication.

National recognition, through initiatives of first lady Laura Bush, to recruit and train a new generation of librarians. International support for efforts to preserve cultural heritage and create cultural heritage education programs. Last year, after a long estrangement, the United States rejoined UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. In a resolution naming 2002 "U.N. Year for Cultural Heritage," UNESCO officials called it a sign of wisdom "to value the cultural heritage and to care for it as a treasure bequeathed to us by our ancestors that it is our duty to transmit as wholly as possible to our children." The Florida State Library and Archives are the means whereby we preserve our cultural heritage; they are also important symbols of the value we attach to it. As a member of the Florida Library Association, a full-time Florida community college faculty member and a citizen who believes wholeheartedly that the public library is the linchpin of democracy and freedom, I implore the governor to reconsider his decision to close the Florida State Library. In tough times such as we currently face, the symbols of our heritage, adaptability and resourcefulness become more important vehicles for sustaining, uplifting and reinvigorating people. The Florida State Library is such a symbol, and it deserves to be treated with reverence and respect.
-- Carmine J. Bell, Port Richey

Keep Florida history in one place

Re: Bush winces at price tag on state history, by Diane Roberts, Feb. 8.

As a researcher interested in Florida history and politics, I have spent several months in Tallahassee working at the Florida State Library and Archives. The functionality of the state facility is highly dependent on the fact that it houses a wealth of materials on Florida history in one central location.

Records held at the state archives have been used to support environmental protection actions and uncover wrongdoing on the part of state legislators. They provide a central repository and record of Florida's Legislature and other government agencies. In a state with such a high degree of "rootlessness," it is all the more important to maintain the historical record in its entirety so that it can be easily accessed by researchers and residents. Jeb Bush's ill-conceived plan to eliminate the institution increases the likelihood that Florida's history will continue to be woefully understudied.

Atomizing the collections of books, government documents, genealogy records and other historical sources by scattering them all over the state will make it much more difficult and expensive for researchers to do their jobs. Bush's argument that materials could be secured through interlibrary loan demonstrates his ignorance of the nuts and bolts of the historical profession.

It would be almost impossible for a visiting researcher to work in such a manner. Furthermore, Bush's recent arguments in support of his plans, which indicate that gubernatorial sponsorship of a student essay contest for black history month is a valid substitution for a fully funded and staffed State Library and Archives, once again demonstrate the intellectually bankrupt nature of his governing ideology.
-- Steve Hach, Gainesville

Library plan shows Bush's true character

Re: Bush winces at price tag on state history.

Diane Roberts' article illustrates the true character of our governor. To shut down the state library, a symbol of learning in a free society, shows how little the governor really cares for education. A lounge for lawmakers' families and a private legislative bathroom are more important.

To be fair to the governor, he did say that he had devious plans and was elected despite this remark. What further outrages should we expect from this administration?
-- Joan Hutchinson, Tarpon Springs

Use our troops here at home

It is time to redeploy our military troops in Europe. With countries like Germany, France and Belgium not joining the rest of the NATO countries in defense of Turkey, our troops should be pulled out completely from those three countries.

More than 118,000 of our military personnel are in Europe with most of them in Germany. Send most of them back to the United States and deploy them on our borders with Mexico and Canada as well as our coastlines to help protect our homeland. I am sure our military would rather be in our country than in countries that don't want them. Also, our country could use the help to our economy from the military that is now helping countries like Germany. We should also consider discontinuing all foreign aid to these countries that continue to shake our hand while stabbing us in the back with the other.

It is time for America to discontinue being the defender and sugar daddy of the rest of the world.
-- Ron Bowman, Dunedin

A moral obligation

Those who argue that the United States has no business attacking Saddam Hussein's regime because it poses no threat to the United States are both selfish and compassionless. Hussein's regime tortures and murders its own citizens, and violates every known human right.

We have a moral obligation to remove this brutal maniac from power. One look at the people dancing in the streets in Afghanistan after the removal of the Taliban shows us why.

It saddens me that it takes a direct threat against our citizens to justify to them the need to help fellow human beings abroad. Removal of Hussein is long overdue.
-- Michael McGinty, New Port Richey

War is not the only option

What we are not hearing from the Bush administration is just how will bombing Iraq make America safer from terrorism and what the consequences are that we as Americans face as a result of a pre-emptive, unilateral invasion. What is the clear and present danger to justify our going to war to get this one man, and put our soldiers and thousands of innocent civilians in harm's way? I feel that the administration is intimidating us by saying "you are either with us or against us," implying that those who question, who dare to encourage other peaceful, civilized solutions, are un-American and even traitorous.

The United Nations should not be dismissed. Their actions don't signal disloyalty to the United States, but a dedication to not rushing into war and the desire to take the time to seek the right answers to issues facing the entire international community. The CIA and the head inspector, Hans Blix, have said there is no proven link to al-Qaida; all they are essentially asking for is to allow inspections to work and explore more reasonable, safer, less costly ways to essentially contain the situation peacefully like France, Russia, Germany, China and Belgium have asked.

I cannot believe that Congress should not have further opportunity to debate this. Our Constitution demands that we have an inclusive democratic process before we make decisions regarding war. Our own Christian Bible says, "If thine enemy is hungry, feed him." What a concept. Are we forgetting that the military option is not the only path to establish peace?
-- Marcella Respini, St. Petersburg

U.S. should lead world to peace

The United States of America has had a giddy ride to the peak of power in the world. Early on there were signs of this "manifest destiny." In 1798 the U.S. Navy was established to combat pirates on the Barbary Coast, 4,000 miles from home. The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 confirmed that we commanded a world position while our nation was still in knee pants.

Power continued to flow to the United States after World War I. It took a giant leap with the defeat of Germany and Japan in World War II. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, we suddenly emerged as the world's sole superpower. It did not take long for hubris, that mercurial sense of power gone wild, to take over. It is reaching its own peak today as we claim universal sovereignty over the world. Our president is remarkably hostile to contrary opinion on anything he wants to do. Bush's unilateralism reaches an obscene level when he condemns other nations that have the nerve to think twice before going to war. After all, George Bush concocted the Iraqi War out of his need to have a good crisis. He picks Saddam Hussein, a surefire enemy, and then proceeds to lead the world to do his bidding.

The world was already unsettled over terrorism and Afghanistan without Bush's initiative against Iraq. Terrorism has us dizzy with insecurities; we don't know where the bad guys will strike next. And we need to nation-build in a big way in Afghanistan to prevent it from sinking back into anarchy.

We don't need hubris or more manifest destiny. We are at the peak; we have a unique opportunity to lead the world to peace. It is terribly sad that Bush is doing just the opposite.
-- Edward Rapp, Inverness

No regrets

Re: Worth the time, letter, Feb. 11.

"Right or wrong, I did go!"

I participated in the Vietnam War in 1969 and spent a year doing so. I'd do it again.
-- Schuyler T. Crowell, Redington Beach

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