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Manatees need better protectionBring our soldiers home, 1/13

Manatee deaths a record Jan. 10 

The recent news about increasing manatee deaths - especially the high number still being killed by watercraft - is distressing. The important thing about the state's uncertainty over the actual cause of the increased mortality is this: It's as bad as ever, and more serious than anticipated.

The good news is that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is finally developing a management plan that evaluates current efforts to protect manatees and describes what additional steps must be taken to ensure manatees are on the path to recovery. The Ocean Conservancy is encouraged by the scope and breadth of tasks the commission proposes undertaking over the next five years. While the agency desperately needs to better define recovery objectives (the current allowance of a 30 percent decline is clearly inadequate), the commission has already stated that it is committed to revising the plan to clarify its goal of having a stable or increasing manatee population statewide and will remove the confusing language in the current draft.

The bottom line is that manatees need better protection so that they are able to thrive and reproduce faster than they are being killed, whether by motorboats, red tide or other causes. The Ocean Conservancy is committed to the survival and recovery of Florida manatees, including protecting them from the dire threat of boat strikes. The draft management plan seems to be heading in the right direction.

While the commission must balance protection with public uses, it is responsible for conserving this unique species and must err on the side of conservation. The challenge ahead is for the commission to demonstrate strength and leadership and effectively implement measures detailed in the plan. The public should demand no less.

Jessica Koelsch, Florida marine wildlife program manager, the Ocean Conservancy, St. Petersburg

Boost wage minimum

With this new Congress come new opportunities. One of these is the federal minimum wage, which has not been raised in nearly a decade. Since that time, members of Congress have raised their own pay by $31,000. To support all Americans, including those outside Florida, we need to have a minimum wage that will allow citizens to not live in poverty. In fact, the current national minimum wage works out to just over $10,000 per year, or half of the poverty rate for a family of four. Regardless of political views, this is an important step for our country. The increase has helped Florida, but the rest of the country needs it, too.

Matt Baird, St. Petersburg

Oaths go awry Jan. 5 , letter

Oaths not a religious test

Those members of Congress who took the oath of office to which the letter writer objects were exercising their own rights to freedom of religion and freedom of speech. The First Amendment is also part of the Constitution.

No newly elected member of Congress was subjected to a religious test, during or after his or her election. Neither will any of them be subjected to any religious test during their tenure if office.

Thomas Black, Dunedin

It's a battle not written in stone Jan. 3, story

Religionists slow to learn

Once again the religionists in America - it's almost always fundamental and/or evangelical Christians - have done something they know is not legal just to force the issue onto the public debate where the government will have to spend hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to undo their petty mind-set. After all, it gives them a chance to broadcast their opinions at government expense and maybe get noticed in a big way. Wow.

Were they jealous because militant Islamists get all the attention? Do they want to hasten the Balkanization of America into racial and religious enclaves? We've heard it all before, and the courts have ruled on it all before. But that's no problem for 14,000 people in Dixie County, who don't care about what's legal, so we're going to go through it again.

We've had a national coverage on a Ten Commandments structure on courthouse steps before, remember? Placed by a judge who has now been replaced. Maybe Dixie County didn't get the news.

Such a beautiful part of our state. It would be nice to see it come out of the 18th century.

Max R. Loick, St. Petersburg

A love match for the Love Sponge Jan. 10, story

Lose the Love Sponge

What the f--- is wrong with you people?

It is unbelievable that in this troubled world, you felt an article about that subhuman getting married warrants a place on the front page.

Did you people decide that issues like global warming, or the economy, or Iraq, or any of, oh, a hundred thousand others, are just not quite as important as knowing about that idiot's life?

And you even use, in a front-page article, the same profanity I used at the beginning of this letter. It is bad enough you felt a reporter needed to write the article in the first place, but to put it on the front page?

It is utterly reprehensible.

Tyler Carder, Largo

I am outraged at President Bush's proposal to send additional troops to Iraq. During the last election, I believe Americans voiced their disapproval of the situation there. The president's current proposal is a slap in the face to the citizens of this country.

We have done all we can do in Iraq. Their soldiers should be taking charge, preserving their independence. Instead, their country has become divided and more unstable. They are in the middle of a civil war.

Our soldiers need support. We should not be placing them in harm's way without a good reason. These are our children, our brothers and sisters, our husbands and wives. They deserve better than this.

As for sending money for jobs in Iraq, how about creating more jobs here?

Stand up, America! Tell your representatives you will not tolerate this. Bring our soldiers home now!

Sandra LaPorte, St. Petersburg

It's the wrong way Jan. 11, editorial

Leaving Iraq is wrong way

The title of your editorial would have been correct if it had expressed views of how shameful it is to undermine the security of our nation, stability in the Middle East, the morale of our military troops and the significant progress made in establishing democratic governments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rather, it was yet another statement of the left wing press' continuous and relentless efforts to discredit everything and anything President Bush does or says without ever offering a constructive and well-informed proposal for "the right way."

Negotiating with Iran or Syria is tantamount to negotiating with Al Capone. The inconvenient truth is that your rhetoric plays right into the hands and strategies of the terrorist organizations by debilitating the will of the American citizenry to prevail, costly as it is, against those who murdered 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001. It is also an inconvenient truth that they are on their way to building and using even greater destructive capabilities.

Your faint prayer for success in Iraq as the president's "last stand" before pointing "U.S. troops to the exit" is precisely what Iran is waiting for. Have you considered the consequences of Iran taking control of a defenseless Iraq, Lebanon and possibly Israel? Cut and run won't prevent a world crisis of biblical proportions such as that. Having stable and strong democracies in the Middle East is not an answer. It is the answer - unless you have a better one.

James L. Dentinger, St. Petersburg

A pathetic plea

Just as the domestic abuser says he's sorry, he knows he's wrong and asks to be given one more chance, George W. Bush wants more troops to fight his egotistical war and tries to appease us by finally admitting he's been wrong in his past tactics. He wants one more chance risking the lives of even more of our troops for a plan that has no more possibility of making a difference in Iraq than what has been done for almost four years.

Are we going to be the naive victim again and give in to this latest pathetic plea? Hasn't he proven he's the stereotypical abuser when any challenge to his policy is thrown back and the American public is told we are the problem? We want to "cut and run," aren't willing to "stay the course" and our resistance related to this ludicrous excuse of a war means we "don't support the troops."

For those who display the yellow "Support our troops" ribbons on their cars, are you really willing to support them? Please let your voice be heard to bring these patriots home now! No more Americans should die for Bush's lies. Let's truly support the troops and their families.

Kris Wyss, Wesley Chapel

It's the wrong way Jan. 11, editorial

President knows best

The liberal St. Petersburg Times has once again shown its bias toward anything related to President Bush or Republicans. The editorial states that Bush has failed and that he has ignored the voices of the American people and the generals in the military. The American people do not have access to the information he does, nor do the American people understand the dangers we face from Islamic extremists. Also, not all the generals believe this, only the ones we hear about in the liberal press do.

The president explicitly outlined his plans for the troops and set benchmarks to be followed, exactly what the Democrats and far left have asked for.

The American people have to realize that the Democrats and liberals do not want us to win this war! They want their power back so bad they put politics ahead of their duty to do what's best for this country.

It is not a happenstance that we have not been attacked again. History will judge this president as one of the most courageous, most patriotic president we have had in a very long time! God bless President Bush and God bless America!

Bill Gerretz, St. Petersburg

Stop this madness

There must be something in the water or air in the great state of Texas. When I was a young man, Lyndon Johnson could not pull us away from Vietnam. Every couple of months it was, "just a few thousand more troops and we will turn the corner to victory." The next thing we knew, more than 600,000 troops were spread across Southeast Asia. I know; I was one of them.

Now, our latest president from the Lone Star state, George W. Bush, says, "We need more troops to turn the corner to victory."

I say, stop this madness! Leave. Pull all our troops out of the Middle East. Start talking with Syria and Iran. Mr. President, it is not a sign of weakness to talk. It is, however, a sign of stupidity to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result.

Martin L. Daugherty, St. Petersburg

Democrats are dangerous

I see where the Democrats are already blasting President Bush's new strategy for fighting the war in Iraq. Their biggest fear is that his plan may actually work. It is too bad that most of the Democratic leaders in this country seem to be more concerned with their own political agendas rather than what is best for the country. Just think what we could accomplish if we stood united before the world.

In my opinion, the Democratic leaders are not only a disgrace, they are dangerous to the security of this country. I would guess the terrorists of the world are rooting for them. I hope the voters of this country realize this before it is too late. For me, having a Kerry, Pelosi or Clinton in power is just plain scary.

Michael James, Seminole

A change in strategy Jan. 11, story

What price responsibility?

In his speech this week on the war in Iraq, President Bush said, "Where mistakes have been made the responsibility lies with me." What does it mean when someone says he is responsible? Shouldn't there be some kind of consequences when such mistakes are made? This war has been a total disaster, yet the president wants us to just forget everything up to now and follow his new plan.

If I made such blunders in my job, I would be fired. If the president truly feels responsible, he should remove himself from office. Just saying "the responsibility lies with me" means nothing.

John Gomes, Safety Harbor

Reinforcing Iraq failure

For weeks, President Bush has made a show of seeking advice, leaking perspectives that favor his opinion, suppressing dissent - including replacing top military staff - and floating clues about his "new" plan for Iraq. It all comes down to reinforcing failure.

The United States, through arrogance, incompetence and outright fantasy (sometimes called "ideology"), created the ruin that is today's Iraq. The United States has tried everything already that the White House now reports will be its new approach. And the United States has failed.

There are many ways the United States could pull out of heavy, direct engagement in Iraq and continue to hover in the background in case of disastrous trouble from outside influences.

Instead, in violation of the most basic military precept, "Never reinforce failure," the White House has slapped a new bumper sticker on the broken-down Disaster Express and said it will in fact reinforce failure.

President Bush has forfeited the trust of the nation for the last time. Impeach George Bush and Dick Cheney and get out of Iraq!

Lange Winckler, Tampa

A brilliant political ploy

President Bush is calling for a "surge" in troop strength in Iraq. It is a brilliant political ploy. If Democrats refuse to fund the initiative, he will attack them for "not supporting our troops" and blame them for our ultimate failure in Iraq. If they go along with him, he will use their support to call any criticism they make of the war "flip-flopping."

How will the "surge" affect the war? Considering the fact that the Iraqis seem to be more concerned with fighting each other than with fighting us, it's hard to see what good can come of this. Unless, of course, you are a Republican political strategist.

Meyer Baron, St. Petersburg

Bush wasn't on the ballot Jan. 5, letter

This war not conservative

Nobody disputes the fact that George W. Bush is the legitimate president. However, someone should remind the letter writer that Bush has only two years left. Is the Iraq war worth a Democrat Congress and president in '08? Moreover, is George Bush really a "conservative?" Calling all Iraq war critics "liberals" is ludicrous. There is nothing conservative about going all over the world in order to install America's version of democracy. I always thought real conservatives wanted to fix problems here at home first.

I'd like to know just what "victory in Iraq" means. If a plebiscite were held in Iraq today, so-called well-informed boosters of the war plan would be shocked at the results. We are less popular in the Arab world than ever.

I'll stick to real conservative issues like preserving our right to keep and bear arms, state's rights to pass prolife laws and economic freedom. All of those neocon "conservatives" can put on a uniform and go to Iraq themselves.

Leonard Martino, Tampa

Bush wasn't on the ballot Jan. 5, letter

Democracy here, too

Isn't it interesting that the letter writer believes that "creating a working democracy in an Arab land" is a noble cause, yet having this country's foreign and domestic policies reflect the will of the American people is anathema?

By stating that "President Bush ... is under no obligation to switch policy based on the midterm elections," it's quite clear this writer favors an autocratic rather than a democratic form of government in this country.

It seems to me that if democracy is a desirable objective overseas, it also ought to be cherished, preserved and protected right here in the United States. That is the powerful message the American electorate delivered in November, a message I hope our president heeds.

Hal Alterman, Clearwater

[Last modified January 12, 2007, 21:32:17]