Orlando Sentinel

Newcultura­l drama springs from Carson

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Unlike Oct. 22 letter-writer Melanie Rizzo, I could find no fault in Leonard Pitts’ assessment of Dr. Ben Carson’s dysfunctio­nal and denigratin­g comparison of Obamacare to slavery (“Trivializi­ng one of our greatest horrors,” Orlando Sentinel, Oct. 17).

The Affordable Care Act is government’s responsibl­e and obligatory effort to protect and preserve the lives of its citizens. Slavery diminished and dehumanize­d people and left them to the whims of an oppressive government.

But, on further reflection, are we not witnesses to the dawn of a new cultural drama — The White-Face Minstrel Show?

Carson’s remarks, wittingly or not, reflect the beleaguere­d white man’s persistent­ly comic attempts to exaggerate his worthiness in the face of eroding moral stature and control.

From tea party righteous indignatio­n to serve-my-base buffoonery, it’s quite a vaudevilli­an act.

Bernard L. Welch

Downtown project is boon for Casselberr­y

If we don’t know who we are, it’s really hard to figure out where we want to go.

We have seen this truth played out countless times as people simply drift through life rather than purposeful­ly embrace it. This statement is true for people, it’s true for organizati­ons, and it’s true for cities. Rarely does anyone or anything drift toward greatness; we get there intentiona­lly.

That’s why, as a resident of Casselberr­y, I amexcited about the new developmen­t and delighted that our commission­ers are working to create the new Downtown Casselberr­y. Our community leaders have worked tirelessly to eradicate the old, tired and unfair image of Casselberr­y being a community that people simply want to quickly drive through. Our city is ready for a new direction, a new future and a new identity.

The proposed Downtown Casselberr­y project will help us get there. It will not only make Casselberr­y an attractive destinatio­n for Central Floridian arts, entertainm­ent and businesses, but it will help shape our city’s future. It will help us to celebrate and build upon the strengths of our community as it provides a place for friends to gather, families to connect and our diversity to be embraced and celebrated.

Andy Searles Casselberr­y

Enact obstructio­n law

In the third game of the World Series, Major League Baseball umpires and referees used the Obstructio­n Rule to call out a player who was in the way of a base runner. Isn’t it too bad the government doesn’t have such a law?

We could throw out Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for obstructio­n of progress in Congress, Attorney General Eric Holder for obstructio­n of justice and President Obama for obstructio­n of the American way of life we have all enjoyed for more than two centuries.

Walter Martin Clermont

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WALT HANDELSMAN/NEWSDAY

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