Aid to Ukraine must continue
There have been several news stories about Russian atrocities. They are holding hostages and political opponents – including journalists like the Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich – in tiny cells under horrible conditions for 23 hours a day.
The brutal treatment and recent murder of Alexei Navalny was particularly egregious. Banished to an Arctic Circle prison, Navalny represented zero threat to Vladimir Putin’s “re-election.” Putin apparently could not bear the thought of someone aspiring to a free Russian nation.
Then there was the terrorist attack and murder of over 100 Russians at a concert hall. Ironically this attack, which is properly condemned worldwide, is a tiny fraction of the death and destruction Russia has inflicted on Ukrainian civilians for the past two years.
Against this backdrop, the nonprofit Institute for the Study of War warns that the recent cessation of U.S. aid to Ukraine could lead to a sudden breakthrough by Russian troops of Ukrainian defenses. They also caution that, once he achieves his objectives there, Putin plans to use Ukraine as a springboard for further territorial expansion.
These incursions will inevitably include NATO countries because Putin has publicly stated that he intends to reconstitute the old Russian Empire. For example, on March 24, Poland (a NATO member) activated its air force when Russia violated their airspace during an attack on Ukraine.
It’s believed that – unless he is stopped in Ukraine – Putin’s territorial expansion will eventually draw the U.S. into a war with Russia. If that happens, we will spend many times what we could have spent to stop Putin now.
As a Republican who believes in democracy and a strong defense, I believe helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression is both a moral imperative and in our national self-interest. I cannot understand why some Republican lawmakers are blocking the bill to resume Ukrainian aid from even coming to the floor for a vote.
This is unconscionable. I urge all Republicans to contact their lawmakers and insist they resume aid to Ukraine. It is in the best financial interests of the U.S. – and morally right.
Ed Jenkins, Jacksonville
Help Florida Theatre keep summer film series
It looks like the Florida Theatre is ending its Summer Movie Classics series.
Held since the 1990s, it has been quite successful. But recently, crowds have decreased and the theater has had difficulty financing the series. That decline in attendance (felt at movie houses around the country) was largely caused by COVID-19.
However, the decline appears to be ending. Recently, “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” saw millions returning to movie theaters to see two movies that were both entertaining and artistic.
So, the summer series at the Florida Theatre needs to continue so that we can watch the best films ever made on the big screen. Who wants to watch movies like “Lawrence of Arabia,” “2001: A Space Odessey,” “The Shining,” “Apocalypse Now,” “The Wild Bunch,” “Psycho” and “The Searchers” – or the “Indiana Jones,” “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings” movies – on a TV screen?
What about our greatest movie performers? Icons like Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Katherine Hepburn, Betty Davis, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Stewart, William Holden and many others deserve to be seen on the big screen.
The Florida Theatre intends to screen the occasional film as a “special event,” with stars in attendance. So, if you want the Florida Theatre to continue its Summer Movie Classics, let them know and go to a movie. Better yet, if you can sponsor the series, do so. It is time for the wealthy of this city to support the art of film.
Simply put, the people of Jacksonville and our children deserve to see great films on the big screen.
Terry D. Bork, Jacksonville
GOP budget report shows party’s true colors
The Republican Study Committee report on their budget recommendations shows how their desired policies would impact retirees. This document calls for raising the full retirement age from 67 to 69 for new retirees. Yet, as Social Security gets closer to insolvency, they say nothing about how to prevent it.
Currently income up to $168,000 is subject to Social Security payroll tax deduction, but Republicans don’t support extending payroll tax on income above $400,000. That income is not taxed at all.
Regarding Medicare, Republican strategy would be to replace it with a voucher system that can be used to purchase a health plan. This is a subtle step toward more privatization and gives private insurers a greater role in Medicare. While Medicare Advantage has been a windfall for insurance company profits, many plans reject treatments offered in regular Medicare.
The Republican statement clearly says they want to repeal Medicare’s ability to negotiate drug prices and eliminate the new $35 cap on insulin. I think it reveals that Republicans are not looking out for the best interests of retirees – only those of health insurance companies.
Doug Diamond, Jacksonville
Understanding Israel and Palestine
The loss of life in Gaza is tragic, but I think the reaction to the conflict by students at many elite universities borders on absurd.
Are these students acquainted with history at all? How can one consider Jews to be colonists when their forbears go back thousands of years in that area? It’s also likely that Palestine would have established its own nation years ago if Arab nations had not made the destruction of Israel their goal from inception. Currently, Iran and its proxies appear intent on the same goal.
Israel’s land mass, about 8,500 square miles, is smaller than New Jersey. In contrast, Iran’s area is about 636,000; Saudi Arabia’s 830,000; and Egypt’s 390,000 square miles. Considering the torments Jews have suffered, culminating with the Holocaust, letting them have a secure homeland of 8,500 square miles does not seem unreasonable.
Arabs largely have been locked into an ideological straitjacket ever since the Balfour Declaration of World War I. Overall, I’d say the attitude of the Israeli government toward its neighbors is a lot better than those of Arab countries.
Loren Seeley, Jacksonville