Kids' cries go unanswered
I was present at the recent Lee County commission meeting where the commissioners appeared to have more interest and concern for a puppy from the county animal shelter than hearing that a 3-year child in Lee County suffered for months with a tooth infection because we have "no" dental services for low-income families.
The commissioners asked more questions about fire trucks and fire district consolidation than about the benefits of a Children’s Service Council – in fact, they asked "no" questions about the Children’s Service Council.
Over the past three years, the Pennies for Community Progress has been researching and pushing for establishing a Children’s Service Council in Lee County. And they’re right – this would mean “pennies” for the taxpayer – and result in improved services for thousands of children and families here in Lee County.
Recently, the organization I belong to, Lee Interfaith for Empowerment, also did research that resulted in our agreeing with Pennies that establishing this council would improve the social, educational, and health care for so many in our community.
Commissioner Pendergrass said he would have an “open ear in the future”. Too bad for Lee County he and the others didn’t have open minds Tuesday.
Pamela May, North Fort Myers
I attended the April 17 Lee County Board of County Commissioners meeting where the Board denied citizen groups’ pleas to establish a Children’s Services Council in Lee County (“Children’s council ballot bid scuttled”, The News-Press, April 18).
The League of Women Voters, the Lee Interfaith for Empowerment coalition of 13 Lee County churches, the grass-roots Pennies for Community Progress group and concerned citizens did an excellent job of defining a serious problem in Lee County, the inadequate services available for the health, safety, and early education of our children, who are our most valuable asset.
The speakers not only defined the problem with statistics, but also offered the best solution, a Children’s Services Council which have proven very successful in many other Florida counties.
Commissioner Frank Mann, an early supporter of a CSC, made a motion to put the idea up to the voters of Lee County via a ballot initiative in the November election. No other commissioner would even second the motion so it could be discussed. Commissioners Manning Kiker, Hamman and Pendergrass asked no questions nor offered any suggestions to the speakers.
Apparently they don’t share the opinion that our children are our most valuable asset in Lee County. I think it may be time to “retire” these four commissioners at their next election cycles if we want to protect our children.
Don Berglund, Fort Myers
Professor flunks
Imagine losing a grandmother or mother and within an hour reading or hearing the following: Just an hour after Barbara Bush’s passing an unhinged ,hate-filled, psychopathic Fresno State professor sends out vitriolic tweets saying she was celebrating the former first lady's death.
She wrote that Mrs. Bush was an amazing racist along with her husband. Of course, there is no proof anywhere of racism on behalf of the Bushes in their entire history. She further stated “ either you are against these pieces of s**t and their genocidel ways or you are part of the problem...” I’m happy the witch is dead, she said, adding, “she can’t wait for the rest of her family to fall to their demise."
She brags that she is a Muslim that cannot be fired from her $109,000-a-year job because she has tenure.
Hopefully, this person loses her job and gets some mental counseling before she poisons the minds of any more young impressionable students whose parents are wasting their money on their children’s education.
John McWilliams, Fort Myers
Cowering in silence
In 2014, 10 priests from the Diocese of Venice wrote a letter to the Catholic hierarchy regarding Bishop Frank Dewane and the bullying (among other things) of his priests that had become unbearable.
This has never been more clearly illustrated than by the actions taken against the Rev. Christopher Senk, beloved pastor of St. Isabel Church in Sanibel, who for the last 17 months was removed from his parish without cause or merit. But where are the other priests who signed that letter?
In an age of brave women and courageous youths speaking out (often against the Catholic Church), where are the other priests of the diocese shouting “Me too!”, “Enough!”, and “Never again!”
Instead of being priests expected to rise against injustice, one can only assume that they are cowering in silence, still afraid of their bullying bishop! It is bad enough that the bishop has the power to override a priest’s basic civil rights to even defend himself, but that the rest of the clergy condones that behavior is even worse. Doesn’t that speak volumes about just how big a bully Bishop Dewane really is?
Leslie Anding, Sanibel