Letters: Where is the Florida Guard? | Support Vaccines

Russians off the coast – where is the Florida Guard?

So the Russians drove two of their sophisticated warships down the Florida coast and into a Cuban port last week, and there is no sign of our ragtag Florida Guard. I thought the purpose of this so-called military organization was to protect Floridians where the U.S. military wasn’t. With all the taxpayer money our power-hungry governor has wasted solving a problem that doesn’t exist, I don’t know when the ideal time to confront the enemy, protect Floridians, and silence his critics is if now isn’t the ideal time.

Tom Gill Belle Isle

Congress must support vaccination alliance

The COVID-19 vaccine, a new malaria vaccine, and a tuberculosis vaccine mark a new renaissance in disease prevention. But their impact will be lost if they do not reach those who need them. Over 10 million children worldwide have never received critical vaccines, and in 2022, 4.9 million children under five died from preventable health problems such as diarrhea, pneumonia, and measles. From January 1, 2020, to March 28, 2024, 338 cases of measles were reported in the U.S., mostly among unvaccinated people, with 29% occurring in early 2024. In February, an outbreak at a Broward County elementary school resulted in nine confirmed cases, underscoring the importance of vaccination. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has saved over 17.3 million children by supporting local vaccination programs. World leaders reinvest in Gavi; Congress and the Biden administration must urgently follow suit and make a bold funding commitment. I urge our Florida lawmakers to follow the example of Representative Maria Elvira Salazar, who is leading the House resolution on Gavi, and ensure that our medical innovations prevent the diseases they target.

Nayade Caldes Miramar

Education means getting to know all sides

I also agree with Scott Wiley that education should be “universal” (Letters, June 18). I went to high school in Northeast Florida in the mid-1960s, and my social studies teacher’s main point was that you should learn all sides of an issue before making a decision about your own. Trying to suppress and denigrate anyone who does not share your views is abhorrent and un-American.

Jon Lee Winter Springs

MTG, into the unknown

Can someone please explain to me why the infamous U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, known as MTG, has not been censured by her own constituents in the state of Georgia, including those who elected her in the first place in 2020?

She seems to be venturing into the unknown every other day, like most recently when she refused to call Anthony Fauci a doctor, even after being rebuked for it by her own congressional colleagues. It’s so sad that she still holds the position she holds.

Marco Cirrincione Jr. Tamara