Blaming COVID vaccines for host of ailments

What a relief. Here I thought that my advancing age caused all my medical problems, but thanks to Dr. (oops, Gov.) Ron DeSantis, I now realize that there is a good probability that most, if not all, were caused by the COVID shots I got ("Ladapo to team up with UF; will investigate deaths after COVID vaccinations," Dec. 22).

High blood pressure, diabetes, constipation, fallen arches, liver spots − you name it. If you got it, the COVID vaccines you got probably caused it.

I can sleep better at night knowing that the world-renowned quack Dr. Joseph Ladapo is teaming up with the University of Florida to do research on this. Who cares about finding a cure for cancer or why over 80,000-plus Floridians died from COVID itself?

It's more important to reinforce to the uninformed and uneducated why they were safer not getting a shot in the first place.

I'll bet the multiple COVID shots I got were even the cause of my ingrown toenails.

Felton Marans, Lakewood Ranch

Legendary Van Wezel can't be replaced

Leave the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall as it is. The Purple Cow is part of Sarasota. It was never meant to be torn down.

The performers are premier, and the sound and seating are excellent. Tampa and St Petersburg both have more than one venue for concerts and other performances. The difference is always the number of seats and capacity.

The developers of The Bay Sarasota have no clue about the very high regard most of this community has for this architectural wonder.

Having been to the Van Wezel since the 1980s, my only criticism was when $20 million was spent to upgrade the venue that no additional seating was added.

That was a huge oversight.

Want to spend hundreds of millions to build a new hall, starting with 18 architects competing to design it? Go ahead. But nothing will compare with the diverse outdoor and indoor events, concerts and lectures that our cherished Van Wezel has hosted.

From Broadway to Bob Dylan, this legendary performing arts hall met the challenge every time. For once let us SAVE a piece of Sarasota history.

Rich Unger, Sarasota

Floridians could carry gun without permit

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Legislature seem determined to make "constitutional carry" legal in the state of Florida. This is unequivocally the worst idea imaginable.

Florida is known for its citizens having serious problems with impulse control. Imagine if you will "Florida Man" carrying a Glock without a permit or any firearms training.

Mark my words, this law would drive up the number of gun deaths.

I am not anti-gun. I grew up in rural Florida, where guns were part of the tool kit. But when they were not in use, they were unloaded and put away.

We did not feel compelled to take them to town or to always be armed. In my 70 years as a Floridian, I have never encountered a situation in which I needed a gun.

How is law enforcement going to sort the good guys from the bad guys until after the shooting stops? Florida deserves better than this.

The "constitutional carry" measure could be considered in the spring 2023 legislative session.

John Hoover, Sarasota

US must stop Putin from expanding empire

As a longtime conservative voter with an appreciation for the lessons that history can and should teach us, I am dismayed and appalled that the Republican Party could question U.S. support for Ukraine.

Yes, make sure the aid doesn't end up with the wrong people or at the wrong place, but supply these brave people with all the means to defeat Vladimir Putin's aggression.

Just as the terms for peace after World War I gave rise to Hitler and his aggressive quest for "Lebensraum" – the expansion of territory – so did Putin rise when the West misplayed the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Putin's invasion of Ukraine mirrors Hitler's invasion of Poland, with the aim of restoring the glory of the former Soviet Union and reestablishing the Russian empire.

The GOP's claim to keep us out of foreign wars is at best a misguided attempt to get votes – and at worst it serves to sow doubt among our NATO allies and encourage Putin to prolong the war.

I served two years as a combat infantryman in Vietnam, and this is no Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan. It is a war to prevent further aggression and potentially a far higher cost in U.S. lives and treasure.

Christian Shore, Sarasota

Trump's wrongdoing outdoes Nixon's

As I watched the Jan. 6 committee vote to refer Donald Trump to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, I reflected back on former President Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal.

That, folks, was preschool high jinks compared with Trump's well-orchestrated attempt to overthrow our democracy.

Sandy Kangas, Venice