Removal of Miami Beach artwork was straight up censorship of a phrase’s interpretation | Opinion [Miami Herald] - Insurance News

Offensive art

The Miami Herald’s May 11 online editorial, “Jewish people had every right to be offended by Miami Beach artwork. It had to come down,” stated that it was correct to remove a public artwork that many Jews consider a call for their destruction by its subtle use of the phrase “from the river to the sea.”

Do we really want to go down that path?

The German Nazi dictatorship removed modernist art, many by famous artists, from renowned museums, on the grounds that it was insulting to “German feeling, un-German, or Jewish.”

Do we really want to do this because of a phrase that has different meanings?

”From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” as chanted by pro-ceasefire/Palestinian activists, has different meanings to different groups of people. To protesters, it is an aspirational call and a plea for peace. More to the point, it is a call for the freedom and equality of the Palestinian people.

There must be a situation where Jews and Palestinians are equals, with equal rights under the law. Until such a time happens, war and conflict will persist.

I have great compassion for Palestinians and Jews, as they both are suffering greatly. This insanity, however, must stop.

Phrases are not the problem. Only when there is an immediate ceasefire will this stop.

Kenneth Barnes,

Miami

Boating safety

As temperatures heat up, now is the time for families to have important conversations about boating safety. While drowning is a leading cause of death for children, boating under the influence and operator inattention also take hundreds of lives each year. Boating safety is the key to making fun memories out on the water.

National Safe Boating Week takes place from May 18-24, as the summer boating season begins. This is a perfect time for residents to become familiar with boating safety tips.

Always wear a life jacket, no matter your age. According to recent U. S. Coast Guard statistics, 85% of people who died in a boating incident drowned because they weren’t wearing a life jacket. If you need to borrow a life jacket, check out the Life Jacket Loaner Stand nearest to you.

Alcohol is the leading cause of all boating accidents and deaths. Boating under the influence is illegal in every state and is also 100% preventable. Always be or designate a Sober Skipper to be in charge of the safe operation of the boat and its passengers.

Before heading out on the water, take the time to understand the local waterways, navigation rules, no wake zones and pay special attention to potential hazards such as shallow areas, rocks or submerged obstacles.

Gail R. Kulp,

executive director,

Sea Tow Foundation,

Eduardo Barreto,

captain,

Sea Tow Key Biscayne,

Coconut Grove

Leaky sewage

Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection fining Miami-Dade County for sewer treatment violations serves as a warning that our infrastructure is insufficient to serve the needs of all residents. The federal government has sued the county for similar violations.

Increasing population without upgrading and modernizing infrastructure leads to compromises to our quality of life. Our sewer system is mimicking our roadways. The sewage has no place to go and yet, residential and condominium construction continues unabated, exacerbating the problem.

Arnie Gellman,

Miami

Broken system

The May 13 article, “Major Florida homeowners insurance firm fined $1M for actions after Hurricane Ian,” stated that Florida regulators fined one of our state’s largest homeowners insurance companies for numerous violations, including failing to pay claims within 90 days, failure to acknowledge it had received claims from policyholders and using adjusters who did not provide their names to claim holders after Hurricane Ian.

In all, there were more than nine violations of the state insurance code.

To deal with the insurance crisis, Gov. Ron DeSantis and state legislators passed legislation that made it much harder to sue insurance companies, claiming spurious lawsuits were the reason behind high homeowners insurance costs. The facts, however, speak for themselves.

If insurance companies acknowledged claims and made a fair offer to settle claims, there would be no need to hire attorneys to sue insurers.

Once again, DeSantis and the legislature chose to protect insurance companies over policyholders.

Barry Rabinowitz,

Plantation

High praise

Bea L. Hines’ May 12 Miami Herald Neighbors article, “My mother was a single mom who worked two jobs, yet she always made time for her children,” was a wonderful piece of writing. Her story moved me deeply. Her anecdote about when her aunt gave her two cents as a birthday gift was especially moving.

In this time, with wars and anti-this and anti-that, her wonderful piece deserved a place of honor in the front page of the paper to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Federico R. Justiniani,

Coral Gables

Public housing

Re: the May 12 story, “Is the new Liberty Square delivering on its promises to public housing residents?” I was immediately struck by the photo of new and old Liberty Square. Large spaces with residential rectangles of various configurations and hardly a tree in sight, surrounded by green residential areas with obvious tree canopies. Hot spaces with little to no shade relief, surrounded by shaded streets.

Why were no trees planted for the old Liberty Square? Why were trees cut down for the new Liberty Square?

I was happy that at least some trees have been planted for the New Liberty Square. The photo clearly reveals the message conveyed in the Herald’s May 12 editorial, “Trees may be a new measure of privilege in Miami-Dade.” Maybe in 25 years or so it will be pleasant to live there.

Sunny McLean,

Coconut Grove

Public disgrace

When Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio voted against the foreign aid bill for assistance to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, I wrote to each of them asking to explain their support for Hamas, Russia and China. Both offices replied with long-winded statements about the evils of Hamas and the importance of supporting Israel. They offered no explanation of why they voted not to support Israel.

Of course, we know the reason: the bill would pass anyway and they could curry favor with the pro-Putin side of the Republican Party. What an embarrassment.

Robert French,

Boca Raton

Distant noise

With a bar shooting and other recent mayhem in the city of Doral, one would think the city council had more urgent issues to deal with than calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Does anyone really think Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hears their message?

Werner Grob,

Key Biscayne

Do not disturb

As someone who has explored the Big Cypress National Preserve on foot for many decades, I was greatly interested in the May 6 Miami Herald article, “Senator Rick Scott joins Miccosukee Tribe in argument over Big Cypress protections.” The National Park Service wants to designate the 729,000-acre preserve an official wilderness area. This would curtail the use of airboats and swamp buggies and would align the preserve with the same restrictions enacted in the adjacent 1.5 million-acre Everglades National Park.

Airboats are obnoxiously-loud and frighten wildlife. They also flatten native vegetation. If someone were to stomp on a federal- or state-listed endangered plant in front of a ranger, they would be fined. Yet, it is okay to crush that same plant with a swamp buggy or an airboat. Conversely, if someone walks around with a loud airhorn to frighten wildlife in the preserve, they would be fined, yet frightening them with an airboat is just fine.

Airboats are the equivalent of jet skis, which are banned in the Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park, mostly because they are obnoxious to everyone except those who operate them.

I vote to ban airboats and swamp buggies in the Big Cypress National Preserve.

Roger Hammer,

Homestead