Sunday's letters: Flag deserves support, Trump authoritarianism, support skilled workers

Teacher enforced respect for our flag

I completely support Robert Reiber, the 61-year-old teacher at Manatee High who reportedly expressed his anger and disappointment at a student who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance (“Teacher removed after incident,” Sept. 22).

I understand freedom of speech. However, I also understand civic responsibility, respect and honor to our flag – and also to the men and women in uniform who support our flag.

I am sure that Reiber initially asked the student to stand in a normal voice, but then became angry when the student ignored him.

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I am sorry he verbally attacked the student – that was wrong and Reiber should apologize to the young man for that.

But in Manatee County, students are required to stand unless they have something in writing from a parent or guardian asking to excuse them.

Reiber does not need to apologize for trying to get him to stand.

When my husband was 88 and dying of cancer, he still stood for the pledge and the national anthem, with his hand over his heart, every chance he could.

Shame on the young man.

And shame on his family for not explaining how important it is to support this great country, which is represented by our flag.

Janine Joyner, Venice

‘Lucifer Effect’ explains MAGA support

An incredible New York Times bestseller, “The Lucifer Effect,” by Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University, showed how “good" people can easily turn “bad,” even evil, given the right circumstances.   

Zimbardo’s study labeled some graduate students as “guards,” and others as “prisoners,” and then watched them interact for two weeks.

Within days, the “guards” were so cruel toward those labeled “prisoners” that the experiment had to be stopped. 

Why? Students had accepted their professors as trustworthy authorities. They also had the peer support of fellow students.

All these factors of approving authority, false labeling of subjects and the power of peer support opened the door for the darkest biases and even hate to emerge in the students’ behavior.   

Sound familiar?

Today, millions of Republicans have accepted the authority and support of Donald Trump and his lies as righteous patriotism for his MAGA authoritarianism. Trump’s “Big Lie” even fostered an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.     

Only a return to truth telling and healthy skepticism can save our democracy from MAGA Republicans willing to swallow Trump’s potion of lies.   

Stephen G. Prichard, Venice

Rubio, son of immigrants, sows fear of them

I was subjected to a TV ad recently in which Sen. Marco Rubio portrayed his Democratic opponent, Rep. Val Demings, as threatening Floridians’ way of life by allowing us to be overrun by illegal immigrants (in addition to other dubious allegations). 

Rubio is the son of immigrants who, he has claimed, came here to escape Fidel Castro’s takeover of Cuba. But that is not the truth: His parents immigrated years before Castro's accession. 

The son of immigrants now sows contempt, fear and hatred of immigrants. But he is merely toeing the line of the remodeled Republican Party.

The party, which now emphasizes white nationalism, is devoid of compassion or charity toward anything or anyone different from itself.

Juliette Muscat, Sarasota

We need skilled workers, not professionals

How does President Joe Biden justify taking money from the workers and giving it to the rich students who will be our future professionals?

Why? We don’t need more lawyers. We need more skilled people.

Give the money to vocational students. When you have a plumbing problem, you don’t call a lawyer. But you may have to if our economy keeps sliding downhill.

Larry J. Tracy, Sarasota