Letters: Long-term fix needed for toxic algae
The panic over toxic algae in the Pahokee marina is understandable. ("Algaecide helps cleanup," Tuesday) It’s really bad stuff. Documented effects of long-term exposure include liver cancer, diabetes, dementia, and lots of other unpleasant things.
It’s not enough to avoid swimming in visible algae blooms or swallowing the stuff. The toxins have been found in the air some distance from shore. Inhalation is a far more effective way of getting toxins in the bloodstream than swallowing is.
Celebrating new technologies that destroy the toxic algae seems premature. Chemicals that kill the toxin kill all living things in the water. The water is still warm. The nutrients are still there.
While a northwest wind may not blow towards Pahokee again this summer, high Lake levels and the early algae bloom make it fairly certain that Lake discharges to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries will look like toxic guacamole this summer.
Simply on economic grounds, that’s not great publicity for Florida.
Using the celebrated new technology will require killing everything in the estuary and then doing it again when the Lake discharges continue.
We need a plan for what’s coming rather than a panicked response, but in reality, there is no way to clean a toxic estuary that bleeds green slime into the ocean 15 miles along the beaches.
What we really need is to enforce water quality standards all around Lake Okeechobee and to send clean water south instead of holding high levels in the Lake and then discharging it to the estuaries.
Right now the Corps of Engineers is asking for input on how to manage Lake Okeechobee. So far, they have not included toxic exposure and human health in evaluating alternatives.
Until they do, we will keep panicking and resorting to expensive and inadequate solutions.
If this sounds like Chicken Little, look back at 2016 and 2018. The sky was falling.
Maggy Hurchalla, Stuart
Editor's note: Hurchalla is a former Martin County commissioner and a longtime environmental activist.
The GOP rewrites the 10 Commandments
In light of actions toward Sen. Mitt Romney and Rep. Liz Cheney, the Republican Party is obviously living with a different set of religious beliefs.
The GOP 10 Commandments:
1. I am Trump thy LORD and thy God. Thou shalt not have other beliefs but mine.
2. Thou shall worship my images and likenesses.
3. Thou shalt not take the Trump name in vain.
4. Remember I won re-election in a landslide.
5. Honor and vote for those who shadow Me.
6. Thou shall lie and be hypocritical.
7. Thou shall deny all perverse, dangerous, and horrible acts executed by Me.
8. Thou shall commit voter suppression.
9. Thou shall covet thy any man's wife.
10. Thou shall covet all opponent's votes.
11. Thou shall deny any and all programs and bills composed by Democrats.
12. Thou shall throw under the bus, stab in the back, discredit, and disgrace anyone who does not follow My commandments.
Of course, there have to be more than 10, how else could they be more “amazing, beautiful, fantastic and greatest”?
Karen Zaremba, Lantana
Why people might hesitate on vaccines
Many Americans have received COVID-19 vaccinations, but there are too many unused doses and many people are not getting vaccinated. How has this happened?
One reason is the personality differences; e.g., barristers rely more on their judgment than perception, but solicitors have better perception than judgment. People with superior perception do not rely as much on judgment, so may have difficulty deciding to get vaccinated. On the other hand, the judging half may decide hastily without considering all the evidence.
But no matter: Vaccines safely prevent the disease and/or lessen the severity because they are tested on tens of thousands of volunteers before being made available to the public.The chance of a serious reaction or death from vaccination is much smaller than the chance of contracting or dying from COVID-19. So get vaccinated.
To find out more, find an administrator of the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator. A problem making the decision to be vaccinated may be above average perception, corresponding below average judgment, and the very small risk associated with vaccination.
James R. Schueler, Jupiter
Trumpists hoping Big Lie is political gold
The Big Lie is alive and well and living in the hearts of dedicated, devoted, and loyal Republican Trumpists.
This army of propagandists will take the Big Lie to the people in hopes of winning the mid-term elections in 2022. Somewhere down the line, all their names will be etched in the Hall of Shame of Presidential History. By the way, our president, Joe Biden, won the presidency decisively, legally, and fairly.
Darryl Harris, Lake Worth
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