The visitors we don’t want on Hilton Head | Letters
Thank you to our visitors!
Well, let me amend that a bit. Thank you to our lovely visitors who come to appreciate the special environment of our Hilton Head Island paradise. You understand the love we have for this special place. You enjoy our recreational activities, dining opportunities, abundant wildlife, and our desire to live in harmony with nature. Many of you will become islanders one day.
But there is another group of visitors: those of you who leave 50,000 pounds of trash on our pristine beaches; who park illegally; who dig great holes on the beach and fail to fill them in, thereby endangering our beloved sea turtles; who ignore the “no alcohol on the beach” rule; who ignore social distancing; who leave your tents and umbrellas on the beach so that the town has to remove them; and, worst of all, who treat a doomed alligator (an apex species, if you even know what that is) like a circus side show.
There are a couple of other places that would probably suit you better than our island and I encourage you to go there. Oh, wait. They probably don’t want you either.
Karen Reuter
Hilton Head Island
Court makes right call in mail-in voting decision
I applaud the decision by U.S. District Judge Michelle Childs to eliminate a barrier to exercising our Constitutional right to vote by removing the requirement for a witness signature for mail-in absentee ballots.
In our current era of the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that people can cast a ballot without fear of compromising their health is paramount.
For those who claim that mail-in ballots are fraudulent, it must be noted that in every election, including the 2016 presidential election, only a handful of ballots were found to be fraudulent out of the 138 million people who voted.
Judge Childs agreed, noting that those who argued against eliminating the witness signature requirement due to possible fraud did not provide compelling evidence supporting their position.
Members of the U.S. military have voted by mail for years (with little accusation of fraud or abuse); 20 states, including South Carolina, have allowed some type of voting by mail for decades; and three states conduct their entire elections by mail.
As a child of an immigrant father, I clearly recall the excitement on my father’s face (as well as the other naturalized citizens) when their first act after being sworn in as U.S. citizens was to register to vote. We should treasure that right and we must ensure that every citizen in the state of South Carolina can exercise that right, unencumbered by the fear of contracting the coronavirus.
(Note: I am also the Democratic candidate for S.C. House District 123.)
Christine M. deVries
Hilton Head Island
Choice is clear in vote for Republicans
Democrat or Republican, that is the question. The answers lie in the party platforms. I suggest you read them.
In South Carolina, the Republicans have a platform created, edited, and adopted by the state party. Democrats in South Carolina adopted the national party platform, a one-size-fits-all belief that is at the heart of the major differences between the two parties.
The Democratic platform relies on big centralized government. The preamble states, “Democrats believe that cooperation is better than conflict, unity is better than division, empowerment is better than resentment, and bridges are better than walls.”
The preamble discusses inequalities, climate change, strengthening alliances, inclusion, opening the border, and human atrocities. Its conclusion comes without one mention of the Constitution or God-given rights.
The S.C. Republican platform begins with, “We believe that God ordained three institutions in our lives; family, government, and religion. We further believe that severe restraints must be observed to keep government from encroaching on family and religion.” It espouses the Constitution, liberties, our children’s future, and eternal vigilance.
Why vote Republican? Because belief in a Creator, the Constitution and the rule of law, family, liberty, and the promise of equal opportunities, not equal outcomes, resonate with many. Reading the platforms should bring clarity.
Discern, make your individual choice. Consider the benefits of ideas emanating from many places and the liberties the Constitution provides everyone. History shows that centralized planning, dictatorship, and equal misery for all are disastrous. The choice is clear.
Timothy S. Wyld
Okatie
Americans deserve better leadership
As a lifelong Republican, in response to allegations of political bias in the Island Packet: I admit that the current pandemic crisis would be a tremendous burden for any president to handle, but this president has been a terrible leader.
He is the most divisive and least empathetic president we could have, at a time when we most need unity and compassion for all the physical and emotional suffering that a vast part of our population is enduring.
Even when scientists formulated a detailed plan for restarting the economy, it was abandoned for the sake of expediency. Any failures in implementation were blamed on the state governments. Although it was clear that the recognition of the severity of the pandemic was later than it should have been (and not labeled as a Democratic hoax), much better coordination of the response was then necessary at the federal level.
As far as “biased reporting” is concerned, we do not have to rely on the media for facts. Just listen to the video recordings of the president over time to see that he does a pretty good job of misstating “facts” and contradicting himself, so we do not have to rely on the “fake news” he keeps complaining about.
He has alienated our foreign allies, undermined most government agencies, and destroyed the credibility of the Republican Party. But he has made “friends” with Un and Putin, and how has that benefited our country?
Our country deserves better leadership from our president and Congress.
Bill Burger
Hilton Head Island
Joe Biden’s behavior should concern you
Just thinking out loud and jotting down my thoughts. For our fellow citizens who do not care for the man now occupying the Oval Office and will not vote for him come November, where to go from here?
This has been a year like no other, and the campaign season is about to ramp up. The only alternative to President Donald Trump at this point is former Vice President Joe Biden.
Biden has been a fixture in the swamp of Washington, D.C., since 1972. Let’s put that aside. I am concerned that he is not aging well. If he wins the election he will be 78 years old when he takes office.
Most of us have seen his subpar performance during the Democrat Party debates. He had problems communicating, trouble finding the right words and at times seemed to be disorientated.
During a campaign stop he did not know if he was in New Hampshire or Vermont. At a rally in South Carolina he said he was in North Carolina. On that same stop he announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate.
This behavior concerns me. It appears to be what doctors define as signs of dementia. Serving as the president of the United States is an enormous responsibility. Can Biden handle the task? Please bear that in mind when voting on Election Day.
Howard D. Sassman
Bluffton
Joey Maffo meant no harm
I am writing in support of Joey Moffo and his grandfather (Critter Management) concerning the incident with the capture of the alligator from the lagoon by a mini-golf course.
Joey made a miscalculation in accessing the response to his invitation to get close to the alligator. He has apologized and in no way meant any harm to the alligator.
It is beyond comprehension why anyone would put out a death threat on any person because of an honest and unintentional miscalculation in this situation.
Joey has accepted responsibility for his action. He did the right thing. He meant no harm.
Good luck to him and his grandfather and Critter Management.
Kathryn Sheppard
Hilton Head Island
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This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 8:59 AM.