Friday's letters to the editor, Feb. 20

Drive the speed limit

Tony Solgard seems to be following the herd (no pun intended) in his letter, "Misplaced aggression," Feb. 12.

Since when do people who want to drive the speed limit become "aggressive and frustrated"? He makes it sound like anyone who wants to keep traffic moving along at the pace it was intended is a candidate for a psychological screening on Dr. Phil!

When there is no one ahead of someone driving 10 or 15 miles per hour below the speed limit, it is a problem, my friend! There is no reason for it, other than being either totally selfish or clueless. You can clock all the routes that you want and come up with bogus findings, the fact still remains that one needs to use common sense. When one is able to, drive the posted speed limit!

Lets take all the people driving slow and poorly on McGregor Boulevard and put them on U.S. 41. Oh, that's right, we can't; they're already there!

Pat Wolslagel, Fort Myers

Bike paths made for everyone's safety

Regarding the recent conversation in your pages about the use of the roadways by bicycles and pedestrians:

The other day I was driving west along Six Mile Cypress/Gladiolus, which was full of cars on their way to the beaches. There is a perfectly good bicycle path alongside this heavily traveled route, yet I observed two bicyclists who ignored it and rode on the main roadway.

Why go to the expense of creating bicycle paths if the riders won't use them? They are there for their own safety and that of the motorists they would otherwise be mingling with.

Bonnie Lincoln, Fort Myers

Michelle Malkin's rant

I guess my biggest disappointment is that The News-Press continues to carry Michelle Malkin as a "columnist." I certainly don't mind her often contrary opinions about the first family or others with whom she doesn't agree. But her snarky name-calling crosses the line from political discourse to just plain nastiness. Her recent column where she refers to Michelle Obama as "food nanny," "sanctimonious," "snob mama Obama," "Michelle Antoinette," "Her Royal Highness," "highbrow," "control freak" and "self-aggrandizing," to identify just some of the pseudonyms she uses, is tacky. I don't see "columnists" from the other political camp resorting to this degrading verbiage. If The News-Press feels she is a legitimate "columnist," I would suggest they find someone just as snarky from the other camp to promote nasty name-calling as an acceptable political columnist's technique.

As far as Michelle Obama's focus on healthy living, and her rejection of her past support for processed foods, thank goodness someone is speaking out about the importance of using what we have learned about food and health so that we can address the obesity crisis in our nation. May the "food gods" bless Michelle Malkin with a middle-row seat between two obese travelers on her next flight to make a speech degrading Mrs. Obama's work toward healthy eating.

Cynthia Jindra, North Fort Myers

Unwarranted attack

Michelle Malkin's column "Don't let Mrs. Obama shame you into healthier living" (Feb. 12) was a vicious and totally unwarranted attack on Michelle Obama, the first lady.

I usually ignore her noxious and odious ultra-right-wing attacks, but this was beyond the pale. All of my friends from both left and right think her writings are rants of the worst kind. Michelle Obama was not elected to any office, and like previous first ladies, has tried to be involved with movements that help the poor, illiterate, and children. President Obama and other elected officials are fair game, even for Malkin, but this vile attack on Mrs. Obama goes beyond the pale.

Michael Golding, south Fort Myers

History lessons

Krispy Kreme doughnuts designated Feb. 18 as KKK day and probably should have paid attention in history to see KKK was a terrorist organization nearly as bad as ISIS.

This doughnut company likens to our own government, not paying attention to history, that shows the mistakes getting made are driving this older generation nuts, choking on words like "I told you so."

If you do not know about the history of America, you have no way to see the difference between World War II and Vietnam, and you have no business making decisions for this country. You might just as well come down to the Deep South with a box of KKK doughnuts and gorge yourselves.

Roger McHose, Cape Coral

Think nuclear with fanatics

I fought in the "war-after-the-war-to-end-all-wars." We never learn. When dealing with fanatics, religious or otherwise, who relish the thought of dying for a cause, only one response has ever succeeded, i.e. massive destructive force.

Hirohito surrendered after two atomic bombs fell on Japan. Hitler killed himself rather than face relentless carpet bombing by a coalition of U.S. and British forces. Thank God for Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower.

The Islamic Jihad has grown to a multination war against the West. They are fanatics with support from Iran, Syria and North Korea. We need a leader in the tradition of Roosevelt, Truman and Churchill who will weld an alliance of military might unseen in history to begin relentless bombing of every military and industrial complex in Iran and Syria. Cut off the head of the caliphate and the snake will die.

Burt Rubin, Fort Myers