OPINION

Letters and Feedback, April 16

Brevard needs more,

diverse shopping

My husband thought I would be thrilled by the April 12 front-page article, “Wish You Were Here.” Since we moved here 11 years ago, I have lamented that I am unable to buy high-end cosmetics in Brevard County. Yes, we have an Ulta and a Sephora in J.C. Penney, but no Dior, Chanel or Bobbi Brown. Until that changes, we will not have high-end retailers.

It also infuriated me that people are clamoring for a Trader Joe’s and the developer, Steven Kirn, is worried that they have “funky things” and Brevard doesn’t have that “hipster vibe.” Perhaps he should Google Trader Joe’s. Yes, they sell “hipster” things, like food not genetically modified.

Lastly, he states he is not sure this area could sustain premium retailers like Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus. What does he think we all drive to Orlando or Palm Beach for? If he is one of the developers for this area, no wonder we have strip mall after strip mall and nothing anyone wants.

Addendum: I love Ilana Kowarski’s articles. How about getting a panel of readers together to tell developers what we want?

Alane Cunningham

Melbourne

School tax letter

gets it all wrong

In a letter to the editor published April 15 under the heading, “They got the half-cent, we got the tax,” Kenneth W. Pichon of Melbourne takes Brevard County’s Board of County Commissioners to task for a half-cent sales tax in which, well, we simply have no dog in the hunt.

The Brevard County School Board, its programs and facilities do in no shape, form or fashion fall under the purview of Brevard County Government. Our commissioners were in no way responsible for bringing this tax before voters, nor does Brevard County Government directly reap the revenues this tax will generate.

The letter as published is factually inaccurate and, worse, perpetuates misguided community perception that we were among the “master weavers” — as described by Mr. Pichon in his letter — who played a role in putting this tax issue before voters. In fact, we were not.

Don Walker

Viera

Editor’s Note: Walker is communications director for Brevard County Government.

Boston bomber

deserves death

Rarely do I support the death penalty, but for the murderer Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, I am in favor.

This man is not a boy hypnotized or forced to join his older brother. He enjoyed the American way of life and then tried to destroy it and would continue to do so. If he gets life in prison, he will continue to radicalize convicts, many coming back into our society as a “ready to activate” terrorist — if not working to eliminate our country, certainly supporting those who do.

His mother says “My sons are innocent.” This man bought bomb materials, supported radical Islam and then, fully aware, participated in killing and maiming Americans. They killed and crippled young and old. Death penalty? Ask those who last heard the explosions. Ask those who can not longer answer. Ask the parents, the brothers and sisters.

He wants to be a martyr. In this case, let’s grant his wish. He will be soon forgotten. No one remembers the names of the 9/ll pilots or the shoe bomber. Let him join them — his destination is not heaven, it is hell.

Henry Harris

Melbourne

‘Liberal dogma’ on

global warming wrong

It is disheartening to open the paper and get a double dose of liberal op-ed with Dana Milbank and Eugene Robinson.

Dana Milbank’s April 8 piece was a dissertation on global warming “deniers.” The earth has gone from tropical to an ice age and back with no help from man and we’re bombarded with liberal dogma that man has caused a global warming problem when there is no proof only computer models which so far have been proven wrong. Those pushing this notion also created the computer models, no surprise.

Early on records from Europe indicated there was data to support the premise. However, when challenged it was found that the data was not credible and when asked for the source records there was another problem — all source data had been destroyed. But then NASA is credible and says its satellite data shows there has been little to no change over the last 17 years and that’s a fact.

We were also shown a documentary showing the polar ice caps melting, accordingly, they should be gone by now. Alas, they have doubled; it seems that the big meltdown was also computer-generated. The left is pushing this hoax because it’s a source of political power and whoever controls a nation’s resources controls the nation.

The left lost its power when the old U.S.S.R. broke up and communism was a dirty word. Now it’s the Green Party, radical environmentalists, and of course, our not-so-good friends in the media.

Bill Kunzweiler

Palm Bay