Letters for August 29, 2002

Harvey Slavin

Hollywood

Uptown tyranny:In regard to the July 11 letter by Eric Wagner. It's unfortunate that he and his fiancée had to deal with the "police state" instead of Florida State with regards to the DMV. Wagner is exactly correct stating that because the DMV employee is part of the police state apparatus, the innocent are now the guilty ones. I ask, "Is it time for the people of Florida to rise up and revolt with an armed revolution?"

Thomas Jefferson (one of our founding fathers) wrote, "We must keep a constant vigil against tyranny within our own government." Let's keep an eye on the proceedings of our own Broward Sheriff's Office! It's our duty as Americans and Floridians.

John Lazarra

via the InternetDown-the-river tyranny:This letter is in regard to two letters I read in your publication. The first letter concerned Florida (the police state). The second concerned the ongoing church and state fiasco ("First Pledge," Bob Norman, July 11).

To begin with, let me say the following: God is not affected in any way, shape, or form by anyone's opinion of him! This country was established (duh!) specifically so that citizens could and would be allowed to freely pursue, observe, and maintain freedom of religion. No amount of semantics can change this reality. No amount of hyperbole can erase the fact that many people gave their lives to establish this country for future generations.

Anyone with an IQ that is considered average or above should readily be able to discern that our government is using 9/11 to successfully strip us of our constitutional rights. Florida's second-largest source of income is derived from prisons and industries associated with the Florida Department of Corrections. This can easily be verified. While I was incarcerated, I became aware of several uncommon laws and statutes that Florida maintains. There is no justifiable homicide, no self-defense.

We are supposed to be considered in-nocent until proven guilty. In reality, the opposite prevails. Not only is Florida a "prison state" but I've found nearly every facet of industry (public and private) to be inefficient and non-service-oriented. Either they don't know or they don't care.

Chuck Fornataro

West Palm BeachCorrection:The August 22 cover story, "Net Free," contained several errors. The Palmetto and Meske's skippers are rare in Florida. They were never thought to be extinct. Additionally, Butterfly World is located in Coconut Creek, and an incorrect name was given for the Miami Blue Butterfly Restoration Project.