Machiavelli is GOP blueprint
Recent controversies — from the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files to immigration crackdowns and partisan redistricting in Texas — illustrate political strategies long described by Niccolò Machiavelli in “The Prince” (1513). Machiavelli wrote for rulers in Renaissance Italy, arguing that power, not morality, governs political survival. He emphasized that leaders maintain authority by controlling rivals, shaping public perception, and directing hostility toward convenient enemies.
In the Epstein case, the denial of a client list, labeling the controversy a “Democratic hoax,” and suppression of information reflect a Machiavellian approach: Narrative management consolidates power even as some allies express dissent. Immigration policies targeting people who “look illegal” similarly channel public fear toward a visible enemy, uniting supporters while discouraging opposition. Redistricting in Texas manipulates electoral boundaries to entrench political advantage, echoing Machiavelli’s lesson that rulers must shape institutions and laws to maintain control.
These examples show that “The Prince” provides more than historical insight — it offers an intellectual foundation for understanding Project 2025’s modern strategies of power. Even in a democracy, where authority is dispersed, the same principles of loyalty, fear, perception and institutional influence can be adapted. Whether through legal levers, procedural maneuvers, or cultural messaging, contemporary leaders apply the core Machiavellian insight: power is preserved by shaping both the structures of governance and the perceptions of those governed.
Joel McPherson Merritt Island
Crosswalk removal reopens scars
A crosswalk is a marker of safety, a simple guide for pedestrians. But when it lies before a site where 49 lives were brutally taken, it ceases to be just a crosswalk. It becomes a sacred threshold.
As a grief recovery expert, I understand that the process of mourning is not linear, and for a community scarred by such a profound act of hate, the wounds remain. The Pulse nightclub memorial draws people from across the globe — they come to pray, to mourn, and to remember. Guiding them is a rainbow crosswalk, a symbol of the love and unity that emerged from the darkest hour.
This crosswalk, a state-approved installation from 2017, was a testament to what is possible when a community comes together. The city, the LGBTQ community, allies, and local businesses united to create a symbol of acceptance that also met every national safety standard. It embodied a camaraderie that healed a city.
The recent removal of this crosswalk is a grave error. I want to believe it’s a bureaucratic oversight, an act of blind uniformity. But to those who still grieve, it feels like an intentional act of erasure. The bullet wounds of the murdered don’t need salt thrown in them, and the survivors do not need to feel forgotten. Someone else already tried to erase them here. He was a monster, and he will be remembered as such. Please do not be remembered the same way.
2016 was not so long ago. The memory is still raw, the pain still real. I implore you to restore this symbol of hope and healing. Listen to the community, its leaders, and its healers. You were right to place a symbol of love here once; be right again.
Wiley Lowe Flagler Beach
Disney, keep octopus off the menu
It seems outrageous for a local industry that uses a mouse as its symbol and operates an entire park around animals, to serve vital parts of the most intelligent and sensitive sea creature — the octopus (“A pirate’s life awaits”, Aug. 23). If Disney creators think that an octopus has no feeling, they need to watch a famous documentary called “My Octopus Teacher.” Those little tentacles on the plate belonged to a baby octopus which was born as his mother gave up her life for him and his brothers and sisters.
Instead of exposing children to marinated parts of a once-living animal, watch the film with them and expose them to the beauty and blessings of the Earth’s wonderful creatures.
Miriam Barnes Windermere
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