Fond memory of Mable Butler
As an active member of the Pine Hills Community Council (1970s-90s) I made several trips downtown to visit Mable Butler (our Orange County commissioner). She was one tough cookie to deal with, but fun (“Mable Butler, trailblazing politician and advocate, dies at 98,” Sept. 8). On one occasion I accompanied a group of land developers to seek her approval for a project they proposed. When the meeting ended they said “we aren’t going to get anywhere with her, are we?” I answered, I’m afraid not.
During another visit, the council was seeking to designate an area of Orange County to be called Pine Hills. Mable thought we were reaching for too much area and suggested we use the old Pine Hills Fire District for our map. So we did, and to this day the Pine Hills perimeter remains the old fire district. A visit to Mable’s office was a little like a visit to the principal’s office for a reprimand, but getting off lightly. Mable was one of a kind and many in Orange County have fond memories of her. Goodbye dear friend, we need more like you.
Joan Ricketts Orlando
True conservatives are worried
In “Put down your phone and think for yourself” (Sept. 5), the Orlando Sentinel and Chicago Tribune editorial boards urged conservative readers who felt that their viewpoints were underrepresented in the newspaper to rectify the situation by writing letters to the editor.
Instead of issuing an invitation, the editors probably should have started by asking the question I asked my conservative friends, all registered Republicans or independents, at lunch: why aren’t you writing letters to the editor? The group included a few college faculty members, a doctor, the CEO of a small business, and several members of the military who had served in Iran or Afghanistan.
Their answers ran the gamut from “As a thoughtful conservative, I do not want to be associated with the MAGA circus in Washington,” to “What am I supposed to write about? I do not support the takeover of American cities, the creation of a national police force, pardoning criminals who tried to overthrow the government on January 6, appointing unqualified people to critical government positions, rebranding the Department of Defense, chipping away at the separation of church and state, normalizing cryptocurrencies, or the way the president represents this country at home and abroad. True conservatives are as worried about the future of this country as true progressives.”
Maggie Culp Orlando
Trump keeps his sycophants
On Monday, the Sentinel featured an opinion by Peter Flaherty, who writes that Attorney General Pam Bondi “serves the nation,” not just Donald Trump. You can bet your boots that Bondi serves Trump, first and foremost and always will as long as she is “loyal” to Trump and does his bidding. It’s a no brainer, she is just like Patel, Hegseth and all the rest of Trump’s sycophants. I believe these people have all been handpicked by Trump because they will do basically anything he demands they do…even if it’s illegal and unethical.
Thomas Erickson Orlando
Transgender gun ban? Why stop there?
So the Department of Justice is considering complete firearm restrictions for transgender persons (“DOJ proposal to ban transgender gun owners sparks fury,” Sept. 5). Based on this logic, we should also restrict gun ownership for all heterosexual white males. It’s a start.
Bob Reed Winter Park
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