The assassination of Charlie Kirk was murder. It cannot be justified by any rational American.
I was not surprised by social media posters who took joy in his death. That is sick. The political violence on the right and the left has risen to a level that has to be addressed.
I was not surprised that the administration, through JD Vance and Stephen Miller, blame all this on left-wing radicals, with crickets about all the violent rhetoric from President Trump.
Where was the outrage when Nancy Pelosi’s husband was beaten over the head by a right-wing home invader? Or when a Democratic Minnesota legislator and her husband were murdered in their home by a right-wing radical who had a list of other Democratic targets?
We have serious issues of violence in our discourse. But laying all the blame on the left is just another attempt to divide us. Until we have people in power who truly want to improve the political environment, this senseless violence will continue.
Ray Belongie, Sunrise
Pocketbook issues matter
I agree with Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. What he contends about the 2026 election affirms what I have said about Democratic messaging since Donald Trump was elected.
Focusing on the Epstein files, Trump’s criminal record, his incessant lying, his use of the military, the erosion of democracy and rise of authoritarianism, his failure to follow court orders, the rule of law and Constitution inherently will not be winning issues for Democrats.
As a political communications scholar for more than 40 years, I believe these issues are too abstract and do not concretely impact most Americans’ lives. Moreover, they do not resonate emotionally and viscerally.
A successful Democratic message must primarily be about rising prices, and how Trump is responsible for the costs of products we rely on daily. Put simply, Trump promised to lower prices and end inflation, and we are suffering the impact of his failure.
Richard Cherwitz, Ph.D., Austin, Tex.
Democrats in the wrong
A recent letter by Jeff Light was entitled “The GOP has lost its way.” But it’s quite the opposite.
The Democratic Party has an approval rating lower than cockroaches. They lost all three houses of national government and the popular vote in the last election, and at times their minds, too.
Democrats are on the wrong side of every 80/20 issue, like closing the border, deporting illegals and men competing in women’s sports — all things that the country elected Trump on.
Democratic governors such as Gavin Newsom and JB Pritzker fight the president on sending in troops to fight crime, yet two weeks and 1,200 arrests later in Washington, carjacking is down 87% (so said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who thanked Trump for his help). But those two governors would rather fight Trump than criminals.
In Mr. Light’s letter, he says DEI is the opposite of separation by race or class, or exclusion. No, the opposite of DEI is meritocracy, rewarding people based on hard work or excellence and not race, color or gender.
Meritocracy is what Dr. King spoke of when he said he wanted his children judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. Only those who favor diversity, equity and inclusion could argue with such perfect logic.
Neal Bluestein, Boca Raton
What is cowboy caviar?
As someone who was born in Dallas, raised in East Texas and was a 30-year resident of Austin and Houston (combined), I can relate that I have simply never encountered or heard about this dish known as “Cowboy Caviar.”
I spent the first 54 years of my life in Texas before I migrated to South Florida. Whatever this strange concoction might be, I don’t think the word “Texas” should be part of its appellation.
Clark Archer, Deerfield Beach
(Editor’s Note: The term “cowboy caviar” first appeared in the Sun Sentinel in 1997.)
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