OPINIONS

Imagine a world in which newspapers have been bankrupted and shuttered.

Imagine that Reddit, the Drudge Report and Red Pill are no more and that social media platforms forbid political discussion of any stripe

Publisher Raymond M Eckenrode reckenrode@breezenewspapers com

Executive Editor Valarie Harring vharring@breezenewspapers com

Editor Paulette LeBlanc pleblanc@breezenewspapers com

Advertising Director Laurie Ragle lragle@ breezenewspapers com

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Charlene Russ cruss@breezenewspapers com

Design & Layout Chris Strine cstrine@breezenewspapers com

Debbie Carletti obits@breezenewspapers com

Imagine that while some television and radio news show still exist, they only feature endless stories about cats and dogs, and fawning coverage of those in power

Imagine a world in which robust political discussion has been cowed into silence, and all government business takes place behind closed doors, and nobody can talk about what might have transpired in this darkness unless they want to end up broke, unemployed and homeless

This is not the backdrop of some new Netflix drama about a dystopian future in a galaxy, far, far away No This is a possible reality right here in Florida if lawmakers succeed in passing a bill that would lower the threshold for the rich and powerful to sue anybody who says something they don’t like H B 9 9 1 i s o f f i c i a l l y c a l l e d t h e D e f am a t i o n , F a l s e L i g h t , a n d U n a u t h o r i z e d Publication of Name or Likenesses Bill But First Amendment activists like me who have read it call it the “Death to Public Discourse Bill ”

Key supporters of HB991 want you to believe the legislation is about taming the excesses of the “liberal corporate” media by

A sea of dead fish

To the editor: “Promises, Promises,” as Burt Bacharach said in the song that’s what we get from Tallahassee All talk and no action Forever we have been hearing about all that is being done to clean up the water in our area The man at the top promised to clean up the mess in Lake Okeechobee and what do we see? A sea of dead fish

Web Poll

I spent Sunday morning rowing a small boat out of the Pineland kayak launch and could not believe the mess, fish floating belly up everywhere When is this going to end?

I n s t e a d o f d o i n g s o m e t h i n g a b o u t Florida’s real problems, filthy water, bad d e v e l o p m e n t , b a d h e a l t h c a r e , p o v e r t y , underpaid and overworked teachers and nurses, and so much more, they throw us red herrings: the danger of critical race theory, banning books which dare to mention anything about LGBT, floating the idea of a voting police force, banning abortion, fear of illegal immigrants (who’s fixing your roof?) and g i v i n g t h e “ l i t t l e g u y ” a chance to avenge “bad” coverage But the truth of this bill is all about making it easier for government officials and their rich and powerful allies to use the courts to punish those who criticize them

And despite the belief by s o m e c o n s e r v a t i v e s t h a t HB991 would only affect the New York Times, the Miami Herald and CNN if it were to become law, the reality is no information outlet would be s p a r e d t h e d e p r e d a t i o n s o f p u n i t i v e l a w s u i t s u n d e r i t s p r o v i s i o n s F o x , N e w s m a x , c o n s e r v a t i v e t a l k r a d i o s t ations will all feel the sting of this new law as public figures across the political spectrum look to exact their vengeance against inconvenient news coverage and commentary The fallout would just as likely crush Fox’s Tucker Carlson as it would the NYT’s Paul Krugman.

More than that, this legislation would also subject bloggers, community groups, average users of social media in short everybody who wants their voices heard to the untold financial and emotional burdens of lawsuits

And the way HB991 is currently written, a story doesn’t have to be wrong and damag- more guns These only detract from the real issues Floridians deal with every day so they can stuff their pockets with money from Super PACS and lobbyists, who really run the show, and win elections

It’s a sad commentary that this is what it takes to win, but until we see through all the BS and look around to what we really need, nothing will change Politicians may say they are in favor of cleaning up the environment, but are they granting the funds to accomplish anything?

That’s why nothing is getting done If you care about this place which is supposed to be so wonderful, look in the water before you vote.

Jim Friedlander Pineland

Who listens to leaders that are consistently wrong?

To the editor:

Way back in 2021, Joe Biden said inflation was “transitory” and that “no serious

The views expressed on the Opinions pages are just that opinions These pages are intended to convey a range of viewpoints; opinions printed on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper. Opposing views are welcome. Letters to the ing to an official to land a reporter, blogger or housewife Facebooker in court It can merely cast the subject of the story in an unfavorable light Gov Ron DeSantis called for a new defamation bill, sayi n g h e w a n t e d t o g i v e t h e Average Joe a chance to clear their name when the press sullies it But the truth is that defamation and libel suits have never been the tools of ordinary people who often don’t have the means to go to court But these lawsuits have all too often been part of the repertoire of powerful figures seeking to bring their critics to heel

This legislation is hardly a novel move Throughout history, tyrants on the left and the right as well as powerful Robber Barons have often moved to crush the press in order to control messaging And the easiest way to crush the press is to weaponize the law against commentators just as HB991 seeks to do

For those who doubt this could be the rationale of HB991’s supporters, look at recent rules by the state forbidding events

- y e a r - o l d Secretary of the Treasury and registered Democrat, who just made a “secret” trip to Ukraine to “bolster their confidence,” was in the same camp That “camp”, which included Jerome Powell, head of our Federal Reserve, was dead wrong and has cost American consumers billions of dollars by their failure to heed the real economists that were not on their payroll.

Larry Summers, chief economist of the W o r l d B a n k a n d p r e s i d e n t o f H a r v a r d University, and Mohammed El Erian, an Arab American economist and president of Queens College, were busy sounding the alarm bells, but the truth was incredibly inconvenient for the Biden Administration, so they just ignored it until inflation hit a 40year high mark and ran right over all of them

I’m not sure what Yellen’s trip to Ukraine was supposed to accomplish other than that it played well to the Biden cheerleading squad but one thing is for sure, the Fed has not even begun to conquer inflation because they are t o o b u s y p r o p p i n g u p B i d e n ’ s g e r i a t r i c a d m i n i s t r a t i o n w i t h a n e m i c r a t e h i k e s designed to avoid a recession that have been as much of a failure as Biden, Powell and Yellen were when they were telling us inflation was only transitory

Who listens to these leaders that are consistently wrong? The voters that put them in office that either don’t understand the consequences of their actions or simply don’t care because “The Big Guy” won Max Christian St. James City

March in Pelican Bay

Pelican Bay is to the north end of Pine Island along the east shore of north Cayo Costa Island If you look at the chart, you can see a tiny keyhole on the eastern shore of Cayo Costa, just south of the state dock This is where the manatees gather for a little socializing in March before the long migration to cooler waters.

A single female, or cow, will attract up to a dozen males, or bulls The reproductive rate for manatees is low and this is why we keep our distance not to dist u r b t h e m a t i n g p r o c e s s O n average, one calf is born every two to five years The manatee gestation period is 13 months

Oh baby!

Our numbers are down in Pelican Bay due to fresh water runoff from Lake Okeechobee and the effects of Hurricane Ian We have lost over 1,000 manatees in the last year and a half

In that regard, please keep your distance The boat propeller is their worst enemy

Capt. Cathy Eagle Dolphin Tales

Once temperatures reach 78 degrees and above, the manatees travel along the Gulf Coast to Texas and up the east coast to the Carolinas for cooler waters They have to hug the coast as this is where the seagrass grows. Sea cows are vegetarians. God bless them on their journey

In May, the migration of sea turtles, stingrays, jellyfish and the great silver fish, the tarpon, arrive The tarpon run from May to July Great sport fish Take advantage and book your tarpon fishing charter soon This is a different season of wildlife and very exciting!

We may see resident manatee in our waters in the summer It may be an elderly or injured manatee or a mom with a nursing calf If there are three moms with nursing calves before the migration, one mom may adopt the other two and nurse all three through the summer months, enduring the warm waters of Southwest Florida. Just remember, although it’s tempting, it is illegal to feed or give water to any marine mammal or animal It compromises their ability to survive in the wild

Capt Cathy Eagle has spent over 40 years boating in our local waters As a professional charter captain she specializes in dolphin and nature tours Visit CaptainCathy com or call 239 994-2572

Pine Island Cove holds fundraiser for Men's Club

The Pine Island Cove f u n d r a i s e r f o r t h e c o m m u n i t y M e n ’s Club was a huge success, raising $5,884!

The island communit y t h a n k s a l l o f i t s s p o n s o r s a n d h a s m u c h a p p r e c i a t i o n , gratitude and thankfulness as the comm u n i t y m a k e s t h i s d o n a t i o n t o M e n ’s Club.

Matlacha Hookers’ ‘Hooked on Education’ Scholarships are back

The Matlacha Hookers are continuing their tradition of awarding scholarships to deserving and potential students These scholarships are not only for college, but for trade schools as well as technical schools and for continuing education Since 2003, over $227,000 has been awarded to deserving students by the Matlacha Hookers

The eligibility requirements in order to apply for a scholarship include a high school diploma or equivalent and ONE of the following:

1 Former student of Pine Island Elementary school

2 Current member for at least one year of the Matlacha Hookers

3 Immediate family member for at least one year of a current member of the Matlacha Hookers

4 Resident of Greater Pine Island for at least one year Applications are available to download on matlachah o o k e r s o r g C l i c k o n s c h o l a r s h i p a p p l i c ation 2023 Print the application, review eligibility requirements, complete and mail to:

Matlacha Hookers Scholarship Committee

2006 N W 11th Court

Cape Coral, FL 33993

The applications must be postmarked no later than April 12 Submission deadline is April 14 Hardcopy applications will also be available at a few Pine Island locations in the near future

Church of God of Prophecy Chicken Dinner Saturday

The Church of God of Prophecy will be having another Chicken Dinner Saturday, March 11 Dinner will be curbside pickup only, no dine in The price is $10 per dinner -- fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn or green beans, dinner roll, and dessert

Chicken is fried in peanut oil Gluten free and baked chicken available upon request

Call your order in to 239-283-2128 as soon as possible, quantities limited Pick-up will be from 12:30-3 p m

The church is located at 15146 Stringfellow Road, Bokeelia