A note of thanks

‘He became the paper’: For Tampa Bay Times’ Paul Tash, a legacy of change | June 26

Although only a casual acquaintance, I feel like I’m saying goodbye to an old, cherished friend. And though I am apparently only three years his junior, I consider him a wise old man — or should I better say elder statesman? Paul Tash says he joined the Tampa Bay Times 44 years ago. I moved to St. Petersburg 40 years ago, wet behind the ears, dirt poor and fresh out of Florida’s flagship law school.

It was a college rival that prompted me to read a newspaper. But it was the then-St. Petersburg Times that hooked and reeled me in. For four decades I have relied on the Times’ reporters, editors and photojournalists to keep me informed but more importantly to enlighten me, challenge my objectivity, prod my thinking deeper than it had to be. Best of all, to entertain me. Yes, the things people do and say coupled with events of our human experience are fascinating, shocking and hysterical. Then they are laid out in easy-to-read format each and every morning as the aroma of brewing coffee awakens me. What could be better?

Someone has had to steer the ship, and in my view, we have been blessed with a steady captain. In my trade I have worked hard and garnered great wealth but it would have never occurred without the influence of the daily gift of a truly local newspaper envisioned by a great man and followed up by extraordinary leadership. Godspeed, Paul Tash; enjoy your deserved retirement.

David A. Eaton Sr., St. Petersburg

Value the woman

Struck down | June 25

It’s clear that our Supreme Court and many Americans, including many women, value the rights of a potential baby more than they value the rights, the life and the well being of a live, grown human woman. There’s no doubt that this issue has been a dividing one for all of America, but there is no reason, other than a misguided religious pretext, that can justify giving more weight to a non-realized being than to a fully existing one. Or maybe many Americans — yes, even many women — believe that a woman’s life and potential are so unimportant that the state has every right to force her to carry through with a pregnancy and produce a baby.

Susan Harper, St. Petersburg

The unborn child

Struck down | June 25

In the wake of the extensive news coverage in of the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, I am struck by how little, if any, attention has been paid to the plight, or even the existence, of the entity most affected by the ruling, the unborn child. This entity in the womb is not nothing. This is, after all, the heart of the matter, is it not ? If we cannot dismiss the possibility of unique human life in the womb beyond a reasonable doubt, then then our system of justice demands that we protect that life, not destroy it. Modern science gives us a window into the womb and other evidence that suggests that the child is a separate entity residing temporarily in the womb of the mother and depending on the mother to survive , a dependency which will continue even after birth for some time.

I suggest that more coverage be given from the viewpoint of the child who, I surmise, if given the choice, would choose to live. Abortions do solve social problems, but we do not solve social problems by taking human life. Exceptions can be made for so-called “hard cases” (less than 5%).

Norman Paul Dusseault, St. Petersburg

What if?

Florida’s modest step on property insurance | Editorial, May 27

If only there were a transgender swimmer causing Florida’s rising homeowners’ insurance rates, maybe Gov. Ron Desantis and the Republican-led Legislature would have gotten to work on this in a more energetic and timely fashion.

John Skey, Bradenton

Priming the (pandering) pump

Biden’s gas tax holiday is only a holiday from reality | Wall Street Journal editorial, June 28

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If the Wall Street Journal were truly unbiased, its editorial reprinted in the Tampa Bay Times would have included Gov. Ron DeSantis’ blatant pandering for votes in his reducing of the gas tax only for the month of October, one month before the general election.

James Deveney, Pinellas Park