Today's letters: Readers comment on COVID-19 vaccine distribution and more

Help clear backlog

My wife and I, both over 70, registered on the Alachua County COVID-19 vaccine registration website several weeks ago. I’ve found no way to verify our registration for entry errors or status and understand that missing their call to schedule our appointments will bounce us to the back of the line.

Alachua County is understandably requesting patience. However, every person that I’ve learned about receiving the vaccine received it at Shands. My understanding from anecdotal evidence is seniors with doctor’s appointments at Shands will be offered the vaccine

It appears that Shands is dispensing COVID-19 vaccine on demand to their staff, associates and patients at a much higher rate than the county is to the general population. I’m requesting that Shands share their substantial vaccine reservoir and delivery capacity with the general population by assisting the county in vaccinating seniors and others on the county’s COVID-19 vaccination backlog. 

Bill Phillips, Alachua County

Cammack should resign

Kat Cammack is the congressional representative for District 3 in Florida. Insurrection of our government was one of her first official acts, as she blatantly lied about the 2020 election as Donald Trump supporters attacked our democracy and Capitol on Jan. 6. She is culpable.

The 14th Amendment, Section 3, reads: “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress … or hold any office under the United States or any State who … shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against [the Constitution].

Cammack is not fit to serve as a representative in the United States Congress. She spews propaganda and has lied repeatedly as evidenced by fraudulent information posted on her government website.

She claims to have been evicted from her ranch due to an “Obama-era program.” In reality, this program was instituted to assist renegotiation of mortgages for those who had fallen into arrears. She needs to resign.

Sam G. Wilde, Gainesville

Money talks

In our fractured political climate, what do these odd bedfellows have in common — the PGA; Citibank; Shopify; a New York carousel, ice rink and city golf course; YouTube; JP Morgan Chase; AT&T; Walmart; Twitter; Dow Inc.; Facebook; Deutsche Bank; Comcast; Amazon; General Electric; GoFundMe; Twitter; Marriott; the British Open; Florida Professional Bank; Blue Cross Blue Shield and counting?

They’ve all said “enough” to President Trump and/or to the Republican reps and senators who voted to reject President-elect Joe Biden’s unequivocal Electoral College victory. Lest we thought big business’s money in politics does not matter, think again. It speaks, loud and clear.

Jani Sherrard, Gainesville

Marred by terror

On Oct. 4, I wrote a letter saying that President Trump’s comment that a racist paramilitary group should "stand by" was a “signal to white supremacy.” On Jan. 6, I witnessed what Trump’s "stand by" order was for: to lay siege to the republic.

The city upon the hill is stained — marred with the stain of hate and terror. This will not take one administration to fix. This will not take one party to fix. This will take all of us.

The collective will of the people is to bend the long arc of the moral universe toward justice. Toward peace. Toward love. To the treasonous terrorists who attacked the republic: repent.

Sergio R. Rodriguez, Gainesville

Real empathy

We watched aghast the images of armed rioters at the Capitol doors. Not that there is any silver lining in this catastrophe, but perhaps legislators now have real empathy with schoolchildren also terrorized — during this era of the “god-given” right to keep and bear arms.

John Hughes, Gainesville