Sound Off: June 15, 2025

Sun Herald readers weigh in on local and national topics.

National Guard

The last time the National Guard was federalized was to protect civil rights This time it’s to suppress civil rights.

Easy solution

About the Sun Herald’s item on how to stay safe during a protest: Mine answer is simple — keep your butt home.

Remember

Imagine five to six months after Camille or Katrina, and people are hustling all over the place to find anyone to help cleanup and rebuild. All these “day laborers” arrive, and start cleaning up everything. They are rebuilding where they can and are like ants all over 2 coastal bays, building bridges, roofing homes, building homes, clearing debris ... you know the story. And no questions were asked. Now, wake up the next morning with third world-looking robocop SWAT teams taking all these workers away to God knows where and why.

I-10

I’m really glad you printed an article about the widening project on I-10. As for the “on schedule” part, MDOT does an incredibly lousy job. I frequently travel that stretch of road and there is little if any activity on all 12 miles, with the exception of Diamondhead. Urgency apparently is not in their handbook. And if the outer lanes can now handle semi-trucks, why would they not take down the “trucks use left lane” signs? This only causes bottle necks. It’s just not that hard. If they are too “busy,” I have a crescent wrench and step ladder and will volunteer my services for the greater good.

Thanks for nothing

The new Mississippi tax structure hurts rather than helps military retirees. Retiree income wasn’t taxed previously, so phasing out income tax is no help. Many, if not most, military retirees near a military base like the CB Center or Keesler shop at the commissary, so no help with the reduced grocery tax either. And then the gas tax rises….

President Peace

Gosh, I remember when Candidate Trump made all kinds of big boasts about how there wouldn’t be problems between Russia and Ukraine or Israel and Iran once he was president. Nope, Mr. Art of the Deal would solve everything. How’s that working out for everyone?

WWIII

Israel has bombed Iran. We went from negotiations to this. President Trump is not handling the complex world of global politics very well. He thinks all you must do is tell world leaders what he wants them to do. He hasn’t comprehended that we live in a global society and American Isolation is not an option. We are so focused on the politics of anti-Palestinian protests that we don’t even know why they are protesting.

Women vs. men

There is an easy answer as to why people don’t get upset with transgender women playing in men’s sports: They don’t win. When transgender men play in women’s sports, they dominate. Same reason nobody would care if Angel Reese played in the NBA.

Another shooting

So another deadly police shooting in Mississippi. As common as baby back ribs on a weekend. This time a solitary man, with known issues, locked himself in a shed on his property. He had already been secured there for over four hours with hundreds of police and guns pointing at him. All that needed be done was to wait in our MS heat approaching 90 in ambient temps, likely much hotter in a closed up shed. Thirst, hunger, fatigue, any alcohol/drugs efficacy wanes — just get his family to help negotiate and wait.

Thank you

The House passed a bill aimed at taking $9.4 billion of taxpayers money away from obviously biased platforms. It’s not news, it’s propaganda and it’s about time.

Government overreach

In reference to National Guard troops in LA, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated “We are staying here to liberate the city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into the city.” Let those words sink in. That scares the heck out of me and should terrify patriotic Americans.

Flags

I was unhappy to see people waving Mexican flags during the recent protests in Los Angeles. I was even more unhappy to see Trump supporters wave Confederate flags and wear Nazi paraphernalia on Jan. 6, 2021. Republicans speak out against Mexican flags but not against Confederate flags and Nazi symbols? That says a lot. It’s not good.

Send your Sound Offs to soundoff@sunherald.com.