Sound Off: September 17, 2025

Sun Herald readers weigh in on local and national topics.

That’ll make it better

Reporter on Tuesday: “What do you make of Pam Bondi saying she’s going to go after hate speech?” President Trump: “She’ll probably go after people like you because you treat me so unfairly. It’s hate. You have a lot of hate in your heart.”

The radical left

Charlie Kirk’s unfortunate murder has really exposed how disgusting liberals are.

Don’t lose the intensity

I’m old enough to remember conservatives having a merry ole time with the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband. I also remember many memes about Tim Walz being responsible for the slaying of the Minnesota legislator and her husband. So, let’s just remember that what’s good for the goose is also good for the gander.

Kilmeade

So Fox host Brian Kilmeade said homeless people should receive involuntary lethal injection and does not get suspended or fired. The conservative far right followers do not condem this rhetoric. Hate begets hate.

This can’t continue

Charlie Kirk’s killing must be addressed in the strongest manner possible. And I trust President Trump with this much more than the last officeholder.

Forgotten already?

Charlie Kirk literally died defending the principle that Pam Bondi is trashing. Just unreal.

She said what?

“There’s free speech and then there’s hate speech” is the most destructive phrase that has ever been uttered. And Pam Bondi just said it. She needs to be removed as attorney general now.

Another one

I know the news media does not tally the number of sex offenders. So, we don’t recognize the high numbers. Today we had another child sex offender in South Mississippi who abused kids as young as 1 year old. Is sex abuse not a crime anymore?

Military policing

As a long serving veteran, it is beyond troubling to send military members into inner cities to do policing. This is nothing more than a mirage for the intellectually challenged to give the appearance of policing. These military are not trained in law enforcement. They are military specialists in everything from mechanics, computers, administration and specialized warfare, not police work. They are also not street debris collectors or yard maintenance workers. Instead of wasting taxpayer dollars on military deployments to hometowns, how about funding cities for additional police and supportive programs.

Immigrants

America is a nation built by immigrants of all races, religions and ethnic groups. Unless you are descended from Indigenous people, your ancestors were immigrants, legal or illegal. My great-grandparents were illegal immigrants. To come to America, they changed their name, forged their documents, and presented themselves as natives of the Netherlands, which they were not. I am proud of their determination to come to America and build a better life, and proud of the immigrants today, who are striving for the same. Without immigrants, both legal and illegal, our coast and homes would not have been rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina, nor would our communities be as strong and vibrant as they are today. Today’s immigrants deserve respect and support, not fear and imprisonment.

Pay attention

I urge everyone to read what is going on in Nepal. Idealists acted to overthrow a corrupt, inept government. Their passions led to violence that has consumed everything. The idealists have wound up sitting in rubble. They didn’t get what they wanted. The only ones who got what they wanted are the nihilists. They are always lurking in the background; eager to throw gas and light matches when the citizens of a nation hate one another more than they love the survival of their country. We in the U.S. are dangerously close to giving the nihilists a “Go!” sign.

Language

A Sound Off writer was concerned about a student’s use of the word “like” after watching the slaying of Charlie Kirk. I’ll suggest that her ability to string two sentences together after having watched that was commendable. And if her grammar fell short of perfect, I think the circumstances would certainly explain that.

Send your Sound Offs to soundoff@sunherald.com.