Sound Off: February 3, 2026

Sun Herald readers weigh in on local and national topics.

Outside agitators

I am not surprised at Gov. Reeves’ preference for ice storms rather than protests against thuggish ICE behavior. His preference drips with contempt for the First Amendment. It reminds me of the 1960s when some Mississippians protested against racial discrimination and brutality in Mississippi. They were accused by state politicians of being communists or “outside agitators.” I knew enough of those good people to know that those accusations were false. And it’s false now. The protestors against abuses by ICE are standing up for human rights and fairness and dignity out of the goodness of their hearts. Are all such protestors admirable people? No. But, by far, most are.

Let them work

I don’t understand why people can’t simply let ICE do its job and, if there are problems or concerns, address them in the proper manner.

Combustible situation

I can understand how ICE agents might find doing their job properly difficult when there are people surrounding them and blowing whistles as they try to work.

Bring back shop

A friend of mine lost a finger in high-school shop class. His parents sued, and they won. That story helps explain why shop and vocational programs quietly disappeared — schools became risk-averse and insurers pushed back. But eliminating shop classes didn’t eliminate risk; it postponed it. Students stopped learning practical skills under supervision and now encounter the same tools later, on real job sites, without training. The result is a growing shortage of skilled tradespeople, higher costs, and declining workmanship. Modern vocational programs can be run safely and offer good pay, pride in work, and resistance to automation. It’s time to bring them back.

Russian spy?

So, according to the most recently released bundle of documents, Jeffrey Epstein was apparently trained as a spy and in bed with the Russians? Now I’m even more suspicious that he was assassinated in jail rather than his having committed suicide.

Fraud is fraud

What is the difference between the Somali fraud and Brett Favre’s volleyball court?

Role reversal

When the Treasury Secretary becomes the public voice of “productive and constructive” talks with Russia while the Secretary of State is off securing Venezuelan oil, U.S. foreign policy reveals itself as a balance-sheet exercise rather than a moral or strategic one: war and peace are no longer matters of sovereignty, law, or human life, but of leverage, assets, and price. By putting the U.S. Department of the Treasury front-and-center on Ukraine while the U.S. Department of State chases hydrocarbons, the administration signals that aggression earns a seat at the table, sanctions are bargaining chips, and accountability is optional if the deal pencils out.

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