Sound Off: February 18, 2026

Sun Herald readers weigh in on local and national topics.

Great job, crews

I am amazed every year by how quickly our cities and towns are able to clean up after Mardi Gras parades. Thanks to everyone involved.

C’mon, 2027

I’m already missing Mardi Gras. 2027 can’t get here soon enough.

Join me

Please join me in cleaning up our coast by removing every roofing company and lawn care company sign that is in our streets’ rights of way. Do as I do, pick them up and put them in the garbage. Furthermore, don’t support these companies with your wallet.

Political theater

The Bondi hearing was the political equivalent of keys jingled in front of a toddler — loud, shiny, and intellectually insulting. It wasn’t oversight; it was political theater, where officials pretended to hunt for truth while performing for cameras, and the audience was expected to clap on cue as facts were treated like an inconvenience. If this is what passes for governance now, the republic isn’t being threatened by enemies — it’s being slowly suffocated by its own bad theater. I thought I was watching a cheesy reality show, so I switched channels and found the same childish display on all networks.

Media double-standard

The mainstream media’s fixation on Donald Trump has crossed from scrutiny into open hostility. Every action is filtered through an automatic presumption of guilt, while measurable successes are minimized or distorted beyond recognition. Initiatives that are innovative, fiscally responsible, and aimed at eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse; real efforts that save taxpayers billions are twisted into manufactured scandals. At the same time, comparable or more serious negative conduct by progressive figures is met with silence or downright deflection. This is not incidental bias; it is a perpetuated insult and a visible double standard that corrodes public trust and reveals a media establishment more interested in protecting a preferred narrative than in delivering fair, fact-driven journalism for the American people.

Maritime industry

As a longtime critic of President Trump, I can applaud policies I see as long overdue. Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg ignored the decline of the American Merchant Marine industry to our nation’s detriment. President Trump is trying to reverse that. A world power must be able to project that power, and ships are the only way material can be transported in quantity. Locally, here on the Coast, our significant maritime industries should benefit.

Ridiculous

Congress is passing a bill to require voters to prove their identity in person to be able to mail-in vote! What happens to the sick and shut in? Do we drag them to the clerk’s office? Will transportation be provided? Why make it harder for people to vote, unless you are trying to deter large voter turnouts. And again, illegals will not risk deportation to fraudulently vote!

NOLA drama

In regards to the story of the Black doll that was “hung” from a parade float: Tell me you don’t know anything about a Mardi Gras parade without telling me you don’t know anything about a Mardi Gras parade.

It wasn’t racist

I saw the news about the Black doll that was allegedly hung from a parade float. I’ll point out that I also saw White dolls hung from beads, chickens hung from beads, poop emojis hung from beads and pretty much anything that was being thrown tied up and hung with beads.

Good for Bad Bunny?

All this outrage over Bad Bunny has been good for his career! You are giving him free publicity, kind of what President Trump enjoyed.

ICE

Letter writer says they don’t read beyond anyone who defends ICE. I can understand that, I don’t agree with the way they have gone about deporting people. They go on to say Obama was able to do it basically very quietly without a private army of masked men. This is very true. But the left worshiped everything Obama did. They disagree and will fight anything Trump does. There is no doubt that if Trump would have duplicated Obama’s practice, there would have been a major pushback from the left. Anyone who thinks the left would have let ICE deport people under Trump without resistance, even if it was the exact same way Obama did it, is delusional.

Snowflakes

So now, not only can you not record what ICE is doing, apparently you can’t throw them Mardi Gras beads. What a bunch of lightweights.

Send your Sound Offs to soundoff@sunherald.com.