Readers Write: Civility, antifa, pharmacy woes, bad drivers, “The Golden Bachelor”

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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While no prude or shrinking violet, I’m growing very disenchanted with some people being very predisposed to subject others to their boorish, vulgar speech and behaviors. There are far too many examples of this but three in particular come to mind for me.

The Ryder Cup golf tournament is a wonderful sporting event, save for the segment of loutish American fans who delight in heckling, disrespecting and cursing the European squad. The PGA needs to get a handle on this as it taints the whole event.

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was recently kicked out of a playoff game and proceeded to curse fans as she left the court and trashed officials in her postgame news conference, uttering multiple f-bombs. The officials may have been subpar, but this was a poor look for her and the Lynx and for their many young fans.

And when did it become fashionable and cool for politicians to publicly speak profanely? They seemingly are in a competition to outdo one another. Do they think this gives them some type of street cred?

Can’t we please try and do better?

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I’d like to congratulate Andy Brehm for his keen observations in “Being meaner isn’t the way to relevancy for Democrats” (Strib Voices, Sept. 26). Brehm is right that responding to viciousness with more viciousness is not going to improve the public dialogue. Even if it is logical for Democrats to feel justified in behaving badly after the last few months of seeing many Republicans behave badly, seemingly without consequences.

The country is at a tipping point and is being offered false choices. President Donald Trump won the election, not because he was loud, proud and obnoxious to many people, but because the plurality of Americans could not find their way to the American dream under President Joe Biden so they felt like they had to pick Trump. Trump has not proven to be what they needed, and now most Americans are feeling walled off from the American dream.

If the Democrats can stay civil and change their policies to provide a path forward that doesn’t look like a massive government handout, they will have an insurmountable advantage that will smash the Republicans for decades. Or they can continue down the current path of tit-for-tat retaliation and become part of the problems that are rapidly turning us into a giant third-world nation.

On the other hand, I hope Brehm writes multiple columns about how the Republicans can be more respectful and civil. They desperately need to hear this from their own side.

I write to make a confession. Many of my relatives were dedicated antifa members. They have all been deceased now for many years, but I would not feel right letting their sordid antifa pasts escape scrutiny.

There was my father, Bob, his brother, James, and sister, Martha. There was Martha’s future husband, Fred. At the head of this terrorist-supporting family was the matriarch of my dad’s family, my grandma, Ellen.

What sordid past did they all share? Dad was in the 101st Airborne Division having fought in France and Germany at war’s end. My Uncle Jim was shot down over the sea at Naples, Italy, early in World War II. His plane was seen going into the Mediterranean fully aflame. My Aunt Martha was a captain and nurse in the Army stationed in Ohio. Her future husband, Fred, was a badly wounded GI whom she nursed back to health. Uncle Fred was wounded during the Normandy invasion. Grandma Brereton saw all three of her children join the war effort, losing Jim to the sea, but eventually gaining son-in-law Fred. Her anger at Jim’s death was one of the very few times I saw her rage.

Yes, all these abhorrent souls were anti-fascist and fought against the fascist axis of Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo. So, it is a great relief to see President Donald Trump now call their organization out for the terrorism they all supported. Oh, sure, they all could have avoided their antifa calumny if they had sat out the war with bone spurs whilst avoiding STDs as Trump did. I do not know how I will ever live down the shame.

Bob Brereton, St. Paul

He made a timely refill request but unfortunately the pharmacy did not have a sufficient quantity for a full fill. Why? Because the medication was on back order. This is not the pharmacy’s fault but a problem with the drug manufacturer and/or wholesaler.

Next problem, the prescription validity expired. Most prescriptions are valid for one year. In this case, the medication was likely billed as a partial fill with the remainder to be billed when the balance was dispensed. To do otherwise is considered insurance fraud. Sadly, the prescription expired before the order could be fully filled. Not a pharmacy but an insurance issue.

Finally, the writer had difficulty getting through to their provider office to get a new prescription. Need I say it again, but this is not a pharmacy problem. (By the way, my strategy in similar situations is to text my care team and explain the issue, as well as talk with my pharmacy team.)

It’s pretty easy to blame the front-facing pharmacy staff for these events, but a little research and grace might be considered before disparaging a group of hard working, knowledgeable people.

Charlet Allen, Roseville

Every morning, my daughter drives to work in Minneapolis, and nearly every morning she has a close call. Drivers weave across lanes without looking, refuse to let anyone merge, or stare at their phones while speeding down the road.

At the heart of this is a troubling culture of “me first” driving. Too many ignore basic right of way, gunning left turns the instant the light changes, cutting off oncoming cars and pedestrians. The walk sign does not mean “try to beat the pedestrians” — yet that is the new normal. Just recently, as my dog and I stepped into the crosswalk with others, a large SUV floored it, swerving in front of us and nearly running him over. The next day, I watched a cyclist get struck at that same intersection.

Freeways are no better, with cars darting across multiple lanes just to get ahead. Drivers of all backgrounds contribute to the chaos, whether speeding aggressively or blocking traffic by going too slow in the wrong lane. Add in distraction — like the man my daughter saw watching YouTube while driving on Interstate 94 — and it’s a wonder more people aren’t seriously hurt.

Minneapolis prides itself on being a livable, walkable city. Yet too many of us feel unsafe whether driving, biking or walking. City leaders must treat this as the public safety crisis it is — by stepping up enforcement, redesigning streets and recommitting to Vision Zero. Safety must come before “me first.”

Julie Silber, Minneapolis