Kamala Harris, like a former Miami prosecutor, is breaking barriers | Opinion

Leadership education

The careers of Vice President Kamala Harris and former Miami-Dade prosecutor and U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno resonate deeply with me. Both women broke barriers in male-dominated fields, offering valuable lessons for modern law enforcement and politics.

The Aug. 6 Miami Herald editorial, “What Kamala Harris can learn from Janet Reno,” highlights their balanced approach — combining strong law enforcement with reform initiatives. This nuance is crucial today, as simplistic labels fail to capture the complexity of their work. As an immigrant, I recognize the importance of public safety alongside a fair justice system, particularly for minority communities.

Reno’s controversial decisions, like the Elian Gonzalez case, underscore the need for culturally sensitive law enforcement. Such events impacted immigrant communities, highlighting the balance between enforcing the law and respecting cultural nuances.

Harris’ candidacy is a milestone for women of color. Her career, marked by achievements and criticisms, reflects the broader struggles of minority women in leadership. As a South Asian woman, I see her as a role model who traverses tradition and progress, embodying potential transformative leadership.

The future of law enforcement and governance must be shaped by leaders understanding diverse citizen experiences. Harris’s journey, like that of many immigrants and women of color, exemplifies resilience and commitment to justice, inspiring real change.

Warda Mashhood,

Parkland

Modernize, man!

The author of the Aug. 7 letter, “Kamala’s America,” attempted to sexualize Vice President Kamala Harris by referencing her “glamour and sex appeal,” thereby demeaning her candidacy and negating her many accomplishments and her expansive and successful career in law enforcement and public service. He used a tired old trope that women have encountered exhaustively and are no longer willing to accept. To him I say, “the 1950s are calling, dear, and they want you back!”

Harris has paid her professional dues and has risen through the ranks to now aspire to the highest office of the land. She has earned this right and has the qualifications, intelligence and experience to put forth her case to voters.

Attempting to minimize her appeal by classifying her as mere eye candy insults all of us who dealt with this nonsense in our professional lives. Further, the ridiculous charge that she has “ultra-left, socio-communist policies” is only exceeded in absurdity by the charge that she is a “pathological liar.” This is laughable when analyzing her opposing candidate, Donald Trump.

We understand Trump supporters are panicking, but please think of something that makes a bit of sense and has some relevance to 2024, not 1924!

Maritza Silverio,

West Kendall

Cancel culture

Re: the Aug. 8 story, “Florida universities to review courses for ‘antisemitic’ and ‘anti-Israel’ material.” The latest bowdlerization episode at our state universities seems to leave out expunging anti-Muslim, anti-Christian, et al. bias. Several problems arise. An obvious one is subjectivity of the reviewer.

A more significant problem is, how does one teach history without including the horrific acts perpetrated by all religions through the centuries?

As a sabra (native-born Israeli Jew) I would ask: in teaching about Zionism, do we erase the 1946 bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem? Do we erase the hundreds of attacks on the British and the Palestinians by Jewish paramilitary groups like Irgun and Haganah (where my father served), in the fight for the creation of a Jewish state?

These things, ironically, are all in the history books on modern Israel (such as those written by historian Benny Morris).

Nonetheless, our state university system’s review of courses continues the denigration of Florida higher education for crass political purposes. I guess the Crusades and genocide of our indigenous tribes are still to be taught.

L. Gabriel Bach,

Key Biscayne

Mr. 305’s coup

In his Aug. 7 online opinion, “Pitbull-FIU deal is music megastar boosting underdog in turf war vs. Miami Hurricanes,” Miami Herald Sports columnist Greg Cote attempted to make Pitbull into a local icon because he is paying Florida International University $1.2 million a year for naming rights to their stadium. In reality, Pitbull made a tremendous business deal.

First, his vodka brand is sold at the stadium. More importantly, he gets to use the stadium 10 times a year for free. One of his concerts will likely pay back the full amount for the naming rights. The other nine dates will only enrich his pockets. Congratulations to Pitbull for making it appear to be philanthropic while adding to his wealth.

Art Young,

West Kendall

Goal accomplished

Where would Democrats be now if President Joe Biden had not had that disastrous debate with former President Donald Trump?

Tim Walz would still be a mostly unknown governor of Minnesota. And the Democratic Party would be headed for disaster in November.

We have many reasons to thank Biden for his successful presidency, but none more important than dropping out of the race after that debate.

Glenn Huberman,

Miami

Hot trash

Re: the Aug. 7 story, “Miami-Dade plans to build the biggest waste-to-energy facility in the country.” Trash incineration is the most harmful way to manage municipal solid waste (MSW). It is worse than placing waste in a landfill.

Trash incinerators are up to three times worse for health, climate and our environment, even if MSW is transported by diesel truck or train to remote landfills. Incineration is the dirtiest way to produce energy and pollutes more than burning coal.

In a best case scenario, carbon dioxide (CO2) still spews into our atmosphere, further exacerbating extreme heat, sea level rise, rain bomb flooding, more powerful hurricanes and a host of other climate impacts which will doom our city. Capturing and sequestering CO2 from an incinerator is unproven and when proposed elsewhere, prohibitively expensive.

Carbon capture or net zero promises are enticing. The low hanging fruit of “Zero Waste”: Municipal composting with curbside collection.

Pay-as-you-throw is the most effective way to quickly reduce waste, with fees based on waste container size, or number of trash bags serviced, while not charging for uncontaminated recycling or for composting. Implementation of pay-as-you-throw is the game changer for dramatic MSW reduction.

Enact a deconstruction mandate to deal with construction and demolition waste, which is a significant source of landfill volume and is toxic to incinerate.

Steven Leidner,

Bay Harbor Islands