Feb. 6 Mail: New Website, Gun Ownership, Alimony and More

Comments on the New Folioweekly.com
This is a great addition and look forward to participating. Thanks, Folio, for providing the opportunity.
Jnoone

A new logo that already looks dated.
Finally giving the readers the chance to comment on stories and calling that a “digital revolution.”
A five-page newsprint cover story on how to use your website.
A tech page that answers questions like “What is a podcast?”
Congratulations! Welcome to the 1990s!
Mary_Designer

So far I prefer the old site overall. I like the new calendar feature for checking specific days and weeks. But it's a lot more time-consuming searching week by week to see upcoming shows and concerts vs the old site with all concerts listed on one page.
Jarson

I like it. I’m hopeful to be able to get Folio when I am out of the area for extended periods of time. Great paper.
Simone


Real Reasons to Own Guns
A letter from one of your frequently printed readers, Rick Mansfield, stated that “the mad rush to buy as many assault rifles as possible before the government bans such weapons is a clear indication that this country has more mental health issues than we realize” [The Mail, Jan. 23]. He then sums up the issue by assuming that the only “clear-thinking, sane individuals” who desire these weapons are “crazies watching too much Rambo.” Fantastic example of civil discourse, Mr. Mansfield. You aren’t being condescending in the slightest.

I fail to see the connection between Americans who are interested in owning weapons and mental health issues. To me, the real crazies are the ones who don’t mind the gradual road to complete civilian disarmament we appear to be traveling on. Some of the most despicable tyrants in history were quite keen on gun control, for good reason. A people that cannot defend itself from tyranny can be tread upon, pushed around and forced into whatever their overlords’ whims may be.

Now, before the Obama worshippers begin foaming at the mouth and accusing me of heresy, let me make it known that I am not comparing our president to Hitler, Pol Pot, Stalin or Mussolini. I don’t think the government is all of a sudden going to become an evil machine bent on subversion and inspiring fear in the American people, but I cannot say I think it’s impossible. In the early ’70s, I bet a lot of Cambodians thought the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge were something that could not happen in their civilized world in that day and age. They were wrong. Stability is not indefinite. For someone to think that the U.S. is the exception to the adage that history repeats itself is what I see as the real insanity.

Another motivation behind Americans’ intent on arming themselves is the possibility of national or global economic slowdown or collapse. In such a scenario, the ability to defend oneself and one’s family would be of paramount importance. Though this may seem far-fetched to Mr. Mansfield in the secluded enclave of Ponte Vedra, it too is a possibility. Not likely, but possible. What would Americans do if the supermarket suddenly had bare shelves? Chaos would ensue after about three hours. Maybe four. It's happened in real life. America isn’t immune. Read a history book, dude.

I’m proud to own a gun, and I strongly cherish my right to. That hardly makes me part of a far-right fringe group or mentally ill. It makes me an American who values my freedom and safety.
Elliott Greenberg
Jacksonville Beach


What Defines an Assault Weapon?
Does the average American know what an assault rifle is? The answer is “no.” There are five features that classify a rifle as an assault weapon, one of which is automatic fire, which none of the rifles used in the killings of recent months had. I don’t think it's legal to own an automatic weapon such as the Tommy Gun used in gangster movies and such.

People like Rick Mansfield [The Mail, Jan. 23], who accuses gun addicts as having little or no education, fail to show that they are superior in the education department. They don't know that a law forbidding assault weapons is already on the books, so no new laws banning them are necessary.

One feature (of the five) that makes a rifle an assault weapon is that it has to have a place to secure a bayonet. This makes about as much sense as having a telescoping stock, which is also one of the five. Not one of the features that make a rifle an assault weapon does anything to suppress the lethality of the weapon.

Punishment is far too lenient for the use of a firearm, so we have unabated use of firearms for robbery, road rage, etc. A thorough background check, tough punishment for the use of a firearm in a crime and a longer waiting period to pick up the purchase of a firearm is the way to go if you want to suppress the use of firearms — not taking them away entirely.
Art Cape
Jacksonville


More Reasons for Revisiting Permanent Alimony
My husband’s ex-wife left their marriage when she came out of the closet as a lesbian. She was rewarded with $4,000 a month in lifetime alimony [“Paying It Forward and Forward and Forward,” Jan. 23]. She is a college graduate summa cum laude and able to support herself if she were required to. We request alimony reform modification that will address our particular unique situation.

In a case similar to my husband’s, a man paying lifetime alimony to his lesbian ex-wife had the alimony award overturned. A Minnesota court held that the “defendant’s post-decree lesbianism is a material change in circumstances which justifies the termination of alimony.” The case is <> 5 Fam.L Rptr. (BNA) 2127 (Minn.Dist.Ct.15 Nov 1978).

We request this key point be addressed in proposed alimony reform legislation. Expanding the definition of “change in circumstances” beyond the financial to include a change in sexual orientation or gender will make the criteria more relevant to today.

While the contemporary picture of marriage may be changing, here in Florida, marriage remains between a man and a woman. Currently, sexual reassignment surgeries are becoming more commonplace. Why should a spouse who believed they were marrying someone of the opposite sex, have to support that spouse who changes gender or sexual orientation and redefines the marriage? The traditional marriage is broken through no fault of the other spouse. This isn't like a couple who fall out of love or have grown tired of each other.

Florida lawmakers should take into consideration this new reality and the changing landscape of marriage and reasons for divorce. Granting lifetime alimony to a spouse who changed sexual orientation or gender is absolutely an injustice. This needs to be stopped and such previous judgments overturned.

A YouTube video about our case is posted on the FAR (Florida Alimony Reform) website.

Thank you for your time and attention to this important issue. o
Elvina Bergmann Kallett
St. Pete Beach