Honoring the inspirational Wendy Chioji
Early Tuesday morning, I awoke to the crushing news that the courageous, inspiring, athletic, beautiful, very cool, smart, fearsome, cat-loving, talented, funny, adventurous, and compassionate Wendy Chioji has passed away. My heart aches.
Wendy had battled cancer three times over the last many years and always prevailed. She even won her last battle because over the last five years she lived life to the very fullest, never letting cancer, the fear of death, or self-imposed limitations stop her.
She DEFIED #DEFY! She climbed mountains (literally and spiritually). She ran races, competitively cycled, and skied double black diamonds. She traveled the world and missed nothing. She embraced all that life offered. Let me clarify…she inhaled all that life offered.
She lived life on her terms. Always did. When she had enough of TV broadcasting, even though she was a local TV icon, she decided to head out west to Utah to live her new best life. We met, fell in love, and were married for a relatively short time in the early 1990s. Her energy and attitude were amazing even then. We remained true and lasting friends all these years and although life took us on different journeys and paths, she always had a special place in my heart.
My heart hurts right now but I know that I was deeply blessed to have had Wendy in my life. I am so proud of her for all the lives she touched and the people she inspired in her life, including mine. Rest in peace, dear Wendy…you certainly deserve it. I will miss you always.
Mark NeJame Orlando
U.S. a republic, not a democracy
Obviously, Marvin Jacobson either did not take a civics class or pay attention in civics class (“Will of the people isn’t always followed,” Oct. 11). The United States has never been a democracy, it has always been a republic. This is to avoid the tyranny of the majority, as the founders described it.
If the government was constructed as Jacobson wished, California and New York and one or two other states would determine the outcome of every election. No wonder the Democratic Party wants to scrap the Electoral College.
He completely ignores the House of Representatives where each state is represented by population. To get a bill passed, both the House and the Senate have to agree thus avoiding the tyranny of the majority.
The original founding documents for the United States are an amazing assembly of principles that for the most part have worked well. Radically changing the rules 200-plus years later is a bad idea. Recent state level proposals such as “jungle” primaries and the continual revisions to the Florida Constitution will only tip the scales unfairly and turn our state into a smaller version of California.
Robert Murphy Orlando
What would legacy Republicans say?
I do have to wonder what the crusading anti-communist Republicans of my youth like Joe McCarthy, Barry Goldwater, and Richard Nixon would say to a Republican president who seems to think since our FBI and CIA are so untrustworthy, we should maybe ask the communist Chinese to tell us which American politicians deserve our votes and which do not.
I think I know what comment old-timer Republicans would have for President Trump about that. But I doubt you could print it in a family newspaper.
Clive Thomas Orlando
