GOP Gone Gonzo
Hunter strikes back: Your Hunter S. Thompson-inspired preview of the Republican National Convention in Tampa was great ("Fear and Loathing in Tampa," Michael E. Miller, August 23). Maybe Tropical Storm Isaac threatened Tampa for a reason. It's Hunter Thompson's wrath! smdrpepper
Dirty laundry: This piece does an excellent job of uncovering so much of Florida's dirty political laundry. Carlos Rodolfo Peña
Firing Chad Johnson
Well played, Dolphins: Uncle Luke's rationale is disgusting in arguing why the Dolphins should have kept a domestic abuser like Chad Johnson on the team ("Hanging Chad," Luther Campbell, August 23) after his arrest for allegedly head-butting his wife. Luke argues that Johnson shouldn't have been cut because past domestic abusers have kept their positions. Is he serious? Is he really that thoughtless about a very egregious act? Just because bad behavior has been accepted and tolerated in the past is no justification for expecting wrongdoing to be the norm. Firing Johnson is not hypocritical on the part of the Dolphins; it is being responsible. It's time that these athletes (and all offenders) be held accountable. I stick behind this team's decision to fire Johnson. The coach does not need to like him; he just needs to lead with integrity. Let this be a shining example to other coaches and players: Behave or deal with the consequences like the rest of us. peace13
Past his prime: Chad wasn't cut solely because of the domestic incident. He was cut because at this point in his career, he is a marginal player. Marginal players can't afford screwups. That's just how it is. Additionally, coach Joe Philbin already had to talk to Chad about his behavior once before his arrest. Philbin had already put him on notice that his leash was short. uncbadookjd
Who to trust?: It is not a good idea to fire an employee because he got into an argument with his wife and she ended up with a cut on her face. There is no reliable way to know if Chad is guilty of anything, regardless of how the case is decided in court, because Chad's version of what happened is different from his wife's, and the judge was not with them at the time. Richard St. Bernard
Wasted his chance: Uncle Luke, you are so off-base with your argument. The Miami Dolphins are trying to change their image. They have a new coach, and he should not have to deal with stuff like Johnson's arrest. You have the balls to say he's not guilty until proven so in court, but if that was your mom, sister, aunt, daughter, or lady friend and she went to the hospital for a head cut after arguing with him, would you be saying the same thing? I don't think so. For too long we've given these players a free ride, and it's time to make them accountable. Enough is enough. He got what he deserves, and this should be a lesson to everyone. It's a gift to be selected into the NFL. The players get paid a ton of money, as all entertainers do. Be humble and thankful and do something positive with it. koolkd
Not actually funny: That's pretty funny, Luke, comparing the joke of veterans hazing rookies by shaving their heads with a player head-butting his wife over potential issues of infidelity. Yes, I can see where the spousal abuse is the bigger joke, just as harmless as shaving a teammate's head. Jimbo99
He had to go: Obviously, Campbell did not watch Hard Knocks, the HBO series following the Dolphins. If he had, he would have reviewed the part where Coach Philbin asks the bad-haircut rookie who was hazed to stand up. Philbin was legitimately pissed off and said something like, "This is supposed to be a first-class organization." Luke also would've noticed that Chad Johnson was clueless again when it came to running routes. He was running his own routes and had zero chemistry with the quarterbacks. He was never going to make this team, and anyone who follows the Dolphins knows that. Philbin would've given him the respect of getting through camp and cutting him along with others, but why wait after the legal incident that was sure to be a distraction for the team? This had nothing to do with "giving Chad a fair chance" and everything to do with what was best for the team. steveo1215
SoBe Smackdown
Legal bullying: I can't believe South Beach developer Jeffrey Schottenstein is suing a resident for reporting him to the city for violating historic preservation codes ("Stop Snitching," Tim Elfrink, August 23). A law-abiding citizen did his civic duty to uphold the rule of law. The outcome is an unscrupulous dirtbag hiding behind his deep pockets to discourage everyone's ability to speak freely. He wants to bully the rule of law because he believes he stands above it. Dale
The jerk store called...: Schottenstein is a jerk who probably shouldn't be allowed to develop anything else if this is how he responds when he's caught breaking the law. xjahn
