I worry about affinities between Putin’s views and those of Florida Republicans, especially two of whom both display a distrust of democratic systems and an appreciation for a “strong man” form of government.

In a 2019 interview, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that democracy (or “the liberal idea”) has “outlived its purpose,” that freedom and human rights must be replaced by “the culture and traditional family values of millions of people making up the core population.”

Former Florida governor and first-term senator Rick Scott echoes this in his recent “11 Point Plan to Rescue America.” He will impose patriotism on children, oblige them to say the Pledge of Allegiance, salute the flag, and learn that America is a great country. He will stop educators from discussing our country’s struggles with racism. For him, the nuclear family is “God’s design for humanity and must be protected.”

Then there is the current Florida governor, Ron DeSantis who has cracked down on protests, free speech, and voting rights, while spending money on election police. As for teaching truth, he prefers indoctrination. He wants to sanitize our history and wants to create “upright and desirable citizens” through lessons heavy on “patriotic values.”

The war in Ukraine reminds us of the value of democracy. To preserve it, we must elect Democrats because Democrats champion consent of the governed, freedom of speech, voting rights, and minority rights. Republican “strong man” forms of government will not.

Frances Jones, Atlantic Beach

‘Crazy’ idea for peacekeeping

Sometimes, the sheer audacity of an act may give it such power of persuasion that it can accomplish what before seemed inconceivable. I am thinking of historical breakthroughs in the realm of peacemaking. A good example is when Anwar Sadat, president of Egypt, went to Jerusalem and changed the entire dynamic of peace in the Middle East.

Something equally daring needs to be done now. Some are suggesting that President Joe Biden go to Kyiv to show solidarity with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That would be good, but let’s take it a step further. Let’s have Biden go to Moscow or somewhere neutral and meet with Putin.

Yes, that may sound crazy. But sometimes extreme measures are required to break through to a level of sanity that will prevent the unthinkable — World War III — from happening.

An unreasonable proposal, maybe, but it might actually work.

Theodore C. Hornoi-Centerwall, Jacksonville