Mayor Ward’s letter to Biden hopes America will be “guiding influence” to bring an end to war
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward’s letter to President Biden supporting a ceasefire in Gaza begins by thanking the President “for all you are doing both here at home and abroad for the causes of peace and prosperity”; asks the President to “redouble your efforts to bring peace to the people of Israel and Palestine… [and] through diplomatic channels uniquely available to you, broker humanitarian treatment of all involved in that conflict, the safe return of all hostages, and a ceasefire”; and concludes by hoping “the United States of America will be the guiding influence that brings an end to this war.”
The full text of the letter:
Dear President Biden:
First, please allow me to thank you for all you are doing both here at home and abroad for the causes of peace and prosperity. I appreciate you and your team more than I can express.
I write today on behalf of the Gainesville City Commission, who yesterday voted unanimously with me to urge you to redouble your efforts to bring peace to the people of Israel and Palestine. Specifically, we ask that you, through diplomatic channels uniquely available to you, broker humanitarian treatment of all involved in that conflict, the safe return of all hostages, and a cease-fire.
The City of Gainesville has a deep connection to both Israel and Palestine. We maintain strong ties with Qalqilya, Palestine and Kfar Saba, Israel as two of our most active sister cities. We have sent delegations to both frequently, the most recent just this past December. We have been in contact with both. They are in crisis, are desperate for help, and want peace and justice to prevail.
Tensions run high across our nation and our Gainesville community is no exception. Grief, fear, and great passion surround this issue from all sides. We are hopeful that, as in conflicts past, the United States of America will be the guiding influence that brings an end to this war.
Sincerely,
Harvey L. Ward, Jr.
Mayor of Gainesville
Read the original letter here.
“…re-double your efforts”? Zero times zero is zero, Harvey
Like Biden will actually read anything except picture books and ice cream menus. The limp old man is steered from one place to another. Anyway, it is all just for show by radical dem libs at the often failed Gangsville City Commission.
>>thank you for all you are doing both here at home and abroad for the causes of peace and prosperity
The last time period that this country had peace and prosperity was the four years before Creepy Joe took office. Biden immediately tanked the economy with his energy policies and dragged us into a proxy war with Russia.
The government’s reaction to Covid along with the people’s acquiescence to those dictates tanked the economy.
Gee Dad, you mean our GDP didn’t shrink in Trump’s last year in office and that the entire developed world hasn’t suffered high inflation since then with the US doing better than most, that US oil production isn’t at it’s highest level in history, and that the predicted by everyone recession to follow the covid inflation is no longer predicted to happen ?
All that is true. Look it up.
Yes, USA gdp dropped in trumps last year!
You leftists can thank fauci, the left wing degenerate “leading” the NIH, that funded gain of function research in the chicom lab that was leaked?
How about a the left wing trash thinking they had dominion over citizens lives telling us to stay home and be hero’s? Middle finger to them!
Only frail left wing degenerates rely on elected thugs, receiving taxpayer funded paychecks to navigate life!
Oh… US oil production produced 13 million barrels per day WAY back in November 2019, so the fact that oil production finally reached 2019 levels in August of this year is nothing to brag about!
The real estate market is dead thanks to 7.61 interest rates! Again, you can thank good for nothing, elected degenerates for printing too much money, therefore, having no choice but to raise interest rates to cool!
So wait, you mean Fauci was in the WH and the GOP didn’t have the Senate majority in 2020? I could have sworn that Trump was still president and that he and the Congress passed wave after wave of relief checks, and even after Trump was gone he lobbied for a bigger covid relief check in 2021 than what Biden agreed to and signed. Yeah, Richie Rich is a model of self sufficiency and I can see why you would want him back and forget about the 1.2 million dead Americans, you apparently being an internet tough guy.
Fauci is the good for nothing thug that sent American taxpayers money to China for gain of function research and unfortunately, was allowed to continue running the NIH! He’s a left wing parasite!
Reading comprehension is key… I typed (ELECTED DEGENERATES) I only specifically trashed left wing, elected parasites when it came to lockdowns and them thinking they had the power to lock citizens down!
I have no use for elected republican thugs either! I’m not a government worshipping idiot that is dependent on others in order to navigate life or pay my bills!
Nothing internet tough guy about what I typed, just facts!
Like you, I continued working during Covid – as did the overwhelming number of Americans – and running my business and unlike you I’m not looking for a medal for that. You seem to miss the fact that 1.2 million Americans croaked from Covid – most of them unvaccinated – and as in any highly communicable disease, your precious freedom to communicate it to others is secondary to public health. That’s why absent a religious exception – “God told me to spread this” – all states, including Florida and Texas require our kids – and us at one time – to be vaccinated for a number of these diseases or stay home. Sorry you don’t understand the facts of life of living in a civilization that actually does help you and I achieve much of what we’ve done. Or were you raised by wolves?
I’m not looking for a medal… simply detest those that think elected, taxpayer funded paycheck thugs have the power to lock us down, along with those thinking federal tax paying Americans should have their income confiscated to pay for their lives!
My freedom never ends… you are responsible for your health, not me or anyone else! I will never take the govthug shot as I believe my body my choice is not limited to abortion!
Nothing civilized about elected oxygen thieves restricting movement of citizens while they do as they please! You know, pelosi getting her hair done, newscum visiting the French laundry, whitmers husband trying to get his boat out of storage, etc… their are conservative wastes as well! Elected thugs will not EVER control my movement! PERIOD!
Then go live with wolves buddy. Sorry, but humans are highly social animals and your survival depends on others as much as anyone else’s and you owe our society the respect to not endanger other’s lives just cause you can’t be bothered. That’s not freedom, that’s infantilism. By the way, we have the good fortune to live in a place where we elect our government. Yeah, I know, you have to put up with the other 299,999,999 people here and what they think. Poor freaking you.
I will live on my 5 acres and ignore government thug overreach just as I did throughout the entire pandemic! You nor anyone else has a say in that matter! I do not owe you or anyone else anything unless you or they are writing me a check! I sure as hell didn’t follow a single “guideline” the degenerate thugs tried enforcing! You want to wear a mask, I couldn’t care less! You want to stay locked inside your home, that’s fine! As long as you do not expect taxpayers to pick up the tab for your bills. No, I do not put up with what anyone thinks, if I disagree, I have no problem letting one know! You people win Alachua County and Gainesville, but my vote wins the state! Thankfully our Governor will keep both in check as he did throughout the plandemic!
Your death toll is flawed, Jazzy. Even the CDC representatives finally admitted that anyone who died WITH COVID-19 was being counted as someone who died FROM COVID-19. Nobody know the true number but it’s most likely similar to the annual 40,000 who die from influenza. As for your Liberal dictator friends here in GNV, their unlawful requirement to force people to wear ineffective masks and forcing businesses to become takeout only, not to mention disallowing funerals and family gatherings, did irreparable harm to our economy. As for vaccination requirements for children, YES, they ARE required to get vaccinations. But only vaccinations that have been thoroughly vetted and gone through clinical trials. The COVID-19 vaccinations were NOT thoroughly vetted, so stop equating it to vetted vaccinations. Do you ever get tired of regurgitating DNC talking points?
Hey Jizzy…..no wars, no Russia invasions with Trump leading America
More MAGA revisionist history. I suppose there was peace and no war in Afghanistan while future felon Donald was President?
Aww… you think what I typed had anything to do with war! I didn’t listen to the good for nothing degenerates telling citizens to be hero’s and stay home! I welt to work every single day, burning Diesel, earning income, buying fule, groceries, lunch and materials, all while waving my middle finger to government thugs the entire time!
Nothing revisionist about what I typed, just facts!
Why the outrage about this? Who in their right mind wouldn’t want a ceasefire?
I’m tired of the Middle East costing and killing this country to death. We have our own problems right here at home! Lost liberals and lost conservatives have both become total warmongers just because the tv says so. What happened to critical thinking?
Let the foreign countries fight their own wars while we attempt to recoup and shore up what’s left of our limping American way of life. Quit dragging us down, damnit
I’m all for a ceasefire as well. When all of the Hamas terrorists are dead.
They think we need foreign wars as a means to keep funding military technology (whoever has that edge is the top dog). As long as we keep letting politicians run the world.
Yup, and oddly enough the politicians and talking heads on tv are literally trying to sell the public on foreign “wars” (Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan) as a means to boost our economy here at home. Basically telling us to fund the military industrial complex if we want the economy to improve…instead of producing useful items we can just build bombs, ammo and missiles and ship them off for the rest of the world to kill each other with. Apparently the only things we export now are money and wars.
Just think of the benefits of stepping back from foreign wars and focusing on securing our borders, weeding out corruption, and improving our overall way of life here at home. But the problem with that is that it improves our way life, as regular Americans, but it doesn’t enrich the greedy succubust elitist’s way of life
Not even a return address. There are eight Gainesvilles in the US. This mayor is truly pathetic. BTW, the only person identified in this childish letter is Ward and he is not entitled to the royal “we”.
Roger, did you miss the photo of Joe and Harv takin’ a selfie at the Gainesville Airport, Sept 3, 2023 ? Maybe the massive crowd that Biden drew was blocking your view? While Hurricane Idalia did massive damage on the coast, Alachua county was really only the ‘safe’ county for Joe to land in without drawing an angry crowd. I could go on, but you should enjoy the photos to understand just how cozy Joe and Harv were on that occasion. https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/local/2023/09/02/yes-that-was-air-force-one-landing-at-gainesville-regional-airport/70752163007/?fbclid=IwAR0iZ8O3v7ytKRlCtt9rua_IpayMVuKAxtR7jYUbz-oJy7JQZ6v6W6aK-cI
Prosperity? What’s that? The only people I know who are prospering right now are the politicians who give themselves raises and tax everyone else.
Harvey talks with a forked tongue, send him over to talk Hamas into surrendering. Better yet, send the whole Commission as a delegation, we’ll be rid of them.
It seems that past sundown on a Friday the Jewish community doesn’t come out in droves to up/down vote pertinent articles like we saw yesterday. We shouldn’t let illusions get in the way of reality because very few truly support this foreign war.
An elderly neighbor of mine asked me to explain the current Middle East conflict to him so he could decide which side to support. I told him to imagine that he heard a commotion out back in his hen-house, and when he ran outside he found a fox fighting with a chicken-hawk. I asked what he would do. Without hesitation he said that he would watch the fight until one of them was dead. Then, he would shoot the other one. Brilliant! The only way to solve this is let them fight it out, then delete the survivors. Who needs either?
If this Mayor wants peace and tranquility , why not have his commissioners, city managers and himself write the check they owe GRU Ratepayers then resign?
Oh, he’ll get right on it bro.
The first paragraph of this letter to Brandon is a joke. What has he done to promote world peace? It has only gotten much worse since he came in. His globalist agenda is taking away our rights and has hurt all of us economically. I think he’s close to being the worst President in American history.
Dear Mayor Ward,
Please redouble your efforts to eliminate GNV’s crime, pothole, panhandler, & vagrant crisis here locally.
Don’t worry about climate change, the planet is fine. The GNV CC has done enough ruining GRU and making
Our electric and property bills unaffordable.
Please stay in your lane or I will be writing Desantis next to mandate that all Florida local governments stay within their jurisdictions and not take their marching orders from the UN, the WEF, & the WHO. F the great reset!
We will never have peace without freedom & liberty. Please let us choose for ourselves if we want to use paper or plastic straws…Paper straws suck.
We will never comply with a vax mandate…My body, my choice!
Sincerely,
John Q Taxpayer
Gainesville, FL
CC: President Joe Biden
If Dems want to rewrite history, let’s start with Adam and Eve.
he is lying, he sent the letter to barack hussein obama. his third term going as planned!
Thanks for the laugh of the year clown mayor.
Harvey: “We have been in contact with both.”
Well, Mr. Mayor, you mean your guiding influence isn’t enough to facilitate a cease fire?
President Biden and Iran’s buddy, Sec. Blinken, are punching way above their weight class when it comes to Israel.
The problem facing Mayor Harvey, his commission, and current US leadership is Israel is giving a clinic on how to rid a region of a real terrorist threat. It’s messy. People actually get hurt unlike video games and political talking points.
But, the alternative is no longer acceptable. Why even have a military if not to do what it’s designed to do, with conclusive finality, when needed?
War always has collateral harm. To be shocked of that is to be naive while living in a nation with no active military draft and a commission with no military service. To them, it’s a remote, abstract issue; fuel for political positioning when none is necessary in responses to terrorist actions.
To decide to raise property tax is a political issue. The Mayor and his flock should stick to what they do best.
To respond to the wholesale massacre of a population by terrorists as Mayor Ward and others have done is another example of self-inflating grandeur calling for peace because they can’t handle the means necessary to secure a lasting peace not dictated by terrorists. Acceptance of conflicts is right out of the Marxist handbook on ‘conflict theory.’
War is the failure of politics and it is in the terrorist’s interest to keep failed political processes active (including the handcuffing of the military in its missions) thus prolonging the pain of war while eroding the safety and confidence of sovereign nations.
“War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.” – Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman
Stop wasting tax dollars on stuff you can not change!! Israel does not care what Gainesville has to say about the war!
So why did we send delegations to the middle east with our tax dollars? This city commission doesn’t understand they are a city commission, not a world commission. They need to prioritize Gainesville issues, not world issues. They waste dollars any way possible.
Ward apparently has no idea of Jewish history and the Muslims. He would be wise to delete the letter and study up.
The Jews are God’s chosen people…period! But like Biden, he is using this as a publicity stunt to garner better reviews of his job as mayor.
And to deflect his poor performance as such. Wise up people, get your head out of the sand.
Yes, Jews see themselves as God’s chosen people but I think Jesus and the New Testament would disagree with that.
Christians, with the exception of Christian Zionist, and all other religions do not acknowledge that label.
Would love to see where Jesus reneged on the covenant God made with Abraham. Mind sharing?
Wow…it’s called the New Testament. Read the book. Romans Chapter 9 will get you started. Follow up with Galatians Chapter 3.
Jews and Israel are not synonyms.
You cannot reject the messiah and remain chosen. It’s okay to follow a different religion but stop conflating the two!
Glad you cleared that up. Why didn’t you just say not all Israelis are Jews?
You asked for it so read the chapters I referenced and leave me alone. You speak nonsense and bring nothing to the table
Little sensitive are we? Don’t worry, Thanksgiving’s right around the corner, they’ll be plenty on the table.
I’ll be giving thanks for it too.
Wow! Harvey sure drafted that letter quickly.
Just think if he would have gotten on that bond offering that fast how many millions he could have saved Gainesville residents.
Just more evidence of his priorities…and incompetence.
Boy, that just sent chills up and down my spine. I did not know Ward was a Clint Eastwood type of guy. What a joke. Keep Hamas and the rest of the middle east terrorists away by eating a pork sandwich everyday.
SHUT YOU PIE HOLE, WARD.