The “Another Opinion” essay lamenting that Donald Trump was dinged for “only” $83.3 million for defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll, was nonsensical.

The writer, Fort Lauderdale attorney Adam Horowitz, draws comparison to the Union Carbide settlement for death and injury to 500,000 people in India.

That settlement was for $470 million, and that was back in 1989. If you do the math, that works out to $940 per person for real injury and actual death. Even in 1989 dollars, that was chump change.

Yet somehow, saying mean things deserves somewhere north of $83 million for one person? Huh?

This only makes sense if you’re a lawyer siphoning off 30% of your client’s award, or it’s just another manifestation of the hatred for Trump.

Then the writer waxes poetic about the poor, defamed award recipient returning to a “normal life.” Unless a normal life already includes $83 million of somebody else’s money and making the rounds on talking head “news” shows, there is no return.

Life is most definitely NOT normal. What a ridiculous position to take.

Mark Hoffman, Pompano Beach

Punitive damages are effective

I wholeheartedly agree with attorney Adam Horowitz that punitive damages can deter heinous behavior, even if some eye-popping jury awards initially seem “over the top.” (“The $83 million verdict against Trump may be too low,” Jan. 31, Sun Sentinel).

For decades, few judges and juries were courageous enough to slap officials in the Catholic Church with punitive damages in cases of clergy sex crimes and cover-ups.

If they had, the church hierarchy might have felt more compelled to adopt substantial reforms long ago.

Who knows how many boys and girls would have been spared lifetimes of depression, anxiety, agoraphobia, eating disorders, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts and other traumatic consequences of these horrific crimes?

David Clohessy, St. Louis, Mo.

The writer is former national director of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

Iran is the problem

It’s time to get serious with the puppeteers who are behind the terrorists around the world: Iran.

Why is our president worried about provoking Iran with a positive military response to its killing of our brave military personnel? This will sound excessive, but if Hamas and the Houthis need to be completely stopped, then we need to destroy their source: Iran.

We saved thousands of American lives when we bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, and it brought Japan to its knees and ended World War II. Yes, there was a lot of collateral damage, but it worked. Cut the head off the snake and the body dies. May God bless and keep our military personnel safe.

Peter Eckert, Plantation

Don’t abandon Ukraine now

The Republicans’ refusal to continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine, which is fighting an existential threat from an invading army led by a ruthless dictator, reminds me of the right-wing opposition to get involved in World War II.

We were basically forced into it by Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and Germany declaring war against us.

Does anyone believe that England could have prevailed against the German juggernaut without our involvement? Can you picture us alone while Germany and Japan controlled much of the world until they then came after us? It is in our self-interest to send a strong message to dictators that their expansionist desires will fail.

Otherwise, it will be a green light for them to proceed against other countries, and we will eventually have a much worse situation to deal with. We need to continue assisting the brave Ukrainians now before it’s too late.

Richard Goetz, Delray Beach