New York Daily News

Sometimes smut is simply smut

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Brooklyn: I am against overly zealous censorship, but I am also fed up with the inundation of smut that passes for “art” on television and in the movies these days. In fact, most of the subjects that are supposedly edgy or controvers­ial I find uninterest­ing and boring. In addition, I believe that subjects such as pedophilia should never be trivialize­d, much less made into so-called comedies. I don’t always agree with Linda Stasi’s opinions, but she was right on target in Sunday’s column (“Louie, Louie, you gotta go!” Nov. 12). As Linda said, “Showing the worst of humanity isn’t always art. Most of the time it’s just porn with pretension­s.” I couldn’t agree more. Good for you, Linda. Vera Galasso Badamo

Do unto others

Fort Myers, Fla.: I would like to ask Jerry and Roy Moore if they would approve of their 14-yearold daughters having sexual encounters with a man 32 years old. Then again, maybe they would approve, only if they could watch. DeEtta G. Breitwiese­r

An old smear

Briarwood: The Daily News should stop classifyin­g those in their 60s and 70s as “elderly” (“Man, 69, dies 2 weeks after car hit,” Nov. 12). This is insulting. Providing the age is certainly enough for anyone to come to their own conclusion without the additional adjective. Many seniors lead very active lives and are also still in the workforce. Surely there must be some “seniors” working in The News office who would find this insulting also! Patricia Nuzzi

Good riddance

Manhattan: Now that Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has expressed a desire to go back to Puerto Rico, I’d like to give her my support. She will be much happier in her native homeland than here in New York City. If she wants to, she can publicly support any terrorists she wishes — past, present or future. If she decides to work for the government and is given questionna­ires to fill out, she can lie to her heart’s content. She can spend years searching the island for statues she doesn’t like, and she can repeat all of the drivel that came out of her mouth while she was here. I think she will be very happy there. I’ll even help her book her flight home.

Steven Davies

Losing her marbles

Manhattan: I am so tired of Marble Hill being referred to as part of the Bronx (“Anti-Greek bias at work: lawsuit,” Nov. 9)! The location of Land & Sea restaurant has nothing to do with the Marble Hill community, which is part of Manhattan. We vote for the elected officials of Manhattan, apply for Social Security in Manhattan and serve on jury duty in Manhattan, and our cable company is Manhattan! Land & Sea is part of Kingsbridg­e in the Bronx. Bernice Cintron

Filling a void

Manhattan: I was glad to read Councilman Rory Lancman’s op-ed about the importance of funding local journalism (“Local journalism, with taxpayer help, Nov. 13). The decline of local news is a threat to democracy. And while the traditiona­l advertisin­g-based model is failing, WNYC’s model — a combinatio­n of membership, sponsorshi­p, and philanthro­py — is enabling us to expand our newsroom and begin to fill the growing void. We believe that WNYC can lead a local news ecosystem by building not only what Lancman calls “WNYC for the written word,” but also for the mobile phone, the video screen and the earbud. We produce local stories, on air and online, that are vital to the public interest — like Brigid Bergin’s piece about 117,000 Brooklyn voters wrongly purged from the rolls, or our series giving voice to commuters during the MTA’s “Summer of Hell.” With a new $10 million gift from the Jerome L. Greene Foundation, we will expand our reporting in audio, text and video, invest in creating a powerful data journalism platform and other digital products, and develop systematic partnershi­ps with others — as we’ve done with the Daily News. The city does indeed need a new model for local journalism, and we're creating it at WNYC. Laura Walker, president and CEO, New York Public Radio

Spitting image

Fishkill, N.Y.: Following up on what Voicers Richard Martin and Estelle Saltzman wrote about baseball players spitting, here’s something I’ve always wondered. Football players and baseball players spit on the field constantly. Hockey players spit on the ice. I have never seen a basketball player spit on the court. Why is that? Are players who play on grass surfaces taught to spit, or are players on hardwood taught not to spit? They all play equally as hard and drink to replenish fluids during games. C’mon, baseball, football and hockey players: No one wants to hit the surface in a gob of your spittle. Try and imagine a point guard hocking a loogie on the way up the basketball court. Jim Mishk

The dish on Liz

Waltham, Mass.: I spent many happy days, weeks and times with the great gossip writer Liz Smith in Vermont. There were visitors like Harry Benson, calls from Carol Channing, and houseguest­s such as the owner of Sardi’s and his daughter. Special guests arrived or called from L.A. or New York City. Next, a Vermont chimney cleaner might call, or just show up. You never knew.

Jennifer Cogswell

No apologies

Manhattan: I, for one, will continue to offer compliment­s to women if I think they are uniquely pretty or fashionabl­e. And to those who exhibit an unusual degree of humanity, warmth or vulnerabil­ity, I will not hesitate to offer a hug. I refuse to fall prey to political correctnes­s run amok. I can only imagine what somebody who knows nothing about me might think to themselves when looking at my Facebook page and seeing all these lovely young women as my “friends.” They have no clue about the mentoring stuff that’s been such a huge part of my life for the past few decades. But, hey, that’s their issue, not mine. As long as my loving wife of 30 years and the Big Guy Upstairs know my motives are pure, let the chips fall where they may!

Gary Stein

Good going

Fremont, Calif.: Finally TLC did the right thing (“TLC cut ties with Derick Dillard over transphobi­c comments about Jazz Jennings,” Nov. 12). Just think of all those Dillard babies! God bless them; they are going to need it. Derick Dillard is a dunce. Who actually cares what he has to say other than Jill? I think Jana is restricted from being her authentic self. Jazz Jennings has a remarkable family. I admire them very much.

Sharon McCann

Muddling the message

Hawthorne, N.J.: Your Nov. 13 headline doesn’t help (“Vernon, 2 49ers kneel during anthem on Veterans Day weekend”). Stop making it about veterans and the flag; it’s about protesting the rampant abuse of power by rogue police officers in the black community. These players kneel because they have a big stage that the average disenfranc­hised person doesn’t have access to. Your singling out players who kneel implies disapprova­l. Shame on you. Mike Daly

Help for a vet

Bay Shore, L.I.: To Voicer Nichole Mader: To get help for your husband and family, try contacting Operation Family Fund for short-term veterans’ assistance. To resolve your issue with the VA, try contacting a consumer advocate who has a media relationsh­ip through your local television station or newspaper, like Lynda (Better Get) Baquero. Nothing will get your senator’s attention quicker than a crew with a television camera coming into his office. Linda D. Garramone

The driver on the bus

REUTERS Bellerose: On Oct. 18 at approximat­ely 11:43 a.m., I boarded the Q46 bus. It pulled away from the Union Turnpike station stop, which is the first and last stop for this bus line. Well, somehow, my wallet fell out of my back pocket. I did not notice until I got home. I retraced my steps but no luck. My wife, who works in the building at the bus terminus, went downstairs and spoke to the bus dispatcher. He must have radioed the driver, because about two hours later my doorbell rang. Who was there but a bus driver. I immediatel­y opened my wallet and wanted to give him a reward. He simply said, “No, it was a pleasure performing such a favor for another person.” I was then going to ask for his name but he seemed to be in a rush and quickly walked back to his car. I felt very bad that I could not give him a reward and I failed to obtain his name. This good deed by this MTA bus driver was so very much appreciate­d — not only because I received back the $84, credit cards, etc., but also because my dad had just passed away a few days before and the fact that he returned my wallet lifted my mental health. Jeffrey M. Connors

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