It’s a wonderful life and message
Lindenhurst, L.I.: If the classic movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” is aired on television, it must be Christmastime. The movie we all know ends with the question to imagine, “What would the world be like if you were never born?” We would often wonder why this movie moral is a Christmas story — besides the time period of the movie being set during Christmas season.
Suddenly it dawns on us, like turning on the lights of a Christmas tree, that the real meaning of the movie’s Christmas moral — “What would the world be like if Jesus had never been born?”
Without Jesus Christ’s birth to give us the Christmas holiday, there would be no good tidings, no merriment, no joy to the world, and no Christ teachings of faith, hope and charity.
That is the real story of the movie: Because of Jesus Christ’s birth, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Susan and Robert Davniero
Innocence lost
Floral Park, L.I.: Something to ponder: I was watching two great holiday movies: “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Miracle on 34th Street.” In the former, at the end when Donna Reed comes home to tell her husband about the good news, it’s obvious she left the children alone. In today’s world, she would be scorned and arrested. At the beginning of “Miracle,” Maureen O’Hara comes home to find her daughter is in the apartment with her adult male neighbor. Again, this would be looked down upon by today’s culture. The male neighbor would be looked at as doing something wrong. Oh, how we miss the innocence of our past, and the feel good movies that made us a society of caring people.
Robert Damato
Give Nick a break
Birmingham, Ala.: Chuck Modiano is a real idiot (“Nick Saban is a clueless, gutless, selfish coward for his silence on Roy Moore,” Dec. 14). He doesn’t live in Alabama and apparently has no idea how Saban uses his time and money to help others. It’s a shame that as a profession you can smear someone that you know nothing about. Did you hear Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn say anything about Roy Moore? We here in Alabama had a hard choice to make between a left-wing abortion supporter and a man who was accused, not convicted of, sexual misconduct. We agree this was not a great choice, but we voted and we do not need Saban to influence us in either direction. We can make up our own minds. Just like we don’t need a New York sportswriter who has suddenly become morally superior to inject his unwanted opinion. Go back to writing about sports events. And, Roll Tide!
Dennis and Melissa Stephens
Alabama’s No. 1
Mobile, Ala.: Nick Saban said publicly that he voted early in the election with an absentee ballot as he knew he’d be very busy election day. (Maybe a little research before writing a hit piece?) Saban is in favor of players being compensated. The number of minorities that have become millionaires thanks to Saban is impressive and they are all very vocal about how much they love and appreciate Saban for his guidance. Of course, all that Saban does to help these young men get the proper training and exposure to maximize their potential to be drafted doesn’t fit the slave owner narrative of your piece. Alabama is one of the top Division One programs nationally in graduating players. (I’d bet those degrees go a long way in shaping men’s futures.) Seems like you assume all Alabama and Auburn fans are white. (Obviously you haven’t spent much time in Alabama, if any.) None of the head football coaches in Alabama took public stances on politicians in any races national or local. Why not do a story on all the division one coaches nationwide and who they voted for? Of course, finding one who made his vote public would be an exercise in futility.
Mike Powell
Where Colin went wrong
Edison, N.J.: Voicer Martin Danenberg completely misinterprets the Colin Kaepernick situation. Every citizen of the United States has First Amendment rights; but mine end where yours begin and yours end where mine begin. In spite of the spin being applied by both sides of this issue, the fact is simply that disciples of Kaepernick are restricting paying customers inside the stadium from exercising their rights by them exercising their own rights on the fields. Fans at home can and do change the channel when kneelers kneel so both are allowed to exercise their rights. But inside the stadium, after fans have paid for tickets and fought traffic, they are unable to exercise their rights when kneelers kneel. When will owners realize that and enforce the collective bargaining agreement rules on the field? Disciples who now choose to kneel can exercise their rights anywhere in the world, including the locker room where they enjoy unique access to the media. Meanwhile, why would anyone follow Kaepernick who has paid money to support a convicted cop killer named Joanne Chesimard who’s been on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for years while living in Cuba?
Tom Jeffs
Hombach vs. Chupa
Schenectady, N.Y.: To Voicer John Scott: My letter only addressed specific questions involving the peddling of the phony right- wing letter of Voicer Gregory Chupa and how Philando Castile was murdered by a Minnesota policeman. You obviously missed that, like Chupa missed that part of the testimony. All lives are important, to answer your question. Diane Hombach
Chupa vs. Hombach
Holliswood: In her reply to my letter, Voicer Diane Hombach is also spreading a false narrative regarding the death of Philando Castile at the hands of a police officer in Minnesota when she writes that the police officer did not instruct Castile not to reach for his gun. While Hombach references Castile’s girlfriend’s video, which only shows the aftermath of the shooting, the police officer’s dashcam video shows the entire encounter, with the officer telling Castile not to reach for the weapon three times before the officer opens fire. As they say, facts are stubborn things. And these facts led to the officer’s acquittal. You won’t print my reply because facts are antithetical to your papers’ anti-police agenda. Gregory W. Chupa
The real Castile story
Brooklyn: To Voicer Gregory W.Chupa: Castile wasn’t reaching for his gun; he was reaching for his permit to legally carry a firearm which he has to produce to the officer. He had to let the officer know that he was carrying a firearm, that he was licensed to carry legally and he had to produce the proper paperwork stating this. He had taken the classes that instruct you on what to do when stopped by law enforcement and he did everything he was supposed to do. The officer stopped him illegally and proceeded to kill him. Dan Freeman
War of the false narratives
Bronx: To Voicer Gregory W. Chupa: There was no false narrative on my end and I object to your slander. Philando Castile was fully compliant and never reached for a gun; that’s a fabrication by the shooting cop. The incident is on video — the cellphone video from Castile’s girlfriend, not the doctored video from the involved cops who used a dash cam footage of a completely different, irrelevant police stop and dubbed it with audio from the Castile cellphone video to falsely justify the cop’s actions (go to YouTube and you’ll see). So, as I told Voicer Maryann DeJohn, whom I was initially responding to, I’m now telling you: Stop making excuses for such obvious criminal behavior where you know full well you wouldn’t tolerate it if it were done to you! Enough with the special privileges — start advocating for equal accountability!
Michael S. Wilbekin
The real obstructionists
Lake Worth, Fla.: Re Voicer Steve Feuer’s letter about Democrats being obstructionists to everything the Republicans are bringing before the Congress. Boy do you have a short memory. Obviously, you don’t remember that for almost six of the eight years President Obama was in office, they voted the party line against every single thing that the Democrats sought to have passed. Oh, and don’t forget Mitch McConnell’s favorite quote the day after the 2008 election that it was their job to make sure that Obama is a one term President. That is obstruction. The word bipartisanship is not in the GOP dictionary.
Judith Levine
Meryl’s biggest role
AP North Arlington, N.J.: Meryl Streep continues to say that she didn’t know Harvey Weinstein was a serial sexual predator. I always thought she was a great actress, and this proves it.
Janet Rose
Don’t Mets with the Amazins’
Woodside: To Voicer Leo Barta: I recognize your name a lot and you’re always writing annoying letters bashing the Mets and their fans. You’re very rude. Don’t you have anything better to do with your time? Get a life!
Debra Morochnick