Peace won’t be found in cherry-picked history
Manhattan: A couple of Voicers who heaped praise on the op-ed by Efrem Sigel (“Three lies about Israel and the truth,” Jan. 25) must be too young to remember the perfume ad: “Promise her anything, but...” When seeking support from the Arabs in WWI, the Allies promised Arab self-determination in the Middle East, including Palestine. War over, promise broken: Apparently without consultation with the Arab population, Mandatory Palestine (photo) was placed under control by the U.K., which a quarter-century later dumped the problem on the UN. The U.K. at least had the sense to recommend a Jewish “homeland” and not a sovereign state. The UN, in its infancy, botched the solution, opening up a territory that was 90% Muslim and Christian to Jewish immigrants.
In the interim, between the Balfour Declaration/League of Nations and 1947, Zionist propagandists had promoted the “ancestral homeland” argument (after earlier having considered other safe havens in Africa, Asia and South America), although many Jews (including Hannah Arendt) opposed the creation of a theocratic state.
By the 17th century, virtually the entire Jewish population had departed the region (demographers estimate about 2,000 Jews remained); yet Sigel attempts to legitimize the current Jewish presence by “historical ties” back thousands of years. Israel today is a practical problem. It won the war, it need not win the debate. It is perhaps the strongest power in the region and is not going away. Find a fix. A kochleffel does not help the situation. Michele P. Brown
Sanitized narrative
Boonton, N.J.: Efrem Sigel writes about “truth” while listing only the truths he likes, bringing comfort to people like Voicer Stuart Lahn but obscuring cruel realities suffered daily. Sigel rattles off statistics of professional and political representation of Israel’s Arab minority as if it disproves Israel’s apartheid system. He makes no mention of those same Arab citizens not being allowed to buy houses in Jewish-only communities, being harassed at airports every time they fly out of and back into the country, and being subjected to every form of discrimination one can imagine in a society that prefers one group over others. And what about the 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank over whom Israel governs with military law, arresting and imprisoning grade-school-age children without trial? Live with the possibility that heavily armed soldiers can enter your home at will and take anyone with them and then I’ll listen to your thoughts on apartheid.
Mike O’Hare
No justice
Maspeth: I am sick from watching the video of our two NYPD policemen being beaten by a group of migrants. How does this happen and why are the perps not incarcerated? Let out immediately — are you kidding me? They should be immediately deported back to where they came from. This is enough!
Jo Signorelli
Cowed cops
Astoria: Gang assault on uniformed police officers in daylight in Times Square and they spend three hours in lock up? Why does this happen? Because the City Council has completely neutered the NYPD and the DA’s office refuses to do its job enforcing the law. If these migrants had tried this in their home country, do you know what would have happened? There would be eight body bags on the ground and no one would have a problem with it. The cops would get medals and the criminals would be afraid. In NYC, the people and the cops have to be afraid. Tim Austin
Get goonish
Sea Isle City, N.J.: The officers’ superior should give an order that if this happens again, use their billy clubs — start swinging and don’t stop until the screaming stops. The city needs a police commissioner like the city of Philadelphia had back in the ’60s and ’70s, “Big Man” Frank Rizzo. He kept the city safe. Jim Fusco
Written reports?
North Massapequa, L.I.: I’m just wondering, did the City Council check to see if the police who were attacked in Times Square filled out their documented contact forms? Steven Malichek
Soundbite solution
Manhattan: The main objection to the “How Many Stops” Act is the paperwork. It seems to me that police can quickly record each interaction with a special audio recorder instead of writing it all out. These recordings can then be promptly made into text at the precinct by people who are trained to do this task, just as we can convert our own words to text in a matter of seconds with the push of a button. The recording process would also likely make the police encounter less confrontational. Easy access to the stored recordings and their transcripts can follow. All of this will take the time factor away from the police. Leonard Smoke
Falls short
Hoboken: To Voicer Myra B. Goodman: I couldn’t agree with you more. The first time I saw the subway platform fences, I laughed. I mean if that isn’t the definition of a waste of money, I don’t know what is. On top of everything else you mentioned, the barriers are at the perfect height for your knees to buckle as you go flying over it onto the tracks. This should be a fire-able offense. Joe Ewansky
Quality of life
Far Rockaway: It seems like Far Rockaway has more speed cameras per mile than any neighborhood. Tickets galore, yet parking is a free-for-all. On Beach 21st and 22nd St. off Mott Ave., vehicles are parked all day, every day, in the “No Standing Anytime” zones without consequences. There’s a bus stop and layover on Beach 21st St., which means the illegal parking makes it impassable when a bus is present. Abandoned vehicles are left on residential streets for months despite repeated complaints to 311. They keep building housing projects, at first aimed at low-income, then noincome, recently homeless and now migrants. The new property tax assessment comes in the mail: market value down but taxes up. The city seems to be getting worse daily, caught between the right-wing nuts shipping migrants here and the left-wing flakes bleeding the residents dry.
E. Jones
Asinine insights
Brooklyn: Please stop publishing the inane comments from Voicer Shlomo Klein. Each time I see them, I try to figure out why on earth you would publish it. Each time I read one, my brain can’t comprehend why he writes them. Is he using the column to promote items for sale on Amazon? PrepWorks apple slicer, disposable baking pans, Antonki timers, window privacy film and the valuable shower vs. bath debate, to name a few.
Anne Slamka
Klein’s Digest
Holliswood: Please give Voicer Shlomo Klein his own “moneysaving tips” column already. All he ever seems to write about is some money-saving gadget he’s found on Amazon. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s promoting stuff on his own Amazon business webpage.
Gregory W. Chupa
Man up
Manhattan: Unlike Voicer Thomas Sarc, who believes he speaks for everyone, I’ll speak for myself. I am getting so tired of weak, fearful, emasculated snowflakes who allow a quick cutaway to a famous female celebrity during a football game ruin the whole game for them. Did he really think the readers would view him as anything other than a weak, insecure male? I suggest he add her music to his boycott list, along with pancake mix, Disney, Bud Light and all the other things that cause him such misery.
Steven Davies
Mind games
Staten Island: The Taylor Swift psyop conspiracy theory gives new meaning to the term “phantasy football.” Ralph D’Esposito
Good for everyone
Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.: To Voicer Kris Tapper: Time to set a few things straight. The NY HEAT provisions, which I praised Gov. Hochul for including in her executive budget in my response to your previous letter, affect all New Yorkers — the ones from Brooklyn and Sleepy Hollow. All of us will have lower gas bills, and public health throughout the state will improve. We are all suffering from rising temperatures caused by burning fossil fuels. What’s the logic of not trying to reduce their use and pay less in energy costs for doing so? We’ll hardly be alone. Surprising states like Texas have beaten us all hollow in solar and wind power development.
Norman J. Sissman