Readers sound off on Chuck Schumer, Legionnaires’ disease, marijuana and more
Brooklyn: Daniel Benjamin compares Sen. Chuck Schumer’s negative response to the Iran deal with his positive response to the opening to Cuba (“Chuck Schumer’s unconvincing case against the Iran deal,” NYDailyNews.com, Aug. 12). It seems to have escaped Benjamin’s notice that Cuba isn’t building a nuclear bomb, and that Cuba hasn’t repeatedly threatened to wipe another UN member nation off the map.
Benjamin’s assertion that we have stood up to Iran in the past could only come from a partisan of Planet Obama. We haven’t stood up to Iran in Syria, Iraq, Yemen or Lebanon. And we haven’t stood up to Iran in any of the negotiations that led up to this deal. It also seems to have escaped Benjamin’s attention that Israel destroyed nuclear programs in Iraq and Syria without engaging in all-out war with those countries, occupying them or having to do it again.
Benjamin belittles Schumer’s Solomonic pretentions, but his own in-depth analysis boils down to the absurd notion that — after Obama has finished gutting our military and showing our allies how unreliable we are — we’ll be better able to confront Iran militarily, if we have to, after they’ve cheated their way to the bomb. David Rabinovitz
A cardinal’s sins
Newburgh, N.Y.: Re Timothy Cardinal Dolan’s Op-Ed “Nativism rears its big-haired head” (July 29): Dolan’s claim to champion support for the poor and immigrants might ring true were he not a dishonest hypocrite. I am a parishioner of St. Mary’s Church in Newburgh, whose work the archbishop destroyed by closing our church. Our programs for the poor are the largest of the four Newburgh parishes. Hundreds of people depend on us and the archbishop does not seem to care. He has given no reason for dissolving us except to say it is not for financial reasons. Despite his claim, I can only conjecture that he wishes to plunder our assets and sell off our property to invest more millions on St. Patrick’s Cathedral, or his own $30 million dollar digs in Manhattan, or the $500,000-plus mansion for his auxiliary bishop in Newburgh. He cannot be believed and should not be trusted.
Francis Paff
The home front
Bronx: President Obama and Congress give away plenty of cash to foreign countries. Where is the money for veterans, the homeless and all of the U.S.A.?
John Donegan
Looking for Legionnaires’
Flushing: How come no one is questioning why cooling towers are not being investigated in Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Nassau and Suffolk? Maybe the people responsible for cleaning these towers were caught not doing their jobs — and this now creates a lot of overtime for them. To declare this disease as an outbreak in the Bronx only is outrageous, in my opinion. You would think more people should be alerted. Jeanne Katz
Dr. Distraction
Forest Hills: Instead of writing numerous emails to her staff about how black lives matter, city Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett should have concentrated on how to handle the Legionnaires’ outbreak in the Bronx. The state Health Department was called in by Gov. Cuomo and figured out the problem in a day.
Mary Manly
Youthful offender
Brooklyn: Re the 10-year-old kid who mugged a kind old lady (“Mug kid, 10, held in arson,” Aug. 13): I sincerely hope he doesn’t just end up in the system and fall between the cracks. He is a perfect candidates to go into the scared-straight program. God help him. Steven Vaiselberg
Same old, same old
Deer Park, L.I.: Hillary Clinton’s campaign looks pretty strong, and the GOP will have to come up with someone to beat her. Stop looking for change. No matter who gets in, it will take more than four years to fix anything.
Frank Furino
The elephant in the running
Linden, N.J.: In Chris Christie’s campaign ad, he shouts, “I mean what I say and I say what I mean!” He is channeling Dr. Seuss’ Horton the elephant. Horton said, “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful, 100%.” Actually, what could be more appropriate than for one elephant (a Republican) to quote another? Ron Jackowski
Fact vs. fiction
Surf City, N.J.: To Voicer Joann Olbrich: No one on the Republican stage was opposed to equal pay for anyone. As for women’s medical choices, what they are most opposed to is the selling of baby parts. Unfortunately, abortion is allowed by law. Only a few called to rescind that. Please make sure you have your facts straight next time you want to disparage a group of people.
Jeanette Nichols
A-Roid
Stroudsburg, Pa.: Why is the baseball world having a love affair with A-Rod? Hasn’t anyone else considered the very real possibility that he has found the Lance Armstrong loophole for steroid doping? Once a cheater, always a cheater. E.P. Buddin
Living in infamy
Mountainside, N.J.: Everybody says it’s a shame we dropped those two bombs on Japan. But remember why we did it. Remember Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941, and who bombed us at Pearl Harbor. Remember our servicemen who had no chance to escape. Remember the Arizona.
Julie Knaz
Birds of a feather
Brooklyn: To Voicer Richard Guidice, who complained about George Soros: I wonder if you feel the same way about the Koch brothers. June P. Lowe
A mother’s thanks
Bayside: As the mother of a police officer, I wanted to say thank you, Michael Shnayerson, for that heart-warming story about how the NYPD helped your motherin-law (“When my wife’s mom disappeared,” Op-Ed, Aug. 13).
Mary Palazzola
Hunter vs. hunted
East Rockaway, L.I.: Dear Dr. Walter J. Palmer: You are interested in hunting exciting prey? May I suggest you flip through the pages of Richard Connell’s book “The Most Dangerous Game.” Perhaps you could pick up some hunting tips. It is apparent that despite your dental degree, your level of intelligence leaves much to be desired. And your hobby is nothing more than compensation for the smaller matters in your life. Maybe you should spend more time developing your moral fiber instead of annihilating the fibers of others. Addie Cappello
A new high
Bronx: We now have legal use of recreational marijuana in some states, and we have medical marijuana in half the country. I want to know what the candidates think the federal government should do about this hot topic. I invite all New Yorkers to share their beliefs on an issue whose time has come.
James Schillaci
Eat good, do good
Brooklyn: Too often, we get hung up on ingredients over what really matters: harmony. Flavor harmony can be achieved by balancing the five flavor profiles — sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. We also create harmony by deciding to align the dish with what’s best for our body, our fellow beings and our fragile environment. It seems like everyone is talking about Meatless Monday these days. Spend every Monday eating ridiculously flavorful foods that just so happen to be meatless. In the process, you’ll lower your chance of dementia, arthritis and high blood pressure, you’ll contribute to saving millions of animals per year and you’ll reduce meat’s massive negative impact on our soil, air and water. Take the harm off your plate and replace it with harmony. Hot apple pie, roasted Mediterranean olives, aged balsamic vinegar, dark chocolate, Thai sweet chili ketchup on crispy chickpea fries. Meatless Mondays never tasted so good! Nicole Moore Eisenberg
Come back, Dave
Astoria: We are coming up on three months since David Letterman’s “Late Show” stopped airing at 11:35 p.m. I have been depressed, discouraged and down since discovering there are no reruns. David may have been No. 2 in the ratings for his time slot. But like many spouses who wind up with a second or third choice, you grow to love your significant other. David, you were goofy, daring and funny. After 33 years of Letterman on late-night, television is not worth watching anymore.