Losing our way on carriage horses?
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Syracuse: I’m shocked that the Daily News would print such drivel about the carriage horses after such a successful campaign to keep them in the city (“Animal rights group urges NYC Council to create retirement policy for carriage horses,” Jan. 5). First off, NYCLASS is defaming the entire industry by claiming that all carriage horses face slaughter when they retire from working. This is provably untrue. No New York City carriage horse has ever been at risk of going to slaughter, or shown up in an auction pen directly from the NYC stables.
Secondly, carriage horses are privately owned — meaning they’re private property. The city cannot dictate the retirement policy of these horses any more than they can dictate what people do with their pet dogs. It is up to the horses’ owners to decide where the horse goes post-retirement. Many have gone to rescues or adoption agencies. Others are privately sold to individuals because these horses are highly valued-they’re safe for beginners because they’ve been exposed to things other horses don’t see. They’re extremely well trained and make excellent teachers, show horses, lesson horses and family members.
While Blue Star Equiculture may have been the official option, it was one of many for owners. Blue Star’s closure comes after many online attacks by radical animal rights activists, who successfully managed to get their Facebook page taken down. That was their main platform to interact with donors, sponsors and potential adopters. The behavior of these activists clearly shows how little they actually know or care about horses. Emlyn Clark
Bus-iness as unusual
Flushing: The MTA is planning to change all bus routes in Queens and to eliminate some routes. Please publicize this plan. Most people in Queens are not aware of this major change even though we will all be affected. Please give some attention to this and help us keep public transportation convenient to all.
Cathy Bouchard
Getting hotter
White Rock, B.C.: To megamoney-minded men, “practical” greenhouse-gas-reducing solutions will always be predicated on economic “reality,” the latter which is mostly created and entrenched according to fossil fuel industry interests. Indeed, for a leader to try reworking this “reality” would seriously risk his/her own governance, however a landslide election victory he/she may have won. What results is political unwillingness to effectively address the immense environmental corruption and destruction at the hands of we reckless and greedy humans. And, of course, to keep almost everyone addicted to wasteful
and/or polluting behavior, such as driving one’s own single-occupant internalcombustion vehicle, surely helps keep collective mouths shut about the planet’s most profitable carbon polluters — the fossil fuel industry — lest the automobile operator feel like and/or be deemed a hypocrite. Frank Sterle Jr.
A matter of time
College Point: When the dangerous and unstable Eugene Webb kills someone, having been let go three times for alleged violent attacks against women, the city and Judge Ann Thompson will have blood on their hands.
Guy Breen
Really?
Seaford, L.I.: While we wait for bail reform to be amended or repealed, every assistant district attorney in every county in the state should be reminded that if they request an order of protection at arraignment, the judge is then enabled to impose bail.
Sal Mistretta
Wishful thinking
Bellerose: Well it appears that Meghan and Harry want to become commoners! How will they do that? Perhaps moving out of their castle and moving to Hollywood, or maybe a trailer park? How long will that last?
John van Acken
Enquiring minds
Plainview, L.I.: It sounds to me like the missile that was fired by accident from Tehran could have been a center fuel tank like TWA Flight 800. I wonder. Frank Mauceri
Why he fought
Bronx: Some political commentators are saying Gen. Qassem Soleimani fought ISIS in Iraq, as if he was a force for good. From Soleimani’s perspective, he was not fighting ISIS because it was a terrorist organization, but fighting to destroy it as a source of power for Sunni Islam, his religious rivals. He was not a freedom fighter, but a religious sectarian. Soleimani’s war was part of a 1,500year civil war within Islam.
Kevin Harrington
Conspiracy of silence
Yonkers: Is anyone in the media ever going to point out that Trump, during his speech concerning the Iranian assassination — and many, many times before, but this time worse than ever — was slurring his words like some old drunk at a sleazy bar? He cannot pronounce simple words, like he has no control. Now, we know he doesn’t drink, but what is he snorting, sniffing (or whatever) that makes him constantly sniff and then be unable to actually speak? Is anyone ever going to acknowledge this?
Suzanne Hayes Kelly
Perspective
Manalapan, N.J.: While I am very sorry for the family of Christon Jarrett, his story (“Left me to die,” Jan. 9) ran on the front page and two more pages inside. Truly there are some news stories that rank higher. For instance our crackpot president bringing us to the brink of a war, added to all his other knuckleheaded hijinks. How about the fires in Australia, in which one billion animals have died? Where are your priorities?
Golden Oldies
Fredda Fatah
West Islip, L.I.: From April 28, 1991 to June 3, 2005, I was a devoted listener of WCBS-FM. When WCBS-FM came back in 2007, I was hoping and still am, that it would become a true oldies station again, playing the hits from 1955-1989. Maybe another radio station in the New York City area can be a true oldies station again.
Raymond Malcuit
JEFFERSON SIEGEL/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Stop, thieves!
East Patchogue, L.I.: In regard to all the robberies of 7-Elevens and gas stations and such: They should have a stun gun at the cash register. Not to kill, but to stop intruders, and also a button to press to call police. It may save some lives.
Catherine Lo Curto.
Ending Their Pain
Brooklyn: Jeff Gardere is absolutely correct and very humane in calling for the New York State Legislature to enact legislation for legally assisted suicide for terminal and incurable diseases that are beyond medical hope (“What the terminally ill deserve,” op-ed, Jan. 6). While America has led the world in Nobel Prizes and research and development, we fail to keep these unfortunate patients from meaningless pain and suffering. It is a sad fact that in most American medical schools, courses in relieving pain and suffering are strictly elective and not required for medical students to get their degree. When the human temple ceases to become a function of pleasure and is only wracked with pain, we should use whatever is necessary to secure the blessed relief these patients yearn for. Elliott Abosh