Disaffected voting
Brooklyn: I first learned of a presidential debate at the age of 6. My parents watched as John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon spoke on our black-and-white TV. I had no idea what was being debated, but my parents listened intently. On Election Day, my father dressed in a suit and tie and my mother in her best coat headed out to vote. They were proud, honored and felt privileged to have the right to have a voice in who became the next leader of our nation. Some years later, I was given that right. Now I have walked with my daughters to vote, still proud. We don’t always agree, but it is still their choice, their right. Sadly, now we are not voting for who we feel is the best candidate, but who would be the lesser of two evils. How sad for our new voters and for the voters yet to come. J.C. Calkin
Risk-averse reporting
Manhattan: Voicer Mike Armstrong believes I’m joking about the journalistic standards the major broadcast news networks have for reporting. When a substantial allegation is broadcast, the required proof must be submitted to the executive producer, the president of the news division and the corporate legal department. Unlike Fox News, the networks don’t want to get sued or jeopardize their journalistic integrity. If anything, they are too careful — fearful of boycotts that would affect their bottom line. They avoid investigative reporting and underreport third-rail issues like the religious extremism in the MAGA cult. No joke, Mike, but you can believe whatever opinions or facts you choose. Know the difference. It’s still a free country, unless Trump gets to exact revenge on the free press as he has promised. Vincent Novak
Already there
Flushing: While I appreciate the sentiments expressed by Robert Polner and Michael Tubridy (“A 400th birthday for the world’s greatest city,” op-ed, Aug. 13), I believe that our friends in St. Augustine, Fla. (1565) and Jamestown, Va. (1607) would take issue with the authors’ assertion that the action by Abe Beame and Paul Dwyer to move the date of the founding of New York back to its Dutch roots (1625) made it “the oldest city in America.” John Drobnicki
Soft stance
Brooklyn: Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah all threaten revenge against Israel for killing terrorist leaders. Where are the admonishments from the Biden administration to these heinous terrorists not to retaliate so as not to escalate the violence? There’s nothing but deafening silence. It’s only when Israel defends itself that we hear from the phony Biden administration about restraint, as if they care about human casualties. It seems they don’t consider Israeli casualties important enough to be concerned about. Josh Greenberger
Slap on the wrist
Brooklyn: I think the Red Sox suspension of Jarren Duran was too lenient. He should’ve gotten more of a suspension for defaming an LGBTQ spectator. I’m sure if it was another ethnic group, punishment would’ve been much worse. Charlie Pisano
Storm comin’
Albany: As the newly formed storm Ernesto takes shape, many folks in New York still feel the pain of Debby. She pummeled the Southeast and managed to inundate parts of the Empire State. Our disrupted climate generates storms that are large, transport a plethora of water and move slowly. These are powerfully scary storms. Debby’s devastation has been brought to us largely by the fossil fuel industry. But New York’s Legislature recently passed the Climate Change Superfund Act, which calls on these companies to help pay for the infrastructure necessary for vital climate adaptation. Such good news! Unfortunately, Gov. Hochul has avoided signing this important legislation. Our governor needs to vigorously support our state’s smart climate goals and sign the act into law. Many of us are waiting for Hochul to fully comprehend the climate crisis and to use her power to effectively mitigate it. Sally Courtright
Sweet dreams
Staten Island: It was the early 1960s. Our nursing school dorm was adjacent to Brooklyn Jewish Hospital on Prospect Place. Beneath the windows, we could watch the Franklin Ave. shuttle chug back and forth for all of five stops. Over those three years, the sounds of the train and hourly church bells would lull us to sleep. Special memories of tired, grateful future nurses. Lynne Stone