Our officials make mask policies up as they go
Brooklyn: So, vandals claiming to be protesters are destroying property, throwing paint on front doors, defacing historic statues and bullying subway riders, and they are doing it all masked up. Mayor Adams and Gov. Hochul should be careful what they wish for. A few years ago, all they wanted was for all New Yorkers to wear masks everywhere, even where it made no sense, like at restaurants (we all remember the idiocy of taking your mask off once you were seated) and in schools. Now they have vandals dutifully wearing the masks they pushed so zealously not long ago.
By contrast, there is a certain group in this city that, in the whole two and a half years that we have been protesting, have never splattered red paint on a building, nor punched anyone, thrown rocks, terrorized our critics or defaced anyone’s home or statues: NYC workers forced out of our jobs for not getting vaccinated. We who have been protesting the vaccine mandate firings that both of them championed have held dozens of peaceful protests over the past three years all over the city and up in Albany, and never vandalized anything.
Perhaps the mayor and the governor should chew on that one, because neither of them has ceased to discriminate against the unvaccinated or offered to repair the damage to our lives even though we conduct ourselves with respect for our city. Yet, both of them have been putting up with the escalating criminality of these protesters for months. We used to be a city run by people who were good judges of character. Boy, has that changed. Diane Pagen
Subliminal swastika?
Clintondale, N.Y.: I can’t be the only one who sees that the crossword grids on the bonus page resemble a swastika. What’s with puzzle author Jacqueline E. Mathews? Russell Provost
The humane choice
Staten Island: I support Eon Huntley’s stance regarding the rats of NYC. Birth control instead of killing. Can we at least get this one right without having to learn from our mistakes? Julia Serrago
Do what works
Phoenix: Killing rats (or cockroaches, or coyotes) is not an effective method of pest control. When there are fewer rats, the remaining rats with more available resources have bigger litters, quickly replenishing the population. The rat killers will have caused pointless suffering and accomplished exactly nothing. I don’t know how effective rat birth control is but it’s a brilliant idea, especially if coupled with better waste management practices. I hope New Yorkers opt for solutions that will actually address the problem. Robin Kolwicz
One lucky guy
Carmel, N.Y.: I have always been a firm believer that when your number is up, it’s up! L.H., the poor man who survived being struck by a subway train (“Dodges subway death,” June 22), proves my point. During my almost 81 years on this planet, I have witnessed numerous accidents and incidents associated with the emergency services field where people who should have been killed walked away with minor trauma while others involved in minor skirmishes and incidents wound up in the morgue. L.H. is a lucky guy alright. Can’t imagine what went through his mind when being dragged standing up along a subway platform as the train ground to a halt. L.H., you are one fortunate guy. Your number wasn’t up! Eric Gross
Dropped letter
Brooklyn: I noticed the headline concerning a shooting in the only one of the five boroughs connected to the North American landmass (“New pix of suspects in Bonx shoot of teen,” June 22). Traditionally, the name of that borough includes an “r.” You may need this for future reference. Ira Cure
Fully altered
Manhattan: Us liberals are up in arms (pun intended) over a recent Supreme Court ruling. Obviously, when a rifle is modified with a bump stock to function like a machine gun, then it is a machine gun. Likewise, when a bicycle is modified with a motor, then it is a motorcycle. E-bikes are unregulated motorcycles that purportedly do not speed more than 20 mph. However, many go much faster as they blow through red lights and stop signs with no regard for pedestrians. The current NYC speed limit is 25 mph with a push now to lower it to 20 mph. All vehicles, including e-bikes, should abide by the same traffic rules. Vincent Novak
Major setback
Albany: Re “Congestion pricing countdown” (editorial, June 21): Gov. Hochul’s snap decision to halt congestion pricing in the city is unfortunate on multiple levels. This political decision thwarts an array of positive actions. Congestion pricing is great transit and climate policy. It would have served to raise billions of dollars for new public transportation projects like the Second Ave. subway. It would have provided major funding for electrifying the metropolitan bus fleet. Most likely, it would have reduced congestion and created jobs. Enhancing public transportation is great for climate, as it dramatically reduces emissions. Unfortunately, Hochul has not been a climate champion as exemplified by this poor decision. Solving big problems like the climate crisis and metropolitan traffic issues requires bold action. New York has missed a big opportunity to do the right thing. What a shame! Sally Courtright
Self-incriminated
Wellfleet, Mass.: Aren’t smartphones and social media platforms just wonderful? An aspiring social media star recently set fire to a dumpster, then posted a video of it to a social media platform, after which they were arrested and charged with felony arson. I’m shocked. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Mike Rice
Bias-inducing coverage
Kings Park, L.I.: The recent reporting on immigrants and crime has been conveyed in the news whenever it occurs. However, how many crimes are committed every day in this country by native-born Americans? Do they report on their background as well? What is their ethnicity? What is their political affiliation? What religion do they ascribe to? Are they left- or right-handed? The same case can be made for someone who has a mental disorder. You can be sure if one exists and that person commits a crime, it will be front and center of the coverage. Objective research has shown that immigrants and those with mental illness are not any more likely to commit a serious crime than the rest of the population. Check the facts from objective researchers, you will be enlightened. But you wouldn’t believe that if your news comes from only one-sided sources with an agenda. John Karahalis
Doing the hard work
Union, N.J.: As you sit in the air conditioning, safe from the blazing, sweltering 100-plus-degree heat and choking humidity, do you look out on those damn immigrants mowing lawns, digging ditches, paving roads, tarring or shingling roofs and think, “Boy, I hate them for coming here and taking all those wonderful jobs away from us Americans!”? Lou Alt
Splinter group
West Hempstead, L.I.: There are ultra-Orthodox Jews who support the state of Israel but strive for more religious involvement. There are those who say to wait for Moshiach, the Messiah, before declaring statehood. But none support the enemies of Israel. None support the Palestinians. Many serve in the IDF. Those marching with Arab flags on Sabbath are Neturei Karta, a group so vile that the Satmar banned them. They are, in essence, excommunicated by the Jewish world. They are shunned and are pariahs. They represent only themselves and not any other group in the Jewish community. Samuel Mark
Selective outrage
Beechhurst: It rankles me that Nicole Wallace, that execrable, fake Republican MSNBC host, is apoplectic about how Florida Federal Judge Aileen Cannon has professionally conducted Donald Trump’s documents case, but was stone-cold silent about how Acting Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan ran a Soviet-style show trial in Trump’s hush money case. Also, you’d think that Wallace (a former George W. Bush aide), Michael Steele (a former Republican National Committee chair and now an MSNBC commentator) and frequent MSNBC guest historian Jon Meacham would at least condemn the 2020 election interference perpetrated by those 51 ex-intelligence officials who signed a letter suggesting that Hunter Biden’s laptop was a Russian disinformation operation. Nope — those three sanctimonious defenders of our democracy are all down with the deep-state’s diminution of our democracy. James Hyland