Following in the footsteps of basketball greats
Greenville, S.C.: I want to comment about the success story of Bronny James, who plays in the NBA like his father, Lebron James. It’s great that this father-and-son duo plays together on the Los Angeles Lakers. And Bronny James is about to make his trailblazing, prolific mark on the NBA just like his father did before him. Bronny is soon to have a lot of games under his belt because of his discovered talent, and he will be prolific in the number of wins he’ll make for his home team.
But Bronny is not the only son to make his mark on basketball like his father. D.J. Rodman, Jace Howard and Jase Richardson became huge stars in college basketball after their fathers retired from the NBA. D.J. Rodman played four seasons at Washington State before transferring to USC last season. This time, Rodman was not picked for the 2024 NBA draft. He is the son of NBA great Dennis Rodman, who had a notorious career with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls some time ago. Current Michigan Wolverines guard Jace Howard is the son of NBA great Juwan Howard, who won many titles playing with the Miami Heat. Also, 2024 Michigan State point guard Jase Richardson’s father Jason Richardson played for years with the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic.
I wish Bronny James all the luck in the world playing beside his father. And I hope other sons of NBA greats also make the NBA roster in their own time. I hope they cook up a success story and become legends in their family’s hometowns as well. Steven Hawkins
Security failure
Kew Gardens: With all due respect to the Secret Service personnel who risk their lives to protect their designee, there was a failure to properly evaluate the perimeter. The shooter had line-of-sight access to Donald Trump. They clearly dropped the ball. Spectators were wildly trying to alert protection personnel to no avail. The rooftops of these one-story buildings were a glaring threat. I understand the aversion to Monday morning quarterbacking, but this event clearly shows a vulnerability that should have been foreseen. Phil Serpico
Cheaped out
Carmel, N.Y.: The U.S. government will be spending $80 billion to hire new IRS agents but not enough new federal law enforcement officers hired! Lack of manpower was blamed for the assassination attempt on President Trump. The building where the shooter was on the rooftop was never inspected and made secure! Susan McCormack
Buried the lead
Brooklyn: The attempted assassination of a former president on page 5? Shame on you. Ron Goldman
Next in line?
Brooklyn: Who benefits had, God forbid, Trump been assassinated? The Republican Party would have had to search for a new candidate who would have no money, having to start from scratch. There would be no more calls for President Biden to step down, as there haven’t been since this assassination attempt, and there would be no need for Biden to step down as his opponent would be unknown, starting from scratch. Not a conspiracy, just logic mixed with facts, and a curiosity as to why that building rooftop 100 yards away wasn’t cleared and locked down. David DiBello
Call it quits
Manhattan: That song sung by Ray Charles, “Hit the Road, Jack,” today seems like a warning sign for what happened on Saturday. Attempted assassinations have been made on presidents before and sometimes they have succeeded. There was even an attempt on an ex-president trying to become president again (Teddy Roosevelt in 1912). Lincoln had this premonition before it happened. Does Trump now believe it could happen again? Alan Lehrer
Magic bullet
Kearny, N.J.: How in the world do you get shot in the ear and not get shot in the head? That’s some magic bullet! More likely, it was a low-level incendiary device or even an exploding dye pack concealed behind Trump’s ear. But even if you think this thing was real, consider that if you prepare the bomb, light the fuse and are hobbled by age or dimwittedness, there’s a good chance you yourself will be injured by that bomb. Trump has promoted almost unlimited ease of access to guns and stoked social and political divisions, and he’s not the most agile person, physically or mentally. His injury through political violence can be surprising to no one. John Woodmaska
Too close to home?
Manhattan: After Donald Trump got shot by a 20-year-old with an AR-15, Mitch McConnell was quick to comment that violence has no place in politics. He was right. Let’s put it back in the schools where it belongs. Louie Russo
Fractured nation
Malverne, L.I.: To all with Trump Derangement Syndrome: In light of the attempted assassination of former President Trump, will the Democrats in Congress convene a July 13 Committee to investigate all the Democrats, liberal elites and liberal news commentators who spewed the nonsensical rhetoric that Trump is some sort of existential threat to democracy and compared him to Hitler, which obviously led to this lunatic’s actions? I am not holding my breath! This division in the U.S. has got to stop. I thought President Biden was supposed to reunite us as a nation. Instead, he has divided us even more! David Kalin
What goes around…
Bedford, N.Y.: Less than half an inch would have changed the history of the world for the better or for the worse. I pray that our former president realizes he’s not immune to the effects of his own hate-filled, revenge rhetoric. Words and actions matter. Céline Secada
Easy win
Bronx: Donald Trump, you should realize that you are a shoe-in to win the presidency by a landslide. Mary Caggiano
Her turn
Manhattan: Leonard Greene’s piece in the Sunday paper (“Give Kam the job, Joe,” column, July 14) offered a brilliant idea. To recap, for the Dems to keep the White House in this 2024 election, Biden should not only drop out of the race but also resign. Kamala Harris would become president and could top the Dem ticket running as an incumbent president. Sounds solid. Let’s do this. Karen Loew
Fat chance
Bayonne: If Vice President Harris somehow becomes the lead candidate in November, so be it. She has my vote. But for Biden to resign now, as Leonard Greene suggests, would be sheer lunacy! Who will be the new veep? Won’t be none, because the nominee would need a majority vote in each house of Congress. Not gonna happen, and if, God forbid, something were to happen to Harris, do we want Mike Johnson as president no matter how short a length of time? Seriously? Marty Wolfson
Winning candidate
Valley Stream, L.I.: Too bad Ross Perot has left us. I’m sure he would have won this election by a landslide. John Esposito
Cramped quarters
Brooklyn: Your editorial (“Say yes to the Yes,” July 12) was typical of one-dimensional thinking, unable to think of anything other than what is felt. Since you made an assumption that all one- and two-family homeowners do not care about the city or their fellow New Yorkers, I will make some assumptions. They do not want to smell their neighbors’ cooking 24 hours a day or listen to their radio, TV, arguments or celebrations. They do not want to listen to their dog barking all day. They do not want their cockroaches, mice, etc. You may also want to think about the cost of construction in NYC with the many rules and regulations. Also, the mandates the city puts on the landlord with every kind of tax and summons they can dream up. It is hard for a landlord to keep up a building other than luxury buildings. Poorly maintained buildings are one of the problems with a shortage of decent housing. I understand there is no easy answer, but the answer should never be to force people to all live one way; example: Russia, China, etc. Tom DeLorenzo