We lost a lion of humanity who we must emulate
New Rochelle, N.Y.: There were two reasons to mourn a heroic death on Good Friday, that sad yet triumphant day Christians noted the death on the cross of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We lost another great Jew, a heroic resident of New York who dedicated his days on Earth to the exposure, capture and bringing to justice of those who would exterminate, marginalize or punish his fellow Jews.
Ben Ferencz accomplished this in many ways, from his military service in World War II to being a Nuremberg prosecutor to the creation of the International Criminal Court. He was a giant standing 5 foot 3 or so, but beyond our ability to measure him in spirit. The editorial page lists many facts of this remarkable New Yorker (“Ben Ferencz, a classic New Yorker,” editorial, April 10) and I urge you to read this and more.
I want to contrast this hero against what seems to represent much of America today. We are riddled with ego-burdened people who are quick to judge, blame, kill and otherwise try to damage what he and so many others of the greatest generation brought forth and died for. So much of what is shown to people, even in our best places of higher learning, has fallen prey to the chattering voices that place new pronouns and false remedies for basic human rights above all else.
When Ben let loose his mortal soul, he added an additional hero to the army of heroic men and women of all identities who will someday be the true army of the Higher Being. He will be in the prayers of my Christian church this week. Warren Gross
Educated methods
Bronx: President Lyndon Johnson was a teacher (as was my mom). When there was danger of a labor strike, he would invite the due labor leader and the due corporate or company executive to the White House, put them in a comfortable room near his office and ask them to negotiate. LBJ would periodically look in on them and ask how negotiations were progressing. He obtained excellent results. I think he was one of our better presidents. Never underestimate good teachers. Rose Mary Lancaster
Public disservice
Brooklyn: Seniors, who depend on their Social Security to live and are barely getting by as it is, received a decent but long overdue increase in 2023. Then, two months later, came Con Edison to take it away from them. Can National Grid be far behind? Pretty soon we’ll be sick, hungry and cold, sitting in the dark! The state Public Service Commission doesn’t give a damn about the public. Christina C. Anderson
Logical suggestion
Manhattan: To Voicer James McCaffrey: Your statement that the evil of the Democratic Party is “apodictic” was not supported by any evidence, so I suggest you re-phrase your claim and change that word to “assertoric.” Now your statement is one that all the readers of Voice of the People can agree with. I am sure that will enable everyone to understand your position. Carl Maury
Defense mechanism
Woodstock, N.Y.: To Voicer James McCaffrey: I believe they have a word for all your rantings. It’s called “projection.” Google it. Suzanne Hayes Kelly
Free pass
Bronx: People all over the country are concerned about the climate of bad behavior and lawlessness, but many people seem to be sympathetic to criminality and bad behavior from the former president. After fueling his followers with lies of election fraud and losing their country, he incited them to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6. He almost got Mike Pence hanged. After being indicted in New York for falsifying business records, he attacked Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Seeing what Pence went through, if Trump was unaware of the weight his words carried then, he knew full well the measure of his words regarding Bragg, who has received many racist messages and death threats. Street crime gets a lot of concern, but Trump’s criminality seems acceptable to people who agree with his political agenda. Jonathan Solomon
What else?
Beacon, N.Y.: I can’t believe that Clarence Thomas is the only one who has accepted a trip to someone’s summer home and didn’t report it. How many others got a gesture of friendship for Easter? When President Biden signs a law into effect, does everyone who gets a pen used report it? They have value. Did George Washington receive anything that we should know about? Let’s investigate everybody. William Leggett
Slick senator
Lakewood, N.J.: So sorry to hear about Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s broken leg. Probably an ongoing problem from his years in Vietnam — not! How stupid the voters of Connecticut must be to keep voting this creep into office. In my book, there’s nothing worse than people like this mutt bragging about his time in the military in Vietnam when it never happened. Stolen valor is disgrace and a slap in the face to all our brave military members, and this guy is the poster boy for it. He shouldn’t be elected dog catcher! Smarten up, people! John Yalango
We deserve to know
Brooklyn: Re “Mayor Adams, open the WTC records” (editorial, April 10): Open the WTC files? Good luck with knowing the truth. I was 13 when JFK was assassinated. That was 37 years earlier than 9/11 and I still don’t know the truth. That was the first time I felt unsafe as an American. Who is hiding the truth and why? Time to end the secrets. As free Americans, we deserve no less. Greg Ahl
Talk policy
Bronx: The article on the City Council race in the 13th District (“Labor unions plan $1M effort to reelect Council speaker & Dem members,” April 10) barely mentions the key issues in the race while absurdly concentrating on the backgrounds of individuals who are either working on or otherwise aiding the candidates. The northeast Bronx lacks adequate police protection. It has endured heavy-handed, unpopular, and frequently irrational decisions by city agencies that continuously ignore the needs and wishes of the area’s residents and community groups. Its schools are not performing properly. Instead of examining the candidates’ views on those issues or the incumbent’s actions in opposition to community preferences, the article weirdly meandered into personal relationships and other irrelevancies. As our city descends into a chaos of crime, inadequate education and governmental arrogance, ignoring issues is a poor choice. George Havranek, candidate, District 13
Welcome to the club
Scranton, Pa.: I join Secretary of State Antony Blinken in his show of gratitude for Vladimir Putin, whose hopes of preventing NATO from expanding recently blew up in his cold, emotionless face. Blinken said we can thank Putin for the entry of another country into NATO — understandably jittery since Russian tanks first rumbled into Ukraine last year. This new NATO partner shares a border with Russia and, after years of flirting with the prospect of joining, finally tied the knot. Welcome to the club, Finland. GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Unhinged-GA) squawked that the U.S. has no business backing brutally ravaged Ukraine, as it isn’t one of our states. It’s not. And neither is Finland. But guess what? Russia isn’t either. And long-time neutral Sweden could be the next one to join NATO. Thanks again, Vlad. Vin Morabito
World-class leader
San Mateo, Calif.: How about António Guterres for world president? Or maybe the world’s favorite uncle? The UN secretary-general seems to have it all together when it comes to the priorities we all should be working toward. He’s also spot-on when it comes to the need to push for disarmament and diplomacy concerning nuclear weapons and dealing with conflicts around the world. Our nation needs to accept the rise of China, Russia and India as well as the needs of the European bloc and the rest of the world’s nations. Are we too full of ourselves? Maybe a little more humility? We might want to end our obsession with remaining the sole superpower when the rest of the world is not complying with this outdated fantasy. The main goal has to be keeping the planet as habitable as possible for all us measly mortals. Uncle António seems well qualified for the job. Mike Caggiano
Source: nydailynews