To the editor,
Brooklyn Public Library officials demand a “poor door” or segregated entrance for a rebuilt Cadman Plaza Public Library.
We, the poor library patrons, are to be shunned by wealthy who will occupy the better condominiums, enjoy a separate entrance, and a deluxe lobby. The Brooklyn Heights branch library will be located in the basement with a separate entrance way and a poor door. This is not right.
If a mega high rise tower is forced on the community of Brooklyn Heights, and our current precious library destroyed, our lawmakers must make this planned discrimination illegal. If the uber-wealthy had to share an entrance with the homeless in their daily trek to the library, no condominiums would be sold.
As someone once said, “To now allow the schism, the chasm, between the wealthy and everyone else, allowed and represented by separate entrances like in pre-civil rights south, is an affront to the very nature, history and spirit of the city.”
The fact is that a poor door is an act of discrimination. The vast majority of people who frequent libraries are of ethnic origins, and will be relegated to enter libraries using the poor door in an act of blatant discrimination that should not be tolerated. Justine Swartz
Brooklyn Heights
Obama diss
To the editor,
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko compares the downing of MH17 to the 1988 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, and to 9-11.
Is an accidental shooting down of one plane the same as a terrorist bombing of another? Or the same as suicide jihadists flying commandeered jets into the World Trade Center, killing 3,000 innocent souls? Is this really the star of great integrity and intellect to which we should be hitching our wagon?
A U.S. senator urges that we “inflict real economic pain on the Russian people.” Are these the same Russian people who were able to absorb 20 million casualties in World War II and keep on fighting and who were (mostly) able to survive the terrors of Stalinism, and who were able to feed their families after spending half a day in line waiting to buy a knish, and who had absolutely nothing to do with the downing of MH17?
President Obama publicly threatened and disrespected the president of the only other nuclear superpower, and whose help we will need in many areas for the foreseeable future and beyond, instead of quietly and privately sitting down behind closed doors to discuss matters of mutual interest.
How long before some elected official somewhere learns that there were 100 prominent aids scientists on board and declares that the plane’s downing was divine punishment for our wicked ways? Send in the adults? Well, maybe next year.Stephen Finger, M.D.
Mill Basin
Gov. 101
To the editor,
Rob Astorino, the Republican nominee for governor is way off base when he calls for term limits of no more than eight years for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and state comptroller, in addition to a maximum of eight years for members of both houses in the State Legislature, and to limit its session for just three months.
If Astorino would prevail, the legislature would be rubber stamping the governor in terms of the State Legislature and also appointees the governor would nominate as judges and commissioner. This would further rob certain members of badly needed expertise. For example if a member with a master’s degree in business administration and finance might never get to serve on that committee.
Astorino should understand the name of the game in politics is party regularity. Regardless of the party, the majority and minority leaders might deny such a person from ever sitting on a finance committee if the leader does not like the way he or she would vote on a particular issue, but might place him on another committee that the member had little knowledge of or interest in. A local union leader might be denied on a labor committee, but he might be put on the judiciary one instead.
Astorino needs to understand that while not perfect, respect for seniority is both practical and ethical, and it might waste a member’s time and rob the state of talent that is sorely needed to put him or her on a committee unfamiliar to them.
Astorino is very naive in trying to limit the legislative session to only three months. This denies debate about legislation that may be controversial and while attenuated discussions can create waste, inefficiency, and delay, they are a small price to pay to air the discussions on the Senate and Assembly floors.
Congress gives legislative bodies time to thrash certain things out and not cause foolish and irresponsible legislation from either being passed. The same protocol afforded to the governor would give him more time to think certain details through more carefully.Elliott Abosh
Brighton Beach
Rockin’ time
To the editor,
My family and I shook, rattled, and rolled with delight at the Elvis Night on July 26 at MCU Park (“Ain’t nothin’ but a Cyclone! online July 31).
The Kings of Rock ’n’ Roll put on a great show, after which the Brooklyn Cyclones were so charged up that they, as your report correctly noted, “sunk” the Vermont Lake Monsters.
We have been to other events at the park and enjoyed all of them. It’s great that Brooklyn has its own baseball team, and its own baseball stadium that hosts family-style concerts and theme-related events. On, and before I forget, we enjoy the ball games immensely.Veronica Atwood
Flatbush
Food crimes
To the editor,
Your story on the city closing Pizza By The Bay because of multiple, “critical” violations, including “extensive evidence of mice,” got me thinking about how fortunate the restaurant business is that New Yorkers are not paranoid people by nature (“Pizza By The Bay closed by health inspectors,” online July 30). Otherwise they would never make a red cent because we would never eat out again.
Practically every day we learn of new violations occurring at any given time at virtually all — if not all — of the city’s dining establishments. Even high-end eateries are no better. Earlier this year the fancy-schmancy Per Se — supposedly the gem of the Big Apple’s fine-dining scene — had a “grade pending” rating, despite charging $620 for a prix fixe dinner for two.
Pizza By The Bay got an astonishing 80 violation points at its last inspection for having mice, bad food temperatures, poor worker hygiene, and no soap for workers and customers. Yucky-poo.
Diners deserve better for their money and patronage from restaurateurs whose bottom line should be about providing a wonderful dining experience for the people who deign to enter their rat holes, not about just padding their profit margins. They should pretend to be customers at their own restaurants to gain full knowledge of what actually goes on at the table and beyond.Lucy Balsam
Forest Hill, N.Y.
Lu-ludicrous
To the editor,
Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito taking credit for recent passage of a $75-billion municipal budget is nothing to be proud of. She presented the budget to her loyal flock of members just before midnight on June 25. They only had one hour to read it prior to voting on June 26.
Unless the council members took an Evelyn Woods speed-reading course, no one had time to read and understand the details buried in the hundreds of pages that made up the budget. Not to worry, in exchange for looking the other way and voting in favor of the budget, everyone got a piece of the action. Just like Don Corleone in “The Godfather,” Speaker Mark-Viverito allowed each council member to “wet their beak.” Each got a taste of $50 million in local pork-barrel, member-item spending.
Next, unreported by the media, was another treat. Speaker Mark-Viverito also authorized approval for the remaining 50-percent balance of lulus paid out to council members, ranging from $4,000 to $28,000 for chairing council committees or subcommittees. No wonder council members are loyal lapdogs to the speaker. So much for open transparent reform government promised voters by both the mayor and the speaker.
The Council is the best money can buy, just like their older brothers and sisters in the New York State Assembly under Speaker Sheldon Silver.
Mayor DeBlasio, Speaker Mark-Viverito, and her members have all quickly morphed from reformers into loyal clubhouse regulars inside City Hall.Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.
Editor’s note: So as not to confuse metaphors, in “The Godfather Part II,” a young Vito Corleone chose to murder Don Fanucci rather than allow him to “wet his beak.” It can be assumed that Corleone did accept payment in return for his muscle down the road, but that payment came up to him, not down to his minions.
Mousy report
To the editor,
Can’t your reporters think of better topics to tackle than purring about weirdos who like to draw cat pictures? (“Me-Yow! Rocker David Yow releases book of cat pictures,” Aug. 1).
Your question-and-answer session with a meowsician-turned-moggy-painter neutered all rhyme and reason. I laughed out loud at your penetrating questions: “When did you start doing cat drawings?” “Which cat is your favorite?” and “Did you draw any of the cats to look like actual cats?”
Your fluff piece had me scratching my head. What gives, Courier?
Name withheld upon request
Sheepshead Bay
