To the editor,
Kings County Democratic Party chairman Frank Seddio has once again illuminated his house on Flatlands Avenue for the holidays with seemingly millions, no, trillions, of lights and decorations (“Christmas comes to Canarsie,” online Dec. 11).
Yes, his has always been a beautiful visual display that leaves visitors with wonderful, exciting images that last for a day, or a week, and each year’s display surpasses the prior one, but here is an idea for Frank Seddio to ponder.
I believe a lot of the money that is spent for this short-lived extravaganza could be much better spent or donated to poor families and the community for a more lasting effect. It could buy toys for underprivileged children, student supplies and books that are much needed in schools, help neighborhood synagogues and churches, aid paralyzed and homeless veterans, replenish food pantries, help elderly shut-ins, and create so many more good deeds.
I believe Frank Seddio tries to outdo himself year after year with his expensive, eye-popping, short-term spectacle, when he could instead alter his train of thought and help others for a longer period time. Give tangible, material help in the spirit of the season, Frank. I’m sure Santa Claus would be happy, as would all the folks whom your generosity would help.Sally Wilson
Canarsie
Xmas cons
To the editor,
Christmas time brings out the best in most people and the worst in others. Some can’t help themselves to things that don’t belong to them, especially at Christmas time, like stealing packages right off people’s stoops.
I have an idea. Leave a package on your stoop filled with garbage or dog poop wrapped nicely like it was a normal holiday delivery. I would love to see the face of the thief who stole it when he opens it. Happy Holidays!Stu and Millie Gotts
Gravesend
Torture 101
To the editor,
Why all the fuss over enhanced interrogation? Most of the same techniques used on the terrorists have been used for many other reasons. For instance I spoke with a former sailor who said besides sleep deprivation, other similar techniques were used on him and his peers at boot camp. I also spoke to a few former college students who said the enhanced interrogation was nothing compared to what they went through to join a fraternity. I then spoke to some high-school and college jocks who laughed at the term “enhanced interrogation” and said they had almost all the same techniques done to them.
Now the best, ask anyone who attended Catholic school in the 1950s and 1960s, and ask them about the “enhanced motivation” techniques used by the nuns, brothers, and some lay teachers on children who talked in class or failed a test, didn’t do homework, whose desks were messy, or whose hair or nails weren’t groomed properly, or who did not sing a hymn properly, or who missed a 9 am mass on Sunday, or violated a laundry list of other so-called serious offenses.
Many of those enhanced interrogation techniques were used long before the Central Intelligence Agency used them on terrorists. In fact I think the nuns and brothers were the original architects of most of those techniques, and the agency operatives who used them probably went to Catholic schools.
I don’t have any regrets about attending Catholic schools, I would like to think it made me strong enough to survive the screwed up world we live in today. I also applaud the agency for using whatever methods it had to on the monsters who killed so many innocent people on 9-11. Cronin Miller
Midwood
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To the editor,
Americans for the most part are a good, kind, and moral people who don’t even want to see animals hurt in anyway, so torturing a human being under almost any circumstance is not acceptable, but all bets are off when two airplanes are flown into two New York buildings full of innocent people.
I really don’t care how any information was given up, including through the use of torture. Those terrorists tortured thousands of people that day, innocent people. Till this day — 13 years later — families are still being tortured as a result of that day. So to be blunt who the hell cares that a few monsters were tortured to get information that could potentially save many more innocent lives? We tortured some folks according to President Obama. No, we tortured some monsters and for good reason.Augie Pazzo
New Port Richey, Fla.
Bus fuss
To the editor,
Previous articles regarding poor bus service neglect to mention the B36 bus. One has to wait a very long time before a bus arrives. After waiting for endless time, two or three buses finally show up at once.
During one recent ride a young man came on through the rear of the bus and began blocking the rear exit. Before my stop, I rang the signal to get off. I had to tell the young man two or three times to please move. By the time he did, the driver pulled away from my stop. I had to yell to her to open the rear door.
Others on the bus spoke out on my behalf as well. She yelled back that I never rang the bell. When I told her that the door had been blocked by someone who had entered through the rear, she replied: “Get the hell off my bus.”
Is this any way for a bus driver to react? She had made absolutely no effort to say something to the youngster who had entered through the rear and caused the problem to begin with.Ed Greenspan
Sheepshead Bay
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To the editor,
I agree wholeheartedly with Ronald Cohen’s letter about our bus service (“Bus fuss,” Sound off to the editor,” Nov. 21). I have never understood why I have to wait a half-hour or more for a local bus, only to have three of them arrive at one time (“Bus lane is slow lane, say locals.” Nov. 25).
He forgot to mention the B6, the Coney Island Avenue bus, which takes dozens of senior citizens to our center on Coney Island Avenue and Quentin Road every day. Why must we stand and freeze for 30 or 40 minutes waiting for our bus? I also fail to understand why I have to wait more than a half-hour on Kings Highway for a bus to get me to my doctor on Nostrand Avenue, when their are two bus lines running on Kings Highway, the B82 and the Kings Highway bus. I have had to give up on the buses and spend money on cabs in order to make my appointments on time.
I suggest creating lanes for buses only, and have express buses that may be able to avoid some of the traffic. Somebody must do something before someone gets really sick standing out in the cold waiting for a bus that should have come a half-hour ago.Elaine Kirsch
Gravesend
For heaven’s sake
To the editor,
In your article “Drone strike! Our photographer injured by TGI Friday’s mistletoe copter” (online Dec. 8), your reporter quoted the victim as saying, “Thank god….” Our Creator, no matter the term used for “His” name or description should always be capitalized.
When speaking of ancient gods or current if anyone acknowledges such a phenom, a lower case “g” is fine. I’d like to point out that this happens a lot in the media these days.Diane Hunt
Bay Ridge
Jew diss
To the editor,
Aldi supermarket’s blatant indifference to its Jewish customers continues. Last Passover the store did not even carry matzo. As the High Holidays arrived every supermarket circular except Aldi’s featured items for the holiday and extended good wishes to its Jewish customers.
Aldi’s circular celebrated Octoberfest. As the Hanukkah festival approaches Aldi again ignored its Jewish customers offering not even a box of Menorah candles for sale. I have called Aldi’s customer service, but they never respond in any manner. When I mentioned that Trader Joe’s, part of their corporate structure, had many items for its Jewish customers, I was told that Aldi was not related in any way to Trader Joe’s, even though this information can easily be documented.Martin Boxer
Sheepshead Bay
Pro-wood
To the editor,
For years there has been an intense campaign by friends, neighbors, and those with affection for the Boardwalk to keep it as it should be, and not allow it to be reconstructed as the essentially concrete sidewalk the Parks Department proposes.
We are pleased that Councilmen Chaim Deutsch and Mark Treyger have supported our position and oppose the plan, but are very concerned that Assemblymen Steven Cymbrowitz and Alec Brook-Krasny have procrastinated and sent mixed signals to a public that needs to be assured of their support.
Assemblyman Brook-Krasny has not responded to calls or emails on the subject and sent someone to support rather than oppose the plan at the design commission hearings. Assemblyman Cymbrowitz never offered a position at this crucial hearing, and although he has offered, recently, to rescind funding for the project, it may be very late in the game, and unless done with more energy, too little to win.
We are very pleased with the support our concerns have had from Deutsch and Treyger and hope that Cymbrowitz and Brook-Krasny will join them, and assure their very concerned public that successful action can happen before the December 31 deadline.
The answer to the continual threat to the integrity of the Boardwalk is to join Councilman Treyger in recognizing for all time that it is a landmark, and as such should be preserved by the New York City Landmark Commission for this and future generations. Stuart K. Pertz
The writer is an adjunct assistant professor at Pratt Institute’s Grad Center for Planning.
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To the editor,
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz should be embarrassed to make a U-turn at this stage of the game. His obvious piggybacking on the good deeds of Councilmen Mark Treyger and Deutsch in their efforts to truly represent their constituents is a lame effort to make us think that he cares about our community. His claim that his reversal is due to now realizing how the project was changed from its original plan is either false or points to ignorance or indifference on his part: the community’s fight against this project has been well documented for a long time. Let us turn our attention to a real representative, Councilman Treyger, and his idea to landmark the iconic Boardwalk!Rose Cherry
Sheepshead Bay
…
To the editor,
I am a lifetime resident of the Brighton Beach community, and as such, along with my fellow residents of the area, have always enjoyed and appreciated the Boardwalk, which for us has become a virtual iconic landmark.
In common with the vast majority of my fellow residents, I am greatly dismayed by the city’s plans to modify the surface and replace the boards with a concrete and plastic material.
We have expressed our concerns over this plan on numerous occasions, and thus are feelings about this matter are well known.
Councilmen Chaim Deutsch and Mark Treyger have offered our communities much support to our concerns.
What is puzzling to me at this point is the position of Assemblymen Steven Cymbrowitz and Alec Brook-Krasny. Cymbrowitz, as a result of numerous communications addressed to his office, is now taking a position of opposing the Parks Department project, after providing funding for work which in this honest opinion is being misused, whereas Brook-Krasny has not responded to
any form of communication regarding this matter from any constituent.
It would appear to be incumbent on these two representatives to clarify for our community precisely where they stand on this issue. It is important for us to be informed of the truth of this matter, as these two gentlemen provided the funding for the Parks Department work, without any further inquiry as to the exact use of this funding and the exact work contemplated.
One would hope that these issues would be clarified, and at the same time the Parks Department work be immediately called to question, and the funding for it cancelled.William Zucker
Brighton Beach
Al-n-Jess show
To the editor,
I have always questioned if Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton were really preachers since they have no church. When I heard Al Sharpton was guest preacher at a black Houston Church, I decided to check him out in person and see what it was all about.
I sat down and Sharpton came up to me, I don’t know why, maybe it was because I was the only white person in the church. He laid his hands on my hand and said: “By the will of Jesus the lord all mighty, and the will of God, you will walk today.”
I told him I was not paralyzed. He came back and laid his hands on me again, and repeated the same thing. Again I told him there was nothing wrong with me. After the sermon I stepped outside and lo and behold my car had been stolen.Charlie Dinsome
Bay Ridge
Cop-n-community
To the editor,
What really bothers me when I hear my neighbors in Brighton Beach and Coney Island complain about the lack of adequate police protection: Gee, the only time there are more police presence is during the summer, and mostly in Coney Island.
So the bottom line is other precincts lose officers because they are on detail elsewhere. Under Mayor Bloomberg he decided to cut the starting pay for police rookies, so why would anyone think of becoming a police officer
Where are the auxiliary cops that once were a presence in Brighton Beach? What happened to the uniformed officers I’d see on a daily basis walking up and down Brighton Beach Avenue? I’m aware that the 60th Precinct has undercover cops, but seeing uniformed cops would be a greater deterrent to any potential crime.
I’ve have been going to the community council meetings month after month, and the constant concerns from the resident about shootings seems similar to Chicago. To quote Councilman Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island), the police force needs to keep pace with the city’s population growth,
Many years ago Chicago had high-rise projects where crime was rampant. People did not know who their neighbors were, and shootings became a way of life. What the smart politicians finally did was to take down the projects and replace them with small townhouses. Then people began taking pride in their neighborhood and got to know their neighbors. Jerry Sattler
Brighton Beach
Neigh to Blas
To the editor,
The city’s carriage horse industry is a 150 years old and run predominately by hard-working Irish immigrants. This industry has been under a microscope for years assuring the horses are well taken care of. These horses work no harder or under any worse conditions than millions of hard-working immigrants did for years making the city and country great. I hate to bring race into this, but if the drivers and owners were black, I don’t think our mayor would be for the banning of horse drawn carriages and the loss of hundreds of jobs.Lottie Murphy
Bay Ridge
When, oh, when?
To the editor,
When are black leaders going to speak up and condemn black-on-black crime, instead of blaming cops? When are Muslim leaders going to condemn the senseless murders of innocent people by the radical Muslims? When will parents take responsibility for their young children? When will fathers raise their children with their wives, instead of just making a baby and walking away? When will the exaggerated claims of racism and the war on woman finally end? When will teachers stop getting the blame for failing students who don’t do their homework or even show up for school? When will the borders be secured? When will politicians stop lying to us? When will the streets in my area pave the streets that have been torn up for months?Maureen Parker
Sheepshead Bay
Toll-light robbery
To the editor,
The article on the toll of the Verrazano Bridge was more telling than you know (“Bridging the gap: MTA wants to raise Verrazano tolls to balance budget,” Nov. 20). So there are 180,000 vehicles crossing the bridge daily with a daily revenue of $936,000, according to a transit spokesman. If you take half of the 180,000 and they pay $10 for EZ-Pass and have the other 90,000 vehicles ride free, that would still bring in a revenue of $1,800,000. Realistically, where is all the money collected in tolls really going?Joe Donato
Park Slope
Mayor DeDozio
To the editor,
New York Republican Committee chairman Ed Cox suggested the Mayor DeBlasio will be the Democratic nominee for president in 2016. That reminded me of the commercial that Hillary ran in 2008 in her bid for president: “Your kids are safe and asleep and the phone rings at 3 am in the White House, etc.”
I could only imagine if DeBlasio was president and the phone rings at 3 am while he is asleep, the phone would just ring and ring, and he would turn over and pull the covers over his head and continue to sleep.
Peter G. Orsi
Marine Park
War heroes
To the editor,
When I read that soldier Brent Grommet’s German shepherd was taken from him when they returned from war, it made me very sad and as mad as hell. This young soldier and his dog, Matty, were together from the beginning at basic training to deployment in Afghanistan. Both were injured by a roadside bomb.
Specialist Grommet suffered traumatic brain injury, hearing loss, chronic pain, and post-traumatic stress disorder. This soldier who fought for his country, sustained serious injuries, and was almost killed only wants his partner and best friend back with him. This is not only a very small price to ask for, but it is also the law. Robby’s Law passed in 1990 and was signed by Bill Clinton.
This hero was told by higher-ups not to speak to the media about Matty the dog or he would wind up in Leavenworth. Talk about loyalty. These two want to be together again and deserve to be. Didn’t the government already do enough to disrespect and harm our veterans with the Veterans Administration scandal? I’m not holding my breath for the return of the dog to his best friend, after we saw the way the U.S. Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi was held in a Mexican prison for more than 200 days, but I sure will be praying that Specialist Grommet and Matty are reunited. I would hate to think some bigwig took the dog home to his family and won’t give it back or worse. This is the very least we could do for one of our hero’s who was willing to put his life on the line for us.
I think those monsters being held in Gitmo are being treated better than we treat our own veterans. Our president authorized the release of five monsters for the return of one army deserter. Mr. President can’t you authorize the release of one dog for a hero?Rosie Boxer
Rockaway, N.Y.
Credit gas-bags
To the editor,
I went to a gas station expecting to use my VISA card to fill up my tank. Imagine my horror when I was told that by my using VISA to pay for the gasoline, the price would be 13 cents more per gallon! Yes, $3.45 cash per gallon versus $3.57 VISA per gallon. Outrageous.
I always knew VISA to be 10 cents more per gallon, but now it’s 13 cents more per gallon if one uses a credit card. Aaarrrgh.A. Smith
Mill Basin
Edu-vacation
To the editor,
I saw in the paper that so many children were absent more than 10 percent of the time during the last school year. This doesn’t take into account the students who are marked present and then proceed to cut classes and cause mayhem during the day.
My favorite was when parents would come to school and inform me and other teachers that they were going on vacation for 10 days to two weeks and demand that we give them the work in advance so that their child wouldn’t fall behind. This is absolutely ridiculous. If the child was not there when the work was being taught, the best the teacher could do was to give them pages to read and questions to answer from the texts. The supervisory staff should have stepped up to the plate to remind the parent that school was in session and that these vacation days were totally illegal. This was never done because principals fear parents.
Years ago if a child was absent excessively, the child was not promoted. This would never occur today, as supervisors look to get rid of children who are chronic discipline problems and whose absences are a relief both for them and the teacher.Ed Greenspan
Sheepshead Bay
Dems the breaks
To the editor,
Yes, it’s super important to be informed and to have opinions but a constant, repetitive drone of negativity, cynicism, anger, and fear accomplishes nothing. It’s far too easy to be critical of others. It’s much more difficult to devise something positive and or good, or to invest the time and effort necessary to become actively involved in local or larger issues and programs in place, or to spend some time trying to offer up something positive: an idea, a movement, or even something already in place that might spark change for the better.
C’mon, two wrongs do not make a right. Just because the other (red) side does it does not mean “we” should too. “We” lost the 2014 midterm elections because the right messages weren’t getting put out and what was being said did not engage the voters enough to get them to actually vote. Maybe it’s time to try other tactics?Barry Brothers
Homecrest
Blott Stringer
To the editor,
Comptroller Scott Stringer is a spoiled child having a temper tantrum. Perhaps he needs a time out. Who knew that taxpayers are paying for members of the NYPD Intelligence Division to serve as his personal security detail. Stringer recently fired four of New York’s Finest from this security detail because they were late in picking him up from his expensive Manhattan home one morning. Is anyone aware that Stringer is the target of any terrorist groups which would merit this level of protection? I seriously doubt that al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Islamic State or any other terrorists are even aware of his existence.
Municipal employees could never get away with the same abuses. They could not use city vehicles during work hours to chauffeur spouses around town. At a minimum, they would have to reimburse the city for the costs of all these personal trips. The Department of Investigations needs to take a look at this serious potential waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayers dollars.
Let Stringer assign one of his several hundred staff members to serve as his personal chauffeur. Better yet he could set an example and follow Manhattan Councilman Dan Garodnick’s bill requiring employers with 20 or more workers to sign up for transit checks. Stringer could do likewise and give up both his free parking space at City Hall and his special police parking permit. He can use his transit check to purchase MetroCards. This will afford Stringer the opportunity to join several million constituents who use public transportation on a daily basis and also contribute to a cleaner environment. Stringer talks about being a friend of the 99 percent, yet he prefers the perks of a one percenter.Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.
