To the editor,
Stanley Gershbein (It’s Only My Opinion) is right on in his efforts to keep the memories of what happened in the concentration camps alive (“Stan writes so you remember,” Feb. 15).
I vacationed in Germany a few years ago and made it a point — after visiting Martin Luther’s Whittenburg, the Berlin’s Brandenberg Gates, and Bach’s grave at Leipzig’s St. Thomas Church — to make a side trip, north of Munich, to visit Dachau.
As an amateur historian and Christian, I was enlightened and horrified as to the extent a government would go to exterminate millions of Jews, Christians, gays, and others viewed as a threat to the regime. Walking around with interpreters giving the history of the camp with all pain and sorrows explained, one is taken aback to learn that this pogrom occurred at literally hundreds of camps in Germany and the surrounding countries it conquered during the war.
Around the perimeter, past the gas chambers and crematorium, is a large field with three chilling marble markers explaining in various languages what occurred under our feet. One was a pistol range where captives were lined up by the hundreds and executed. Walking onward, there were two areas, one Christian, the other Jewish, that were marked as sacred burial sites. The marble tablets revealed, “Untold thousands were buried on the site.”
Watch out when modern-day despots stand up and say the Holocaust never happened, that the murder of millions is a fantasy. If the people of the world, of any belief, fail to remember and not stand up against these outrages, we are all doomed to see a repeat of the senseless carnage. The toll will be manifold with modern weaponry.
The cry is never forget. I promise not to forget.Robert W. Lobenstein
Marine Park
Abruzzo follies
To the editor,
I wish to respectfully disagree with Shavana Abruzzo’s column, “Brooklyn no place for an anti-Israel rally” (A Britisher’s View, Feb. 1).
On the contrary. Brooklyn is the place to hold an anti-rally, as long as it is done legally, and in an orderly manner.
I am sure that an excellent writer such as she, who courageously exercises her right to the First Amendment, must have read somewhere the words of Voltaire: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
I would prefer that any such rally in Brooklyn be held in a large venue, and the opposition field a similar amount of speakers to challenge the former with contradictory facts. That will give us Brooklynites the opportunity to learn from those facts.
By the way, is it my imagination or a reality that conservatives zealously defend their rights to the Second Amendment — the right to bear arms — but rally to deny someone of their right to the First Amendment when they disagree with them?Ralph Perfetto
Bay Ridge
Sal Alba-noise
To the editor,
Does ex-councilman and mayoral wannabe Sal Albanese use his own MetroCard to ride the subways and buses, like millions of New Yorkers do on a daily basis (“A ride on the Sal-way!” Feb. 14)?
Actions speak louder than words. If municipal elected officials feel they could do a better job running the nation’s largest subway and bus system, and avoid any future fare increases, would Albanese step up to the plate as mayor and regain control of his destiny to make them — in his own words — “back on track?”
The original Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit and Interborough Rapid Transit subway systems were granted franchise agreements by the city. They constructed and managed these lines by the private sector with no government operating subsidies. Financial viability was 100 percent, and dependent upon fare box revenues. As part of the franchise agreement, City Hall had direct control over the fare structure. For a time, owners actually made a profit with a five-cent fare. After two decades passed, expenses exceeded income. The owners asked City Hall for permission to raise the fares. Politicians more interested in the next reelection refused.
In the 1930s, municipal government forced them into economic ruin, and the owners folded and sold out to City Hall. In 1953, the old Board of Transportation passed on control of the municipal subway system, including all its assets to the newly created New York City Transit Authority. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority was created under late Gov. Rockefeller in the 1960s. He appointed four board members, the mayor four more, and suburban county executives the rest. Who would Albanese appoint to the MTA board as mayor to insure they were more efficient?
No one elected official controls a majority of the votes. As a result, elected officials have historically taken credit when the MTA or any operating subsidiary did a good job. When operational problems occurred or fare increases were needed, everyone deflected the blame, claiming they were only a minority on the board. Decade after decade, mayors, comptrollers, public advocates, City Council presidents, borough presidents, and council members have said how different things would be if they had majority control.
All of them, including Albanese, have long forgotten that buried within the 1953 master agreement is an escape clause. The city has the legal right at any time to take back control of its assets, which includes the subway and most of the bus system as well.Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.
Dissing Dinkins
To the editor,
I found it interesting that in your poll about the city’s best mayor, from 1966–2013, only one mayor was excluded (“POLL: Who was the best leader of the Big Apple?” online Feb. 4).
Was that meant to answer who the worst mayor was in city history? Anyone missing David Dinkins?
Lenrick Nelson
Kensington
…
To the editor,
I saw the documentary “Koch” and it was supposed to give the impression that Mayor Ed Koch was a man for his time. It revealed that the mayor hated bossism, was a reformer and ruthlessly honest, turning the city around from fiscal insolvency by demanding hard choices that were nothing short of austere.
It failed to mention that in his first campaign, Koch’s slogan was, “After eight years of charisma, four years of the clubhouse, why not competence?” The facts, however, show otherwise.
When the snow blizzard hit in 1978, people were unable to get to work. A few years earlier, in 1969, when Democratic nominee for mayor Mario Procaccino blamed his opponent — incumbent Mayor John Lindsay — for not making adequate storm preparations, Lindsay replied, “Blame it on the weatherman!” Procaccino was right. Mayors Lindsay, Koch, and Bloomberg have all been wrong in not foreseeing this problem in advance.
Then, during the 1980 transit strike, Ed Koch wanted to show how tough he was, but what is rarely mentioned is that he raised his annual salary from $60,000 to $80,000, and the salaries of all city officials, commissioners, judges, borough presidents, and council members.
By comparison, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia — Koch’s hero — took a pay slash from $40,000 to $25,000 a year, as did his commissioners. Lindsay also paid $5,000 a year out of his own salary to have Philadelphia police commissioner Timothy O’Leary come to New York. O’Leary enacted the Civilian Complaint Review Board. Mayor Abe Beame also took a $5,000 pay cut during the fiscal crisis.
Yet when the transit workers protested his raises, Koch responded, “This is just a drop in the bucket.” Transit leaders were justified in asking, “How about a drop in the bucket for us?” Koch replied, “We don’t have it.”
Hizzoner did not always lead by example. He did little to improve race relations, except for appointing Ben Ward as the city’s first black police commissioner.
And he was derelict in addressing child abuse in day care centers. On the plus side, he enacted legislation that separated smokers from non-smokers in restaurants and theaters, and his health commissioner Stephen Joseph was responsible for giving sterile disposable needles to drug addicts.
Ed Koch was basically a decent man, but as mayor he was too arrogant, brash, cavalier, domineering, and prone to giving ultimatums. He wore out his tenure as mayor, but may he rest in peace.
Elliott Abosh
Brighton Beach
Arm-ageddon
To the editor,
The Second Amendment says someone can own a gun as part of a “well-regulated militia,” but it doesn’t say that anyone has the right to own a gun.
Militias were created by the government to serve the government, and pertained to the 1700s. This amendment is no longer relevant. We no longer have militias.
Military, automatic, and semi-automatic weapons should be banned. They have been used in mass shootings. Handguns are used in most crimes. They should be sold with background checks, even at gun shows. Mentally ill people, as a class, should not be prevented from owning a gun. Only one percent of them is prone to violence. Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, formerly with the National Institute of Mental Health, says no state has a good mental care system. The National Alliance on Mental Illness says one in four people have a mental illness at any given time. Something must be done about this. Urge Congress to serve the people, not the National Rifle Association.
Jerome Frank
Coney Island
…
To the editor,
After reading the story about Ronell Wilson — the convicted cop killer who was found not to be mentally retarded at the time of the murders by Judge Nicholas Garaufis — I wondered if Judge Garaufis would also rule that if Wilson wasn’t discriminated by the Fire Department test years ago, he would have become a model citizen, and overturn his conviction and give him back pay, and allow him to retake the test.
Emma Stellabotte
Park Slope
Checkout cheek
To the editor,
I’m tied of going to shop in stores and when you get to he checkout counter the cashier asks you in front of everyone if you would like to donate a dollar to some charity.
I happen to be on a fixed income and find it hard to make ends meet, and at times can’t afford the dollar donation. It embarrasses me to have to say no, with everyone around listening to me refuse. I’m sure there are other people in my situation, so stop putting us on the spot. I’m tired of the dirty looks by some cashiers and other customers. They seem to think I don’t care about some poor kid starving or an animal that needs help. Put a donation box, if you must, and leave it up to me, but don’t ask.
Lottie Murphy
Bay Ridge
B37 blues
To the editor,
Return the B37 bus to us. It ran up and down Third Avenue — from Shore Road at the southern end of Bay Ridge to Downtown — round trip. It gave transportation, to, among many other locations, the Towers of Bay Ridge ironically located in Sunset Park where many seniors now reside, and to Lutheran Hospital, as well as other areas along the way.
When it was removed, the B70 was put in its place, only running round-trip along Third Avenue — from Shore Road at the southern end of Bay Ridge to Bay Ridge Avenue — leaving the rest of Third Avenue without any service.
The B37 should never have been removed in the first place, but that is history now. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has returned other routes that were previously taken away, and the B37, should have been included, in those returns.
Daniel Kanter
Bay Ridge
Teach breach
To the editor,
Ugo Rosiello (“Suspen-shun,” Letters to the editor, Feb. 15) conveniently forgets that there are schools out there where there is so much daily disruptive behavior on the part of students, that the deans and assistant principals are unable to get a handle on the situation. As a result, these schools are in complete chaos, as rampaging students run amok through the halls and constantly disrupt classes.
Mr. Rosiello should be hearing the complaints of current special education teachers. Referrals by them for student placement are now frowned upon. People are being harassed for submitting a plethora of such referrals.
He referred to flunky teachers submitting such requests. Sir, how about the current crop of Leadership Academy principals who never taught, but are now evaluating teachers? Teachers are to be judged by their ability to impart knowledge, not by how well they can control marauding students.
Ed Greenspan
Sheepshead Bay
…
To the editor,
I can relate to Ed Greenspan when he vents about unruly students (“Class control,” Letters to the editor, Feb. 8).
For years I’ve been going through my own agonies with kids and adults who harass and use folk as punching bags. One reason is that some of these kids belong to gangs. Another is their abnormal social attitude. They use abusive language to communicate and break the spirit, causing mental anguish. Their conniving tactics, conspiracies, and deliberate provocations advancer violence on our fragile planet that is already consumed with so much brutality.
Amy Kaye
Sheepshead Bay
Parking hogs
To the editor,
It’s almost impossible to find a parking spot these days in my neighborhood, like in so many others around the city.
It gets worse all the time. Traffic enforcement agents seem to come out of nowhere to give tickets for meters, double parking, expired registration or inspection, and other traffic violations. Almost all the time these tickets are given out justly, but my complaint is that so many commercial vehicles are parked on the street overnight.
These vehicles are company-owned that employees take home and park in parking spots intended for car owners who live in those areas — not for the benefit of the employee or the company that owns the truck.
Where are the traffic agents for these trucks and vans whose drivers are breaking the law?
Lucia Bocchino
Cobble Hill
Reach reporter Shavana Abruzzo at sabruzzo@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-2529. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/BritShavana
