A man pushes his auto-rickshaw through a flooded street after heavy rains in Karachi on September 13, 2022. (Photo by Rizwan TABASSUM / AFP) (Photo by RIZWAN TABASSUM/AFP via Getty Images) (RIZWAN TABASSUM/AFP via Getty Images)
San Mateo, Calif.: What is the connection between the queen of the Britons passing and climate change? Well, the coverage of the former and the lack of coverage of perhaps the biggest example of catastrophe due to human-augmented climate change is what.
I learned a great deal about the queen’s subtle ability to register her feelings that might have gone counter to the prevailing political sentiment in her nation, such as her visit to the previous British colony that became Jordan. She failed to visit the nation-state of Israel due to her feelings about how that new nation was treating the Palestinian population. Also, there was her very public meeting with Nelson Mandela while her prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, and U.S. President Ronald Reagan were trying to avoid the world’s sanctioning of South Africa over the treatment of its native population.
In spite of all that interesting history, I feel that the media’s minuscule apportionment of screen time to the stupendous happenings of the effects of the megaflood on the Pakistani nation, a population that was also once part of the old British Empire, really needed more attention. The climate experts say the sudden and increasing melting of the ice packs in the Himalayas and the super-heavy rains that coincided with that had the effect of submerging a third of that nation, resulting in at least 2,000 deaths. Wouldn’t you think it might have deserved at least equal billing? Mike Caggiano
Brooklyn: Sen. Joe Manchin’s deal with Sen. Chuck Schumer is wrong for New York and the nation. Manchin’s “permitting reform” plan (”Joe Manchin’s right: We need permitting reform,” op-ed, Sept. 14) was literally written by and for the fossil fuel industry. A leaked draft, stamped with the American Petroleum Institute’s name, would fast-track at least 19 fracked gas pipelines and other fossil fuel projects. Our environmental review laws provide the public a voice — they should not be gutted to rubber stamp dirty infrastructure projects by the industry supercharging the climate crisis. That’s why more than 70 U.S. representatives, including 10 members of New York’s congressional delegation, signed a letter opposing Manchin’s plan, and more than 600 environmental organizations joined a similar letter. The Schumer-Manchin deal is a recipe for climate catastrophe. We need more members of Congress, like Brooklyn’s Hakeem Jeffries, a member of House leadership, speaking out against it. Eric Weltman
Manhattan: Re “The wrong Battery Park City resiliency plan” (op-ed, Sept. 10): It’s disappointing to read misinformation about our planned South Battery Park City Resiliency project. Gregory Sheindlin wants his community’s resiliency decisions to be made by “neutral subject matter experts, stakeholders and government officials.” We agree. The project’s coastal modeling is directly informed by the NYC Panel on Climate Change, a group of independent experts. The city confirms that our science is sound. He wants us to incorporate local feedback. Community input directly impacted core decisions ranging from the flood alignment location, the amount of lawn space and the overall design approach to Pier A Plaza. Storms are growing increasingly severe, leaving areas like the one Sheindlin calls home vulnerable. We are proud not only of our plan to protect him and his neighbors but also of the inclusive process that yielded it. B.J. Jones, president and CEO, Battery Park City Authority
Mineola, L.I.: Harris Faulkner of Fox News said, “Do we really love the citizens of this great nation? We have a president who hates at least half of them.” She forgot to add, “And a former president who hates at least the other half!” Philip Martone
Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.: Vice President Kamala Harris said the border is secured and there’s no problem there. She must have been thinking about the Canadian border. Peter McKenna
Jefferson Valley, N.Y.: Memo to the “Gasoline Alley” scripter: The spelling is “cynical,” not “synical,” as in the Sept. 14 strip. John F. McMullen
Manhattan: Why is Mayor Adams quiet about the $53,000 raise that his Department of Social Services commissioner, Gary Jenkins, gave to his wife? Nepotism at its best. This is a great way for Mr. Jenkins to increase his own household income and it leaves taxpayers footing the bill. In these tough fiscal times, Mayor Adams and Commissioner Jenkins are spitting in our faces. Patricia Clark
Bronx: I am the director of therapeutic recreation at Providence Rest Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center. On Thursday, Sept. 22, we will be holding a celebration for the 10 residents we have in our facility that are 100 years old or older. Our theme in the home this year has been to “spread the smile,” which we hope to do with this celebration. Michelle Luchetti
Astoria: The gutless City Council members who would never put on the uniform of a correction officer, even for just one tour, need to stop being influenced by prison movies. Solitary confinement isn’t a dark space that one’s confined to, it’s a regular cell. With all these services provided, like recreation, the law library, church, the medical clinic and school, the bad-boy inmates will sign up for everything to provide them with time out of that cell. The Department of Correction cannot deny these privileges to these menaces to both society and prison. Stop pitying that inmate who suddenly found God and after his church visit is headed to his knitting class before he complains of his chest pains. That detainee is laughing at you Council members as he gets over on the system. Aris Sakellaridis
Manhattan: I overheard a police officer and a security guard discussing their options. It seems that, while apprehending a crook, the police are not allowed to put their knee on the individual above the waist. What if the officer is alone against a strong, flailing suspect? What if it is a female officer who only weighs 130 pounds? The laws may be getting too lenient, especially if we want to stay safe. David Haskell
Rego Park: Crime. Weirdos, wackos, sickies, psychos. Send in the National Guard. Send in the Sisters of Mercy. Send in my Uncle Sol — he’s a certified life-wellness instructor. Jeff Rosenblatt
Mount Sinai, L.I.: Wow! I just got my bill from the Tolls By Mail Payment Processing Center from a trip about two weeks ago over the Throgs Neck and George Washington bridges and I was floored! $36.34! My journey of about 65 miles began in Port Jefferson, L.I., at 9:30 a.m. and ended at my destination in Fort Lee, N.J., at 12:30 p.m. Good Lord! And it was another three hours to get back home — on a Wednesday! I used up half a tank of gas stuck in normal traffic (no accidents) and had to pay $36.34 for that experience?! Really? The toll for the Throgs Neck Bridge was 25 cents when it opened in 1962. Hasn’t that bridge been paid for by now? Not to mention the G.W. Bridge, which was completed in the 1930s. Even though it’s been at least 10 years since I last made that trip, I’m totally shocked. Karl Bean
New Windsor, N.Y.: Tell Voicer Stuart Eber to get his facts straight. Aaron Judge is the fifth Yankee to hit more than 50 home runs in a season. Besides Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle, he forgot about Roger Maris’ 61 in ‘61 and A-Rod’s 54 in 2007. Vinny Armiento
Manhattan: To Voicer Eileen Fagan: It is very sad that the Daily News didn’t print the names of those who perished on 9/11. The paper does print all sorts of other things: unclaimed funds and advertisements, for which they are paid. However, we subscribers/readers also contribute money to the Daily News and it is a disgrace to disrespect 9/11 deaths and only devote two pages to parents who are alive because of the timely birth of their children. We must never forget 9/11 and those who perished and always honor them with a printed roll call. It seems with every passing year, the memory of 9/11 fades among the media. Michele A. Masucci
Copyright © 2022, New York Daily News
Copyright © 2022, New York Daily News