Innocent or Guilty, Mayor Adams Cannot Run New York
Stamford, Conn.: Your opinion piece “Adams Should Take a Leave of Absence” (October 9 editorial) offers the wrong solution for New York. Arnold Kriss appears to suggest that an acquittal on pending criminal charges against Mayor Adams makes him fit to return to office. That’s too low a bar.
The standard for a criminal conviction is proof beyond a reasonable doubt. An acquittal is barely enough to trigger the cancer that has metastasized throughout the upper echelons of the Adams administration. With four ongoing federal criminal investigations, a multi-count federal indictment against Adams, and six resignations of senior officials to date, the current administration has been irreparably hobbled and will never again be able to credibly serve the best interests of New York.
Yes, Adams is entitled to all constitutional protections provided by criminal law, including the presumption of innocence, due process, and a fair trial. But that has nothing to do with the mayor’s ability to continue to lead America’s most important city. Whether or not Adams is a convicted felon should not be the test of fitness.
The catastrophic implosion of the Adams administration in recent weeks cannot be undone. The rot at City Hall clearly runs deep and it is absolutely clear that the Mayor must leave, not temporarily to allow this pall to continue to hang over the city, but permanently so that the city can begin to heal under the leadership of a brand new administration. . This is what the people of New York deserve, and nothing less. Pierre Janoff
Mass exodus
Woodside: Something is wrong in New York government. Everyone leaves or is corrupt. Too many people go there. All these people can’t be bad. So it’s probably the accuser who is bad. Let’s expand on this to see what secrets the accuser is hiding. Richard Tobiassen
About this ‘Yom’
Manhattan: Dear Lord, you know, I think you are the genius of all geniuses. I mean, I wrote a chapter in my book dedicated to the brilliance of your imagination and ingenuity called “The Perfect System,” for goodness sake! Oops, bad choice of words, sorry. But I have one complaint: Why is the day of the year that we Jews must fast in the name of atonement for our sins called “Yom Kippur”? Put yourself in our place, Lord. Here we endlessly count down the hours until our next meal and all we hear all day is “Yum”, “Yum”, Yum”! Hmm — you know, now that I think about it, maybe it’s pretty great after all. Gary Stein
Tricky time zones
Manhattan: To the voiceman Jim O’Neill: Yes, young people may have to stay up late to watch the end of a game or miss the last inning. However, starting games earlier only solves part of the problem. There’s the entire West Coast that also wants to watch the baseball playoffs and live in a time zone three hours earlier than us. A game starting at 5 p.m. Eastern time would be broadcast at 2 p.m. in the West, when West Coast kids are still in school and their parents remain at work. Even an 8 p.m. Eastern start time starts at 5 p.m. in the West, with many people still commuting home. Having grown up in the West, I speak from experience. By the time you get home, do your homework, and eat dinner, this early game is over. If East Coast kids have to stay up a little late so West Coast kids can see Aaron Judge or Francisco Lindor, that’s a small sacrifice. Bob Glasscock
Dispose with caution
Stockholm, NJ: In the voice of Gina Ottrando: We have no idea how the New York Post ended up on your lawn, but to get rid of it, grab a doggy bag, stick your hand in it and pick it up the newspaper. Be careful not to shake it, otherwise dirt could fall and get on you. Take it to the trash and put it down gently. Wash your hands with bleach, rubbing very hard. Hope this helps. Nat Saraceni
How, exactly?
Newton, NJ: Spokesman WJ Van Sickle, in his response to my letter on the Afghanistan withdrawal, claims that President Biden did not follow through, referring to terms negotiated by Donald Trump. Like most Republicans, he makes accusations without providing evidence. So my conclusion is that Van Sickle doesn’t have one. Michael Schnackenberg
Prepare the ground
Boynton Beach, Fla.: When spokesman WJ Van Sickle defended Trump by saying Biden did not follow the former president’s Afghanistan withdrawal plan, he forgot to mention that the terrorists who assassinated our heroes of the Marine Corps during the withdrawal were most likely among the 5,000 Afghans. terrorists released from prison by Trump in December 2020. Perhaps Trump could have used his influence with his Taliban friends, those he initially invited to Camp David to meet with him during the anniversary week of September 11, 2020, to mitigate any risk. violence during our withdrawal, as any true American patriot – which Trump is not – would have done. If anyone truly believes that Trump could have pulled off an error-free withdrawal or organized any other major undertaking — the COVID-19 response, for example — without the effort devolving into complete chaos, I have a bridge to Brooklyn for sale to you. William T. Bredin
Transactional tests?
Redondo Beach, California: Trump potentially saved Vladimir Putin’s life with COVID-19 test kits. What did Trump, the great negotiator, get in return? John Chevedden
Broken promises
Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Barack Obama is concerned that not many black men are supporting Kamala Harris. Well, maybe they woke up and realized that they were going through a tough time in this economy like everyone else. Where is the “promised land” that their so-called saviors promised them? Do they finally understand? No political party will pave the way for them with gold. They need to look at what has been done for them by each party, Republican or Democrat, and vote accordingly. They need to stop believing the guy selling snake oil. They need to look at the facts. Right now, Democrats are offering what they should have been offering all along. Democrats say vote for change. Yeah, vote Republican. Brenda Hodgkiss
Prisoner primates
Norfolk, Virginia: If you’re flying Ethiopian Airlines, you may be surprised to learn who might be traveling with you: monkeys – scared, stressed and possibly suffering from contagious diseases, including Ebola-like viruses, tuberculosis , salmonella and a bacteria so deadly that it is classified as a potential bioterrorism weapon. PETA has learned that Ethiopian Airlines has reneged on its assurance that transporting animals was against its policy and is now one of the few remaining airlines participating in the horrific primate trade. He shipped thousands of endangered monkeys around the world to use in cruel experiments. Terrified animals are taken from their homes or raised in warehouses and packed into tiny shipping crates for hours-long journeys. They are eventually trucked to laboratories, where they are deprived of food and water, mutilated, poisoned, immobilized in restraints, infected with painful and deadly diseases, psychologically tormented, used in other atrocious experiments and finally killed. Lindsay Pollard-Post, senior editor, PETA
Hateful and heartless
Bronx: To the Megaphone John Francis Fox: I must quickly recount my meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu many years ago. In 1986, I was a sales representative for the publisher of his book “Terrorism: How the West Can Win.” At a business conference in a Midtown hotel near Grand Central, he delivered an obnoxious speech about the Palestinians. Afterwards, I had to shake his hand. If I hadn’t, I probably would have gotten in trouble. I looked into his eyes as he shook my hand, and I knew right away that he was a monster. It was then that I realized that America was on the wrong side of this long-standing conflict. As I read the current reports of the horrific losses in Gaza and now Lebanon, I often have flashbacks of those cold, bloodless eyes. Nick Smith
