Columnist’s take on progressives as authoritarians was reminiscent of
the Superman comics, says one Letter to the Editor. Photo courtesy Getty
Michael Bloomberg with President George W. Bush in 2003. White House
photo by Eric Draper
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J BTR JAN. 14-20, 2022 13
letters & comments
Disappointed
in Biaggi for
not helping
Correcting
the record
To the Editor,
Re: Pascual Pelosi’s latest
opinion piece in the Jan. 7 edition
of this newspaper.
The doctor’s name is Spiegel,
not “Siegel” — a minor
point. What’s not minor, in researching
Dr. Spiegel, in December
2018, Spiegel said he
hadn’t visited the border recently.
This makes me question
how knowledgeable he is on the
subject.
Dr. Spiegel is the head of
the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health, named
after Michael Bloomberg,
whose feelings about being
pro open border and amnesty
are very well documented. I’m
not making a statement for or
against this very contentious
State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi Photo courtesy Alessandra Biaggi’s offi ce
issue. I’m not implying Michael
Bloomberg says, “I’ll give you
money if you come out in favor
of this.” I am saying that an organization
accepting donations
under these circumstances at
the very least gives pause to
question the organization’s objectivity.
Nor have I been able to fi nd
any evidence of this study cited
by Mr. Pelosi who quotes Dr.
Spiegel. I welcome any rebuttal
on this.
The far left says all illegal
immigrants are good, the
far right says they’re all bad. I
think the truth lies in the middle.
But I also fi nd it impossible
to believe that people so desperate
to come here they’ll swim
across the Rio Grande or risk
death from heat traveling in
the back of a truck in the Yuma,
Arizona, desert are receiving
the very best of medical care.
As far as Mr. Pelosi’s study
cited about crime versus immigrants,
it is in Texas only. It
would be helpful to have more
states.
As far as the conservative
columnist being in favor of parents
deciding curriculum, Mr.
Pelosi makes a point that is if
not legitimate at least debatable.
But so does Mr. Vernuccio.
Parents shouldn’t necessarily
decide curriculum, but have a
real voice in it.
I agree with Mr. Pelosi that
a transition from fossil fuels to
“clean” energy is vital. But we
are not at the point at which we
can totally rely on wind, solar,
etc.
Yet again, I would strongly
urge Mr. Pelosi not to confuse
the message with the messenger.
Nat Weiner
To the Editor,
The following is an open letter
sent to state Sen. Alessandra
Biaggi.
When you fi rst won election,
I contacted your offi ce on
behalf of the Korony American
Legion Post 253 Auxiliary
to send boxes to our deployed
military. We needed help with
postage — each white box is
now $21.15. Last year, we sent
303 boxes to Afghanistan for a
total of $6,060. These boxes are
sent in memory of my nephew
Christian Engeldrum who was
killed in Iraq on No. 11, 2004,
and Korony dedicated their
packages to the troops’ program
in his memory. Since
then we have sent 9,082 boxes.
Your offi ce told me to contact
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
because she handles that, not
you. I emailed back that I was
sorry to have wasted your and
their time, and I was sorry you
wasted our time. God is watching
all of us. As long as God
gives me breath and strength,
and in memory of my nephew,
we at the auxiliary will not forget
our military.
We were able to send 92
boxes this Christmas thanks
to our great community and
St. Benedict’s School, the mothers’
club at Iona Prep and some
very special angels — including
the FDNY.
So, I wish you well in all you
do and my God be gracious, loving
and forgiving to all of us.
Catherine Praino
LET US HEAR FROM YOU
Letters to the editor are welcome from all readers. They should be addressed
care of this newspaper to Laura Guerriero, Publisher, the Bronx Times Reporter,
3604 E. Tremont Ave., Bronx, NY 10465, or e-mail to bronxtimes@cnglocal.com.
All letters, including those submitted via e-mail, MUST be signed and with a
verifi able address and telephone number included.
Note that the address and telephone number will NOT be published and the
name will be published or withheld upon request.
No unsigned letters can be accepted for publication. The editor reserves the
right to edit all submissions.
To the Editor,
When I was a youngster I
enjoyed reading Superman
comic books. Sometimes
the story line would revolve
around an alternate universe
called Bizarro World. This alternate
reality came to mind
while reading the latest column
of the far right contributor,
where he alleges that
progressives are actually
authoritarian in nature. As
“proof” he trots out the same
lame conservative talking
points such as the censorship
of conservative voices and
the dissemination of leftist
propaganda in education. No
evidence is offered to sustain
these ludicrous claims, not
even a quote from some obscure
journal or think tank.
With the demise of the
fairness doctrine, right wing
radio, television and print
outlets have fl ourished, unrestrained.
Add to this the
numerous podcasts and blogs
featured on the internet, and
it is obvious that the censorship
claim is bogus. Educators
encourage their students
to develop critical thinking
skills. If an idea, whether
conservative or progressive,
does not stand up to scrutiny
it should be rejected. Propaganda?
How so?
The author continues to
mislead by portraying isolated,
rare instances of violence
or disorder during protests
as the norm, in an effort
to stigmatize those who do
not agree with his stunted
worldview. Even more egregious
is the claim that the
Durham investigation “irrefutably
verifi ed” that the
Trump campaign did not collude
with Russia. As noted
last week, the Durham investigation
wasted nearly $4
million in taxpayer money
and over the course of twoplus
years found nothing
that would remotely support
the columnist’s claim. In the
real world, Michael Horowitz,
an independent Department
of Justice inspector general,
found that the FBI had a legitimate
basis to open the probe
of Trump-Russia collusion.
The extremist continues,
“The entire concept of a nation
governed by laws is under
attack.” All too true. Our election
laws require that there be
a peaceful transfer of power
to the candidate who garners
more votes, regardless of his
or her party affi liation. Sadly,
the insurrectionists of Jan. 6,
2021, did not feel compelled
to obey that law, but placed
themselves above the law and
sought to overturn the will
of the majority of voters. The
ideologue accuses leftists of
“an utter disregard for the
truth” and in a glaring example
of projecting, references
the Nazi propaganda chief’s
statements regarding the Big
Lie. Can the writer not see the
irony when Trump has used
this exact tactic to brainwash
his gullible followers?
In case you missed it
Frank, Trump’s Big Lie is
what caused the insurrection.
Pasqual Pelosi
Columnist
living in ‘Bizarro
World’
link
link