as stated BTR letters & comments
Summer music
for our ears
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, SEPTEMBER 2 BTR 0-26, 2019 13
ASSEMBLYMEMBER MICHAEL BLAKE
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NOT be published and the name will be published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.
(The following letter was sent
to Councilman Mark Gjonaj)
The Twin Gold Band would
like to extend our thanks and
gratitude to Councilman Mark
Gjonaj and all individuals involved
in keeping the music in
the parks alive. So many of our
Bronx friends look forward to
these wonderful evenings of
fun and music. Hopefully, next
year, when the music returns,
we’ll be there again to help.
Thanks so much.
Jane and Lueeze
Twin Gold Band
Stealing from
the military
Dear editor,
When some National Football
League players took a
knee during the National
Anthem to raise awareness
and protest the inequalities
and injustices done to fellow
Americans within the nation
and to human beings in general,
President Trump falsely
said that taking a knee for
whatever reason “disrespects
the fl ag, disrespects the nation,
disrespects the military”
and ordered everyone
in so many words to “stand
An unfunfilled political agenda
Since Representative Alexandria
Ocasio Cortez has
taken office, her focus has
been mostly on national and
international affairs. She
hasn’t represented the constituents
within her own district.
She hasn’t addressed poverty,
good paying jobs, our
deteriorating local school
system, our transportation
system, our infrastructure,
our local economy, the diminishing
retail sector of
our economy, our deteriorating
schools and failing
grades. She hasn’t addressed
air quality, waste disposal
within our community.
While she’s out and about
dining in the best restaurants,
she hasn’t addressed
the level of toxins in our own
drinking water.
No talk whatsoever on
public transportation’s skyrocketing
cost. No talk on
pharmaceutical companies
getting out of hand with increasing
cost on our medication.
She hasn’t spoken on the
district’s needs in relation
to better health care. She
hasn’t visited any senior
centers, any youth centers,
hasn’t spent any time working
alongside our educators,
our school children.
She hasn’t fully explained
climate change and her bogus
‘Green New Deal’ which
is far too late to implement.
She hasn’t spoken about
the root of climate change,
deforestation and the waste
that developing countries
have been dumping in our
world’s landfills, our atmosphere,
our rivers, our
oceans. Nor has she spoken
about these very same nations
who continue to exploit
human rights, pay slave labor
wages while American
jobs continue to be on the
chopping block.
She hasn’t spoken on behalf
of the middle class, the
rank and file of the labor
movement, hasn’t addressed
the bogus free trade agreements,
the primary cause of
our global environment’s deterioration.
She hasn’t addressed drug
abuse, alcoholism within our
district. She promised us
hope but left us for greener
pastures.
What kind of representation
is this? She’s a farce.
She has no concern for the
people’s needs of this district.
She’s a carpet bagger
herself, she has no official
address, lives in Washington
DC, has one district office
with no staff, and supposedly
shares an office in
the Bronx with another legislator
without any employees.
She’s a total canard. She
has bamboozled the American
people from the 14th
Congressional District. It’s
time to realize who we hired
and what she has done for
this district - zero!
Representative Alexandria
Ocasio Cortez is everywhere
but here, her district.
She continues to focus on her
own agenda, trying to oust
her senior colleagues in the
Democratic Party, while promoting
an agenda most of us
do not want nor care about.
Her only interest is advancing
an agenda and interest
that fits her needs.
She’s out and about, on the
front covers of Vanity Fair,
the Hollywood Reporter,
etc., while her constituents
are left on the sideline.
And she isn’t an animal
lover, for if she was, she
would have visited the Bronx
Zoo, which is in her district,
and seen how well it is kept
up to par.
On behalf of the 30,545
voters who voted for me in
2016 and all those Democrats
and Independents who aren’t
represented till this day, I’m
entering the 2020 race.
I have the experience, the
background, and the knowhow.
I was born in the Bronx,
raised in Little Italy, and cofounded
the East Harlem
Giglio Society. I am a board
member of the National Latinos
Officers Association
of America, a labor leader, a
signatory member of Teamsters
Local 210, knows both
boroughs very well, what’s
lacking in our district, and
finally I’m a man of character,
passion and will run on
all the issues that Representative
Ocasio-Cortez is lacking.
I will now be seeking the
Republican and Conservative
nomination for the 14th
Congressional seat and invite
all Democrats and Independents
who are looking for
a cause to rally behind me.
Frank J Spotorno
This week As Stated contains
several refl ections on
the anniversary of 9-11, National
Hispanic Heritage
Month and another remark
on the new tree damage initiative.
Assemblymember Michael
Blake’s statement on
9/11 anniversary..... “On September
11th we honor the
men and women who lost
their lives eighteen years
ago during the terror attacks
that forever impacted Bronxites,
New Yorkers, and Americans.
We pray for the families
who lost their loved ones.
We honor the brave First
Responders who sacrifi ced
their lives to save others. We
must continually support
the surviving First Responders
who are suffering from
health challenges and ensure
that their sacrifi ce was not in
vain.
“While our country has
changed since that fateful
morning, we still hold dear
the resilience and sense of
community displayed by
New Yorkers and people
across our great nation during
the aftermath of this
tragedy.”#NeverForget
Statement from Speaker
Heastie on the 18th anniversary
of September 11th..... “Today
people across the nation
will pause to remember the
thousands of lives tragically
lost on 9-11. Our hearts still
break when we remember
these terrible events, and we
extend our gratitude to the
brave men and women who
answered the call to serve
during our nation’s darkest
hour.
“Despite immeasurable
loss and grief, New York was
overcome with a spirit of
unity and comforted by the
kindness of strangers from
across this great nation, and
every corner of the the globe.
We were forever changed.
May we never forget those
we lost, those who served, or
the kindness and compassion
that acted as a light in the
darkness.”
Assemblymember Michael
Blake’s statement
on National Hispanic Heritage
Month..... “(Wednesday)
marks the beginning of National
Hispanic Heritage
Month. I am proud to celebrate
and applaud the rich
history of the Hispanic and
Latinx community, and the
leaders, activists, lawmakers
and others who are working
tirelessly to ensure America
is a more equitable place.
Councilman Andy
King’s remarks on the new
tree damage responsibility
policy..... “I am thankful and
grateful that homeowners in
the City of New York will no
longer be responsible for sidewalk
repairs that are damaged
by city trees. In 2014,
I was glad to submit a piece
of legislation to address this
same issue. I would like to
tell the 12th district and the
city that the advocating I’ve
done has fi nally come to fruition
(with the mayor’s) announcement.
op ed
during the Anthem and respect
the fl ag, respect the nation,
respect our military (no
protesting), or else....”.
And now he is taking our
taxpaying dollars from multiple
federal agencies, including
the military, to personally
fund his despicable
border wall.
He is stealing from the
military, stealing from you
and me for personal purposes.
So we must honestly ask
ourselves:
Who is really dishonoring
the military, the nation and
the fl ag?
Michael Wilbekin
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