oped letters & comments
OLA Senior Bingo Group hosts casino trip
BY THEODORE KORONY AL POST 253
The Theodore Korony Post held its annual August R Messerschmitt Scholarship meeting.
This year we had three recipients: Gianna Mazzariello, James Joseph McNerney and
Ava Salveggi, all of whom submitted essays for consideration. Pictured above is James
Joseph McNearney accepting his award. Ava and Gianna were unable to attend due to
scheduling confl ict.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR SEPT. 25-OCT. 1, 2020 13
oGpjoendaj BY COUNCILMAN
MARK GJONAJ
This week was host to National
Voter Registration day
— an important reminder
of our duty to our democracy,
at all levels. Various
surveys and measures have
been long-critical of national
voter turnout and registration
rates, and for good reason.
Frankly, they’re typically
not very good for an
advanced democracy with a
long, established history like
ours. Let’s change that.
Let your voice be heard in
local, state and federal elections,
especially as we approach
the presidential election
in November. Hold your
elected offi cials accountable
with your vote, letting
them know what policies
and platforms you like and
which ones you do not. The
more full and complete the
electorate is, the more representative
it is of the will
and interests of the people,
and by extension, the more
representative its elected
offi cials are.
Studies have identifi ed
apathy and pessimism about
the political process as the
major impediments to voter
registration and voter turnout.
The antidote to this is
grassroots, community outreach
and assistance in registering.
That is to say that
nudging your family and
friends to register is generally
the most effective in
ensuring its completion.
We have no complete democracy
if a sizable portion
of our population is not only
unregistered, but not voting
either. Let us fulfi ll our civic
duty and the privilege that
our great nation guarantees
to us. Our brave troops fi ght
to preserve this right, so let
us exercise it.
If you are unregistered, do
not fret! The process of registration
is easy and there are
plenty of offi ces and organizations
(including mine) that
are prepared to assist you in
this process. To check your
voting registration status or
if you have questions related
to the registration process
or any related matters, visit
vote.org or contact my offi ce
at 718-931-1721 and/or MGjonaj@
council.nyc.gov.
Dear editor,
Last week, the resident
right-wing columnist painted
a bleak picture, comparing
our present political situation
with that of the country
immediately prior to our
Civil War. Circumstances
are indeed perilous at this
time. However, he incorrectly
attributes this state of
affairs to his favorite bogeyman,
the leftist movement.
Unmentioned are the following
facts: 1. Most political
violence is perpetrated by
right-wing organizations, as
the Center for Strategic and
International studies has
found. 2. The current White
House resident has encouraged
these loons by failing
to condemn their activities,
(e.g. calling the Charlottesville
neo-Nazis “very fi ne
people.”) 3. Government entities
have been instructed to
downplay the violence instigated
by right-wing groups,
in order to conform with the
president’s false narrative,
as reported by CNN and verifi
ed by other news outlets.
This week, after trotting
out the usual unsupported
claims of bias in the press
and education, (pity the poor
victimized conservative),
this columnist attacks a NY
Times writer who suggested
on Aug. 3, 2020, that the presidential
debates no longer
serve their intended purpose
of informing the public,
but have devolved into “quip
contests” which take us “nowhere
near the realities” of
the positions and qualifi cations
of the participants. As
usual, the gentleman has
cherry picked his information,
thus distorting the position
of the Times writer by
failing to mention the quotes
seen above and neglecting
her exhortation that voters
instead “follow the long
campaign” in order to be
truly informed.
– Pasqual Pelosi
Gjonaj talks voter
registration
Scholastic Excellence
Courtesy Facebook of CM Gjonaj
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 Our Lady of the Assumption Senior
Bingo Group is sponsoring a bus ride on
Monday, Oct. 12 to Wind Creek Casino and
The Outlets at Wind Creek Bethlehem. The
bus will depart at 8 a.m. from Ampere Avenue
and Kennelworth Place and at 8:15 a.m.
at Williamsbridge Road and Morris Park
Avenue (in front of the Lutheran Church.)
Your temperature will be taken at the bus.
If you have a fever, you cannot board the bus
since the casino will not allow you in. Surgical
masks must be worn on the bus and in and
on the casino fl oor. The bus has a bathroom,
an electric plug to charge your phone or listen
to your music and DVDs will be shown.
The bus will be stopping at Denny’s Restaurant
for breakfast. If you do not want
breakfast, let Fran Arico know when making
your reservation (breakfast is on your own.)
Tickets are $35. If you have a Wind Creek
players card, you can go to the promotion
booth and see if you have rewards. Remember
to use the points on your card in the restaurant,
food court or Carlo’s Bakery in the
outlet area. If you prefer a seat on the bus
alone, the cost will be $5 extra, so try to bring
someone you prefer to sit with.
Seats are limited and seating on the bus is
according to date of payment.
All are invited. For further information
and to reserve your seat on the bus, call Fran
Arico at 718-828-5073.
/vote.org
/council.nyc.gov
link
