oped BTR letters & comments
LET US HEAR FROM YOU
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, O BTR CTOBER 25-31, 2019 13
An illegal
impeachment
Mother Cabrini deserves
a statue in New York City
BY CHAZZ PALMINTERI
The people of New York
spoke loud and clear: when the
city asked them which women
should be honored in perpetuity
with a government sanctioned
statue, the overwhelming
favorite was Saint Frances
Xavier Cabrini.
For reasons that are apparently
too classifi ed for City
Hall to divulge, Mayor de Blasio’s
administration ignored
the results of the poll they
commissioned in an aboutface
that can only be described
as extremely insulting to the
patron saint of immigration
and the millions of Italian
Americans and Catholics who
revere her.
However it’s a testament to
her everlasting infl uence and
legacy that Governor Cuomo
has proudly volunteered to assemble
a State Commission to
work with the Columbus Citizens
Foundation and the Diocese
of Brooklyn to build a
Mother Cabrini Statue in New
York City as quickly as possible.
Of the city’s 150 statues,
only fi ve of them are of
women. This is certainly a
travesty that needs to be corrected,
and the people of New
York were right to overwhelmingly
select Mother Cabrini as
the fi rst to be immortalized.
She is the embodiment of
New York values and a unifying
symbol. She founded some
70 schools, hospitals and orphanages
dedicated to caring
for the city’s poor, sick and
unwanted. Today, New York’s
700,000 Italian-Americans —
and any immigrant who has
sought refuge in this great
city — owe her a debt of gratitude.
I’m still scratching my
head over First Lady Charlene
McCray’s decision to
spearhead an initiative to involve
the public in the decision,
only to disrespectfully
cast aside their votes to honor
an icon who aided the huddled
masses of poor and vulnerable
immigrants on their journey
through Ellis Island to American
citizenship. It’s a clear implicit
bias.
However, I agree with Governor
Cuomo when he says
it’s more important to correct
this injustice than to dwell on
this slight to one of New York’s
most important immigrant
groups.
Few ethnic groups have immigrated
in bigger numbers
to this city to escape oppression
and poverty than Italians.
And I applaud Governor
Cuomo for standing up for our
shared heritage, and the heritage
of New York’s massive
Italian-American community.
The Statue of Liberty is the
fi rst thing our ancestors saw
when coming to America, and
now a monument to Mother
Cabrini will grace the shores
of Manhattan in the shadow of
Lady Liberty, and remind future
generations of this country’s
promise.
Mother Cabrini represents
the core values of this great
city of immigrants — and New
Yorkers overwhelmingly selected
her as their top choice
to be honored. The city ignored
their wishes but thanks
to the state, a wrong has been
righted and soon a statue of
Cabrini will stand as tall as
her legacy.
(Chazz Palminteri is an actor,
screenwriter, producer and
playwright.)
Dear editor,
Imagine you’re accused of a
crime you did not commit and
you and your lawyer are not allowed
in the court room. You
have no Constitutional rights
to provide witnesses, cross examine
their witnesses, submit
evidence or obtain transcripts
of proceedings.
Selected leaks by the bias
Democrats, supported by the
liberal media portray you as
undouthably being guilty.
This is not an impeach-
MTA debt could
cause reductions
Dear editor,
Moody’s Investment Firm
recent report predicts that
the proposed MTA $51 Billion
2020 - 2024 Five Year Capital
Plan will add $38 billion in
long term debt. This is on top
of the MTA’s current $44 billion
debt. Don’t be surprised
if this new plan is reduced by
billions. There may also be future
service cuts, reduction in
employee salary increases, delays
in routine maintenance,
reduction in capital projects
scope of work or delaying
other capital projects until the
next MTA 2025 - 2029 Five Year
Capital Plan.
The MTA reminds me of
Wimpy who said “I’ll gladly
pay you Tuesday for a hamburger
today.” Wimpy paid
his debts the following Tuesday.
The MTA never seems to
pay its debts, but just keeps on
borrowing more to pay for future
capital projects. If you or
I managed our fi nances like
the MTA, we would be serving
hard time in debtors prison.
Larry Penner
ment inquiry of the president,
it’s a ‘McCarthyism Inquiry”.
Robert Neglia
as stated
This week, As Stated contains
a heart-felt response
to the passing of a New York
State Regent, comdemnation
from the borough president
regarding the borough-based
jails NYC Council vote and
some thoughtful comments on
the passing of Representative
Elijah Cummings.
Assembly Speaker Carl
Heastie’s statement on the
passing of New York State Regent
Judith Johnson..... “I am
saddened to learn of the passing
of New York State Regent
Judith Johnson. Regent Johnson
dedicated her career to
improving public education
in New York State and across
the country, from her start as
a teacher in New York City,
through her leadership roles
across six school districts
and in the U.S. Department
of Education. Because of that
proven record, Regent Johnson
was elected to the New
York State Board of Regents
in 2015 to serve the Ninth Judicial
District, which includes
Dutchess, Orange, Putnam,
Rockland and Westchester
counties.”
Statement from Borough
President Ruben Diaz, Jr.
on the Rikers Island vote and
borough-based jail system.....
“The de Blasio administration
has weaponized the land use
process in a manner designed
to steamroll any opposition
to their plans to build a new
Bronx jail on the wrong site—
the Mott Haven tow yard.
“I remain troubled by the
precedent set in making such
a monumental urban planning
decision by lumping all
four sites into one ULURP process.
“Throughout this process I
have been advocating to build
the new jail Bronx adjacent to
the existing Bronx Hall of Justice.
With our citywide inmate
population at a historical low,
the Mayor’s offi ce has already
admitted that the size of these
jails can be reduced, which
further validates that the
Bronx jail could be moved to
its proper location next to the
court system, like the other
boroughs.
“I sincerely hope that the
city’s failure to engage with
the community on site selection
for such a major infrastructure
project will not adversely
impact this borough
for decades to come.”
Assemblyman Victor M.
Pichardo’s comments on the
passing of Representative Elijah
Cummings..... “Representative
Elijah Cummings was
a true champion for equal
rights, and in his decades-long
tenure in Congress served as
the example for all elected offi
cials to behave and emulate.
Thank you for your leadership
in the House of Representatives,
and your inspiration
and impact on our communities.”
ASSEMBLY SPEAKER CARL HEASTIE
Letters to the editor are welcome from all readers.
Letters 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.
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number included.
Note that the address and telephone number will NOT be published and the name will be published or withheld
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