30 The QUEE NS Courier • juLY 4, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com editorial letters Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Bob Brennan Tonia N. Cimino Amy Amato-Sanchez Nirmal Singh Graziella Zerilli Stephen Reina Ron Torina, Jennifer Decio, Cheryl Gallagher Melisa Chan, Terence Cullen, Cristabelle Tumola Maggie Hayes, Angy Altamirano Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni Cristabelle Tumola Bill Krese Jan DiGeronimo Maria Romero Louise Cavaliere Celeste Alamin Maria Valencia Daphne Fortunate Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Publisher & E ditor Co-Publisher Associate Publisher Editor-In-Chief VP, Events, Web & Social Media Art Director Assistant to Publisher Assistant Art Director Artists Staff Reporters Contributing Reporters Web Editor Editorial Cartoonist Director, Business Developm ent Events Manager Senior Acc ount Executive Classified Manager Controller Office Manager President & CEO Vice President Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 website: www.queenscourier.com e-mail:[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Entire Contents Copyright 2013 by The Queens Courier All letters sent to THE QUEENS COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, where available, as well as affiliation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request. 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IDENTIFY THIS PLACE To find out the answer to last week’s “Identify this place” please visit www.QueensCourier.com THE QUEENS Budget fail “Bloomberg’s final budget means no tax increase” (Terence M. Cullen, June 27) reminds me of the cartoon character Wimpy, who said “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.” Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Council Speaker Christine Quinn and her faithful councilmembers have refused to deal with next year’s potential $2 billion shortfall, plus up to $7.8 billion in retroactive back pay to union members who have been working without contracts. Change in City Hall can only come with the election of a new mayor, comptroller, public advocate and city councilmembers who are independent of municipal labor unions, various liberal special interest groups and local Democratic Party clubhouses who currently dominate municipal government. Larry Penner Plane wrong The recent near collision of two passenger jets over New York City once again is proof that there are more near collisions between planes due to pilot and control tower error. So why, once again, are authorities blaming Canadian geese and goslings? It is outrageous that these birds are being rounded up and killed because they might possibly cause a collision with an airliner. Yes, passenger and flight crew safety is a top priority, but it does not justify killing birds at all. There must be a more humane way to reduce possible collisions between birds and planes. Animal organizations such as PETA, the Humane Society and the ASPCA need to work together with airport officials to come up with ways to reduce this problem. One thing that I could never understand was why did the Port Authority build an airport near federally protected wetlands where thousands of birds and other wildlife are living? That never should have been done. John Amato Fresh Meadows Bright future for libraries Strong libraries = strong communities. Library lovers across Queens spoke up to support library funding and I am so pleased to announce that the proposed budget cut was restored. Your library will remain open 5+ days a week. We thank our elected officials, including the entire New York City Council, led by Speaker Christine C. Quinn, as well as Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, for prioritizing public libraries this year. We want to recognize Councilmember Domenic M. Recchia, Jr., chair of the Finance Committee; Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer, chair of the Cultural Affairs & Libraries Committee; Deputy Majority Leader Leroy Comrie; and Councilmember Vincent Gentile, chair of the Select Committee on Libraries, for their outstanding leadership, as well as the entire Queens delegation to the City Council. We also owe our gratitude to our many stalwart Library champions, including Borough President Helen M. Marshall. I also want to thank all the Friends of the Library and library advocates around the borough who signed the petitions, held rallies, wrote postcards, and made their voices heard. Without your energy, the future might not look as bright. And the future does look bright. Queens Library is open to provide all those essential community services you rely on: computers and Wi-Fi, books and movies, homework help, job search assistance, consumer health information, classes, music, intelligent conversation and simply a great place to visit. Our newest offerings include downloadable e-magazines and downloadable audiobooks. The new library in Glen Oaks is already serving the community. A new library in north Flushing will open this summer. Your Queens Library is working hard to enrich your life. Thomas W. Galante, President and CEO, Queens Library Not a good solution The big pharmaceutical companies must be ecstatic now that the American Medical Association has declared obesity a disease. Now doctors will just prescribe pills to their patients instead of telling them to “eat healthier food and exercise.” Robert La Rosa Whitestone LOVE PREVAILS Love really does conquer all. Just ask 84-year-old Edith Windsor. When her spouse, Thea Spyer, died in 2009, the now 84-year-old Windsor set out to prove that love and marriage know no bounds. Last week, she was proven right. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which had barred the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages despite being legalized by the states, as unconstitutional. This means that same-sex couples will now receive all the benefits of marriage that other couples do. Windsor is a pioneer. She brought the case after being denied a refund by the IRS for $363,000 in federal estate taxes she paid after Spyer’s death. It was truly a case of David VS. Goliath, but the Supreme Court ruling proved that in the United States, when we say “liberty and justice for all,” we mean it. MORE COPS, NOT OVERSIGHT The NYPD, with help from the public and the latest technology, has been doing a yeoman’s job of keeping our streets safe, despite a “thin blue line.” That’s why we’d much prefer to see more cops on the beat, rather than an inspector general. Last week, the New York City Council approved the Community Safety Act, part of which will create an inspector general to oversee the activities of the police department and have subpoena power. “Last year, there were a record-low number of murders and a record-low number of shootings in our city, and this year, we’re on pace to break both of those records,” Bloomberg said in a statement. “Unfortunately, these dangerous pieces of legislation will only hurt police officers’ ability to protect New Yorkers and sustain this tremendous record of accomplishment.” Bloomberg promised to veto the bills, but the City Council is expected to have enough votes to overturn the veto. JUSTICE BEING SERVED In our multi-ethnic borough, it astounds us that hate crimes still exist. Take, for example, the attack on Bashir Ahmad, a devout Muslim from Afghanistan, who was repeatedly stabbed outside of his local mosque, Masjid Al-Saaliheen in Flushing, last November. It should not have happened. Just this past week, Bernhard Laufer of Forest Hills was arrested and charged in connection with the incident. The 57-year-old victim said Laufer was not attacking him personally, but the Muslim faith as a whole. “Crimes fueled by hate will not be tolerated here in Queens County, the most diverse county in the nation,” said District Attorney Richard A. Brown. We’re glad to see that justice is being served.
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