32 The QUEE NS Courier • august 21, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com editorial letters LIBRARY CENSORSHIP So “removed” Queens Library Trustee George Stamatiades claims that Queens BP Melinda Katz will censor library materials. If he wants to experience intellectual censorship, all he needs to do is try to save the audio podcasts of Gary Null, Amy Goodman or Mike Rivero at the central branch. I hope he likes Joan Hamburg bantering about restaurants or the theater because that’s allowed but the diverse political opinions of the others are blocked by the library’s computer filtering. The library spokesmouth has said that this was a “technical” issue, but it never gets resolved. Bill Herbert Richmond Hill P.S. I don’t believe you will print this after that library puff piece and the letter that seems professionally written by a hired PR firm. ENDING THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE For those who want to become familiar with the History of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I would like to suggest reading the New York Times bestseller “Palestine Peace Not Apartheid” by our former president Jimmy Carter, friend of Israel as well as the Arabs and primary player in achieving the 1978-79 Camp David peace agreement between Egypt and Israel. The Camp David peace agreement could offer a model to resolve the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict which has already gone too long by killing and wounding civilians, destroying property needlessly and causing untold misery to their peoples. The cycle of violence between Palestinians and Israelis must end, as it can lead only to more violence and to the perpetuation of the conflict. A. V. South Ozone Park PRUDENT PRUNING What is all of this ballyhoo about the Department of Parks not pruning the correct trees in the boroughs? The Parks Department and the office of the comptroller need to better coordinate how and where this money is being allocated and properly used. We have trees that were pruned that did not need to be; we have trees that were in desperate need of pruning and were not even touched. The city cannot afford any more lawsuits from people who might suffer injuries due to falling branches or trees that have not been properly maintained. Let’s get with the program and get this work done right! John Amato Fresh Meadows NATIONAL BANANA SPLIT DAY You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream. Take a day off from worrying about cholesterol, triglycerides and your weight. Treat yourself and go to your favorite local ice cream parlor and order a banana split. Monday, Aug. 25, is National Banana Split Day. Why not have an all ice cream dinner? Enjoy a couple of scoops of your favorite ice cream. Add some bananas, hot fudge, whipped cream, cherries and other toppings. It will put a smile on your face and bring back childhood memories of when you frequented Jahn’s Ice Cream Parlor or another favorite ice cream emporium. Larry Penner Great Neck STILL COMPLAINING Republicans are still complaining about President Obama attending fundraisers and playing golf all over the U.S. (Obama has played golf 178 times during his presidency, about once every two weeks.) I wonder if they were this upset during Bush’s presidency. Are they aware that during Dubya’s two terms he took 879 vacation days? That’s “on vacation” for almost 2 1/2 years! But thank goodness Bush was “on the job” reading “The Pet Goat” on 9/11 while the country was under attack. And he was also “on the job” while our economy went into the toilet. By the way, Bush also played many rounds of golf during his presidency. Unfortunately, to this day, he still thinks he was playing tennis. Robert LaRosa Whitestone IDENTIFY THIS PLACE Go to www.queenscourier.com and search “Identify This Place” to find out where this is PROTECTION FOR JAMAICA BAY We are pleased to see that Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation to help save Jamaica Bay. The legislation, drafted by state Sen. Joe Addabbo and Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder, prevents the Department of Environmental Conservation from issuing permits to dump waste into the bay. While we applaud the bill, its sponsors and the governor, we really have to wonder about the need for it in the first place. How can it be that the Department of Environmental Conservation thought it was a good idea to allow businesses to dump hazardous materials into the bay? Aren’t they supposed to be protecting the environment, not giving license for further destruction? And where else are they issuing permits to pollute? Now that DEC is out of the dumping permit business — for Jamaica Bay at least — maybe now they can spend some time thinking about how to clean up toxic sites instead of granting permission to pollute. JAMAICA DEVELOPMENT We’re very excited to see that Jamaica is on the rise again. The new development of a seven-story, 21-unit apartment building on Hillside Avenue is a big step forward for the often ignored neighborhood. Jamaica is a vital part of this borough that has fought its way through some tough economic times and is ripe for a major comeback. Jamaica’s got everything going for it and now, at last, people are noticing. WELCOME BACK, U.S. OPEN The premier tennis competition in the Western Hemisphere opens this week in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. And we welcome it with open arms. It’s great for sports fans, great for residents, great for businesses, great for all of the borough. Big stars, community events, great entertainment and food — there’s something for everyone. The eyes of the world are on Queens. And we welcome the chance to shine. GOOD LUCK TRUSTEES Since the purge of the library board, two people have been named to serve as trustees of the Queens Library: Jukay Hsu was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio and Robert Santos was appointed by Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. Both men have impressive records and we hail their appointments while we mourn the loss of nine members who dedicated countless hours in the service of the library. We’re sorry we couldn’t welcome the new trustees under happier circumstances, but we wish them all the best in these very important positions. We hope they are treated better than their predecessors. THE QUEENS Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Bob Brennan William J. Gorta Amy Amato-Sanchez Nirmal Singh Graziella Zerilli Stephen Reina Ron Torina, Jennifer Decio, Cheryl Gallagher Liam La Guerre, Cristabelle Tumola, Angy Altamirano Katrina Medoff, Eric Jankiewicz, Salvatore Licata Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni Cristabelle Tumola Demetra Plagakis 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 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:editorial@queenscourier.com ads@queenscourier.com queenscourier@queenscourier.com Entire Contents Copyright 2014 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. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’S POSITION. 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