42 The QUEE NS Courier • august 22, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com editorial “Identify This Place” to find out where this is letters THE QUEENS 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, Liam La Guerre, 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 Go to www.queenscourier.com and search In support of stop-and-frisk Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled that the city’s policy of stop-and-frisk is racial discrimination and unconstitutional. Well I believe, like Mayor Michael Bloomberg, that to stop this policy will make us all unsafe. Furthermore, I would like to applaud the NYPD, under Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, for keeping us safe. But there are those who wish to handcuff our diligent police officers from doing their job by taking away a vital tool, which is the policy of stop-and-frisk. Bloomberg has stated that it has taken 8,000 guns off the street over the past decade and some 80,000 other weapons. Bloomberg also pointed out that as recently as 1990 the City of New York had more than six murders a day. Now we have an average of one per day. If murder rates had stayed the same in a period of 11 years, more than 7,300 who are alive today would not be alive. The policy has worked and has saved lives. Now as far as Scheindlin’s accusations that the policy is racist, let me point out that many of our police officers are from minority groups themselves, and 97 percent of shooting victims are also black and Hispanic. I believe with a change in policy more innocent children will be killed. In the end I feel more guns will enter our communities and the criminals will rule our streets. When that happens I feel those who can will sell their homes and move out of New York for a safer place to live. Now that, in my opinion, will be a sad day indeed when the middle class moves out. Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Glen Oaks Village Support for Scheindlin’s decision Anticipating complaints from some of your regular letter writers, I am writing to celebrate Judge Shira Scheindlin’s decision to limit (though not abolish) the stop-and-frisk policies that target well over half a million fellow New Yorkers of color every year, 86 percent of them with no good reason. Scaling back this wasteful program will put our police to more effective work, or so we expect. The judge has named a federal monitor who will oversee the reforms. I understand he is still upset about losing the fight to limit the size of soda cups in this city, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg is wrong to get so hysterical about this decision. The mayor over-reaches, as does Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, and I believe their over-reaction in this matter indicates they are hiding other little projects in this age of massive NSA spying on all our emails, omni-present cameras with biometric capacity and massive cover-ups of illegal operations. It is not only all mosques and Muslim businesses under scrutiny, let’s not fool ourselves. And government policies, even if kept in check, are not likely to remain under control as new administrations come and go. Good apples, and bad apples, our police officers are famous for covering up for each other. This is why the police must have accountability mechanisms, like the Inspector General that the city council is ready to vote on once more, over-riding the mayor’s veto. Yes, it’s important that this does not add too much to police paperwork. That can be done, and it will add to the trust community members feel. P Adem Carroll Astoria Not a fan of Affordable Health Care Act The Affordable Health Care Act is less about health care and more about collecting fees, taxes, personal data and promoting a single payer system. The schemes and machinations inflicted on congress to facilitate the passage of Obamacare has prompted many to ask if is it constitutional for the government to make any law it wishes for the sake of society, grant exemptions and exceptions to those who wrote the law and their constituents and, in the process, limit freedom and confiscate wealth? The contentious issues generated by Obamacare are symbolic of the basic conflict in the world today. It is between two principles; individualism and the sanctity of private property and collectivism where man lives for the sake of the group or collective. We have reached the point in America where the government is unconstrained to do anything it pleases while citizens may act only by permission. Ed Konecnik Flushing Correction: In last week’s issue the advertisement for TLG Tayne Law Group, P.C. (on page 18 in the health section) ran incorrectly. The line “Attorney advertising: prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome” was omitted. We regret the error. WHAT A SHAME Our hearts broke when we heard the tragic news that 29-year-old Gia Allemand committed suicide. A former contestant on “The Bachelor,” Allemand was born in Howard Beach and appeared on season 14 of the ABC reality dating show. She was also on another ABC show, “The Bachelor Pad,” and worked as a model. By the looks of it, she had it all. But all that glitters is not gold. Reports say that Allemand grappled with demons. According to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the following signs may mean someone is at risk for suicide. • Talking about wanting to die or to kill themselves. • Looking for a way to kill themselves, such as searching online or buying a gun • Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live. • Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain. • Talking about being a burden to others. • Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs. • Acting anxious or agitated; behaving recklessly. • Sleeping too little or too much. • Withdrawing or isolating themselves. • Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge. • Displaying extreme mood swings. It is imperative that friends and family be aware of and look for telltale signs so that the person in question gets help. If you or someone you know exhibits any of these signs, seek help as soon as possible by calling the Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). It’s truly a shame that Allemand’s life was cut so short. Let’s help prevent other such tragedies. SAVE UDALLS COVE We are in the midst of a “Green” movement – “Green” cleaners, “Green” taxis, and so much more. So why is the city not offering up the green to buy the remaining privately-owned parcels of Udalls Cove? The city and state have already snapped up 14 acres, so what’s five more parcels of land, especially if it preserves the nature and beauty of the area? The Udalls Cove Preservation Committee has been working hard for decades to beautify and preserve the Ravine. It would be a shame to see nature destroyed to make way for development. The owner of the 1.4-acre land said she’d be willing to sell to the city if the price is right. So we urge the city to give the green light to negotiations so that Udalls Cove may remain a natural wonder.
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