44 The QUEE NS Courier • OCTOBER 17, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com editorial 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. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’S POSITION. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE QUEENS COURIER. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to THE QUEENS COURIER within five days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. Schneps Communications assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold The Quens Courier and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement. Appalled by hate crime I was appalled and greatly distressed to read of a hate crime in Bellerose. I live in Glen Oaks Village on the Bellerose side where these egregious and nefarious acts were perpetrated. Four cars were spray painted with Nazi swastikas and seven other cars had scribbles of hate. Our neighborhood is a melting pot of various races, nationalities and religious faiths. I just don’t understand what could possess the individual or individuals to commit these acts of hate against my neighbors. In my opinion one thing is sure, and that is we are not born with hate but it is learned and taught in the home. That must stop! Remember this too, it takes a village to raise a child. Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Glen Oaks Village Disturbing The latest news that an undercover police officer was part of that motorcycle gang that terrorized a family driving is very upsetting. Why was this officer riding in this group? Also, when he saw what was happening, why did he not call for backup assistance on his radio if he was unable to take any immediate action by himself to stop the brutal assault on that innocent motorist? The last thing that is needed here is for law enforcement personnel to be riding in these wild groups of brazen motorcyclists. Undercover or not, he still should have taken some type of action, or at least immediately reported it to his precinct’s commanding officer. John Amato Fresh Meadows A shot at life As I examine the abortion issue, I find one recurring theme among pro-choice advocates and that is, “what if the child were born with certain ailments and diseases that would impair the quality of life?” Now consider today’s technologies where parents can decide whether to abort a child that may not be viable for a normal and healthy life. This brings to mind a child I knew very well many years ago. The child was born with spinal problems, asthma, a learning disability and was highly anemic. He also had a stuttering handicap that was so bad other children would make fun of him. In today’s culture of death, would it not be considered humane to abort such a child rather than make this child suffer and have no prospect of a future and alleviate his parents’ financial burdens? That child was me. Today I’m 64 years old and run a shipping department in a plumbing supply house at Northeast Plumbing in Mineola for going on 34 years. I served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era. I am also a past Grand Knight for St. Anastasia Knights of Columbus in Douglaston and I am also a lector at St. Anastasia’s parish, which is some task for someone who had a severe stutter for many years. Life was no picnic and has been a struggle. But in my travels I hope I have affected some lives in a positive way. Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Glen Oaks Village, N.Y. Rockaway Beach Rail Line on track For years, we have rallied, screamed and petitioned to demand better transit options for our communities in southern Queens and finally our voices were heard. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) released its Twenty-Year Capital Needs Assessment, which included the restoration of the Rockaway Beach Rail Line as part of its plans for the future. The Capital Needs Assessment is a blueprint which details the MTA vision to repair, rebuild and expand the NYC transit infrastructure between the years 2015 to 2034. Transportation continues to be a top priority for our families and the MTA has agreed that the most efficient and affordable option for expanding service is to utilize existing paths. Residents and visitors of Queens deserve safe, affordable and expedient access to other parts of the borough and manageable commutes to midtown Manhattan. Restoration of the Rail Line would create jobs and boost economic development as well as taking thousands of cars off our already congested roadways. There are 2.3 million people in Queens and more than eight million in the city who would benefit from increased public transportation options. The inclusion of the Rockaway Beach Rail in the MTA Capital Needs Assessment is a huge step forward and I will continue to work closely with my colleagues, and the MTA until the restoration of the rail line becomes a reality for all our hardworking Queens families and small businesses. Assemblymember Philip Goldfeder ONE MOTHER’S SON As you read this, one mother’s son is still missing. As you read this, one mother’s son is still missing – and we blame the Department of Education. It is a horror we cannot even imagine. Avonte Oquendo, 14, was last seen leaving his Long Island City school around 12:38 p.m. on Friday, October 4. OCTOBER 4 – making it nearly two weeks that the Rego Park teen, who cannot verbally communicate and is supposed to be supervised at all times, somehow managed to escape the school. Where were educators? Security guards? His assigned supervisor? When we send our children to school, we expect them to be safe. The family has filed a notice of claim to sue the city, and has said that a security guard at the school saw their son leave but didn’t stop him and waited close to an hour to let the child’s mother know that he was missing. What an abomination. What if it were your child? In the days following his disappearance, someone somewhere woke up and forces, including the NYPD and its Harbor Unit, mobilized to help find Avonte, who can only read his own name. Countless volunteers hit the streets, handing out flyers, looking for any trace of him. There was a vigil, and the initial $5,000 reward offered by Mayerson & Associates, a New York Law Firm which represents individuals with autism, was matched by the Manhattan Children’s Center, a nonprofit private autism school, the Gelb Family Foundation. The reward was then increased to $70,000 through the support of Health First, the employer of the missing teen’s mother, Suzanne and Bob Wright, co-founders of Autism Speaks, David Perecman of the Perecman Firm, which is representing the boy’s family, and an anonymous donor. But all the money in the world is not enough to bring home one mother’s son. Our hearts go out to Avonte’s family. We pray and hope that he is found alive and well and can be reunited with the people who love him so. He was last wearing a gray striped shirt, black jeans and black sneakers. He is 5’3″ tall and weighs 125 pounds. If you have seen him – or have ANY information – call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS. In the meantime, let this be a lesson to the Department of Education. If any child leaves a school and is presumed missing, ACT IMMEDIATELY. There is no time to spare when it comes to our most precious commodity.
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