Glendale At Its Best During P.O. Funeral Dear Editor: As a longtime resident of Glendale, a place so many have no idea where it is in Queens, I was proud to be a resident as events unfolded during the emotional, dignified, honorable and respectable funeral for the slain P.O. Rafael Ramos. Glendale was at its best, but where did you see or read anything about that? The media chooses to report on protestors, dysfunctional politicians and disrespected activists instead of on a story on the community and how so many supported the thousands of police that day. As someone that lives a block away from the Christ Tabernacle Church, I was at the center of the event and everywhere you turned you saw thousands of police officers, firefighters, and many other public service organizations from all over the country showing their support for the fallen officer. One thing many people did not see or even realize was that many of the Glendale residents who support our police officers opened their homes to the throngs that were standing for hours as they prepared for the services. It may have started simply with a police officer approaching one of us and asking to use the bathroom and then it grew and more and more residents of Glendale opened there homes to assist in any way they could. Local businesses posted signs of their support and that their restrooms were opened for police officers, homes displayed blue ribbons, people offered driveways for the tremendous amount of police vehicles. Michael, a police officer from the New Haven Honor Guard, was trying to see the proceedings but the mass of people made it Among the dispositions shared by the two conservatives was a determination to stay out of other people’s wars. Peering into 2015, there are wars into which our interventionists are eager to plunge that represent no immediate or grave threat to us. One is the war the Islamic State group is waging in Syria and Iraq, a menace so great, we are told, it may require U.S. ground troops. But why? Syria and Iraq are 5,000 miles away. And because of its barbarism and incompetence, the Islamic State is losing support in the Sunni lands it now occupies. The Kurds have halted the group’s advance toward Irbil, Iraq. Shiite militias, no friends of ours, have halted its advance toward Baghdad. The Islamic State is under steady drone and air attack by the U.S. and Arab allies. Iran is providing men and materiel to Damascus and Baghdad in their battle against the group. Now the Turks and Gulf Arabs, including the Saudis, appear to have awakened to the threat and are weighing in against the Islamic State. Why not let them do the fighting? By staying out of the two world wars of the 20th century until the other great powers were fully engaged and horribly bled, America emerged triumphant with the fewest casualties and least damage. That used to be called statesmanship. Moreover, compared with Nazi Germany, imperial Japan, Next Board 5 Meeting Wed. In Middle Village MMAAUURREEEENN EE. WWAALLTTHHEERRSS..........................................PPuubblisshheerr && EEdditoorr JJOOHHNN TT.. WWAALLTTHHEERRSS................................................................................................PPuubblliisshheerr EEmmeerriittuuss RROOBBEERRT POOZZAARRYYCCKI.................................................MMaanaaging EEdditorr JJOOSEE VVAARRGAAS.............................................Prrodducction//Saaleess MMaanaageerr DDEEBBOORRAAHH CCUUSSICCKK..............................................CClaassssiffieedd MMaannaaggeerr MMAARRLLEENNEE RRUUIZZ............................................AAssssisst. CClaassssifieedd MMaanaageerr TTIIMMEESS NNEEWWSSWWEEEEKKLLYY IIss LLiisstteedd WWiitthh TThhee SSttaannddaarrdd RRaattee && DDaattaa AAnndd IIss AA MMeemmbbeerr OOff TThhee NNeeww YYoorrkk PPrreessss AAssssoocciiaattiioonn TIMES, THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015 • 4 Times Newsweekly EEDDIITTOORRIIAALL Times Newsweekly Established In 1908 As Ridgewood Times PPhhootoo SSuubbmmissssioonnss AAnndd RReeqquueesstss Photographs submitted to the Times Newsweekly/Ridgewood Times should be in electronic high resolution (300dpi) JPEG (.jpg) or TIFF (.tif) formats. Sharp and clear non-Polaroid photo prints in color or black and white are also acceptable. Photographs submitted will become the property of this newspaper, with the exception of photos or other materials sent for use by The Old Timer and photos which are part of paid announcements. We welcome the submission of unsolicited photos or related materials for consideration of publication, but we cannot guarantee their use. The return of such photos or materials, except in cases as noted above, is not possible. We regret that we are unable to accommodate requests for photos taken by photographers working on assignment for the Times Newsweekly/Ridgewood Times. Reaching The Queens Homes Of Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Woodside, Sunnyside, Astoria, Long Island City, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Richmond Hill, Rego Park, Forest Hills, Woodhaven, Elmhurst & Kew Gardens. Reaching The Brooklyn Homes Of Ridgewood, Bushwick, Cypress Hills, East Williamsburg & Williamsburg. COMPOSITION RESPONSIBILITY: Accuracy in receiving ads over the telephone cannot be guaranteed. This newspaper is responsible for only one incorrect insertion and only for that portion of the ad in which the error appears. It is the responsibility of the advertiser to make sure copy does not contravene the Consumer Protection Law or any other requirement. CCOOPPYYRRIIGGHHTT 22001144 RRIIDDGGEEWWOOOODD TTIIMMEESS PPRRIINNTTIINNGG && PPUUBBLLIISSHHIINNGG CCOO., IINNCC. 60-71 Woodbine St., Ridgewood, N.Y. 11385 General Pub. Office: P.O. Box 863299 Ridgewood, N.Y. 11386-0299 Periodicals Postage Paid At Flushing, N.Y. (USPS 465-940) TTEELEEPHHOONEE: 11--771188--882211--77550000/77550011/77550022/77550033 FFAAXX: 11--771188--445566--00112200 EE-MMAAIILL: iinnffoo@@ttiimmeessnneewwsswweeeekkllyy..ccoomm WWEEBB SSITTEE: www.timessnnewssweekklyy.ccoom OON TTWWITTTTEER @@timessnnewssweekklyy PPUUBBLLIISSHHEEDD EEVVEERRYY TTHHUURRSSDDAAYY FFOORR OOVVEERR 110066 YYEEAARRSS PAT BUCHANAN A Time To Heal News & Opinion “If you see 10 troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you,” said Calvin Coolidge, whose portrait hung in the Cabinet Room of the Reagan White House. New York City reportedly ended 2014 with record-low crime numbers—but few seemed to take notice, for obvious reasons. According to Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, the city had just 332 murders last year, three fewer than the alltime low recorded in 2013. Robberies and burglaries were at their lowest totals in a decade. Such remarkable crime reductions are nothing new in New York City over the last two decades, and in other years would have been trumpeted by everyone from the tops of every tall building in the skyline. This time, however, the news was overshadowed by the strained police-community relationship that came to a head last month. For weeks on end, protesters filled Manhattan streets decrying incidents of police brutality and a lack of indictments against officers accused of unlawfully killing persons in their custody. Then, on Dec. 20, a madman from Baltimore—apparently invigorated by the demonstrations—traveled to New York and executed two police officers in cold blood. So much bitterness exists in these first few days of 2015. Police officers and protesters alike turned their backs, figuratively and literally, on Mayor de Blasio. Patrolmen Benevolent Association (PBA) President Pat Lynch wasted no time blaming the mayor for a cop killer’s actions. Talks between de Blasio and police union leaders who hold him responsible for the strained situation went nowhere. Moreover, those who railed against the NYPD for so many months and organized the protests are too silent, and the protestors themselves carry on as if nothing happened. In the most recent protests, these individuals disrupted brunch at several Manhattan restaurants on Sunday, Jan. 4, at the same time the city buried one of its fallen officers, Det. Wenjian Liu. Where do we go from here? Do we move in greater polarization toward one another and widen the wound between the people and the NYPD—or does someone involved in this situation want to step up, take account and work to close those wounds and heal this city? Everyone needs to understand something: the concepts of supporting the NYPD and supporting reform of the NYPD are not mutually exclusive. This is not a situation without a gray area. One can and should support New York’s Finest and legitimate efforts to make the best police force in the world more effective and responsible in their duties. One can detest the anti-police rhetoric while still supporting civil measures to reform police procedures. Turning backs on the mayor isn’t going to resolve anything, nor will calls for de Blasio’s resignation. His would-be replacement is Public Advocate Letitia James, who is politically aligned with de Blasio—so even if the mayor were to depart, not much would change at City Hall. Those dissatisfied with the mayor will need to wait until the 2017 elections to voice it through their votes, if they so choose. Likewise, it is also wrong for the protesters to amp up the anti-police rhetoric and perpetuate this police-state fantasy so many of them have. Continuing inflammatory behavior is going to galvanize support against their cause—including alienating those who are in favor of police reform but choose to sit on the sidelines. New York City is a much safer place than it was 25 years ago; even the most jaded among us know that. The only way in which it will stay safe is if the Police Department does its job, and the people of New York City support it. It’s time to cast aside the rhetoric and the protests and time to work together to make our city even safer and stronger than it already is. As Commissioner Bratton said so eloquently in his eulogy of fallen Det. Rafael Ramos, both sides need to “see each other,” because “when we see each other, we’ll heal as a department; we’ll heal as a city; we’ll heal as a country.” Is War In The Cards For 2015? Letters To The Editor Community Board 5 will hold its next monthly meeting this Wednesday night, Jan. 14, in Middle Village. As announced by District Manager Gary Giordano, the session will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of Christ the King Regional High School, located at 68-02 Metropolitan Ave. The agenda includes a presentation by representatives of Forestdale Foster Care Services as well as the public forum; reports by Giordano and Chairperson Vincent Arcuri; a review of liquor licenses and demolition notices; and committee reports. In his district manager’s report, Giordano is scheduled to update the community on the proposed Glendale homeless shelter. For additional information or to register to speak in advance, call Board 5’s Glendale office at 1-718-366- 1834. -SEE LETTERS ON PG. 24- -SEE BUCHANAN ON PG. 26-
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