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PAT BUCHANAN News & Opinion extorted from us is high. We could be seeing these killers again on a battlefield after their year’s detention in Qatar. Other Americans may have to suffer and perhaps die for our having freed these five from Guantanamo. Taliban leader Mullah Omar is proclaiming a “big victory” over the Americans, and it is a morale boost for the Taliban we are fighting. As for the Afghan government, it was kept in the dark. The message received in Kabul must be: The Americans are taking care of their own, cutting deals behind our back at our expense, packing up, going home. We cannot rely on them. We are on our own. But as for the claim that we “never negotiate with terrorists,” it is not as though we have not been down this road before. During Korea, we negotiated for a truce and return of our POWs with the same Chinese Communists who had tortured and brainwashed them. During Vietnam we negotiated for the return of our POWs with North Vietnamese and Viet Cong who massacred 3,000 civilians in Hue in the Tet Offensive. Jimmy Carter negotiated with the Ayatollah’s regime to get our embassy hostages out of Iran. The Iran-Contra scandal was about Ronald Reagan’s decision to send TOW missiles secretly to Iran, for Iran’s aid in getting hostages released by Hezbollah in Lebanon. Bibi Netanyahu today insists that America not recognize a new Palestinian government that includes Hamas, for Hamas is a terrorist organization committed to Israel’s destruction. Yet Bibi released 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in 2011, many of them guilty of atrocities, in exchange for a single Israeli soldier held by Hamas in Gaza, Pvt. Gilad Shalit. Yasser Arafat, Menachem Begin and Nelson Mandela were all once declared to be terrorists heading up terrorist organizations—the PLO, the Irgun and the ANC. And all three have something else in common: All became winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. Today’s terrorist may be tomorrow’s statesman. The remains of Lenin and Mao rest in honor in their capitals. Jomo Kenyatta, founding father of Kenya, was once the chieftain of the Mau Mau. When it comes to negotiating with domestic hostage-takers, do we not, along with training SWAT teams to take them out, train men to negotiate with them? How many of us, with a family member held by a TIMES, THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2014 • 4 COPYRIGHT 2013 RIDGEWOOD TIMES PRINTING & PUBLISHING CO., INC. Since 1908 Published Every Thursday By RIDGEWOOD TIMES PRINTING & PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC. General Publication Office: P.O. Box 863299 Ridgewood, N.Y. 11386-0299 60-71 Woodbine St., Ridgewood, N.Y. 11385 Periodicals Postage Paid At Flushing, N.Y. (USPS 465-940) TELEPHONE: 1-718-821-7500-7501-7502-7503 FAX: 1-718-456-0120 Or E-MAIL: info@timesnewsweekly.com Or info@ridgewoodtimes.com WEB SITE: www.timesnewsweekly.com ON TWITTER @timesnewsweekly SUBSCRIPTION: $25 Per Year By Mail / $30 Outside Queens & Brooklyn Allow 2-3 Weeks For New Subscriptions. Postmaster Send Address Corrections To: RIDGEWOOD TIMES PRINTING AND PUBLISHING CO., INC. P.O. BOX 863299, RIDGEWOOD, N.Y. 11386-0299 Periodicals Postage Paid At Flushing, N.Y. USPS-465-940 Photo Submissions And Requests 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. MAUREEN E. WALTHERS.........................Publisher & Editor JOHN T. WALTHERS......................................Managing Editor ROBERT POZARYCKI...................................Associate Editor DEBORAH CUSICK.................................Classified Manager MARLENE RUIZ...........................Assist. Classified Manager TIMES NEWSWEEKLY Is Listed With The Standard Rate & Data And Is A Member Of The New York Press Association Reaching The Queens Homes Of Ridgewood, Glendale, Liberty Park, Maspeth, Middle Village, So. Elmhurst, Woodside, Sunnyside, Astoria, Long Island City, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Richmond Hill, Rego Park, Forest Hills, Woodhaven, Elmhurst, And Kew Gardens. Reaching The Brooklyn Homes Of Ridgewood, Bushwick, Cypress Hills, East Williamsburg And 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. War Hero Or Deserter? “We needed to get him out of there, essentially to save his life.” So said Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, an Army sergeant in Vietnam, of Barack Obama’s trade of five hardcore Taliban leaders at Guantanamo for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a Taliban prisoner for five years. The trade speaks well of America’s resolve to leave no soldier behind. And the country surely shared the joy of Bergdahl’s family on learning their son was alive and coming home. But this secret swap, as well as the circumstances of Bergdahl’s capture and captivity, are likely to further polarize our people and poison our politics. First, the price the Taliban -SEE BUCHANAN ON PG. 26- EDITORIAL Why are Mayor Bill de Blasio and School Chancellor Carmen Fariña determined to diminish the educational standards of the public school system of New York City? What possible reason could there be to punish excellence just because not everyone is smart enough to pass an entrance test for one of New York City’s nine specialized public high schools? According to state law, the only method that these schools may use to determine admission is the Specialized High School Admission Test (SHSAT). Exceptions are made to high schools focused on arts and music, which are allowed to hold auditions for admission. Local politicians and activists dissatisfied with the racial and ethnic proportions at special public high schools now want to tinker with the entrance exams for the sake of parity. Asian students comprise a little more than half the admitted students, although they only make up 15 percent of all city public school children. Reports show that Hispanics account for 40 percent of students and blacks account for 28 percent of the total public high school kids. However, only 7 percent of Hispanic students and 5 percent of black studentss pass the SHSAT tests for admission. Whites represent 14 percent of all kids in public school and have a 28 percent acceptance rate in the speciliazed schools. United Federation of Teachers (UFT) President Michael Mulgrew is in favor of changing the entrance exams and unveiled a plan enabling the city to also consider grade point average and other factors for admission. Maybe Mulgrew should instead consider advocating for higher-quality teachers and enhance curricula rather than lower admission standards. There are many successful black and Hispanic people who attended schools in New York City and went on to fame and fortune, such as Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayer, former Secretary of State and retired Gen. Colin Powell, the late Judge Basil Paterson and his son, former Gov. David Paterson. They may not have attended the specialized high schools, but they excelled in the school they did attend. There are many reasons why, but undoubtedly, they excelled because the education standards and expectations of their youth are much higher than today. Racial bias, poor classroom environments and poverty were in existence then as they are now. The key to overcoming these obstacles is to help students burst through them. And how does a society do that? Not by lowering the standards, but by raising the quality of a person’s education. But that costs money the city, state and federal governments either do not have or do not want to provide. Instead, they take the much cheaper route of dumbing down standards at the expense of our children and future generations. It’s a horrible tradeoff that will reverberate in our society for decades to come. The late newsman David Brinkley once said, “A successful man is one who can lay down a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at them.” The rules of entrance for elite high schools has been tried and true and dumbing them down is just plain wrong. News From The Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association A Modest Proposal For A Modest Problem by Alexander Blenkinsopp This column is not about the most pressing matter facing Woodhaven. It is about a pet peeve. Too many storefronts on Jamaica Avenue—Woodhaven’s commercial strip—feature awnings and signs that, though written in English, reflect a shockingly poor command of the language. They are replete with misspellings, ungrammatical statements, and other mangling of the English language. I am not referring to “stationary” where “stationery” is appropriate, though that does pop up on Jamaica Avenue signage. Such mistakes are common enough beyond the avenue that I am willing to give store owners a pass on it. I am referring to egregious errors that bespeak extreme apathy or laziness on the part of those who commissioned and produced the signage. “Luggages.” “Francy” instead of “fancy.” “Hot & cold sandwiches, cold cuts, and grocery.” “Custom designs, repairs, diamond, watch.” “We accept food stamp.” “Dinning” instead of “dining.” And so on. -SEE WRBA ON PG. 28- Join The 104th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol Volunteers Needed from Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village & Ridgewood ©Times Newsweekly 2014 – GCOP 718-497-1500 NEXT MEETING: Thurs., June 19, 2014 at 8:00 pm St. Pancras School - Pfeifer Hall Myrtle Ave. & 68th St., Glendale NY, 11385 All It Takes For Evil To Thrive Is For Good Men & Women To Do Nothing


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