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editorial 18 THE COURIER SUN • FEBRUARY 25, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com sun WWW.COURIERSUN.COM VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS BOB BRENNAN ROBERT POZARYCKI AMY AMATO-SANCHEZ NIRMAL SINGH ALAN SELTZER STEPHEN REINA RON TORINA, JENNIFER DECIO, CHERYL GALLAGHER KATRINA MEDOFF, ANTHONY GIUDICE, ANGELA MATUA, ALINA SURIEL CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI DEMETRA PLAGAKIS WARREN SUSSMAN CELESTE ALAMIN MARIA VALENCIA VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS PUBLISHER & EDITOR 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 EVENTS MANAGER SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE CLASSIFIED MANAGER CONTROLLER PRESIDENT & CEO VICE PRESIDENT Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 Sales Fax: 718-631-3498 www.qns.com editorial e-mail: editorial@queenscourier.com for advertising e-mail: ads@queenscourier.com Entire Contents Copyright 2015 by The Courier Sun All letters sent to THE COURIER SUN should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should include a full address and home and offi ce telephone numbers, where available, as well as affi liation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE COURIER SUN. 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 COURIER SUN within fi ve days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. VIctoria Media Services 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 COURIER SUN 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.  SNAPS QUEENS SNOW DAY IN LIC PART 3/ PHOTO BY ORESTES GONZALEZ Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! Submit them to us via our Instagram @queenscourier, Facebook page, tweeting @queenscourier or by emailing editorial@queenscourier.com (subject: Queens Snaps). WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE METS’ CHANCES OF MAKING “Well, if they made it last year, I think they can do it again.” Daniel Rivera “I believe the Mets have a very good shot at making the World Series. Their pitching staff is strong and they bolstered their lineup.” Franklin Rijo “I think they have a very good chance. They have strong pitching, plus they re-signed Cespedes.” John McGurk “I think they will make it to the World Series. They have to make it to the playoffs fi rst though.” Paul Drazil BY MIGUEL VASQUEZ “With the young talent on their team, they look like one of the best in the national league.” Jonathan Williams street talk “Low. I’m a Yankees fan.” Emmanuel Pantelidis “I think that if the roster stays healthy, they’ll be back in the World Series.” John Moscoso IT BACK TO THE WORLD SERIES THIS SEASON?  “I think they have a 90 percent chance. I’m keeping the faith alive.” Emilie Lenglain You have the right to clarity under the law Thanks in large part to the many crime dramas on television and in the movies, the Miranda warning has become part of the American lexicon since the Supreme Court mandated in 1966 that law enforcement offi cers inform alleged criminals of their rights upon arrest. Apparently, according to one Astoria-based lawmaker, the Miranda warning isn’t easy to understand. The 55-word warning seems self-explanatory: “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?” State Senator Michael Gianaris recently introduced legislation calling for a simplifi ed version of the Miranda warning “in plain language” to be read to any defendant under the age of 18. According to a Daily News report, Gianaris indicated that the current warning contains college-level vocabulary, which prompts many juvenile defendants to waive their rights. Pardon us, but the Miranda warning’s language appears plain enough to be understood by anyone of age accused of committing a crime. Perhaps the only way it could be made more simple is if emojis replaced some of the text. Seriously, the Miranda warning itself is constructed for the purpose of clarity. It came about as a result of a criminal case involving Ernesto Miranda, an Arizona man who signed a confession to committing rape but was never informed of his right to legal counsel, or that whatever he said or did could incriminate him. If anything, breaking down the warning’s language might wind up making the warning so vague that it accomplishes the exact opposite of the legislation’s intent — and confuses the arrested individual or arresting offi cer to the point where the accused’s civil rights are violated. Criminal justice reform is certainly a necessity, as evidenced by recent events. But tweaking or watering down the Miranda warning’s language won’t make the path to justice any clearer; if anything, it makes it harder to fi nd. ‘Tampon tax’ end is step toward equality We were encouraged to learn that state Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan is backing a bill in the state legislature that would eliminate the sales tax on feminine hygiene products such as sanitary napkins and tampons. A worldwide movement is underway to eliminate such surcharges deemed as a “tax on women.” This problem has been overlooked for years, and it’s about time our state joins this effort. Hopefully, the legislature will pass this bill and Governor Andrew Cuomo signs it before the end of the legislative session in June; with the support of the leaders in the Democrat-led Assembly and Republican-led state Senate, that seems to be a near-certainty. The disgraceful part about the tax isn’t about the money, but rather about its context. Charging women a tax for products that they need for their own health and well-being is the very defi nition of inequality. It simply isn’t right, and ending this tax is the right thing to do.


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