24 The Courier sun • JUNE 19, 2014 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com editorial letters Sen. Schumer, what was he thinking? Residents of Bayside, Little Neck, Douglaston and Auburndale have for two years been living under the terrible noise of the new take-off route out of LaGuardia Airport called the TENIS Climb. Planes fly low and often and create noise that precludes outdoor conversations, and even indoor conversations through open windows. Moreover, the expectation is that our homes will lose value permanently, unless we get relief. A writer in the local press, quoting a real estate journal, recently estimated the loss of property value at between 15 and 30 percent, adding to tens of billions of dollars. After all, who will want to buy an expensive house under a noisy take-off route? We all came here looking for a quality, and quiet, community. How did this happen? On February 6, 2012, Congress enacted the Republican-sponsored so-called FAA Modernization and Reform Act (FAAMRA). It did so with Sen. Charles Schumer’s support and vote. All of our local congress members and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand voted against the bill, as did the majority of Democrats in the Congress. That act authorized appropriations for the FAA in the usual manner. However it also exempted all new area navigation and navigation procedures from environmental review pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as had been done in the past. FAAMRA states that in the sole determination of the FAA Administrator any efficiency in aircraft operations “shall be presumed to have no significant affect (sic) on the quality of the human environment.” This is so, despite the fact that, in many cases, the new procedures have impacted numerous communities like ours that have never before been overflown, or never overflown in the same quantity and at such low altitudes. Newly affected populations, like us, were thereby deprived of an avenue of redress in the courts through NEPA, on which they have come to depend for generations. As I understand it, the FAA will need a new reauthorization in 2015 so that it can continue to operate. That legislation may be our last chance to amend the act so as to give our communities the relief we so desperately need. Senator Schumer can help make that happen. We need to hear from him. Melvyn Meer Bayside Was Iraq intervention worth it? What is occurring in Iraq today could be and was foretold prior to and at the beginning of the American invasion. Not only were the reasons used to justify the invasion flawed, but the understanding of the nature of the sectarian and tribal divides that are centuries old are not going to vanish simply by having the U.S. wish them away. Disbanding Iraq’s army and police by the Bush administration was foolish as it removed a stabilizing force. The fired and enraged troops, many who held membership in the Ba’ath Party simply to guarantee employment, became the basis of the fighters who are conquering Iraq today. Fallujah particularly took American lives and was the scene of carnage. Mosul required the blood of our troops. The war took our young and pillaged our economy with the current events recalling the last helicopter leaving Vietnam. What is occurring and will not be stopped by any power the West has, including bombing, is the division of Iraq. It is strange that the vice president when he was a senator proposed dividing Iraq into three self-governing regions: Sunni, Shia and Kurds. Regardless of the voices on the right who believe the world must bend to American military might, the people of Iraq appear to be deciding their future. Edward Horn Baldwin, NY Farewell, Casey Kasem The radio industry has lost another icon. Casey Kasem was part of our world for over 40 years, broadcasting his famous Top 40 hits radio countdown to which millions of Americans listened every week. He was a gentleman and true professional in his broadcast field. He will be sorely missed. R.I.P., Casey! John Amato Fresh Meadows sun WWW.COURIERSUN.COM Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Bob Brennan William J. Gorta Amy Amato-Sanchez Nirmal Singh Graziella Zerilli Stephen Reina Ron Torina, Jennifer Decio, Cheryl Gallagher Liam La Guerre, Cristabelle Tumola Angy Altamirano, Katrina Medoff, Eric Jankiewicz Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni Cristabelle Tumola Demetra Plagakis Warren Susman 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 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 Sales fax: 718-631-3498 website: www.couriersun.com e-mail:editorial@queenscourier.com ads@queenscourier.com queenscourier@queenscourier.com Entire Contents Copyright 2014 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 office telephone numbers, where available, as well as affiliation, 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 five 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. IDENTIFY THIS PLACE Go to www.queenscourier.com and search “Identify This Place” to find out where this is GIVE PEACE A CHANCE The last time we weighed in on the brouhaha at the Queens Library, we preached prudence. The warring parties ignored us, responding to each other with court papers and procedural hurdles — all meant to thwart and enrage the other parties. It seems all the parties spent their time reading Shakespeare and stopped when they got to “Cry ‘Havoc!’ and let slip the dogs of war.” We recommend a different approach and — at least — a temporary halt to the warfare. We recognize the excellence of the Queens Library. It has won numerous awards and has established itself as more than shelves of books. Each branch is a community center offering myriad services to its constituents. We also recognize the true spirit of public service that runs deep in the elected officials who are questioning some of the library’s moves. We know their actions are not born of rancor or personal animus, but of duty to the taxpayers, who foot the lion’s share of the cost of the library. So, where to turn for advice on the library? How about the most popular book in the world? Even those who do not believe in the New Testament should be able to reflect — and we hope, act — on the words of Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” Like-minded people of goodwill should be able to put their differences aside and sit down and talk over the future of this august institution. And they should do it quickly. The damage to feelings and reputations will be much worse if all the truculence winds up damaging the library. NOW TRENDING: POLICE INNOVATION This is not your father’s NYPD. Deputy Inspector Jeffrey Schiff, the commanding officer of the 106th Precinct and an early adopter of using Twitter to get the word out to local residents, has turned the practice inside out, using social media to accept neighborhood complaints — and act on them. Schiff recently encouraged his constituents to tweet noise complaints to his official Twitter account so he could act on them personally. We know it doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it is. In a department that sometimes lets tradition and protocol interfere with direct interaction, Schiff’s move is bold and appreciated. We’re excited to see what Schiff and the rest of the NYPD come up with next.
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