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20 The Courier SUN • december 12, 2013 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com editorial “Identify This Place” to find out where this is letters   sun WWW.COURIERSUN.COM 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 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 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 Sales fax: 718-631-3498 website: www.couriersun.com e-mail:editorial@queenscourier.com ads@queenscourier.com queenscourier@queenscourier.com Entire Contents Copyright 2013 by The Courier Sun All letters sent to THE C OURIER 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 C OURIER 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 C OURIER 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 Sad loss It is sad to hear of the lost of Nelson Mandela, who was an iconic beacon of hope. The world has lost a great leader but more than that a great human being. He fought against apartheid and fought for the peace and unity of a nation. His tenacious and courageous efforts to achieve Democracy in South Africa were truly remarkable, if not epic. He was a unique human being who would not acquiesce nor capitulate to the evil powers that existed. Even being in prison for 27 years could not destroy his indomitable spirit. Mandela did right the wrongs of his day and did make a difference. His favorite poem was called “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley, which closes by saying, “No matter how straight the gate nor charge the punishments the scroll, I am master of my fate and captain of my soul.” He truly lived by those words. Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Glen Oaks Village Where’s the contract? It has now been nearly four years since the contract has expired, and New York City public school teachers are still without a new, fair and decent contract. They are still working under the old one. Why isn’t UFT president Michael Mulgrew pushing very hard for a new contract for his members? The UFT and the DOE need to work on getting this serious issue resolved. All of the bickering in the media between Mulgrew and the DOE needs to stop, and the focus must be on working to secure a new contract for all of the hard-working and dedicated teachers in our city schools as soon as possible, and that should be NOW. John Amato Fresh Meadows Support his pick Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio is being blasted for saying that his selection of schools chancellor will not be a “beauty contest.” What’s the big deal? Why suspect the worst motives? By no means does it smack of some backroom deal. A public airing is no guarantee of a quality selection anyway. Influence can still be peddled, though with a different kind of finesse. Pressures may lead to corrupt decisions regardless of the venue. It certainly makes sense to reserve judgment on any politician’s promises until they’re delivered (the promises, not the politicians!) After all, politicians are what they are. But for people who want public education to thrive, there’s been no more eye-popping, jaw-dropping and brain-numbing ordeal than the havoc wrought by Bloomberg’s space cadets. The damage they did to the system and the education profession was not the result of closed-door wrangling, but rather of arrogance and ignorance. Wisdom is the clincher, not the forum. Demagogues can lead us down the wrong road even if it’s a public road and not a garbage-strewn private alley. Ron Isaac Fresh Meadows Unfair treatment Do our daily newspapers accuse the police and their union of taking positions that help their members even if they hurt the city, public be damned? No. And they are right. Do they blame firefighters and their union for pushing policies that enrich their members even if they leave the city burning? No. And they are right. Do they hammer sanitation workers and their union for a contract that cleans up for its members whom they allege could care less about filth left in the streets? No. And they are right. So why do they single out the teachers’ union and its members and assume the worst motives for everything they do and say and represent? Community newspapers tend to be more thoughtful and objective. There should be a therapist who specializes in the hang-ups of some editorial boards. Ron Isaac Fresh Meadows VISIT QueensCourier.com For more stories TIGHT LIPPED We are very distressed over the NYPD’s new edict that instructs the city’s 77 police precincts to remain mum when it comes to the media. Up until now, reporters had been able to reach out to individual precincts concerning crimes occurring in specific neighborhoods. We have worked hard to foster relationships within the ranks of the NYPD by attending important meetings and by literally getting our facts straight. Up until now, it had been a great relationship that served a dual purpose: the media got the story, and the police got the word out. In fact, with our own pages we have been able to help the NYPD catch a criminal. Years ago we ran the sketch of a wanted bank robber on our front cover. Our vigilant readers recognized the man, who was arrested, and The Courier was able to help solve a crime. So why now would this edict go out: “Any requests by media to view complaint reports be referred to the office of the Deputy Commissioner For Public Information (DCPI)”? A reporter’s first line of questioning goes to DCPI, but oftentimes the agency does not have information on lower-level crimes, which is where the precinct comes in. And while we understand the importance of following protocol, we disagree with the new policy. We hope that with the appointment of William Bratton as the new Police Commissioner, the NYPD reconsiders. After all, the best way to solve – and stop – crime is for the police and the community to work together. THE BEST GIFT We’re pretty sure Ellen Buonpastore will be perfectly happy if she wakes up Christmas morning and there’s no present for her under the tree. After all, her Christmas came early when her son, Sergeant Kristianpeter DiStefano, came home to Howard Beach. After nine long months in Afghanistan, he was greeted with a hero’s welcome on Friday, December 6. It was his fifth deployment – he was previously stationed in Iraq and Kuwait – and the career-Army man is already thinking of shipping out again in January. In true selfless form, he told his mother, “I go back because now somebody else gets to go home and see their mom and their family. It’s a brotherhood.” To us, DiStefano embodies not only the spirit of the season, but a true soldier. And for their bravery and heroism, we salute all who serve, especially those who will not be able to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones.


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