Readers sound off on EMS personnel, Mahmoud Khalil and antisemitism accusations

Yahoo

25-05-2025

Staten Island: Re 'FDNY EMS unions buck brass, back Brannan' (May 22): That backing is well-deserved. Because he is the current City Council Finance Committee chair, Justin Brannan will be able to hit the ground running as comptroller, ensuring that city funds are appropriately used, including income generated by the medical work of the FDNY EMS.
As a City Council member, he has been out in front, actively supporting the EMS for many years. This includes in 2024, introducing Local Law 521 with Councilmember Lincoln Restler. It hasn't been acted upon by their fellow members. Continual EMS staff shortages leading to ever-increasing response times to life-threatening medical emergencies citywide are a direct result of local elected officials' lack of action. The health of New Yorkers in each Council district continues to bear the consequences of the Council's inaction. This can include dying before reaching a hospital because the nearest paramedics are too far away.
Council members ought to be on top of Council work. Five years ago, past FDNY EMS Chief Lillian Bonsignore testified before the City Council. She said the two contributing factors to the inability to retain experienced emergency medical personnel were the transfer of EMS personnel to the firefighting side (with its tens of thousands more in pay and benefits) and the EMS' low pay.
Since then, the Council has done nothing but publish fine words about an EMS pay increase. Since 2001, they haven't even insisted that their own law be followed — that the FDNY EMS be treated as a 'uniformed' first responder service. When currently negotiating the FY2026 budget, Council members have a chance to mend their ways before the coming elections. Helen Northmore
Manhattan: I remember Pete Rose as someone who played hard, but I have no strong opinion about his possible election to the Hall of Fame. I am curious about the relationship of culture to individual ethics, so I found Voicer Glenn Bischoff's imaginary storyline at odds with what I have heard for a lifetime from my father, uncles, husband, sons and grandsons — that all teams should play out a season with the intention of winning every game, even if out of contention. That is the ethical obligation of each team to all the others. The Voicer criticizes Rose (remember, it's all hypothetical) for using up his bullpen in an extra-inning game against one contender and winning, but spoiling his team's chances in the subsequent series against another contender. But in the closing days or weeks of a pennant race, that's precisely what teams try to do: win today, then worry about tomorrow. Michele P. Brown
Staten Island: Your daughter wants a Barbie doll for Christmas, but unfortunately, that would exceed the president's limit of two dolls and five pencils. No need for despair, however. You can buy her a $Melania meme coin instead. It's possible that you might even win a dinner at the White House or a trip to Mar-a-Lago on the big, beautiful Qatari flying palace. Ralph D'Esposito
Glendale: About a month or two ago, all we heard was how Donald Trump was ruining the economy. Since I have a couple of 401(k)s, I check on them occasionally to see how they are doing. Yes, my balance went down for a short period of time. However, checking them recently, the balances are back to where they started. It's strange that the mainstream media has apparently stopped reporting on this issue. Thomas Murawski
Oakland Gardens: I find it very sad that whenever there is criticism pointed at the president, he is compelled to fight back through his own social media, Truth Social. I have no problem with defending one's position. We are all entitled to that right. However, does it always have to be so personal? You are the most powerful person in the world. As president, you will always be subjected to different points of view. Are you that thin-skinned that your response is to tear down the character of those who disagree with you? Is that how we would want our children to react toward alternative views? There is an old saying, Mr. President, that fits you: 'You can dish it out but you can't take it.' Zane Tenenbaum
Dayton, Ohio: In her May 23 column, S.E. Cupp says, 'Trump and the GOP have abandoned conservatism.' Republicans have abandoned conservatism for cowardice. Trump, of course, was never conservative. He has never been anything but vindictive. Vic Presutti
Darien, Conn.: With the Memorial Day holiday forthcoming, may I suggest that we set aside some time for reading our Bill of Rights and our Constitution? Time well-spent reading together what many citizens died for. Dan Singer
Sauquoit, N.Y.: I read with disbelief a news article concerning Mahmoud Khalil and his wife's and newborn's recent visit. He was initially denied visitation because it was deemed an unsafe visit to a secure facility, among other reasons. Let's keep in mind that this is a prison in Louisiana, a state where prisoners seem to escape at an alarming rate. Recently, an escape from one of their 'secure facilities' resembled a 10-man conga line leaving the lockup. This is merely another example of this administration and the state of Louisiana displaying cruelty and unreasonable detention seemingly for showmanship. Perhaps they should check the security of their jails to ensure that murderers and other felons stay put, and not worry about a college activist having a brief visit with his wife and newborn son. Robert Kelly
Atlanta: Voicer Eugene Elander ignores salient facts. Israel withdrew all Jewish residents and Israeli security personnel from Gaza before Hamas took over administration of the enclave. While claiming that an Israeli blockade prevented the development of Gaza's economy, Hamas spent $1 billion building an extensive network of tunnels embedded amid the populace. With munitions stored in mosques, homes, and businesses, missiles launched from schoolyards, strategic planning sites located near areas in which Gazans responding to Israeli evacuation notices are sheltering, Hamas has guaranteed that Israel's exemplary efforts to avoid harming civilians will not be 100% effective. While photos of hostage release 'ceremonies' prove that it's the hostages, not Hamas members, who are starving, there certainly are some Gazans going hungry — because Hamas steals supplies for its fighters' use and also sells stolen supplies to the people at black-market prices. Toby F. Block
Merrick, L.I.: The sad deaths of two innocent Israeli diplomats, a young soon-to-be-engaged couple, outside a Jewish museum in D.C. on Wednesday night was just a matter of time since the so-called 'Summer of Love,' when we watched cities burn by Democrats' foot soldiers. The labeling of half the country as Nazis and fascists by Democratic leaders, including Joe Biden in Philly looking like the emperor in 'Star Wars' — what did you expect? Ironic that we so-called Nazis are not the ones killing Jews. The death of this poor couple is laid right at the feet of Democratic leaders and a good portion of the readers of this paper who have stoked the flames of hate and antisemitism in this country. Our youth have been brainwashed in colleges and universities by radical professors. New York Dems just voted down an antisemitism bill in the House of Representatives. What is wrong with you people? Donald Ziminski
San Mateo, Calif.: Are anti-Zionism and criticism of Israeli policies really acts of antisemitism? According to several rabbis, it is quite the opposite. Check out Dovid Feldman, Yaakov Shapiro or Elhanan Beck on YouTube. I found them extremely interesting. For good measure, try Rich Forer, an ex-AIPAC member who changed his outlook completely. It explains why we see pictures of ultra-Orthodox men being beaten for not wanting to join the Israeli army and seeing them carrying Palestinian flags at various demonstrations here as well. It all makes more sense when you see things from their unusual perspective, which definitely goes against the general consensus we are usually presented with. We owe it to our kids and our loved ones to search out all avenues to find the best alternatives to the violence we see in both nations and ourselves. It's a small planet, and an alternative one isn't readily available. Mike Caggiano