Dreaming of a world where kindness is the norm
Forest Hills: I woke up on Monday morning, brushed and showered, had breakfast and went out for my daily walk. Something very strange happened. As I passed strangers, each one said, “Good morning” or “How you doing?” to me.
When I crossed against the light, cars slowed down and let me proceed. I noticed an elderly woman with a vision cane waiting to cross the street when a young man went over and offered to assist her.
A few blocks further, I saw an older man trip and fall and before I could reach him, a group of strangers were helping him up and making sure he was fine. I thought, “This can’t be happening, I must be dreaming.”
Lo and behold, I awoke from this dream, feeling somewhat disappointed and sad. I took a few minutes to think about it. I realized each one of us is part of a family that loves and takes care of each other.
Then I thought that all of us are human beings inhabiting this planet. So, in a way, we are all part of an extended family on planet Earth.
It made me think of an old doo-wop song from 1955 by Willie Winfield and the Harptones, “Life Is but a Dream.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if my dream could come true!? Too much to ask? Mel Moskowitz
Gun-guy silence
Manhattan: Based on the Hunter Biden case, I can see a new form of gun control developing. Let’s say a person wants to buy a gun but also smokes marijuana. Since possessing weed is a federal crime, checking off the box in a gun shop that he/she does not use drugs will send them into federal court if they are, in fact, a user. This might discourage many gun purchases. I wonder what the NRA has to say about this? Leonard Smoke
Snubbed star
Tarrytown, N.Y.: The women’s Olympic team committee has made the utmost misjudgment by snubbing Caitlin Clark. I’m really not sure who on this board makes these decisions. As a rookie, Clark is averaging better than any rookie has ever averaged in the WNBA. She is also filling the seats, as fans are coming out just to see her on the road. Attendance has spiked every time she has played. The WNBA has struggled for years to receive a lucrative TV deal. They constantly complain about having to fly commercial and sleep in two-star hotels while men’s professional sports TV deals are now in the billions. They finally have a rising star that they can really benefit from by putting her and her talents on the world stage. I am not sure if this snub was based on jealousy, politics or just a giant miscalculation by the committee. Stephen Talenti
Heartfelt farewell
Clearwater, Fla.: In the words of Cole Porter, Pat Sajak’s goodbye to “Wheel of Fortune”: “It was great fun, but it was just one of those things.” JoAnn Lee Frank
Upstaged
Little Egg Harbor, N.J.: The reason actors prefer not to marry people in their business has been a long, sad story from the beginning of time. The facts are that Ben Affleck is an immature man who will always be jealous of Jennifer Lopez’s every success. He would rather she fall flat on her face so he could be there to pick up the pieces instead of seeing her star constantly rise. Rose S. Wilson
No to Yes
Bayside: To Voicer Stella Grillo: You couldn’t have stated the reality of the City of Yes any better than you did. I propose printing it on a banner and having a plane fly over the five boroughs professing the truth about it. How about changing it to the State of Yes, so the entire state takes on the burden of what the few who don’t live here want to cram down the overly saturated boroughs’ throats? Unfortunately, congestion, flooding and blackouts are already the norm here, and as it stands now, it takes me more than 20 minutes just to drive a few miles. The pols want to add to that? By all means, put it in your backyard first and I will be more than ecstatic to put it in mine! Karen Sabatini
Blame the big ones
Bronx: Being from Wayne, N.J., I am amazed at what an expert on New York City traffic Voicer Michael Carlucci is. Stating that Uber and Lyft need to be regulated — well, sir, they are overregulated to the point where drivers, who pay a fortune just to operate, are forced off the road at certain times in certain areas if there are more cars operating than the Taxi and Limousine Commission deems necessary. If you knew what you were talking about, you would know that garbage trucks stopped in the middle of the block for more than a half-hour, keeping every vehicle behind them stuck and backing up traffic into intersections, is one huge factor. Another is the inordinate amount of school buses taking kids from one block to another, stifling the traffic behind them. Joe Kowalczyk
Practical morality
Darien, Conn.: Re “Witness the actual abortion extremists” (Timothy Cardinal Dolan, op-ed, June 9): Mr. Archdiocese, how about a few remarks about the reasons for Roe v. Wade? “How many babies have you sold today?” and the back-alley bloody hangers. It’s time for reason, not unscientific religious Santa Claus tales to keep things in the current dangerous state. Just refrain from no-choice and be certain to send me a birthday card on my birthday. Dan Singer
Nuclear potential
Londonderry, N.H.: The International Atomic Energy Agency carries out routine inspections of Iran’s declared atomic facilities. It recently reported that Iran has enough uranium for several nuclear weapons, which could be produced in a matter of a few weeks. Iran purchased 300 tons of refined uranium from Niger. Iran has enriched its uranium stockpile to 60%, and it can continue the enrichment process to the weapons-grade level of 90%. The IAEA believes Iran might have secret facilities producing enriched uranium for nuclear devices at undeclared locations where uranium particles have been detected. If Iran produces nuclear weapons, Middle East countries, including Saudi Arabia and other Sunni countries, will probably rush to produce theirs. Israel, who Iran calls Little Satan (the U.S. is called Great Satan), will not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons and will surely try to destroy them. A major war could be triggered by Iran producing nuclear weapons. Donald Moskowitz
Familiar funding
Bronx: To Voicer Irving Gelb, who asks how Donald Trump will pay for the detention camps he will hold the undocumented immigrants in while waiting to deport them: Mexico will pay for it. Richie Nagan
Second-hand story
St. Petersburg, Fla.: To Voicer John Landers: You’re so right in saying there is no audio/tape of Trump supposedly making those comments about veterans. And after checking, I don’t find any tape where John Kelly claims Trump said those things to him directly. Comments published by The Atlantic (another lefty rag) allude to Kelly making these claims. Trump vehemently denied those accusations in an NBC tape and called them disgusting and disgraceful. Do you think anyone would actually say those things to a general or any military man’s face? Gen. Mark Milley also had his comments reported, but none of these were recorded either. They’re entitled to their opinions and feelings, but that doesn’t make them facts. You’re just another Trump-hater cult member who hears anything negative someone says about him and runs with it as fact. And don’t Semper Fi me unless you’re a fellow Marine, which I would be shocked to hear. Bill Barrett
Empty accusation
East Meadow, L.I.: To Voicer John Macklin: You accuse the president of plagiarizing Ronald Reagan’s speech at Normandy? A simple search for the transcripts of Reagan’s and President Biden’s speeches at Normandy would show that they were not alike. You accuse the president of being on Adderall? Any proof? Or are you just regurgitating nonsense from social media? Like a typical Trumpster, you spew lies, assuming nobody would check the facts. Next, you’ll double down on your lies and play the victim card, then attack me and anyone pointing out your pathetic lies and ignorance. Richard Skibins
