Columbia protests are American values in action
Amagansett, L.I.: I am shocked at how illiberal and craven our money-hungry university presidents have become. Last week’s police action at Columbia University ordered by President Minouche Shafik (“Arrests at Columbia spark solidarity protests on campuses across U.S.,” April 21) is a testament to the death of free speech, activism and protest at American universities.
A couple of dozen peaceful protestors had camped out on the south lawn to protest the genocidal killing of 35,000 civilians in Gaza. They were not blocking roadways or assaulting other students. They were protesting what they consider a gross injustice, a long-honored tradition of activism. Not a bad thing to protest about.
In 1968, as a graduate student at Columbia, I spent a week living in the president’s office protesting the university’s support of the Vietnam War, and the racism of Columbia taking over a piece of a park in Harlem.
Peaceful protest and free speech are the hallmarks of an American tradition that is envied around the world. You will not see such activity in Russia, China, Iran, Cuba or much of the rest of the world. Think of the 1965 march in Selma, Ala., the Greensboro lunch counter protests, Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 march on Washington, and the Vietnam protests at every university — which were, at some point, illegal protests.
Without free speech, there can be no democracy. Blake Fleetwood
Familiar scenes
Bergenfield, N.J.: College protesting, sit-ins, police arrests. All reminds me of the ’60s-70’s Vietnam War protests. History repeating. Jack De Lucia
Archaic argument
Manhattan: To Voicer Barbara Barran’s question as to when “poor me” Arab students will stop “crying” about the war and how they don’t want to live in an “orderly society”: You know when it will stop, Babs? When the rhetoric stops that being anti-genocide equals antisemitism. That’s one way. The best, however, would be to stop the genocide. Did you know, Babs, that younger people have a whole wide range of social media you’ll never access where we can watch, in real time, IDF soldiers committing war crimes? No, an unsympathetic Boomer like yourself wouldn’t know that, and now that you do, you’ll call it antisemitism. The protests will stop when the genocide does. Oh, I’ll try to be discreet, but your bigotry slipped and got exposed for a second there. T.S. Fallani
Calls for accountability
Kew Gardens: Being against the policies and practices of Benjamin Netanyahu and his extreme right-wing government does not mean you are antisemitic. Currently, there are Jews in Israel who are protesting. There is a huge difference between being critical of a government’s performance and behavior versus being critical of its national religion and culture. During the civil rights movement, many Americans of different religions, cultures and ethnicities protested because this nation was not living up to its promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all. Those protesters were not anti-American. They knew, as a nation, we had the responsibility to perform and behave better. Glenn Hayes
Non-fatal fire
Bronx: On an old TV series, “Barnaby Jones,” airing on MeTV, when the alleged criminal starts to shoot at Barnaby, he always returns fire and only hits them in the shoulder. Just saying. Mary Caggiano
Callous critic
Hyde Park, N.Y.: I’ve been a Daily News reader for more than 45 years and I’ve been blessed by writers like Bill Madden (still blessed!), Filip Bondy and, of course, Mike Lupica. Unfortunately, I also have suffered through the career of the über-hack Bob Raissman. So, it was no surprise to see his April 21 column addressing John Sterling’s retirement dripping with the usual venom and contempt. As a fan of the legendary Sterling, I am only glad he’s retiring because it will signal the end of Raissman’s long, pathetic jeremiad against him. Raissman once wrote that listening to Sterling was the “broadcast equivalent of drinking rat poison.” Good grief! Perhaps Raissman, the hipster journalist wannabe, never warmed up to Sterling because he wasn’t a “cat” or a “suit,” probably not even a “dweeb.” Good for the Yankees for giving him a proper sendoff. Michael Fenwick
Clear winner
Staten Island: The real score among fans: John Sterling 1, Bob Raissman 0. Will Houston
Better broadcaster
Bronx: Forgive me for not gushing over John Sterling’s retirement from broadcasting Yankee games. I just turned 80, and listening to Mel Allen on radio and TV was captivating. As a Bronx kid, I was surprised to learn that he, too, was Jewish. Who knew we had a tribe in the South? While Mel talked a lot, he was descriptive and enthusiastic about the game — not about himself. Mel taught those of us with nerdish impulses what to do if you’re scoring at home. Got my daughter and son hooked on “This Week in Baseball” and imitating his drawl. Bob Costas eulogized him as the eternal “Voice of the Yankees.” Indeed. Fred Smith
Overlooked examples
San Francisco: Referring to President Biden‘s accomplishments, Voicer Douglas Weinberg says, “as far as I can see, President Biden has none.” Weinberg must live only in the myopic, delusional world of right-wing media. How else can you explain that he has never heard of the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, the CHIPS Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Respect for Marriage Act and the American Rescue Plan? Let’s not forget the record-breaking Dow Jones averages and lowest unemployment number in years. Also, new gun safety legislation. Shall I go on? Wake up and smell the coffee, Doug. Jimmy Layton
Big baby
Bronx: Good grief, citizen Donald Trump Sr.! Enough with the whining. I have not heard this much whining from a grown person since Joe Piscopo and Robin Duke played Doug and Wendy Whiner on “Saturday Night Live” in the ’80s. If you are so sure that all of the cases against you are, in your words, “witch hunts” and “election interference,” sit down, shut up and let the facts play out. I would think you would be anxious to clear your name. Enough with the whining, name-calling and trying to delay in front of the cameras and on your platform. You are worse than any 4-year-old ever! Debra R. Blanding
Favorable jurisdiction
Scarsdale, N.Y.: I don’t know why Donald Trump wants a change of venue out of Manhattan. He could stand in the middle of Fifth Ave. and shoot somebody without losing voters, right? John Kern
Pedestrian pop star
Manhattan: All the hoopla about Taylor Swift selling 1.4 million copies of “The Tortured Poets Department” on the day of release in the U.S. It really shows the taste level of modern teens and their roped-in moms — no taste! Does Swift really have a good voice? It seems faint and ordinary. She has no real range. Her songs sound basically the same. She seems to go on a rampage about events in her seemingly sad life. The best thing about her are her political views. Remember the years of Chaka Khan, Diana Ross, Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Sheryl Crow, Stephanie Mills and others. I would not see Taylor for free. How can one compare her to these amazing singers? They have songs that will last a lifetime. I can’t imagine 1.4 million teens and moms getting all excited over manufactured songs that are cranked out by the corporation of Taylor Swift. Michael DeSouza
Ignored issue
Manhattan: Gov. Hochul and the Legislature finally passed the state budget, which included $2.4 billion for migrants. Unless we are Native Americans, we are all products of immigration, and not always legal. I support this — but spend it wisely. My concern is that no funding is being given to mitigate the immense overpopulation of cats and dogs. Most animals that come into the NYC Animal Care Centers — whether picked up as strays or dumped by their “owners” — are not spayed or neutered and have already produced many litters. Why isn’t there any money being put aside for these services per Section 17-811, Animal Population Control Program, passed in 2008? I will continue to do write-in votes until my local and state representatives do something about this issue. Waiting. Elizabeth Forel
