Okay, Donald, let’s look at your hostage deals
Bronx: Donald Trump had only negative things to say about the release of the four American hostages on Aug. 1 after years of negotiations by President Biden and those close to him. Trump implied that billions of dollars changed hands and that the terms of the trade were purposefully made “very complex” so that nobody would be able to find out exactly what happened.
He failed to acknowledge that one of those hostages, Paul Whelan, was detained in Russia in 2018, during his own years in the White House. What did the Trump administration do to get him released? Nothing that we know of, despite Trump’s cozy relationship with Vladimir Putin, who he congratulated for helping to arrange the Aug. 1 release.
And he also failed to mention Otto Frederick Warmbier, an American college student who was detained in North Korea in 2016 and was still there after Trump was inaugurated in 2017. The North Koreans returned him to the U.S. that year, but he had been so badly beaten that he was in a vegetative state and died soon after he arrived here. Given Trump’s repeated claim that he and Kim Jong Un fell in love with each other, why did that happen?
Trump also neglected to mention the four occasions on which, during his presidency, American hostages were swapped for citizens of other nations, including two Americans being held by Iranian-backed militants in Yemen who were exchanged for approximately 250 Houthi rebels detained in Oman. Miriam Levine Helbok
Pretty weird
Scranton, Pa.: Why do I keep hearing that Donald Trump and JD Vance are weird? That’s not necessarily true. I can see bizarre, creepy, deranged, disturbed, unhinged, strange, demented, freaky — frankly, yes, they are weird. Trump repeatedly and weirdly says he took a bullet for democracy. Actually, he took a bullet from a Second Amendment gun nut who got his hands on a weapon of war that Trump and his NRA buddies refuse to outlaw. And unlike dozens of schoolchildren over the years, he lived to tell about it. Vin Morabito
Persuasion podium
Cold Spring, N.Y.: To Voicer Corlissa Arrick: When writing about “hitting a nerve” and explaining what it appears to mean, you stated, “But when you attempt to change everyone else’s perception to how you view things, that makes it everyone else’s problem.” Isn’t that exactly what JD Vance — who resides in a glass house, by the way — did with his ignorant remarks? Joni T. Johnson
Civic-minded cat lady
Bronx: I got my first cat when I was 18, long before I realized a husband and children were not in the offing. Since then, I’ve provided a good home to a series of cats and dogs. I served my country in a civilian role and went to the polls every November. My substantial taxes have contributed to the support of beleaguered strangers and the education of other people’s children. This childless cat lady has done her best to be a good citizen and neighbor in a country and city she moved to when she was too young to have a say in her immigration. JD Vance correctly labels me a childless cat lady, just as I correctly identify him as an opportunistic jerk with a degree. He will never get my vote. Maria Bonsanti
That’s catchy
Lafayette, La.: Kudos to Voicer Ed Dignan for giving kudos to Voicer Eugene Dunn for advising the Trump campaign to switch its outdated MAGA slogan to “Survive ‘til ‘25.” I’ve been following politics for more than half a century and have never seen a more spot-on slogan for the current political climate. I’d gladly pay $50 for a “Survive ‘til ‘25” hat as a campaign contribution to show my solidarity with Trump, who has recently shown that he’s literally putting his life on the line to save this country! Heck, I’d buy five hats for $250 and give them out as coveted presents! That’s how much I appreciate Trump and what he’s gone through! Nielsen Tuttle
Gonna be close
Cincinnati: This augurs to be a humdinger of an election, as only a small number of undecided voters in a small number of battleground states really count for an Electoral College victory. We know what we have with the Trump-Vance ticket; any surprises here will be negative — an unguided rocket from Trump that offends voters, like comments about Kamala Harris’s race, or another revelation from Vance’s repository of insults. With active help from legacy media, Harris will emerge from a policy makeover as if her far-left record of positions throughout a long career were just will-o’-wisp musings. Will battleground independents hold their noses for Trump or for the newly minted Harris? Paul Bloustein
Electing a leader
Lynbrook, L.I.: The president of the United States is a role model for our citizens, for better or for worse. Our villages and schools like to put up signs that say things like, “Character counts.” If Donald Trump becomes our president again, here are some ideas for new signs that we could put up in our schools: Break laws; Tell lies; Make fun of others; Spread hatred. The kind of president we want to reflect our values and be a role model for our children is our choice to make this November. Elaine Rauch
Tip of the spear
Atlanta: When modern Zionists began returning to the Jews’ ancient homeland in the mid-1800s, they bought land and improved its productivity, established civil defense units, built schools and hospitals and lobbied world leaders for their cause. When the defunct Ottoman Empire was being divided into countries, the Zionist community was ready to rule the land put under its jurisdiction. Modern Israel is the nation-state of the Jews where non-Jewish residents have full civil rights. Israel shares its advances in technology, agriculture and water management with the world. Israeli teams respond, rapidly and effectively, to natural disasters occurring worldwide. Yet, Voicer Nick Smith wants to see Israel destroyed by Islamists. Doesn’t he realize that destroying the Jewish state is just the first step in the Islamists’ plan to replace Western civilization with a worldwide caliphate based on Sharia law? Toby F. Block
Legal, and wrong
Bronx: I will not deal with Judge Lyle Frank’s ruling against the City Council’s rental assistance program. What is technically legal is not always what’s best for the public. But neither his ruling nor any points made in your Aug. 3 editorial (“The Council’s illegal voucher law“) changes the fact that it costs fewer taxpayer dollars and is obviously more humane to help people avoid eviction and pay their rent than to house them in homeless shelters. Richard Warren
Shedding sheds
Madisonville, Pa.: I read with interest the article concerning the outdoor dining areas/sheds and how many would have to be removed. Others would need to be removed for months at a time. On my visits to the city, I can agree that far too many of them looked like they belonged in some slum area, obviously hastily erected during the pandemic. Some, however, are quite nice. But how the city can concentrate on these structures and allow the construction scaffolding and the obstructions of sidewalks to remain an ongoing eyesore is beyond me. It seems to me that most of them have become permanent fixtures, blighting the areas they are in. Outdoor dining areas serve a useful purpose, even if they can look bedraggled. The others? Nice places to get mugged late at night. Tom Mielczarek
Out of his lane
Lake Lure, N.C.: I have been reading the Daily News for 50 years. I have always loved the sports pages and really like reading Mike Lupica’s columns, but now he interjects his political views in every column. Who does he think he is, George Clooney? You can’t email him directly to tell him to keep his mouth shut and stick to sports. I read the sports section because you can’t make up the scores and have some writer telling me how to think. Someone needs to shut his politics down, or at least keep it to himself. Paul Knaub
