Dear Editor:
We’ve all seen the scourge of these new Lime Scooters cluttering our streets. When the City proposed placing them in our neighborhood a few months ago, many of us protested. Many sent in complaints, voicing our concerns. Yet, the City went ahead and placed them on our streets – against the clear wishes of the community. These scooters were approved over our objections, pushed through by outside individuals who stand to benefit from these deals.
The supposed purpose of the scooter program was to provide transportation options in areas lacking proper public transit or with high numbers of low-income residents without vehicles. But Kew Gardens Hills does not meet any of these criteria. We have ample public transportation: the Q44 and Q20 on Main Street, the Q46 on Union Turnpike, the Q64 on Jewel Avenue, and the Q25 and Q34 buses on Kissena and Parsons Boulevards. While there may be a few small gaps, nothing is more than a short walk from a bus line. Furthermore, our area does not have a significant population of low-income residents without vehicles. Perhaps these scooters might be useful in areas farther from public transit, like the Mauro Playground on Park Drive East, near Queens College, or by Flushing Meadow Park for park visitors. But placing them right on Main Street is a terrible idea and doesn’t align with the reasons they were supposedly introduced.
The locations on Main Street are some of the worst possible choices, and it’s obvious the people who decided on where to place them never visited the neighborhood or cared about where they placed the scooters. For example, the scooters placed on the divider strip by S&M Pharmacy block accessibility, and it’s dangerous to place them in a median safety divider. At Jewel Avenue and Main Street, instead of placing them on the Jewel Avenue side against the Bagel Store – where they would be out of the way – they were placed on Main Street in the very spot where buses lower their ramps for wheelchair and disabled access. This placement essentially cuts off access to the Q44 and Q20 for disabled and elderly residents at that location. The bus bay’s length means that this is the only area where the buses can pull up close enough to the curb. This is a serious safety hazard and possibly a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Other locations are just as problematic. At the corner of 70th Road and Main Street, the scooters are placed on a narrow sidewalk, making it impossible for many wheelchairs and double strollers to pass, creating a massive safety hazard for families and disabled people. Near Premiata, by Shop N Save on Main Street, the location of the scooters cuts off a third of the sidewalk in a high-traffic area, already creating safety issues that I’ve seen firsthand. This causes bottlenecks, especially with strollers, forcing people into the narrow, high-traffic street to walk around the obstructions. On Erev Shabbos, this is particularly dangerous and has already led to several near accidents.
We need this trash removed from our streets. If the City insists on keeping them in our neighborhood, they should be placed only in select spots where they might be needed and where they won’t interfere with public safety. I urge our community to call 311 every single time you pass one of these scooters in any blockage zones you see. File complaints online with 311, as well. Every time you see a scooter left behind by someone who rented it and it’s blocking anything, call 311 and file a complaint. A flood of complaints will force the City to address this issue. Clog up 311 with complaints about them.
Additionally, we need our local elected officials to take a stand against this trash in our neighborhood. Contact their offices until they deal with the issue. Our local City Councilmember Jim Gennaro’s office can be reached at 718-217-4969. Assemblyman Sam Berger’s office number is 718-969-1508. Depending on where you live in the neighborhood, our State Senators are Comrie 718-765-6359 and Liu 718-765-6675. By complaining to 311 and our local elected officials, we should be able to clean this trash off our streets – trash that was placed here without our consent and in the worst possible places, creating real safety hazards and public nuisances.
Remember, voice your complaints legally; do not resort to what other neighborhoods have done, like smashing these scooters or hauling them in trucks to dump in lakes. That is private property and illegal. Let’s make our voices heard and ensure we’re no longer ignored. Get the Lime Scooter trash off our streets!
Dovid Hirsch
Dear Editor:
In all the hype, blame, and noise, it has been lost that Matthew Crooks, who shot at Donald Trump, was “a loner who was being bullied” (announced on TV). His motivation may have been unfelt pain driving him to act out.
“If you did not liberate yourself from an unfulfilling childhood, you may play out the same scenario in adulthood” (Caroline Schumsky; “Hooked on Healing”; p.40; July 25 issue of your publication).
The vital need for mental health therapy (“The Lubavitcher meets Sigmund Freud”; p. 39; July 25 in your publication) hits the mark!
Our troubled society desperately needs mental health healing. I do believe Hashem wants us Americans (Jews and non-Jews alike to be whole, happy, and vibrant.
Primal therapy (Self-primaling via “The Primal Scream” - 1970; Dr. Arthur Janov) and orthomolecular psychiatry (Dr. Abram Huffer) are vital. Both Janov and Huffer were Jewish.
Michael Gottlieb, B. Sc
VP Harris’ Two Big Mistakes That Will Haunt Her
Dear Editor:
Vice President Kamala Harris is in the middle of a honeymoon, running as the Democratic nominee for President, after President Biden unceremoniously was forced out. If one thinks that the most recent election in France was topsy turvy, then the American Spectacle is even more so.
VP Harris, in one of her first official actions as the Presidential nominee, decided to boycott the speech made by Prime Minister Netanyahu on July 24 to a Joint Session of Congress. Even though she met with him privately later in the week, this was a real snub. As Vice President, she is President of the Senate and has an obligation to be there, especially since Israel is America’s only reliable ally in the Middle East. It sends all the wrong messages to America’s enemies. It is not to be taken lightly. Prime Minister Netanyahu is the democratically elected prime minister of the State of Israel. He is also the leader of the Jewish People worldwide. Israel is in the fight of its life. When a politician decides to publicly embarrass the prime minister of Israel, it is a slap in the face to all Jews. All Jews are humiliated. It breeds anti-Semitism. The Jewish People never forget these moments. We remember them for an eternity.
The second big mistake for VP Harris came on August 6, when she rejected Governor Josh Shapiro as her running mate. She had all but chosen Governor Shapiro and had planned to hold a rally in his home state to announce him as her VP choice. It made a lot of sense. The rally was set for Philadelphia. He did not have to go far to accept the nomination. Despite the obvious need to win Pennsylvania, VP Harris was persuaded by her far-left base to cast off the very Jewish and very pro-Israel Governor Josh Shapiro in favor of Governor Tim Walz.
Governor Josh Shapiro would have been a formidable opponent to the Republicans, as he had demonstrated in Pennsylvania with a 15 percent margin of victory. Albert Gore stuck to his guns and chose Joe Lieberman despite his being an Orthodox Jew. VP Harris, instead of choosing a Jew and fighting anti-Semitism, again did the opposite. Instead of standing up for a Jew, she turned her back on him. She would rather take her chances with a very volatile and unpredictable Muslim vote in Michigan and Minnesota than the Jewish vote throughout the USA. It will come back to haunt her. In any case, her treatment of the Jews leaves a lot to be desired.
Dr. Joe Frager
Tag Team Chumps
Dear Editor:
I noticed a lot of people on Twitter asking if this political season has been written by the WWE’s Vince McMahon. The plot twists including the revelation of a virtually incapacitated President, a complete afterthought career loser being elevated for his spot, an assassination attempt on a Presidential candidate, and all the other swerves have made this season appear to be coming straight off a vintage McMahon script.
One of my favorite tag teams that McMahon put together back in the day was the team of Kane and Undertaker, who together formed the “Brothers of Destruction.” This year, we have a modernized version of the dynamic duo. Democratic VP nominee Tim Walz, as a tikun for the neshamah of George Floyd, allowed Minnesota to burn to the ground for three days, an act that caused an estimated $500 million of destruction to the city. Very few people were arrested for the costly riot he allowed; but the few who were, were bailed out of jail with funds raised by the now Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris. This intergender tag team, who if we’re being fair should be called the “Brother and Sister of Destruction,” now would like to take their destructive natures to the next level as President and Vice President. G-d help us all if these two reach their goal. That’s a plotline too outlandish for even Vince McMahon to cook up.
Doniel Behar
The Conspiracy of Silence
Dear Editor:
For those making the argument that Kamala Harris is capable of being President, I’d just like to point out that when Joe Biden picked Harris to be his Vice President, he told everyone that Kamala Harris was ready to be President “On Day One.” So, we are now supposed to believe that this incapable, DEI buffoon who couldn’t sub in for our corpse of a President doing the Grandpa Abe Simpson impersonation the last few years, now magically has found her wings and is capable of leading this country?! Gimme a break.
As for the fake news media, they are more than happy to play the supporting role in this charade of a campaign, even if it involves them not being able to ask a single question of Harris. She claims she “was the last one in the room” with Biden on his important decisions. Okay, assuming that’s true, the media have no questions for the person who presided over the worst inflation in 40 years, a meltdown in the Middle East, a never-ending war in Ukraine, a fraying of the social fabric of our country, and the largest influx of illegal immigrants in our country’s history? Can’t think of anything they’d like to ask her regarding her reversal on every radical position she held in the last election cycle?
Kamala has proven time after time that she’s not very bright; but apparently, she has surrounded herself with campaign staffers who are. For they know the immensely flawed, inarticulate, and inauthentic candidate they have been charged with getting across the finish line. They know the risks involved in putting her in front of a camera without a script. With the fake news media not pushing Kamala at all to answer questions, Kamala’s handlers are wise to replay the Biden Basement strategy from 2020 and steer away from any potential unforced errors.
Avi Goldberg
“What the Hecht?”
Dear Editor:
I must respond to Warren Hecht’s article, “Walzed to the Nomination.” Mr. Hecht seems to be laser-focused on an almost weekly basis with unfounded and/or exaggerated attacks at what he has conjured up in his mind as the “Big Red Machine,” aka the Republican Party.
Mr. Hecht stated that Walz is the safe pick. This couldn’t be the furthest from the truth. He is a safe pick if Kamala Harris’ goal is to woo the most radical far left elements of the Democratic Party. This includes extremist voters who have routinely voted in members of the “Squad” to their respective congressional districts. Similarly, the ever-growing left-wing anti-Semitic contingents.
Mr. Hecht goes on to note that the pick of Walz may not have much of an impact on the race. I count veterans as friends and family members who would highly dispute this notion. As time goes on, Walz’s extreme stances, including those who focus on crime in Minnesota, rioting in the Twin Cities that was left unabated, transgender issues, and his own admission that socialism should be forwarded, will likely catch up with him and eventually Kamala Harris.
There is one point I agree with Mr. Hecht on, and that is: Now that both the Republican and the Democratic tickets are complete, it is time to move on to the election. And the election of Donald Trump to a second term is not only good for my Jewish brethren, but all Americans who want to return to a life of international stability, lower inflation, higher employment rates, with competitive wage-paying levels and tightened border security.
Glenn Jacobs
Bayside, New York
They Think You’re Stupid
Dear Editor:
When Democrats got their talking points from the DNC a few weeks ago and were told to call J.D. Vance “weird,” all Democratic politicians obliged. There were minutes-long mash-ups and compilations of hundreds of Democratic politicians and operatives using the word “weird” to describe Vance. Not “strange” or “odd,” just “weird.” Democrats followed their instructions perfectly. And that’s what we’d expect from them. After all, diversity in the Democratic Party does not mean diversity of thought; it just means people in different skin colors all saying the exact same thing. Okay, whatever.
What was truly “weird” about this whole episode is that the entire mainstream media also started calling Vance “weird.” Now, it’s one thing for Democrats to be lockstep in their specious, shallow, and frankly weird political attack, but the media too?! Like obeying seals, they performed their tasks flawlessly, all using the term “weird” to describe Vance. But why weren’t the media worried that what they were doing was so transparent and partisan and a complete dereliction of their duty to report news without waiving the Dem pom-poms? The answer is simple: because they have no respect for you and think you’re stupid.
This is the entire Democratic strategy: Pull the wool over the ignorant electorate’s eyes. We see this in other areas with Democrats. Joe Biden, on Day One, reversed every effective executive action Trump took vis-à-vis the Southern border and allowed in ten million illegal immigrants, including scores of violent criminals who have gone on to murder Americans. Then he claims he does not have the power to do anything without Congressional approval. Why does he say this when it was obviously his reversal of all the Trump immigration policies that caused the entire invasion? Because he has no respect for you and thinks you’re stupid.
After a three-and-a-half-year invasion, Biden finally takes some pareve executive action that slows immigration a bit, and now his Border Czar, Kamala Harris, says “immigration is lower than under Trump.” Even with Biden’s latest action, the cumulative illegal immigration numbers for 2024 are more than two times what occurred under 2019, which was the worst year for illegal immigration under Trump and three to four times all the other Trump years. So why would Kamala Harris be brazened enough to tell such an obvious lie? Because she has no respect for you and thinks you’re stupid.
And it’s not just illegal immigration that Democrats lie about. They lie about everything including the state of the economy, inflation, Covid vaccines, violent crime, and every other Democratic failure from the past three and a half years. But why? Because they have no respect for you and think you’re stupid.
Conventional wisdom says that whoever this election is a referendum on will lose: If Harris can put the focus on Trump’s personality, January 6, and what Dems call “the fight for democracy,” then she will win. If Trump can simply point out all the massive failures Democrats have inflicted on us since he left office, then he will win. I have a different take. This election is a referendum on the voters. If Harris wins, the electorate will justify the Democrats’ viewpoint on them: that they are stupid and not worthy of any respect. If the electorate can finally connect the dots on why so many things have gone wrong and vote the party that committed all these atrocities out of office, perhaps then Democrats will need to re-evaluate their low opinion of voters.
Jason Stark
Dear Editor:
Mr. Hecht, I agree that the adjective “weird” is a meaningless attack on the former President and his VP pick. I believe the descriptive words you are looking for President Trump and J.D. Vance are “pro-America” and “pro-Israel.”
Now, we seem to agree that the Democratic Party is the party of anti-Semitism and Israel hatred. You and Mr. Pecoraro now have to reconcile your devotion to the Democratic Party and your Jewish faith and love of Israel. It is clear that VP Harris is an anti-Semite, as she doubled down with her VP pick of Tim Walz and snubbing of Governor Josh Shapiro.
Walz is the safe pick, Mr. Hecht? He has more cargo than a UPS 747 plane! He was picked because, like her, he is a Marxist who wants government takeover of our entire lives. He has passed laws in Minnesota that are extremely disturbing to Jews specifically, but also to mainstream America. He had tampons put in boys’ bathrooms in public schools. He signed a law that the state of Minnesota can take away your child if you do not authorize transgender surgery to your transitioning child. He is quite friendly with Ilhan Omar and an Imam who is in love with Hitler, yimach sh’mo. He changed the state flag to one that closely resembles the Somali flag. So, when he and VP Harris talk about a two-state solution, they clearly refer to Minnesota and Michigan. While I certainly respect his service in our armed services, he abandoned his men right before they deployed to Iraq. He has since gone on to say that he saw combat, which is stolen valor. He also has stated that he is a rank higher than he actually retired with. So, what exactly has he done that makes him such a “safe” pick? If anything, he lies as much as Joe Biden does. Sad part is, he still has his faculties.
What is interesting is how a failed Presidential candidate, who dropped out in 2019 before any primaries, and was one of the worst liked, if not the worst liked VPs in the history of our country is running neck and neck with President Trump. I believe this is an optical illusion, a mirage created by the Democratic Party media propaganda machine. They are all in for VP Harris and are doing everything in their power to prop her up. The issues haven’t changed. Inflation is still killing us. Prices are high. Illegal immigration is still out of control, with more than 20,000 Chinese now entering our country every month. When corporations, like Facebook and Google, suppress that President Trump was even shot, you know there’s a problem. And that media push only goes one way – for Democrats. I truly believe that the people of the country are going to see through this and vote for President Trump to put the country back on track.
New video from the bodycam footage of one of the police officers from the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally has been made public. We now know that this particular officer told the Secret Service the previous Tuesday at a meeting that someone needed to cover the roof, from where the gunman shot the President. We know that the FBI was corrupt under James Comey and Andrew McCabe. We all saw and heard the text messages from Lisa Page and Peter Strzok. AG James went after President Trump civilly. We saw DA Bragg and Fani Willis go after him criminally. Biden’s DOJ, with the help of Judge Chutkin, is still trying their darndest to get at least one trial going before the election. Nothing they have thrown at him has worked. Former Director of the Secret Service Ms. Cheatle, it is now public, wanted to flush the cocaine found in the White House down the toilet. So, she was clearly interested in covering up for Joe Biden and his family. Again, the corruption and coverups only go one way. Why was there no one covering that roof? Why was that building not in the Secret Service security perimeter for the rally? We need answers as to what happened at that rally on July 13, even if the media have moved on from it already. Otherwise, it’s another Hunter Biden laptop story tucked away before the election.
Shalom Markowitz
The Three Weeks
Dear Editor:
Ah! The Three Weeks! My credit card is sighing a sigh of relief! TJ Maxx (or as I like to refer to it as DJ Maxx – my first initials) will just have to do without my presence for 21 days. I guess I won’t need to purchase a fifth white skirt. Macy’s will also need to survive without me. I feel cleansed not having to spend money on my summer attire.
Oy! is the feeling my brain goes through while I go through a 21-day detox. I’m not referring, G-d forbid, to drugs. Instead, I’m off caffeine. You might think that this is no big deal, but trust me, it is. Even my Keurig machine misses the caffeinated pods. The decaf pods put me in a world of confusion, forgetfulness, and brain fog. With caffeine in my system, I was able to figure out the crossword puzzle clue to the vice-presidential nominee in 2004 (Senator Edwards). Without caffeine, I can’t recall Tim Walz’s name. Nevertheless, abstaining from caffeine is well worth it, so I bid a fond adieu to Coca-Cola and chocolate candy.
The Three Weeks did come in handy when I was a camper in Morasha. I wasn’t an Olympic swimmer, and I would come up with any excuse to get out of swimming in the dirty lake (not the Seine). I explained to my counselors that for religious reasons I wasn’t allowed to swim during the Three Weeks. That didn’t work, since I was told it was instructional, not pleasure, swimming. I finally got out of swimming the week of Tish’ah B’Av.
Now, of course, as an adult, I am sorry I never got beyond the intermediate stage of swimming.
Debbie Horowitz
Dear Editor:
Minnesota Governor and Democratic Party candidate for Vice President Tim Walz’s past record clearly indicates that he is out of step with mainstream America. He previously said, “Don’t ever shy away from our progressive values. One person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.” Concerning the southern border having been crossed by over eight million illegal migrants under the Biden-Harris administration, he said, “Let me know how high it is. If it’s 25 feet, then I’ll invest in the 30-foot-ladder factory.”
After the death of George Floyd, followed by rioting in Minneapolis and St. Paul, he waited three days before sending in the State National Guard. It was too late to avoid $500 million in damages. Walz designated Minnesota a refugee state. This included offering illegal immigrants driver licenses, low-cost health care, and free college tuition. He allows taxpayer-funded transgender surgery on minors. Walz supports abortion up until the day of birth.
He supports reverse discrimination known as “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Walz instituted Critical Race Theory training for teachers. He mandated that schools record the race of students assigned detention to prevent institutional racism. Waltz signed a law mandating anti-racist education in ethnic studies classes. He opposes school choice vouchers for parents.
Walz wants to increase electric vehicle usage from 1% to 20% by 2030 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% over the next eight years.
He spent a $17.5 billion dollar budget surplus in one year, increasing state spending by 38% after Covid. To pay for many of his programs, he raised taxes on gasoline, sales, payroll, car licenses, boat registration, and on-line delivery fees. While Walz said what Republicans say is weird, both he and Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris hold views that by comparison are nuts.
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
Great Neck, New York
Who’s Weird?
Dear Editor:
The Democrats are accusing Governor J.D. Vance, Trump’s vice-presidential running mate, a family man who has “normal” values, is anti-woke, wants to vet those entering our country, and believes in supporting Israel, of being “weird.”
Kamala Harris is pro-Palestinian, always appeasing Iran, and allowed 11 million refugees unvetted into the US so they can be given citizenship and voting rights to vote as new Democrats. She believes in defunding the police and giving everything to the minorities. (Of course, Jews are not considered a minority.) Due to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, our medical schools are accepting minorities with barely passing grades instead of deserving Whites and Asians. During the worst anti-Semitism on college campuses, Kamala set up a campaign against Islamophobia, said it is wrong to call terrorists radical Muslim Jihadists, and is busier pressuring Israel for a ceasefire than Iran.
Kamala chose Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota as her running mate. He said he wants to put a ladder at the border wall to help illegal immigrants climb over to enter the US. During the George Floyd riots, he refused to call in the National Guard to stop the burning and looting of 1,000 businesses and two billion dollars of looting to Minneapolis, according to a Senate report, saying, that the Blacks deserved to have their revenge (because the police unintentionally killed Floyd, a convicted criminal and drug addict who has been made a hero). He allowed three days of rioting, allowed three people to get killed, and then Kamala supported the release of those arrested for the riot. Walz supports and has taken kids away from parents who don’t allow their minor children to get sex-change operations. He has ruled that schools don’t have to notify parents if a child asks for a different pronoun or is trans. (He put tampon machines in all the boys’ bathrooms). He, like Harris, is in favor of restitution being paid for Black slavery. Walz said, “When I’m feeling kind of down and the world’s pressing on me, I think Ilhan Omar’s a congresswoman, and it just brightens you up.” Ilhan Omar is a member of the “Squad,” the informal, openly anti-Semitic, pro-Muslim, left-wing of the Democratic Party, who believe Blacks and other minorities have been oppressed by White Americans and that there should be a major transfer of wealth from the haves to the have-nots through taxation and other means in order to socialistically redistribute the wealth of this nation from the “oppressors” to the “oppressed.”
California, which was Kamala’s state, and Walz’s Minnesota, are probably the two worst states: declining economically, full of homeless people lying in the streets, drug addicts everywhere, and the highest crime rates. These two states have the highest rates of people and companies leaving the state.
People want change, but it will be the same puppeteers and Obama pulling Kamala’s strings, except she and Walz are even more progressive and way more anti-Israel than President Biden.
Where Trump ran companies and ran a country, Kamala knows nothing of economics. When asked about inflation, she defines it as teaching elementary school children but says nothing about how to deal with it. When asked about AI, she makes a speech about what it is and says we should watch it. When speaking of world affairs, she mixes up North and South Korea (and she can’t blame it on aging). She has now been told not to laugh, but all she did for the last four years was laugh like an out-of-control hyena.
Kamala was a DEI pick according to Biden’s own words, but no one is allowed to say it, but we are supposed to vote for her because she’s Black or a woman. Before she became the candidate, the Democrats tried hard to get rid of her. They lied that Biden was fine and in perfect mental control because they didn’t want Kamala to replace him. Obama, Schumer, Pelosi, and the Clintons all wanted Biden to step down and let them choose a new candidate. Biden refused and named Kamala. Now to keep the Democrats in power, suddenly, they are all loving Kamala.
The obvious instructions to Kamala are to read off the teleprompter, and she takes no questions. In the same way the press shielded Biden, they are now shielding Harris. Like Biden, she will only debate under terms favorable to her, surrounded by the press that protects her from any serious or probative questions.
The plan is to keep the American people from discovering how left-wing progressive, grossly incompetent, utterly and catastrophically unqualified, and weird, Kamala and Walz really are.
Ruki Renov
