Dear Editor:
About 15 years before Donald Trump uprooted the status quo by calling out all the fake news in the mainstream media, Bernie Goldberg, the longtime executive producer for CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather, authored a book titled, Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News. One of his main contentions in the book was how the mainstream media curates the news by including stories that fit the desired narrative, while excluding stories that challenge or run contrary to the narrative.
Last week, Warren Hecht devoted a column to Representative George Santos, a serial liar, facing some legal troubles due to his alleged financial improprieties. I’m not here to defend Mr. Santos or challenge any of the assertions in Mr. Hecht’s column. I would only like to point out that in today’s hyper-politicized environment, where all of politics is a zero-sum game, Mr. Hecht is the ultimate team player, writing negative columns only for members of the political party he opposes.
Mr. Hecht characterizes Santos’ presence in Congress as an “embarrassment.” Was Mr. Hecht embarrassed when Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal was exposed as a liar after years of claiming that he served in Vietnam when he did not? Was Mr. Hecht embarrassed when Representative Adam Schiff went on TV for three years to perpetuate the Trump/Russia collusion hoax? Was Mr. Hecht more embarrassed that The New York Times received a Pulitzer Prize for their “investigative reporting” on the Russian collusion hoax or the fact that they never returned the prestigious award after their three years of “reporting” was exposed as a sham?
Sadly, the answers to these questions remain unclear as Mr. Hecht refuses to address any of the Democrats’ dirty laundry.
Lastly, it’s worth noting that even if one assumes all the charges against Mr. Santos are true, the alleged frauds would likely amount to several hundred thousand dollars. Mr. Hecht is certainly within his rights to expose any Santos corruption, but why hasn’t Mr. Hecht ever addressed how Nancy Pelosi, on a government salary for four decades, amassed a net worth in excess of $125 million?! A woman with no formal training in securities manages to outperform all the top traders on Wall Street, and Mr. Hecht has no interest in shining any light on the obvious insider trading information being leveraged by Ms. Pelosi?
Everyone has internal biases. That’s okay. But the best columns are written by those who can call balls and strikes and not let their biases interfere with their objectivity.
Jason Stark
Dear Editor:
BREAKING: President Biden Has Been Reading the Constitution Upside-Down This Entire Time (Satire)
WASHINGTON, DC—The archaic writing style of the Constitution can render it difficult to read and understand, so it’s no surprise that a large contingent of Americans aren’t remotely familiar with the document. And this isn’t just true of Americans in general, but it’s also true of President Biden – although for an even more bizarre reason.
It turns out Biden has been reading the Constitution upside-down this entire time. It was only recently that members of his cabinet noticed this and showed the president the correct way of reading it. Now, whenever Biden’s handlers give him a copy of the Constitution, they glue a copy to his hands so he’ll know exactly how to hold it.
Rafi Metz
Dear Editor:
Pet peeves are one of my favorite expressions because I love alliterations, and I love to complain. My first complaint is aimed at whoever came up with the rating system for absolutely every service. Why do I have to rate my doctors? Obviously, they’re good; otherwise, I wouldn’t be using them. Furthermore, why should I rate the ERs at “Booth” or Queens General? Is there a minus infinity ranking? Are they planning on making a TV show emanating from those two places? Should I have to rate the customer service guy at Citizens Bank who nearly gave me a heart attack when he informed me that I had no account with them?
My next pet peeve concerns bestselling authors and their books. Why is it that most bestsellers (The End of Us, Lessons in Chemistry) start off strongly but end up quite weakly. It’s as if the writer is saying that she’s tired, or she has an important function to go to and has to finish up this tome in a hurry. Also, why are all the chapters in a James Patterson novel 2-3 pages long? Is it so he can reach 300 pages and make another million dollars?
My next complaint concerns the plethora of decks in KGH. People spend thousands of dollars to have a deck built and then use it for only one week a year – Sukkos. True, it’s either too hot or too cold to sit on the deck, and we don’t exactly have a view of the Atlantic Ocean (unless you count all the puddles in the driveway after a rainstorm), but let’s give the deck a little more respect.
My final problem concerns Shoprite. I have no problem with their prices, but I do have one with their shopping carts. Really, do they actually believe that I’m going to abscond with one of their carts and throw it into the back of my tiny Honda Accord? Let’s face it: I don’t have the quarter to put into the slot to free a cart, or I don’t want to lose the quarter trying to remove it when I’m leaving the store. In addition, I have about 20 Shoprite bags since whenever I go there, I almost always forget to bring one with me, and I’m forced to spend $1.25 to buy a new one. There goes the money I saved schlepping to Shoprite.
If you believe I spend my whole life complaining, you are probably right, but I come from a distinguished nation of complainers. Just read about B’nei Yisrael in the midbar.
Debbie Horowitz
Dear Editor:
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been incurring costs for months using NYC Transit buses to move illegal migrants around town. Just who is paying for the drivers’ salaries, fueling, washing, and interior cleaning?
These buses are also accumulating mileage, adding to straight line depreciation of the equipment’s value. How many buses are being used daily?
Are commuters being deprived of this newer equipment? Why doesn’t NYC Transit use older buses out of the spare or reserve fleets? Are any of the buses funded by the Federal Transit Administration? If so, prior approval by FTA is required when equipment is used for incidental use such as this, rather than regular public transit service. Has the MTA or Federal Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General, City Comptroller, or State Comptroller looked into this on behalf of taxpayers and commuters?
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
Great Neck
Dear Editor:
I wish to repeat the famous quote that I mentioned previously: “Show me the man and I’ll show you the crime.” This was the infamous boast of Lavrentiy Beria (Stalin’s secret police chief). Unfortunately, the FBI, CIA, DOJ, and IRS are following this strategy. Instead of working for the United States, these agencies are working for the Democrats.
Over a dozen CIA members interfered with the 2020 presidential election. They signed a false letter stating that the Biden Laptop was Russian Disinformation. This laptop was loaded with information that could have harmed Biden’s presidential campaign. The CIA wanted Biden to win the election and they took action to help make that happen.
The Durham Report has documented the interference of the FBI in the 2016 election. The FBI launched an investigation into Trump collusion with Russia, based on false information provided by Hillary Clinton. The evidence uncovered by Durham shows that the FBI knew the allegations were false but proceeded with their sham investigation anyway. The FBI has also gone after conservative groups and mothers of children who do not approve of LGBTQ+. Some whistleblowers have recently come forth and complained about FBI tactics. The FBI has retaliated against these brave agents.
The DOJ has been engaged in prosecutions against Trump and conservative groups but not against leftist groups such as Antifa and BLM. Attorney General Garland has stated that he only targets conservative groups because he is only able to catch them committing crimes. This is tantamount to an admission that the DOJ works for the Democratic Party.
The IRS has a history of targeting conservatives.
The only way to check this abuse is for us to vote for Republicans. The Democrats have too much power and they have weaponized our legal system and institutions against legal opponents. We must fight this if we are to survive as a democratic nation.
Martin Berkowitz
Dear Editor:
Mr. George Santos is not resigning because, like all members of Congress, he is an egomaniac. He was duly elected in 2022 and is not required to resign. If he is not removed from Congress beforehand, he will not win the 2024 Primary. He rode the Lee Zeldin wave into the seat. I bet, if he is removed, whoever the Republican nominee is will win the special election for the same reason. Not only has every warning about the Democrats come true, but it’s even worse!
Congress is a cesspool of unethical behavior, hypocrisy, and anti-Semitism. So, Mr. Santos was just joining the club. Adam Schiff of California was the Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, and Jerrold Nadler of New York was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, yet they both lied year after year that President Trump was a Russian pawn. Eric Swalwell, also of California, slept with a Chinese spy. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (California) used her position to make her family rich by selecting which legislation would be voted on, and her family would make stock trades based on that information. Maxine Waters (California) called for physical violence against any Trump cabinet member.
The “Squad” is made up of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Ayana Pressley (MA), Ilhan Omar (MN), Rashida Tlaib (MI), Jamal Bowman (NY), and Corey Bush (MO). All of them want to de-fund the police, yet all of them have armed security guards. Safety for me, not for thee. All of them are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause (Tlaib is an American Palestinian) and publicly call for the destruction of the State of Israel. So, Mr. Hecht, when all these upstanding members of Congress resign, then I will stand with you in calling for the removal of Mr. Santos.
What Mr. Hecht fails to identify, which is the most glaring point of the story, is how quickly the DOJ indicted Mr. Santos. It took four months. Look how they drag their feet when it comes to Joe and Hunter Biden. It is clear that Attorney General Garland and FBI Director Wray are in on the cover-up. We’ve known for at least four years about the corruption going on in that family. Four months vs. four years and counting. Truly amazing.
Shalom Markowitz