Opinion

Why exactly are the barbaric Israelis, with their violent cameras, taking so many pictures of Arabs? Can you guess?

Israel’s critics have a new rallying cry: Stop taking pictures of terrorists! They don’t word it quite that way, of course. They wrap it in slogans about “big tech” and “privacy rights.” But at the end of the day, the message is the same: They don’t want Israel to keep track of Arab terrorists and their supporters.

Do you like your streets to be safe?  If there’s a fire, do you want it to be put out?  Do you like your garbage to be picked up?  If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you have some problems. That’s because the NYPD, FDNY and the New York City Sanitation Department are all severely understaffed because of Bill de Blasio. 

Last week, the Republicans made significant gains in elections throughout the country. A few days later, the House of Representatives passed the most significant bipartisan infrastructure legislation in the past half-century. The two events are closely related. They show what both parties need to learn and provide the guiding posts for a path forward. Focusing on Donald Trump is a losing strategy for both parties. The agenda of the woke progressive left has been soundly rejected by the public. Republicans need to stop talking about a stolen election; Democrats need to stop focusing on Trump and capitulating to the extreme left. Both parties need to focus on a positive agenda that appeals to a broad cross-section of the public.

Last week, the New York City Council voted to remove a statue of Thomas Jefferson from the Council chamber.  The statue had been donated to the city by Uriah Levy, the first Jewish Commodore in the US Navy.  Levy was an American military hero who nevertheless endured antisemitism throughout his career.  He admired Jefferson, who wrote the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, which guaranteed the rights of Jews and others to worship according to the dictates of their conscience.  Jefferson’s ringing words in the Declaration of Independence, “all men are created equal,” inspired generations of fighters for freedom.  They provided the ideological basis for the abolitionist and civil rights movements.   Martin Luther King quoted them in his memorable “I Have A Dream” speech.  Jefferson’s work led Time Magazine to proclaim him the most influential historical figure of the 18^th century.

Voters shocked the political establishment last week when they elected Republicans to office in deep-blue Virginia and almost did the same in bluer New Jersey. The results for the New York City Mayoral race notwithstanding, the electorate in The Empire State may be ready for Republican leadership.

From Forest Hills to Merrick, from Great Neck to Far Rockaway, the polls are open and the election of 2021 is underway.  The unfortunate reality of our electoral process is that far fewer people will vote this year than last, even though the results of this election will have far more ramifications.  Here is a primer on what offices are up for grabs and how they affect you.