That Non-Blizzard (I)
Dr. Ari Lapin covered all the logical reasons why New York City should not have been shut down in anticipation of the blizzard that fizzled (“The Cost That Was of the Blizzard That Wasn’t,” op-ed, Feb. 6) but missed a very important aspect of the way we are governed today.
The only countries that have “travel bans” are communist or third world nations run by dictatorships. If we don’t wake up and start to vote for candidates who stand for freedom and democracy, we’ll have to get used to travel bans and shutdowns of critical infrastructure.
Charles Feldman
(Via E-Mail)
That Non-Blizzard (II)
While I generally agree with the anti-nanny state views voiced by Ari Lapin in his op-ed article, I think he was being way too harsh on New York public officials who banned non-emergency automobile travel and closed down public transportation for one night.
The near unanimous prognostication from meteorologists was that a winter storm of epic proportions was just hours away from burying the tri-state area. Given those warnings, what other option was for any prudent public official?
One can only imagine the condemnations that would have rained down on the heads of Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo had they not instituted those measures and had the snow hit us precisely the way the weather professionals assured us it would.
In the end, the overnight traffic ban and subway closure affected a relatively small number of people (most New Yorkers sensibly stayed indoors anyway) and they were rescinded the following morning.
Sometimes government intervention is a good thing.
Stephen Rothman
(Via E-Mail)
Netanyahu’s Speech To Congress (I)
In “Rave Reviews for Netanyahu’s 2011 Address to Congress” (news story, Feb. 6), Jason Maoz shed light on why President Obama erupted over the Boehner invitation to Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Netanyahu electrified Congress four years ago and promises to do the same this time around as well. Our president must be worried that his year-long snookering of the American people, Congress, and Israel over the secret deal he is about to conclude with Iran may go for naught.
By the way, I think the Jewish community should express its outrage to those elected officials who have called on Netanyahu to cancel his speech, as well as to our Jewish organizational types who will back a Democratic president no matter what he says or does.
Marion Arnold
(Via E-Mail)
Netanyahu’s Speech To Congress (II)
What does President Obama fear in allowing Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to addressCongress? Could it be that Americans might actually hear the truth about Iran’s ongoing nuclear development and its stated ambition to annihilate Israel?
If only on the eve of World War II President Roosevelt had allowed a Jewish leader from Europe to address Congress and the American people on Hitler’s true intentions, perhaps the murder of six million Jews might have been prevented.
One begins to suspect that Obama’s open-ended extensions of the negotiations with the Iranians are intended to deter an Israeli military action on the nuclear and plutonium sites.
Steven Shanok
Northbrook, IL
Netanyahu’s Speech To Congress (III)
President Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi had plenty of opportunities to extend an invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to address Congress.
When House Speaker John Boehner invited Netanyahu to speak to Congress, Pelosi’s first public reaction was to say she wasn’t sure if she or other Democratic members of Congress would attend. Many other Democratic lawmakers will not commit as to whether or not they will attend. Vice President Joe Biden said he has a previously scheduled engagement out of town.
We are living in a time of growing terrorist threats from ISIS, Hizbullah, and al-Qaeda, and now Iran is on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons. Actions speak louder than words. Now is the time for all elected officials, Democrat and Republican, to stand up and show their support for our ally Israel.
There is no excuse for not being able to find an hour or two to attend Netanyahu’s speech. Let’s see if Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and the members of the New York Congressional delegation vote with their feet and attend.
Friends of Israel should remember who showed and who didn’t show when they run for reelection. Any senator or representative who fails to show up to hear Netanyahu should be considered treif by the Jewish community and unworthy of our votes.
Larry Penner
Great Neck, NY
Permanent Stain
Re “Israel Critic Schabas Steps Down As Head of UN Gaza Probe,” news story, Feb. 6):
The forced resignation of William Schabas as head of the UN Human Rights Council investigation into Israel’s Operation Protective Edge last summer is certainly welcome news. He left after it was discovered he had been paid $1,300 for work he did for the PLO.
However, we should not be diverted from the essential lesson of this episode. Schabas is a notoriously over-the-top critic of Israel, and the idea that a UN agency would have asked him to lead an inquiry that required total objectivity will forever remain a stain on the reputation of the Human Rights Council.
Gerald Sanders
(Via E-Mail)