Readers sound off on City Council inaction, Iran’s retaliation and Sonny Rollins

The City Council can act fast when it wants to

Manhattan: It’s not surprising that the New York City Council acted in warp speed to approve the construction of an $800 million soccer stadium in Willets Point, Queens. When there is big money available for City Council politicians to sustain themselves in office through private sector lobbyists supplying them with campaign donations, they act with breathtaking alacrity!

Not so much for City Council legislation — Bill 1099 — that would simply guarantee the right of 250,000 retired city workers to retain the Medicare-based health care benefits they were promised by the city and state many decades ago! This bill has been languishing in the council for months. At this point, it needs more than 30 members to vote for its passage. City retirees are asking Council members to get off the fence and bring this legislation up for a vote!

However, it appears that the top priority for most is not to do the right thing for city retirees who have dedicated their working lives to the service of the city, but to involve themselves in quid-pro-quo deals with traitorous public union leaders, a mayor under federal investigation and private entities that are allowed to feed at the public trough! That would be in the form of public land grants, waiving certain building regulations, tax exemptions that last for decades, access to public roads and other favors that individuals and small organizations would never be granted.

Kudos to Councilman Shekar Krishnan, who strongly denounced this stadium deal for “giving away public land worth hundreds of millions of dollars in public financing for a commercial soccer stadium.” Gerard Rosenthal

Failed diplomacy

Highland Falls, N.Y.: So, Israel hits Iran (in Syria). The U.S. tells Iran we didn’t do it. Iran says OK, no attack on U.S. forces. Iran hits Israel, but the U.S. steps in and helps shoot down the Iranian missiles. If I were Iran, I’d say the U.S. is involved now! Back in Gulf War 1, Israel endured SCUD missile attacks from Iraq because the U.S. asked them to. Now Iran says the issue is closed, but Israel wants to hit back. President Biden says don’t. If Israel does not listen, I’d say the U.S. has put a big target on the back of all the troops we have scattered around the Middle East. If U.S. policy in all this makes sense, it eludes me. Joe Cyr

Help for thee, not for we

Rockaway Point: Our president is helping Israel in the fight with Iran, yet he’s not helping Americans by not closing our borders. We are now living in fear. What’s wrong with this picture? Hopefully, he will not be reelected. Regina Mangan

Ultimate escalation

Tivoli, N.Y.: President Biden wants to hold back the Israeli army from doing its job. That is not the way to defeat Hamas. If the president threatens to withhold military aid, then Bibi Netanyahu should tell him two things. One: If he does this, he will lose the Jewish vote in November; and two: Fine, do not give us what we need. We will use our nukes. Would end that problem for good. Marc Savino

Betrayal of faith

Brooklyn: A few nights ago, “PBS NewsHour” explored the Russian campaign against Ukrainian evangelical Christians. The Russians have been destroying their churches and even murdering some of their pastors. One might think that in other times, knowledge of such oppression would move American evangelicals to pressure for aid to support their Ukrainian brothers and sisters, but apparently they are now in thrall to Donald Trump and, along with other Republicans, are doing nothing or, even worse, trying to undermine the effort to supply the beleaguered and battle-weary Ukrainians. Edward Temple

Odd framing

Brooklyn: In Sunday’s column (“Simpson was probably guilty,” April 14), after explaining the O.J. Simpson saga to the world (as if we don’t know what happened), Leonard Greene ends his piece with the words, “They framed a guilty man.” Who framed O.J. and how did they do it? Which evidence is true, and which is not? It looks much more like an innocent police officer got framed than a guilty murderer. Jack Flynn

Lost art

Brooklyn: There have been many big news stories in the past few days, but one got lost in the shuffle: We lost a great female and African-American artist, Faith Ringgold. A native New Yorker, Ringgold’s artwork included paintings, quilts, masks, sculpture, books and more. She worked as an educator and activist and lived to be 93. I first saw her work when I was a teenager and enjoyed her 2022 New Museum retrospective “American People.” Her work was accessible and beautiful, and always thought-provoking. Ellen Levitt

Fiction flag-bearers

Brooklyn: I see where three of the eight (37.5%) John Solomon Guggenheim Memorial Fellows in Fiction reside in Brooklyn, confirming our status as a borough of B.S.-ers. Ira Cure

An agonizing end

Yorktown Heights, N.Y.: I agree with Voicer Robert Mascali about having options for rodent management. Inflicting severe, prolonged suffering should not be one of the options. Imagine the anguish of being stuck on a glue trap, often made worse by injured organs and broken and chewed limbs from attempts to escape. Imagine suffering through relentless agony for possibly four to five days until dying from blood loss, stress, hunger, dehydration or getting crushed in a trash compactor. In addition, glue traps fail to address root causes of infestation. Successful deterrents include cleanliness, sealed holes, mint sprays, bags and pouches, ultrasonic plug-in devices and raised and sealed bins. If traps are needed, there are options that are more humane. New York State residents: Please call and write to your senator and assembly member and ask them to co-sponsor S.6314/A.4785, a bill to end the sale and use of glue traps. James Scotto

Out of touch

Monroe, N.J.: “My son is a good boy.” So claims the mother of the 16-year-old child arrested for assaulting nine women. She never knew of the multiple arrests? Never knew he had mental health issues, but was proud he went to counseling and “he does everything he is supposed to do”? Too bad she didn’t do everything she is supposed to do as a parent. I’m tired of seeing the lack of involvement of arrested juveniles’ parents who still claim their child is a good kid. Step up and monitor your kids! Katherine A. Moloney

Protected identity

Rockaway, N.J.: Why would you block out the mugger’s face pushing the 68-year-old churchgoing woman down the stairs? Because the age is considered a child? If you commit the crime in public on camera, you give up your privacy. He has already been arrested nine times. How many crimes has this child committed to be arrested nine times? The way the city is now, he will be back out on the streets soon. How about we let the poor, innocent citizens who can’t afford to leave the crime-riddled city know his face to be on the lookout? History tells you he will offend again. Michael Ilardi

Now’s the time

Flushing: Harry Siegel knows how to swing jazz synchronicity (“Rename it the Sonny Rollins Williamsburg Bridge,” column, April 13). Time’s up to rename the Williamsburg Bridge. This year marks the centennial of up until when it was the longest suspension span in the world. Who better, exactly 100 years later, than the 1983 National Endowment for the Arts jazz master Sonny Rollins to grace his name thereon during this benchmark year? Between 1959 and 1961, for 15-16 hours a day, he practiced on the bridge, syncopating public art in public spaces. A forward-looking artist whose daily quest for self-improvement manifested on that bridge is surely an inspiration for every New Yorker. This renaming concept does not represent a bridge too far. Rollins once observed: “Forgive everyone everything” — but not the New York City Council if it doesn’t acknowledge a genius New Yorker who galvanizes musicians worldwide to believe New York is the jazz capital of the universe. F.E. Scanlon