Dear Editor:
With the days of S’lichos rapidly approaching, the Yamim Nora’im a short time away, our shuls throughout the world are filled with more people than usual. Certain t’filos require our voices to be recited together at one time.
Our nation, now more than ever, needs the model of B’YACHAD. We need to be together. To be unified for the survival of the Jewish People, to be unified for the State of Israel, and to be unified in combating anti-Semitism.
There are times to remain silent and there are times to speak.
Rabbi Efrem Goldberg writes: “These are moments that demand we not remain silent. Hashem has blessed us with voices, with influence, and with access. We must speak up and speak out and hold those that are silent accountable. We must generate outrage, the most powerful commodity these days and the one that draws attention and demands action and reaction.”
Anti-Semitism has increased globally since Hamas’ deadly attack on October 7.
In last week’s issue of the Queens Jewish Link, Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld provided us with a list of legislators to contact. It is important for all of us to contact them, so they hear our voice – whether we are saying thank you and expressing our gratitude in supporting our causes and in condemning any act of anti-Semitism, or we are expressing our disappointment for the lack of action on anti-Semitism.
Thank you, Rabbi Schonfeld, for the list.
I am reminded that when legislators want to implement certain changes in our community that were not to our liking, we stood together in showing our opposition and made our voices known.
So, too, now, at the beginning of the school year, when we see and hear about the continuing anti-Semitism on college campuses, we must unite.
Let us together do our part by contacting our representatives in government.
Let us continue to daven for the release of all hostages, for the IDF, for all those who were injured, and all who need a r’fuah sh’leimah.
May the coming new year bring peace to the nations of the world. May we all be blessed with a year of health, happiness, and peace.
Stuart Verstandig
Dear Editor:
For those of us very concerned about anti-Semitism in this country and about the terrible danger that Israel is in, we have to vote for Donald Trump. This was reinforced to me by the Moshe Hill article in the September 12 edition of the Queens Jewish Link, where he specifies the people belligerent to Israel who would be in Kamala Harris’ administration, including Ilan Goldenberg, the man involved in Jewish outreach who still believes that Israel has to give up land for peace, even though the land withdrawals Israel has done up to now have only encouraged the Palestinian jihadists to continue pursuing the destruction of Israel. In contrast, Donald Trump demonstrated that peace could be achieved with countries in the Middle East without Israel having to give up land to the Palestinians.
Also, regarding anti-Semitism and Israel’s current dilemma, I want to strongly encourage QJL readers to read the article by Danielle Wallace of Fox News published on September 11, 2024, entitled “Shabbos Kestenbaum, a Jewish Democrat suing Harvard over anti-Semitism, says he is endorsing Donald Trump over Kamala Harris despite previously voting blue.” In this article, Kestenbaum states the only viable option for American Jewry is to vote for Trump in spite of not liking his persona, because he has outlined practical policy solutions such as withdrawing federal funding to universities that violate the civil rights of Jewish students, as well as giving Israel whatever tools they need to dismantle Hamas, in addition to other examples. In contrast, Harris has only stated aspirations and goals without stating specific actions to achieve these goals.
David Labovitz
Dear Editor:
I am distressed, but perhaps unsurprised, to have read the baseless claims and gross misinformation that was published about the Haitian American community from Springfield, Ohio, in the QJL last week. When you consider the endless repetitions of far-right talking points that this newspaper uncritically emits (without, of course, any pushback from alternative viewpoints aside from the occasional letter or two), the root causes of how such a story could be published become obvious.
The misinformation turned conspiracy theory not only lacks any modicum of tangible evidence, but it has also been denied by Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliot, Mayor Rob Rue, and the Republican governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine. These claims have sparked real life violence, when bomb threats targeting Springfield’s city hall, offices of its various city agencies, and local elementary and middle schools, led to people bring forced to evacuate. In addition, the white nationalist group named The Proud Boys marched through Springfield this past week to intimidate local residents, no doubt because of the misinformation. J.D. Vance actually admitted in an interview on CNN that the stories about Haitian Americans in Springfield, Ohio, was one that he and Trump “created,” and he shockingly defended doing so.
Whatever your political opinions are regarding illegal immigration or the situation on the southern border is irrelevant. Spreading fake stories to fuel anti-immigrant and racist sentiments against a minority in a community (of which, some of whom have been living in America for five, ten, or even 15 years) is obviously wrong and needs to be condemned in the strongest of possible terms. It’s hard not to see parallels between this case and the blood libels and pogroms that Jews had to suffer through in Christian Europe throughout the medieval ages, where false allegations spread by bad faith actors led to an exponential rise in anti-Semitism. How a Torah-committed Jew can support such baseless hatred is beyond me.
Moshe Chernigoff
Dear Editor:
Getting right to it, Mr. Pecoraro is so unobjective, also delivering and spinning falsehoods nonstop. His ammo, like most Democrats, is simply putting down insulting and demonizing the Right, simply because they don’t want to discuss their own damaging policies. Similar to Hillary Clinton calling the Right “deplorables,” like so many other Democrats, whether it’s the constant usage of the “extremists” adjective painting Republicans as far out, or other degrading terms.
If the Democrats don’t get their way, they cry foul. We all know that Harris as the Democratic nominee in the first place is a breach of our democracy. She wasn’t elected; Biden was. But we all know when Biden was losing badly in the polls, the Dems decided all of a sudden to replace Biden with Harris and claim he wasn’t fit for office.
If Biden would have been ahead in the polls, he would have been the nominee. We all know that. And the Dems have the nerve to say Trump is a threat to democracy.
The Dems don’t like the makeup of the US Supreme Court, so they want to change the rules by packing the Court. When they were bashing Justice [Brett Michael] Kavanaugh, when he was nominated by Pres. Trump, they had this fake story by Christine Blasey Ford accusing Kavanaugh of improper conduct. This is after 35 years, and after an FBI investigation, and after four friends of Ford could not corroborate her story. So, the Dems did what they do best: Vilify Kavanaugh to no end.
What about the Mueller report against Trump: three years of zilch, on a daily basis attacking Trump, wasting taxpayers’ money. What about their “ironclad proof”? It shows their true character. Anything for power.
Mr. Pecoraro, how about bringing up issues that are truly important to voters: inflation is through the roof, the border (20 million unvetted illegal immigrants have passed through under Biden/Harris) – murderers, traffickers, rapists, why
Where is our border czar – Kamala? We all know Kamala wants these people in, so they can vote Democrat; she’ll sell out the security of this country even it means breaking the laws. How many issues has she switched on, including building a border wall; do you believe her?
As Bernie Sanders said, she’ll do what she has to do to win an election. If she wins, G-d forbid, we all know she’ll switch back to all her extreme Left and dangerous policies. I believe her when she says her beliefs haven’t changed.
What happened in Afghanistan? How come America doesn’t have the backs of their own citizens and allies: 13 Americans died, billions of arms were taken by the enemy, commander-in-chief – what ineptitude! Where is the Biden/Harris leadership when anti-Semitism in this country has skyrocketed dangerously to pre-World War II Germany levels. Where is the condemnation? What about enacted laws punishing these anti-Semites to the nth degree?
Regarding the Gaza war, besides saying they want a ceasefire, and the hostages should be returned, instead of attacking Israel on how they conducted the war, why aren’t they tough on Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis?
Where was Harris when Bibi addressed Congress? What a slap in the face! She pretends to be a knowledgeable commander-in-chief, saying Israel shouldn’t attack Rafah, she “studied the maps” and determined there is no place for the Arabs to go, how vital was it that Israel did not listen. She says Israel has a right to defend itself; big deal: Why shouldn’t any country defend itself? She said Israel is culpable for so many Arabs dying, what about that Hamas mixing with the civilians in hospitals, schools, religious institutions? What is Israel supposed to do? What would America do? I guarantee you many more civilians would have died due to collateral damage.
If Israel gives in to a ceasefire, without truly minimally disabling Hamas, it’s a matter of time before this happens again, G-d forbid. I don’t want to hear of this old two-state solution nonsense; we all know the Palestinian Authority who merged with Hamas, will be completely taken over by Hamas, and have another base of terror, yet Biden/Harris still push for it. Do they not see the obvious?
What about Iran, who funds all their proxies? They only have the money because of the Biden/Harris appeasement policy with Iran and their lifting of sanctions. Iran under Trump had no money and could not be the multi-billion-dollar sponsor of terror they are now. Biden/Harris have blood on their hands.
These weak policies will only get worse under Harris. If Harris wins, get ready for more regulations, higher taxes – the usual hurtful policies. Harris is not fit to lead the country. I tremble to think where this country will be if, G-d forbid, Harris is elected. Weaponizing our Justice Department, defunding the police and ICE (comparing them to the KKK), no fracking. Even if she says yes to it now, how can you believe her? Harris is a leaf that you throw in the air; whichever way the wind blows, that’s what she will say she stands for – it’s political expediency. The future of this country, as well as the world, is at stake.
When China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and other rogue countries deal with Harris, she’ll be eaten alive. Mr. Pecoraro, stop trying to cover up who Harris is all about; focus on the real important issues, not the petty things you claim. Your insults on Republicans you might think is a distraction on Harris’ policies, but the American people are smarter than that and see right through it.
The American people deserve much better; the world deserves much better. With G-d’s help, she will be defeated, and President Trump will arise again.
Seymour Goldberg
Real Leadership
in the Face of Danger
Dear Editor:
“I walked away from the Democratic Party and joined the Republicans. I will vote for Donald Trump for president. I’ve been a true-blue Democrat, a former California state senator who chaired its Senate Democratic Caucus and served as Senate Majority Leader. I was a Democratic National Convention delegate for Jesse Jackson and Barack Obama, and state co-chair for President Obama’s re-election. But I’ve said goodbye, adios, I’ve had enough. This is not the Democratic Party I once championed. I don’t recognize it anymore.”
These are the words of former California Democrat Gloria Romero, who backed Barack Obama in 2007 and who is now voting for Donald Trump, which appear in a recent Op-Ed she penned. Quoting Ronald Reagan, she expresses fears of the fascist and authoritarian turn her former party has taken. She notes that witnessing the lawfare the Democrats waged against Trump and the “banana republic-like” coup they executed in order to install Kamala Harris as their candidate, as being especially troubling to her. In a scathing and broad-based denunciation of numerous Democratic attitudes and policies, she states among many other things that “The Democratic Party has forsaken our ally to placate the pro-Hamas wing and win a swing state.” And as an overall assessment of our current political reality, she states: “The Trump-led Republican Party has become the party of peace, while Democrats have marched toward endless war.”
Romero is far from alone in the high-level abandonment of a Democratic Party that seems no longer recognizable to its former members. After serving as the vice chair to the Democratic National Committee and two terms as a Democratic US Congressman from Hawaii, Tulsi Gabbard left the Democratic Party in 2022. Growing disenchantment with her former party in regard to its weak stances on criminal justice, immigration, and in dealing with Islamic terror were among the reasons cited for her rejection of her former party. In her recent speech at the Trump/Vance campaign rally in Las Vegas, Gabbard shared her recollection of the Democratic Party from 20 years ago as one that “welcomed different views” and “stood up for the little guy” while “welcoming the values of freedom and liberty in America.” “Fast forward to today,” she continues, then says “I left the Democratic Party because today it stands for the opposite of all those things!” Echoing others’ concerns about government lawfare and authoritarianism, Gabbard then shares how one day, after criticizing Kamala Harris, she was added to a government terrorist watch-list. Poignantly, she states: “This election is not about Democrat vs. Republican or Conservative vs. Liberal. Rather it’s about Freedom vs. Tyranny.”
In similar fashion, lifelong Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who left the Democratic Party about one year ago, more recently also threw his support behind Donald Trump, citing the “war on our children” and free speech as being the major factors in his decision. The list goes on, and at every level and for similar reasons. Failed immigration policies, failed economic policies, failed criminal justice policies, weak and ineffective foreign policy, failure to confront terror and authoritarian attitudes and actions are some of the common criticisms of the current Democratic Party, which are noted by moderates across the board. Many who are not supporters of Trump, including some who still identify as Democrats, have shown a willingness to express and address these issues of concern.
Many of us, thus, applaud the recent article by our local Democratic City Council member James Gennaro criticizing the Biden administration’s handling of Hamas and Israel’s war against this enemy of humanity since their barbaric, inhuman attack on October 7. Whether Democratic or Republican, our community and our people are fortunate to have a representative with a moral conscience and backbone, who is willing to speak up and speak out – even against his own party, when necessary, even as it may cause him difficulty and may make him unpopular in certain circles. To my mind, this is what it means to be a leader.
Without mentioning names, certain other regular writers in the QJL should take note. If “leadership” means obeying the pressure to act as an apologist for your party, unable to ever point out any flaw in it whatsoever, are you really a leader or just a professional follower? If your only means of addressing the glaring disparity between the current Democratic Party and what it was 20 years ago is to quote former VP Dick Cheney of Halliburton and Big-Oil ignominy and crony-capitalism as he bemoans the “straying” of the Republican Party (perhaps because they’re no longer greasing his palms?), then either your moral sense or your courage is impaired. The ability to consistently retain a bent over or prone posture hardly demonstrates the functioning of a healthy backbone. That’s not leadership.
I am no great fan of Trump’s personality or political style, but I know abject failure, corruption, and danger when I see it. The policies of the current Democratic Party and the ones it will continue to implement, should they (G-d forbid) win this election, are failures across the board in almost all regards, both domestic and foreign. The party is corrupt and becoming more and more fascist/authoritarian as we speak, and will violate free speech and all other freedoms as it feels necessary to silence its opponents. The party is a danger to all of its citizens, to Israel, to morality, to freedom, to law and order, and to the stability of our country.
E. Azulai
No, Violent Crime Statistics Are Not Down
Dear Editor:
Kamala Harris and her willing accomplices in the mainstream media would have you believe that violent crime in America is at a 50-year low, a narrative eagerly parroted by so-called fact-checkers at PolitiFact and now ABC News.
The reality, however, is far from what they claim. The only thing at a 50-year low is the integrity of violent crime data. Less than a year after taking office, the Biden/Harris administration had the FBI dismantle the longstanding crime reporting system, replacing it in 2021 with a new “woke” system that is optional for state and local law enforcement agencies to use. As a result, at least 6,000 law enforcement agencies aren’t providing data, meaning that 25% of the country’s crime data is not captured by the FBI. This deliberate underreporting skews the statistics, painting a falsely optimistic picture of public safety.
While real Americans continue to suffer from rising crime rates, woke Democratic politicians, including Kamala Harris, use these phony crime statistics as a talking point to gaslight the American people into believing the distorted reality they have crafted.
Jonathan Goldgrab
Emhoff Is No Mentch
Dear Editor:
This letter is a response to David Pecoraro who, in the past, identified himself as a “proud Jew” and goes to great lengths to express his Jewish pride by signing his letter each week as the former Vice President of the Rosedale Jewish Center. He has mentioned multiple times of his longing for Doug Emhoff to be our “First Mensch” in the White House. But Emhoff is no mentch at all; far from it. What kind of mentch causes irreparable damage to his marriage by cheating on his wife and impregnating the nanny in his home, as Emhoff did during his first marriage?
I also find it odd that Mr. Pecoraro, who professes such pride in his religion, would happily endorse a Jew such as Emhoff who has married outside of his own faith, voluntarily breaking his link in the chain of Jewish generations dating back thousands of years. It’s hard to hold parents responsible for the actions of their children, but would a real mentch stand by silently while his daughter fundraises on behalf of the modern-day Nazi Party named Hamas as Emhoff has done?
And, Mr. Pecoraro, while we are on the subject of mentches, I noticed that your last few letters referenced J.D. Vance “getting off the couch,” a vile, offensive, and widely debunked online smear of Vance’s character used by many on the Left including Tim Walz. Instead of inserting these vulgar references in a family newspaper such as the Queens Jewish Link, how about elevating the discourse a bit and acting like a mentch yourself?
Avi Goldberg
Dear Editor:
A couple of weeks ago, I asked what former President Trump would have done differently in Afghanistan to avoid the things that conservatives are attacking President Biden for. I appreciate Avi Golberg providing a response, but I must disagree with his analysis.
To start, it should be noted that while he points out that Trump made his deal conditional on counter-terrorism commitments by the Taliban, they had already violated the conditions by the time Trump continued to pull out more troops at the end of his presidency. So, an assumption that he would use the violations as a pretext to reverse course at the last minute is already on shaky ground. But Mr. Goldberg still maintains that Trump would have killed the deal. Fair enough. So, Trump would have backed out and left the US forces in a weaker position than before he signed the Doha agreement (fewer troops on the ground, bases already closed, 5,000 Taliban released from prison, and Taliban gains throughout the country already made by the end of his presidency), but Mr. Goldberg argues that he still would have been able to maintain a “peace” that saw no American combat casualties for 18 months (although attacks on Afghan forces had increased).
But why were there no casualties during that time? In the debate, Trump argued that it was because of threats he made to Taliban leadership. I would say it’s a shame that we hadn’t previously thought of threatening the Taliban if that is all it would have taken to end their attacks, but the US had in fact killed the previous Taliban leader.
Anyway, common sense points to a different reason. The first of those 18 months was March 2020, the first full month after the Doha agreement was signed. At that point, there was no reason for the Taliban to attack US forces who were retreating and withdrawing, and were not engaging as they previously had, per the agreement. They were simply waiting for us to leave before making their final move. To say that while we surrendered, the reason they stopped attacking us is that we threatened them is, well, Trump logic.
But if Trump (or Biden) had reversed course on the agreement and withdrawal, there would be no reason for Taliban to not resume their attacks and attempt to take control of the country. We saw how quickly they were able to overrun the Afghan army without the protection of the American forces, and it’s hard to argue engagement from the limited group still in the country would have made a difference. The original 13,000 soldiers weren’t just there for window dressing. So maybe Trump would have countered by bringing troops back. But then we’re back to the original war, just with conditions more favorable to the Taliban – a war with many more American casualties than the 13 who were tragically killed during the withdrawal.
Biden knew that, and he’s on the record in feeling that the bloodshed wasn’t worth whatever we were gaining from being in Afghanistan. There are those who disagree, but Trump didn’t appear to be one of them, as he started the withdrawal. But I still don’t see a legitimate answer for what Trump would have done differently that would have led to a net result of fewer American lives being lost.
Regards,
Yaakov Ribner
ABC’s Revolutionary New Debate Format
Dear Editor:
Conservatives have complained for years about liberal bias within the Presidential Debates at mainstream media networks. It’s hard to argue there isn’t bias, considering 93% of the media are registered Democrats. That said, ABC took Presidential Debates to the next level, introducing their revolutionary, new three-on-one format for Tuesday night’s debate. Some of the features of this new format include interrupting Donald Trump dozens of times while not interrupting Kamala Harris even once, and a multitude of follow-up questions for Trump with zero follow-ups for Harris.
The other main feature of this format was fact-checking Trump five times while never fact-checking Harris, who spent the entire debate purveying lies, distortions, and hoaxes. Fact-checking in real time is a tricky proposition for moderators, which is why objective moderators won’t do it and consider it beyond the scope of their duties.
There have been a few instances in the past, most notably in 2020 where Chris Wallace stopped Trump dead in his tracks for stating that all the Biden family crimes were on the Hunter laptop. Wallace’s fact-check included a correction, where he informed the world that the laptop was Russian disinformation. This lie by Wallace, dressed up as a fact-check, likely tilted votes toward Biden in a super close election.
Another notable fact-check fail was Candy Crowley’s fake fact-check of Mitt Romney in 2012, where she “corrected” Romney that Obama did in fact immediately call the Benghazi murders a “terrorist attack.” In actuality, Obama waited two and a half weeks to call it terrorism, a point poor Romney was trying to convey to viewers till he was squashed by Crowley.
The post-debate analysis in the fake news media and among leftoids was how Kamala crushed Trump, while downplaying, or ignoring, these new three vs. one debate format rules. Trump certainly wasn’t at his best, but it’s hard to consider him the biggest loser of the night, which has to go to ABC “News.” No questions about the execution of Hersh Goldberg-Polin and the five other hostages, nothing on Iran being on the verge of nuclear capability, and nothing on the current President’s capacity and the continuous coverup of his deteriorating condition. Instead, we were treated to a long segment on abortion and January 6, topics that have been discussed ad nauseam and serve only as distractions away from the important topics that could hurt Harris, such as inflation and illegal immigration.
Any analysis of the debate in this publication by the usual Trump bashers that fails to include all the lies and debunked hoaxes that Harris told, should be dismissed out of hand as partisan hackery. The list of Harris’ falsehoods include: 1) the “very fine people” hoax, 2) the “Trump is connected to Project 2025” hoax, 3) the “bloodbath” hoax, 4) Trump telling Putin to “do whatever the hell you want” before he invaded Ukraine, 5) blaming Trump for botched Afghanistan withdrawal, 6) complaining about the “Trump abortion ban,” 7) the “Trump called for the execution of the Central Park Five” hoax, 8) the Trump called veterans “suckers and losers” hoax, 8) Harris’ claim that she never called for a ban on fracking, 9) that Harris and Biden increased oil production, 10) Trump is proposing a national sales tax, 11) Trump desires to “terminate” the entire Constitution, 12) No US troops are in any war zone, 13) Harris’ claim she is not for taking guns away, 14) Trump “left us with the worst unemployment since the Great Depression,” and 15) Harris’ claim to have grown up “middle class” as the daughter of two college professors, while living in Westmount, a wealthy French province of Quebec.
After spending the night telling lie upon lie in her safe space, free of any fact checks from the moderators, Harris felt so good about herself she called for another debate as long as it’s on another liberal outlet, i.e., not Fox News. I believe Harris won the debate, but not because she defeated Trump. Rather she’s the winner because she accomplished her twofold goal of the debate: 1) Don’t look back: Never accounting for any of the misery she and Biden have inflicted on Americans, and 2) Looking forward: Use slogans and platitudes about a bright future without offering any specifics of her far Left, Marxist, radical agenda that she will implement if elected.
It’s unlikely the debate will have much of an effect on the election, as undecided voters learned absolutely nothing about Harris’ policies that would either bring them onboard or turn them off to Harris. Trump’s favorability on issues such as the economy remained strong, even post-debate. I’ve said before that this election is neither a referendum on Trump nor Harris; it’s on the voters. Are they smart enough to see through all the Harris lies and what her real intentions are? We shall see.
Jason Stark
Dear Editor:
As you may be aware, the subways have gotten less safe in recent years, with people becoming victims of violent crime, be it an assault, stabbing, or shooting. Because of this, any number of people, including me, have stopped taking the subways or taking them as a last resort.
As someone with Tourette syndrome who makes involuntary noises, I was the target of threats before I stopped using the subway.
I recommend that people not take the subway unless they have no other option, and I call upon our representatives to push for funding to make the subway safer.
Elliott Wittert
Kamala Harris: The Queen of Mean
Dear Editor:
Former VP of the former Rosedale Jewish Center David Pecoraro checked in last week with his latest installment of lies, distortions, and misrepresentations by taking a J.D. Vance quote out of context to make it appear as if Vance is okay with the shooting of school-age children. VP Pecoraro has to distort Vance’s comments to make him appear insensitive. No such task is needed for the current administration of Dumb and Dumber, i.e. Biden and Kamala, or is it Kamala and Biden now? Hard to tell who is President at this point.
During the debate, President Trump pointed out that illegal immigration is destroying our country along with many formerly fine cities such as Springfield, Ohio, which has been invaded by 20,000 Haitian illegals who (notwithstanding, debate “moderator” David Muir’s vehement denials) have been eating up the residents’ pets. Kamala roared with laughter at Trump over the claim.
Let’s assume for the sake of argument that the dozens of Springfield residents’ complaints about their missing pets are not due to the illegal immigrants, that eyewitness testimony of illegal immigrants eating ducks out of the ponds there is erroneous, and Trump is 100% wrong on this issue. If you’re Kamala Harris, how do you let in 10-20 million illegal immigrants and then laugh about it?! Is it funny that because of her actions Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray, Rachel Morin, and scores of others are now dead after being murdered by illegal immigrants?
Is there something humorous about the 100,000+ deaths a year due to fentanyl crossing through Kamala’s open border? Laughing about this issue is beyond insensitive, it’s psychopathic. This is not especially surprising behavior for her, given what a rotten person she is. Maybe she learned it from her boss, “President” Joe Biden, i.e. Captain Empathy, who last week showed off his great sensitivity for 9/11 victims by telling reporters that he’d be “doing 9/11” when he got to New York. It’s hard to argue Donald Trump is Mr. Sensitivity, but the media’s constant portrayal of Biden and Kamala as compassionate characters is objectively beyond ridiculous at this point.
Doniel Behar
Dear Editor:
Anyone who brings up the Cheneys and Adam Kinzinger automatically loses the debate. However, Mr. Hecht and Mr. Pecoraro both think that it is those three individuals who are real “conservatives” and the torch bearers of the Republican Party. I’ll indulge you and counter that we got Tulsi Gabbard, RFK Jr., and former California State Senator Gloria Romero. For good measure, Alan Dershowitz left the Democratic Party last week.
With all due respect to Mr. Schmutter, Mr. Pecoraro’s letter last week was far more comedic than his. I’d say the QJL editors printed Mr. Pecoraro in the wrong place. If Mr. Pecoraro is going to take phrases out of context, then he must be working for MSNBC and ABC. After all, Kamala Harris made almost identical attacks on President Trump and neither David Muir nor Linsey Davis, the fake moderators of the gang up on Trump televised event, pushed back on any of them.
While Mr. Pecoraro (and some of my coworkers) believe I belong in Creedmoor, I can assure you my mental acuity is just fine. I have an IQ over 125 and your personal attacks against me and other readers demonstrates your character.
Robert Hur, an employee of the DOJ, wrote in his report that President Biden is non compos mentis. Otherwise, he’d have charged him with violating the Espionage Act for possession of classified documents as a Senator and Vice President and President Biden would be facing 300 years in prison once he leaves office. If ever there was a care for using the 25th Amendment, it is for the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC. He has spent over 40% of his presidency on vacation and has not functioned as a commander in chief. If Kamala Harris wants a promotion, she should take some initiative and start the proceedings before Election Day. No other decision she has made is worthy of said promotion.
I don’t want government-run healthcare. If Kamala Harris wins, she will do all she can to force us to give up our private insurance. I don’t want an electric vehicle. If Kamala Harris wins, she will do all she can to force us to give up our combustion engine cars. I do not want higher taxes. If Kamala Harris wins, she will raise our taxes. Not just on our income, but on our wealth. She wants to impose an unrealized gains tax. This would force us to pay a tax on stocks and other assets we own that appreciate in value even if we didn’t sell them that year. Should they decrease in value, we for sure aren’t getting our money back. She will ban fracking and cause our energy prices to go further through the roof. Crime has gone up under her and Joe Biden’s watch. Jews getting attacked and anti-Semitism is growing like a cancer with the Democratic Party in charge.
I would pose a question to either Mr. Hecht or Mr. Pecoraro: What was your reaction when you heard the first cries of your child after it was born? Did you not cry and immediately realize the precious little life you held in your arms? The two Democratic Party candidates have the most radical and warped positions on “women’s health,” aka abortion, killing babies. The Democratic Party has a candidate who has never given birth to children of her own. Yet, she wants to be the arbiter of life and death. In the Senate, she voted for a bill that was drastically further left of Roe. It said you can kill the baby up to the moment of birth. She voted against a bill that protected babies who survived an abortion. Eight babies born in Walz’s Minnesota between 2019 and 2022 who survived abortions and were not given any medical care to preserve their lives. Think about the suffering those eight babies must have gone through. In May of 2023, Tim Walz signed a bill that took away responsibility of medical professionals to save the life of a baby if it survived an abortion. Who wants people with these moral values to run our country?
Shalom Markowitz
Dear Editor:
Those attending the United Nations General Assembly could lead by example when it comes to global warming and climate change. Heads of state, ambassadors, military attaches, and security personnel can give up limousines taking them to and from their embassy, hotel or residency to the UN. These motorcades contribute to traffic gridlock and increase air pollution.
Join four million New Yorkers by riding the MTA NYC Transit subway or bus. Enjoy some fresh air and walk down 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan from any nearby subway or bus stop to the UN. Mingle with ordinary citizens to develop a better understanding of America and its people. If NY MTA Congestion Pricing kicks in January 2025 or later, they should not be exempt or offered discounts. This includes any police, FBI, or other law enforcement escorts whose vehicles should be billed to whomever they have been assigned to protect our out-of-town guests.
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
Walking
Dear Editor:
Walking! What great exercise! It might even lead to arichas yamim. My idea of walking used to be walking around Macy’s or Loehmann’s (What a loss!). Then it extended to walking from T.J. Maxx to Target and down each of the aisles of Target. How about walking through the 18 feet of my house several times a day? I must begin to be honest with myself and do a daily walk to and from Union Turnpike, which according to Waze is one mile each way.
The problem is walking through KGH doesn’t exactly inspire the Walt Whitman or Robert Frost in each of us. (If you don’t know who these guys are, go back to English 101.) What is there to look at? Boarded up stores on Main Street, electric scooters lying in wait on every block, and several overgrown shrubberies attracting mosquitoes? On the flip side of the coin, it might be best to traverse Main Street sans (French 101) a credit card or cash since you will be tempted to stop off at Dunkin’ Donuts and buy some fancy drink avec (see above) a 500-calorie doughnut.
That leaves us with Cunningham Park. It’s not Central Park, but it will do. It’s a nice loop around a grassy area, and you can watch kids play ball or men playing some game from the old country (Italy) that I don’t understand. This walk clears your mind and your arteries. True, you have to drive there and hopefully, pass on the bagel store on 188th Street, but the walk is well-worth it.
Oh, don’t forget to get yourself a fellow walker. It makes you forget your bunions. Just remember, she should be a tzadekes and avoid any lashon ha’ra. So, talk about the weather, your Con Ed bill, or how you hate driving in New York.
Debbie Horowitz
Dear Editor:
Fellow readers Doniel Behar, Jonathan Goldgrab, and Shalom Markowitz have all spent time this summer deriding the intelligence and preparation of Vice President Kamala Harris, many times using racist tropes.
So, after watching that same Kamala Harris wipe the floor with Donald Trump at Tuesday’s debate, what can they kvetch about now?
Our Vice President masterfully presented her plans for helping make the lives of working-class Americans easier. She commanded the stage from the moment she introduced herself by name so that Trump would have no excuse to mispronounce her name. Kamala (rhymes with mommala) was able to trigger the totally unprepared Trump into showing that he cares nothing about working to improve our future by concentrating on the past and his own narrow need to stay out of jail, as proven by his answer that he has “concepts” of a plan to repeal and replace Obamacare after saying he would have a plan ready in a few weeks for the better part of a decade.
Kamala passed the test of Commander-in-Chief with flying colors, showing the keen grasp of foreign affairs she has gained by meeting with world leaders who respect her (and laugh at Trump), while Trump proved that he is unfit to serve with his disqualifying love affair with dictators like Hungary’s Orban that was on full display. And for what it’s worth, Trump confessed to violations of the Logan Act by admitting that he was conducting foreign policy talks with Putin and Bibi.
Sixty-three percent of viewers agreed that Trump lost, including right-wing Senator Lindsay Graham and RFK Jr., who have both endorsed Trump. At this point, letting this clearly demented and physically diminished creature continue in this race is elder abuse.
One final note: Moshe Hill forgets that it was Trump who had lunch with actual virulent anti-Semites. Also, it is the Trump/Vance Project 2025 that seeks to turn America into a White Christian Nationalist theocracy.
It was also Trump who said that there were good people on both sides when one side contained actual Nazis in Charlottesville. Moshe also forgot that Trump sent folks wearing Camp Auschwitz shirts over to the Capitol to hang his own Vice President. And speaking about VPs, none of the living VPs or presidents of both parties have endorsed Trump. Wonder why?
There are so many Republicans who know how unqualified Trump is, including those who worked in his administration (including his military leaders who call Trump a “disgrace”) who are crossing the aisle to support Kamala Harris for President. I urge my fellow Queens Jewish Link readers to do likewise and vote for the Harris/Walz ticket.
David S. Pecoraro
Former Vice President
Rosedale Jewish Center
