Readers sound off on George Maharis, Moscow drone attacks and deadly self-defense

Garwood, N.J.: I was saddened to read of the passing of Big Apple native George Maharis in the May 29 Daily News (“Maharis, the star of ‘Route 66,’ dies at 94″).

He was highly esteemed by many acting greats, such as James Dean, with whom he knocked around in the 1950s NYC acting scene. Maharis and Martin Milner co-starred in what Ed Asner maintained until his dying day was the finest-written TV series of all time, “Route 66.” The two leads traveled across the U.S.A. of JFK’s New Frontier in a Corvette, capturing the last gasp of a pre-Beatles/Vietnam War/flower power America. Filmed entirely on location, it preserves forever on film that now-lost world.

Led by writers Stirling Silliphant and Howard Rodman, the series was aimed unapologetically at the savvy viewer. If you watch the Kardashians or “Scooby-Doo,” it ain’t for you.

I would note what a genuinely nice guy Maharis was, never failing to take a moment to chat with a fan or sign an autograph. When an online “Route 66″ group I am part of decided to send George birthday cards a few years ago, he responded to the dozens of cards by sending each well-wisher a handwritten letter of thanks and an autographed photo. As well, those who had enclosed their phone numbers each received over the next few weeks a phone call from George! What star today displays that kind of grace and appreciation for the public?

Son of Queens, Marine veteran and proud Greek Maharis, ya done good, pal. Mike Gordeuk

Forest Hills: Mayim Bialik has got to go as host of “Jeopardy!” She hesitates to let the contestants know whether their questions are right or wrong. The other night during a double jeopardy answer, she took almost five seconds (I timed it) to say they were right. Also, when somebody takes too much time to answer, a buzzer is supposed to go off. She’s not the one to say “out of time” the way she did Tuesday night. The show runners really scraped the bottom of the host barrel by choosing her. Sara Ross

Levittown, L.I.: Forget about negotiating in good faith to raise the debt limit — MAGA Republicans and their Freedom Caucus’ mantra remains “my way or the highway.” We know who to thank when the U.S. dollar gets pushed aside and global markets tank. Paul Sathue

Penticton, British Columbia: Artists are to capture the essence of both the U.S. 45th president and his vice president in a mesmerizing portrayal of an overused chamber pot and sanctimonious vessel of empty words? Joe Schwarz

Flushing: New presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, because of his war with the Disney Corp., caused them to cancel their planned, nearly $1-billion business campus, costing the state an estimated 2,000 jobs. In the last few days, several other major corporations that planned to build in that area believing they would capitalize on Disney’s presence have announced cancellation of their projects. Just imagine what he will do for the fairly thriving U.S. economy. Think about that! Stuart Baum

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New Rochelle, N.Y.: In reference to “Droning on” (editorial, May 31) and “Drones hit Moscow” (May 31): It takes monumental chutzpah for murderers who have unleashed horrific, unprovoked devastation on an innocent country to cry “terrorist” for what they themselves describe as “insignificant damage.” As for your lack of understanding of “what is to be gained from Ukrainians or their sympathizers hitting civilian targets inside Russia,” remember the morale-boosting, if symbolic, Doolittle raid after Pearl Harbor. Richard Rodrigue

Middletown, N.J.: Recently, some armed drones did some damage in Moscow. A few of these drones evaded the Russian air defenses and Vladimir Putin complained that the drones were sent by the Ukrainians from Kyiv. It is almost comical that Putin would complain about his beloved Moscow being hit by a few armed drones that did minimal damage and caused no fatalities! He is in for a big surprise, as this is only the start of the offensive that is coming. I personally know many Russian immigrants who are living in the U.S. and most of them cannot wait for this dictator to be overthrown. The Russian people are being lied to about this war, and it is only a matter of time before they know the truth and overthrow Putin! This is not the 1940s and the Soviet Union is not coming back! RIP Vladimir Putin (very soon). Herbert Hanrahan

Brooklyn: What are Sen. Tim Scott’s climate science bona fides? Actual scientists agree that humans burning fossil fuels have raised global atmospheric and ocean temperatures by an already dangerous degree. Beyond your backyard, have you noticed record heat waves, rising sea levels and drought beyond our previously known experience? Republicans tried to chop the Biden administration’s clean energy investment with their debt ceiling intransigence. We need those funds here in New York to build a green economy complete with offshore wind farms like Beacon and Empire 1 and 2 to replace polluting gas peaker plants. Marlena Fontes

Brooklyn: On Memorial Day, I drove to Jacob Riis Park. While I cannily used my senior discount, the attendant at the gate informed me that by June 24, all transactions will have to be done by credit card. I have credit cards, so it will not be an issue for me. However, there are plenty of people who do not have credit cards and they will be precluded from using Riis Park’s expansive parking lot (I imagine this is true of other national parks as well). I recognize this is a national park, but the New York City Council has banned credit card-only establishments. Ira Cure

Manhattan: Voicer Samuel Mark disputes that Meir Kahane was a terrorist. Normally, conviction for terrorism justifies the label. A problem with proactive self-defense is that an unhinged devotee of Kahanism, such as Benjamin Goldstein, may be motivated to go beyond what the rabbi intended. The Voicer’s League of Nations justification for Israel’s existence seems largely irrelevant; the majority of countries, including the U.S., were not members. Plus, the population at the time was only about 10% Jewish. In 1947 — the year before the State of Israel was declared — only about one-third was Jewish. The Palestinians recognized they were going to be displaced to accommodate a Jewish population, as the West tried to expiate its guilt about the Holocaust (and rid itself of a problematic population), so the UN partition plan fell apart. Today, the question is what territory Israel will have to surrender to implement the two-state solution. Michele P. Brown

Manhattan: To Voicer David J. Melvin: Ah, another New Jerseyan opining about the Neely-Penny incident, this time from one of the richest communities in New Jersey. Same question as in my previous letter: Have you ridden the subways in the past three years? Or is it a 30-minute drive to work, or are you working remotely? I did not defend Daniel Penny. I said if the charges stick, he’ll deal with a trial. Three people were assaulted by Jordan Neely and the photo we see is his Michael Jackson döppelganger. People who travel through NYC via Uber or taxi clutch their pearls and hate Penny. The same folks won’t ever ride the subways. As to what I wish for, Mr. Melvin, it’s that Michelle Go be alive or Emine Ozsoy’s neck not be broken, and that riders can travel safe from fear, threats and intimidation. Robert J. Katz

Bronx: So, a mugger shot dead by his intended victim is headline news, yet most days there are nondescript articles about victims shot, stabbed or beaten to death across the city, and those articles are relegated to the pages after the lead stories of the day. Maybe sometime soon these accounts of victims defending themselves will be so mundane as to be reported in the same manner. With the city’s present-day climate of lawlessness and its surplus of criminals walking the streets, chances are good. We all know what they say about karma. Joe Schulok