Readers sound off on GOP leadership, MSG and Mahmoud Abbas

The attack on democracy requires your support

Brick, N.J.: To all who still support Donald J. Trump, a simple question: Are you willing to destroy this fragile democracy and supplant it with a dictatorship?

It seems clear that the entire Republican congressional conference would be happy with such an outcome. They don’t even believe in the 14th Amendment, which specifies that the validity of the public debt shall not be questioned. These adolescent radicals are doing a lot worse than merely questioning. They are refusing to honor legitimate debt — which they exacerbated with their overgenerous tax cut for corporations and extremely wealthy individuals during their hero’s administration!

What exactly does being a loyal American mean today? Joining a cult that cedes all power and glory to one man? Or does it mean protecting and defending the Constitution? All public officials in this nation must swear an oath to uphold the Constitution. The Republican conference is acting as if their oath was a sham, a joke. It is frightening to realize that these radicals keep getting elected despite their betrayals of the Constitution. Their reelections are chilling because a huge swath of citizens keeps voting for people who seem ready, willing and able to bring down our teetering democracy. Surely, these voters want to bring it down too since they are endorsing the same hatred for democracy.

We are more than halfway to being an oligarchy, and oligarchs care only about themselves. Americans are easy prey to clever con artists. This nation will soon become the mirror image of Russia! Shame on those Americans who want such an outcome and continue to vote for it. Nicholas Molinari

No thanks

Howard Beach: So sorry that Voicer Bob Bergin considers me to be “blindly liberal” because I see our country’s democracy very close to being destroyed by Trump, MAGA politicians and their supporters. If that makes me blindly liberal, I’ll accept that. As for the luncheon with Voicer Bob Pascarella, I’m afraid I would choke on my food. Barbara Berg

Skip the primaries

Medford, L.I.: Trump is up by 50 points in some polls against other GOP candidates. I say it’s time to end the charade and immediately declare him the nominee so that all our energy and resources can be focused on destroying President Biden or whoever the Democratic candidate might be before they can continue destroying the country. The very survival of our country is on the line and we don’t have time to play out the primaries when we already have an experienced slam-dunk candidate trouncing the field. Eugene R. Dunn

Crisis by design

Jamaica: New York Republicans need to complain about the migrants to those Republican governors who bused them here. It’s not Mayor Adams’ fault they are here. Republican governors don’t care about New York constituents, they don’t even care about their own constituents. Some migrants had hearings to become legal residents and they bused them out anyway. Truly sad! Charlene Black

Losing it

Brooklyn: It is clear that one of the two major candidates running for president in 2024 has demonstrated that he lacks the mental capacity to hold elected office, and that is Donald Trump. His recent statements confirm his lack of mental competency. Even though World War II ended in 1945, he said that President Biden is leading us into World War II. Trump also said he beat Barack Obama in 2016 and is leading in political polls today as well as saying you need an identification card to buy a loaf of bread. It’s a clear indication that he lacks the mental capacity to be president. Alan Podhaizer

Underdeveloped

West New York, N.J.: Voicer Chana Schwartz correctly wants everyone in elected office to undergo mental and physical health testing. The current tests fail us because, as an example, Trump would pass a sanity test but fail miserably on character and essential truth-telling. He also would fail on the ability to self-observe, admit fault and therefore grow emotionally. So the test is really about determining the level of emotional maturity. We want an adult in office, not a blame-everyone-else adolescent. Ken Ludmer 

Obnoxious

Forked River, N.J.: The Lauren Boebert “Beetlejuice” scandal is more proof that hypocrisy is alive and well in Congress. Republicans love to shout from the treetops about “family values,” yet their actions prove otherwise. When Boebert brought a date to see a musical that had children as young as 10 in the audience, she gave them a crash course in sex education. First, she blew vape smoke in a pregnant woman’s face, then used her phone to take selfies with flash. She and her date then went on a groping expedition through each other’s underwear. Maybe because they were at “Beetlejuice,” she was simply trying to exorcise a demon from her date’s pants. Her sense of entitlement in public places is no different than when she is on the floor of Congress. She angrily demanded, “Don’t you know who I am?” and “I will be contacting the mayor” when she was asked to leave. Jim Hughes

Forsaken

Pearl River, N.Y.: President Biden doesn’t give a rat’s rear for anything or anyone who’s Republican. I find it very strange that East Palestine, Ohio, hasn’t been visited by this president and helped in rebuilding. This is the same president who is sending billions in aid to a foreign country, Ukraine, but can’t help our own citizens and only sends the people of Hawaii a mere $700 pittance per household. What a disgrace. Biden shows that if he isn’t benefiting from his help, he isn’t sending help. People of all walks of life need to remember this when going to the polls. Robert Brennan

Can’t buy happiness

Brooklyn: I have had a job for two years now, but no matter what I buy, I’m not happy. When I am out with my friends, I find more happiness in making jokes and just being in their presence than in buying food or the sneakers I have been saving up for for months. Money does not translate to my happiness. Victoria Luvish

Missed it

Queens Village: To add to Voicer Anita Forgash’s complaint about missed programming during the recent shutdown of Spectrum: How about the 12 days of the U.S. Open in Queens, including the finals, where we missed teen sensation Coco Gauff winning her first major and Novak Djokovic’s record 24th major!? Lawrence Krasner

Bum player

Staten Island: Who said there was only one A-Rod in NYC? Well, guess what — we now have one on the Jets! Playoffs? Andy LaBarca

Overstated

Millburn, N.J.: Thomas Von Essen’s opinion piece about the possible terrorism threat from trucks under Madison Square Garden (Sept. 18) raises an interesting point, but lacks credibility. Von Essen, a former fire commissioner of New York City, writes that the Garden “is packed with roughly 25,000 people 150 times a year.” No, it is packed with roughly 25,000 people zero times a year. He is overstating the Garden’s capacity by at least 25%. One hopes that the current fire commissioner is aware of the actual capacity of one of the city’s major venues. Safety starts with smart, knowledgeable officials. Ed Marks

Return on investment

Omaha: Memo to Voicer Perry Greenberg re your negative commentary: After 42 years in insurance, I can only say that speed cameras work. Look at the municipalities that have them and you will see way fewer vehicle accidents, fewer pedestrian deaths and fewer hit-and-runs. The best part is seeing the extra revenue coming in. Tom Dahulick

Official bigotry

San Francisco: On Aug. 24, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas went on an antisemitic rant intended to delegitimize Israel and justify the Holocaust. He falsely claimed that “European Jews are not Semites” (i.e. not indigenous to the Middle East) and that Europeans — “even Hitler” — fought (actually persecuted and massacred) Jews not because of antisemitism but because of “their social role.” In fact, DNA studies have confirmed European Jews’ ancestral ties to the Levant, and Nazi Germany demonized Jews as a malign race and tried to murder every Jewish man, woman and child solely because they were Jews. Abbas’ vile antisemitism explains why the Palestinians have repeatedly rejected Israel’s proposals for a Palestinian state born in peace. Stephen A. Silver