Chicago: I keep asking theists: What does one do in heaven? They keep running away from this question. Oh sure, I get cheap answers like, “We will be working hard,” “you won’t be bored, don’t worry” (well, that is not what I was asking). None of them go into detail.
Why would God, the purported maker of this huge universe with all these planets, stars and life forms, need anything to get done? It makes no sense! And so we end up with billions of people sitting about, doing nothing! An idle pointless existence for eternity! And this is the grand plan of God? Run a charity retirement home?
Heaven is a metaphor for the womb, childhood — a time of peace and comfort. Our parents fed, protected, sheltered and cared for us. All this goes away once we become adults. Now we have to earn a paycheck, learn to stand on our own two feet and face the world and all its dangers. The concept of heaven says we can run back to the womb, to our childhood, and stay there permanently. Eternal children! On Earth, their country could be at war, their society imploding, but it is none of their concern. They get to live in this sheltered bubble just like when they were children. How nice!
What is really frightening is the silence of the Abrahamic media, which shelters these religions from questions and ideas like mine. I keep asking where are the educated? The philosophers? Where are their questions? In what bizarre world does this silence happen? To my horror, it is the world that I live in! Vanamali Thotapalli
Whiting, N.J.: Voicer Farrell Bruce Rosen makes great points about Israel and its Supreme Court becoming a cover for whatever Benjamin Netanyahu wants to get away with. Good thing that could never happen here. Bill McConnell
Copake, N.Y.: How many laws does Clarence Thomas have to violate before he is removed? We already knew his wife, Ginni, has lobbied for and against matters before the court, that she had direct involvement in the fake 2020 elector scheme as well as the Jan. 6 insurrection and that Thomas was the lone vote to suppress documents from the Jan. 6 Committee. Now we learn that the couple have been taking luxury trips paid for by a large GOP donor, Harlan Crow, and that Crow directly funneled money to Thomas by purchasing properties that Thomas and his family owned in Georgia. In his defense, Thomas said he “was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends… was not reportable.” So, a Supreme Court justice, whose job it is to interpret the law, had to be advised whether or not taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from a political operative had to be reported? Joseph Cannisi
Bronx: Mayor Adams is putting an ex-Brooklyn charter school teacher as the city’s first-ever rat czar. I have a Bronx cat that’s better qualified for the job. I haven’t seen a rat or mouse within 200 feet of my house in 15 years. JoLinda Celentano
East Brunswick, N.J.: Mayor Adams’ budget director, Jacques Jiha, said the Department of Education and the City University of New York will be the only city agencies spared the 4% budget shave. Instead, they face a 3% reduction. So the mayor’s alma mater should be grateful this new cut isn’t larger? Hardly. Adams cut CUNY by 3% in last year’s budget and another 3% in his mid-year budget modification, with another cut proposed in the 2024 preliminary budget. CUNY has lost more than 200 faculty and staff to the mayor’s forced reductions. It’s a major problem for an institution that relies disproportionally on part-time workers paid poverty wages. Each full-time position lost equals one less person to educate, advise, counsel and support a student who needs help. The cuts will save about $10 million dollars in a $107 billion budget. But how much money will be lost when students don’t have the support or classes they need to graduate? Heather B. James
Yonkers: Though I’m not a constant, overzealous fan of Mayor Adams, he gets double kudos for standing up to all the anti-cop progressives who now want him to circle back on his proposal of using technology to assist law enforcement. The robotic dog and the drones are being implemented in order to make the city safer but the whiny, pansy, criminal-loving progressives are using any and all rationale to denounce the project — in my opinion, to give the bad guys a better chance at their criminality. My one suggestion, Eric: Attach a laser weapon to all these drones. That should help the crime stats go down. Ralph A. Manente
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Brooklyn: I was contacted by the city courts last Thursday via mail. I called them to verify my personal information, then was basically told I would eventually be picked out of a pool to serve in city or federal jury duty. Federal jury duty is 10 days. I have a hardship, which is caring for my elderly mother. I must give her medication in the morning, midday and evening, make sure she eats well, do laundry, clean the house, etc. This isn’t counting if something important comes up or she suddenly becomes ill. Having a pacemaker plus anxiety doesn’t make things easier. If I am summoned to court, my mind would not be all there because my mother’s needs come first. The courts should make allowances for people who are the only ones in the household to care for them. I certainly don’t see anything good coming of this dilemma. Joseph Comperchio
Staten Island: Re “Mass. Air National Guard member, 21, busted in leak of Russia-Ukraine info” (April 14): Will this young airman be given life in prison? Why was a 21-year-old assigned to such sensitive material? His superiors and all other higher-ups should be investigated for why they gave him such a sensitive job. Should his crime be labeled treason? Remember Chelsea Manning? Jeffrey Van Pelt
Hubertus, Wisc.: While our feckless president expressed no concern about a member of the military distributing government secrets worldwide, there are calls in both parties for strict investigations into this matter. Yeah, right! While investigating the whys and wherefores of this leak, lenient lawmakers will decide what slap on the hand they will give Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira. I truly believe the military must refer back to the original method of handling traitors, as this is the only way to send a true and stern message about traitorous acts: public execution via firing squad or hanging! It is definitely not cruel and unusual punishment for any individual, especially military personnel, who could care less about their country. The United States has been in a freefall for too many years, and if anything is to be done, I believe it should start here. Robert W. Lobenstein
Flushing: To Voicer Mitzi Belsky: I happen to love the way Sam Champion dresses. I find it quite refreshing. What bothers me is that the women anchors wear dresses every day. Linda Castaldi
Manhattan: So interesting to see the raised fist of Donald Trump (“The $250M questions,” April 14). He tries to seem like a tough guy but he wasn’t so tough when he used all those ways to avoid serving our country in the military. Some hero and patriot! Marilyn Levin
Wellfleet, Mass.: So, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is running for president in 2024 as a Democrat. Jr. is kidding himself thinking he has a shot at the title given that he’s a big-time anti-vaccine activist. Bramhall’s fantastic “RFK Jr. for president” cartoon says it all. Mike Rice
Brooklyn: Where’s the funnies? Past two Sundays, no funnies. Glossy inserts have also gone missing. What gives? Anne Slamka
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