A service pathway for immigrants would pay off
Kings Park, L.I.: My father was born in Greece and named Eraclis, which translates to Hercules. As a teenager, he joined the Greek Navy to get away from a toxic home environment. After leaving the navy, he traveled to the U.S. on a visa and decided to lengthen his stay.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Congress declared war on Japan. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was in need of sailors. As my father recalled, the president didn’t care if you were a citizen or not. My father, with his sailing experience but little English, joined the U.S. Merchant Marine on the USS Will Rogers. On April 12, 1945, the ship was torpedoed in the Irish Sea by a German submarine. He recalled floating in the cold waters of the North Atlantic holding onto pieces of the ship until he was finally rescued.
When Harry Truman became president, he granted citizenship to any person who enlisted in the military and put their life on the line for our country during the war. My father died in 1999 and was given the same honor and respect as other military veterans.
Perhaps a way to deal with the immigration crisis is to offer immigrants a way to earn their citizenship by working for the federal government in some capacity. It doesn’t have to be in the military, but there are significant needs in this country for personnel at every level of service. It worked out well for my father, mother and two brothers. John Karahalis
Where’s it coming from?
Forest Hills: I am really trying to understand where all the anger, sense of grievance and sense of entitlement comes from. I really don’t. I like to think that I’m a pretty smart guy, but who picked whose pocket first? Who was here first and who said that the pie wasn’t big enough for everyone? Who said that too much was not enough? How am I safe and not hungry if none of us are? Stew Frimer
Depraved deprivation
Bronx: I just learned that President Trump’s administration has cancelled all environmental grants to the poor and Black communities in the Deep South because they’re “too expensive” and too DEI. So it’s goodbye to Cancer Alley repairs in Louisiana, and to replacing drainage and sewage canals in Mississippi and Alabama so folks there will continue to have to live with raw sewage rising on their properties because the pipes are so old. In addition, pediatric cancer trials and infant/maternal health funding has been halted. Deaf and blind children in eight states who have been helped by grants through 2028 from the Department of Education for special training have lost their funding. Again, the reason is DEI. This administration is slowly killing us all, but why take your hatred out on children in particular? I guess we need to erect a $200 million White House ballroom instead of providing essential services. Claudette Mobley
Fueling hysteria
Copiague, L.I.: Do the editors or readers understand that Trump’s “American mayhem” political mythology is the daily message of Daily News reporting? Shootings! Stabbings! Strangers killing strangers in the subways! Parents killing children in the home! Hit-and-run drivers killing unlicensed e-bike riders! Death and disorder, everywhere, always — and precious little else worth reporting. I know the cynical formula “if it bleeds, it leads” is the way to sell newspapers since there have been newspapers, and minstrels’ ballads before that. However, cheap journalism is not without cost. Frightened people are easily misled. Fear “illegal immigrants,” and eliminating them “by whatever means” becomes reasonable and just. Fear “violent criminals,” and neither bail nor due process seems nearly as important. Public safety — or an illusion thereof — is all that matters to the frightened citizen. But if constant surveillance and brutal punishment keep people safe, why are our jails and prisons so dangerous? Mitch Kessler
Role model
Brooklyn: As I have listened to Charlie Kirk many times over the years, he was what all Americans needed, in my humble opinion. He was modest, had a good sense of humor, knew his past and current way of thinking and was especially tolerant one-on-one with the intolerant without being loud or disrespectful. Name-calling wasn’t his thing. He played fair and gently suffered the ignorant. He was difficult to dislike unless that was your plan. If not for this horrific tragedy, he might have accomplished for all of us what fewer and fewer can or have the guts to even try or wish to. The divisive rhetoric on both sides of the aisle must halt, and we must try to set aside our differences to repair what is broken and come together for the sake of the next generations of Americans. William R. Sarnataro
Cruelty of speech
New Windsor, N.Y.: Voicers Tom Mielczarek, Nick Smith, Daniel Jean Lipsman and Laurie Aron all hit the nail on the head about the hateful Kirk. No one did it better than Voicer Michael Schnackenberg, who perfectly described the many horrible positions this person maintained. When Kirk said that Democrats “stand for everything God hates,” my eyes popped. Republicans took away food stamps, health care for the poor, vaccines, day care and much more. Kirk hated everyone who wasn’t white, male and Christian. I wonder how his God would feel about all this hatred and denial of care for “the least of us.” I guess Kirk never really read his favorite book, the Bible. Lisa Lagueras
Heard & unheard
Newton, N.J.: To Voicer Dori Strassman: I appreciate your understanding of my message in my earlier letter. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Voicer Chris Lyons, who is obviously drowning in MAGA Kool-Aid. But I’ll have a nice day regardless of your hatred. Michael Schnackenberg
Staring into oblivion
Astoria: Humanity feels as if it is hanging by a thread. With compassion being seen as weakness, kindness being suspect and brutality being normalized, we have entered an apocalyptic time. Vitriolic discourse has replaced listening and simply talking with each other, seeing people with differing views as the enemy who must be removed, no matter the cost. This is a no-win path. It is my fervent hope that we find the way back to common ground and the beauty in and of our diversity! Karen N. Pearlman
Leading man
Brooklyn: The survivor of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” finally passed away. Rest in peace, Robert Redford. Charlie Pisano
Paltry offering
Brooklyn: Gov. Hochul said she wants to give every taxpayer $300 at the end of this year to stimulate the economy. Why does she have to wait until the end of the year for that to happen? The bottom line is that $300 is just a drop in the bucket and will not have any effect on the economy or move the needle. She wants to be reelected governor and is hoping that by the end of the year, that little bit of scrap will be fresh on everybody’s minds. Ronald L. Badger
Not exactly
Brooklyn: To Voicer Bradley Morris: You initially cited Zohran Mamdani’s parents renting a loft in the village for $6,500 per month. The loft was actually owned by his award-winning filmmaker mother, Mira Nair. As I wrote previously, Mamdani himself lived in a rent-stabilized apartment, which he acquired when his annual salary was $47,000. He was not legally required to give it up when his income increased, and he stated that he would do so if elected mayor. He’s no hypocrite, as you disingenuously claim. What’s more troubling is that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who lived in Westchester, moved into his daughter’s $8,242/month Manhattan apartment in March so that he could qualify as a New York City resident to be able to run for mayor. And that’s a fact. Alana Wilson
No casino
Manhattan: For decades, Broadway has been known for movie theaters and Broadway shows. They have been successful. When people visit NYC, where do they go? Empire State Building, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Broadway. Eight out of 10 people will go to a Broadway show. They don’t come to see casinos. If you start with one, more will follow in the next few years. There is enough crime here now. Why bring more? Peter Calogerakos