The ‘consensus’ thinking on COVID is outdated
Dunmore, Pa.: It appears that today’s updated evidence on COVID continues to be dismissed by many mainstream media because it doesn’t fit the “consensus” of the elite narrative. In 1903, for another example, journalists ignored eyewitness accounts and photographs, trusting that “real” experts would achieve flight and not two unknown bicycle mechanics from Ohio. It was a full three years after Kitty Hawk that initial blurbs about this historic and transformative achievement began to appear in the major newspapers of the time.
What should truly alarm all of us is that despite spending more on health care than any wealthy nation, the U.S. ranks last in outcomes. That failure demands serious reform. I believe that ongoing attempts to demonize Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. undermine those critical efforts.
Stanford University neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky notes that in nature, zebras that stand out are more likely to be attacked. Humans, too, conform to avoid shame or isolation. What can look like intellectual stubbornness may instead be an instinct to “stay with the herd,” both socially and ideologically. This helps explain why questioning vaccine policy may feel so charged. COVID is now less severe, treatments reduce serious illness, and even vaccine advocates such as Dr. Paul Offit no longer recommend repeated boosters for healthy adults.
Public health earns trust not by silencing doubt, but by engaging it with humility. Herd thinking may feel safe in the short term, but it risks eroding credibility — and undermining the very health care system Americans need to reform. Jerry A. Solfanelli
Attacking our own
Redondo Beach, Calif.: According to President Trump, it is important for the U.S. military to be against Democrats. John Chevedden
License to murder
Macungie, Pa.: Former Fox weekend talk show host and now Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth just announced that United States military forces will no longer honor the “rules of engagement.” It’s now kill first and maybe think later. This means the March 1968 My Lai massacre would be considered a glorious victory in Vietnam for the U.S. Lt. William Calley would likely receive a Medal of Honor for this raid. I wonder what those hundreds of generals and admirals were thinking as they listened to the clown posse of Pete and Donald. Bob Smagula
Lack of discipline
Manhattan: Isn’t it rich that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth preached to a room full of America’s best and brightest military leaders about maintaining high standards while promoting lifting the guardrails on hazing and harassment in the military? This coming from a man who paid a woman $50,000 in 2017 to settle a sexual assault case against him and obtain her silence. High-standards preacher Hegseth, a well-documented drunk and former Fox News weekend propaganda host, also lectured his captive audience on the subject of being overweight while serving — right before he was followed on stage by commander in chief Trump, who can’t button his suit jacket because he is at least 50 pounds overweight. Is there any limit, or bottom, to the hypocrisy and shameless behavior of Hegseth and Trump? Enrico Rizzo
Stand against silencing
Manhattan: We applaud Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert and all the citizens who speak up in support of our constitutional right of free speech. Many people wish George Carlin was still alive to give his take on the true definition of this subject. We also reflect on the loss of Alexei Navalny, a true hero and warrior of anti-corruption, twice poisoned and recently murdered in a Russian gulag. He received worldwide recognition and celebration of his life and death for his efforts in the name of truth and justice. This all took place under the regime of Trump’s favorite dictator and good buddy, the guy he rolled out the red carpet for! A major embarrassment for the U.S.A. We all witnessed the demise of Navalny, an advocate and constant champion defending his homeland. Wake up and keep your eyes wide open. Pay attention, America! Elaine Young
Constituents only
Staten Island: When it comes to our next mayor, can you please only print the voices of NYC residents? Gina Ottrando
But how?
Manhattan: Councilman Robert Holden wrote, and the Daily News published, an attack-dog column about Andrew Cuomo (“No to Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa for our mayor,” op-ed, Oct. 1). I am no fan of Cuomo. I will not vote for him. But in his column, Holden says that Sliwa will do so many things for NYC and accomplish so much. Yet, Holden does not offer one word of how Sliwa will accomplish those things. He only states that Sliwa will do this and Sliwa will do that. Well, maybe Sliwa will pitch the Mets to a World Series. Or maybe Sliwa will quarterback the Giants to the Super Bowl, or be the goalie when the Rangers raise the Stanley Cup, or score 40 points as the Knicks clinch the title. Holden may as well promise those things for all the hyperbole he promises Sliwa will do. Richard Simon
Urgent issue
New Rochelle, N.Y.: The three remaining candidates for mayor need to step up and acknowledge that transit workers are being assaulted in record numbers. Zohran Mamdani obviously doesn’t care because he’s focused on promising countless things he can’t possibly deliver, including free bus rides. He flashes that beaming smile because, with so little experience in governance and management, that’s all he’s capable of doing. The surprise in this collective of indifference comes because Cuomo was once governor, a position from which he oversaw the MTA. Where is his voice? It’s nowhere to be heard on this issue, which he should be familiar with. And what about our Guardian Angel, Sliwa? He has all the sympathy in the world for the unfortunate homeless and mentally ill who have taken residence in the subway, but I haven’t heard one word from him about protecting transit workers. Charles Seaton
Sitting idle
Carmel, N.Y.: The New York City Police Museum located near Manhattan’s Seaport has been closed since the 2012 Hurricane Sandy flooded the area and severely damaged the beautiful, historic First Precinct building that became the museum! No attempts have been made to renovate this important landmark! If anyone is interested in helping the rehabilitation and reopening of this unique building, please call or email NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and the NYPD unions, the NYPD Foundation and Mayor Adams (former member of the NYPD). Thank you for your support. Susan McCormack
Blame the bosses
Manhattan: Re “To tackle NYC’s housing crisis, we lower the cost of litigation” (op-ed, Sept. 28): Blaming New York’s housing crisis on the Scaffold Law scapegoats workers and lets developers and insurers off the hook. Construction remains one of the most dangerous industries in our state, with falls continuing to kill far too many. Immigrant and nonunion workers in particular are paying with their lives while developers cry poverty. Developers have long used the urgent need for affordable housing as cover to push for weaker safety laws. Despite quitting her City Council seat early and leaving her constituents behind for a better gig, as a former councilmember, Carlina Rivera should know better than to blame workers for New York’s housing mess. The real problems are the employers who control safety conditions and an insurance industry that profits from inflated rates and secrecy. Brendan Griffith, president, New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Resize request
Whiting, N.J.: The comics and the Jumble online are so small that I have to use a magnifying glass to read them. You give big space to less important things, so why can’t you give better space to the comics and Jumble? Please do something about this, as I choose to read the paper online. John Brandenburg
Still binding
Margate, Fla.: With due respect, Voicer Chalky White fails to understand the import of my letter. Every member of the United Nations, including every Arab member by virtue of their signature on the UN Charter, accepts as binding on them every word of the charter — including Article 80, which incorporates by reference the 1922 League of Nations Mandate for Palestine and the 1920 San Remo Agreement. It is irrelevant whether Arabs nations were there in 1920 or 1922. Their signature on the UN Charter binds them to Article 80. Richard Sherman
