With the crisis over, so are promises to nurses
Selden, L.I.: Five years ago, you handed me a garbage bag and a “one-time-use” mask to be kept in a brown paper bag for 100 hours of use and sent me into a tent to fight an unknown enemy.
I was one of the people who had to go to work when everyone else was told to stay home safe with their families. I witnessed things I was never trained to see and made choices that I was never psychologically prepared to make. I broke ribs, bagged bodies and stacked them in a shipping pod outside the employee entrance. I didn’t see or touch my family for weeks or months on end because I was afraid of what I might bring home. I was told, “The government will pay you guys back for this. They will forgive student loan debts for health professionals, especially nurses on the front lines.”
I broke from all the loss I witnessed. I almost killed myself multiple times. I fought to keep going, to keep being a nurse, the utmost definition of a professional. I listened to people deny what was happening in front of my eyes, and that denial has grown so much greater now that our sacrifice for this country has been completely forgotten. Completely erased, just like our well-earned status as professionals. I don’t look for accolades or recognition for the role I played. I don’t even bother correcting people who deny the pandemic’s existence anymore. But please, don’t take away my right to call myself a professional. I earned it with the blood on my two hands. Samantha Darienzo
Unfairly overlooked
Richmond Hill: It’s an absolute disgrace that Don Mattingly is not in the Hall of Fame. I could fill up this page with his records. Also, in about five minutes I could name maybe a dozen players who he belongs in front of. I can start with the designated hitters (ugh). Jeff Kent was elected and Donnie was not?! To borrow the nickname given to the great Panamanian boxing champion Roberto Duran, as a defensive second baseman, Kent was “Manos de Piedra.” Joe Napoleone
Retention tension
Hicksville, L.I.: With the “hot stove” baseball season heating up, I have one question about the Mets. After playing 17 games below .500 for two-thirds of the season, how come three superstars and fan favorites are gone but Carlos Mendoza is still the manager? Steven Malinofsky
Window of impropriety
Dartmouth, Mass.: There will probably never be a better time to step forward and confess your sins, illegal activities or vent your racist sympathies. As one outed elected official, celebrity and titan of industry after another is outed by released documents, court and congressional committee testimony, or included in the confession of a collaborator, there is an ever-diminishing sense of shame or public outcry. The perversions, thievery, falsified research, treason and illegalities are seeping from all American institutions. Academia, government, the arts, medicine, the judicial system and financial sector have all had previously respected members outed for recent corruption or historical misbehavior. When the public is inundated with revelations that normally would have torpedoed the careers or reputations of these men and women, there’s only momentary attention and a decreased sense of shame. If ever there was a perfect time to confess and not be held accountable, this is it. Betty Ussach
Whites welcome
Manhattan: Bring in the Swedes / Bring in the Norwegians / Bring in the Danes / They all come from white regions / Send in the French and Germans / But just the Caucasians / To brighten our land / And keep out Black and Brown invasions / This is my Trumpian whitewashing of America / Spare me the Blacklash / You need not apply / Unless you are white and have plenty of cash / I am changing the look / Of our country’s appearance / All immigrants will be held / To a bigly strict adherence / Stick to my rules / And any new arrivals that show up on our shores / Will be wealthy and pale and respectable / Not criminals, rapists, dark-skinned, thugs or sleazy whores / Anyone that’s woke / Or believes in diversity / Is any darker than the color ecru / Will be banned universally. Phoebe Celentano
Criminal in chief
Windsor, Conn.: To Voicer Joseph Beyhl: When you refer to someone as “criminal and stupid,” as you did in your letter about NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition panel appointee Mysonne Linen, most readers associate the adjectives criminal and stupid with President Trump, who has earned the titles. Please give credit where credit is due. As far as Linen being a criminal is concerned, all he has to do is send a million dollars to Trump in an untraceable cryptocurrency transaction to facilitate Trump issuing him a complete pardon. Jonathan Brewster
Spend strategically
Kitchener, Ontario: American consumers are sick and tired of giant corporations using their market power to jack up prices on everything from groceries and household items to health insurance and streaming services (with Trump’s tariffs as their latest excuse). But consumers are now using their own market power to fight back, especially against corporations that are selling out their freedoms to play ball with Trump. An ongoing boycott of Target for canceling its DEI policies and dropping its Pride merchandise is hurting its sales badly. For four days on Black Friday weekend, consumers boycotted not only Target, but Home Depot (for allowing ICE sweeps in their parking lots) and Amazon (for bad working conditions and union-busting in its warehouses). Those boycotts were a practice run for bigger and more organized efforts. I hope many more Americans will use their economic clout to make companies pay for cozying up to the Trump regime. Al Daigen
Voter pressure
Snohomish, Wash.: Thanks for the common-sense editorial on the importance of keeping the cost of health care from going up, and the damage coming from the do-nothing Congress (“The GOP’s Obamacare price spike,” Dec. 12). Not hard to see where the priorities are when it would cost $350 billion to continue the subsidies for 10 years and the majority voted it down. Meanwhile, the tax cuts for the wealthy will cost $4 trillion over the next 10 years. We can speak up to those who represent us and tell them that this is wrong. Pass legislation that will keep all Americans healthy, fed and housed. It’s a policy decision that we can base our votes on. Willie Dickerson
Left turn
Howard Beach: America, what is wrong with you? Fifty years from today, American people will say, “We had the best and the worst presidents in American history.” We all should thank God to have a president who is protecting us, caring for us, and more importantly, doing what he must to save us all from the enemies within and from afar. There are now two types of Democrats, socialist and old-fashioned. Little by little, the socialists are taking over America. They are pushing out the old-fashioned Dems while lying to the American people, saying not to believe in the Republicans. Open your eyes, America, the Socialist Party is not your friend. They will use you until they own you. Wake up and smell the coffee! Nick Di Pasquale
Right-wing rubbers
Scarsdale, N.Y.: Hey, beat inflation — get your vintage Trump condoms, on sale now. The perfect holiday gift. Need it signed? $1 extra. Harvey Wielstein
Earth-friendly cheer
Brookfield, Wis.: Well, hello to you, Santa (Voicer Eric C. Lindstrom)! I liked hearing that you made a “jolly good change” going vegan and moving away from the exploitation of animals. You retired your reindeer from their annual route, switched to an electric sleigh and generally spread compassion. You’re refraining from meat and fish! Given that it takes 39 pounds of plants to produce one pound of beef, your jolly good change leaves most of those 39 pounds for others. Typical Santa behavior! And when all the world’s boys and girls join your change, we’ll be returning 40% of the Earth (now used for livestock grazing and feed-planting) back to nature — enough nature to totally reverse our current climate breakdown. If only Trump and Gov. Hochul felt your kind of compassion and led in building methane-free buildings and driving back methane pipeline assaults on our children’s health! Mary Pat Dries
