Let’s not confuse legality with party loyalty
Philadelphia: Since I grew up in a law enforcement family, I take exception to regular Daily News right-wing Voicer Gregory J. Topliff’s letter lauding and defending the illegal military intervention by his orange makeup-hued hero in the White House, President Trump.
My uncles and cousins, all city or federal police officers, did not use political party affiliation as a basis for determining legality versus illegality. Their intelligence and integrity dictated that they follow the rule of law as written, not as they deemed necessary to apply based on political ideology.
In typical MAGA Party fashion, Voicer Topliff, you cherry-pick where the law should or should not apply based on your allegiance to the convicted criminal serving as our 47th president. Where was your outrage when Trump pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, convicted by an American jury of his involvement in the sale of 400 tons of cocaine in our country? Where is your outrage about Trump’s best forever friend in Russia, Vladimir Putin, committing crimes against humanity in Ukraine for which Putin has been indicted by the International Criminal Court? Were you as upset as I was that your hero Trump had our military men on their hands and knees laying down a red carpet in Alaska to honor this murderous thug serving as Russian president?
I doubt it very much, as you pick and choose criminals to defend or condemn based on their affiliation to Trump. This brainwashed Democrat wants the law applied to everyone equally in accordance with our Constitution. Diane Doberman
All for nothing?
Briarwood: Is this a cruel joke? Trump has authorized land and air strikes that have killed more than 100 people to get control of the Venezuelan oil. Now the oil companies are saying they do not want the oil! Only in Trump’s America could such a sick absurdity happen. Mary Elizabeth Ellis
Special interests
Grafton, Wis.: Political activist Noam Chomsky was once asked if the U.S. acts in the national interest. He replied that no nation acts in its national interest. That’s a term of propaganda. Nations act in the interests of powerful internal groups that control policy. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Trump administration’s “Drill, baby, drill!” mantra, its efforts to gain control over Venezuelan oil and Trump’s recent meeting with major oil executives at the White House. Notably, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright previously served as CEO of Liberty Energy, North America’s second-largest fracking company. Trump even called on oil executives to donate $1 billion to his 2024 election campaign, and members of Congress are estimated to hold up to $93 million in fossil fuel stocks. When fossil fuel profits drive both foreign and domestic policy, it’s the world’s most vulnerable people — and the planet — who pay the price. Terry Hansen
Erratic rhetoric
Manhattan: So now Trump, the oil-obsessed crazy man, is actually warning Greenland that the U.S. is going to own it, and that this will occur “whether they like it or not.” We do not threaten other sovereign countries like this, especially NATO countries. Hopefully, this is just Trump spouting BS he’s not really serious about, like he’s done many times before as a way to distract us from issues where his polling is dropping through the floor. Even if that’s so, it’s still incredibly insulting to Greenland, not to mention the rest of the Free World. This crap must be addressed by other world powers immediately, not to mention all Americans. Michael Udolf
Peacemonger?
Sayville, L.I.: Trump recently said he has stopped eight wars and should get eight Nobel Peace Prizes, one for each. He also said he “stopped three wars that never even started.” He has reduced the number of wars by 200, 400, 800%! What a guy. Michael Hooker
Cost surge
Valley Stream, L.I.: If inflation is around 3%, why were insurance companies allowed to raise their rates between 10 and 20%? Right after I got my notice of my Social Security increase, my medical and long-term care insurance went up almost 20%. When will this be investigated? I ended up with very little increase in SSI. Can you politicians please do something about this? Joseph Gavin
Masked & dangerous
Manhattan: I think it’s worth knowing that, unlike ICE agents, the Gestapo did not wear masks! If ICE agents seem foreboding, it’s because they are! ICE is the equivalent of a five-alarm fire — lethal. Do not ignore! Frankie Turchiano
Doing their jobs
Spotswood, N.J.: ICE enforces laws that were passed by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. So if you are protesting ICE, you should complain to the people you elected. Tom Scott
Personal paramilitaries
Bronx: Trump is forming ICE into his own personal occupation army, accountable to no one, as anything they do will be covered up and lied about by his administration. This will only get worse, as he is literally throwing money at them to increase their numbers and is cutting training. He wants this army ready by 2026 to interfere with the election, and for 2028 to stage a full military coup if he loses the presidency so he can stay in permanently. That’s why he’s turning the White House into his personal palace. Sandi Lusk
Critical qualifier
Whitestone: To Voicer Arthur L. Mackey Jr.: Reading your letter as written, I agree with you 100%. However, one required word needs to be added, which changes the facts as presented. That word is “illegal.” Your letter would then correctly identify the reason ICE is there and without resistance. Also, if you correctly name the initial conspirators as illegal immigrants, the facts all change. They are here taking from my country what all the immigrants of years past built with hardship and hard work. They knew what was waiting for them, yet came to accomplish great things. We are a nation of laws. Break that theory and we are doomed. Please look in your mirror and reevaluate your moral fiber. And write another letter to our country’s immigrants and apologize for making them feel they should have taken the easy way in. Ferdinand Desiderio
Impending epidemic
East Meadow, L.I.: Now that Trump was able to get drug companies to lower weight loss drug prices, maybe he can get them to lower anxiety drug prices as well. With three more years of the Trump presidency, I’m afraid millions of Americans will need them. Jeff Tuck
Well-worn whining
Staten Island: The hit piece by David Moore (“A mayor for everyone, except New York’s Jews?” op-ed, Jan. 11) was unfair and transparently biased. Mamdani rescinded all executive orders issued by Eric Adams after he was indicted, as is Mamdani’s right, pending further review. To focus only on that which serves your “Mamdani is anti-Jew” rhetoric is false and self-servingly manipulative. The tired trope that anyone criticizing Israel or its policies is antisemitic isn’t working as well as it used to. That you dismiss progressive Jews and “fringe Jewish organizations,” as you call them, lends credibility to the argument that you have bias and contempt for those who don’t share your opinions. You undermined Mamdani’s campaign, didn’t vote for him and now have the hubris to tell him what he should or shouldn’t do? Continuing to criticize him unfairly by twisting facts just showcases your personal bias against him. Ellen Settanni
Experience counts
Brooklyn: Re “City’s planning honcho Garodnick quits after Zoh doesn’t offer big gig” (Jan. 9): Political transitions are always a bloodbath. But if an administration is committed to bottom‑up leadership, it should start by identifying who on its team actually knows how to accomplish the mission. The departure of Dan Garodnick, director of city planning, is a profound missed opportunity for a government that wants to prioritize community voice. Through the City of Yes, Garodnick raised the bar on community engagement, leading extensive conversations with every group affected, finding consensus and modifying policy to expand housing in NYC — a feat many once thought impossible. In Stuyvesant Town, he used the same community‑driven approach to push back against corporate interests and co-create durable, innovative solutions. Making government more bottom-up isn’t just about shifting policy, it’s about having leaders who know how to share power. Dara Barlin
