As the mind declines, we cherish lucid moments
Northport, L.I.: At my age, friends are a precious gift. I went to visit one recently, a man I met almost 50 years ago in a village outside Granada. Seeing him, however, has become more complicated lately. I have to sign in at a reception desk, pass through security, then take an elevator to his monitored room in a memory wing. I had to knock harder than usual, but when the door finally opened, he greeted me with the same smile he’s worn for the better part of four decades. He knew exactly who I was.
Normally, my friend doesn’t say much. I show him some recent photos of my grandchildren and he nods quietly. The same English teacher who reworded classics like “Treasure Island” so fourth-graders could understand them now can’t string together more than five or six sentences, and when he does, they’re often incomprehensible. His once-nimble brain has been set upon by Alzheimer’s disease, the same calamity that befell his mother. The decline began two years ago, and while medication has largely dispelled the anger that first characterized his condition, my friend has discovered that without warning, communicating is no longer easy.
The moments of lucidness, however, have not vanished completely. Though infrequent and short, there are intervals when my friend unexpectedly awakens from his stupor. Once that happens, his mind is alert and he’s the same person I met in Spain all those years ago. For now, my friend does remember. And he still knows exactly who I am. For now, we can put off saying our last goodbyes until my next visit. Salvatore Gentile
Income-appropriate
Bayside: To Voicer Bradley Morris: You fault Zohran Mamdani for not giving up his rent-stabilized apartment when his income increased. However, a tenant with a lease can’t unilaterally give up the rented apartment mid-lease. A lease is a contract that obligates the tenant to keep the apartment until a specified date. Also, don’t be misled by Mamdani’s gross income. What matters is his take-home income. A speaker on the radio said he had done the math and found that the ratio of Mamdani’s rent to his present take-home income is the ratio that economists say one’s rent should be to one’s income. I then did the math and reached the same conclusion. If you have any doubts, you’re welcome to do the math yourself. Joan Bratkowsky
Minimal exertion
Jacksonville, Fla.: Aww, poor crybaby Don complained to the UN that he “had to walk up their escalator”! Probably the most exercise he’s had in years! Carl Hafner
Forgive or fuss
Melbourne, Australia: From the Bible, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). I’m sure that similar quotes exist in all of the religious texts. From Erika Kirk, the wife of the slain Charlie Kirk: “The answer to hate is not hate,” and she forgave her husband’s killer. From President Trump: “I hate my opponents, and I don’t want the best for them.” Which is the most Christian, and who is the person looking for a positive world? The reader can determine that easily. Dennis Fitzgerald
Embarrassing display
Manhattan: In his usual classy manner, Trump, speaking at Kirk’s memorial service, stated that unlike Kirk, he hates his opponents and does not wish them well. How fitting a speech for a world leader. Note that Trump reserves his well-wishing for the likes of Ghislaine Maxwell, a paragon of virtue. Jeffrey Nelson
Employer’s right
Nokomis, Fla.: After reading Leonard Greene’s column last Sunday (“Kirk’s death is tragic, but he did say some awful things,” Sept. 14) in which he completely misrepresented Kirk’s beliefs by taking certain comments entirely out of context, I shouldn’t have been surprised that he doubled down on his ignorance and prejudice in this Sunday’s column by claiming Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension was a “free speech” issue (“The Constitution protects us from thin-skinned presidents,” Sept. 21). Sorry — not to confuse him with the facts, but Kimmel lied about who Kirk’s assassin was (despite evidence) and then mocked Trump’s reaction to his friend’s assassination! Comparing this to Barack Obama laughing off jokes about his ears is absurd! For this, Disney affiliates were outraged and threatened to take Kimmel off the air entirely. His suspension was simply an employee/employer issue. Kimmel is free to air his beliefs in interviews, podcasts, etc. Joseph McCormack
Dignified legacy
Bronx: In reviewing the legacies of Robert Redford and Charlie Kirk, I prefer to celebrate Redford for his positive influences in promoting filmmaking and respecting and appreciating the environment. His words and actions on and especially off the screen challenged and inspired because of his honesty and compassion. They are in stark contrast to those of Kirk. Redford always seemed to raise our consciousness to higher possibilities that encouraged one to want to do better. Francine Rogers
Primetime propaganda
Larchmont, N.Y.: To Voicer Tedd Smith: So you’re saying the only shows that should air on TV are those that entertain you? I think not. I’d hate to be stuck watching Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly! Steve Michaud
Check-in
Maspeth: Quite some time ago, I discontinued home delivery of the Daily News. I could not tolerate the extreme left-leaning and woke bias that was dished up as news. This past Saturday, on my doorstep was a copy of The News instead of the N.Y. Post. No surprise — the reporting is still the same. So I looked at the only things I missed: “Mutts” and “Red & Rover,” although they come daily to my tablet. I glanced at the Voice of the People and spotted one missive from Voicer Thomas Murawski of Glendale. Glad to see he is still writing in with his usual common sense. I missed that, too. Veronica Kwiecinski
Success story?
Dublin: To Voicer Paul Bloustein: You are a perfect example of how propaganda in American media works so well. Your comment that “Musk is our most inventive industrialist, and that is the source of his riches” is as far from the truth as one can imagine. Musk was born into an extremely wealthy South African family. He has invented absolutely nothing. He is a shrewd investor, I grant you that, having taken over Tesla from the founders of the company. While America was able to launch and land a manned moon mission and return it to Earth safely in 1969, the last four spaceships launched by Musk’s SpaceX company have blown up. His riches have been greatly enhanced by American taxpayer dollars financing Tesla and SpaceX to the tune of tens of billions of dollars. Sean Thornton
Jumping the gun
Waltham, Mass.: By moving to recognize a Palestinian state while Hamas remains in power and hostages remain in captivity, countries like Britain, Canada and Australia are not advancing peace — they are rewarding rejectionism. The recognition of statehood should be the outcome of negotiations, not a substitute for them. Declaring a Palestinian state under current conditions undermines the very principles the West claims to uphold: human rights, democratic norms and rejection of terror as a political tool. We’ve seen what premature statehood looks like. In 2005, Israel withdrew entirely from Gaza, providing Palestinians a real opportunity for self-determination. Instead, Hamas seized power and turned Gaza into a launchpad for war. Rather than investing in institutions or civil society, it invested in rockets and tunnels. Statehood must be built, not bestowed. To confer it now is to signal that terrorism is a viable path to legitimacy. Aviva Klompas
What riot?
Brick, N.J.: Marc Levin penned an interesting article (“Hard Hat Riot & class revolt,” op-ed, Sept. 21) with a picture spread across the article. What riot? You can see NYPD officers in the crowd of construction workers — not behind barriers, nightsticks holstered, no one in handcuffs. It was a two-day event. One day, the anti-Vietnam War protesters got out of hand and some were arrested — not close to a riot. The hard hats demonstrated the next day. What riot? I was there, wearing a hard hat of sorts: an NYPD helmet. Billy Rath
