Another dead horse, and the same industry spin
Fresh Meadows: Christina Hansen’s op-ed “Smearing NYC’s horse carriage trade again” (Aug. 9) is the same tired playbook a handful of entitled carriage operators and their union enablers have relied on for decades: deflect, deny and declare themselves the real victims. It is beyond disgusting that while another one of their horses has dropped dead on their watch, they are busy casting themselves as the ones under attack.
Their horses — the ones they purchase without any real veterinary examinations before forcing them into unsafe traffic — often arrive sick or unfit for the grueling work ahead. Lady, Ryder, Aysha, Charlie, Smoothie and so many others were forced onto the streets only to suffer, collapse and die.
Hansen’s own words reveal exactly why this practice is so dangerous. She claims that a horse can “drop dead anywhere.” In reality, it proves the danger: horses can and do spook, run wild, crash into vehicles, collapse or die without warning, turning into uncontrollable 1,800-pound weapons in densely crowded Central Park or Manhattan streets. Lady, the latest victim, spent her life in a rural environment before being thrown into the concrete jungle of NYC, where countless psychological and physical stressors take a massive toll on any horse and are often fatal for those with undiagnosed or ignored medical conditions.
It is shameful that Hansen mocks protest and advocacy when this country has a time-honored tradition of street theater and public protest, tools that have driven every major social justice victory. The spin is nonsense. The suffering and the danger are real. Edita Birnkrant, executive director, NYCLASS
Seen it all before
Forked River, N.J.: Reading the op-ed by carriage horse spokesperson Christina Hansen about the death of the horse Lady was another summer rerun. We’ve seen it all before. Two weeks ago, the carriage horse driver who whipped a horse named Ryder after he collapsed in the summer heat walked out of court all smiles after he was found not guilty. When Ryder collapsed, Hansen claimed he tripped when our eyes told us otherwise. Over the years, we have seen images of spooked horses running into traffic, in some cases colliding with a bus, and another ran into an SUV. Hansen calls animal lovers “extremists,” but there is nothing extreme about having compassion for these majestic equine animals. She then says a pathologist found a mystery tumor during the horse’s necropsy. Maybe if Lady had better medical care from a veterinarian, she wouldn’t have needed a pathologist to find the problem. Jim Hughes
Part of the park
Westfield, N.J.: When I visit, I love seeing the carriage horses in the park. They are simply majestic. They are such an integral and special part of the city’s and the park’s history. Carriage trails are part of the park’s original design. I can’t imagine the city without the carriage horses and drivers. Mary Montes
Lax rules
Manhattan: Reading Bradley Tusk’s op-ed (“Don’t let underage kids on electric Citi Bikes,” Aug. 9) got me thinking. As a teenage motorcycle driver, I had to get a driver’s license and take a driving test on a motorcycle. Of course, there were also the requirements of registration and liability insurance. Today, no one takes any test, even employees who earn their living as delivery workers. To the best of my knowledge, no one has liability insurance and many do not follow traffic rules. What surprises me is that there are not more accidents. Perhaps many are not reported if there are no fatalities. John Ost
Bag it up
Staten Island: To Voicer Marlene Torino: I have no problem using the compost can. I line it with a large, clear recycle bag, which you are allowed to do. Secondly, I use a large Folgers coffee can with the snap-on lid and line it with small, compostable two-and-a-half-gallon bags I ordered on Amazon. Once the small bag is filled, I remove it, twist the top, knot it and throw it into the bin. I have never smelled anything in that bin, which sits in the sun. If the compost in my Folgers can starts to smell, I sprinkle some baking soda on it. Because the bin is lined with a recycle bag and either knotted or tied shut, Sanitation need only reach in, lift out the bag and throw it in the truck. If you are throwing raw food directly into the can without a liner, it’s gonna stink. Lynn Fodor
Unique abilities
Syracuse: As the job market continues to be reshaped by global financial pressures and the evolving integration of AI into the workplace, the idea of “staying weird” in order to pursue your life’s passion is a great idea (“Career clues,” Aug. 10). Reflecting on your childhood interests and motivations helps you find deeper satisfaction in your work. It also gives you a tremendous sense of accomplishment when you pursue the dreams and interests that helped shape you into who you are. By studying yourself and what you do best, you can find a much more fulfilling purpose and a career that is truly worth pursuing. Michael Aaron Gallagher
Tarnished nationality
Ozone Park: Suddenly, all you hear on the news is the nationality of the security guard killed in the Park Ave. shooting. Even in Los Angeles, it is frequent news. Are we supposed to reconsider our feelings about Haitians? Did President Trump put evil thoughts in our minds about Haitians, which we have to purge? Ray Hackinson
Weak opposition
West Islip, L.I.: By now, it should be clear that the Republican Party is for the oligarchs and corporations. The bigger problem is the Democratic Party has alienated its base since Hillary Clinton’s campaign. They did not listen to the unions and minorities, and took them for granted. They allowed their party’s fringe progressives to go so far left that there was no longer a choice, and alienated the majority of their party. Lower the age for the youth who think they have a free pass. Quit pardoning cop killers! Revamp discovery rules to a common-sense approach. Stop the get-out-of-jail-free nonsense. Consider term limits. Go back to both parties working for the common good of the people! Bill Romaka
Butt out
Tuckerton, N.J.: Could somebody please tell Sen. Elizabeth Warren to go back to her own state? Perhaps Boston is best for her to meddle in instead of New York City. She ran for president and lost, and now she wants to help Zohran Mamdani run a city that isn’t hers. He may need her help. After all, he is just a 33-year-old without any experience running anything but his mouth. Rose S. Wilson
Putting it lightly
Williamsville, N.Y.: Words matter, and they can obfuscate the truth. Such is the case with Voicer Mike Caggiano’s use of the incorrect term “militants” to describe the Palestinian terrorists of Oct. 7. They were not militants, as the term merely references the strength of an unspecified set of beliefs. They were Nazi-level barbarians, as they committed atrocities equal to the worst of the Third Reich. Specifically, they were the atrocious heirs of Hitler’s Dirlewanger Brigade, an SS unit made up of criminals released from German jails whose subsequent war crimes and acts of sadistic depravity horrified even their fellow SS Nazis. When Caggiano refers to Palestinian “militants,” he lets them off too lightly while dishonoring their tortured victims. They are sadistic savages, and if we are going to do anything about that, we must understand the true character of these enemies. Daniel H. Trigoboff
Crossed the line
Sunnyside: It is true that, as Voicer Lloyd Litwak pointed out, Hamas started the current “barbaric war” with Israel. However, I think it was wrong for him to say that the residents of Gaza are “overtly racist, misogynistic and homophobic.” One of the lessons we should have learned from atrocities like the Holocaust and the Spanish Inquisition is that we should never demonize an entire group of people. I realize that Hamas should be blamed for the massacre of 1,200 innocent Jews on Oct. 7 (the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust), but we must also think about the tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians who have suffered as a result of this conflict. John Francis Fox
