The Pentagon is on a mission for oil — again
Boynton Beach, Fla.: I have a personal interest in the criminal prosecution of drug dealers. My beloved daughter passed away on July 11, 2011, from an OxyContin- and cocaine-fueled overdose. The loss leaves an irreparable wound that never heals.
In spite of my personal tragedy, I deplore the actions of our Navy at the direction of President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth against alleged drug dealers in the Caribbean. My personal loss hasn’t warped my sense of right and wrong to the point where I approve of murder without due process. In the case of the murders of more than 80 people in small motorboats, my government has not provided one ounce of evidence or names of the victims to support these summary executions. The evidence points to these victims being innocent fishermen. The 11 people in a small boat murdered in September were not heading to the shores of America 1,000 miles away with a delivery of narcotics. The idea is beyond ludicrous.
When you factor in Trump’s pardon of former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez, convicted in Manhattan as one of the leaders of a billion-dollar drug cartel, you’ll realize that positioning our Navy and Marines off Venezuela’s coast has nothing to do with drug enforcement. It’s an aggressive strategy to entice Venezuela into an armed conflict. After spending a career in the oil-petrochemical industry, and having spent much time in Venezuela at refineries, it’s clear to me that the impetus for our aggression is again to take control of the world’s largest oil reserves. History is repeating itself, and the oil industry is the driving force. William T. Bredin
Exporting death
Manhattan: According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, more than 30,000 firearms were smuggled from the U.S. into Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras between 2015-2022. The weapons trace back to nearly every U.S. zip code. What would Trump’s reaction be if the above countries started blowing up U.S. vehicles suspected of gun smuggling without revealing any evidence or names of victims? Jeffrey Nelson
Subordinate sacrifice
Ridgewood, N.J.: Trump and Hegseth have thrown Adm. Mitch Bradley under the bus over the airstrike killing drug boat survivors in the water. This is a failure of command responsibility and authority by the president and the secretary of war. Ed Houlihan
Passing the buck
Hackensack, N.J.: Watching Trump and Hegseth throw a decorated admiral under the bus was yet another in a long line of disgraceful acts by this administration. What ever happened to the days of Harry Truman and “the buck stops here”? Hegseth and Trump were quick to take credit for the action when it happened, then scurried away like rats on a sinking ship once the heat came. Clearly, a bunch of cowards incapable of taking responsibility for anything that might happen unless it’s in service to that whiny little snowflake Trump and his embarrassingly delicate ego. Teleprompter tough guys once again showed their true colors — and that color looks a lot like yellow to me. Shameful display, to say the least. I hope those military personnel willing to follow his orders will now realize that loyalty is a one-way street with these self-serving weasels at the helm. Ken Byrnes
Peace by piece
Davidson, N.C.: Your front page (“Trump wins ‘peace’ prize,” Dec. 6) is mistaking the prize that Trump received. There were just a few words missing. It should have said that he received a piece of a prize, whatever the prize was for. He does so many things each day that each piece, when put together, deserves recognition. That’s the president we all (maybe not all) elected. Since he likes to see his name everywhere, can he give himself a Trump prize, or a piece of it? Sorrell Chesin
Cheap tribute
Manhattan: A peace prize for Trump from the American Society for Public Administration would be more relevant than the one he got from FIFA. He said upon receiving it that it was one of the greatest honors of his life. No wonder he is ranked dead last as a president of the United States. H. Wayne Mirsky
Won’t be celebrating
Brooklyn: So, the current administration is making national parks free for Trump’s birthday. Well, that essentially guarantees that 60% or more of the U.S. will not be at a national park on June 14. Peter Magnotta
Dress for distress
Wellfleet, Mass.: U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated that he wants airline passengers to dress up. I agree with that. I want to look my best on a flight in case a fight breaks out that’s reminiscent of “The Jerry Springer Show.” Mike Rice
Short-sighted spending
Manhattan: “A proven recipe for ending homelessness” (op-ed, Nov. 27) highlights how the country’s success in reducing chronic homelessness among veterans can guide NYC’s response to homelessness. Where’s the money coming from? We’re already spending it. Tonight, nearly 86,000 people will sleep in the city’s Department of Homeless Services-contracted shelters, nearly double the total 15 years ago and including more than 30,000 children. Last year, the city spent nearly $3.8 billion on DHS-contracted shelters and related services. It’s a staggering amount for a stopgap system when the need for permanent housing has never been greater. It’s time to move beyond “right to shelter” toward “right to housing.” A meaningful shift in resources from temporary shelter to permanent housing is a mammoth undertaking, but the surest way to fail is to not try. We shouldn’t accept more than one in every 100 New Yorkers spending tonight in temporary shelters. Dan Lehman, president and CEO, HELP USA
Specious delivery
Manhattan: In the 1980s and ’90s, predatory landlords brought over shady immigrants to work as doormen to act as a de facto mercenary army against rent-stabilized tenants, especially effective in buildings where tenants don’t have their own mailboxes. The doormen deliver the mail, and Housing Court summonses come through regular delivery. Now their sons are getting hired. If Zohran Mamdani is serious about fair housing, he will look at these “dear” immigrants. By the way, the Post Office’s position is that once the mailbag is dropped off in the lobby, it is no longer in its custody. Diane Moriarty
Curated classrooms
Bronx: Re “Charter schools aim to mend ties with Zoh” (Dec. 6): The reality is much deeper than financial resources. The most important resource a school has is its students’ readiness and willingness to learn. Charter schools, with ubiquitous and carefully crafted advertisements (paid for with public funds that should go to the classroom) that include such phrases as “orderly classrooms,” “private campuses,” “highly qualified staff,” “expert leadership,” etc., enroll school-ready students from stable and supportive families, with decent academic skills, a receptive attitude toward school and minimal behavioral issues. Charter schools are adept at ridding themselves of youngsters who fall short. Thus, they leave public schools to cope with students from troubled families that offer little support who are angry and alienated, struggle academically and present severe behavioral and emotional problems. When charter schools attain better results, however that’s measured, there can be no other cause, of course, than their superior quality. Ed Beller
A cursory look
Flushing: To the Voicers complaining about the type size for the daily Jumble, I have the solution for you, as it’s rather simple. Accessing the digital version of the newspaper, place your cursor over the puzzle and click on it. Voila — the puzzle will increase substantially in size. Upon solving it, simply hit the back arrow to return to the proper page. In fact, you can do this with any article throughout the e-newspaper. With this tip, I have come to prefer the digital version of the Daily News. Paul Gross
Game on
Long Beach, L.I.: Since both Duke and Notre Dame, among the top teams in college football, were left out of Sunday’s announced Bowl Games, and since they clearly would fill a stadium as well as demand a TV viewership, why not create their own bowl game? Hire a promoter. Rent a stadium — there are many available. The TV stations would come calling. The colleges would make out financially, and a new bowl would be created. I’d watch. Ben Waxman
