The stars and stripes will fly for all our freedoms
Bronx: After evicting protesters from the City University of New York, school officials and some NYPD officials removed a Palestinian flag and replaced it with an American flag that the protesters had removed. This act of proudly displaying our country's flag, which should never have been taken down or replaced, drew negative commentary from Kang Joo-hyun, director of a group advocating efforts for police reform.
The person also claims this is a propaganda move and questions why the police would do something like this. I can see why. This is the United States of America, and our flag will not fly in place of or over our flag when we share space. Our flag is a symbol of our freedoms, the freedoms for which our people fought and died for them. This freedom gives Mr. Kang the right to exercise his freedom of speech and disparage actions taken to fly our nation's flag.
It is acknowledged that freedom of speech, whether about X or the act of raising the flag, is tolerated by some, but not all. If city councilors and organizations can protest or oppose on social media, why can't everyone? If you were to agree with me, would you raise your voice to be punished? I'm afraid not.
Remember, this is America, and despite our differences, our flag reminds us of who we are and who we are. Masu. nancy riley
I don't walk
Camden, New Jersey: Graduation ceremonies are meant to acknowledge monumental milestones in an individual's life (“Columbia cancels major graduations” May 7). Not everyone has the opportunity to receive higher education. It is hard to believe that acts against humanity in another part of the world can have such serious repercussions at home. Wayne E. Williams
joint and several liability
Purchase, New York: Palestinians support Hamas as their governing authority, and we all know that Hamas is a brutal terrorist group that has committed infanticide and numerous other atrocities. It is unfortunate that Palestinians have to suffer the consequences of the governing authorities' never-ending quest to wipe Israel off the map, but that is what happens to a population led by a terrorist group. Similarly, and even worse, is what happened to the residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki when the Japanese government refused to surrender in World War II and the United States dropped atomic bombs on these cities. Conclusion: What would the world be like if people protested in support of terrorist organizations and completely ignored the abhorrent atrocities committed by terrorist organizations? Marlene Danoff
stubborn official
CHICAGO: We don't know what the campus protesters want to achieve, but that won't change Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's mind. If Israel's authoritarian leader is unwilling to listen to his own people, much less to President Biden and the United Nations, then there will be serious consequences for his actions on U.S. soil, especially if Prime Minister Netanyahu is allowed to remain in power. Who would think that turmoil would have any effect on Israel? Isn't it obvious that no one is telling a hardline Prime Minister what to do or what not to do? He's Donald Trump, but with a Hebrew accent. It feels like his biggest concern for Israel's future is the complete annihilation of Hamas, but if that can only be achieved by annihilating Gaza, then so be it. There appears to be only one solution to the conflict, and that begins with the removal of Prime Minister Netanyahu, followed by equal protection for Palestinians and Israelis. bob olley
Final position
HIGHLAND FALLS, N.Y.: President Biden is now close to saying the quiet parts about Israel and Gaza out loud. This “final attack” against Hamas is nothing but part of Israel's plan to depopulate Gaza through terrorism and large numbers of civilian casualties. First, they captured Rafah, cutting off their escape route to Egypt. Now Israel wants to use a 2,000-pound American bomb against perhaps 2,000 Hamas fighters surrounded by 1 million civilians. There is no “targeting” weapon in the world that is accurate enough to not cause massive civilian casualties. The survivors are left homeless and must move on. The United States, which has bombed more countries than any other nation in the past 80 years or so, has long used air power to conserve troops and impose its will. If Israel wants to do the same thing, Biden says they can do it with the weapons they create. joe seal
low blow
Brooklyn: Is there anything off-limits about Bramhall's insensitive remarks about RFK's sad possible brain disease diagnosis? All for laughs! People should be ashamed of their perverted pastimes. Ron Goldman
background binary
BROOKLYN: Your Excellency, Justice Steve Harvey, I'm sure you already know that there are other races besides black and white. Let us break the ice and give you a chance to make a few bucks on your Family Feud show! bill glassman
cold country
Shaftesbury, Vermont: Knicks guard Josh Hart has made it clear he has no use for Indiana. He would never set foot there if he didn't have to, he said, and he's not an “Indiana” himself. I happen to agree with him, so he can tell me about the time he got stuck in Terre Haute. Our car needed a fuel pump and no one stopped to help us or give us a ride to the parts store. They had locked their car doors and were paranoid about us. They're still living in the dark ages or something. They are really unfriendly and hostile towards people they don't know. I don't understand why anyone would want to live there. tom king
cash withdrawal
Great Neck, LI: The MTA's proposal to charge Verrazano-Narrows Bridge usage fees for the annual Five Borough Bike Tour would impose a tax on sponsors of runners in the annual 46-mile New York City Marathon. It's just another money-maker for the MTA. Why isn't the MTA trying to cut more than $1 billion a year in excess employee overtime and more than $700 million a year in fare evasion? The MTA real estate agency has 31 vacant stores in Grand Central Madison and New York City. About 100 other stores at City Transit, Staten Island Rail Road, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North stations will be leased. larry penner
Enhance security
Brooklyn: The increasingly unpopular congestion charge could be reimagined to make it more popular and more convenient. I propose that 10% of the revenue from this pricing tax be designated to increase public safety funding. People would like to know that a portion of the proceeds will go toward hiring more police officers and making roads safer not just for criminals but also for reckless drivers by installing more red light cameras and redesigning roads. I believe it will be more accepted. Do we really need to extend the 2nd Avenue subway when ridership is down 50%? But we also need to improve subway safety. Robert Mascari
imaginary friend
Scarborough, New York: I read that people are making friends with artificial intelligence, perhaps to combat the so-called loneliness epidemic. When I hear that, I think of a 5-year-old playing cowboys and drinking tea with imaginary friends. And they grow. Thomas F. Comiskey
lukewarm testimony
Medford, Louisiana: A lot of strange things are happening in this hush-money case. In 2018, Stormy Daniels signed a statement denying any sexual relationship with Donald Trump dating back to an alleged tryst in 2006. Why don't prosecutors consider this an issue? Why would they call her to testify if they knew her defense was making statements that completely erased her credibility? It's reminiscent of a famous boxing promoter in the 1990s testifying under oath in open court that “Yesterday I was lying, but today I'm telling the truth.” The promoter was laughed out of court! Additionally, unrelated to her alleged sexual relationship, Daniels also signed her non-disclosure agreement after accepting a $130,000 payment. So did she violate the NDA by signing her non-disclosure agreement and ranting about her alleged secret meetings? If there's a victim here, it's Trump! Luana Dunn