Where TV broke the spell, now it helps cast it
Fishkill, N.Y.: McCarthyism was a tragic era in our history. Bullying and lies intimidated the normally responsible Republican leaders into silence. The Second Red Scare’s fever broke when Joseph McCarthy’s ugly tactics became obvious to the general public as they watched, in horror, the televised Army-McCarthy hearings. Republican leaders, including President Dwight Eisenhower, finally realized that McCarthy was a political liability, and they acted to censure and remove him from the spotlight. It was not their courage that broke the fever. It was political expediency forced on them by an attentive public. McCarthy was a dangerous demagogue and the people knew it.
Some pundits claim that Trumpism and its “fever” may have broken after the disastrous Republican midterm elections. Maybe! Maybe not! Back in the 1950s, the public got its news from three networks, was generally well-read and had no major alternate place to go to find “alternate” facts. Today, there is an alternate universe of distortions available to some people on Fox News and conspiracy websites. Many of these people do not see with their own eyes, as people did in the Army-McCarthy hearings, what facts are because they willingly choose to be uninformed.
So the Trump fever may be lessening a bit, yet it is still spiking for the Fox audience and the conspiracy-believing nutcases. Four-star Marine general and Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, gave them the best advice: “If you want to become an informed citizen, just shut off Fox News”! It’s the best medicine to break the Trump fever but you have to be willing to take the medicine. As always, facts do matter! Gerald Browne
Activist justices
Jamaica: It is truly sad that the Supreme Court of the United States can be bought, especially justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. There truly needs to be term limits for SCOTUS because they are destroying the laws that have been in place for years. God bless America! Charlene Black
Luck of the draw
Brooklyn: The Powerball and New York Lotto jackpots generated publicity. I suggest a U.S. government program with virtually no administrative cost and with a continuous benefit for almost every American resident: a free lottery. Every three months, the Social Security Administration would randomly choose the Social Security number of one adult. The holder of that number would receive, say, $50 million from the U.S. Treasury free from federal income tax. The lottery’s annual cost of $200 million would be a trivial portion of the multi-trillion-dollar federal budget. Yet every adult Social Security card holder would constantly hold a free lottery ticket with a $50 million prize. At low cost, the government would give all Americans constant hope of an immensely better life. Few government programs can duplicate that. William K.S. Wang
All God’s creatures
Norfolk, Va.: Christmas is a time for compassion and kindness. Forcing captive animals to serve as props in holiday shows is the antithesis of those tenets. There’s nothing “spectacular” about trucking animals into the city and making them participate in shows that are frightening and confusing to them. It’s stressful and completely unnatural for animals to be onstage or stored in windowless backstage holding pens. Camels, sheep and donkeys are meant to be grazing, socializing and going about their business, not serving as a Nativity scene backdrop. During the holidays, goodwill should take center stage, and there are many ways to celebrate that don’t compromise animals’ well-being. Give animals the best gift of all by refusing to buy a ticket to displays that exploit them. Peace and goodwill to all. Jennifer O’Connor
People shoot people
Bronx: When asked about crime in New York, Gov. Hochul always says she is proud about all the guns that were taken off the streets, but no one asks about the people caught with the guns. Are they in jail awaiting trial or were they released back to the streets? If they were released, it means nothing that many guns were taken off the streets because the accused will most likely just go and get another gun. If you really want to stop all these killings of innocent men, women and children, you must lock these offenders up for a long period of time, 10-15 years, for being caught with an illegal gun. Send a message to all these gangbangers: Get caught and you are looking at a long time in jail. Jimmy Durda
Results required
Medford, L.I.: Party-guy Mayor Adams needs to put down the champagne glass and get down to business. He cares about NYC, but he is not handling anything right. Being a former cop, he should have a much better handle on crime. He doesn’t. Granted, he had to deal with the mess left by former Mayor Bill de Blasio, with homelessness and poverty throughout the city, and he certainly didn’t ask to be burdened with migrants being sent here compliments of the Texas governor. So we really should, perhaps, give him the benefit of the doubt. Yes, Mayor Adams, it is time to focus, and it needs to happen before things get worse for New Yorkers. Lorraine Pugh
Imprudent plan
Briarwood: The new Sanitation Department mandate taking effect in April will not allow residential trash to be put out before 8 p.m. People, especially women and seniors, having to go out after dark twice weekly is not in the interest of public safety. It won’t deter the rats, it will simply give them more time to dress for dinner. Patricia Nuzzi
Attack the attack
Rural Retreat, Va.: To Voicer Sue McCormack: Steve Scalise had U.S.-paid Capitol Police security at the baseball game. The Pelosi family should be covered the same way. The fact that she’s worth a lot of money doesn’t mean that her family should be targeted. When the rhetoric is out there that she’s free to be attacked, that is wrong — that’s the real problem, not what she’s worth. The hate comes from mouths like yours, and the Daily News gave you the platform. Use it better, denounce the act, then state your case why Nancy Pelosi is wrong for the job. If her wealth is the only problem you can find, just denounce the attack. Kathleen Cobbs
Them’s the breaks
Forest Hills: To all you dyed-in-the-wool N.Y. Yankees fans from a been-there, dyed-in-the-wool Brooklyn Dodgers fan: I feel your pain. But let’s admit the hurtful truth — even with the most likely MVP and season home run record-breaking Aaron Judge, and even with the superstar, $324-million Gerrit Cole, the Astros were the better team. So I send you my heartfelt condolences, and leave you with what all of us old-time “Bums” fans were left with after each heart-wrenching failure to get to and win the World Series: “Wait ’til next year.” And it finally came in 1955! Melvin Moskowitz
Tough break
Fresh Meadows: I wish to comment on Voicer Joseph V. Curatolo’s piece about the injury he suffered at Saks Fifth Avenue! As a walker, I have had unfortunate encounters with many dogs but luckily was never bitten, only chased and terrorized. This situation is worse in the Southwest, where people keep guard animals outside. All I can assume is that Saks does not wish to admit to any failure in safety policy because they may lose profits if wealthy dog owners are upset. My sincere hope is that Curatolo will not have any long-term health issues from this highly avoidable incident if the owners had pulled back on the leash when he came by. Dorothy Lewis
Doggone dogs
Manhattan: I was happy to see the letter by Voicer Joseph V. Curatolo last month. We need people to take a stand about dogs in food and drug stores. NYC is overrun by dogs. Last year, in a drug store, I saw a dog owner with two large dogs at checkout. The dogs sniffed the candy and gum and then jumped up on the counter. The owner smiled, thinking it cute, but the cashier was frightened and so was I. The law prohibits animals in such stores but people flaunt even a concern for appropriate behavior. Do dog owners believe bringing a dog into a store is appropriate? Richard Fabrizio
