Governance and leadership, political labels, ICE, women deacons, Santos

We deserve bold leaders with clarity

As a longtime resident of Huntington and a taxpayer who believes in the rule of law, I’m writing to express a growing concern shared by many in our community. We are watching policies unfold at the national and local level that seem to prioritize chaos over clarity, and ideology over accountability [“All rise for the judge’s civic warning,” Opinion, Sept. 18].

We ask: What is the goal?

Where is the protection for law-abiding citizens? Where is the responsibility for educating our children — not just in academics, but in values and civic duty? Who will take responsibility for the rising deaths due to drug abuse? And when will we see leadership that unites rather than divides?

This is not about party lines. It’s about people. It’s about families who work hard, follow the law, and want to feel safe in their homes and communities. We deserve answers. We deserve a plan. We deserve leaders who speak plainly and act boldly for the greater good.

— Ellen Klaffky, Huntington

Labels dim truth and weaken debate

We need to correct people who confuse socialists, with Soviet Union Communists who are dictators [“What left and right have in common,” Letters, Sept. 12].

If the people elect a socialist such as New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, in four years they can elect someone else if they wish. This is why it is so important that voting rights be safeguarded.

— Billy Britz, Sayville

Calling people names doesn’t persuade anyone to your side. It usually signals a weak argument.

History also gets distorted. Adolf Hitler’s regime murdered about 11 million civilians, including 6 million Jews in the Holocaust. Josef Stalin’s dictatorship caused millions of deaths, with estimates often 6 to 9 million, or higher.

Comparing today’s politicians to Hitler or Stalin trivializes those crimes. Likewise, calling someone a “fascist” ignores what Benito Mussolini’s regime actually did, including colonial atrocities. His government committed mass atrocities though the scale was far lower than under Hitler or Stalin.

And “Nazi” is short for National Socialist German Workers’ Party, but despite the name, the Nazis were anti-leftist and destroyed socialist and communist groups.

If we want to change minds, we should use history accurately, not just apply labels.

— John Procida, Flushing, Queens

ICE making us safer: How do you figure?

A reader stated the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement mission is to protect America through criminal investigations and enforcing immigration laws to preserve national security and public safety [“ICE is nothing like Gestapo,” Letters, July 22].

I, for one, am sleeping much better knowing that the young Suffolk County Community College honors student, the beloved manager of a Port Washington bagel store, the single mother of five young children, and a teenager about to graduate high school [“LI teen held by ICE going to Guatemala,” News, Sept. 17] have been taken off the streets.

Were these people, among many others, a real threat to our national security and public safety? Another great job by our government.

— Robin Tierney, Massapequa

Women can fill scarcity of deacons

A reader made a great point regarding women deacons and the Catholic Church [“Women deacons may preserve unity,” Letters, Sept. 16].

I too am puzzled why women continue to be excluded from the call to serve by our Catholic Church leaders. Deacons have been added to parish staffs to address the shortage of Catholic priests, a growing problem for years that has reached a crisis level.

Now, we need more deacons, too, and the solution is staring us in the face. The church can swiftly and fairly easily solve the problem by inviting women to serve as both priests and deacons.

Allowing married men to serve as deacons was a big step in the right direction. Now it’s time to invite women to serve.

— Joe DiPrisco, Garden City

There he goes again . . . Santos being Santos

Is former Rep. George Santos trying to pull off another scam?

He is complaining in graphic detail about the horrors of his prison confinement, using words like “torture” and alluding to murder plots against him [“Santos: FBI is probing plot to kill me in prison,” Long Island, Sept. 17].

He is a proven liar. Is he trying to evoke sympathy? Craving attention?

Is he trying to build for himself an image of Nelson Mandela as a political prisoner?

The man has no shame. He is incorrigible.

— Jim Brennan, Rocky Point