Readers sound off on multiple mass shootings, Ticketmaster and cops

Staten Island: I’m sick and disgusted when I hear someone say America is the greatest country in the world when that same person doesn’t even own a passport to visit another country to see how they live there.

Why do I bring this up? I just read another news article about a gunman in California who killed seven people. This comes on the heels of 11 people being shot dead only two days earlier in an unrelated California incident. And to make matters worse, a district attorney in Fulton County, Ga., is mulling over whether to issue criminal charges against Donald Trump for election interference back in 2020 when he called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking him to “find 11,780 votes“ so he could claim victory in that state.

I’m sick of all gun control laws or lack thereof and I’m sick of our spineless politicians catering to the gun industry. I’m sick of the news media in this country that gives top billing to mass shooting atrocities thereby causing copycat mass shootings. I’m sick of our judicial system that still hasn’t put a cancer-causing dirtbag like Trump behind bars for inciting an insurrection to tear down democracy in this country.

And last but not least, I’m sick of the apathetic citizens of this country complaining about its problems but doing nothing to help correct them. And yet there are people who glorify America as if it was the greatest thing since toilet paper. Give me a frigging break. Dennis Pascale

Massapequa, L.I.: With daily reports of shootings and gun crimes, it seems to me that there should be a separate section in the newspaper, like the way there’s a sports section. Maybe even a little corner at the beginning, like the weather, with a forecast and the school shootings for the day. Paul Pepe

West Columbia, S.C.: Another day, another two or three mass shootings. Out in Republicanland, it’s considered acceptable to sacrifice hundreds of people, including many children, for a man’s freedom to own many large guns — after all, it says so in the Constitution. Yet the Supreme Court claims that the Constitution says a woman should sacrifice her freedom — and often her life — to any fetus that forms in her body. Of course, the Constitution says no such thing. It doesn’t mention women at all, and guns were simple self-defense when it was written. Wouldn’t it be smarter to admit that guns and abortions are both for self-defense, and should be safe, rare and chosen carefully by the individual who finds one necessary? Carol Robinson

Bronx: Until we the people hold companies, political parties and our fellow citizens responsible and accountable for their actions, we will continue to pay the highest price for our continued lack of social conscience. Mark Benveniste

Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.: Congress held hearings to investigate why Ticketmaster couldn’t efficiently distribute Taylor Swift tickets, yet they have not held one hearing to look into the origins of the COVID-19 virus that has killed a million Americans. Their priorities are warped. Michael P. Devine

Old Tappan, N.J.: Waahh, I can’t get Taylor Swift concert tickets. Boo hoo. Grow up already. Be glad you don’t live in Ukraine or anyplace else in the world where it is hell on earth right now. Haiti, the Mideast, Mexico, to name just a few. It’s bad enough here at home with our own “law-abiding citizens” with their AK-47s and whatnot, killing people every day. American exceptionalism my butt. Carl Graves

Mamaroneck, N.Y.: Why can’t Donald Trump let someone else win? The man is a certified nut. Paul Matthews

Manhattan: I love(d) Bernie Sanders, but he was an immature idiot when he said many times that “we need more American cops who look like the communities they serve!” His childish point was that if we just hire Brown cops for Brown neighborhoods, power would no longer corrupt human beings! Hilarious logic! But we real liberals have reported for 50 years that Brown cops “overcompensate” to show their white brothers in the Blue Klux Klan that they hate them Brown folks too! This is well-known in Brown communities. And many cops will tell you this too! Five out of five Brown cops on the scene illegally beat (innocent) Brown guy Tyre Nichols to death in Memphis. Let’s put this big lie to rest. Janice Amato

Oradell, N.J.: In response to Voicer John F. Rossano’s letter bashing New York City and San Francisco: New York is better than ever. I worked in the city through the pandemic and there were some strange days but the city has come back to life and has come a long way from the bad old days of the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. Stop spreading fear, Mr. Rossano, it only serves the bad guys. Also, you mentioned New York is becoming like San Francisco. When was the last time you visited? I was just there last year and it is as beautiful as ever — my second favorite city in the U.S. Please stop regurgitating the nonsense fed to you by Fox News and their ilk. Paul Keeley

Bloomington, Ind.: The Supreme Court’s internal probe into the Dobbs draft leak goes unresolved after months of investigation. We should not let this go by saying, “We’ve done all we can do,” when clearly we have not. This person could have been found if the investigation had taken a scorched-earth approach from the beginning. The FBI should have been called in instead of Court Marshal Gail Curley. The nine justices and their clerks should have been interviewed under penalty of perjury. The Supreme Court takes extraordinary precautions to protect its internal deliberations. They could have found the source of this leak if they had the will to do what was necessary. Scott Thompson

Newton, N.J.: To Voicer Raquel Hanon: Alec Baldwin does not need to “make his case.” It’s the government that needs to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt — the Constitution, remember? And a financial settlement has already been reached with the victim’s family. I guess those facts escaped you. One more thing: Would there even be a manslaughter trial if the defendant were right-wing wackadoodle Kirk Cameron instead of an avowed Democrat? I think we all know the answer. Michael Schnackenberg

Holliswood: So, the City Council is warning that Illegal pot shops are undercutting legal ones. Who could have predicted such a thing? Why, I did. Here is an excerpt from a letter I wrote that you published on Dec. 3, 2019: “If marijuana is legalized, with all its contingent licensing fees, insurance, rent for secure storage space and, of course, taxes, the amount of product in a legal $10 bag of marijuana will be minimal compared to what that consumer is getting now. Thus, the consumer will still look to buy from illegal or untaxed sources… the legal purveyor of the taxed product will complain to the police that they are being undercut by the illegal purveyor of the untaxed product. The purveyor of the untaxed product will be arrested and the leftists among us will cry about the inappropriate and unfair application of the law… You heard it here first.” And you did. Gregory W. Chupa

Bronx: I am writing to thank you for covering the plight of the Bronx Zoo elephants, Happy and Patty (“Freedom for the Bronx Zoo elephants,” op-ed, Jan. 21). These elephants need to be in a sanctuary, not in a zoo, each alone. I think it’s important that the public is made aware of this horrible situation and you have done a good job of doing that. Please keep up the good work informing people about this outrage and maybe someday soon the Bronx Zoo will do the right thing and release these two beautiful animals to a sanctuary. Again, thank you very much for caring about this issue and helping the Nonhuman Rights Project get its message across. Jo-Ann Ficker-Camacho