George Santos’ shameful behavior and more: Letters

Santos’ shame

I hope that Rep. George Santos is telling the truth when he says that he won’t run for re-election (“George Santos won’t seek re-election after ethics panel finds he ‘blatantly stole’ from campaign, ‘deceived donors,’ ” Nov. 16). Of course, he could be “embellishing.’’

The House Ethics Committee says his conduct brought “severe discredit upon the House.” I think the two parties that run Congress have brought “severe discredit upon the House’’ for not removing Santos. This is another reason why there should be term limits in Congress.

Chuck Mann

Greensboro, NC

Money for bottles

Attorney General Letitia James should be ashamed of herself (“NY sues Pepsi,” Nov. 16).
If New York gave a damn about plastic-bottle pollution, it would have a 25 to 50 cent payout for all plastic-container returns.

That incentive would end the trashing of plastic containers. But even better, the state should require non-plastic containers, like aluminum, which is easily recycled, for example. The fault, New York, is yours.

Thomas Birnbaum

Manhattan

Ban menthol

At a time when public health is of critical importance, Rev. Al Sharpton’s efforts to maintain big tobacco’s addictive stronghold on vulnerable populations is perplexing (“Don’t Ban Menthol: Sharpton,” Nov. 13).

As tobacco companies spent millions to hook a new generation on nicotine, public-health champions built a groundswell of support to eliminate the sale of flavored tobacco throughout our city, but one loophole was left open: menthol cigarettes.

The harms of flavored tobacco, like menthol, have been well-documented prior to the invention of e-cigarettes.

In 2011, the FDA’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee concluded outlawing menthol cigarettes would benefit public health. If a menthol cigarette ban had been enacted in 2011, 320,000 lives could have been saved by 2050.

Big Tobacco will do anything to protect its profits. We urge Sharpton to join the majority in New York City and take a stand for public health. Flavored tobacco is not welcome here.

Samer Kottiech, Cardiologist, Volunteer of the American Heart Association

Manhattan

Gaza’s pain

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Oct. 7 was the Jewish equivalent of 15 9/11s (“Netanyahu defends record on civilian casualties in Gaza,” Nov. 12).

He reasoned that there are 36 times as many Americans as Israelis; 36 multiplied by the 1,200 Israelis killed by Hamas is the equivalent of 43,200 dead Americans.

Divide that number by the 3,000 Americans killed on 9/11, and you get the Israeli equivalent of 15 9/11s on Oct. 7.

The US population is 150 times Gaza’s 2.2 million people. Thus, the 4,600 Palestinian children reported killed in Israel’s bombing is the US equivalent of over 690,000 dead American children — using Netanyahu’s logic.

Israel’s Golda Meir said: “We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children, but we can never forgive them for forcing us to kill their children.”

Israeli parents will someday have to explain to their children what they did in their name.

Frank Richter

Detroit, Mich.

Christie’s horror

Let’s applaud Chris Christie (“Chris’s 1st hand look,” Nov 13).

After being shown film footage of Hamas’ brutality, he said: “It wasn’t just the inhumanity that they were doing. . . but it was the joy they took in it.”

It’s man’s inhumanity to man, and it makes me sick to my stomach.

Roberta McQeen

East Islip

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