After Kerik

There is a big difference between good reporting and creating your own version of what is supposedly true. Columnist John P. Avlon would like us to believe that the one and only reason Bernard Kerik bowed out of the appointment to head the Department of Homeland Security is a somewhat contrived nannygate situation and nothing more [“After Kerik, Only Perfect Need Apply,” Page 1, December 13, 2004].

He refuses to believe that his “hero,” Mr. Kerik, has any more than this to hide. And a nannygate accusation, he claims, is an unfair law that should be overlooked when it comes to appointments of this sort.

It doesn’t matter, either, that Mr. Kerik has other missteps in his past that he’d like to sweep under the carpet, missteps that have been adequately reported in the nation’s press: Mr. Kerik was reported to have been “deeply entangled” with Interstate Industrial in New Jersey when that company held major contracts, including the Fresh Kills landfill, recommending the brother of his close friend Lawrence Ray for a job to help Interstate in its dealings with mob leery regulators.

Interstate put Mr. Kerik’s brother on the payroll; Mr. Ray and another Kerik pal shelled out a bundle of money for Mr. Kerik’s grand wedding reception; there were charges made that Interstate was allegedly controlled by organized crime and supposedly did business with notorious mobster Edward Garafola, brother-in-law to turncoat Salvatore (“Sammy the Bull”) Gravano, as reported by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement; other press stories disclosed that Mr. Kerik allegedly received thousands in gift money that was never reported; as a rookie cop, Mr. Kerik filed for bankruptcy and, by the time he became correction commissioner in 1998 his only asset was a condo in New Jersey that had been in foreclosure through the 1990s; he was reported to have been cited for contempt by a New Jersey judge, and the latest bit uncovered in the press relates to simultaneous affairs he had going with a couple of women associates. And other stories of Kerik’s cloudy past might be told.

Naming Mr. Kerik a “hero” as well as Rudolph Giuliani, who Mr. Avlon also refers to as “the nation’s first mayor,” should be examined. Both these men used the September 11, 2001, disaster to promote and enhance their personal images and surely don’t deserve to wear the title “hero.” While there was plenty of notable good work done at the disaster scene, neither of these “heroes” got their hands soiled in the slightest.

IRWIN BRESLAUER
Manhattan

Lola and Pale Male on Fifth Avenue

I knew the Grinch would appear sooner or later [“Featherbedding,” Editorial, December 13, 2004]. I mean, how many thousands and thousands of well-wishers could the hawks Pale Male and Lola have before something like The New York Sun’s editorial would appear? But I think Mr. Grinch missed the point.

Let us say that the nest area needed tidying up and securing. Rather than callously ripping it down, what if the board members of 927 Fifth Ave. had consulted the New York or the National Audubon Society on how to make the situation better for everyone concerned?

Watching the red-tailed hawks throughout the years has enriched the lives of all, regardless of economic status, who have been able to observe them. They have tried repeatedly to return to their old nest site to rebuild and have not been able to because the nest materials can no longer be secured.

The pigeons no doubt will be the only ones that will benefit from such arrogance of destruction. Such behavior has tarnished the holiday season.

GAIL LONG
Manhattan

Rockefeller Drug Laws

William F. Hammond Jr. writes that “Lawmakers could at least claim that they had finally settled issues that had stymied them for years,” including Rockefeller drug law reform [“Albany Leaders Retreat Behind Closed Doors,” Page 1, December 9, 2004].

Then why are leaders from both parties, including Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senate Minority Leader David Paterson, and even Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, promising to revisit the drug laws next year?

It’s because the changes agreed to on Tuesday do not meet our tests for “real reform.” While sentences for nonviolent drug crimes are shorter, they are still far too long.

There’s no additional funding for treatment, which a more cost-effective approach than incarceration. Most importantly, district attorneys maintain control of the sentencing process, with no room for judges to take into account mitigating factors such as drug dependence or the defendant’s role in the transaction, only the weight of the drugs involved in the crime.

This week’s law was a mere Rockefeller reduction, not real reform. If we let Governor Pataki and other state leaders claim this issue is “finally settled” to achieve political closure and move on, we’ll be worse off than we were on Monday.

DOUGLAS GREENE
Cedarhurst, N.Y.

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