Letters to the Editor
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
‘Israel’s Folly’
Re: “Israel’s Folly,” Daniel Pipes, Foreign, April 5, 2005. Mr. Pipes said it clearly and correctly.We can only repeat his words about Ariel Sharon’s betrayal of the Israeli people who voted for him overwhelmingly on the opposite program from the one he is now imposing on his people. The entire Western world will suffer as a result of Mr. Sharon’s policy of appeasement and retreat.
As Americans who have been Israel’s allies since its creation as a state, it is our obligation to press President Bush to reject partnership in this blow to America’s war on terrorism. We hope the Crawford meeting between Messrs. Bush and Sharon will clarify those issues. Land for peace has never worked. It emboldens the enemy and delivers “pieces” to the pacifiers. As Mr. Pipes stated, “Mr. Sharon betrayed the voters who supported him, wounding Israeli democracy. He divided Israeli society in ways that may poison the body politic for decades hence. He aborted his own successful policies vis-a-vis the Palestinians. He delivered Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim rejectionists their greatest boost ever. And he failed his American ally by delivering a major victory to the forces of terrorism.”
HELEN FREEDMAN
Executive Director
Americans For a Safe Israel
Manhattan
‘Annan’s Friend’
In his March 14, 2005, article, Benny Avni stated that Ruder Finn was paid to work for the Nigerian government under Sani Abacha [“How Annan’s Friend Made Big Money Helping a Dictator,” Page 1, March 14, 2005].
Ruder Finn’s commitment to ethical conduct is very much part of its culture. The firm’s Ethics Committee has been in existence since the 1950s and states in its Guidelines on Ethics: “We do not want to be involved in any public relations activity that we believe defends or endorses the suppression of human rights anywhere in the world.”
Therefore, Ruder Finn recommended that a study be conducted to report how U.S. experts, including those in government and academia, as well as other knowledgeable public figures, perceived the Abacha regime.
Ruder Finn conducted the survey in which those interviewed stated that the Abacha regime was a brutal dictatorship, that it should end the practice of torture and illegal imprisonments, and that a democratic election should take place.
The report was delivered to the Nigerian ambassador to the United Nations. That was the full extent of Ruder Finn’s involvement.
EMMANUEL TCHIVIDJIAN
SVP and Ethics Officer
Ruder Finn Inc.
Manhattan
‘Never More Magnificent’
It’s hard to argue with James Gardner’s love affair with walking in New York City [“Never More Magnificent Than on a Warm Day,” James Gardner, Arts & Letters, April 4, 2005].
A true New Yorker can appreciate the subtle finds of quaint historic buildings tucked somewhere between some postmodern goliaths; hidden nooks; unique, if not short-lived shops; and even the occasional odd intersection formed at the seamline where different conflicting street grids merge.
Yet for all such serendipitous pleasantries, it is no surprise that New York has fallen to no. 7 in the national ranking of walkable cities.
As a transportation engineer, I cast a much more critical eye on the constrictions that narrow our sidewalks. To name a few: curb side food vendors causing long lines; cheap designer knockoff merchants vending their wares splayed out on oversized blankets ready for quick getaways; freestanding newspaper kiosks rabbit-multiplying at our corners; BID refuse bags awaiting pickup; and flower-pot barricades in front of seemingly every building.
Recently, two new free newspapers are being distributed by hawkers standing in our way at subway and terminal entrances.
Back in June 1998, part of Mayor Giuliani’s civility campaign endeavored to clear the sidewalks for walkers by banning vendors on some 144 Midtown blocks through auspices of his Sidewalk Vendor Review Panel.
In 2000, Vancouver enacted a similar policy limiting street vendors. Perhaps its time to revisit that Giuliani panel’s findings so we can walk freely again along our sidewalks.
My petulance aside, the mystery is not that we ranked as low as seventh, but that the city placed that high.
STEVEN P.SCALICI
Staten Island
Please address letters intended for publication to the Editor of The New York Sun. Letters may be sent by e-mail to editor@nysun.com, facsimile to 212-608-7348, or post to 105 Chambers Street, New York City 10007. Please include a return address and daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited.
