‘The Truth About Hillary’

Re: “The Truth About Hillary,” Editorial, June 22, 2005. In this day, anyone who enters the political arena has to expect that his or her personal life is going to be examined and, at times, put on display. Hillary Clinton is no different. Maybe there are valid reasons for why she is such a polarizing figure and the subject of disdain by many. Maybe it’s because she changes and nuances her positions as often as she changes the color of her hair. Maybe it’s because she is so obvious in her pandering to anyone she thinks is important to have in her corner. Maybe it’s because she does not instill trust but does instill extreme skepticism about her ability to lead.

NANCY BARELL
Registered Democrat
Manhattan

‘Only Half Saved’

The recent op-ed about the interior spaces of the Plaza Hotel [“Only Half Saved,” Ronald S. Lauder, Opinion, June 16, 2005] disregards the facts. Certainly these are among the most special and wonderful public spaces in the city. We are a private entity, but we care deeply about their enormous historical importance and value. We are committed to restoring them in all their historical splendor for the enjoyment of New Yorkers and visitors from around the world.

However, these grand public spaces are in a residential zone, introduced in 1961 long after these commercial spaces had been established. A special permit, which requires a positive report from the Landmarks Preservation Commission, is needed to allow their future continued commercial operation. The special permit is needed to allow the Oak Bar and Oak Room to continue as fine food and beverage establishments after restoration, and to continue the storied traditions of the Palm Court and the Grand Ball Room. These plans reflect our agreement with the union, mediated by City Hall.

It should also be clear that in order to preserve the public rooms, we also need to preserve the Plaza itself. That means restoring the majestic roof and repairing it so it doesn’t leak (to prevent water from cascading into the Palm Court during a heavy rain, for example). More than 60 rooms were unusable due to water damage. Plumbing, wiring, air-conditioning, and wiring are badly outmoded and will also be replaced so that the landmark’s elegance will be complemented by state-of-the-art systems – all part of the essential $350 million renovation.

On the eve of the hearing before the Landmarks Preservation Commission, we want to make it clear that we consider restoring these great spaces and insuring their continued operation to be at the very heart and soul of maintaining the Plaza’s magnificent legacy. We are committed to bringing these great spaces, and the landmark itself, back to life, enhancing the quality of our property and our city.

MIKI NAFTALI
Chief Executive Officer
Elad Properties
Manhattan

‘Rep. King & the IRA’

Re: “Rep. King and the IRA: The End of an Extraordinary Affair?” Ed Moloney, Page 1, June 22, 2005. I am glad that there has finally been some coverage on this issue. I’ll quickly meander down memory lane without stumbling. Like Mr. King, I was a staunch supporter of the Irish Republican movement for many years. We do not live in stasis, and that being said, the world is a different place than it was in the early 1980s.

Not that I have come to the conclusion that Britain was right all along in its policy regarding the north of Ireland, but certain things do have to be looked at. Sinn Fein and the IRA have always had a leftist bent, a fact that has been fluffed over by its Irish American counterparts. Organizations like Irish Northern Aid counted on the ethnic consciousness, primordial tribalness, and not so subconscious anti-British feeling of the Irish in America and their descendants. Facts such as the horrors of the H-Block, homes raided, and innocent children being murdered by British plastic bullets were mixed up with many a pint of Guinness and a bar or two of a rousing rebel ballad.

Not much effort was made by the Irish-American community (except those few that were intoxicated by worldwide socialism) to see how what was going on in Northern Ireland fit into the larger scope of things. Very little objective analysis was happening at the time.

I cannot be hard on Mr. King for either his past support of “terrorists” or his current “abandoning the team.” The events of September 11 have spun the heads of us all. No American looks at the world in the same way as he had done beforehand. Yes, Mr. King has been much more of a public figure than I have ever been or care to be, but like the rest of us, he is not a static human being encrusted in mummified stances. He, like myself, is entitled to reevaluate those stances on Northern Ireland or anyplace else in the world without the world pointing a hypocritical finger at him.

DAVID CARL
Manhattan

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