‘Mournful Day in Gaza’

While Hillel Halkin made the appropriate sympathetic clucking noises in his article “Mournful Day in Gaza” [Opinion, August 16, 2005], I was flabbergasted by a very inappropriate analogy he made. He posited,” … but many countries have relocated larger numbers of inhabitants for peaceful goals like dam construction or urban renewal without their personal tragedies being interpreted as national ones.”

This analogy is misleading and erroneous on its most fundamental level. While it is true that populations have been moved for the welfare of their communities at large, the only ones who are benefiting from this forced “relocation” are those who have terrorized these Jews and murdered their relatives with impunity. In effect, these peace-loving and productive Jewish citizens – who bought their homes legally from the state of Israel while not displacing a soul – are now being compelled to relinquish all the fruits of their backbreaking labor to their tormentors!

Even their dead will not be able to rest in peace, as their graves need to be dug up for fear of Arab desecration. (Every community in the past that was handed over to the Arabs suffered from grave defilements.) When in civilized history has such an atrocity been perpetrated and yet applauded by so many?

ADINA KUTNICKI
Ridgewood, N.J.

‘Boy Genius’

Re: “When the Boy Genius Made Fun of Himself,” Fred Kirshnit, Arts & Letters, August 16, 2005. Fred Kirshnit is certainly correct in asserting that the singing of Mozart requires not only technique but feeling.

Meanwhile, he is mistaken as he writes: “There is an entire school of singing in India called the Carnatic, wherein the most expert practitioners have expunged all emotions from their melodic lines.” In traditional Indian music making – whether Hindustani or Carnatic – it is expected that the musician suffuse all that he or she does with “Rasa” – with a core emotion. As Eli Siegel, the great American philosopher of the arts, so importantly explained: “All beauty is a making one of opposites, and the making one of opposites is what we are going after in ourselves.”

I have taught ethnomusicology at Manhattan School of Music for 20 years, and have seen that everywhere in the world, whenever music has been honestly cared for, it is because logic and emotion, passion and control, warmth and coolness have been made one. This is true equally of the music of Mozart and his near contemporary, the Carnatic composer Tyagaraja.

EDWARD GREEN
Manhattan

‘The Democrats Debate’

The New York Sun editorial [“The Democrats Debate,” August 17, 2005] was way off base in claiming that Congressman Anthony Weiner’s proposal to ending finger-imaging for food stamp applicants would increase welfare fraud.

While finger-imaging – which now takes place in only a handful of states – has never been proved to reduce fraud in the food stamp program, it has cost New York State taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. No wonder that the process, originally developed for the criminal justice system, has never been required for programs that benefit mostly middle- or upper-class New Yorkers. Thus, the actual impact of finger-imaging is wasting large amounts of money just to punish poor people for being poor.

Moreover, the food stamp program provides nutrition assistance, not welfare benefits. In fact, there is ample evidence that food stamp benefits often reduce the need for welfare by helping low-income working families – some of whom previously received welfare – to obtain the food their family needs without needing to rely upon other forms of public assistance. Removing the finger-imaging requirement would make it more likely that such working families would feel comfortable applying for food benefits.

Congressman Weiner – as well as many other Democrats and Republicans who support ending finger-imaging – should be applauded for their call to use tax dollars more wisely.

JOEL BERG
Executive Director
New York City Coalition Against Hunger
Manhattan

‘Soaring Gasoline Prices’

Re: “Soaring Gasoline Prices Inflict Pain on Cabbies, Drivers, City Budget,” Daniel Hemel, Page 1, August 16, 2005. The Taxi and Limousine Commission chief of staff, Ira Goldstein, claims that they have not received any complaints from taxicab drivers on the topic. This statement is ludicrous on its face.

Gas prices, which have risen 70 cents a gallon in just the past few months, are the main topic of conversation among drivers who are shelling out $10-$15 more for gas per day.

It just shows that the New York City TLC is totally divorced from reality. In fact, as trucking companies, airlines, and most business entities that are gasoline-based tack on fuel surcharges, the fact that the TLC is not even considering such an increase shows the contempt the agency has for beleaguered hacks.

LAWRENCE GOLDBERG
Manhattan

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