Letters to the Editor

‘Fake IDs Openly Made and Sold’I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for writing the article “Fake IDs Openly Made and Sold in New York City” [Daniela Gerson, Page 1, December 6, 2005].The proliferation of illegal documents along Roosevelt Avenue has no doubt become a very important topic. This illegal practice represents a national security concern and, at the same time, it reminds us of the many obstacles that immigrants are faced with.By reporting on this very important issue, you were able to inform and make the public aware of its importance. Many of my constituents, who became aware of the article, have since contacted my office to become better acquainted.JOSE R. PERALTANew York State Assembly Member39th Assembly DistrictElmhurst, Corona, and Jackson Heights, Queens‘Lessons of 25 Years’Michael Barone’s column [“Lessons of 25 years,” Opinion, December 19, 2005] emphasizes a belief that I have held for the past 15 years and reiterated with obsession the week of Ronald Reagan’s death.The Cold War was a depressing time to be an American, and having Jimmy Carter as our president was even more depressing. For me, the depression was at its height when I was in my early teens and America was being humiliated as Iranian militants seized control of our embassy in Tehran, and paraded daily the 50 American hostages – some of them U.S. Marine guards still dressed in camouflage fatigues – blindfolded through the compound’s courtyard.The humiliation grew as Mr. Carter ordered a covert rescue mission that failed when the rescue-helicopters flew into a sandstorm and crashed in the Iranian desert before reaching the embassy. Still worse, the militants publicly displayed the charred bodies of the American servicemen killed in the crash in the streets of Tehran. Elder friends of my family who had served in the military in World War II and Korea could not believe what they were witnessing, and I shared in their pain and degradation.Mr. Barone is correct when he states that the hostages were released after 444 days the moment Reagan took office because the militants feared he would unleash the force that Mr. Carter had been so reluctant to use.In 1980, it was common belief that America was a fading power. The nation went into a frenzy as our Olympic hockey team upset that of the mighty Soviets at the Winter Olympics largely because there was so little else to cheer about at the time.In 1980, America was the underdog. By 1989, after Reagan’s two terms as president, nobody was saying that America was a fading power, but they were instead measuring just how far ahead of the world we had moved and speculating if there was any limit to our power. We are now considered the most dominant “empire” since that of the Romans.I’d say Ronald Reagan was an effective president.CHRISTOPHER LANZILLOTTIManhattanMr. Lanzillotti is co-district leader of the 69th Assembly District (Upper West Side).‘Transit Battle and Civil Rights’Jamal Watson’s column, “Transit Battle Is Tied to Civil Rights,” misses the point completely [New York, December 21, 2005]. That 34,000 Metropolitan Transportation Authority union workers can hold 7,500,000 New Yorkers hostage belies the democratic process.MTA union members not only have all their civil rights, but, moreover, abuse these rights by illegally striking while commanding higher salaries and benefits than other civil servants, teachers, fireman, and police officers.The MTA surplus belongs to the commuters of New York for upgrading and improving the transportation infrastructure, not to the union workers. If anybody’s civil rights are being abused, it is those of the 7,500,000 New York daily commuters. To confuse greed and power with civil rights misses the point entirely.ROBERT C. LOBELManhattanMr. Lobel is a developer in New York.‘Imagining Israel’s Future’All whose imagination is captured by Israel pray for the strength and wellbeing of Prime Minister Sharon [“Imagining Israel’s Future,” Hillel Halkin, Opinion, December, 20, 2005].In a country where no premiership is uneventful, Mr. Sharon is already all but assured a place among those leaders – like David Ben-Gurion, Menachem Begin, and Yitzhak Rabin – to leave a truly indelible mark on the Jewish state.Whatever one thinks of his daring moves in battle or in the struggle for peace, Mr. Sharon, even at age 77, epitomizes Israelis’ constant striving for new horizons.We can only be left to wonder at the vigor, ingenuity, and spirit of Israel’s old-time pioneers. We can only wonder when Palestinians, too, might have leaders with the will to do that which is necessary for a brighter future.DAVID J. MICHAELSWashington, D.C.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.

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

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