‘Hevesi’s Hatred’

I frankly don’t buy the argument that State Comptroller Hevesi’s “bullet between the eyes” remark concerning President Bush, at our Queens College commencement, was some “misguided” compliment for Senator Schumer [“Hevesi’s Hatred,” Editorial June 2, 2006]. Rather, it was an appeal to America bashers who frequently find their way onto our nation’s college campuses.

Sad that these metaphoric bullets were not directed to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Osama Bin Laden, or Ayman al Zawahiri and the others who would kill us or make us dhimmies or infidel tribute-payers. Whatever Americans opine about their president, it is indisputable that, unlike his father or his immediate predecessor, George W. “gets it” with the Islamo-fascists.

JEFFREY S. WIESENFELD
Manhattan
Mr. Wiesenfeld is a trustee of the City University of New York

I am certain Alan Hevesi did not mean it when he said that Senator Schumer would like to put a bullet between the eyes of the president.

I’m sure Mr. Hevesi, or at least his staff, read The New York Sun regularly and would know that Mr. Schumer’s weapon of choice would be the “Dagger.”

DENNIS LESKO
Stratford, Conn.

‘The Central Park Car Test’

We are not surprised that Henry J. Stern resorts to name-calling while making his case that a car free Central Park is impossible [“The Central Park Car Test,” Page 1, June 7, 2006].

When he was parks commissioner, he liked to label those who favored a car-free park as “‘zealots.” (For the record, there are now 102,000 zealots in New York, signers of a petition for a car-free park.)

But we are surprised that Mr. Stern is still trotting out the same shopworn predictions of “disastrous” traffic consequences.

Thanks to the incremental increases in car-free hours over the years, the volume of traffic now using Central Park and Prospect Park is a fraction of what it once was. No fewer than three former commissioners of New York City’s Department of Transportation now say that completely closing Central Park to traffic will have no discernible impact on the streets that surround the park.

But reasonable minds can disagree, and only a real-world test will finally put to rest the dire predictions of Chicken Littles like Mr. Stern. That’s why we propose a trial closing of the park to cars during the summer months.

Far from being “anti-car,” as Mr. Stern alleges, we are simply “pro-park.” We are shocked that a former parks commissioner would not also be pro-park enough to put his fears to the test.

KENNETH M. COUGHLIN
Chair
Transportation Alternatives’ Car-Free Central Park Campaign
www.transalt.org
Manhattan

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