Pack it in, Blaz!
To The Editor:
Re “Hey, Bill! Can the campaign” (editorial, July 25):
Mayor Bill de Blasio for president belongs in the comics section.
Democrats Governor Andrew Cuomo and de Blasio have a lot in common with the late Republicans Governor Nelson Rockefeller and New York City Mayor John Lindsay, along with Governor George Pataki and Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The same is true for the late Democrat Governor Mario Cuomo and Mayor Ed Koch.
Cuomo, like his father Mario, Rockefeller and Pataki, and de Blasio, like Lindsay and Guiliani, will never come close to winning any primaries, let alone occupy the White House.
Better to spend your time packing for moving back to your old Park Slope, Brooklyn, home when your term ends in December 2021.
Larry Penner
‘Angel’ on Avenue A
To The Editor:
Re “‘Angel’ buyer saves E. 10th St. Boys’ Club house” (news article, July 25):
I represent an affordable housing group in the Lower East Side and send our deepest appreciation to whoever, in his or her private life, provided this exceptional action on behalf of the community.
For those of us who cannot, but have the will to do something similar for our community, we thank you.
Herman Hewitt
Hewitt is president of the board of directors, Lower East Side People’s Mutual Housing Association.
Smoke ’im if you got ’im
To The Editor:
Re “Paul Krassner, 87, Yippies co-founder, editor” (obituary, July 25):
I knew Paul Krassner. Your reporter Mary Reinholz wrote a great obit that totally captured this unique character.
In the summer of ’69 on Fire Island, Paul stated his final wishes. He said he wanted to be cremated and his ashes rolled up in a joint to be smoked by his friends.
Emily J. Goodman
Goodman is a retired New York State Supreme Court justice
Krassner didn’t pave Trump’s way
To The Editor:
Re Re “Paul Krassner, 87, Yippies co-founder, editor” (obituary, July 25):
Nice piece, but I must take issue with the notion that counterculture pranksterism paved the way for post-truth Trumpism. What Krassner did was real satire — not fake news.
It is obvious that Trump represents the backlash against the cultural and political advances of the ’60s. He is using Hitler’s Big Lie technique. Krassner and the Yippies were tweaking those in power with biting satire. They are opposites.
Rex Weiner was an early inspiration of mine. I remember reading his great stuff in High Times when I was a teenager out in Queens. But he is reading this one wrong. Sorry.
Bill Weinberg
Kallos will roll
To The Editor:
Re “Kallos/D.O.T. bike-safety forum draws 3” (news article, July 25):
Ben Kallos will organize and get a better turnout as Manhattan borough president. And he’ll have those helmets, always a draw and a real safety gift.
Alan Flacks
Martial arts good for girls, too
To The Editor:
“Dr. Sutton on keeping girls in sports” (Youth and Education article, July 25):
For fitness and practical application, martial arts are wonderful. After studying martial arts as a single parent, I was able to protect myself, family and friends. Martial arts trained my neuromuscular system so that, as I age, I can wake muscles up quickly. The katas are a meditation. It trained me in self-discipline and concentration, and the competition was mainly with myself, my own ability. I cannot recommend martial arts enough for girls (and boys, too).
Lynn Pacifico
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