LETTERS: Hate crime, bullying, jobs, cancer

Cheers to police for school bus arrests

I'd like to applaud Det. Lt. John MacEwen and all the detectives at the Nassau police Second Squad for stepping up and doing the right thing by enforcing the law against those involved in the latest bias hate crime ["Hate crime on school bus," News, Oct. 15].

Unfortunately, this seems to be the only way people will get the message that the police will no longer tolerate this kind of behavior. It's a shame it has to get to this point for people to change.

Jen Seagul

Massapequa

I wonder if we are having an unusual surge of gay hate crimes or if it's just now being publicized. I think it's always been going on.

Parents need to step up teaching tolerance and acceptance to their children.

My 14-year-old niece is being bullied because she is bright, beautiful and talented. Her mother was actually told by the other parents and teachers that the kids should work it out themselves.

Parents need to stop living in denial and get involved, albeit carefully, to quickly defuse this very serious and potentially dangerous situation.

Peggy Kelly

Smithtown

The Chinese took our manufacturing jobs

Robert Reich must be living in a cave ["Don't blame China for wealth gap at home," Opinion, Oct. 15]. If he ever walked around Walmart, Home Depot or other big-box stores, he would be hard-pressed to find anything not made in China or some other low-cost country.

Chinese imports have decimated manufacturing in this country. Ask me or any other manufacturer who is struggling to compete with them. Ask the millions of unemployed who formerly worked in manufacturing.

The Chinese workers producing those goods don't pay federal, state or local taxes. They don't shop in the big-box stores or anywhere else in this country, and they certainly can't buy a house in your neighborhood.

The Chinese have successfully exported their unemployment while we have imported ours. As the old Walt Kelly comic strip character Pogo said, "We have met the enemy and he is us."

Peter Greenfield

Freeport

Less sympathy and cash for lung cancer

Thank you for addressing the extremely important issue of additional funding that is needed for all types of cancer research ["The neglected cancers," Editorial, Oct. 11].

This topic has been repeatedly discussed at my lung cancer support group. Lung cancer kills more people than breast, colon and prostate cancer combined. Yet the funding for lung cancer research is sorely lacking. Most people associate it with smoking, although many people diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked.

Barbara Burkley

Mount Sinai