LIRR schedules, Union Square riot, and the birth control pill 

LIRR is giving us a wrong-way ticket

By ending the popular 20-trip ticket, which many commuters now use in lieu of a monthly ticket due to fewer required workdays in Manhattan, the Long Island Rail Road is again showing that it believes the customer is there to serve the railroad “Restore 20-trip ticket discount,” Editorial, Aug. 8]. I always thought it was the other way around.

— Doug Heimowitz, Jericho

Rail times need changes? Oh yeah!

It’s nice to see Gerard Bringmann, chairman of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the LIRR Council, pat himself and the LIRR on the back for some of the schedule changes and tweaks [“More LIRR schedule changes needed,” Opinion, Aug. 1]. But there’s so much more to do.

My situation, regarding morning trains to Penn Station out of Baldwin, boggles my mind.

Can Bringmann or anyone explain why there are three direct Baldwin trains to Penn ranging from departure times of 6:52 a.m. to 7:21 a.m., then not another until 8:30 a.m. — a gap of 69 minutes?

Three other trains in that gap go elsewhere — two to Grand Central and one to Brooklyn. The 8:30 train is then the first of three more direct trains to Penn through 9:03 a.m. — a gap of only 33 minutes — each of which averages about 38 minutes per trip.

How did someone come up with this plan and, more troublesome to me, how did a superior actually see this scheduling plan and say, yes, this is a good idea, let’s implement it?

— Warren Meyer, Oceanside

Different views on Union Square riot

On Friday, a 21-year-old social media influencer caused mayhem in Union Square, a public park, with a reckless a message to his followers [“Union Square riot charges,” News, Aug. 6]. The park was trashed, and several people were injured. He should be held accountable for his actions, though it is unlikely that his intention was to cause a riot.

On Jan. 6, 2021, a 74-year-old president, with repeated lies, incendiary speech and a determination to stay in power through deceitful methods, signaled to his followers to storm the U.S. Capitol and stop the peaceful transition of power. The Capitol was trashed, leading to deaths, including a police officer, and many were injured. We came close to losing our democracy.

Kai Cenat, the young Black influencer, was charged with inciting a riot. Former President Donald Trump, though, facing other charges now, was not charged with inciting a riot.

A double standard? Perhaps, but not the same double standard that Trump supporters complain about.

— Michael Golden, Great Neck

Taxpayers and the city should not pay for the cleanup and repairs to Union Square. It should be paid mostly by online streamer Kai Cenat as well as those arrested in the riot.

The 30 juveniles of the 65 arrested should not get off free. Let their parents pay proportional shares of the cleanup and repairs, and let the juveniles do community service by physically cleaning the park. Let them scrape the paint off the pavement.

— Orlando T. Maione, Stony Brook

I commend the NYPD for the restraint they exhibited at this riot. What I don’t understand in viewing the police response is the almost total lack of helmets and plexiglass shields as seen in the media.

I saw commanders using their hands to block and deflect assorted flying objects and another holding a piece of construction plywood to thwart being struck.

Is there not enough room in the trunk of a police vehicle to carry proper protective gear? This needs to be figured out.

— Fred Eavarone, Huntington Station

Address side effects of birth control pill

Newsday’s editorial “FDA is right on birth control pill” [Opinion, July 31] fails to cover the possible negative consequences that hormonal birth control (HBC) can cause women, although they may be relatively rare. Unfortunately, women’s health is often undermined by side effects that get swept aside in favor of the perceived societal need of the moment: Decades ago, it was overpopulation; now, unplanned pregnancies because of the Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court.

Several older-generation HBC products had been deemed “safe” drugs but had to be discontinued after injury, or they were relabeled with stronger warnings. The over-the-counter Opill contains progestin, which could cause side effects that, although generally mild, may include irregular vaginal bleeding, headaches, nausea, abdominal pain and a slight risk of breast cancer.

Fertility is not a disease. A better allocation of resources could educate women on the nuances of how their bodies work. Putting synthetic hormones into a healthy woman’s body isn’t always necessary.

— Amanda Bonagura, Floral Park