Newsday letters to the editor for Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018

Judge was wrong to release suspect

Everyone should be outraged that a person who had been in police custody was released — and then a few days later allegedly killed nurse Samantha Stewart, 29, of Queens [“Court released suspect,” News, July 28].

Danueal Drayton of Brooklyn was arrested on June 30 in Nassau County and held on charges of strangulation and trespass against an ex-girlfriend, but was released by District Court Judge Erica Prager on July 5. She released him over objections of the Nassau prosecutor’s office.

Stewart was found dead in her apartment on July 17; authorities said she suffered trauma to her neck and head. Drayton was arrested in Los Angeles on July 25 after a warrant was issued by the Queens district attorney.

Prager should be held accountable and face the family of Stewart to explain why she released this man.

I implore everyone to read about and make informed decisions when voting for local judges. It is important to the preservation of our society.

Robert Damato, Floral Park

How in the world did Danueal Drayton, a violent criminal with felony convictions in Connecticut, get freed by Judge Erica Prager? Now he is suspected of killing a woman in Queens just a few weeks after being charged with choking another woman!

If that judge had made the correct decision to keep that violent man in jail, Samantha Stewart would be alive today.

I pray for the Stewart family, which is enduring a tragic loss.

Laura Whitley, Garden City

Trump, the truth and the presidency

Years from now, when we and the rest of the world have had time to catch our breaths to reflect on the Trump years, there’s no doubt we’ll be aghast at how one man could come so close to ripping apart the fabric of America as we know it [“Orwell redux,” Editorial, July 29].

Tomes will be written by historians, sociologists and psychiatrists as they meticulously dissect his rise to power, his cultlike hold on the Republican Party and his mastery of deceitfulness.

When we as a nation realize how close the specter of fascism crept upon us through the sheer will of one man, Congress will pass legislation to limit executive powers to help prevent this travesty from happening again in our country.

Martin Geller, Manhasset

So the Newsday editorial board believes we should take President Donald Trump literally and seriously. I disagree.

Nearly all presidents exaggerate to make themselves look good and to disparage their opponents. However, if you wish to apply this standard, then apply it to all presidents. A few examples from President Barack Obama demonstrate my point.

As a presidential candidate, Obama said President George W. Bush ran up budget deficits that were “unpatriotic.” Was he? Under Obama, the national debt nearly doubled.

When police in Cambridge, Massachusetts, arrested a black professor who was trying to unjam the door of his own home in 2009, Obama said police “acted stupidly.” Did they?

Obama told us, “You’ll be able to keep your doctor.” How many of us did? He said we could keep our health plans and that premiums bought through the Affordable Care Act would go down. How many did?

The worst was when he said in 2010 that Republicans would have to “sit in the backseat” as Democrats metaphorically drove a car representing the vehicle of government. That was a racially charged statement. Should we have taken it literally?

Presidents should control their rhetoric to lead by example, and by being divisive, Obama failed, and now Trump is failing, to unite our country. Our presidents need to remember they represent all Americans. They should respect their opponents as much as their supporters.

Gregg Freedner, Ronkonkoma

As a longtime subscriber to Newsday, I have never been prouder than I am today. Your editorial comparing 1984 to today was right on target.

Sheila Kafka, Melville

The editorial and opinion pages in Sunday Newsday were quite revealing.

On one page were letters from readers offering opinions of President Donald Trump. One conclusion is clear: If you think the president should be a leader who helps to unite the country, the current occupant has failed.

Meanwhile, your editorial compared the vision of George Orwell to the current reality of Trump. The conclusion from reading that is even more chilling: The divide that is being created in this country by this president has the potential to undermine our Constitution, every branch of government and the freedom of the press.

It has never been more important for every citizen to be well informed and to get their news from multiple sources. If you hear something that is contrary to what you believe, question it and research it, but try to understand what that source is saying and why he or she might be saying it.

Our best course of action as citizens of this wonderful country is to enter into a meaningful dialogue on how to resolve our issues with the understanding that neither side has a monopoly on the truth.

James Conner, Rocky Point