LIers respond to Harris' nomination

Congratulations to Sen. Kamala Harris as the first Black woman vice presidential candidate [“Biden chooses Kamala Harris as his running mate,” News, Aug. 12]. Way to go, former Vice President Joe Biden! A historic pick. It takes a real man to pick a woman as his running mate. Was she chosen because she’s special, or is she special because she was chosen?

Susan Marie Davniero,

Lindenhurst

I believe what we are now being subjected to is a separation of Americans by the political parties and media. Why is it so important that the media feels obligated to tell us about someone’s standing based on skin color, ethnic origin, religion, gender or sexual preference? As Americans, are we to “align” ourselves with an individual based on a similarity to one of these “categories” and nothing else? Worse yet is the political parties’ belief that we will diminish our vote’s value based, again, on the “categorizing” of a candidate. As if voters will give absolutely no consideration to a candidate’s qualifications based on political history and integrity. As the great-grandson of legal immigrants to the United States, I was raised to believe in “one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” And not to tolerate anything that stands in the way of that.

Shame on the media, politicians and political parties whose actions are segmenting and amplifying “differences” instead of bringing Americans together. Will we live by these words spoken by Abraham Lincoln 162 years ago: “A house divided against itself cannot stand”? Or will we fail as a nation because we do not?

Michael J. Genzale,

Shoreham

As I listened to the first Biden-Harris news conference with former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris, I thought I would get sick when I heard the Democrats’ presumptive presidential candidate call out President Donald Trump, incorrectly I say, for anti-Semitism while not having the courage to call out the “gang of four” Democratic congresswomen for what I see as their undisguised anti-Semitism [“Biden chooses Kamala Harris as his running mate,” News, Aug. 12]. But, to me, this just echoes the same deafness we see from other Democratic Party leaders, especially the New York delegates to the Senate and House, who seem to be too scared to say the obvious and ruffle their feathers. Neither candidate mentioned the lawlessness taking place in many Democratic-led cities and what the Biden-Harris ticket would do, if anything, to stop it. Perhaps it is time for the silent, law-abiding majority to step up, say we will not take these liberal politicians’ excuses anymore and show how we respect and appreciate our police departments. Remember, all lives matter!

Herbert Salus,

Melville

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris’ introductory speeches immediately reminded me of the goodness and greatness that is America [“Biden chooses Kamala Harris as his running mate,” News, Aug. 12]. They exposed how far we’ve allowed President Donald Trump to lead our country down to a dark and dangerous place. This upcoming election couldn’t be clearer — it’s up to us to choose good over evil, light over darkness, science over opinion, truth over lies, and mercy over cruelty.

Martin Geller,

Manhasset

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character is incompatible with presidential candidate Joe Biden and the Democratic Party’s agenda. Their goal was to select, to the exclusion of all others, a woman of color as a vice presidential running mate. This meant white transgender persons and all others need not apply. Does the Democratic Party believe competence and fitness for high office can only be found in the women-of-color demographic? If Democrats are looking for an example of systemic racism, they found it.

Ed Konecnik,

Flushing

Senate should pass USPS Fairness Act

Here’s another case of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer grandstanding instead of doing his job [“Call to fund Postal Service,” News, Aug. 13]. In 2006, Congress passed a law that imposed extraordinary costs on the U.S. Postal Service. This law made the Postal Service the only federal agency or business required to prefund retiree benefits. It effectively caused the post office to operate for the past 14 years with an annual loss. The House has passed the USPS Fairness Act, which would eliminate the prefund requirement. It’s time the Senate did the same. The Postal Service does not need funding — it needs to be treated fairly by Congress like all other federal agencies and follow generally accepted accounting standards like any other business. Schumer should stop grandstanding and return to Washington and pass the USPS Fairness Act.

Richard Breen,

Hewlett