To the Editor:
Regarding “July jubilation over Israel’s rescue fades as problems drag on” (News Analysis, June 10, front page):
I think this article misses the point. It is true that only four hostages have been released as a result of the Israeli military operation. But the message to Hamas and the Palestinian civilians harboring Israeli hostages is clear: Israel will work to free the hostages, whatever the cost.
The cost would be high — many innocent Palestinians would be killed — and Israel would continue to incur the ire of those who want Israel, not Hamas, to pay the price for its terrorism. But the way to avert these dangers is clear: Hamas should release all the hostages.
If your child was being held hostage by a terrorist organization, would you show restraint, let alone care about world opinion?
Rita C. Tobin
Chappaqua, New York
To the Editor:
It is difficult to celebrate the rescue of the four hostages while looking at the carnage that military operations have inflicted on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, especially when we consider that many more hostages have been released in previous ceasefire negotiations, and the logical conclusion is that not only these four, but many of the remaining hostages could have been released by similar means.
Israel is increasingly being portrayed as only thinking about its own people and not caring about Palestinian lives, which is sad.
Kathy O’Gara
Westfield, New Jersey
To the Editor:
Regarding “Israeli forces free four hostages in Gaza mission” (June 9, front page):
Imagine if Israel had unexpectedly learned that Hamas was hiding four hostages in or beneath central Tel Aviv. Any steps Israel would have taken to protect its civilians living and working in and around it would be exactly what Israel should have taken to protect Palestinian lives in its raid to free the four hostages on Saturday.
Frank Gaipa
Oakland, California
Trump unfit to serve as president, no psychiatric diagnosis necessary
To the Editor:
Regarding Maureen Dowd’s “Oh My God: 34 of 45!” (June 2 column):
Dowd highlights Donald Trump’s inability to accept responsibility for his actions, portraying himself as a martyr whose witnesses were “literally crucified” by “the devil,” Judge Juan Merchan.
His warped, egocentric mindset, perhaps most notably displayed in his recent trial, inevitably raises the question of what Trump’s psychological problems are. Indeed, some friends have asked me if I would be willing to diagnose him. (I’m a psychiatrist and contributed a chapter to “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Diagnose the President,” but have refrained from making a formal diagnosis.)
My answer is the same now as it was then: The central issue is whether Trump is fit to be president, not what mental illness we should label him with.
Unfortunately, given the stigma that still surrounds mental illness, the fact that people with mental illness can thrive in countless roles, and the lack of interest in seeking treatment from a mental health professional, diagnosing Trump is pointless and amounts to name-calling.
The recent trial and conviction once again demonstrate that when Trump is not in charge, he exhibits the same impulsiveness, lack of self-awareness, vengefulness, inability to take responsibility, and contempt for others (e.g., His unique attitude towards various elements such as judges, witnesses and juries characterises his public life.
Thus, without the need for speculation about an underlying diagnosis, it has been confirmed that Trump is completely unfit to serve as president.
Leonard L. Glass
Newton, Massachusetts
The author is an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
John Roberts’ destructive legacy
To the Editor:
Regarding “Roberts Will Not Force Justice to Refuse to Proceed on January 6” (news article, May 31):
Chief Justice John Roberts has cemented his reputation as the man who destroyed the U.S. Supreme Court, as evidenced by his refusal to hold Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas accountable, his refusal to enforce even a minimal and clear code of ethics on the court, and his refusal to discuss the situation with the Senate.
Moreover, Chief Justice Roberts has spent his career working to repeal the Voting Rights Act and ensure fair access to the ballot for minorities, so he is sure to replace Roger Taney as the worst Chief Justice in the history of the Supreme Court.
Peter Lott
Fayetteville, New York
Closing abandoned oil wells
To the Editor:
Regarding “Young people adopt orphaned oil well. Their goal is to shut it down” (news article, May 28):
While the efforts of these teens to raise funds to plug abandoned wells are commendable, the real question is why kids should have to give up their birthday allowances while an industry that makes billions of dollars in profits is allowed to continue passing on the costs of cleanup to the public.
A key strategy for the fossil fuel industry is to pocket the profits while avoiding the costs of plugging and remediating these wells. Negligent state and federal regulators encourage this practice in three ways.
First, they do not require an upfront bond sufficient to cover the actual costs of plugging a well, which typically exceed $100,000, although some states have bond requirements as low as $2,500 per well.
Second, they don’t enforce deadlines for sealing off wells, so wells are often left abandoned long after production has stopped, continuing to leak methane and other pollutants.
Finally, it allows for the transfer of low- or non-producing wells from operators who enjoyed the initial benefits to less-resourced operators who often go bankrupt before completing plugging.
We need to clean up millions of existing orphaned wells across the country, but just as importantly, we need to stop the fossil fuel industry from producing more of these hazards.
Peter Morgan
Denver
The author is a senior attorney at the Sierra Club.
Monarch Butterfly Monument
To the Editor:
After reading “Griefing Beside Me” (Arts & Leisure, May 26), I was struck by the similarities to a recent meeting of our grief support group, Compassionate Friends, where members were given a variety of art and writing materials to help them explore ways to express their grief after the loss of a child, grandchild or sibling.
Our son, Mark, died of myocarditis after running a half marathon. Because butterflies are a symbol of a compassionate friend, my husband and I decided to create a monarch garden in his memory. We dedicated the garden on his birthday, close to the anniversary of when monarch butterflies annually migrate up to 3,000 miles from the northern U.S. and Canada to reach Mexico.
When people stop to admire the flowers at our “Monarch Waystations,” we hand them a plant and explain how important it is to plant host and nectar plants to help save this magnificent but endangered butterfly.
Now beautiful butterflies appear in our garden every day and each one brings back wonderful memories of our beautiful son.
Sharon Austria
Fort Worth
