Reignite the free American spirit of 1776
Manhattan: On the horizon is a most appropriate, albeit unofficial, celebration of the forthright spirit of America 250. On Oct. 17, good citizens who value now-embattled democratic ideals can band together nationwide to proclaim, “No kings!” Increasingly compelling numbers of people support the Presidential Greatness Project’s expert consensus that President Trump is the worst president in America’s history. By now, no lucid, decent person would ignore the stark evidence of this self-serving public enemy’s oppressive litany of lawless abuses and failures.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. The corrupt Tea-rumplican Party, the uber-swampy MAGA GOP, is blatantly just as heinous as this destructive madman, all worthless misleaders. If not for these hypocrites’ complicity, this traitor and his ruinations would be long gone, duly removed and potentially imprisoned, especially after he engineered the domestic terrorism of the Jan. 6 insurrection. This modern GOP is Trump’s equally evil twin, the worst party in America’s history.
Minding these truths, the next opportunity to raise the Spirit of ’76 will be Election Day 2026. If every citizen honors their duty to vote to uphold democracy, yielding results too big to rig, “We the People” can defeat all the machinations the GOP will attempt, positively advancing toward restoring true-blue democracy, and ultimately, after steady reconstructive strides, the liberating jubilation of a resurrected America 253!
Phil Vanaria
Drive ICE out
Manhattan: Shootings are at a record low in New York City. Yet, gunfire erupted in the Marble Hill neighborhood on Thursday afternoon, 10 blocks from my home. A driver was shot in the neck as school was letting out and students and parents were heading home near 225th St. Irony alert: The shooter is taxpayer-funded. Instead of uniforms, badges or body cameras, ICE agents wear face masks and impersonate construction workers. They stage operations from Target’s parking lot and shoot people on crowded streets. ICE is not making anyone safer. They shot this man while his 5-year-old son watched from the back seat. Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark is already on the case. Mayor Mamdani, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and the rest of the city administration must take action to drive ICE out of NYC. And every New Yorker should vote early.
Carol Hillson
Child endangerment
Suffern, N.Y.: ICE agents shot into a car in Marble Hill that had a 5-year-old child in it. When I get out of my car, it tells me to check the rear seat. Shouldn’t that be the first thing ICE agents check?
Rick Sinclair
Field-execution attempt
Manhattan: While Homeland Security chief Markwayne Mullin splutters about the worst of the worst, his out-of-control ICE agents shot Oscar Belgal for a crime of property. Belgal had no history of violence. He was a thief. Are we in the world of “Les Miz,” where Jean Valjean serves 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread? Even Valjean wasn’t shot for his crime. The worst of the worst are ICE agents who shoot into moving vehicles, regardless of children in the back seat, and on crowded streets. No legitimate law enforcement agency does these things. Commissioner Tisch must start arresting these violent ICE criminals so the district attorneys can prosecute them. Appealing to Trump is useless. Deny ICE access to all city and state property. Sticker their illegally parked vehicles. Elected officials can help make life for ICE agents as miserable as possible in New York.
Laurie Aron
Killer agents
Scarsdale, N.Y.: Mullin says he’s going after the worst of the worst. I think he might wanna start in his own backyard.
John Kern
Municipal power
Kitchener, Ontario: Masked, gun-happy thugs from ICE shot yet another unarmed civilian driver, this time with his 5-year-old in the back seat of his car. That’s at least 21 people shot at by federal agents since early 2025, including seven who died of their wounds. The NYPD cleared the path for an ICE motorcade leaving the hospital where the shooting victim was being treated, and rescued ICE agents who felt threatened by the protesting crowd. Mamdani condemned the shooting strongly, but he needs to do more. He should forbid the NYPD from cooperating with ICE in any such ways, and forbid ICE agents from parking in municipally owned parking lots. New Yorkers who want to feel safe in their streets should call the mayor’s office and demand that he take these actions.
Al Daigen
Bound to happen
Manhattan: The reprehensible shooting of Oscar Belgal by ICE agents on a crowded street, with a 5-year-old in the car that took seven bullets, is both unacceptable and totally predictable. It doesn’t matter whether Belgal had a criminal record or if ICE knew a child was in the car. You don’t fire shots where innocent people can get hit. This is what happens when ICE prioritizes deportation quotas over public safety. ICE has been quietly abducting thousands of New Yorkers while repeated calls by Mamdani and others to get ICE off our streets have fallen on deaf ears in Washington. It’s time for action. The mayor should prohibit ICE from using city property as staging areas. Tisch should order the NYPD to stop clearing streets to let ICE vehicles through as if they were ambulances or firetrucks. The city’s district attorneys must prosecute violent ICE agents. New York has to protect its residents because Washington won’t.
Chris Jones
Imperfect victim
Syosset, L.I.: So the Democrats are now going to elevate the guy shot by ICE in New York to hero status? He’ll join a rogues’ gallery of prior Democrat heroes like Michael Avenatti, Lev Parnas, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Kilmar Ábrego Garcia and Omarosa — anyone to denigrate Trump. Maybe do a little due diligence before conferring hero status. Maybe it’s time to find a better class of hero?
Drew Oringer
Unjust bloodlust
Long Beach, L.I.: Due to the sheer number of mass shootings, it’s possible that many people forgot about the one in Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. Thirteen people were killed and 32 injured. I won’t mention the killer’s name. Now Pete Hegseth wants an execution by firing squad, maybe even pay-per-view. This will potentially glorify the shooter and turn him into a martyr and legend. Misguided people will copy the crime in a sick bid for fame. The only purpose is to satisfy Hegseth’s endless bloodlust.
Ann Rita D’Arcy
5 easy steps
Las Vegas: The Yankees lose again, but same old story. Then the sports pundits come out of the woodwork saying they need to trade for such-and-such or sign such-and-such. The answer is quite simple, though, in five easy steps: 1) Let the kids play. 2) Stop swinging for the fences every time. 3) Stop being in love with the hard-hit statistics. The hardest-hit ball doesn’t win games. Teams win games. 4) Focus on situational hitting and placing the ball, hitting it where there’s a hole or moving guys on bases. Every guy on the team should also practice bunting. 5) Have a manager who manages a game with strategy and gut. Anyone can write names on a paper and sit and watch the game.
Dennis Buckley