I recently flew from Newark Liberty International Airport to Istanbul, Turkey, and later to Rome.
At Newark, the flight was from Terminal B, which I had not used before. It was really depressing to see how poorly maintained, outdated and dilapidated the waiting area was. It was crowded, poorly managed and with limited modern facilities. The lines for those with PreTSA expedited screening and those without it were merged after an initial ID check, making PreTSA worthless.
We landed atIstanbul International Airport. What a stunning difference from Newark! The airport was impressive, spacious, modern and quite majestic. It was truly grand. The lines for passport control and customs moved smoothly, with the bags delivered in about 15 minutes. A similar situation was experienced at the Rome airport.
Returning to Newark a couple of weeks later, we waited for over an hour and a half to collect our bags. It was very sad to realize that one of the greatest nations on Earth greets international travelers with such a miserable airport. It is certainly not worthy of this great nation and the New York metropolitan area, which is the envy of the world.
While we spend billions of dollars defending other nations and building infrastructure across the globe, our own infrastructure is falling apart. Our leaders travel all over the globe and see the airports, bridges, roads and tunnels in other countries. They should use this experience to improve our facilities here in the United States.
We have been left far behind and must focus on our own buildings, airports and other structures. Helping others could be the noble thing to do, but we must first take care of ourselves.
Yogesh Jaluria, Monroe
Editor’s note: After spending $2.7 billion on a new Terminal A that opened in stages in 2023, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey intends to essentially rebuild Terminal B.
Sentence Trump sooner, not later
A recentletter writer, Bernard Belitsky, suggests Donald Trump’s scheduled July 11 sentencing for his conviction in the “hush money” trial be delayed until a week after Election Day, because announcing a sentence before then might influence the result. The writer thinks some voters could be swayed in Trump’s favor because of concern over “selective enforcement” by prosecutors.
Trump has a history of rejecting legitimate results and urging followers to keep “fighting” for his return to power, no matter what. We all suffered through the supercharged, hyper-partisan post-election period after Trump lost in 2020. Many of us cried while watching on TV as his crazed supporters stormed and defiled the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a horrific nightmarish scene intended to keep Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory. Brave police officers were overwhelmed by the mob that stomped and spit on them, all in Trump’s name.
Is that the sort of post-election 2024 period when the writer thinks it would be acceptable for the judge to sentence Trump? Or, perhaps after the inauguration, if or when he is already in the White House?
No, there is no “good” time to sentence a man to prison, but when the jury has spoken, it is the right time. Let the justice system work and may the chips fall where they may. The judge’s decision and the timing of the determined punishment should not be based upon the convicted defendant’s political ambitions.
Neil Vincent Scheck, Belmar
Exaggeration station
Donald Trump was in classic form at an outdoor rally in Las Vegas this past weekend, claiming that 20,000 attendees showed up despite stifling heat. But, Clark County, Nevada, Parks officialstold media outlets that the area could hold no more than 3,000.
Trump seems to have a problem with mathematics. He overcounted impossibly. He did the same thing a few years ago when he listed the size of his New York penthouse apartment as 30,000 square feet on a loan document, when it is actually 11,000 square feet.
He says what he feels like saying. There is no difference for Trump between the truth and falsehoods. He only speaks the truth by coincidence.
At the Las Vegas rally, Trump remarked to the crowd, “We need every voter. I don’t care about you. I just want your vote. I don’t care.” He claimed that this was a joke about the possible effect on the spectators of the intense heat.
He puts on a good face, but he is an insecure man who needs reinforcement from crowds and yes men, something, along with lying, that Trump has in common with Hitler.
Allen Edelstein, Highland Park
Willie Mays’ greatness could have been greater
“The Say Hey Summer: When immortal Willie Mays dazzled N.J. baseball fans with the Trenton Giants,” by Phil Cornell, was a very nice article about my childhood idol.
After the 1950 season with the Trenton minor league team, the New York Giants won the National League pennant with him in 1951 and the World Series in 1954. So what happened in 1952 and 1953?
Well, after the 1951 season, Mays was drafted and he served in the Army in 1952 and 1953. He returned to the Giants in 1954.
Just imagine how his lifetime statistics would have been enhanced if he hadn’t spent those two years of his prime in the Army.
Steve Rosen, Edison
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