I would like to take this opportunity to wish the loyal readers and advertisers of The Forum a very happy and healthy new year. For many this has been a very difficult year and challenges that at times seemed insurmountable were and are being met every day.
There is not a person who has not been touched by the events that closed out this year. There is also not a person who is not touched by the degree of resiliency that has been shown on the rebound of these terrible circumstances.
We hope you enjoy this issue which has been put together to take you on a printed tour of major happenings over the last year throughout our readership community.
One of the greatest privileges in publishing a newspaper is the weekly opportunity to express the opinion of the paper on the editorial pages each week. Below we’ve chosen a few of our favorites to begin this issue.
We look forward to covering your communities for another year and would like to thank all the loyal readers and advertisers that have counted on The Forum as a trusted community resource for the last 39 years!
Enjoy the Year in Review.
-Pat Adams
Size Matters
When word broke that Good Day America’s Greg Kelly might be involved in a rape case, the New York Daily News was kind enough to give the popular anchorman their entire front cover.
For Kelly, whether he was or was not involved the full page cover and pages that followed inside undoubtedly damaged his career and reputation.
There will always be people who see those pages in their mind’s eye and hold onto the opinion that he was guilty and that he got away with it either because of his celebrity status or the fact that his father happens to be the Commissioner of the NYPD.
What is truly reprehensible about this situation is on the day that he was cleared of any involvement in the case the same New York Daily News gave Kelly a one inch circle at the lower right hand corner of the front page that simply read Kelly Cleared in Sex Charge Inside. They didn’t even direct readers to the page on which they could read the truth.
But we have to say the media is consistent—they treat their own with the same presumption, carelessness and disrespect as they treat the public.
Not Enough Time
By all accounts George Gibbons was a great guy; beloved by family, friends, neighbors and customers at his business, Gibbons’ Home, a local bar in Maspeth. He had worked for years as a bartender, saving enough money to finally open his own business. It was his dream come true.
He was a neighborhood fixture, looked upon by all who knew him as the guy who was always smiling; one without a mean bone in his body, always there to lend a hand.
On Oct. 15 he left his house to go to work, fully expecting to come home afterward.
But that’s not what happened. Instead
George Gibbons, 37-years-old, went to work and when it was time to come back he got into a livery cab—but they made it only as far as the service road of the Long Island Expressway where it was met by another car., going at a high rate of speed, in the wrong direction.
That’s when fate introduced George Gibbons to Peter Rodriguez, a criminal, with a history of arrests for narcotics and assault. He was on probation at the time of the crash for a gang assault that occurred while serving time for another crime.
The car driven by Rodriguez slammed headfirst into the Lincoln Town car just a few blocks from the bar; George Gibbons was thrown out of the back seat and into the lap of the cab driver. George Gibbons was dead on arrival at the hospital.
May God Bless America
Principal Gretta Hawkins issued an order prohibiting the kindergartners there from performing the Lee Greenwood song “Proud to be an American,” at their upcoming graduation. They had been in rehearsals for more than five months when Hawkins walked into the room and demanded a CD with the song playing be stopped.
Teachers present wondered what Hawkins’ objective could possibly be and were reportedly stunned when she gave her answer, “We don’t want to offend other cultures.”
It is hard to distinguish just how many different fronts this decision is objectionable on.
But let’s take it in order of priority. To begin with, what part of the song offends any culture—maybe it’s offensive to cultures with parents that breed baby bombers before making their own willing rush defiantly toward death in pursuit of 72 virgins and some other terrorist pacifiers.
Well if that’s the culture that’s offended by God and country then I say sing away.
Secondly, why do you think the Mayor and the Board of Ed are sticking by Hawkins in her 15 seconds of infamy? We don’t know what’s worse here—a principal who tries to strip God and country from virtual babies or an administration that defends it.
Perhaps we’ve waited too long in this editorial space or anywhere else to say that what is wrong in our classrooms is not that we seek to put God and the United States into them—it is clearly that we allow anyone to try to take either of those entities out of our classrooms.
There we’ve said it. We’re willing to admit to the fact that this newspaper supports the belief in God, no matter what you call Him, and in good. And anyone who doesn’t like it is urged to read here no more.
What more preposterous notion could there be then to try to deprive a child of What more preposterous notion could there be then to try to deprive a child of learning about the fight for this country that has kept the freedom so cherished on these shores.
And what could possibly be wrong with a song that speaks of spirit and honor and love of the country that has been built on the fusion of so many cultures that most have lost count.
Chancellor Wolcott has been quoted as saying he supported Hawkins’ decision. “I have to rely on the principal’s judgment,” he said in a published interview. “It’s her judgment to make that decision.”
We know Ms. Hawkins judgment is either one of two things, severely impaired or downright divisive.
We’ll tell you what Chancellor, maybe it’s your judgment we should check. In spite of that, we thank her for putting her restrictions out there for the public to see. Hopefully they will spur in all who see them the same determination as it did here ––to spread the word about two things: God and country—without either we are morally and spiritually bankrupt.
Hate Not Welcome in Howard Beach
The man who came to Howard Beach toting signs in 2007 accusing then Councilman Joe Addabbo of being a racist pig as well as stating that racism was not only alive in the Councilman but thriving throughout the community– could be the next Congressional representative for Howard Beach.
Therein lies what could be a potentially explosive problem for the Queens portion of the district, especially Howard Beach. As preposterous as we see the incorporation of the two demographically opposed portions of the new 8th Congressional, we see as equally preposterous, the fact that a man with so much obvious contempt and ill thoughts against this community could have the chance to represent it in Washington.
The primary for the race that will determine the Representative elected to the house to represent the 8th district will happen in a little over two months on June 26. We urge you to visit Youtube.com or just Google Charles Barron. We have no doubt you will see the need to support any other candidate in this race.
Howard Beach has been branded for far too long with unrealistic ties to racist behavior. Murderers have been sentenced to far less time in prison then this entire community has been sentenced for the actions of a few—more than two and a half decades ago.
