PAGE A22 • TIMES OF SMITHTOWN • AUGUST 15, 2019
Opinion
Letters to the Editor
Child Victims Act Democrats try to paint president as ‘a racist’ takes effect On Wednesday, Aug. 14, New York’s Child Victims Act took effect. Under the law, people have one year to file a civil suit related to childhood sexual abuse, regardless of when they say the molestation occurred. After that, victims will be able to file a case any time before they reach 55 years of age. For a criminal case, victims can now file a complaint up until they turn 23 years old. It’s unclear exactly how many people will come forward to file charges from past abuse or how many people and organizations will be impacted by the temporary removal of the statute of limitations on cases. But, the new law promises a legal remedy for past abuse that aims to institute more sensitivity toward victims, while holding perpetrators accountable. The website www.BishopAccountability.org lists 68 documented offenses by priests in the diocese of Rockville Centre, which includes Catholic churches on Long Island’s North Shore. One victim came forward and shared his story in the pages of our publication on Feb. 21, 2018, which is still available online at http://tbrnewsmedia.com/diocesecompensation-program-help-clergy-victims/. But, whether it’s been in church groups, schools, Scouts or other organizations or perhaps in a family settings, children have been in situations where they were vulnerable. Offenses typically occur, experts say, in scenarios where adults are entrusted with the care of children without the supervision of parents. Part of the solution to address childhood sexual abuse going forward will be through prevention. This means adults, organizations, parents and children have certain responsibilities. If you see red flag behavior, such as an adult ignoring boundaries and exhibiting secretive behavior with a child, this is a warning sign, and adults should respond with confronting the individual. Circumstances can be nuanced, so trust your instincts, say something and remove the child from the situation and otherwise respond appropriately. The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is a confidential resource available 24/7 that offers crisis intervention, support services and information on social services. Counselors there can help you decide what to do next. The telephone number is 800-4224453 or 800-4-A-Child. The website is www.childhelp.org/hotline. If victims need legal help, they can reach out to the Suffolk County Bar Association for a referral to a qualified attorney who can evaluate their case. Its website is www.scba.org and the telephone number is 631-234-5577. With an estimated one in five people becoming victims of childhood sexual assault by the time they’re 18 years old, according to The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, a new era of accountability may be at hand. Take the time to familiarize yourself with what predatory activity looks like. Talk with your children and learn about ageappropriate lessons on body safety. Good resources on these topics include www.nyspcc.org/resources/. With the window open, people should feel comfortable coming forward. We all need to give them support when they do.
Letters … We welcome your letters. They should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style and good taste. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include a phone number and address for confirmation. Email letters to donna@ tbrnewsmedia.com or mail them to The Times of Smithtown, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733.
It has become increasingly fashionable for Democrats, still smarting over the shocking (to them) defeat of Hillary Clinton (D) by Donald Trump (R), to leave no stone unturned in their unquenchable desire to overturn the will of the American electorate by any means that may occur to them. Unfortunately for them, their options do not include attacking the actual record of accomplishments of the president, because this record is virtually unassailable. Almost since the very day of President Trump’s inauguration, we have been breathlessly told by every liberal Democrat toady in captivity to wait for the release of the Mueller Report, which would surely lead to the end of Trump. Now that the report has been released, and we have marveled at the eloquent verbal summary from Robert Mueller himself — and the president has been charged with nothing, and the report
has begun its journey into the obscure dustbin of history — the Democrats have need for a new weapon. To the surprise of no one, they have been able to find a suitable cudgel, and it is to try to paint the president as “a racist.” A good example is the recent situation regarding the disaster known as Baltimore. When President Trump accurately categorized Baltimore as “a rodent infested mess” in which “no human being would want to live,” he was roundly attacked by Democrats for his “racist” remarks. The attacks were led by Congressman Elijah Cummings (D), who has represented Baltimore for more than 23 years. Interestingly, all of Baltimore’s mayors for the last 52 years have also been Democrats, which goes a long way toward explaining why an excess of rodents is one of the least of Baltimore’s problems. Baltimore has the highest
murder rate of any large city in the United States, including Chicago and Detroit. The Baltimore school system has an abysmal record of academic scholastic proficiency; in 2017, one-third of Baltimore’s high schools actually had zero students who were proficient in math. Needless to say, Democrat politicians have no interest in solving or even discussing these problems, because it is they who have caused them, and they are blessed with constituents who continue to re-elect them. And, of course, Baltimore is not unique in this regard, with Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and many other cities wallowing in similar dire straits. Why bother to actually address problems, when it is much less trouble, and much more effective, to call President Trump “a racist” and blame the whole mess on him? George Altemose Setauket
Newspapers have become too biased
I think it is time to respond to your publisher who, over the years, I have admired because I always felt that her vision was to relay a newsworthy journal that was factual and unbiased. In her personal invitation in her Aug. 8 column for the Sept. 24 Second Annual Cooks, Books and Corks she has delivered a twofold message. While I think her invitation is for a wonderful event and I praise her for her attempt to make her newspaper more successful, I must take her to task for her explanation and her excuses for why print journalism is on the decline. I quote her: “Once upon a time the publisher brought together talented reporters and editors with an articulate sales staff, and together editorial and advertising were presented to the reader in an attractive format that informed and enriched the community.” That statement is so far from the truth and the reality of journalism today that is so biased and left leaning so as to coin the new phase called “fake news.” In our extremely polarized nation today, by not reporting the news, but by distorting it, print journalism has lost at least 50 percent of its readership.
The letter is responding to the Between you and me column published Aug. 8. Image from TBR News Media
Just as one example, personally, I am against the possession of assault weapons in the hands of people not involved in war. Yet I do not believe we should disband our Second Amendment, which allows for our right to keep and bear arms. The press today uses its power to overwhelmingly paint our president as a racist who is responsible for the gun violence in America today. Have you read in one newspaper how the Ohio shooter was an ardent supporter of Elizabeth Warren? Have you read in one newspa-
per that the Florida school shooter was a supporter of Bernie Sanders? On and on it goes. The press today is incredibly biased and the American people are on to their antics and no longer wish to get distorted news. I wish the publisher huge success in her Sept. 24 event and I hope she takes my comments to heart and begins to re-establish the honest and forthright journalism associated with her past history. Robert J. Parmegiani Setauket
The opinions of columnists and letter writers are their own. They do not speak for the newspaper.