This too is Yonkers- by Eric W. Schoen
When you’re a Jet, You’re a Jet all the way
From your first cigarette, To your last dyin’ day (Jet song from West Side Story)
Has West Side Story returned to the streets of New York City? Instead of the Sharks vs. the Jets we have the Proud Boys, a far-right group describing themselves as “Western Chauvinists” Vs. the Antifa, a conglomeration of left wing autonomous, self-styled anti-fascist militant groups. Antifa groups use direct action, harassing those whom they believe to be fascists, racists and right wing extremists.
You would think West Side Story had returned to the Big Apple when over the weekend, the leader of the Proud Boys spoke at the Republican Club Headquarters in New York City. After the speech fights broke out between the groups including throwing of bottles.
The fight is not over turf but political ideology and beliefs. I was thinking of putting my Officer Krupke suit that I wore in the 1978 Yonkers High School production of West Side Story on and joining in to help the authorities break up the fights.
Had we ever heard of these groups before last weekend? Maybe those in Omaha or Nebraska were familiar with them, but I would venture to say that the vast majority of people in this region hadn’t a clue that these militant groups existed.
‘When They Go Low, We Go High.’ Don’t you remember Michelle Obama making that point during the Presidential campaign between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton? When did things change for the Democrats to the point of ‘When They Go Low, We Go Meshugah?’
Last weekend’s episode was sadly not the first time Democrats, those supposedly on the ‘high ground’ encouraged their supporters to engage in violence. This summer, California Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters called on her supporters to harass cabinet officials.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently said that you “cannot be civil” with members of the Republican Party. Former Attorney General Eric Holder told a Democratic audience at a campaign rally in Georgia that they should “kick” Republicans when they perceive them as “going low.”
What has happened to my Democratic Party? Extremists in the party have taken the dialogue to An extremely dangerous level. Wait a minute it’s not only extremists, it’s Hillary. Does she really think that this will help her win the party nomination in 2020? Or get support for whatever Her future plans are?
The Kavanaugh nomination really brought out the crazies. Ashley Kavanaugh, Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s wife and his daughters received multiple credible threats. Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., received such a threatening phone call that the man who made it has now been indicted.
Jamie Gardner, wife of Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., received a text of a beheading after the vote to confirm Justice Kavanaugh. Several Republican Senators had their personal information, including home addresses, posted to Wikipedia for threatening purposes by a Democrat House staffer. Congressman Clay Higgins (R-La.) received threatening phone calls that led to a man’s arrest.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kent., and his wife Kelly Paul have both received credible threats that have led to arrests. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and his wife, as well as White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders, were chased out of restaurants. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was confronted by protesters and harassed out of a DC restaurant.
Does this mean that politicians and government officials can’t go out and eat their pasta, chicken or steak without having their meal interrupted? Friends, whether you are a Democrat or a Republican or a Socialist there is something seriously wrong with this picture.
All I can think of is that Democrats are starting to get the ‘Make America Great Again’ virus exhibited during the 2016 campaign at Trump rallies throughout the country. They caught the wrong virus!
Democrats and Republicans need to get their acts together. Leaders of both parties need to stop the violence and get back to the issues. Political disagreements are as old as time. It’s when things turn violent that grownups need to enter the picture. And if they can’t bring things under control, well, maybe Republican or Democrat grownup it’s time to step aside!
POST OFFICE MESS
55 cents for a Postage Stamp? Who is the Post Office kidding. Mail delivery to my home is a disaster. Days without mail? My neighbor’s mail in my box. The wrong mail in my postal box. The box simply goes by numbers! How difficult can the process of putting mail with a Post Office Box number of 47 in Box 47?
What floors me is when my apartment number is not on the letter and the post office returns it to sender saying it is undeliverable as addressed. At my address there are 4 units. The delivery person can’t look at the names on the mail slots which clearly in my case says Schoen?
The carriers and long time ‘clerks behind the counter’ at the Post Office tell me that the mail service is being run by kids who have never delivered mail before. This coupled with part time hourly workers who are not vested in what they are doing but only interested in a pay check.
I always thought that problems with mail service were related to the economics of your zip code. But people I know who live in 10583 (Scarsdale) and 10708 (Bronxville) tell me they have the same problems as do residents who live in the 10701 or 10705 zip codes.
Mail delivered at 7 p.m! On a Saturday night! Unacceptable! Before there is any increase in postage rates Congress must mandate that the Postal Service get its’ act together!
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers. Listen to Eric Schoen and Dan Murphy on the Westchester Rising Radio Show Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM or download the SIMPLE RADIO app for free from the APP STORE.
