Readers sound off on life’s obligations, e-bike fires and a trans march

Don’t like rules? You better get used to them.

Saint James, L.I.: To Voicer Maxim Veksler: You stated you are a high school student who has been denied freedom, the very embodiment of this country. You cited as examples of this denial of freedom the inability to leave school grounds at your pleasure, inability to leave the cafeteria or a classroom at your pleasure and being told by staff what you can and can’t do.

You should be thankful you live in a country that offers free public education from kindergarten through college. Secondly, you are not being denied your American right of “freedom,” you are simply being asked to follow basic rules implemented to assist in the education and safety of you and your fellow classmates.

Adulthood is just around the corner and your freedom will be impacted to a degree you can’t even imagine. Your employer will have rules. When you get paid, the government will reduce your wages with taxes (more rules). You will have to pay rent to have a roof over your head (more rules). You will have to pay for whatever mode of transportation you use (more rules). If you decide to marry or have a significant partner, I assure you there will be many infringements on your freedom.

Start following the rules of society at your young age, because they will always exist and will increase exponentially as you grow older. If you find a world where you can do whatever you wish whenever you wish with no negative repercussions, please give me a call because I’d like to live there, too! Carmine E. Esposito

Big block

Manhattan: What the heck did Leonard “Samurai Jack” Williams have for his Sunday breakfast? Susan A. Stark

Fire-starters

Brooklyn: How many more times do we need to pick up the paper and see another problem caused by e-bikes? Last week, a fire started because of an e-bike’s lithium battery as the bike was resting against a wall. Five people were injured, three critically. This past weekend, there was another fire in a warehouse holding around 300 e-bikes. Just add these two incidents to the list going back to 2022, when there were nine deadly crashes involving e-bikes. So far in 2023, that number is in the double digits. Now throw in all the fires caused by these bikes while they are idle. What more evidence do our politicians need to see that the “e” in e-bike should stand for “eliminate.” John De Angelo

Blood relations

Rural Retreat, Va.: I got my DNA results and shared them with my family. My little brother responds, “Same as mine,” to which I replied, “I would hope so.” My sisters chimed in with laughing emojis. Kathleen Cobbs

Both sides of his mouth

Brooklyn: It goes without saying that the Oct. 7 massacre of Israeli civilians by Hamas terrorists was a deplorable and savage crime. Nevertheless, it remains important to underscore good-faith arguments while pointing out counterproductive obfuscations by elite officials. Secretary of State Tony Blinken remarked that, despite Israel’s right to defend itself, “it’s important that operations be conducted in accordance with international law, humanitarian law, the law of war as applicable, and that everything has to be done to minimize loss of civilian life.” I could not agree more. But what reality are we subscribing to when Gaza City is being flattened with indiscriminate bombing of densely populated residential sectors? When the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and high-profile commentators in Haaretz are pointing out the illegality of such collective punishment, how is the rest of the world supposed to align with Blinken’s nonsensical proposal? Ravi Katari

Military might

Kew Gardens Hills: If Israel was really interested in the genocide of the Palestinians, as the pro-Hamas demonstrators allege, this war would have been over in 10 minutes. Barry Koppel

Domestic front

Yonkers: President Biden has made it easy for acts of terrorism to be committed in America. It is that terrorists have taken advantage of his open borders and are now in our midst. Biden’s obstruction of America’s oil supply has enriched the Iranian oil trade significantly, allowing the mullahs to finance these horrific attacks. Unfortunately, here in the United States, New York is the prime target of terrorism. We are most vulnerable because of incompetent leadership. It is inconceivable that in these times, Mayor Adams has invited undocumented immigrants, most who are not vetted, into the city, and has reduced the police department’s anti-terrorism unit drastically. The mass pro-Palestine demonstrations that are taking place is a strong indication that we have allowed the wrong people into America. Nicholas Maffei

Untruthful track record

Bronx: To Voicer Arthur Bressler: Citing what the United States government says is not proof. It is far from it, considering this is the government that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and that a ship was bombed in the Gulf of Tonkin, among many other lies used to justify our attacking other nations. Richie Nagan

Ready to retire

New Windsor, N.Y.: While #13 should never be retired for A-Roid, there should be a second #6 to be retired in Monument Park along with four-time World Series champion manager Joe Torre, and that’s Roy White. One of the most underrated to ever put on the pinstripes, Roy was not only a terrific player, but he conducted himself with class and professionalism. He also played on two championship teams in 1977 and 1978. There are several numbers that should probably not be retired, but Roy’s #6 belongs up there. Honorable mention to #52, CC Sabathia, which should be retired as well. Todd Schuster

Sure to snarl

Manhattan: What will happen to traffic if the East Side casino and affordable housing are done together, as suggested by the Soloviev Group, in order to make “Freedom Plaza” a reality? It would likely lead to total chaos, I believe. Along 38th St. to 41st St. near the East River is the First Ave. bus, which draws lots of people. When the United Nations building has a special visit, like the president of the United States, those buses can’t get through, and that usually lasts a week. Hopefully, they’ll understand this and find another way. Alan D. Lehrer

Safety concerns

Sunnyside: It was a huge mistake for Marissa Miller to say that “we did not want a lot of police presence” at this year’s Trans Visibility March (” ‘Reclaiming our time,’ ” Oct. 21). Doesn’t Miller realize that the greater number of police officers you have makes life safer for everyone, whether they are transgender or cis-gender? That’s especially true today since a percentage of police officers are either gay or transgender, and some are both. The most ironic part of her statement is that it was printed on the same day as a story about an elderly man attacked by a moped rider who hurt him severely when the man asked him to stop riding his moped on the sidewalk. John Francis Fox

Staying put

Oakland Gardens: To Voicer Isabelle Mele: As two senior citizens, we love New York. Both of us were born here and have no intention of leaving! We are optimistic and believe that it’s better to light one candle than curse the darkness. At present, New York City is declining because of poor leadership, but rather than whine and complain, we speak to our representatives in government, write letters to newspapers and take voting seriously when choosing candidates who will act in the best interests of the city and state. For years, we’ve been voting a straight Conservative Party line because this party, formed in 1962, truly represents our values. We suggest you do your civic duty and look into this party’s platform. Thomas and Constance Dowd

Falling dominoes

San Francisco: Eventually, a house of cards will always fall, be it from a slight breeze or a tremor. With the guilty pleas of Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro and Jenna Ellis, we have seen a major gale-force wind strike the Georgia RICO case against the Covfefe Kid, et al. Hopefully, these plea deals will spur an avalanche as the rats scurry to get off the sinking ship. The question now is: With the plea-deal train leaving the station, who will be left holding an expired ticket? Let’s go RICO! Jimmy Layton