Why is cruelty legal when it’s entertainment?
Williston, Vt.: Animals should not be injured or killed for entertainment. That’s what rodeo is. It bears no resemblance to ranching. I grew up on a cattle ranch in North Dakota and spent eight years as a veterinarian there. My ranch clients did not ride bulls, speed-rope calves or make their expensive horses buck. Rodeo is not “American tradition.”
As a former bareback bronc rider, pathologist and large animal veterinarian, I have the experience and autopsy proof that rodeo injures and kills animals. Dr. Robert Bay from Colorado autopsied roping calves and found hemorrhages, torn muscles and ligaments, and damage to the trachea, throat and thyroid. These calves never get a chance to heal before they are used again.
Meat inspectors who processed rodeo animals found broken bones, ruptured internal organs, massive amounts of blood in the abdomen from ruptured blood vessels and damage to the ligamentum nuchae that holds the neck to the rest of the spinal column.
Animals and humans share the same pain and fear centers in the brain. Animals feel pain and fear the same as humans! As a former state criminal lawyer, we prosecutors have all had cases where criminals have abused and tortured animals before abusing or killing humans. What are we teaching our children when we cheer when a calf roper knocks down and drags a bawling calf by the neck? Kids cry at rodeos. It’s time to end animal abuse at rodeos. Peggy W. Larson
Something wrong?
St. Petersburg, Fla.: Any truth to the rumor that the Giancarlo Stanton bobblehead has a defect? Bill Barrett
Given the floor
Brooklyn: Wednesday’s article regarding the recent mayoral forums (“Andy’s way: avoidance,” May 21) neglected to mention the forum held on May 12 at Town Hall conducted by my union, the Council of Supervisors and Administrators (CSA). Most mayoral candidates were in attendance and the forum covered all important topics. The CSA is an important NYC union. Members supervise members of the UFT in addition to including education administrators who supervise the provision of special education and other services that are important for students to achieve their educational goals. Phyllis Schweiger
Suspect targeting
Manhattan: I wasn’t planning on voting for Andrew Cuomo in the upcoming Democratic primary for mayor, but now I will. Why? Because the Department of Justice has just decided to investigate him. The DOJ has ulterior motives. Cindy Roberts
Fighting dirty
Woodbury: Scott Springer’s newest campaign TV commercial is so offensive it belies words! I am not Jewish nor very politically oriented, but I know some Yiddish words and not-very-nice innuendos when I hear them. He should be ashamed of himself! Cindy O’Connor
Big sinner
Brooklyn: I couldn’t believe you had Voicer Robert A. Casper’s letter as your featured letter. He wrote that the pope knows President Trump is a very Christian president. Robert is either a comedian or on some serious drugs. Trump has committed adultery many times, sexually assaulted women and believes that white males are superior. How is that Christian? Dennis Burge
Projected piety
Manhattan: To Voicer Robert A. Casper Sr.: Your letter would be laughable if it wasn’t borderline sacrilegious — a real head-scratcher. That you juxtaposed Pope Leo and Trump in the same letter, spouting all good things about Trump, is beyond ridiculous. You seem to know a lot about our new pope’s mindset. You also proclaim to know how the Vatican feels about Trump. It’s amazing that you have such an in with the Vatican that you can convey how this beautiful, centuries-old institution feels about a man such as Trump. You are very deep in delusions if you believe an iota of what you wrote. Patricia N. Ravel
Never satisfied
Fort Courage, Ariz.: Interesting to see that regular MAGA contributors to the Voice of the People, in this case Voicers Peter Sulzicki and Paul Bloustein, continue to allow Joe Biden to live rent-free in their heads. What seems to be the problem, MAGA men? Trump’s reign of terror on our economy not meeting your expectations? Is Trump not spending enough time on the golf course? Perhaps you miss the good old campaign days and daily stories from Trump about sharks, boat batteries and Hannibal Lecter while the Biden-run economy and stock market were doing well and moving in the right direction. Take solace in the knowledge that we have to endure only three and a half more years of Trump-induced chaos. Morgan O’Rourke
Fun to watch
London: Cheers from across the pond. I enjoy my daily dose of Voice of the People in the Daily News. Particularly insightful are the comments from the pro-Trump contributors. It’s jolly good to see that some Voicers, in this case Voicer Peter Sulzicki, continue to promote the rubbish about Biden being “crooked.” The unseen and evidence-lacking alleged crimes of Biden provide the pro-Trump masses with entertainment to distract from the out-in-the-open criminal activity and obvious incompetency of the current president. Well done. Jolly good show. Cheerio. Ed Lee Funt
Redirect
Long Branch, N.J.: The Trump DOJ has suggested that Biden’s wife could be criminally charged for “elder abuse.” With the announcement of an “aggressive” prostate cancer for the former president, the MAGA world is peddling the notion that the 82-year-old had been sick for some time, and that his true condition had been covered up by his close circle, including his wife, Jill. This idea was given credence after several doctors spoke out, with one saying the elderly politician may have had the disease for up to a decade. As the DOJ seems to have nothing better to do, let’s not forget that Melania came over on the wrong visa, worked illegally, had an anchor baby, brought her parents over via chain migration and is currently living in government housing rent-free. Will ICE visit her? Lenzy Kelley
Not a doc
Howard Beach: Let’s face it, Don Trump Jr. has never been known for his high intelligence. Now he is questioning why Dr. Jill Biden did not diagnose Biden’s prostate cancer sooner. Is it possible that Trump Jr. does not realize that Jill holds a doctorate in education and is not a medical doctor? Maybe if he practiced the proverb “silence is golden” more often, he wouldn’t keep reinforcing what has been said about him. Barbara Berg
Followed the leader
Sunnyside: There is one thing we all need to remember about the tragic death of Ashli Babbitt (“Slain Jan. 6 rioter’s family scores $5M settlement from feds,” May 20). The riot wasn’t caused by Capt. Michael Byrd or any of the other brave Capitol Police officers. It was a result of Trump telling his far-right supporters to storm the Capitol after he lost the election to Biden. Therefore, the death of Babbitt, an Iraq War veteran who was suffering from PTSD, should be blamed on Trump and the terrorists who led the insurrection. They should pay Babbitt’s family the $5 million. John Francis Fox
Wrongful acts
Manhattan: The U.S. has become a genuinely degenerate nation. When this government can consider giving 5 million taxpayer dollars to the family of a fascist rioter who got what she deserved on Jan. 6, 2021, America has gone down the toilet. The police who were attacked on that American Kristallnacht by domestic brownshirt thugs are the ones who deserve money, and justice. The U.S. is like “Alice in Wonderland,” with the Mad Hatter in the White House and everything reversed — justice, law, human decency, ad infinitum, ad nauseum. Daniel Jean Lipsman
Normalized chaos
Long Island City: On Monday, two people were shoved onto the subway tracks at a lower Manhattan train station. There was a time when someone getting pushed onto the tracks was such a rare occurrence and shock to public order that it was talked about for days. Now? It barely gets a ripple on the news. Where’s the outrage? Nice job, Carl Heastie, Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Gov. Hochul. Thanks to your criminal justice reform policies, this has happened so often this year that it’s almost been normalized and accepted by the public. Never thought I’d see the day. Sebastian Mannuzza
