Indigenous mascots, school reserves, child porn case, federal clean water funds, Nassau trans ban

Ban on Indigenous mascots questioned

Comsewogue High School athletic teams will no longer use the name Warriors and next year will be the Spartans [“Red Hawks, Spartans carry day,” News, July 13]. The American Heritage dictionary defines warrior as “one who is engaged in or experienced in battle,” and defines Sparta as “a city-state of Ancient Greece in the southeast Peloponnesus” and Spartan as “of or relating to Sparta or its people.”

Warrior is a generic term that can apply to those who have engaged in battle anywhere, and is not referring to Indigenous tribes of the United States. In my opinion, it should not be offensive to any Indigenous Americans.

Renaming a team the Spartans is cultural appropriation of the Greek people. Greek Americans could be offended by the renaming.

Did Gov. Kathy Hochul think of what other groups could be offended in renaming sports teams?

— Jacqueline Cantwell, Huntington Station

The writer is a graduate of Half Hollow Hills High School East, and played sports as a Thunderbird.

For a while now, I have been holding my tongue while watching school districts scramble to rename their mascots or logos to be less offensive and more politically correct. Why do the words chief, warrior, and thunderbirds have to pertain to American Indians?

When I think of a chief, I think of the head of an organization or country — commander in chief, chief executive officer, police chief. When I think of a thunderbird, I think of the U.S. Air Force demonstration team, or the car Suzanne Somers drove in “American Graffiti.” When I think of a warrior, I picture Michael Murphy in full battle gear.

So instead of the changing the names of these teams, I suggest you change the logos to perhaps an F16 or a silhouette of Michael Murphy dressed for battle. It’s time for us to stop thinking this is 1824 and realize it’s 2024. We can’t erase the past.

— Robert Ver Straten, Coram

Don’t cut federal clean water funds

While Nassau County officials scrap over funding for much-needed water projects [“Hempstead seeks fed funds,” News, July 10], the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives is poised to slash federal investments necessary to protect the nation’s water.

On July 9, a House committee approved a spending proposal to cut the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds, the main source of federal investment in water and wastewater systems, by 25%. A full House vote is expected next week.

The cuts would leave many New Yorkers with unsafe drinking water and exacerbate the nation’s water affordability crisis, adding more pressure on household water bills at a time when families are already grappling with soaring costs for essential services. And it would undermine efforts to reduce wastewater pollution, clean up toxic PFAS chemicals, and replace lead lines.

— Joseph M. Varon, West Hempstead

Give school reserves back to taxpayers

Newsday’s exposé on school districts hoarding reserves far above the cap allowed by state law was excellent [“NYS: 19 LI districts beyond legal limits on reserves,” News, July 9]. Our center has long prescribed an obvious remedy. The state must pass legislation simply enabling the state comptroller to claw back any reserves exceeding the cap and return that directly to the taxpayers.

Assemb. Michael Fitzpatrick introduced this bill in the past. Will any majority members in the State Senate and Assembly follow his lead?

— Edward J. Kelly Jr., East Islip

The writer is a board member of the Center for Cost Effective Government.

Sex offender should not have kept license

Cardiologist Frank Pollaro, 55, of Deer Park, pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child “Guilty plea in child pornography case,” Our Towns, July 12]. In 2016, he was registered as a sex offender for possessing images of child porn. And he was allowed to keep his medical license and keep practicing!

— Thomas Sarc, Central Islip

Nassau trans athlete ban problematic

How many transgender girls/women are we talking about to make this such a big deal [“The hurdles facing Nassau transgender athlete ban,” News, July 14]? Seriously, don’t we have bigger issues to address?

— Elysa Parker, North Woodmere