Common Sense: Justice served

New York State Supreme Court Judge Danny Chun was correct in reducing former Police Officer Peter Liang’s conviction to involuntary manslaughter and sentencing him to several years of probation with no jail time. The events surrounding the death of Akai Gurley were tragic all around. Former officer Liang clearly made a number of mistakes and is being held accountable.

That being said, those who have complained that the conviction should not have been reduced and are demanding jail time are not looking at the facts in this case but rather simply pushing their own anti-police agenda.

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I was very much against efforts to redesign the $10 bill resulting in the removal of Alexander Hamilton. Of course, I thought it was an excellent, long-overdue idea to recognize a leading American woman, but not at the expense of Hamilton who, as one of the architects of the American financial system, should in my view be recognized on currency.

In the end, it seems that it was not so much the history as the celebrity resulting from the highly regarded Broadway show depicting Hamilton that saved Hamilton. I guess that in itself says something about the way we as Americans look at things.

I do think redesigning the $20 bill with Harriet Tubman replacing a portrait of Andrew Jackson was the way to go. The $20 bill is an important piece of currency circulated in great numbers. Jackson has been on the bill since 1928 and will remain on the bill, but on the back, which reflects continued appreciation for his place in American history. Tubman was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian and Union spy who for most of her life lived in Auburn, New York, and as is highlighted in her official biography, a Republican.

I think in choosing Tubman, the Treasury Department selected an individual that most Americans can agree is deserving of this high recognition.

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A local race to watch is the one in the 10th Congressional District that pits Democrat Jerry Nadler against Republican- Conservative Phil Rosenthal. Rosenthal is a Harvard Law School graduate who holds a PHD in physics from Cal Tech. He has been involved in everything from the Pluto Project in which he consulted to being the co founder of FASTCASE a platform for conducting Internet legal research.

Phil Rosenthal is involved in a number of organizations focused on national and international security, and in particular is critical of the Iranian nuclear deal which Jerry Nadler supported.

The 10th Congressional District runs from the Upper West Side of Manhattan to Coney island with all of Borough Park included as well as a sizable parts of Gravesend and Bensonhurst. Borough Park in particular is a community in which the political, civic and religious leadership has been critical of Nadler for his position on Iran as well as many other liberal positions he holds.

Although an uphill battle for any Republican, Rosenthal has something to say and I think he is very much worth a listen.