TV news anchors just ain’t what they used to be
Cibolo, Texas: Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, who gave their final telecast 54 years ago on July 31, 1970, were representative of the golden age of television news, an epoch when television journalists brought you the news without biasing the viewers on what to think or how to feel. Their collaboration on a nightly 15-minute, later 30-minute, national broadcast — “The Huntley-Brinkley Report” — was a genuine novelty, and was emblematic of its time.
As often happens in television, certain quirks took on a life of their own. To Brinkley’s dismay, the network insisted that at the end of each broadcast, Huntley in New York bid farewell to Brinkley in Washington. Brinkley thought they should be addressing viewers and not each other, but “Good night, David; Good night, Chet” became a national catchphrase and the source of endless humorous parodies.
During their signoff on July 31, 1970 — the last time they uttered “Good night, David; Good night, Chet” — Huntley said, “You [the viewers] have bolstered my conviction that this land contains incredible quality and quantity of good, common sense, and it is in no danger of being led down a primrose path by a journalist.”
Unfortunately, given the way television journalists now do not simply report the news but fabricate it, it appears that Huntley may have been proven wrong. John Di Genio
Equally villainous
Suffern, N.Y.: If Donald Trump skips the presidential debate, couldn’t Hannibal Lecter step in for him? Rick Sinclair
Move on
Kew Gardens: Why is Trump still burning himself up about 2020 when he can simply win in 2024? With the repeal of term limits, he can keep winning as well. Earnest W. Jackson II
Misplaced criticism
Glendale: I’d like to know how many people have ever had to talk to millions of people about a lot of different subjects within 90 minutes. Also, being timed for every answer. I know I could maybe forget a line or word. It has nothing to do with age. President Biden is a good and honest man who has done a good job for us. Trump, on the other hand, has talked back to a judge and walked out of a courtroom when he should have been held in contempt and locked up like any other criminal. I remember a time when, if you had a criminal record, you couldn’t even vote. I guess laws are only for certain people. Laurel Turnbull
One hand washes the other
Bronx: To hell with the Supreme Court, which gave Trump, a convicted felon, a pass to commit more crimes after all the crimes he committed. The corrupt court had no right to give that piece of crap a pass of any kind. Trump is as crooked as they come. He can not be trusted, and neither can the Supreme Court. Corrupt people always stick together. Doris Festante
Rush to release
Seattle: If Donald Trump wants to be a president for all Americans, then he needs to get on the phone today to Vladimir Putin and get Evan Gershkovich and Paul Wheeler on a plane home. He doesn’t need to be elected to be American and do what is right. It’s immoral and unconscionable to wait for an election to bring a loved one home to family, friends and coworkers. Mary Beth Dwyer
Future investment
Whiting, N.J.: Hey, JD Vance, according to you, childless people have no stake in the future of our country. That’s me you’re talking about. I’m a 71-year-old white man, the type of person you want in your camp. If I have no stake in the future, I should stop contributing $2,000 a year to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Furthermore, I should change my will, removing St. Jude’s as the sole beneficiary of my estate. It won’t be very large by your standards, but it should be six or seven figures when I pass on. The rest of this note is for Republican and undecided voters who are the parents of children with cancer. Is this mutt really someone you want to support? Please know that I will never desert you or your children, who I consider my stake in our future. Daniel Tooker
All on moms
Manhattan: Men can always overpower a woman after making us believe they love us (months after). That is why abortion is an option we need. The men don’t want to take care of a child, so the mom is stuck. It’s not the best option, but it is better than child abuse. Do you see the fathers of these children anywhere? Alisa O’Neill
Immigration plan
Colonia, N.J.: The progressive, leftist, Marxist Democrats plan to make all the DACA immigrants legal by giving them a path to U.S. citizenship — all 500,000 of them. As if this is not enough, they intend to give green cards to 20 to 30 million more undocumented immigrants here “for years.” The Democrats do not intend to enforce border protection. The U.S. can not afford more illegal immigrants. They will bankrupt our country. This has been the ultimate plan of George Soros and his kind for years, and the Democrats are giving him all the help he needs. Tom Nolan Sr.
Through the ages
Jamaica: In 1996, I was asked by Japanese historian Hayashi Hideomi to write an English version of his research about the Earth’s influence on social unrest. The observation was not exclusively Japanese because I had known Arnold Toynbee’s 800-year-cycles theory. Hayashi compiled all the major occurrences through Western civilizations, and I titled the book “Social Transitions Through the Earth’s Biorhythm,” a textbook used by a university in Australia. I had fun double-checking the Japanese draft and finding new facts about the disappearance of ancient Egypt. The famine believed to be 100 years was actually 300 years! Not a single seed could have survived in the dry heat for more than 100 years. Today, when you watch “Ancient Aliens” on TV, you wonder how all those humans lived and survived in the clay-like earth. Margaret T. Boyer
Sick of it
Bayside: Whoever actually likes the summer, with its intense heat, unhealthy air and dangerous sun: Seek professional help, my friends. You are in need. I, for one, can not even breathe during this wretched season. Sarah Alboher
Sub-par care
Manhattan: For years, I have been bemoaning the dreadful way many U.S. nursing homes care for their patients. They don’t care. These so-called care facilities are anathema to the elderly. I have had the experience of watching loved ones receive late-life and end-of-life care, and the difference between here and other countries is vast. Of course, there are decent ones. But they should all be decent. And staff should be well-paid. It’s hard work; sensitive work. R.B. Brandel
Mischaracterized
Phoenix, Md.: To Leonard Greene (“Ignorant — and harmful,” column, June 9): First off, Byron Donalds never said that we (Black people) were better off. That’s the strawman that you and the rest of your House Democrats constructed. He said two things: We were together, and we were conservative. But you said, “What else can you say to a man, a Black man, who ignorantly and defiantly suggests that a system of racially oppressive, state-sponsored terrorism that promoted and demanded a segregated society somehow benefited African Americans?” Now, explain to me how what you said doesn’t perfectly describe what we are going through today? We live in a society where racially oppressive laws are passed every day — locally, state and federally. Black men like you, who truly think they are part of the solution while carrying water for the problem, are the real problem. Kwame Teague
Uplifting show
Bayside: Watching “Highway to Heaven” every day is a blessing, as miracles do happen in this world because of an angel played by the great Michael Landon, of “Little House on the Prairie” fame, and his sidekick, Victor French. They bring together families in trouble, give people with disabilities new lives and give the homeless hope when they are ready to give up. This show can be viewed twice a day. Keep a handkerchief handy because you will need it. Gary Rofofsky
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