To the Editor:
Re “Never Forget What Ted Cruz Did,” by Mimi Swartz (Op-Ed, Jan. 12):
If I have to read one more reference to the academic pedigrees of Senator Ted Cruz (Princeton University, Harvard Law School) and Senator Josh Hawley (Stanford University, Yale Law School), I’m going to burst.
As any recruiter worth his salt will tell you, what matters in assessing a job candidate is his or her experience and achievements after graduation, as well as the candidate’s ability to work well with others. And all of white-collar America can attest that a colleague’s “fancy education” does not automatically equate to professional effectiveness or even superior intelligence. Being “good at school” does not equal being “good at work.”
I’m an educated, white-collar worker of a supposedly lesser academic pedigree: Ithaca College, the Pratt Institute and San Francisco State University. And yet I practice the basics of ethics and moral philosophy, value humility, am wary of unbridled ambition and respect the Constitution and laws of our country. In short, I’m better than Mr. Cruz and Mr. Hawley, regardless of our society’s exaltation of Ivy League education.
If I were a Stanford, Yale, Princeton or Harvard administrator, I’d ask myself how people who graduated from my institution failed to learn the importance of right and wrong.
Jonathan Carey
Hoboken, N.J.
Police Interrogation of Young People
To the Editor:
Re “Act Against Coerced Confessions,” by Yusef Salaam, Kevin Richardson and Raymond Santana (Op-Ed, Jan. 5):
No one speaks with greater authority about children’s vulnerability during police interrogations than the “Exonerated 5.” They know from experience that recording interrogations will not alone eradicate false confessions, and neither will ensuring that a parent is present during questioning.
Similarly, prohibiting law enforcement use of deception will not adequately protect children during interrogations. That is why we have sponsored a bill that mandates that young people must be provided counsel before the police may interrogate them.
For young people drawn into the legal system, who are overwhelmingly Black and brown, the right to counsel before an interrogation is critical to protecting their constitutional right to remain silent and to ending false confessions — a right experts say they are developmentally ill equipped to appreciate and understand.
This bill will ensure that when young people make statements to the police, those statements are truly knowing, intelligent and voluntary. If we are serious about protecting the interests and rights of the most vulnerable among us, this bill must become law.
Jamaal T. Bailey
Latoya Joyner
Bronx
Mr. Bailey is a New York state senator, and Ms. Joyner is a member of the New York State Assembly.
Playing Catch During a Pandemic
To the Editor:
Re “Discovering a Haven in Sliders and Curveballs” (front page, Jan. 16):
In this time of insurrection, impeachment and fortress-inauguration, you write about a guy, Frank Miller, who just wanted to play a little catch. A social media post by his wife brought out a like-minded bunch who met up to toss the ball and, in a throwaway, share lives.
No politics on display, though maybe a partiality for the Texas Rangers or the Yankees crept in. Hmm … what’s right with this pitcher?
Susan Hanger
Topanga, Calif.