Editorials from around New York

The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle on the importance of the independent Office of Congressional Ethics and lawmakers' failed attempt to place it under the oversight of the House Ethics Committee. In 2013, 10 members of Congress, three former aides to President Barack Obama, several spouses, and 32 staff members attended an all-expenses-paid conference in Azerbaijan.

Editorial, Jan. 4, 2017: When @realDonaldTrump tweets, the swamp drains

Despite the hue and cry over President-elect Donald J. Trump and his use of social media to make pronouncements that might be, or might not be, new public policy, DJT's use of 140 characters or less is getting the kind of attention that customary and longwinded political orations rarely attract. “With all that Congress has to work on, do they really have to make the weakening of the Independent Ethics Watchdog, as unfair as it may be, their number one act and priority ...” - @realDonaldTrump.

Letters on Israel settlements, Trump, EPA, divesting, Black Lives Matter

The Peace and Social Justice Center applauds President Obama for not standing in the way of the U.N. Security Council resolution criticizing Israel's illegal settlements in the Palestinian territories, which have been occupied by Israel since the 1967 war. Previous U.S. administrations, from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush, have all taken mild stands against this colonial policy, which violates the Fourth Geneva Convention against transferring civilians into occupied territory.