2024 kicked off with readers’ reactions to Republican contender Nikki Haley’s comments on the Civil War. Such debate 158 years after the war’s end foreshadowed the contentiousness of another eventful period in American politics. As we report the news of the day, you let us know what you make of it all, in letters sent by email or by stamp. Today, we look at the past year through your words on the Voice of the People page. Bruce Farrell Rosen of San Francisco said Haley’s “vague” explanation disrespected Black Americans as well as the soldiers, “Black and white,” who fought to end slavery. “It undermines the work of perhaps our greatest president, Abraham Lincoln, the man who gave his life to hold the Union together,” he added. Briarwood’s Joseph N. Manago decried the carnage of a then 3-month-old Gaza war being fought with American military aid. “More than 20,000 Palestinian Arab civilians, mostly women and children, have been murdered and 2 million physically displaced by the Israel Defense Forces,” Manago said, recalling the $168 billion spent to finance the Vietnam War. “This is mere déjà vu of the criminal organization known as the United States government.” Canadian Frank Sterle Jr. reflected on Gaza: “It has long seemed to me as a news consumer that the value of a life abroad is typically perceived according to the abundance of protracted conditions under which it suffers, especially during wartime, and that this effect can be exacerbated when there’s also racial contrast.” Writing from New Windsor, N.Y., Lois Lichtenberg called for a shift in coverage of a different sort in response to a photo of NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ “beautiful” wife: “How about a nice beefcake pic of hubby Patrick? We girls deserve equal exposure (wink, wink).” NYC’s impending trash bin rules to help in the fight against rats prompted James Scotto of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., to urge choosing humane methods over glue traps, reminding us that rodents are “emotional, intelligent and just looking to survive.” When the Baltimore bridge collapsed Michael Pravica of Henderson, Nev., saw bigger problems. “This tragedy demonstrates that our national infrastructure is woefully neglected.” In April, New Yorkers were shaken by a rare earthquake. From Greenburgh, N.Y., Nicole Bamber shared her experience. “It started as a rumble underground. I thought I was insane, thinking it felt like the subway but in the suburbs. Then our windows and doors started rattling and things fell off of shelves in our dining room,” she said. “My dog Nugget went nuts. Another natural rarity that month was the solar eclipse, and some headed to places where the sun would be totally blocked by the moon. “ ‘The path of totality’ is one of those great phrases, like ‘the cone of silence’ in ‘Get Smart,’ ” mused Rick Sinclair of Suffern, N.Y. As Middle East protests persisted, Shirley Watts of Jamaica looked to the past to make sense of the present. “For those of you in my age group, doesn’t this all sound familiar? Different reasons, of course, since the late ’60s, but we’ve been here before. Seems like the old saying ‘history repeats itself’ is exactly what’s going on.” Daniel Jean Lipsman of Manhattan gave his recommendation: “Private entities, like Columbia University, need to divest themselves — of hypocritical, troublemaking rabble-rousers. No one forced these students to pay tuition to institutions whose policies they disagree with.” With anxieties over the presidential candidates mounting, Warren Gross of New Rochelle, N.Y., expressed concern that both lacked “the character, skill and vision” necessary for the role. “They both should step aside and let new leaders be put into place while we still have a place.” In July, a potential assassin’s bullet grazed Donald Trump’s ear. “Less than half an inch would have changed the history of the world for the better or for the worse,” said Céline Secada of Bedford, N.Y. “I pray that our former president realizes he’s not immune to the effects of his own hate-filled, revenge rhetoric.” Days later, another earthquake, this one political. “With President Biden’s decision to drop out of the presidential campaign, Donald Trump now becomes the oldest person ever nominated for president,” noted John Dent of Woodland Park, N.J. “If he is elected, he will also be the oldest president when he completes his term. Do we really want to go through this again?” In August, readers like JoAnn Lee Frank of Clearwater, Fla., celebrated. “Freedom is something to be cherished. Just ask Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who had been held in Russian captivity for nearly 16 months, and former Marine Paul Whelan,” she said. On the killing of Hamas political leader Ismael Haniyeh, Frank Metzger of Pomona, N.Y., questioned the wisdom: “Now who’s going to negotiate for the ceasefire that will release the hostages?” Amid the onslaught of stories about terrible things in the world, Brooklynite Mariann Tepedino found a nice one. “I love the kumbaya story about the hydrant fish in Bedford-Stuyvesant.” After the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Frank Barnett of Queens Village chided the president’s guidance on Gaza. “If the Israeli army listened to Biden warning them not to go into Rafah, they would not have gotten the Hamas leader.” Peter J. Peirano of Ridgewood, N.J., saw that the event would be seen differently depending on who was looking. “Many will not mourn his death, as it opens a possibility of peace in Gaza. Others will mourn the death of a hero resisting oppression to his last breath.” From Huntington Station, L.I., Nancy Macri Kennedy celebrated another bit of good news. “Just watched the Liberty take the first title in franchise history. Fantastic!” Election Day saw Trump return to the Oval Office. David DiBello of Brooklyn offered his perspective: “The Biden administration has failed at foreign leadership, and Kamala Harris can’t see anything she would do differently,” he said. “On Tuesday, I voted for Trump to the second term he so justly deserves.” “I really didn’t think all that hate would win,” said Greg Arnold of Hauppauge, L.I. Another assassin’s bullet found its mark this month, sparking debate over not only violence but health insurance. “It’s too bad that an insurance CEO had to die so some crazy guy could send his message, but maybe now these greedy, selfish health insurance companies will realize that health and life are more important than stock dividends,” said Bob Wiecezak of New Hyde Park, L.I. In Brooklyn, Barbara Prince bemoaned the crappy state of things. “You have to watch where you are walking every step of the way, otherwise you are stepping into dog poop,” she said. That could be said about a lot of things in the world today, Barbara. So many of us feel it. And yet, we hold out hope and look for the bright spots we can rejoice in. Whatever happens, we’ll keep reporting it, and we’ll keep publishing what you think about it. Just keep writing.