Metro

Taking libertie$

It is often said that tragedy brings out the best in New Yorkers. The destruction of Hurricane Sandy was no exception, with the outpouring of donated goods, time and money proving again that Gotham has a huge and generous heart.

But human nature is not always admirable, and there are those trying to use Sandy’s destruction to create a new round of entitlement and dependency. Some politicians, for example, are looking to prove they care by giving away your money as fast as they can.

Then there are the “food advocates.” The high-minded name suggests everyone else is a hunger advocate.

Semantics, of course, is part of the game to claim the moral high ground. A triumph of language greases the skids for more handouts, no questions asked. Those who dare ask whether the needs are truly legitimate, as opposed to merely opportunistic, are labeled cruel and heartless.

In that case, I stand with the cruel and heartless, for I question the need for each of the 1.1 million children in New York City schools to get a free lunch in November and December, regardless of family income. That $30 million “gift” was given by Santas — er, Senators — Schumer and Gillibrand.

I also question the need for the city to use federal money to pay for hundreds of hotel rooms it isn’t using, just in case it needs them, which Mayor Bloomberg too casually defended.

Most of all, I question the need to open the gates even wider to the food-stamp program just so more money will flow to the city and more people can get something for nothing.

That come-and-get-it culture is behind the scurrilous attacks on Bloomberg’s team for limiting a new food-stamp benefit to those struggling families in the hardest-hit areas. Instead of opening the program widely, City Hall wants to target this round of extra help to residents in 12 full and partial ZIP codes in the Rockaways, Coney Island, Staten Island’s South Shore, Red Hook and lower Manhattan.

Officials estimate that about 30,000 people who earn slightly above the maximum to qualify for regular food stamps would be eligible for one-time grants of up to $668 for a family of four. No documentation is needed, just a claim of economic loss because of the storm and proof of residency in the targeted areas.

That seems very generous, and yet Robert Doar, head of the city’s Human Resources Administration, has to defend the limits against attacks that he is a Scrooge.

“When you run programs that are as generous as ours are in New York, you have a responsibility to run them in a way that is respectful of the taxpaying public,” he told me yesterday, adding that he’s following rules set by the state and federal governments.

Imagine that. Somebody in government describing morality in terms of those who pay the taxes. Give that man a medal for bravery.

The opposing view is that New York is stupid for not grabbing every dollar it can, which perfectly summarizes why the nation faces bankruptcy. The idea that federal money is “free” makes as much sense as saying the Earth is flat.

It’s not as if the city has locked the vaults. Some 1.8 million New Yorkers get monthly food stamps, and most already received a one-time boost of 50 percent of their allotment because of Sandy, an outlay worth $55 million.

In addition, the city has distributed more than 3 million meals, ranging from military-style rations to hot meals to food-truck deliveries.

Heartless? No way. In truth, the critics are mindless.

O’s blame of shame

The classic example of “blaming the victim” is where a rape victim is accused of asking for it because of what she was wearing. Now hear this: The Pentagon wants to do the same thing to American soldiers killed by Afghan soldiers.

Instead of blaming Taliban infiltration or other causes, the draft of a new Army handbook says ignorance of local culture drove many of the insider attacks that killed 63 Americans and other allied forces this year alone.

“Many of the confrontations occur because of [coalition] ignorance of, or lack of empathy for, Muslim and/or Afghan cultural norms, resulting in a violent reaction from the [Afghan security force] member,” the handbook says, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reviewed the 75-page document.

The handbook says troops should avoid “making derogatory comments about the Taliban, advocating women’s rights, any criticism of pedophilia, directing any criticism towards Afghans, mentioning homosexuality and homosexual conduct” or “anything related to Islam.”

In other words, Americans should shut their eyes and mouths while risking their lives to build a nation for people they can’t talk to or trust.

That’s insane. Unfortunately, it’s also consistent with denial of reality by the Obama administration. They tread very close to blaming America for everything wrong in the world, including the rise of radical Islamists, and facts don’t get in the way.

Gen. John Allen, the Marine general heading our Afghan forces, rejected the manual and a foreword in his name. “He does not approve of its contents,” an aide told the Journal.

Allen remains under investigation because of his connection to Jill Kelley, the Florida woman whose complaints about harassing e-mails eventually exposed former CIA boss David Petraeus’ affair with Paula Broadwell.

Maybe, just maybe, if Allen suddenly approves the outrageous field manual, the probe against him will be dropped. Stranger things have happened in the last four years.

Not black & white

Like so much else, racial discrimination ain’t what it used to be. It’s now so cleverly disguised that you can’t see it in broad daylight.

That’s the loopy theory behind the claims that Albany is a hotbed of racism because Republicans and Democrats who ganged up to run the state Senate didn’t include black members. The bellyachers’ demand seems to be a quota that lets black legislators into the sleazy bargain for a share of spoils.

The bipartisan “coalition” came about for the usual reason—power. The defining feature wasn’t skin color, but the willingness to go along with a sneaky way to break the political logjam. Perhaps some black lawmakers were too principled for the scam, in which case, they should be praised.

Gov. Cuomo is also a target of the smear campaign, but he should take heart. Making enemies of people who spew such nonsense is a badge of honor he should wear proudly.

‘Spend’ a message

Unable to get President Obama to commit to spending cuts in exchange for tax hikes, frustrated House Speaker John Boehner needs a better way to explain the problem. I propose that Boehner wrap a giant banner around the Capitol spelling out the facts in plain English: “It’s the Spending, Stupid.”

There.

Space cadet

Headline on Drudge:

“Unexplained Light Formation Spotted Above San Francisco”

Relax. It’s just Nancy Pelosi’s mother ship beaming her up for a visit.