EAST HAMPTON CINEMAS, 324-0448

The Hamptons International Film Fest runs through Sunday; Monday is free local film day.

"The Big Night," Tuesday through next Thursday, 7:30 and 9:45 p.m.

"Extreme Measures," Tuesday through next Thursday, 9:20 p.m.

"Fly Away Home," Tuesday through next Thursday, 6:50 p.m.

"The Glimmer Man," Tuesday through next Thursday, 7:35 and 9:50 p.m.

"Secrets and Lies," Tuesday through next Thursday, 7 and 10 p.m.

"That Thing That You Do!" Tuesday through next Thursday, 7:15 and 9:55 p.m.

"Two Days in the Valley," Tuesday through next Thursday, 7:10 and 9:30 p.m.

THE MOVIE AT MONTAUK, 668-2393

"The First Wives Club," today 7 p.m. Tomorrow through Sunday, 7 and 9 p.m. Monday through next Thursday, 7 p.m. only.

SAG HARBOR CINEMA, 725-0010

"Grace of My Heart," tomorrow through Tuesday, 9:20 p.m.

"Lone Star," tomorrow through Tuesday, 7 p.m.

SOUTHAMPTON CINEMAS, 287-2749

"The Chamber," today, 7:30 and 10:15 p.m. Tomorrow through next Thursday, 7:10 and 9:50 p.m. Matinees Saturday and Sunday, 1:30 and 4:20 p.m.

"D3: The Mighty Ducks," today, 7 and 9:30 p.m.

"The First Wives Club," today, 7:10 and 9:50 p.m. Tomorrow through next Thursday, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Matinees Saturday and Sunday, 1:45 and 4:40 p.m.

"Long Kiss Goodnight," today, 7:20 and 10:05 p.m. Tomorrow through next Thursday, 7:30 and 10:15 p.m. Matinees Saturday and Sunday, 1:15 and 4:15 p.m.

"Sleepers," tomorrow through Sunday, 7:20 and 10:30 p.m. Monday through next Thursday, 6:50 and 10 p.m. Matinees Saturday and Sunday, 1 and 4:10 p.m.

VAIL-LEAVITT MUSIC HALL, Riverhead, 727-5782

Closed for the season.

Kindness

    La Grande, Ore.

    December 20, 2011

To the Editor:

    My heartfelt thanks to the wonderful community of Montauk for its support, compassion, and friendship for my father, Jorge Rosa, over the years and also for its caring, concern, and help while I was in Montauk for Dad’s funeral service.

    Members of the Montauk community, the local merchants, and Father Michael of St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church made a sad and difficult time much more bearable, as did the friends who where there to honor and celebrate Dad’s life.

    Special thanks to my friend Jane Behan Bimson, who has been such a support over the years to both my parents. Her twice-weekly visits to my parents, bringing them the trifle dessert they so enjoyed and her loving-kindness, will never ever be forgotten.

    To the community of Montauk and to Jane, thank you for the kindness and compassion you have shown me, and I wish you a very wonderful Christmas.

    In gratitude,

    WENDY ROSA-MONDA

Watchful Eyes

    Montauk

    December 20, 2011

Dear Editor,

    My name is Hank Lackner. I am the owner and operator of the fishing vessel Jason and Danielle, home-ported in Montauk. I would like to thank Chief Walters of the Montauk Coast Guard and Bill Wilkinson for their constant oversight of the dredging project in Montauk Harbor.

    Although we did not get the jetties dredged to our desired 17-foot depth, I believe without their watchful eyes, the fishermen of Montauk would have never gotten the job done as well as it was. It appears to me that the 12-foot depth was achieved, and, at least for a few months, we can transit the jetties without fear and continue to land our fish in our home port while stimulating the local economy.

    Thank you,

    HANK LACKNER

Time and Energy

    East Hampton

    December 16, 2011

Dear Mr. Rattray:

    On Sunday, Dec. 11, the Springs Fire Department made available delicious holiday dinners for delivery to clients of East Hampton Meals on Wheels and their family members, who were unable to attend the dinner at the firehouse.

    This service filled a tremendous need in our community, because the clients who received these holiday meals were homebound and unable to cook special holiday meals for themselves or for their families.

    We heartily thank all members of the Springs Fire Department, who skillfully coordinated the event with our organization and who gave so generously of their time and energy to make this holiday season pleasurable for many lonely individuals.

    We are thankful to live in a community in which so many organizations and individuals are concerned for the needs of their neighbors.

    Thank you again, Springs Fire Department.

    Very truly yours,

    CYNTHIA P. KABACK

    President

    East Hampton Meals on Wheels

Whiff of a Rat

    Falls Church, Va.

    December 20, 2011

Dear Editor:

    I had a nightmare last night. It went like this: I was part of a team of workers for the Town of East Hampton. Our job was to monitor the environment and serve as scientific advisers. Our charge included being watchdog, protector, scientific resource, and so on, all for the purpose of preserving and protecting the environment.

    One day we were informed that an official mission was under way, approved by the town administrators, to do some alterations to the salt marshes. Immediately, barges arrived with loads of peat and started dumping it on the marshes. I protested vehemently, first to the hired contractors, then to the town administrators. From the latter I heard, “Sorry, but we need the money that this will bring.” (The dream didn’t make the connection between the two.)

    I awoke distraught, and as I lay in bed I couldn’t help but notice the connection between the dream and what I had just read in The Star about what seems to be round two of the “let’s get rid of Larry Penny” campaign. (My Star arrives late, via snail mail, to my home in Virginia.) Although I am not in a position to judge the purported reasons for his suspension, or whether they are warranted, I thought I got a whiff of a rat.

    If the town does get rid of Larry, it must be diligent in its efforts to find a qualified replacement. He is a rare breed, extremely intelligent, rooted in our natural history, and an all-around qualified environmentalist, not to mention a warrior for the cause. I hope he is not on his way out, but if he is, I hope the town officials will seek a highly qualified replacement for him and not dismantle a critically important component of the town government.

    Sincerely,

    SUSAN JEWETT

Vast Conspiracy

    Bridgehampton

    December 26, 2011

To the Editor:

    Tim Sullivan finds a vast conspiracy behind Larry Penny’s suspension. He blames (in no particular order) Cathy Lester, the Nature Conservancy, Theresa Quigley, a pastry chef, Democrats on the East Hampton Town Board, Natural Resources Department staffers, Bill McGintee, a liquor salesman, Bill Wilkinson, Tony Bullock, Republicans on the town board, Brad Lowen, and Julia Prince, among others. The stupendous length, not only of Mr. Sullivan’s two-column letter, but also of his bipartisan list, leads one to wonder who has not been included on this list and why.

    It also leads one to wonder exactly what inspired such vehemence in Mr. Sullivan. This kind of behavior is usually confined to paid agents provocateurs, 12-step program dropouts, and jilted lovers.

MILES JAFFE

Profit and Monopoly

    Springs

    December 22, 2011

Dear Editor:

    I’m not surprised the Wilk-Quigley duo is proposing to ban fueling commercial fishing boats from trucks on our docks. It’s another demonstration of the contempt they have for the men and women who struggle every day in the fishing industry. I’m a bit surprised at your editorial, though. It seems you  don’t understand the issue or haven’t heard any of the past arguments. Let me refresh your memory:

    In the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program document and the town code it’s recognized in numerous places the need for reasonably priced and accessible fueling for commercial vessels. It doesn’t say environmental rules should be disregarded nor set prices nor worry of the cost of requirements nor be concerned with where fueling took place. Interestingly, fueling from trucks has a much better environmental record then land-based marina fueling has had. It left open the opportunity for enterprising business persons to provide a vital service at a profit they thought reasonable. It was fuel truckers who stepped in and met the cost and requirements to provide the service. Please note, it cost them money and effort to give this service. It’s not free but it’s the American way.

    A few years ago the town board proposed an addition to the code that would ensure truckers meet extra requirements for fueling over the docks to protect the environment, indemnify the town, and carry extra insurance, safety equipment, and other things. And each trucker agreed it was a good idea for their business.

    At the public hearing for the code addition many of the marina operators from town and their paid lobbyists were there to protest in the most despicable way. They accused truckers, without evidence, of environmental vandalism and ignorance, tax evasion, delivering illegal fuel, even the innuendo of showing favoritism toward enforcement personnel. But most of all they argued they were required to pay a lot of money and effort to meet the requirements for them to sell fuel and reap a profit. They thought truckers were unfair competition and should be banned. I guess the expectation of profit and monopoly in this town is the American way because that’s just what Wilk-Quigley is proposing. It’s too bad the past town board wimped out and didn’t act.

    Your thought that a company set up a fueling station on a dock is wrong. It will only provide reasonably priced and accessible fuel to some and then only if the town requires it. The town could have its own fueling facility and pump cheap fuel, as it does for millionaire jet owners at the airport. But that doesn’t offer the monopoly marina owners demand or impede the fishing fleet, as some wish.

    Maybe it’s best to confront, by code, any public concerns and let business people do business.

BRAD LOEWEN

—

    Mr. Loewen is a former East Hampton Town councilman. Ed.

Against the Patents

    Amagansett

    December 20, 2011

Dear David,

    This evening my bride and I went to John Papas for dinner.

    Lo and behold, sitting at a booth was former Town Justice Roger Walker. Ever since his decision against the town’s patents as they pertain to my fish license case, on May 18, 1999, I have wanted to know what in the Lord’s name he was talking about in his decision against me.

    Roger wrote more than a page about who would purchase or not purchase the Indian lands at Montauk in the late 1600s.

    He cited and underlined sections of the Dongan Patent about these Indian lands, then declared, “This court is hard pressed to conclude that the defendant has a valid defense of his argument given the aforementioned excerpts from the Dongan Patent itself.”

    At John Papas I asked Roger Walker, What does the purchase of Indian lands at Montauk have to do with my refusal to purchase a New York State fishing license?

    I was stunned by Roger’s reply. Roger stated that he never did any such thing, that I must have the wrong person.

    It is not very often that someone can render me speechless as Roger Walker did with his comments about the decision he signed against the patents and me on May 18, 1999.

    When I gathered back my wits, I asked my bride, “Is that Roger Walker?” She assured me it was he.

    Since 1999 I have been told several times that someone other than Judge Roger Walker wrote this dumber-than-a-box of rocks decision.

    Perhaps this is why he told me at John Papas that he never did any such thing.

    My question is, where’s the justice? There certainly was none for me in East  Hampton Town Justice Court.

    Cheers,

    STUART VORPAHL

Most Insidious

    East Hampton

    December 23, 2011

To the Editor:

    During these days closest to Christmas, one would think that the selfish advocates of federal control of noise regulation at East Hampton Airport would have the charity to quiet, at least temporarily, their campaign of misrepresentation. But one would be wrong.

    The latest airport promotional salvo, in your 22 Dec. letters pages, asserts that there is “an honest disagreement” about the best approach to airport noise control. It continues that the “anti-airport . . . special interests have enjoyed almost exclusive political influence over town airport policy for most of the past 15 years.” In today’s New York Times, Paul Krugman writes of the “post-truth” political era at the national level. Well, we have it right here in East Hampton.

    The aviation interests would have us forget the unscrupulous process that led to runway expansion, the town’s 1990s expansionist airport layout plan that could not stand up under scrutiny, and the town board’s substantial indifference to the years of recommendations from its own airport noise abatement advisory committee. So much for noise abatement’s “almost exclusive political influence.”

    And, the most obvious nonsense is the characterization of airport noise victims as “special interests.” The narrow group of wealthy (and some uber-wealthy) airport users and advocates must now be looking in the mirror. Apparently, they cannot imagine a grassroots uprising of airport noise victims.

    But the “honest disagreement” assertion is the most insidious of the falsehoods. The airport proponents and the town board majority talk over and over again about the Federal Aviation Administration as “a partner” and about F.A.A. “cooperation.” They say those things even though they know that the F.A.A. has never consented to curfews or other noise limits at an airport subject to the grant assurances that come with F.A.A. subsidies. In only one case, that of Naples, Fla., has an airport succeeded, but only by order of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and after millions of dollars in litigation.

    Moreover, the aviation interests also know that in the National Helicopter Case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which construes federal law in New York, has made this area of federal law abundantly clear: Without grant assurances, a municipal airport proprietor like East Hampton Town can impose reasonable nondiscriminatory airport noise limitations on aircraft if based upon a sound environmental impact study.

    In other words, the airport special interest proponents know that the F.A.A. has never cooperatively allowed curfews or other noise-limiting aircraft restrictions at airports under grant assurances from federal subsidy. And they know also that municipal airports like East Hampton’s can impose such restrictions absent such grant assurances. Yet they keep telling us just the opposite. “Honest disagreement,” indeed!

    It is critical for the relief of our community from excessive jet, helicopter, and seaplane noise that the town not accept any further F.A.A. funding. When current grant assurances expire on Dec. 13, 2014, the town will be able to enforce effective airport noise control.

    Until the end of 2014, we can watch the town proceed with its “cooperative” approach. That should be a reasonable period for testing the efficacy of F.A.A. cooperation. Why should not the aviation advocates agree?

    Sincerely,

    CHARLES A. EHREN JR.

Will Be Stuck

    East Hampton

    December 26, 2011

Dear David:

    It is sad indeed to read Judith Hope defending the pocketbooks and privileges of private aircraft owners, including herself and her husband, Tom Twomey, by railing against imaginary “anti-F.A.A. activists.” Judith Hope was once an environmental activist who well understood that it was the responsibility of East Hampton Town government to balance financial gain for some against the loss of recognizable place for the many. No more, it seems.

    There are no “anti-F.A.A. activists.” The dispute over the imposition of airport noise upon the many for the benefit of a tiny handful of aircraft owners such as Ms. Hope and Mr. Twomey is not about personal animus toward the F.A.A. It is about the fact that F.A.A. policy obstructs any use restrictions, such as curfews or exclusions of airport types, at an airport subject to its control. If East Hampton takes more money from the F.A.A. for a deer fence, as Supervisor Bill Wilkinson and Councilman Dominick Stanzione want to do, we will be stuck with F.A.A. control for 20 more years.

    As things now stand, the relevant agreements that give the F.A.A. control of access to East Hampton Airport will expire on Dec. 31, 2014, three years from now. At that time, the East Hampton Town Board, as airport proprietor, would have the power to limit hours of operation, reduce the number of airport operations, and/or exclude aircraft types, such as helicopters, deemed too noisy, all for the explicit purpose of protecting the community from noise.

    We know this with certainty because the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has said so in the case of National Helicopter v. City of New York. The jurisdiction of the Second Circuit includes East Hampton, and its word is the law here unless and until the U.S. Supreme Court says otherwise. But here’s the catch. The city’s heliport was not subject to grant assurances that give the F.A.A. control over airport access. Santa Monica Airport also achieved use restrictions, because it too was not subject to F.A.A. control over airport access.

Federal Aviation Administration policy is never to consent to use restrictions for any airport subject to its authority under a grant agreement. The F.A.A. has never done so. In Naples, Fla., the F.A.A. refused its consent. Naples succeeded, but only after a multiyear court battle that cost a reported $6 million.

    Burbank tried. The F.A.A. of course refused, specifically citing its grant agreement with Burbank Airport, and Burbank did not bother to sue the F.A.A..  

    Can Ms. Hope, Mr. Twomey, or the East Hampton Airport Association identify any instance in history where the F.A.A. has agreed to use restrictions at an airport subject to its control? Diligent search has found not one. It would be welcome if they could back their claims about F.A.A. cooperation with some facts. Indeed, can they identify any single airport out of the 20,000 in the country that has successfully controlled noise while subject to a grant agreement with the F.A.A.?

    The most important point, however, is this: If, as Judith Hope claims, the problem can be solved by cooperating with the F.A.A., show us. There are still three years to run on the existing F.A.A. grant agreement. That is plenty of time to obtain whatever relief the aircraft owners claim we can obtain from the F.A.A.. Go ahead: Demonstrate to the community that you are not just inventing a falsehood out of financial self-interest. (Has there ever been a polluter that did not claim that its emissions either didn’t exist or would cause no harm?)

    What is most striking about the aircraft owners, who are the only ones who benefit from F.A.A. subsidies, is that they are hell-bent to take more F.A.A. money before we know whether noise can successfully be controlled while subject to a grant agreement with the F.A.A. Any rational person, sincerely interested in solving the noise problem, would want to know whether we can solve the problem before ceding the town’s proprietary powers to the F.A.A. for another 20 years. It is difficult to avoid the suspicion that the aircraft owners are indeed desperate to take the money before we know the answer lest the facts prove them wrong.

    There is no provision in federal law for early termination of an F.A.A. grant agreement. If the claims of the aircraft owners are wrong, what will they say when we are again stuck with the F.A.A. for 20 years and nothing has been accomplished — “Oops, sorry. Too bad for East Hampton, but great for us who still don’t have to pay the costs of the airport?”

    Sincerely,

    DAVID GRUBER

Strange Day

    East Hampton

    December 22, 2011

Dear Editor,

    My great-aunt Filomina Tutti-Lini and I were strolling through Herrick Park when a big ol’ black 10-gallon hat zipped by us. It was only a foot off the ground and moving fast. Zia Filomina took off after it, dived under the brim, and popped up a few seconds later.

    “Giuseppe, itza Rick Perry.”

    “I thought he was six feet tall?”

    Zia told me that in Texas he is, but as soon as he crosses the border he shrinks.

    Mosying along, we noticed a large crowd had gathered under an oak tree. They were looking up at a man who was dressed like Davy Crockett. He was out on a limb shouting, “Better red than live with the fed. Let’s be bold and go back to gold; standard that is.”

    Zia said she liked the man in the tree, but she thought he would be happier in the last century.

    It was a strange day, as a big-headed lizard ambled by and nodded at us. Zia, who is fluent in Lizardo, started chatting. When they finished, she told me he was a Gink lizard, subspecies hippocritii, and that he was going to Tiffany, thanks to the generosity of his Uncle Freddie and Aunt Fannie. He was also amused that he had three wives while his two pals, who could have as many as they liked, had only one each.

    “Mama mia!” cried Zia as a portly, pasty-faced fellow, decked out in a pink tutu, gold ballet slippers, and a rhinestone tiara, danced by. He was up on his toes, flapping his arms and singing, “I’m not gay, I’m just lively.”

    “Zia, is chubby Michelle’s hubby?”

    “Si.”

    We went to lean against a tree. It came to life, stuck out a hand, and said, “Hi, I’m Mitt.”

    I had all I could do to stop my great-aunt from launching a devastating side kick to the chops.

    “Giuseppe, why you stop me? I make splinters outta him.”

    “Zia, he’s from Bain Capital.”

    On our way to get some pizza, we passed a man in a business suit shouting, “I’m the other Rick.”

    No one paid attention. I ordered a slice with anchovies and mushrooms, excused myself, and went to the restroom. When I came out I saw Zia Filo­mina pressed up against some middle-aged black man who looked like he was measuring her. When she came over I asked if the man was trying to raise some Cain with her.

    “No, his name is Kingfish, and he say I’ma the same size as his wife. He also say that he’s leaving town to meet his goomba D.S.K. in Uz Beki Beki Beki.”

    Our thoughts turned to dinner, and we were off to see Bob and Kevin at Park Place Liquors to pick up a bottle of Ruffino Riserva Ducale. Rounding the corner we heard a most beautiful voice saying, “Yes, we can. Hope and change,” and other inspiring soundbites. We didn’t see anyone — the only thing we saw was an expensive-looking sound system, a coatrack with an empty blue suit hanging from it, and a life-size, cardboard cutout of the president fluttering in the breeze.

    There was a tag in the breast pocket of the suit. It read “Bought and paid for by your Wall Street buddies.”

    “Zia Filomina, It’s Hobson’s choice.”

    “Watza that?”

    “There’s no choice at all.”

JOE TOTO

Now Are Captive

    East Hampton

    December 19, 2011

Dear Editor,

    Every day, in every way, I am reminded why I have never voted for a Republican candidate for any office, anywhere — city, state, or federal, and never will. They are duplicitous, lying, two-faced four flushers whose interests have never coincided with mine.

    Now, here, today, my determination to avoid Republicans as the plague they are is stronger than ever. They declare openly that their sole aim is to defeat President Obama, and then they oppose every positive change he and his administration propose to lift the country out of the major recession they caused. They deny him the support every president needs.

    They block appointments to major agencies. They filibuster every positive effort. They deny additional judges that are desperately needed. They oppose ending the war in Iraq. They deny unemployment benefit extensions, deny payroll-tax-waiver extensions, scream about oil pipelines that offer few permanent jobs, cut college Pell grants, cut food stamps and meals for poor kids, rip out or diminish spending for health care, ignore public support for middle-class tax cuts, and fight to extend millionaires’ tax benefits.

    They are oblivious to the needs of the population other than upper middle class and millionaires. They threaten Social Security and Medicare — the lifelines of millions of senior citizens, and they keep the world markets on edge with the uncertainty that comes with zealots: You never know which way they will go.

    John Boehner, their erudite, crybaby, supposed leader in the House, cannot cement the deals he makes with his opposite number. He is consistently coming back with proposals different from the ones he had agreed to after he is bludgeoned by Tea Party extremists that the Republicans allowed to gain veto positions in the party and now are captive to them.

    Public opinion means nothing; environment means nothing; fraud in voting is bandied about while they cut voting rights around the country though there is no proof of such fraud! Oil would benefit their big-money donors, so they support unlimited, uncontrolled offshore drilling after gutting oversight regulations. Global warming doesn’t concern them, nor does science in general, but invasion of our bedrooms and our sexual orientation becomes important to them. Religious promotion is paramount to free speech, and gun control is an anathema to them while thousands die each year.

    Want to vote Republican? Go Ging­rich; he fits the bill perfectly.

    Okay out there, you conservative minions, tell me where I am wrong.

RICHARD P. HIGER

Taking Its Toll

    Sag Harbor

    December 22, 2011

To the Editor,

    This letter is addressed to the uniformed members of the armed services, the uninformed, those in denial, victims of mind control, those too young to understand, and those prepared to give up their lives for their country. Beware!

    In Iraq and Afghanistan hundreds of thousands have been deployed four or five times with pockets full of mind-altering drugs and returned with intensified cases of post-traumatic stress disorder for the rest of their lives.

    We recently learned the Air Force is having similar problems with drone operators. Their long hours of work and shift changes are creating high levels of stress, along with P.T.S.D. Pushing buttons and launching drones so frequently has caused the deaths of many innocent civilians and children and is now taking its toll on drone operators.

    Beware, slaves of capitalism, the bottom line is money.

    In peace,

    LARRY DARCEYKindness

    La Grande, Ore.

    December 20, 2011

To the Editor:

    My heartfelt thanks to the wonderful community of Montauk for its support, compassion, and friendship for my father, Jorge Rosa, over the years and also for its caring, concern, and help while I was in Montauk for Dad’s funeral service.

    Members of the Montauk community, the local merchants, and Father Michael of St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church made a sad and difficult time much more bearable, as did the friends who where there to honor and celebrate Dad’s life.

    Special thanks to my friend Jane Behan Bimson, who has been such a support over the years to both my parents. Her twice-weekly visits to my parents, bringing them the trifle dessert they so enjoyed and her loving-kindness, will never ever be forgotten.

    To the community of Montauk and to Jane, thank you for the kindness and compassion you have shown me, and I wish you a very wonderful Christmas.

    In gratitude,

    WENDY ROSA-MONDA

Watchful Eyes

    Montauk

    December 20, 2011

Dear Editor,

    My name is Hank Lackner. I am the owner and operator of the fishing vessel Jason and Danielle, home-ported in Montauk. I would like to thank Chief Walters of the Montauk Coast Guard and Bill Wilkinson for their constant oversight of the dredging project in Montauk Harbor.

    Although we did not get the jetties dredged to our desired 17-foot depth, I believe without their watchful eyes, the fishermen of Montauk would have never gotten the job done as well as it was. It appears to me that the 12-foot depth was achieved, and, at least for a few months, we can transit the jetties without fear and continue to land our fish in our home port while stimulating the local economy.

    Thank you,

    HANK LACKNER

Time and Energy

    East Hampton

    December 16, 2011

Dear Mr. Rattray:

    On Sunday, Dec. 11, the Springs Fire Department made available delicious holiday dinners for delivery to clients of East Hampton Meals on Wheels and their family members, who were unable to attend the dinner at the firehouse.

    This service filled a tremendous need in our community, because the clients who received these holiday meals were homebound and unable to cook special holiday meals for themselves or for their families.

    We heartily thank all members of the Springs Fire Department, who skillfully coordinated the event with our organization and who gave so generously of their time and energy to make this holiday season pleasurable for many lonely individuals.

    We are thankful to live in a community in which so many organizations and individuals are concerned for the needs of their neighbors.

    Thank you again, Springs Fire Department.

    Very truly yours,

    CYNTHIA P. KABACK

    President

    East Hampton Meals on Wheels

Whiff of a Rat

    Falls Church, Va.

    December 20, 2011

Dear Editor:

    I had a nightmare last night. It went like this: I was part of a team of workers for the Town of East Hampton. Our job was to monitor the environment and serve as scientific advisers. Our charge included being watchdog, protector, scientific resource, and so on, all for the purpose of preserving and protecting the environment.

    One day we were informed that an official mission was under way, approved by the town administrators, to do some alterations to the salt marshes. Immediately, barges arrived with loads of peat and started dumping it on the marshes. I protested vehemently, first to the hired contractors, then to the town administrators. From the latter I heard, “Sorry, but we need the money that this will bring.” (The dream didn’t make the connection between the two.)

    I awoke distraught, and as I lay in bed I couldn’t help but notice the connection between the dream and what I had just read in The Star about what seems to be round two of the “let’s get rid of Larry Penny” campaign. (My Star arrives late, via snail mail, to my home in Virginia.) Although I am not in a position to judge the purported reasons for his suspension, or whether they are warranted, I thought I got a whiff of a rat.

    If the town does get rid of Larry, it must be diligent in its efforts to find a qualified replacement. He is a rare breed, extremely intelligent, rooted in our natural history, and an all-around qualified environmentalist, not to mention a warrior for the cause. I hope he is not on his way out, but if he is, I hope the town officials will seek a highly qualified replacement for him and not dismantle a critically important component of the town government.

    Sincerely,

    SUSAN JEWETT

Vast Conspiracy

    Bridgehampton

    December 26, 2011

To the Editor:

    Tim Sullivan finds a vast conspiracy behind Larry Penny’s suspension. He blames (in no particular order) Cathy Lester, the Nature Conservancy, Theresa Quigley, a pastry chef, Democrats on the East Hampton Town Board, Natural Resources Department staffers, Bill McGintee, a liquor salesman, Bill Wilkinson, Tony Bullock, Republicans on the town board, Brad Lowen, and Julia Prince, among others. The stupendous length, not only of Mr. Sullivan’s two-column letter, but also of his bipartisan list, leads one to wonder who has not been included on this list and why.

    It also leads one to wonder exactly what inspired such vehemence in Mr. Sullivan. This kind of behavior is usually confined to paid agents provocateurs, 12-step program dropouts, and jilted lovers.

MILES JAFFE

Profit and Monopoly

    Springs

    December 22, 2011

Dear Editor:

    I’m not surprised the Wilk-Quigley duo is proposing to ban fueling commercial fishing boats from trucks on our docks. It’s another demonstration of the contempt they have for the men and women who struggle every day in the fishing industry. I’m a bit surprised at your editorial, though. It seems you  don’t understand the issue or haven’t heard any of the past arguments. Let me refresh your memory:

    In the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program document and the town code it’s recognized in numerous places the need for reasonably priced and accessible fueling for commercial vessels. It doesn’t say environmental rules should be disregarded nor set prices nor worry of the cost of requirements nor be concerned with where fueling took place. Interestingly, fueling from trucks has a much better environmental record then land-based marina fueling has had. It left open the opportunity for enterprising business persons to provide a vital service at a profit they thought reasonable. It was fuel truckers who stepped in and met the cost and requirements to provide the service. Please note, it cost them money and effort to give this service. It’s not free but it’s the American way.

    A few years ago the town board proposed an addition to the code that would ensure truckers meet extra requirements for fueling over the docks to protect the environment, indemnify the town, and carry extra insurance, safety equipment, and other things. And each trucker agreed it was a good idea for their business.

    At the public hearing for the code addition many of the marina operators from town and their paid lobbyists were there to protest in the most despicable way. They accused truckers, without evidence, of environmental vandalism and ignorance, tax evasion, delivering illegal fuel, even the innuendo of showing favoritism toward enforcement personnel. But most of all they argued they were required to pay a lot of money and effort to meet the requirements for them to sell fuel and reap a profit. They thought truckers were unfair competition and should be banned. I guess the expectation of profit and monopoly in this town is the American way because that’s just what Wilk-Quigley is proposing. It’s too bad the past town board wimped out and didn’t act.

    Your thought that a company set up a fueling station on a dock is wrong. It will only provide reasonably priced and accessible fuel to some and then only if the town requires it. The town could have its own fueling facility and pump cheap fuel, as it does for millionaire jet owners at the airport. But that doesn’t offer the monopoly marina owners demand or impede the fishing fleet, as some wish.

    Maybe it’s best to confront, by code, any public concerns and let business people do business.

BRAD LOEWEN

—

    Mr. Loewen is a former East Hampton Town councilman. Ed.

Against the Patents

    Amagansett

    December 20, 2011

Dear David,

    This evening my bride and I went to John Papas for dinner.

    Lo and behold, sitting at a booth was former Town Justice Roger Walker. Ever since his decision against the town’s patents as they pertain to my fish license case, on May 18, 1999, I have wanted to know what in the Lord’s name he was talking about in his decision against me.

    Roger wrote more than a page about who would purchase or not purchase the Indian lands at Montauk in the late 1600s.

    He cited and underlined sections of the Dongan Patent about these Indian lands, then declared, “This court is hard pressed to conclude that the defendant has a valid defense of his argument given the aforementioned excerpts from the Dongan Patent itself.”

    At John Papas I asked Roger Walker, What does the purchase of Indian lands at Montauk have to do with my refusal to purchase a New York State fishing license?

    I was stunned by Roger’s reply. Roger stated that he never did any such thing, that I must have the wrong person.

    It is not very often that someone can render me speechless as Roger Walker did with his comments about the decision he signed against the patents and me on May 18, 1999.

    When I gathered back my wits, I asked my bride, “Is that Roger Walker?” She assured me it was he.

    Since 1999 I have been told several times that someone other than Judge Roger Walker wrote this dumber-than-a-box of rocks decision.

    Perhaps this is why he told me at John Papas that he never did any such thing.

    My question is, where’s the justice? There certainly was none for me in East  Hampton Town Justice Court.

    Cheers,

    STUART VORPAHL

Most Insidious

    East Hampton

    December 23, 2011

To the Editor:

    During these days closest to Christmas, one would think that the selfish advocates of federal control of noise regulation at East Hampton Airport would have the charity to quiet, at least temporarily, their campaign of misrepresentation. But one would be wrong.

    The latest airport promotional salvo, in your 22 Dec. letters pages, asserts that there is “an honest disagreement” about the best approach to airport noise control. It continues that the “anti-airport . . . special interests have enjoyed almost exclusive political influence over town airport policy for most of the past 15 years.” In today’s New York Times, Paul Krugman writes of the “post-truth” political era at the national level. Well, we have it right here in East Hampton.

    The aviation interests would have us forget the unscrupulous process that led to runway expansion, the town’s 1990s expansionist airport layout plan that could not stand up under scrutiny, and the town board’s substantial indifference to the years of recommendations from its own airport noise abatement advisory committee. So much for noise abatement’s “almost exclusive political influence.”

    And, the most obvious nonsense is the characterization of airport noise victims as “special interests.” The narrow group of wealthy (and some uber-wealthy) airport users and advocates must now be looking in the mirror. Apparently, they cannot imagine a grassroots uprising of airport noise victims.

    But the “honest disagreement” assertion is the most insidious of the falsehoods. The airport proponents and the town board majority talk over and over again about the Federal Aviation Administration as “a partner” and about F.A.A. “cooperation.” They say those things even though they know that the F.A.A. has never consented to curfews or other noise limits at an airport subject to the grant assurances that come with F.A.A. subsidies. In only one case, that of Naples, Fla., has an airport succeeded, but only by order of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and after millions of dollars in litigation.

    Moreover, the aviation interests also know that in the National Helicopter Case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which construes federal law in New York, has made this area of federal law abundantly clear: Without grant assurances, a municipal airport proprietor like East Hampton Town can impose reasonable nondiscriminatory airport noise limitations on aircraft if based upon a sound environmental impact study.

    In other words, the airport special interest proponents know that the F.A.A. has never cooperatively allowed curfews or other noise-limiting aircraft restrictions at airports under grant assurances from federal subsidy. And they know also that municipal airports like East Hampton’s can impose such restrictions absent such grant assurances. Yet they keep telling us just the opposite. “Honest disagreement,” indeed!

    It is critical for the relief of our community from excessive jet, helicopter, and seaplane noise that the town not accept any further F.A.A. funding. When current grant assurances expire on Dec. 13, 2014, the town will be able to enforce effective airport noise control.

    Until the end of 2014, we can watch the town proceed with its “cooperative” approach. That should be a reasonable period for testing the efficacy of F.A.A. cooperation. Why should not the aviation advocates agree?

    Sincerely,

    CHARLES A. EHREN JR.

Will Be Stuck

    East Hampton

    December 26, 2011

Dear David:

    It is sad indeed to read Judith Hope defending the pocketbooks and privileges of private aircraft owners, including herself and her husband, Tom Twomey, by railing against imaginary “anti-F.A.A. activists.” Judith Hope was once an environmental activist who well understood that it was the responsibility of East Hampton Town government to balance financial gain for some against the loss of recognizable place for the many. No more, it seems.

    There are no “anti-F.A.A. activists.” The dispute over the imposition of airport noise upon the many for the benefit of a tiny handful of aircraft owners such as Ms. Hope and Mr. Twomey is not about personal animus toward the F.A.A. It is about the fact that F.A.A. policy obstructs any use restrictions, such as curfews or exclusions of airport types, at an airport subject to its control. If East Hampton takes more money from the F.A.A. for a deer fence, as Supervisor Bill Wilkinson and Councilman Dominick Stanzione want to do, we will be stuck with F.A.A. control for 20 more years.

    As things now stand, the relevant agreements that give the F.A.A. control of access to East Hampton Airport will expire on Dec. 31, 2014, three years from now. At that time, the East Hampton Town Board, as airport proprietor, would have the power to limit hours of operation, reduce the number of airport operations, and/or exclude aircraft types, such as helicopters, deemed too noisy, all for the explicit purpose of protecting the community from noise.

    We know this with certainty because the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has said so in the case of National Helicopter v. City of New York. The jurisdiction of the Second Circuit includes East Hampton, and its word is the law here unless and until the U.S. Supreme Court says otherwise. But here’s the catch. The city’s heliport was not subject to grant assurances that give the F.A.A. control over airport access. Santa Monica Airport also achieved use restrictions, because it too was not subject to F.A.A. control over airport access.

Federal Aviation Administration policy is never to consent to use restrictions for any airport subject to its authority under a grant agreement. The F.A.A. has never done so. In Naples, Fla., the F.A.A. refused its consent. Naples succeeded, but only after a multiyear court battle that cost a reported $6 million.

    Burbank tried. The F.A.A. of course refused, specifically citing its grant agreement with Burbank Airport, and Burbank did not bother to sue the F.A.A..  

    Can Ms. Hope, Mr. Twomey, or the East Hampton Airport Association identify any instance in history where the F.A.A. has agreed to use restrictions at an airport subject to its control? Diligent search has found not one. It would be welcome if they could back their claims about F.A.A. cooperation with some facts. Indeed, can they identify any single airport out of the 20,000 in the country that has successfully controlled noise while subject to a grant agreement with the F.A.A.?

    The most important point, however, is this: If, as Judith Hope claims, the problem can be solved by cooperating with the F.A.A., show us. There are still three years to run on the existing F.A.A. grant agreement. That is plenty of time to obtain whatever relief the aircraft owners claim we can obtain from the F.A.A.. Go ahead: Demonstrate to the community that you are not just inventing a falsehood out of financial self-interest. (Has there ever been a polluter that did not claim that its emissions either didn’t exist or would cause no harm?)

    What is most striking about the aircraft owners, who are the only ones who benefit from F.A.A. subsidies, is that they are hell-bent to take more F.A.A. money before we know whether noise can successfully be controlled while subject to a grant agreement with the F.A.A. Any rational person, sincerely interested in solving the noise problem, would want to know whether we can solve the problem before ceding the town’s proprietary powers to the F.A.A. for another 20 years. It is difficult to avoid the suspicion that the aircraft owners are indeed desperate to take the money before we know the answer lest the facts prove them wrong.

    There is no provision in federal law for early termination of an F.A.A. grant agreement. If the claims of the aircraft owners are wrong, what will they say when we are again stuck with the F.A.A. for 20 years and nothing has been accomplished — “Oops, sorry. Too bad for East Hampton, but great for us who still don’t have to pay the costs of the airport?”

    Sincerely,

    DAVID GRUBER

Strange Day

    East Hampton

    December 22, 2011

Dear Editor,

    My great-aunt Filomina Tutti-Lini and I were strolling through Herrick Park when a big ol’ black 10-gallon hat zipped by us. It was only a foot off the ground and moving fast. Zia Filomina took off after it, dived under the brim, and popped up a few seconds later.

    “Giuseppe, itza Rick Perry.”

    “I thought he was six feet tall?”

    Zia told me that in Texas he is, but as soon as he crosses the border he shrinks.

    Mosying along, we noticed a large crowd had gathered under an oak tree. They were looking up at a man who was dressed like Davy Crockett. He was out on a limb shouting, “Better red than live with the fed. Let’s be bold and go back to gold; standard that is.”

    Zia said she liked the man in the tree, but she thought he would be happier in the last century.

    It was a strange day, as a big-headed lizard ambled by and nodded at us. Zia, who is fluent in Lizardo, started chatting. When they finished, she told me he was a Gink lizard, subspecies hippocritii, and that he was going to Tiffany, thanks to the generosity of his Uncle Freddie and Aunt Fannie. He was also amused that he had three wives while his two pals, who could have as many as they liked, had only one each.

    “Mama mia!” cried Zia as a portly, pasty-faced fellow, decked out in a pink tutu, gold ballet slippers, and a rhinestone tiara, danced by. He was up on his toes, flapping his arms and singing, “I’m not gay, I’m just lively.”

    “Zia, is chubby Michelle’s hubby?”

    “Si.”

    We went to lean against a tree. It came to life, stuck out a hand, and said, “Hi, I’m Mitt.”

    I had all I could do to stop my great-aunt from launching a devastating side kick to the chops.

    “Giuseppe, why you stop me? I make splinters outta him.”

    “Zia, he’s from Bain Capital.”

    On our way to get some pizza, we passed a man in a business suit shouting, “I’m the other Rick.”

    No one paid attention. I ordered a slice with anchovies and mushrooms, excused myself, and went to the restroom. When I came out I saw Zia Filo­mina pressed up against some middle-aged black man who looked like he was measuring her. When she came over I asked if the man was trying to raise some Cain with her.

    “No, his name is Kingfish, and he say I’ma the same size as his wife. He also say that he’s leaving town to meet his goomba D.S.K. in Uz Beki Beki Beki.”

    Our thoughts turned to dinner, and we were off to see Bob and Kevin at Park Place Liquors to pick up a bottle of Ruffino Riserva Ducale. Rounding the corner we heard a most beautiful voice saying, “Yes, we can. Hope and change,” and other inspiring soundbites. We didn’t see anyone — the only thing we saw was an expensive-looking sound system, a coatrack with an empty blue suit hanging from it, and a life-size, cardboard cutout of the president fluttering in the breeze.

    There was a tag in the breast pocket of the suit. It read “Bought and paid for by your Wall Street buddies.”

    “Zia Filomina, It’s Hobson’s choice.”

    “Watza that?”

    “There’s no choice at all.”

JOE TOTO

Now Are Captive

    East Hampton

    December 19, 2011

Dear Editor,

    Every day, in every way, I am reminded why I have never voted for a Republican candidate for any office, anywhere — city, state, or federal, and never will. They are duplicitous, lying, two-faced four flushers whose interests have never coincided with mine.

    Now, here, today, my determination to avoid Republicans as the plague they are is stronger than ever. They declare openly that their sole aim is to defeat President Obama, and then they oppose every positive change he and his administration propose to lift the country out of the major recession they caused. They deny him the support every president needs.

    They block appointments to major agencies. They filibuster every positive effort. They deny additional judges that are desperately needed. They oppose ending the war in Iraq. They deny unemployment benefit extensions, deny payroll-tax-waiver extensions, scream about oil pipelines that offer few permanent jobs, cut college Pell grants, cut food stamps and meals for poor kids, rip out or diminish spending for health care, ignore public support for middle-class tax cuts, and fight to extend millionaires’ tax benefits.

    They are oblivious to the needs of the population other than upper middle class and millionaires. They threaten Social Security and Medicare — the lifelines of millions of senior citizens, and they keep the world markets on edge with the uncertainty that comes with zealots: You never know which way they will go.

    John Boehner, their erudite, crybaby, supposed leader in the House, cannot cement the deals he makes with his opposite number. He is consistently coming back with proposals different from the ones he had agreed to after he is bludgeoned by Tea Party extremists that the Republicans allowed to gain veto positions in the party and now are captive to them.

    Public opinion means nothing; environment means nothing; fraud in voting is bandied about while they cut voting rights around the country though there is no proof of such fraud! Oil would benefit their big-money donors, so they support unlimited, uncontrolled offshore drilling after gutting oversight regulations. Global warming doesn’t concern them, nor does science in general, but invasion of our bedrooms and our sexual orientation becomes important to them. Religious promotion is paramount to free speech, and gun control is an anathema to them while thousands die each year.

    Want to vote Republican? Go Ging­rich; he fits the bill perfectly.

    Okay out there, you conservative minions, tell me where I am wrong.

RICHARD P. HIGER

Taking Its Toll

    Sag Harbor

    December 22, 2011

To the Editor,

    This letter is addressed to the uniformed members of the armed services, the uninformed, those in denial, victims of mind control, those too young to understand, and those prepared to give up their lives for their country. Beware!

    In Iraq and Afghanistan hundreds of thousands have been deployed four or five times with pockets full of mind-altering drugs and returned with intensified cases of post-traumatic stress disorder for the rest of their lives.

    We recently learned the Air Force is having similar problems with drone operators. Their long hours of work and shift changes are creating high levels of stress, along with P.T.S.D. Pushing buttons and launching drones so frequently has caused the deaths of many innocent civilians and children and is now taking its toll on drone operators.

    Beware, slaves of capitalism, the bottom line is money.

    In peace,

    LARRY DARCEY

   Nora Bredes and Lorna Salzman, friends and allies in the successful fight to stop the Long Island Lighting Company's nuclear plant at Shoreham, have become political opponents in this year's race to represent the First Congressional District. The future of the reactors at Brookhaven National Laboratory divides them.

   Ms. Salzman declared herself a write-in candidate for Congress on the Peconic Green Party last week, although she admitted she might end up helping re-elect U.S. Representative Michael P. Forbes, the Republican incumbent.

   "My perception is that whoever gets elected moves to the center - certainly that is true of Clinton - and Mike Forbes's record is mixed. It's not the worst, by the way," said the East Quogue resident.

Debate Disruption

    She and other members of the Peconic Green Party, which is allied with Ralph Nader's Presidential campaign, attempted to disrupt a debate Friday night in Hampton Bays between Ms. Bredes, a two-term Suffolk Legislator from Stony Brook, and Congressman Forbes, a Congressional freshman from Quogue.

   In front of a Cablevision camera and more than 150 persons, a spokesman for the Greens announced that Ms. Salzman, who had been a founder of the Shoreham Opponents Coalition, was a write-in candidate and loudly criticized the Democratic and Republican nominees for not being tough on the lab, which activists blame for radioactive and chemical contamination of groundwater and the Peconic Bays.

   Ms. Bredes, who lost the Green Party's cross-endorsement by a slim margin when she declined to support a campaign to close down Brook haven's reactors, called the Greens her "friends and colleagues" and wished Ms. Salzman "good luck" in her campaign.

For Task Force

    She reminded the representatives of the Greens that, as a Legislator, she had voted to create the county task force investigating the lab. She added, however, that in addition to its being a Federal Superfund site the lab gave Long Islanders thousands of jobs and did "creative and healing work."

   Later in the evening, when asked directly whether she favored shutting the reactors, she said, "There are medical uses that can't be replaced by other technologies. There are ramifications beyond closing a Shoreham nuclear-power plant." She called the answer "a difficult decision" that "shouldn't be made in the heat of a campaign."

   Turning the spotlight on her Republican-Conservative opponent, Ms. Bredes charged it would be impossible to clean up the site with Republicans in power, who are, she said, bent on loosening environmental regulations and cutting Superfund appropriations.

"Special Interests"

    Mr. Forbes, on the other hand, blamed trial lawyers representing corporate polluters for delaying Superfund cleanups nationwide and said he had asked Carol Browner, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, to personally direct the work at Brookhaven, which he said could be covered in a $3.7-billion E.P.A. budget next year.

   When he was asked later in the debate whether he would favor shutting down the Brookhaven reactors, Mr. Forbes dodged the question. Instead, he replied to Ms. Bredes's earlier charge that he accepted campaign contributions from lobbyists for special interests, such as Superfund polluters and the National Rifle Association, asserting that she had accepted "large dollars" from "top brass" at the lab.

   There was a good deal of noisy reaction, both applauding and booing, to Mr. Forbes's allegations. Ms. Bredes did not respond, saying afterward she didn't catch Mr. Forbes's remark.

Cites Friends

    A July 15 report to the State Board of Elections from Nora Bredes for Congress, her campaign fund, listed donations in June of $1,000 each from Martin Blume, a physicist who was deputy director at the lab until last week, when he stepped down to return to research, and from Mark Sakitt, B.N.L.'s assistant director for planning and policy, and from his wife, Rita, a Suffolk Community College professor.

   By telephone on Tuesday night, however, Ms. Bredes said she had accepted "many individual contributions because that's what you do as a challenger."

   "These are people at my church who happen to work at the lab, an old friend who was an opponent of Shoreham with me who teaches at Suffolk Community College. These are friends of mine who work at Stony Brook," she responded.

Revolving Door?

    During the debate, the Congressman also charged Ms. Bredes, if elected, would enter "the revolving door" that has taken George Hochbrueckner, Thomas Downey, and Bill Carney from seats in the House to offices as lobbyists for the lab. This she also denied.

   The debate on Friday was sponsored by the Hampton Bays Civic Association and the Hamptons Chapter of the League of Women Voters. Legislator Bredes and Congressman Forbes each answered a variety of questions - on the shortcomings of managed health care, cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and education, abortion, defense spending, assault weapons, and mandate relief - each with an arsenal of statistics, and Ms. Bredes with accounts of Mr. Forbes's voting record.

   Later, Ms. Salzman attacked from the other flank. She said her former ally "could not be impartial on" the international worker safety components of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade because she was "compromised . . . by her husband's connections."

Husband's Firm

    Interviewed by telephone, Ms. Bredes called Ms. Salzman's allegations "total baloney."

   "My husband and I have been working our whole life together on environmental issues. I value his opinion and his conscience," she said. Of closing the reactors, she repeated that it was "not a decision that should be made at the convenience of a campaign and it has nothing to do with my husband's work."

   Ms. Bredes is married to Jack Huttner, a public relations executive with clients in biotechnology. She worked for her husband's firm for a time, and her campaign finances report shows a $250 donation from an administrator of the New York Biotechnology Association and similar small contributions from other members of the scientific community.

"Single-Issue"

    She said she was "hurt" by Ms. Salzman's criticisms, saying they had been friends for many years. Ms. Salzman countered that her campaign was "not directed against Nora as much as it is against the type of single-issue politics that's been practiced in this country, and it's unfortunate that Nora represents that."

   Ms. Salzman persisted this week in calling Ms. Bredes, who has been endorsed by major labor, environmental, and women's groups, a proponent of "bland, single-issue politics." The charge is similar to Mr. Nader's attacks on the national two-party system.

   In under a week, East Hampton Village streets will be swarming with film buffs eager to sample the Hamptons International Film Festival's 1996 offerings. But as the crowd appears, the East End Disabilities Group plans to grab its attention - not with a cinematic event but with a protest aimed at three restaurants owned in part by the festival's chairwoman, Toni Ross.

   The group sees public protest as its only option, short of legal action, to get the restaurants to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, a Federal law passed in 1990 that guarantees the disabled access to public facilities, a spokesman said.

   "We regret that it's come to this, but if this is what it takes to get the law adhered to, this is what we have to do," said Glen Hall, the group's chairman.

Nick And Toni's

   The festival's opening and closing night parties are being held at Nick and Toni's, which is one of East Hampton's most stylish restaurants. It, and the Honest Diner on the Montauk Highway in Amagansett, are owned by Ms. Ross and her husband, Jeff Salaway. Rowdy Hall, which is off Main Street in East Hampton near the United Artist theaters where most of the films are being shown, is owned by Mr. Salaway and Mark Smith.

   The owners acknowledge that some of the group's concerns are valid and have pledged to take steps to remedy the problems. Neverthelss, the protest is scheduled to go forward.

   Mr. Hall said he expected participants from across the East End to talk to film-goers and pass out leaflets.

Group's Mission

   "The protest is not our goal," said Mr. Hall. "Our goal is to make the East End accessible for people with disabilities." The group's mission, said Mr. Hall, "is not us against them - in a moment anybody can become disabled - it's about civil rights."

   The Disabilities Group already has fought successfully to gain accessibility to East Hampton's United Artists Cinema. It has also won access for the disabled to a number of other entertainment venues.

   Commenting on the forthcoming protest, Mr. Salaway said, "That's okay. Honestly, if the festival creates an opportunity for them to get their issues out there, in a way, that's a good thing. That's part of what the festival is all about, as long as anyone isn't singled out unfairly. I can't imagine we're the only people they have problems with."

Makeshift Plywood Ramp

   There are numerous restaurants here, Mr. Hall said, that are not in compliance with the law. The shortfalls at Nick and Toni's and Rowdy Hall are minor, but still important, said Gerry Mooney, a member of the group.

   At the recently renovated Rowdy Hall in the heart of the village, he cited a makeshift plywood ramp at the doorway and alleged there were no bars to aid the handicapped in the restrooms.

   "In rebuilding, we did a lot of things to accommodate the handicapped so they can enjoy our restaurant," Mr. Smith said. He agreed the ramp was a problem, but said an improved one, of cement, would go in within the next few weeks. The rest rooms are in compliance, however, he said.

Adhere To Mandates

   Village Mayor Paul Rickenbach Jr., notified of the group's complaints about Rowdy Hall, said he had discussed the matter with the new building inspector, Tom Lawrence, and its outgoing one, Donald Bennett. "Mr. Lawrence has only been with us for a week and has a full plate," Mr. Rickenbach said. "The larger picture is . . . the village is certainly going to adhere to the mandates."

   Nick and Toni's and the Honest Diner are in town jurisdiction. Mr. Salaway said he had been unaware that its parking spaces for the handicapped were not clearly marked. "That's easily remedied," he said.

   The Disabilities Group also charges the restaurant has too few such parking spaces and claims the lip of the ramp leading to the front door is difficult for a person in a wheelchair to negotiate. Again sounding a note of conciliation, Mr. Salaway said, "If there's a problem with it, we can certainly take a look at that."

Three-Year Effort

   The group has been "after the Honest Diner for about three years," Mr. Mooney said. Mr. Salaway said he was aware of that, but he noted that the A.D.A. was not law when the diner opened in 1992.

   "There seems to be some difference of interpretation as to what the code is," he said.

   "A person in a wheelchair should be able to get out of their car, to the front door, through the door that is not at too sharp an angle, and once inside should be able to use the bathrooms. It's as simple as that," Richard Rosenthal, of the Town Disabilities Advisory Board, said.

   According to the Federal requirements, any commercial enterprise that has been renovated since 1993 or received site plan approval for renovations since 1992 is supposed to provide a path for the disabled, adequate parking, and bathrooms that are wheelchair accessible, he said.

State Code

   The town enforces the state building code, not Federal regulations, said Fred Sellers, the building inspector. "The state has only adopted a certain portion of the A.D.A. requirements," he added, saying that the Honest Diner was in compliance with state law.

   While the group has given the Town Building Department copies of A.D.A, he said, "we can't force the local people to do all of them." Nevertheless, Mr. Salaway said, providing a ramp was doable, and he said the diner had an accessible bathroom. Although it is used by employees, he said, it was available for the disabled.

   "We've been 'yessed' to death. Other businesses, the movie theaters, the hospital, have all been willing to make the necessary changes. They haven't even bothered to get back to us," Mr. Hall said.

On the stump sits a bird.

Shadows serve as a sign post

So that we won't lose our way. . ."

- Pasternak, "Going Mushrooming"

   At this time of year the forests of France, Germany, Poland, and Russia are mysteriously alive with silent, roaming mushroom hunters. Every Sunday entire families take their baskets into the woods, fan out, and search for the precious chanterelles, inky caps, cepe, the unfortunately named trompettes-des-morts (trumpets of death), oyster mushrooms, and field mushrooms.

   Most are found in the leaves under beech trees. Truffles, another wild treasure, are said to lie under beech, but I've never found a one, though our property is engulfed by beech trees.

   I've never dared to cook and serve any of the many mushrooms I've picked simply to admire their exotic shapes and sometimes alarming colors. And it isn't for lack of reference and identification books - I have very good ones, in full chromatic color, illustrating exactly what gills, caps, and "legs" should look like on each species.

   Still, no matter how greedily I eye them, I dare not eat them. (Once I found a trove of 20 different kinds out on Three Mile Harbor Road, but I only made a landscape of them in the dunes to photograph. Purely as a still-life study.)

   No, I've always feared I'd be a "still-life" study myself if I cooked my fungi findings - my late French belle mere is the only mushroom expert whose judgment I trusted totally. Yet I buy wild mushrooms and eat them without hesitation, leaving my fate in the hands of what I hope are experts.

   There are edible wild mushrooms aplenty in these environs, but you must go picking with a knowledgeable veteran hunter and even then examine and compare each one with a mushroom identification manual - not simply a book of pretty pictures.

   Actually, very few are poisonous, so it's a good idea to first learn to recognize what they are. Most especially, the Death Cap or amanita phalloides, a smooth, white, innocuous-looking specimen with, as its name implies, a phallic shape. The Fiend is fatal. And worse still, the symptoms of poisoning don't show up for about 12 hours - too late to reverse. So if you should drop over dead, don't say I didn't warn you!

Mushroom And Sweet Potato Soup

   This is one of the most successful kitchen experiments I've ever tried, though it may not, at first blush, sound promising. I happened to have a lot of cooked sweet potatoes left over from a photo session and a lot of wild mushrooms from same. The flavor combination is tantalizingly mysterious.

Makes about 11/2 quarts.

1/2 cup French mixed dried wild mushrooms (or domestic)

2 Tbsp. duck or chicken fat

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cups cooked, sliced sweet potatoes

3 cups water, to which 2 tsp. beef or venison demi-glace have been added, or substitute 3 cups strong, degreased beef bouillion

Water to thin, optional amount

Salt and pepper or hot paprika to taste

1/2 cup half and half

Sherry

1/4 cup heavy cream

   Rinse and soak mushrooms in hot tap water (boiling water leaches out too much flavor) for half an hour. Melt fat in heavy soup pot and stir in garlic and onion. Saute over low heat until translucent. Add sweet potatoes. Drain mushrooms, reserving soaking water. Chop and add mushrooms to potato mixture. Strain the mushroom liquid through a fine sieve into the pot. Add water and demi-glace or bouillion to the soup pot. Bring to a simmer, and add salt and freshly ground pepper or paprika to the soup. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes then puree in a food processor. Thin to a medium-thick consistency with wat er (or broth) and stir in the half and half. Add a splash of sherry, but don't overwhelm the other flavors. Reheat and serve in warm bowls. Trickle a little heavy cream over the back of a soup spoon onto each serving.

Turkey And Chanterelles Meat Loaf

   Some might call this a pate - it seems like one after an overnight chill on a windowsill - but it starts out life as a meat loaf. It's meant to be served hot (at least at first) with mashed potatoes and a mushroom gravy. Baby peas or buttered spinach should squire this not-quite-all-American meal.

Fills one standard Pyrex loaf pan.

13/4 lb. ground turkey (not breast)

1/2 lb. ground pork shoulder

1/2 cup dry white wine

3 Tbsp. duck fat or butter

11/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh chanterelles

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped fine

3/4 cup soft fresh bread crumbs

1 egg

2 or 3 leaves fresh sage, shredded

1/2 cup parsley

1 Tbsp. coarse salt

2 tsp. coarse black pepper

   Overmixing creates tough, dry meat loaf (or hamburgers, for that matter). Lightly mix together the turkey and pork with either your fingers or a pair of chopsticks. Add wine, cover, and refrigerate several hours.

   Melt fat, add mushrooms, garlic, and onion and saute five minutes. Sprinkle over the bread crumbs. Push mixture aside and break an egg into the bowl, beat briefly with a fork, then add remaining ingredients and mix all together lightly. Pile into a Pyrex loaf pan, regular bread size. Cover with a double layer of foil. Set in an underpan of hot water. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and center the loaf in the oven. Bake for about 11/2 hours or until an instant-read thermometer says 165 degrees F. Uncover to brown for the last 15 minutes. Cool on a rack about 15 minutes before slicing.

   Unfortunately, meat loaves yield no nice dripping for sauces or gravies, so serve this with a rich mushroom veloute made with chicken broth, your own or canned.

   The process of turning the wardrobe over from summer to fall can be fraught with all sorts of dilemmas.

   There are questions of composition - will this year's new skirt look right with last year's cow "fur"-trimmed sweater? Is it okay to wear summer's highly popular crisp white shirt with autumn browns? Do tights under a summer dress make it acceptable for fall? What about plaid?

   There are also the issues of climate that are so prevalent among this season's fashion queries. Shorts or pants? Turtleneck or V-neck? Cotton or wool? Khaki or denim?

   In early October there's this deep need to stretch out the summer wardrobe until we're emotionally prepared to handle autumn. Coats are too foreboding, reminding us of impending snow. Sweaters let the breeze in and can be stifling when the sun's out.

Simple Solution

   There is one simple solution for the broader quandaries of the season - a good jacket.

   The weather report might be predicting a frost before fall clothes are even on the hangers, but with the right jacket to look forward to, the crisp mornings aren't so bad.

   Remember that soft suede jacket in the back of the closet? And the toasty warm plaid zip-up with leather on the elbows? The short trench that ties at the waist? The fleece pullover? The corduroy barn jacket? Ah, tweed.

   John Sebastian made a perfect entrance Saturday night for his first visit to the Stephen Talkhouse in nearly a decade. As the crowd was patiently monitoring the stage for any sign of The Lovin' Spoonful's affable founder - he was almost 40 minutes late in starting - there was a commotion at the front door. Suddenly a banjo-toting Mr. Sebastian waltzed through the door, followed by a full-fledged jug band.

   "That jug band music. . .," he sang as the band strolled through the crowd, unamplified, playing back-porch blues in its most idyllic form: a banjo, a harmonica, and a guitar, and a big, round jug that provided the breathy bass beats.

   When Mr. Sebastian finally reached his microphone, he joked, "Well this is it, folks. . . . As you can tell, we're off the deep end now!"

Teddy Bear

   As unpretentious as they come, John Sebastian has always seemed like rock-and-roll's teddy bear, a funny and sincere performer with a body of lighthearted yet poignant songs. His running dialogue with the crowd Saturday night was almost as entertaining as the folksy set itself. Each number got an introduction, whether it was a humorous anecdote from the Greenwich Village coffee-shop days or a snippet of music history.

   Mr. Sebastian, who during the heyday of The Lovin' Spoonful spent time rehearsing with the band at a house in North Haven, offered a healthy balance of stripped-down blues and the pop hits that earned him (and The Lovin' Spoonful) a name. Among the favorites were short, sweet versions of "Daydream," "Nashville Cats," "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" and "Darling Be Home Soon."

Best Moments

   The show's best moments, however, came during a series of Delta blues covers that brought out the musicianship in each of the band members. It started when Mr. Sebastian put down his acoustic guitar and picked up his harmonica for the first (and only) time and joined the band's gifted harp player, Annie Raynes. Their heartrending duet of the blues classic "Feelin' Bad Blues" evoked the same emotion as one of Mr. Sebastian's most unforgettable recordings, a duet of "Amazing Grace" with the legendary harmonica player Paul Butterfield.

   One of Saturday's disappointments, actually, was the lack of harmonica from Mr. Sebastian. As a harp player, Mr. Sebastian is one of the best among his contemporaries. He has even produced a set of how-to harmonica videos through the Woodstock, N.Y., company Homespun Tapes.

   It could have to do with Mr. Sebastian's voice, which he has been struggling with in recent years. The casual, unstrained delivery of the vocals on Saturday pointed to this.

Duets Too

   Nonetheless, the mood continued after the duet with two Delta blues numbers sung by the band's lead guitarist, Paul Richelle. Introducing Mr. Richelle, Mr. Sebastian reminisced that his first thought upon hearing a tape of Mr. Richelle was, "Is this guy still alive?" Indeed, when Mr. Richelle twanged the first notes on his steel Dobro and began singing, it sounded like a scratchy record of Robert Johnson had taken over the sound system.

Down-Home Feeling

   Throughout the show the band's bassist alternated between blowing into his jug and plucking on a one-string wash-basin bass. Besides creating a colorful stage, the contraptions made for a wonderfully down-home rhythm section.

   In fact, Mr. Sebastian and company turned the whole evening into a down-home one, inviting the crowd to sing along (or whistle along, in the case of "Daydream"). Mr. Sebastian could have been your guitar-playing neighbor and the Talkhouse could have been your living room.

   Sandra Reaves, accompanied by the All-Star Jazz Band, will perform her show "The Late Great Ladies of Blues and Jazz" on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Bay Street Theatre.

   Ms. Reaves, who has appeared in several Broadway and off-Broadway shows, including "Raisin," "Black and Blue," and "One Mo Time," will discuss the vocal styles and personalities of Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Dinah Washington, Ma Rainey, Ethel Waters, and Mahalia Jackson. The audience will be transported through 70 years of musical history by Ms. Reaves's interpretations of these six blues and jazz singers.

   Tickets are $25 and can be reserved by calling the Bay Street box office.

   The film-making career of Alan J. Pakula, the contributions of women to the world of motion pictures, and the collaborative process of making a film all will receive special emphases at this year's Hamptons International Film Festival, which begins on Wednesday evening with an opening screening and party.

   As has been the practice in the past, the festival will hold a day of free screenings on Oct. 21, the day after the last film and the closing-night party.

   More details of the fourth annual festival were released this week. Tickets for individual movies and other events go on sale today at the festival's box office. The official guide to the six-day event can be found inside today's Star and will be inserted again next Thursday.

Award To Director

   Mr. Pakula, who with his wife, Hannah, has an East Hampton house, will be honored on Oct. 19 with the festival's Distinguished Achievement Award. The first film he ever directed, "The Sterile Cuckoo," starring Liza Minelli and Wendell Burton, will be shown following the ceremony.

   After spending 12 years producing such notable films as "To Kill A Mockingbird," Mr. Pakula turned his talents to directing. He was at the helm of "All the President's Men," "Sophie's Choice," "Comes A Horseman," "Presumed Innocent," "Klute," "Starting Over," and "The Pelican Brief," among others.

   "In a cinematic climate where morality is often discarded in favor of what will sell, Alan J. Pakula's films have always been about compassion in the face of human frailty, and commercialism has not been his concern," observes a release.

Archival Films

   The director is said to be particularly adept at telling complicated, emotional stories, bringing the viewer close to his protagonists, and knowing just the right place to put the camera.

   Mr. Pakula is currently finishing "The Devil's Own," starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt. Some scenes were filmed on the North Fork this summer.

   The 6 p.m. award presentation and screening of "The Sterile Cuckoo" will be held at Guild Hall in East Hampton.

   Each year the Film Festival shows several archival and restored films, to point up the importance of protecting footage from vanished eras, films that would otherwise disappear - and are disappearing.

   The three films chosen this year are different in tone and topic, but together they focus on the contributions women have made to cinema, whether in front of the camera or behind.

   The silent classic "The Siren of the Tropics," starring Josephine Baker, will be introduced at its screening next Thursday night by Jean-Claude Baker, one of the extraordinary performer's adopted children, who lives in East Hampton.

   Set in a forest 10 miles from Paris, the film follows the story of a vivacious Antillean beauty (Ms. Baker) who rescues a clueless hero from the machinations of an evil marquis.

   So far as is known, this will be only the fifth showing of "The Siren of the Tropics" since its 1929 American release. The screening, which was underwritten by the Jean-Claude Baker Foundation, will be accompanied by a live performance of a piano piece written specifically for the film.

   "Siren" has been completely restored.

Ida Lupino's "Hitch-Hiker"

   The actress-turned-director Ida Lupino, a woman ahead of her time, directed a number of films in the 1950s. Her fifth one, "The Hitch-Hiker," said to be the only classic film noir directed by a woman, will be shown on Friday, Oct. 18. It tells the story of a psychotic murderer with a facial deformity who hitches rides and then kills the drivers.

   The movie, which has no female characters, is nevertheless "an excellent example of Lupino's feminist, pioneering directorial spirit," says the festival committee.

   "The Hitch-Hiker" will be presented by the American Museum of the Moving Image, based in Astoria, as a preview of its upcoming Ida Lupino retrospective next month.

"Born Yesterday"

   The comedienne Judy Holliday won a best-actress Oscar for her role as Billie Dawn in "Born Yesterday," which will be shown on Oct. 19 as part of the festival's archival presentation.

   Directed by George Cukor, the film is set in Washington, D.C., where the dim Billie Dawn is the mistress of a millionaire junk dealer. He finds her unsophisticated ways a social liability, and hires a reporter to be her tutor.

   Ultimately, she takes to her lessons, and the millionaire, played by Broderick Crawford, finds that Alexander Pope was right: "A little learning is a dangerous thing."

   Recently remade starring Melanie Griffith and also parodied in "The Girl Can't Help It," the original

   "Born Yesterday" is still the funniest, the festival maintains. It has been preserved by Sony Pictures Entertainment and the Museum of Modern Art's Department of Film and Video, which will present a Judy Holliday film retrospective in December.

Collaboration

   "Film: A Collaborative Art" will be the theme of four panel discussions during the Film Festival, all to be held at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor. The panels include directors and a sampling of the artists with whom they work: cinematographers, screenwriters, editors, and composers.

   The first, next Thursday, will focus on "The Look: Directors and Cinematographers," or directors of photography, who together address such important film-making issues as camera placement, movement, and angles.

   Serving as moderator will be David Schwartz, the chief curator of film and video at the American Museum of the Moving Image, who programs the museum's annual "Masters of Cinematography" series.

Capturing The Look

   Panelists scheduled are Matt Mahurin, a former photographer whose directorial debut, "Mugshot," is featured in the festival's American Independents Showcase; Fred Murphy, a cinematographer for nearly 30 years whose credits include "The Trip to Bountiful," "The Dead," and "Murder in the First"; Maryse Alberti, an up-and-coming director of photography with the documentary "Crumb" already to his credit, and Steven Soderbergh, whose directorial debut was "sex, lies and videotape," winner of the Palme d'Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival.

   Mr. Soderbergh's two new films, "Gray's Anatomy" and "Schizopolis," are in this year's Hamptons International Film Festival.

Telling The Story

   "The Story: Directors and Screenwriters," on Friday, Oct. 18, will be moderated by Tod Lippy, the editor of Scenario magazine. Among the panelists are Jay Chandrasekhar and Kevin Heffernan, members of a cutting-edge comedy troupe called Broken Lizard

   The troupe, using improvisational methods, wrote the feature film "Puddle Cruiser," which is included in the Film Festival and marks Mr. Chandrasekhar's directorial debut.

   Other panelists will be Terry George and Jim Sheridan, longtime collaborators who together wrote "Some Mother's Son," the festival's opening-night film. Mr. George directed "Some Mother's Son," his first venture into directing.

   The pair also collaborated in writing the Academy Award-nominated "In The Name of the Father," directed by Mr. Sheridan, who made his directorial bow with "My Left Foot."

Putting It Together

   "Putting It All Together: Directors and Editors" will be moderated by George T. Nierenberg, a veteran producer and director of documentaries who is on the board of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

   The panelists include Anthony Harvey, who was an editor of "Dr. Strangelove," among other films, and a director of such films as "The Lion in Winter."

   Marshall and Nina Brickman will also be panelists. Mr. Brickman is best known as a screenwriter but he has directed three films (all of them edited by his wife), including "The Manhattan Project."

   Adriani Trigiani and Rachel DeSario, the director and editor, respectively, of "Queens of the Big Times," fill out the panel. Their documentary will have its world premiere at the festival.

The Sound

   Finally, "The Sound: Directors and Composers" will be moderated by Randall Poster, a music supervisor with many notable credits including "Kids," "I Shot Andy Warhol," and "The Pallbearer."

   The panelists are Carter Burwell, a composer whose credits include "Waterland," "Kalifornia," and "Rob Roy"; Danny Leiner, who has directed two short films and will make his feature-length directorial debut next week with "Layin' Low," and Evan Lurie, who has composed for theater, television, dance, and film, including the music for "Layin' Low."

   Though the fourth Hamptons International Film Festival does not begin until Wednesday night, it will kick off on Tuesday, as in the past, with a welcoming cocktail party sponsored by the East Hampton Chamber of Commerce, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the James Lane Cafe at the Hedges Inn.

   Twenty-five dollar tickets to the party include an open bar, hors d'oeuvres, music by the Brill-Gaffney Trio, and a chance to meet many of those associated with the festival.

   Excavation has begun. There are fluorescent orange flags and bulldozers pushing up mounds of earth, making way for the new access road and parking lot. But what about the terminal? The tempest-in-a-teapot terminal?

   Yes, the old one's still there, barely noticeable behind some ugly new hangars - even more dilapidated than I remembered: its asphalt shingles curling up like old blue corn chips, the roof sagging, the wood rotten. Inside waits Pat Ryan, perhaps the most patient airport manager in America, while out on the apron sits a gold-tinted Lear jet ready to whisk some Mandarin back to New York. What a strange contrast.

   It's been a long wait, but now the ground is rumbling and the clouds are building up over the western horizon. Soon the foundations will be poured and the shiny new terminal will rise from the ashes of oblivion. But what will the new terminal look like? It's hard to say exactly.

Beach House

    I've just come over from Town Hall where I looked at a set of plans by the architect Robert Lund. The elevations show a familiar-looking building - wood framed and covered in vertical cedar siding. It has the feel and layout of a summer beach house, wraparound porches and pitched roofs, like one of those on the dunes in Bridgehampton or back in the potato fields of Sagaponack.

   In fact, it looks like some of the summer homes that Mr. Lund has designed in those places. But, no, this is not a weekend house on the bay. I keep forgetting. This is an airport terminal. Let me explain.

   The thing is, airports make people nervous. They always have. For me, it started with a casual aside from Supervisor Judith Hope back in 1987. "Why don't you get some architect to design us an airport?" she asked. I was interested at the time in getting local architects to design a new post office.

Competition

    But eventually, when Tony Bullock took over as Supervisor, the Town Board agreed to help sponsor a design competition for a new terminal that would be paid for, in large part, by the Federal Aviation Administration. Working closely with Councilman Pat Trunzo and other town officials, I wrote up a competition program in the spring of 1989. At first we thought we'd only get a dozen or so architects, but we ended up receiving over 100 entries from all around the country and even some from Europe.

   What happened then is a story that has been told, and retold. The jury met on June 17 at Guild Hall and five finalists were selected. We had put out an open call for ideas and come up with five of the best. The Town Board was then to choose the one to be built. But there were rumblings as soon as the jury convened. Not everyone was happy with the results. The finalists were "too modernistic," "too avant-garde," the jury was "rigged," et cetera.

   Suddenly the East Hampton Airport was a big deal, and The New York Times did a story and then New York magazine and a lot of others. All the leading architecture magazines ran stories. The cat was out of the bag. From then on everything went gaga.

   The Polish novelist Milan Kundera used the expression "moral judo" in a recent novel. In moral judo the opponents try to out-embarrass one another by publicly accusing the others of politically incorrect behavior.

   The airport competition quickly degenerated into a Hamptons version of moral judo.

   At an official presentation in July, in the basement of the Bridgehampton Community House, the winning designs were thrown out. The terminal had to be something cozy, something old and worn and traditional, something hard to put your finger on. "Traditional" took on the moral equivalence of, say, crusty French bread or fresh arugula.

   "What," the members of the judging panel asked, "does a 'traditional' airport look like?" Town Board members shrugged, paused, became contemplative. The airport should be a gateway to all that was good and true in the East Hampton of imagination, something in keeping with that endless parade of faux shingle style houses on beach and dune, in ticky woods and potato fields, that began sprouting in the Boesky era and still persist as the preferred style for all leveraged buyout wannabes.

   The style was comprised of: a) at least one cupola, b) at least one "palladia" window in the shape of a Mercedes Benz insignia, c) several Doric columns with vacuum-formed capitals, d) some trellis with creeping vines, all surrounded by a garden of exotic grasses and high maintenance perennials. It didn't seem to matter that all of those things were expensive, impractical, and high maintenance, and may not have been the most important priorities at an airport where the safe landing of airplanes usually gets precedence.

Perpetuating An Image

    The East End's real estate cartel saw it in its best interests to have a traditional Martha Stewart-looking airport that would suit the expectations of their ultra-rich clients and help perpetuate the image of a bucolic, fairytale village in which the sins of greed could be assuaged by a generous dose of architectural quaintness.

   Local taxpayers didn't want to pay a penny for a facility that most of them would never use. Then there were those who didn't want an airport at all and saw a juicy opportunity to have the whole thing closed down.

   The tiny terminal became a micro-myth of Hamptons angst. It was us versus them. Town officials played the innocent victims, while those involved in the competition were called arrogant "outsiders."

Dagger-Like Design?

   I had moved here as a baby in 1953 when my father took over as pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Amagansett, and many of the architects in the competition were longtime residents, including the finalists, Smith and Thompson, but that didn't matter. That wasn't pertinent in the Hamptons version of moral judo. It sounded better if all architects and organizers were avant-garde outsiders standing like Godzilla with T-square and CAD software in paw, looming above the Shinnecock Canal, ready to move east and cover the place with steel and glass angles.

   Town Councilman Tom Ruhle was quoted in this newspaper as boasting that "the only architect I know is Stanford White, and he's dead" (The Star, July 13, 1989). Another official was quoted as saying that "a cutting-edge design was being inflicted" on the town, further establishing the town's victimhood while underlining the painful sharpness of our dagger-like designs.

To Be Continued

   Alastair Gordon, who divides his time between Princeton, N.J., and Amagansett, was The Star's design columnist from 1984 to 1990. He rejoins our list of writers with this piece. Part two of this article will look at the current architectural plans for the terminal building.