Letters to the Editor: 03.12.98
Thoughtlessness
Amagansett
March 3, 1998
To The Editor:
I am appalled by the base thoughtlessness of persons having those blue handicapped driving permits, who sit in the designated parking places at the Amagansett Post Office and read their mail! They couldn't seem to care less that they may be depriving other handicapped drivers of occupying those few spaces.
PETER B. TURGEON
Remain Vigilant
East Hampton
March 3, 1998
To The Editor:
The Security Council has finally endorsed the compromise reached by Kofi Annan last week.
Those of us who breathed a sigh of relief at the narrow escape must remain vigilant. Sounds of posturing and bluster are still being emitted from Washington. We must keep the pressure on our legislators to remind them we reject the war option, we deplore the seven years of sanctions which have killed and weakened a million children.
We may not like Saddam Hussein, but let us admit that we created the monster to quell Iran and it is our heavy-handed need to dominate the oil fields that motivated our recurring sorties in that area. Were we really so sensitive to land grabs, we would have reined in Israel long ago. Let Unscom finish inspecting and get out.
And in the meantime, can we not find some way to send medicine and water purification materials in there under the Red Cross or Medicins Sans Frontieres? If our Government plays the bully because they think the polls indicate our approval, we are guilty for not expressing our horror at the situation.
Sincerely,
HELEN FITZGERALD
Include, Don't Exclude
Sag Harbor
March 3, 1998
Dear Editor,
There is no justification for government, communities, or schools to allow ignorant fears based on prejudices toward any group of people to influence their decisions.
Whether or not young people are welcome in a "neighborhood," a moral society cannot pander to the phantom fears created in the minds of adults afraid of being in the vicinity of teenagers. Youth centers, youth programs, and schools exist successfully in communities and neighborhoods across the U.S.A.
We need to stop these rude prejudices that deny our young people access to their own communities. Let us exercise some intelligence, integrity, and spirit by encouraging young people to feel included in their communities and let us recognize prejudice and intolerance for the harmful attitudes they are.
If neighborhoods would take the time to work with youth, they might benefit from the openness, sharing, and respect so many of us who have worked on these projects with kids have experienced and learned from.
WINIFRED BROOKS
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