Letters to the Editor: 04.25.19

Meeting the Needs

Springs

April 19, 2019

Dear David,

The Springs Food Pantry wishes to thank Mandala Yoga for sponsoring a wonderful fund-raising event, “It Takes a Village,” at their Amagansett studio last Saturday. Teachers conducted family yoga classes with suggested donations to our food pantry.

This event raised some much-appreciated money, and equally important, raised awareness about the presence of chronic hunger in our neighborhoods. Too often, people who are struggling financially are invisible to the greater community. They pay their monthly rental payments, car payments, and heating bills, but often have little left each month for food or medicine. 

Meeting the needs of those who are poorly nourished, whether they are seniors on fixed incomes, persons with disabilities, or working families, is the primary purpose of our food pantry, which for over 25 years has been a mission of the Springs Community Presbyterian Church. 

Sincerely,

PAMELA BICKET

Coordinator



Special Thanks

Amagansett

April 22, 2019

Dear David,

A local neighbor had a problem. I called town Hall to see if I could get that neighbor some help. I was referred to Councilman Jeff Bragman, that he would be the proper town board liaison for that matter. I called Bragman’s councilman office and left a message. Within a half-hour, Jeff called back, knew what had to be done, and did it. 

Neighbor’s problem addressed and resolved. Nice living in what we still can call a small town. Special thanks to Jeff, and to Kathy Byrnes and Betsy Bambrick at St. Michael’s Senior Housing.

Sincerely,

LONA RUBENSTEIN



Silver Lining

Springs

April 22, 2019

Dear David,

Due to the inclement weather last Saturday, the East Hampton Democratic Committee was forced to cancel our annual Easter egg hunt for only the third time in our 37 years of hosting the Easter Bunny. 

The Easter egg hunt is one of our favorite community events and we were disappointed, but the silver lining is that we will hold an egg hunt for the children at our Cinco de Mayo Fiesta, on May 4 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Neighborhood House, 92 Three Mile Harbor Road, East Hampton.

Everyone is invited to join us for an evening of great music, food, and games. This is a family friendly event. Admission is free and food and beverage proceeds are donated to Project Most. 

This is a rain or shine event, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,

CATE ROGERS

Chairwoman

East Hampton Democratic

Committee



Essay Puffing

East Hampton

April 22, 2019

Dear Mr. Rattray, 

I am writing this letter in response to the recent and ongoing college entrance scandal. It seems most of the problems were contained in the students’ essay, where they inflated extracurricular activities, mainly in athletic accomplishments, as well in sports they never participated in. They went as far as superimposing their faces on the other athletes’ bodies, and having others taking the SATs for them. I call this at the least essay puffing.

I believe the idea for these schemes came from their parents reading obituaries over the years. I too have read these mini biographies and have come to the conclusion that obituary puffing is running rampant. I have seen entries such as being an avid cruciverbalist (of which I am also guilty), to being a member of their co-op/condo board where they lived, to being a member of the greens and sand trap committee at the country club to which they were a member. No wonder these ideas spread to these people’s children and grandchildren.   Where will it end? Will we soon be seeing entries such as membership in Sam’s Club, Costco, their local library as well as AARP, AAA, as major accomplishments that will aid their entrance through the Pearly Gates. Enough said. 

KEN SARREL



Nose Dive

Amagansett

April 19, 2019

Dear Editor,

I was born in this country, America, and I cannot understand the hatred that is in many newspapers, on people’s faces, or in the words of people we once thought of as intelligent.

The only paper I read with enjoyment, because the choice of topic and the incredible research and journalistic ability that puts that paper together, is The Financial Times of London.

The papers out here, on the South Fork, have done a nose dive. Dan’s Papers used to be something wonderful to look forward to, the limited vision of  The East Hampton Press is, well, limited. Many times your paper has been very interesting but when the obituaries are the most interesting page and the looooong letters to the editor by the likes of Manny Vilar and David Gruber and Rona Klopman take up sooooo many columns, then it’s time to ask you, the editor, can you, would you, dare you, put a limit on how many words one can offer as thought on any topic?

The Amagansett Library now has a new director and let’s hope it becomes, once again, a welcoming place.

I miss Mary’s Marvelous on Main Street — we need shops where we can gather or sit alone and enjoy our wonderful little village.

Pret a Manger would be a great addition or a Starbucks in Amagansett.

We have never been “quaint” here, so lets move on from that concept.

In fact the newly paved area to stand and wait for the Jitney is a much welcomed and much needed improvement. An awning of some type to wait under in the snow, rain, wind would also be very welcome!

I am glad to see Gruber is not on the Republican line. Vote David Lys! Vote David Lys!

And please don’t vote for anyone who is not registered in any party.

America needs to move on from the Mueller Report, now.

Love and hugs to everyone reading this.

BONNIE JOY OSBORN



Processed Meats

East Hampton

April 21, 2019

Editor,

There is a substantial volume of independent literature that substantiates the many human health and environmental externalities associated with the choice by humans to consume animals and animal products. Yet the article titled “Food for the Masters,” published April 18, promotes the use and consumption of many different animals and animal products, some of which are the worst offenders both nutritionally and environmentally. 

For example, with respect to human health, one of the most prominent recipes within the article includes bacon. The World Health Organization classifies bacon and other processed meats as a Group 1 carcinogen. Was the research that supported the W.H.O. classification not known or believed at the time the article was published? The literature persuasively suggests that the other animal-based ingredients promoted and photographed within the article aren’t healthy human choices either. 

With respect to pig agriculture, Anna Lappe, within her book titled “Diet For a Hot Planet,” stated, “Imagine a city as big as New York grafted onto North Carolina’s coastal plain. Double it. Now imagine this city has no sewage treatment plants. All the waste from 15 million inhabitants is simply flushed into open pits and sprayed onto fields. Turn those humans into hogs, and you don’t have to imagine at all, it’s already here. With every hog producing two to four times as much waste as the average human, by the mid-1990s hogs in North Carolina were producing as much waste as all the people living in North Carolina, California, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and North Carolina combined.” 

The natural resources consumption and pollution associated with most forms of animal agriculture are excessive and unnecessary and are seemingly ignored by too many people when making their choice (it isn’t a necessity) to consume animals and animal products. 

In addition, isn’t it true that pigs are one of the smartest animals? Isn’t it also true that most if not all farm animals unnecessarily suffer and all farm animals feel pain? Most of us would never put our pets through the process that farm animals are put through just so that we can choose to eat these animals and their secretions. Isn’t the difference between the treatment of our pets relative to farm animals simply a matter of perception or lack thereof? 

RANDY JOHNSTON



No Expansion

Southampton

April 18, 2019

To the Editor:

Re: Fragile Wetlands (April 12, 2019). Many years ago, people were unaware that sanitary systems built adjacent to wetlands did tremendous damage to the water supply and environment in general. Unfortunately, this is the current condition along many of Montauk’s waterways. 

The only construction planned at Duryea’s is the replacement of an older septic system with an advanced low-nitrogen system, something the town, Concerned Citizens of Montauk, and almost every environmental organization has strongly encouraged. This is not something I am required to do, but what is right. 

In addition, since buying Duryea’s I eliminated most disposable plastic, I pump my septic frequently to minimize any leaching even though the existing system works just fine, I close early to avoid late night noise, and I serve only wine and beer instead of liquor to encourage a family-oriented, mature crowd. 

There is no expansion planned, no change to any buildings or otherwise. As far as becoming a “full restaurant,” the only difference from the current operation is the ability of a patron to have their order taken by a server and pay a server vs. going to the counter to order and pay. 

MARC ROWAN



Landmarked

Amagansett

April 19, 2019

To the Editor:

Good morning, David. I can’t help but scratch my head when reading that the town may add the Art Barge to the landmarked property when considering the demolition of the Brooks Park studios already landmarked by the town.

Whiplash?

Kind regards,

ROBERT STRADA



Town Assets

Springs

April 22, 2019

To the Editor,

I’m watching the town board meeting right now, and I am realizing that they’re got Tesla up there talking about these high-capacity electric charging stations. First question is: What is the purpose? These vehicles have a 350-mile range. Our town is not longer than 20 miles.

So try to convince me that you need to charge your car while you’re sunning yourself on the public beach — I don’t think you could do it.

Secondarily, what is this — a private company monopolizing our town assets by putting forward the ka-ching so they can entice their customer base to buy one because they have, in essence, a reserved parking space in Montauk? This is all becoming a joke. 

Now I am watching this guy now and he says the charging stations are going to be lit up with bright-green fluorescent lighting. Do you remember you can’t even put a lightbulb in a Coke machine in this town? So the Tesla guy is saying that he needs to take this back to his “stakeholders” when David Lys asks him if they wouldn’t want them to be lit up, would they be okay with that?

So he’s got to take it back to his stakeholders! Well, guess what? We’re the stakeholders of this town and we don’t want this.

What is the purpose?

MARTIN DREW



Charging Stations

New York City

April 19, 2019

To the Editor:

Public car charging stations in all the Hamptons towns is the future, but how do you ensure the spots are made available after a car is fully charged? Since most charging stations require signing in to charge and can alert the owner when the cycle is over, then if the car is not moved within a reasonable period afterward, fees should be assessed. If the car occupies the spot for too long, the charging station can notify the police to ticket or tow.

JEFFREY LAUTIN



Electric Power

Lindenhurst

April 22, 2019

Dear David,

Best wishes for Earth Day, and here’s to many more to come! In order to enjoy these future Earth Days, we need to keep fossil fuels in the ground and move to renewable power across all sectors.

Let’s celebrate advances in electric transportation and solar power, like Brookhaven’s recent installation of 10,000 solar panels at its airport, the wonderful winds of Long Island that can power renewable offshore energy, green building, and retrofitting for energy savings.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is planning an ambitious Green New Deal, calling for 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind, increased solar power, and energy storage, but the one area from which his commitment is missing is electric transportation. Long Islanders, or New York residents, are already disproportionately electric vehicle drivers, and some towns have begun to electrify bus fleets. Greenhouse gas from dirty diesel fuel accounts for 30 percent of total emissions. It’s time to get dirty trucks and buses off the road and onto electric power.

DAVID BISSOON



Cooperative

Springs 

April 21, 2019

Dear Editor:

A thought about the wind farm: There are so many hardened differences, mostly over speculation of how it will save or destroy us. The only thing we know for sure is the Long Island Power Company doesn’t care. 

The propaganda from the wind farm said we would get enough power from their 15 windmills to supply East Hampton with lots left over. It was our electricity. Now we know those mills are just part of the grid and we have no claim on anything. 

We have no idea what will happen when there are many more mills producing many more megs. Will they need larger infrastructure to feed the grid and their profit? 

We know there’s room for hundreds of mills whose power must come ashore. Why not here? What are the plans? Is there any way we can influence our future? 

Perhaps. Though I admit to a minimal amount of research I believe we can establish an electrical cooperative that we the people have a say in and LIPA has to cooperate with. 

I don’t know why I haven’t heard of it as an alternative for us, but I hope it’s not because of lack of imagination. I will say it appears to be allowed by the state but I’m no lawyer nor an engineer. It seems we can use what’s already here and what will be produced in our own neighborhood but there are hurdles. Maybe someone might look further into it.

BRAD LOEWEN



Apparently Disagree

Springs

April 21, 2019

Dear David:

It is ironic that Paul Fiondella and I find ourselves sparring in the pages of The Star. We both long ago realized the deadly implications of climate change. He pointed out in a letter on April 11 that his house has long been solar powered, and I congratulate him on his contribution to lowering grid demand. 

Like him, I live in a house that for nine years has been totally solar powered, including heat. The excess solar power drives my electric car. We are both outraged at the owners of gigantic houses in our town, most of which make no effort, despite clear economic wherewithal, to displace the fossil emissions on which they rely. Are they so focused on earning and conspicuously spending their fortunes that they never read a newspaper? Or do they just not care about the legacy of planetary decline their lifestyle ensures? Mr. Fiondella and I would seem to be natural allies. Alas, as he points out, the majority of the populace cannot do these things due to solar orientation, shading, or financial constraints. 

Further, I don’t dispute his claim that conservation is essential in the battle against climate change. Clearly, every thorough examination of the rational path forward includes both using less power and developing noncarbon sources for the power we must have to run a modern society. Where we apparently disagree is whether the present town board is doing enough to demand solar power on houses and conserve energy in other ways. 

I’m still not sure exactly what laws he would like to see enacted, and I am genuinely interested to know. Would he pass a law that every new house built be required to be powered by solar? Would he legalize or even require cutting trees that shade so many houses rendering solar impossible? Would he use tax dollars to buy solar systems for those who can’t afford it? 

I do know that the transition has only just begun, and the board has to consider what the populace will accept, and what we can afford to pay for within the constraints of democratic management in a polarized populace. Like it or not, half the folks in this town, for a hundred years, have made a living on the summer community and nobody wants to kill or scare away that golden goose. 

I still encounter seemingly intelligent people who think climate is malarkey. Hence, we have a strangely organized opposition to an offshore wind farm that will provide more electricity than the entire town uses now. Indeed, for reasons I do not understand, in his March 14 letter to The Star, Mr. Fiondella seems disdainful of the town board’s support for that project. I’m sure he understands that conservation can take us only halfway there, and solar and wind, frequently producing power at different times, are more effective working together along with batteries than either one on its own.

This board has changed the building code to raise the energy efficiency for all houses, with more stringent requirements for larger houses. They have encouraged a program to install smart thermostats (for free!) that enable cutting peak demand to avoid the use of diesel peaker plants, and battery storage is in the works. They are transitioning to electric vehicles for the town fleet, increasing the efficiency of town buildings with lighting and other changes, built a solar farm on town land on Accabonac, and at present are working on installing solar on eight town buildings. Anybody in town can call for a free energy assessment of their home, get a list of energy upgrades, and have it paid for over time through the savings on energy use. 

Progress is painfully slow in contrast to the urgency of the issue, but in my opinion, the town board is not the problem. Some say what politicians do is not lead but rather they see which way the crowd is going and jump in front of it. Ours is a rare case in which the board is more farsighted, and is taking more real action steps, than a large percentage of the populace. 

DON MATHESON



Sounds Wacko

East Hampton

April 19, 2019

To the Editor:

Debra Foster replied in last week’s Star to an earlier letter of mine. She disagreed that in a still earlier letter of hers, she had attacked the motives and bona fides of those who dissent from the “catastrophic climate change” orthodoxy and that she used a term, “denier,” created to apply to those true crackpots who refuse to accept the reality of the Holocaust.

When I criticized her letter, I was referring to these passages: Prince­ton University professor of physics “Wil­liam Happer has quite a résumé. Vice President Al Gore fired him from a commission on global warming in the early ’90s because of his extreme views. Dr. Happer has no formal training in climate science and is a staunch denier of climate change and the science supporting it.”

Not “disagrees,” but “is a staunch denier.” Not disagrees with the catastrophic climate change hypothesis, but with climate change. it sounds wacko to disagree that the climate changes, doesn’t it? Except, no one who challenges catastrophic climate change “denies” climate change. Indeed, the legendary physicist Freeman Dyson, who challenges catastrophic climate change’s root and branch, points out that the history of the planet has been 100,000-year intervals of ice ages separated by 10,000-year “interglacial” warming periods. We are beyond the end of our 10,000-year warming interval and Dyson speculates that probably modest man-caused temperatures have staved off a new ice age — so far. 

And, Foster wrote: The proposed presidential commission on climate change will be “funded by the Koch and Mercer families, large contributors to the president with oil interests.” (The proposed commission would not be privately funded.) 

Those were her only “rebuttals” of any of my statements about the climate, but she says that “where someone offers alternate facts, I will offer a rebuttal.” In other words, she will question their credentials and their motives and label them “deniers”?

At any rate, she mentioned that this summer there will be a panel of climate experts in East Hampton to address these issues and invites me to attend.

The value and honesty of such a panel depends entirely upon its including both sides of the issue, which very, very rarely occurs. It is essential that at least one credentialed dissenter from the orthodoxy be part of the panel. Otherwise, the panel is just an exercise in propaganda. 

A possibility is Dr. Judith Curry, former chair of the Department of Atmospheric and Environment Sciences at Georgia Tech. She is easy to locate on the web.

Also, there are many longtime experts at the Heartland Institute, which sponsors the continuing major reports of the “Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change.” But champions of catastrophic climate change orthodoxy dismiss that entire enterprise as funded by fossil oil interests. It is not. But the Heartland Institute refuses to take any government funding support of any kind or do any government contract work in order to avoid being biased. At the same time, not a single climate scientist who departs from the orthodoxy gets government grant support.

WALTER DONWAY



Brouhaha

Sebastian, Fla.

April 19, 2019

Dear David,

After reading about the political brouhaha in my old hometown, I feel like moving back. Don’t worry! Can’t stand the cold winters.

Best regards,

WARD FREESE



Community First

East Hampton

April 22, 2019

Dear David,

As you reported last week, the East Hampton Town Republican Committee was unsuccessful in its efforts to secure from the Suffolk County Republican Committee the necessary documents, i.e., Wilson-Pakulas, to allow non-Republican-designated candidates for local East Hampton office to appear on the Republican ballot line in November.

Nevertheless, the East Hampton Town Republican Committee is not deterred in its efforts to reach across party lines in support of candidates who seek to put partisan politics aside to serve our community first. We fully support the assembled fusion ticket for East Hampton, backed jointly with the East Hampton Independence Party and East Hampton Reform Democrats. We pledge to work diligently to elect the candidates on the fusion ticket whether they appear on the Republican line or not.

The Republican candidates are Jill Massa for assessor, Lisa Rana for justice, Susan Vorpahl, James Grimes, David Talmage, Michael Havens, and Fallon Bloecker Nigro for trustees.

The non-Republican candidates are David Gruber for supervisor, Bonnie Brady and Elizabeth (Betsy) Bambrick for town board, Stephen Lynch for highway superintendent, Jeanne Nielsen for assessor, Dell Cullum, Richard Drew, Stephen Lester, and Rona Klopman for trustee. They will appear on the Independence Party and/or Conservative Party lines alongside the Republican candidates.

The East Hampton Town Republican Committee is proud, through this fusion effort, to make available robust and extensive choices to East Hampton Town voters.

Sincerely,

KYLE BALLOU

Secretary 



Fusion Ticket

Springs

April 22, 2019

Dear Editor,

Politics, elections, and the arcane laws that govern them are complicated. 

Just about everyone involved knew the newly elected majority Democratic Legislature was going to accelerate the election cycle but what was unexpected was that with no advance notice they had it take effect this year. Add changes in chairman at the town and county committee; we had the perfect storm, which led to the non-Republican candidates not being authorized on the Republican ballot line this November.

Through my career as an administrator, police supervisor, and P.B.A. president I have learned and practiced a simple concept. Successes are never yours but that of every member of one’s team. When things go wrong, never blame anyone else and accept full responsibility. That is what a good leader does, and so do I. 

That said, we now move forward as this was just one battle in a long war to bring good, open, transparent government back to East Hampton. It is unfortunate the fusion ticket will not be on the Republican line, but contrary to the sensational headline in your April 18 edition and the musings of some on the situation and the East Hampton Town Republican Committee demise, this campaign is far from over. The Town Republican Committee is also far from throwing in the towel. The complete endorsed Republican ticket will appear on the Conservative and Independence Party lines.

Before the November election, there will be a Democratic primary on June 25. Good government, reform-minded Democrats who believe in transparency, honesty, integrity, protecting our environment, and working together as a community, putting people ahead of political ideology, will have an opportunity to vote for Lisa Rana, town justice, and Dell Cullum, Stephen Lester, and Rona Klopman, trustee.

Judge Rana has served with distinction and integrity as East Hampton Town justice since 2007. Lisa is local, with family roots that go back generations and understands our community from the ground up. Lisa understands the struggles of our residents and has spent the majority of her legal career working to the benefit of all our residents. 

It is unfathomable that the Democratic Committee would choose an out-of-towner with limited local knowledge and experience and who has only “been working in the East Hampton area since 2013” (as per an article in The Star by Johnette Howard Oct. 25).

In an article written by T.E McMorrow in The Independent on Feb. 19, the reporter points out that the Democratic challenger “rarely appears as the attorney of record in cases on the three weekly East Hampton Town Justice Court calendars.” McMorrow goes on to state that the Democratic challenger “has been more of a presence in front of the East Hampton Town Zoning board of Appeals as well as the town’s planning board.”

What I question is why would the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee not endorse an independent lifelong resident dedicated to East Hampton like Judge Rana? We all know that past East Hampton Town Democratic Committee chairman Chris Kelley, 1982-1986, 1987-1988, and 1995-2002, of the law firm Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin & Quartararo, has made a lot of money representing clients appearing before the East Hampton Town Zoning, planning, town boards, town trustee, and yes, theTown Justice Court.

I don’t know about you, but there are too few degrees of separation for me, which is why I urge everyone to vote for Judge Lisa Rana, a local, fair, and independent town justice. Lisa grew up in East Hampton, has served fairly and flawlessly since 2007.

Lastly please join us on Saturday, April 27, at the Hedges Inn for our Spring Soirée from 6 to 9 p.m. Come meet our candidates and like-minded open, transparent, local, and good government.

MANNY VILAR



Deal With Manny

Amagansett

April 19, 2019

Dear Editor:

The fusion ticket in East Hampton Town has not gone down in flames despite your headlines last week. In fact, it is only getting stronger despite either the incompetence or possible double cross by Republican chairman Manny Vilar. 

I know that there were circumstances concerning Richard Myers having to withdraw from the race and David Gruber being screened by the Republican Committee at the last minute. But I personally had asked Manny Vilar two weeks before, that if Bonnie Brady and Betsy Bambrick and all of the trustee candidates, Stephen Lynch, our superintendent of highways, Jeanne Nielsen, assessor, and everyone else had their Wilson-Pakulas and he told me yes they did. So what happened? All the Wilson-Pakulas should have been signed by then. Mine were!

Could it possibly be when David Gruber was asked if he would support Linda Kabot for county legislator and he, I am told by David Gruber, said he would not get involved in UpIsland politics, that Manny Vilar told Jesse Garcia not to sign the Wilson-Pakulas for anybody on our fusion ticket even after the Republican Committee had supported all of them. 

It is up to the Republican Committee to deal with Manny Vilar as they did with Amos Goodman last year. I have the confidence our fusion ticket will get all the signatures on petitions and will be successful for the November 2019 election. A good message from me to Manny Vilar would be: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”

Sincerely yours,

ELAINE JONES

Chairwoman

East Hampton Independence Party



Guatemala

East Hampton

April 21, 2019

Editor:

The year 1954 was interesting for the Dulles brothers and their associates. John Foster Dulles was the secretary of state and Allan Dulles was the head of the Central Intelligence Agency. In that year the C.I.A. under the directions of the U.S. government overthrew the democratically elected governments of Mosaddegh in Iran and J.A. Guzman in Guatemala.

Twenty-five years later, Iran exploded and eventually all the Middle East turned to chaos. Iran’s story was the oil industry’s fear of being nationalized. Not politics, human rights, etc., just business as usual.

Guatemala was far worse if that’s possible. In 1954 the United Fruit Company owned 42 percent of the land in the country. It was the largest company (creators of the term banana republic) and employed the most workers. It controlled and manipulated governments since 1900. The company was unhappy with President Guzman and pressured the U.S. to get rid of him.

The United Fruit Company had substantial influence in the U.S. government. Both Dulles brothers had been on its board of directors and owned significant amounts of stock in the company. Its director of publicity was married to President Eisenhower’s personal secretary. Sullivan and Cromwell, United Fruit Company’s law firm, was connected to the Dulles brothers and to people throughout the government. It was a family affair. Business as usual.

So, the C.I.A. engineered a coup from neighboring Honduras and replaced Guzman with one of their own guys. The ensuing civil unrest cost the lives of more than 200,000 people. The U.S. provided the new government with millions of dollars in arms and training at the School of the Americas. The civil war lasted for more than 30 years and the country has never really recovered.

Now, it’s not rocket science, even for our ahistorical population. If you piss on a rug often enough the stains don’t come out. Ever. Cit Bolon Tum is the Mayan god of death. A dancing human skeleton with a mustache, smoking a cigarette. Hey it’s John Bolton. No apologies. No bananas.

NEIL HAUSIG



Combative

New York

April 14, 2019

Editor:

Evolution is the change in inherited traits of a population from generation to generation. Two of our governing traits are currently being confronted, challenged by the ongoing immigration episodes at our southern border. “Values”: entitled, lawful, principled, and “Interest”: entitled, lawful, rightful. 

Values invoked. Heart-wrenching scenes. Mothers grasping babies, struggling, crawling under barbed wire. Flocks of kids, parentless, teenagers, young adults with forlorn expressions. Clusters of families directionless. Women violated. Adults staring through fences, barriers, reminders of World War II camps, and more. 

“Interest”: Definition of an invasion: “An incursion by a large number of people.” Overcrowding, overwhelming facilities, community services, hospitals, schools, care centers, public transportation. Risks of criminal infiltration, and smuggling. Jeopardizing American citizens’ lives. Spreading of diseases. Drugs. Human trafficking. Congesting sanctuary cities, and others.

“Engendering”: Inducing, concocting voter fraud. Check the current vehement rejection, opposition to the president’s insistence of voters verification of U.S.A. citizenship. “Revealing, exposing.” Hence, how to solve this excruciating plight? Well, one ambiguous, ambivalent rationalization was blurted during one of my typical combative arguments, retorting to a spiked question. “What would you do!?” “How would you handle this episode!? “Would you do what the president is proposing, doing, separating families, returning them back to their abusive, barbaric homeland?!” 

Response: “Me? Hell no! No way would I be able to do same! No way!” But on waking every morning I pray, and thank the almighty for being fortunate to have a president who does! America, we are blessed. 

EDWARD A. WAGSCHAL