Most Important Call Amagansett January 24, 2015 Editor: I have been phoning old folks every Thursday morning for over 20 years. My colleagues and I are the volunteers in the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, or R.S.V.P., a national organization aimed at aiding the senior citizen community, particularly those who are alone. We call, and by the sound of their voices we have, over time, come to sense whether everything is okay, and, if not, we patiently chat to find out if they need help or advice. Mostly, though, we gossip a little, tell a story, or talk about the weather. For some, it is the most important call of the day. I encourage senior citizens who read this letter and, more important, their sons and daughters, to enroll themselves or their loved ones in this program. It is fun to be called. I have found it to be a source of friendship even though we never meet face-to-face. More important, my colleagues and I have been the means to call for critical help. The volunteers are trained to have at their finger tips the telephone numbers of the local services, e.g., medical, police, social workers, etc., needed to meet any emergency in a timely fashion. To end this letter on an unusual note, we recently enrolled two clients, both men, whose primary reason to join was to ensure that their pets, cats for one and a dog for the other, are cared for in the event of their disability. This request is duly noted on their call sheets. I urge you to think about the R.S.V.P. service, and if you need it, call our office in Amagansett on Bluff Road at 267-8371 to enroll. IRVING HIRSCHBERG Tradition of Excellence Springs January 25, 2015 Dear Editor, I recently attended the Springs School opera, “Bound for Gardiner’s Island.” It is so good to know that the school’s tradition of excellence in the arts is being upheld so well by Sue Ellen O’Connor, all the participating students, and community volunteers. It was a wonderful performance, and I am so glad I saw it. HEATHER ANDERSON Double-Checked East Hampton January 24, 2015 To the Editor: I have for years never been able to make it to the Springs School’s opera production created by its fourth-grade class, but this year I was available and had every intention of finally attending. I consulted The Star and double-checked The Star on Friday and arrived at Guild Hall at just past 10:30 to be sure to get a seat for the announced 11 a.m. performance, only to find an audience leaving the theater after the performance, which I was told had begun shortly after 9:30. This is an extraordinary program that I have long admired, and I hope the school and The Star can coordinate their information more accurately in the future. I doubt that I am the only one who was misled into missing the performance by the incorrect time published in The Star. The great reviews just rub it in — I could easily have been there at the proper time had my information been correct. FRED KOLO Great Doe Springs January 23, 2015 To the Editor, I write this in jest. The P.T. Barnum photo of a deer on the front page of The Star last Thursday really disputes the natural beauty of a deer, but this is the world of liberals, the folks with great hearts that are not attached to their pre-frontal cortexes. Their endeavors are fine, just as long as they don’t have to pay for it. One thing I do know that when it comes to survival, unfortunately, they might be the first to go the planet of pure liberalism with all their politically correct words in their pockets with nobody to talk to. As for that great doe photo, I just love those earrings — very artistic and certainly custom designed, and the lucky number thing, my God, how serendipitous can you get? Talk about being noticed; this is a plus. Unfortunately the game of hide-and-go-seek is definitely a no-no. How sad. However a little super reindeer-red 3-D lipstick just might be the trick to really uncover the beauty of this fine animal. Now that necklace gig, I must admit, is a little bland, but with today’s technology I am sure it’s some kind of radio to lullaby at slumber time. A few native Maidstone pink beach shells attached would most be attractive and chic. What’s missing, of course, is Faber’s House of Fashion leggings made out of virgin lamb skin with a few bells at the top rim to inform the male deer that they can have their way with them any time, all day, and not be responsible. I would hope that the next photo will show a field of these lovable creatures among the natural beauty of East Hampton’s landscape. I just love East Hampton, especially if it is funny. RUSS CALEMMO We Were Shocked Amagansett January 24, 2015 Dear Dave, It was with quite a bit of dismay that I read Laura Donnelly’s review of Le Charlot on Dec. 25. I’ve read most of Laura’s restaurant reviews, and my wife, Fiona, and I even accompanied her on one, so on the face of the review I would say, “Case closed, not going there,” except that Fiona and I had been there for lunch two weeks before and were delighted with the meal. I should point out that while some will discount my opinion of food, Fiona is a graduate of the London Cordon Bleu school and was a private chef for eight years before we got married. The service was attentive to the point that I was afraid to make eye contact with any of the servers. The food was very good. I had the special of fried calamari, which we both tried, and the bistro classic moules frites. . . . Fiona had the foie gras and another version of the moules frites — it offers three types. We both commented on how good the calamari was, and Fiona even said, “You can tell the oil is fresh.” The same goes for the excellent, thin crispy fries that accompanied the moules. Yes, the wine list you are presented with is for bottles only, but when Fiona asked what wine they had by the glass she was given a wide variety to choose from, and the same thing happened on the other occasions we have been there. So when we read Laura’s review we were shocked. What the hell had happened to this place in two weeks. So we went back for lunch and had another excellent meal, choosing from the regular menu, as well as the specials. Then, on Friday, we went for dinner and had the tuna tartare, which Laura had tried, and it was wonderful, and I must point out the fried wonton strips were very fresh, and the salad was nicely dressed with a lovely oil-and-vinegar dressing. I had the bistro classic of duck a l’orange, which was cooked exactly as I asked, and Fiona had the venison special, which was also perfectly cooked. Once again, the service was attentive, and the price didn’t break the bank even with three glasses of wine. So what happened? One possibility is that the chefs were sick the night Laura went and that the place was in chaos. Another was she might have been in a bad mood, decided to disregard her own guidelines as to the number of guests so as to get a good cross section of the menu and took it out on Le Charlot. I feel she should have at least mentioned all the classic bistro offerings even if she did not try them. Another thing I find curious is that in her prior reviews address and phone number of the restaurant were listed, but not in this case. Anyway, we thoroughly enjoyed our three meals there and plan on going back soon. I would also like to add that we also regularly frequent Le Chef in Southampton, another very good French restaurant! Sincerely RUSSELL BENNETT Not Inundated East Hampton January 26, 2015 Dear David, Your opinion piece in the “The Mast-Head,” “Mother of the Bride,” was remarkable. I can only sympathize with your plight of having your voice mail inundated with calls from entitled readers who insist that you remove alleged factual material from your electronic archives. I was amazed to learn that only white, solid middle-class people place this hideous burden on you. But then I came to reflect on a possible reason why Latinos do not make such demands. You see, David, your newspaper is written in English and not Spanish. I would imagine this would make it rather difficult for a portion of the East Hampton citizenry to bother you as such. Here you are clearly fortunate. I also understand from law enforcement professionals that often an arrest for driving while intoxicated reveals that a foreigner is not legally in the United States and thus subject to removal. It probably isn’t either cost-effective or a high priority for a Spanish-speaking person in federal detention for extradition to leave you an email concerning the removal of his name from your police blotter. So probably from a strategic standpoint it is wise for you not to consider a Spanish-language edition. Besides, I don’t think La Estrella de Oeste Hampton is probably going to do much for your bottom line. Now when it comes to persons of color, I decided to do some research on my own. I visited the place I usually purchase The Star and asked a gentleman of color whether he reads your paper. His comment was, “Man, I have better things to do with a dollar.” I would suggest that herein may lie the answer to your problem. If certain socioeconomic classes of East Hampton citizens can’t afford the current price for your paper you might consider a price increase that would make it unaffordable for this other burdensome class of complainers, the white, solid middle class. Now I am sure you are a better judge than I what that price point might be. There may be another reason for the fact that you are not inundated with black or African-Americans calling you to remove their names from your paper. According to Census Viewer, the 2010 U.S. census shows that less than 1 percent of the population of East Hampton is African-American. I would suspect that your readership somewhat reflects this. I would think that you might consider the reason that persons of color and Latinos do not inundate you with calls asking you to remove their names from your paper is that they don’t read your paper. I certainly can see how this whole matter of having readers bothering you about your paper’s record is troublesome. I reflected for a while on three incidents involving my name in The East Hampton Star since the spring of 2013. One was a letter to the editor correcting an error one of your reporters made in covering an airport hearing in which she incorrectly identified the responsibilities of a federal agency and the other two were incorrect factual accounts of trespassing and other possible felonious actions by others on my property. Not to worry, the East Hampton Town police did get it right on these latter two. But zero for three may be indicative of a larger issue, an issue you might wish to address internally. Clearly, the record is what you write, whether it is accurate or not and whether it is factual or not. Now I would suspect that you have two courses of action that might solve your problem over and above record accuracy. First, you might want to consider an editorial campaign for a new Town of East Hampton ordinance prohibiting any and all calls to The East Hampton Star by any white, solid middle-class person who has had their name appear in The Star for the past two decades or since your paper has been “e-available.” This would not be effective for Latinos and people of color and wouldn’t need to be because they apparently don’t read your paper in any significant number. It would also not apply to any other newspaper serving East Hampton like The Independent or Newsday. Of course, the second option you might consider is just to chill out, David. In the famous words of Alfred E. Newman, “The more you cultivate people, the more you turn up clods.” Yours truly, Paul A. Giardina Twin Son Wag Patchogue January 20, 2015 Dear East Hampton Star, At the Bargain Box daydreaming of a pickup truck upon moonlit gray crag, Orion and swirling sand play the twin son wag. The lute, the harp, the lyre, catcher in the rye, towing swan in vast sky. Sincerely, FRED GASREL Bidding Process Bridgehampton January 15, 2015 To the Editor, Having attended the Jan. 13 meeting of the Bridgehampton Fire District, I have to comment that I am totally amazed about the decision of our commissioners to donate a 2006 fire police vehicle to an upstate fire department. This vehicle was put out to bid and received a qualifying purchase bid of $18,000, but I understand that the bidder was unable to make the purchase. As officials elected to the post of fire commissioners by the taxpayers of the fire district of Bridgehampton, they have a fiduciary responsibility to represent the taxpayers in the most efficient manner possible. Listening to Ray Topping, the chairman, state that he really doesn’t want to go through the bidding process again still echoes in my ears. This statement does not satisfy the trust the taxpayers have put in this elected board and reflects his and the remaining commissioners’ lack of allegiance to and abandonment of the taxpaying public that they supposedly represent. The next order of business was an additional cost of $10,400 for closet doors to be used in a renovation that is now occurring in the firehouse. Common sense would tell most people that the sale of this vehicle would recover lost money that could be used to offset the additional costs incurred in this construction, thereby saving the taxpayers any additional costs. This is what is known as fiduciary responsibility. Having known each one of the five commissioners for over 30 years, I know that not one of them is this benevolent or careless with their own money. It is well documented that it is easier to spend someone else’s money than one’s own. I look forward to any comment as to the reasons for this action and for the total reversal of the board’s decision and to rebid and recover as much money is possible in the sale of this vehicle. TIMOTHY R. SIEGER Enforce the Rules East Hampton January 26, 2015 Dear David, Dell Cullum’s letter, “What’s Happening,” in your Jan. 15 edition was very interesting to me as I have had that same question on my mind for sometime now, which gave me the foresight to try and figure it out. Mr. Cullum sounds like a local guy trying to figure out the same thing. Via my own thoughts I will attempt to answer his question, what’s happening to this town? First and foremost, the town is controlled by people from afar. Take a good look at all your boards, committees, and coalitions. Where did these people come from? Do they have an East Hampton High School diploma? Most likely not. So how do these people know what’s right for our little town? You see, the people from afar come to East Hampton for its beauty and rural character, but on the other hand, want to change the character to suit their own needs. All one has to do is read the headlines from week to week in The East Hampton Star. These people from afar don’t want to be “local people,” just like the immigrants of today don’t want to be Americans. The people from afar like the area, but want to make it their way in the same manner the immigrants like the American dollar but don’t want to be Americans — not odd by today’s standards as everything is centered around the concept of “my” and “self.” There are so many areas to look at it becomes difficult to comprehend. How about airport noise? What does the committee come up with? Restrictions on weekends! Who does that benefit? I’m here seven days a week. How about the Springs School? Multiple families in a single-family residence. Think that throws off the tax base? How about your article on species in crisis? One hundred eighty-six species may be gone from New York within the next 10 years. Builders and home owners are allowed to completely level a lot of all vegetation with the promise of revegetation. How do you revegetate 100-year-old trees or underbrush? Where did all the creatures go that lived in that habitat? We, the taxpayers, have spent millions of dollars and decades of time to come up with a comprehensive plan for the town to grow by. People wrote it, and people approved it. This is where Mr. Cullum can start, with our local government. Enforce the laws that are already written. If an eyebrow window is considered a dormer, then it’s a dormer! If the side-yard setback is 20 feet, then it’s 20 feet! Enforce the rules we already have, and let’s see where we go. Stop letting the people from afar and their double-talking attorneys twist the rules to fit their needs. Respectfully submitted, JEFFREY PLITT Walk Away Sag Harbor January 26, 2015 Dear David, I concur with your recent editorial that said that the downtown Montauk shoreline stabilization project has gone from bad to worse. From its compromise approach of bags instead of rocks to what is now a piecemeal construction schedule with more than 14,000 bags with more garbage sand needed — which end do we start at? Not sure when the project will be completed — this is shaping up like yet another U.S. Army Corps of Engineers folly. There’s no sugarcoating it, this is a bad plan, and I again urge town officials to reconsider their commitment as the local sponsor. The $10 million in federal money that the corps is more than delighted to squander on this folly is not worth the price, surrendering our most valued public asset, our beaches. As politically difficult as it may seem, East Hampton Town should walk away and regroup. And it should commit to the tenets of the Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan and just say no to armoring. It should also prioritize the coastal assessment and resiliency planning process that the town was recently awarded a $250,000 grant by New York State to initiate. Lastly, it should develop and implement a policy of coastal retreat in vulnerable areas in the least-economically disruptive manner possible. Begin with the four seasonal motels that brought this Trojan horse that the Army Corps calls a dune. Beach preservation is community preservation. KEVIN MCALLISTER My Neighbor’s Truck Amagansett January 19, 2015 Dear David, “What is that, Ora Mae?” Ora Mae and I were having a pre-rehearsal, post-pulpit nip one lovely Sunday in Ora Mae’s Springs cottage. “That’s my neighbor’s truck!” “It’s huge. It looks awful. You need to paint a nice landscape on the part you can see.” “It’s noisy and smelly. I think Town Hall has gone mad. What can I do?” “You start having outdoor band practice.” (Our band is called the Degenerates.) “That wouldn’t be neighborly.” “Commercial vehicles should not be allowed to overnight in residential neighborhoods. Period. Police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, and hearses excepted.” “Wouldn’t that be nice.” “Ora Mae! Remember, we’d rather die on our feet than live on our knees!” “Shall we take it from the chorus?” All good things, DIANA WALKER Trucks Next Door Springs January 20, 2015 To the Editor: Would any of our elected town board members like to have a work truck next to their home? Homeowners did not buy their home expecting a work truck next door. A pickup truck, maybe. Now we have all these commercial trucks next door. There are commercial areas in East Hampton Town where businesses park their work trucks. The town board needs to enforce the business codes on this matter. JULIA KAYSER An Expensive Idea Amagansett January 21, 2015 To the Editor: Great. That is just what we need, an unelected town manager, unaccountable to the people who are forced to pay his $200,000 plus salary! With word spreading that East Hampton is seriously considering a town manager, wouldn’t you think they’d put such an expensive idea before the voters, rather than overriding the voice of taxpayers? The cost to taxpayers would add to the burden we are asked to shoulder. We warned everyone that putting a majority of Democrats in the town board would bring higher taxes. I don’t hear the town board saying they’ll take a pay cut to balance the budget for this luxury. We don’t exactly have a huge population, even with the summer crowd to offset the cost, and if Cantwell is too old to keep up with the job of town supervisor we could consider doing away with his job and just hand it over to an elected town manager. Just sayin’. LYNDA A.W. EDWARDS Against Penta East Hampton January 24, 2015 To The Editor: All East Hampton residents should stand up and applaud Supervisor Larry Cantwell and Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr.’s letter to Gina McCarthy, head of the Environmental Protection Agency in calling for a ban on pentachlorophenol (penta) and the removal of the toxin-laden utility poles from our neighborhoods. The E.P.A. is currently in the beginning stages of a review of pentachlorophenol, and it is very important that as many people as possible weigh in on the public comment site of the E.P.A. and express their specific reasons for wanting penta banned as soon as possible. Please go to regulations.gov and enter E.P.A.-HQ-OPP-2014-0653, the docket number, into the search field. The E.P.A. review could take as long as five years, so it is imperative that we ask that the process be expedited. Key arguments against penta: (Please write in your own words. The E.P.A. is not looking for form letters from the public.) It is a probable carcinogen, probable, because scientists are not allowed to test penta on humans. It should be banned because of its persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport, and its toxic impacts. Penta is currently banned in many countries of the world. A United Nations expert committee of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants unanimously voted for the global elimination of penta in 2014 and is sending a resolution banning penta to its 206 member countries in May for ratification. The committee found wide availability of nonchemical alternatives that were much safer than penta. The United States, due to significant wood preservative, timber, and utility corporation influence and lobbyists, is not a member of the Stockholm Convention. Only a handful of countries in the world are not members. In December groundwater tests conducted at utility poles in East Hampton found components of the formulation of penta in our groundwater at up to 48 times the state groundwater standard. In the same series of East Hampton tests, the tests on our soil also showed continuing excessive amounts of penta in our soil, far exceeding state soil standards. In April, when East Hampton ran its first soil test, results showed penta levels up to 300 times the standard. The E.P.A. runs a residental risk assessment for any chemical it reviews that is used near where people live. When the E.P.A. banned penta for all uses except utility poles and railroad ties, it wrongly stated that since penta was no longer available to the public to purchase, it would not be present near children. Therefore it decided that it no longer had to run a residential risk assessment. Its assumption was blatantly false. The utility poles are in front of our homes; many share the same lawn with our homes. Children and adults are exposed all day long, not short term. We must require that the E.P.A. run a residential risk assessment. Such an illogical assumption on its part has exposed large neighborhoods of people and pets, as well as wildlife, our air, soil, and groundwater, to unnecessary toxins. There is an abundance of scientific evidence supporting the adverse effects of pentachlorophenol on human and animal health, as well as the environment. The enormous data of the Stockholm Convention provides that abundance of scientific evidence from unbiased scientists not beholden to the wood companies they work for. The availability of this data would enable the E.P.A. to expedite its review of penta. There are many alternatives available to penta-laden wood utility poles including undergrounding lines, composite poles, and steel poles. The costs of these alternatives must be weighed against the long-term higher significant costs associated with wood poles, which include costs for the following: repairs in major frequent storms, labor brought in from other states during major storms, downed poles and lines, overtime pay, transportation of wood poles (which weigh close to a ton while composite alternatives weigh about half of that), lower labor costs needed to work with lighter weight composite poles or underground lines, higher transportation costs due to heavier weight of wood poles, higher liability and disability costs due to the chemicals and their toxic properties, cost of deaths resulting from wood poles falling on homes, cars, and people, costs of hazardous waste preparation and haz-mat rules for penta users and handlers, as well as costs for customers buying generators for their homes so they are not out of power for days and weeks. E.P.A. evaluations have focused on penta users and handlers, and ignored its impact on the residents in the neighborhoods the utility poles are in. That is a glaring oversight. If you would like additional ideas or thoughts to write about to the E.P.A., feel free to contact me at [email protected]. Thank you. REBECCA SINGER Albany Politicians Springs January 20, 2015 To the Editor: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s arrest on corruption charges is a welcome development, and provides New Yorkers a glimmer of hope that Albany’s sleazy practices may finally be taken seriously. In the weeks and months ahead, I hope we will also look hard at our own legislators and their business practices here on Long Island. One example is our own assemblyman, Fred Thiele. Like Speaker Silver, Assemblyman Thiele maintains a lucrative law practice on the side, in his case as a partner with the politically connected firm of Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin & Quartararo, as well as serving as the paid village attorney in Sag Harbor. How many paychecks does he need? How are we to know whether land use issues that he votes on in Albany are related to his private work, or whether the tax appeal work that his law firm specializes in conflicts with his village attorney position — or his duties in Albany? Mr. Thiele’s interconnected web of allegiances merits further scrutiny, and demands far greater transparency than he or his Albany colleagues have been willing to provide thus far. Like his Albany colleagues, Mr. Thiele refuses to release a list of his legal clients, nor to my knowledge has abstained from a single vote in Albany on the grounds of a conflict of interest — real or perceived. (A lawyer will tell you both are equally relevant.) With tax rates ever increasing, we simply can’t afford career Albany politicians like Silver and Thiele any longer. JAMES FRANCIS CASEY Recapture the Old East Hampton January 21, 2015 To the Editor, When Barack Obama was elected president in 2008 it sent a seismic tremor through the Republican establishment, not for his blackness nor for his so-called socialist leanings, but because of his manipulation of the system and his connection to the general population. Knowing that the country would turn on the Republicans after eight difficult years with George Bush, expectations were not high for 2008. Putting up John McCain, a party regular, and saddling him with Sarah Palin turned the election into a no-brainer. Mitch McConnell’s statement that his job over the next four years was to make sure that Mr. Obama was not re-elected (treason by any definition) said it all. The Republican Party had lost its stones. What Mr. Obama did to scare the Republicans and many Democrats was to invest his efforts in social media and the Internet, raising money in small amounts from millions of people who would never come close to contribution limits and simultaneously involve them in the electoral process. His re-election in 2012 was a tribute to the system he put in place in 2008, as well as the collection of wing-nuts the Republicans pulled out of the closet to oppose him. (When Rick Perry, a front-runner for a while, couldn’t find Afghanistan or France on a map it sealed their fate.) Mr. Obama scared the crap out of everyone. If big contributors no longer played a major role and local party hacks were no longer the engine for getting out and manipulating the vote what was the establishment going to do? How easily does a political party give up its M.O. and start all over to deal with a new more modern world? How could this unknown, partially black guy with a foreign parent who worked as a community organizer sneak into the Oval Office? The campaign to recapture the old order began with Mr. McConnell’s famous statement, amazing in light of the financial crisis that just sent the country into its worst tailspin since 1929. “Screw the country,” said Mr. McConnell, “there are bigger things at stake than our financial collapse.” The next four years were a consistent effort to denigrate the person, not the policies. Policy-wise, everything was simple: no, no, no. Turning Mr. Obama, a middle-of-the-road moderate, into a radical socialist was the first step. Beginning the process to recapture the money chain leading to Citizens United was the second. Disenfranchising as many voters as possible was the third. It was a brilliant plan that recalibrated the political system back to pre-Obama but with substantial collateral damage. The office of the presidency was tarnished beyond recognition (see congressmen screaming obscenities during the State of the Union). Voting returned to the pre-civil rights days and became a struggle. Money now overwhelmed the electoral process and turned elections into fund-raising contests. Almost everyone in the country believed the government was a farce and dysfunctional. Six years in, Mr. Obama has convinced the political establishment that he is one of them — six years of pointless obstruction and denigration for no reason. Letting Joni Bags on Her Feet respond to the State of the Union was a sign of recognition. Who cares what Mr. Obama says or does? He really is one of us, not a socialist, not a threat, not a radical, more white than black — just a normal political hack like we are. “Oops, we got a little carried away,” says Mitch McConnell. But it really was a lot of fun. NEIL HAUSIG The Borowitz Report East Hampton January 21, 2015 Dear Editor, Rather than write another ranting letter about the vagaries and downside of Republican Party politics and their Congressional majority, I am merely annexing a few lines from the latest Andy Borowitz commentary after the Republican response to the president’s State of the Union, delivered by Congresswoman Joni Ernst of Iowa. WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) — In a poll taken on Tuesday night, a wide majority of Americans said that they now believe that they could be elected to the United States Senate. The results reflected a renewed sense of the inclusiveness of the American political system, as those surveyed said that they believed that anyone could serve in the Senate regardless of intelligence, the ability to speak, or any other qualifications whatsoever. Nineteen percent of those surveyed said they could not respond to poll questions, 14 percent agreed with “WTF?” Stay tuned for the future, as orchestrated by the Republican majority. RICHARD P. HIGER
Published 5 years ago
Last updated 5 years ago
Letters to the Editor: 01.29.15
January 28, 2015