Coach Ed Petrie Amagansett May 22, 2015 Dear David, With the passing of Coach Ed Petrie, East Hampton has lost yet one more of its finest kind. A quiet, talented man, an outstanding coach who guided my son Scott to a high school state basketball championship. He coached my grandson, Matthew Rubenstein. He may have been grandson Brian’s coach as well. Coach Petrie understood so much about the game of basketball, about the value in life of discipline, team play, that is, cooperation and competition, and not cheering until the game was over. We can shed a few tears and give much gratitude and praise for his exemplary service to our children, their families, and to the East Hampton community. He was a pro. To his memory, LONA RUBENSTEIN Bonac Football East Hampton May 25, 2015 To the Editor, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the local businesses that contributed to the East Hampton High School fund-raiser at Harbor Bistro on May 20. It was much appreciated, and I would also like to thank you for your kindness. I would like to thank the numerous people who came out and supported the football program. It is heartwarming to know what a generous community we live in and what a great, fun base we have for Bonac football. My staff and I will do our best to bring back varsity football to East Hampton. Thank you, everyone, and please come out to watch the team on opening day, Sept. 5, versus Port Jefferson, to show the boys what East Hampton football means to this community. Thanks, JOE McKEE Very Sad Turnout Montauk May 20, 2015 Editor: I’d like to congratulate Diane Hausman on her re-election to the school board. Diane has dedicated herself to the Montauk board for 20 years and done a wonderful job in doing so. I find it very sad that only 355 people turned out to vote for that very important position. It doesn’t surprise me, though, and that is why Hillary Clinton or some religious psycho Republican will be the next president of the United States. GEORGE WATSON Adjust Their Sails Springs May 25, 2015 Hello David, I was one of the lucky ones whose two daughters attended and graduated from the Springs School. The school had an open-door policy, and the administration listened intently if you had a grievance or complaint, and, if it had merit, they would address it immediately. We looked to the school for progressive leadership, role-modeling, and community involvement. Now it seems that they have forgotten how well that worked for the students, staff, and community. I have coached tennis as a volunteer for the last five years. Recently I was advised that the school would no longer have volunteers for any sports. They gave no reasons, and when I attempted to explore this, they no longer had their open-door policy and refused to talk on the phone, by email, or in person. The coaches’ instructor-to-student ratio will go from 4 to 1 to 16 to 1. Can you imagine the uproar if academic teachers were ask to quadruple their class size? We are very proud of our community, where we see community service as a gift. I know I do! I am confident when the school administration realizes denying me, or us, our right to do community service is a disservice to students, staff, and community, they will adjust their sails and return the school to its community-oriented origins. Sincerely, KEVIN REYNOLDS Water Quality Crisis Montauk May 19, 2015 Dear David, The Concerned Citizens of Montauk is writing to thank the distinguished Dr. Judith Weis, Professor of Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, for the free lecture she gave on May 16 outlining the numerous threats to our marine ecosystems. Dr. Weis, a longtime resident of Springs and former researcher at the New York Ocean Science Labs in Montauk, detailed findings of her research in her newly published book, “Marine Pollution:, What Everyone Needs to Know.” Beginning at a global level, then focusing on East End waters, Dr. Weis made the complex accessible, describing the causes and possible fixes for problems such as ocean acidification, nitrogen pollution, and “dead zones.” We know what is broken — failing septic systems and stormwater-management structures, excessive fertilizer use — and even how to fix it. The real question is whether we will face our water quality crisis head-on and muster the political will to fund the fixes. Together with the community, the Peconic Estuary Program, and the East Hampton Town Natural Resources Department, C.C.O.M. is working to create the public understanding and will to solve our water quality crisis. Efforts like the town’s comprehensive wastewater management plan and pilot programs for technologies like reactive barriers along developed shorelines are all huge steps forward. But we have a long way to go if we are to save what’s left and fix what is already broken. Dr. Weis’s research and her book are a call to action that we must heed. We can’t waste another minute in addressing the cleanup of our local waters. Anyone interested in learning more or getting involved is encouraged to contact the C.C.O.M. office for more information. Respectfully, CELINE KEATING Outreach Committee Co-Chair The Chabad Menorah East Hampton May 22, 2015 Dear Editor, In regard to the letter describing the Chabad menorah as “creepy,” I was disturbed with the verbiage. If the writer described it as inappropriate it might have been less offensive. Many homes in the Hamptons display sculptures on their front lawns of many genres. I have not heard any commentary to date about those presentations. I do not view this symbol as disrespectful to others. I am saddened by these remarks. We need to be mindful with our words. Respectfully submitted, LINDA KAYE My Worst Fears East Hampton May 20, 2015 Dear Editor: We all have watched the HomeGoods store on Montauk Highway in Wainscott being built. Unfortunately, its recent completion has confirmed my worst fears. It is a bulky, ugly, imposing structure, out of proportion to its neighbors, designed with no imagination, and placed virtually on the sidewalk. It diminishes the entire area. While it clearly provides jobs — a good thing — I’m confident that could have been achieved with more grace. PETER HANDAL No Use to the Majority East Hampton May 23, 2015 Dear David, I frequently pass East Hampton Airport on my way to Montauk Highway, and the views are incredible. On the grounds of this tiny airport sit some of the largest private jets in the world, many as big as commercial jets. They are presumably owned by financial titans and heads of multinational corporations. There are also many commercial helicopters and single-engine planes. In other words, huge bucks and merely-big bucks. Now, the vast majority of citizens of East Hampton will never use the airport. In cases of medical emergency, medevac helicopters only need open spaces to land, including a large lawn or parking lot. They don’t need an airport. Yet every year, part of the town budget includes funds to maintain and improve the airport. And many times, I see letters to the editor from airplane advocates bemoaning that the town hasn’t spent enough money improving the airport. Spending town money on something that is of no use to the vast majority of citizens who live here is insane. Landing fees need to be increased by enough to cover the costs of the airport and any needed improvements for safety. The only “airport” funds I agree should be allocated are funds for legal services to defend the town from lawsuits from helicopter interests. And, if the town prevails, I think they should sue to recover court costs. The helicopter advocates are getting national financial support because they think if regulations restrict helicopter flights here, it will spread to other areas. The town should also solicit funds nationally, from like-minded supporters of helicopter restrictions. Taxes should be used for the common good: health, and safety, and for services that are used by everyone, such as repairing crumbling roads and more traffic lights to prevent accidents. Why should our property taxes pay for something the vast majority of people who own houses here will never, ever use? LARRY SPECTOR More Efficient Amagansett May 24, 2015 Dear David, Our current town board has just adopted a local law amending Chapter 255 regarding certain types of fencing. The law was proposed by Supervisor Larry Cantwell to create administration efficiency for the residents of the town. No longer will all fences and walls need approval from the architectural review board; instead, residents will be able to go to the Building Department and apply for a permit approval for fences. If your fencing meets certain requirements of the code, it will be a more efficient process for residents. Thanks to our current town board, their priority is making government more efficient for residents. If you are thinking about replacing a fence, remember the quote from the poet Robert Frost: “Don’t ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up.” Sincerely, RONA KLOPMAN Cross-Endorsed Amagansett May 24, 2015 To The Editor: I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the East Hampton Town Republican, Democratic, Independence, and Conservative Parties who nominated me as their candidate for East Hampton Town justice in the upcoming East Hampton Town election. It has been a privilege to serve the East Hampton community as town justice over the past 11 years, and I am so honored to be cross-endorsed. I look forward to speaking to the members of our community over the next few months. Have a great summer and a safe summer. Once again, thank you for your support. Respectfully submitted, LISA R. RANA Harbor Village Justice East Hampton May 24, 2015 To the Editor: The article in last week’s Star detailing Sag Harbor’s June 16 election for village justice surprised me at how little it said about the qualifications of candidate East Hampton Town Justice Lisa Rana. Justice Rana’s experience is far broader than your portrayal of her as a “fill-in” for Sag Harbor Justice Andrea Schiavoni, who is stepping down. A few of the missing facts relevant for voters: Judge Rana has been an East Hampton Town justice since 2004, this year having earned endorsements from the Democratic, Republican, Independence, and Conservative Parties; Justice Rana has been a Sag Harbor acting justice since 2010, when together, Justice Schiavoni and Justice Rana worked to organize and open the Sag Harbor Village Court; Justice Rana has been re-appointed by the Sag Harbor Village Board for five consecutive years to serve as acting justice. Justice Rana is the only candidate for Sag Harbor Village justice who offers judicial experience — more than 11 years — no on-the-job training required. Justice Rana is a “local” with a heritage, not only having been born and raised in East Hampton, but proudly continuing her family’s long history of public service. During my many years as a volunteer mediator in the East Hampton court, I have watched Justice Rana at work. I have no hesitation in stating that her judicial temperament and demeanor create the atmosphere we need in our courts. I know her courtroom conduct to be respectful, even under trying circumstances; she is evenhanded and always straightforward with all parties and attorneys appearing before her. In my view, the voters of Sag Harbor will be doing themselves a great favor if on June 16 they vote to make Justice Lisa Rana their next Sag Harbor Village justice. BEVERLY BOND Thanks Go to Peter Montauk May 23, 2015 Dear David, Peter Spacek’s beach cartoon of May 21 says “Thank You.” The thanks should go to Peter. His work is always good and often brilliant. His surfer and surf fisherman encounter should be run each year. DAN BRIGANTI A New High East Hampton May 22, 2015 To the Editor: The Star’s spunky purple Visitors Guide sets a new high. The anonymous writer (from the style, it’s got to be by one person) zips from hip to historical (a “commonage” for livestock) and dissects obsessions: “Somewhere along the line, summer life on the East End stopped being all about things like catching jellyfish in a pail or watching barefoot dancers perform improvisational dances at drunken art openings and started being about the ka-ching, ka-ching.” Hemingway meets Wintour. I was in for every word. CHRIS CORY Memorial Day Montauk May 19, 2015 To the Editor: “I, ___, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the president of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.” Let us thank and pray for all those who have given their lives, those who have served in the past, and those who currently serve. May God protect them. Memorial Day is not just about the beach, hamburgers, hot dogs, and which store has the best sales. Sincerely, PAT FLYNN Otherworldly People East Hampton May 18, 2015 Dear Editor, An episode of “Seinfeld” dealt with what the writers of the show called “bizarro world.” That is a world peopled by individuals who look very much like the people around us in the world in which we live, but are the opposite in reality. That is how the current group of Tea Party Republicans appear. Those so-called Tea Party people rant that what has to happen in the country to make it “great again” is to force great doses of work ethic on those who are in reality looking for just that, cut off or shorten the safety net for the poor and middle class who may need it, mix in more personal discipline for others, more religion, more jails, sex abstinence and no abortions, along with a continuation of the trashing of science and a continual flex and use of threats of military muscle and, of course, no increased taxes for those who benefit most. Try, just try, to present facts, surveys, testimony, or reality to these people and the result will be a total, coordinated, negative response using calculated, practiced, and invented code words and phrases to convince the rest of us that their rigid, hard-line approach is where reality should be. The likes of Bully O’Reilly, with his “war on Christianity” gibberish, or Mike Huckabee, Scott Walker, Canadian Cruz, Squirrely Jindal, and the rest of that myriad Republican horses running in the race for their party’s presidential nomination present nothing in the way of positive thoughts to move the country ahead. They only take every opportunity to continue the John Boehner-Mitch McConnell destructive talking-down of the president. See them declare the Old Testament a science textbook and then watch the climate change deniers, like James Inhofe, the senator from Oklahoma, make a fool of himself bringing a snowball to the U.S. Senate chamber in support of his anti-climate-change position. See them justify the invasion of Iraq by using the Dick Cheney fabrications of “aluminum tubes,” almost damning Saddam Hussein for 9/11 and blaming poor intelligence rather than their coloring and slanting of that intelligence and sprinkling it with lies and scary talk like the possible coming of a mushroom cloud from Iraq, alluded to by the sychophantic Condoleezza Rice, and then see them again donning the cloaks of war hawks. Maybe, just maybe, people will finally see these people as the otherworldly creatures they are. RICHARD P. HIGER Politics Is the Cause East Hampton May 22, 2015 Dear David, In the year 276 B.C., Eratosthenes, a Greek scientist, determined that Earth was round, made a good estimation of the circumference, and accurately estimated tilt. Not so bad without a telescope or even a computer other than his brain. Columbus is believed to have read his work, and knew that Earth was a globe. Our Viking ancestors had a primitive compass, a translucent stone that polarized light, making the sun’s location near and just after sunset known through cloud cover. It may have been calcite. As for the belief in God causing our wars, it has been politics that was and is the cause. Today it is Islam, a political movement pretending to be a religion, that is the guilty party. They use the Qur’an to justify their aggression against all, as they have over the last 1,400 years. The U.S.A. is referred to as the Great Satan, Israel as the Little Satan, and they vow death to us all. They are at war with us even if we are not at war with them. This is not new. Remember the Barbary pirates? They were Muslim. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Husseini, allied himself with the Axis powers in World War II. He was responsible for the deaths of about 5,000 Jewish children during the war, telling the German SS officer who was willing to let them migrate, that it was easier to kill them now than hunt them down in a few years. It appears to me that Allah does not fit the description of the God who is creator of the entire universe, the seen and unseen over the last dozen billion years or so. Mohammed thought the Earth, created by Allah and revealed to him, was flat, the mountains held the plain in place, and the sun set in a mud puddle. Don’t you think a true God would have told him the facts? Then consider that Islam has been used as a guise to conquer and subjugate since Mohammed started on his first wars of conquest and aggression in the seventh century. Seems pretty political to me. PETER C. OSBORNE
Published 5 years ago
Last updated 5 years ago
Letters to the Editor: 05.28.15
May 28, 2015