Letters to the Editor 06.23.16

Memorial Ceremony

Cheshire, Conn.

June 18, 2016

To the Editor:

We would like to thank Joanne Pilgrim and your paper for the attentive and compassionate coverage of the memorial ceremony that the Police Benevolent Association of the Village of East Hampton arranged for our niece, Anna Mirabai Lytton, this past week. 

Our family lives far and wide around the country, and being able to read your articles online (with wonderful photos), on both the ceremony and the work of Anna’s foundation, enabled us to feel part of the ceremony and hold Anna, my brother, Rameshwar Das; sister-in-law, Kate Rabinowitz, and Anna’s brother, our nephew James Lytton, in our hearts from afar.

Many thanks to the police officers, E.M.T.s, and Chief Larsen for their unusual care and thoughtfulness to arrange for the planting of the dogwood and the accompanying plaque. We all, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents, are most appreciative. 

LAURA LYTTON and RICH, 

ALI, and JESSIE ZELISKO

Passing of An Icon

Amagansett

June 17, 2016

Dear David,

With the passing of Ma Lynch (Loretta Lynch), our highway superintendent’s mom and an icon at East Hampton High School, we lose yet another one of East Hampton’s finest kind.

Sadly,

LONA RUBENSTEIN

The Perfect Setting

Montauk

June 20, 2016

Dear Editor,

The writers and book supporters who attended the celebration on Saturday  for the just-published anthology of poetry, fiction, and essay called “On Montauk: A Literary Celebration” want to thank Kristy Schopper and Colin Brown, the warm, energetic, and gracious owners of the Woodbine Collection, who generously offered their gallery for the occasion. 

The gallery’s work by local painters, photographers, and sculptors, on the walls and around the room, created the perfect setting for the launch of the book, which includes more than 50 writers and photographers, mostly local.  Kristy, Colin, and their gallery are a wonderful addition to the Montauk art scene.

CELINE KEATING 

Anthology Co-Editor

Everyone, Manners

Springs

June 14, 2016

Dear Editor,

Sitting on our deck this evening, we were serenaded by loud rock ’n’ roll music after we were brought to attention by a pot lid being hit with a spoon a dozen or more times, just in line where we were sitting.

Please, everyone: manners, thoughtfulness, and kindness.

If this is caused by alcohol, cut back or stop drinking. If this behavior is caused by mental illness, seek help and medicate. And if this is just plain mean behavior, make sure they are fined. Money talks.

MAYDA IDONE

The C.P.F Referendum

East Hampton

June 20, 2016

Dear David,

Congratulations on your June 16 editorial entitled “C.P.F. Referendum Requires Reconsideration.” It is a thoughtful piece that calls into question the same issue that resonates with me on water quality issues in East Hampton. You stated, “One huge problem is that excessive density has long been constrained by nearness to wetlands or the effect on groundwater of proposed developments. Now, with money for treatment systems, you can expect that to seem like less of a problem.” Yes, you have hit the nail right on the head.

There are other issues that also make this idea a bad one. First and foremost, and as I wrote in my recent letter back in May, there are adequate funds available to correct existing sewage and drinking-water issues, and that funding comes from the E.P.A.’s State Revolving Funds for both wastewater and drinking water. This provides low-interest loans to fix sewage issues, either on a district basis or individually. These are loans that have to be paid back, and therefore it takes the burden off the taxpayer and puts it on the cause of the problem, yet virtually interest-free.

So why would the town board, in the case of the C.P.F., or County Executive Bellone, in the case of his water usage surcharge, want to go forward with an additional or continued burden on the taxpayer? In the case of Suffolk County, it is obvious that this is to create a new revenue stream for the financially strapped county. But in the case of the town, I would ask: Are we so strapped that we need to divert a revenue stream with a very noble purpose? Is it perhaps there are fewer properties to preserve and the town doesn’t know what to do with the revenue stream?

Before there is any new referendum or any extension, isn’t it time to completely audit the books and see exactly for what the C.P.F. has been used and how appropriately it has been used? Then I would suggest an analysis of what the fund really needs now to do community preservation as stated in its charter. My goodness, maybe the tax can be lowered or even eliminated. 

Not only has The Star pointed out a potential boondoggle, but I think also it has pointed out that the C.P.F may need some C.P.R.

PAUL A. GIARDINA

Net Gain, Net Drain

Amagansett

June 13, 2016

Dear Editor,

It appears that the controversy over the 531 subsidized housing project has found its way to the New York Post. A June 3 article implies that only well-heeled residents are against it and refers to Amagansett as a “swanky hamlet filled with movie stars.” The article featured an aerial photo of the proposed site that highlighted the residences of four or five celebrities. Only a few of the 13 commercial developments within 1,500 feet of 531 were cited. Town officials were quoted in favor of 531, and so we have their names associated with an article that compromises the privacy and security of famous residents. Nice going.

The June 4 edition of the Post started with a quote attributed to “town officials”: “Ritzy Hamptonites who oppose the town’s affordable housing project aren’t racist — they just don’t like poor people.” 

“Most opponents would prefer the people who mow their lawns, cook their food, and baby-sit their children live elsewhere,” said East Hampton Housing Authority director Catherine Casey. And with that quote Ms. Casey has smeared all the residents of Amagansett. What constitutes “most opponents”? Did Ms. Casey do a survey? Who initiated the second article in the Post? Was it Ms. Casey, the Post, or some other town official? Ms. Casey has become a loose cannon who should not be allowed to speak for or about the residents of East Hampton in any fashion. At the very least Ms. Casey owes all of the residents of Amagansett an apology and should cease with the smear tactics.

These tactics are just an attempt to fog the issues by ignoring the opponents’ concerns about overdevelopment and the drain on the taxpayers of East Hampton. The rents cannot cover the servicing of the funding for the project, the added costs of schooling 37 more children, and the cost of maintaining the complex (heat, electric, Wi-Fi, garbage collection, water, grounds, the high-tech systems, etc.). In fact, the rents collected would have trouble paying the school taxes alone, the bond interest alone, or the maintenance alone. 

It’s interesting to note that when the 555 project was defeated, no one said anything about the Amagansett residents not being racist, but just “not wanting to live near rich people.” Of course, that was because the 555 project was defeated to pave the way for the 531 project. Many of the same people opposed to the 555 project are now in favor of the 531 project. The 555 project would have been a net gain for East Hampton Town; the 531 project is a net drain. The opposition to this project is about real concerns, not about racism and poor people. It’s time for Ms. Casey and the East Hampton Housing Authority to stop the lies, smears, half-truths, name-calling, and non-transparency.

Sincerely,

BOB ELDI

 

 

Deer Reduction

Sag Harbor

June 18, 2016

To the Editor:

At last week’s East Hampton Village Board meeting, Mayor Rickenbach allowed that the village had allocated money for a deer reduction program for the next year, but declined to say whether the board was once again considering White Buffalo. This was the group who butchered deer in their sterilization program last year, sterilizing some does already pregnant, whose fauns died and putrified in their wombs, and leaving others drugged outdoors in the freezing weather where their bodies were unable to cope with the cold or able to drag themselves to shelter. This is unspeakably cruel, and would indicate to me that White Buffalo or any group meting out this kind of torture does not deserve a second chance.

Aside from the pain inflicted, the sterilization program has proven simply not to work. As one director of the East Hampton Sportsmen’s Alliance pointed out in a previous village board meeting, sterilization programs have overwhelmingly failed in New York and other suburban and urban areas of the country, making it both expensive and ineffective, a notable duo. 

At one of the board meetings last year, Mayor Rickenbach reported that the sterilization program cost in the vicinity of $200,000, raised with taxes and individual donations. Two hundred thousand dollars! An enormous amount of money for a program that has proven not to work, and money that could be enlisted in a program of immonocontraception, which is far less expensive, far less invasive, far more humane — and does work. 

To address the issue of Lyme disease, which the sterilization does not, some of that money could go to establishing a 4-Poster feeding program, which has proven effective in Shelter Island, Fire Island, and other communities. Another program would be to endorse and expand our number of wild turkeys. Wild turkeys love to eat ticks. Why are we shooting them instead of encouraging them to multiply?

Other than the programs aimed at the deer, there are other ways to reduce negative impact between these animals and humans. One would be for the village to seriously enforce the speed limits on roads, and to enact a program of public awareness of how, and particularly when, to avoid deer interaction. We have all seen cars speeding along at 40 or 50 miles an hour on roads clearly marked 20 or 30 m.p.h. A consistent program of police presence and ticketing would cut down on a significant number of accidents, raise good revenue for the village, and send an important message to drivers. And if they don’t like getting ticketed on their vacation, they shouldn’t speed on our roads.

I personally don’t believe in hunting at all, but I know it exists on the East End, and if the deer meat is used to feed people, at least it has a positive result. There is no positive result with the current sterilization program, especially because if you don’t get all the bucks, the ones that exist will get even busier with the does. The chemicals used in the sterilization process makes those animals unfit for human consumption. And since the program doesn’t solve the deer population, doesn’t work, and doesn’t do anything to ameliorate any issue dealing with ticks or Lyme disease, what is the point of financing it again? 

BEVERLY SCHANZER

East Hampton Group for Wildlife

L.G.B.T. Dance Club

Springs

June 19, 2016

Dear David,

We are responding in various ways to the killing of the 49 gay men and women in Orlando and the wounding of many others. I have found responses to be largely sympathetic, though varied. 

I joined a vigil and march on Tuesday the 14th in Bridgehampton. It was organized by Tom House, an English teacher, and included some of his students. Four clergy were represented along with many men and women and youth from the community, principally Bridgehampton and Sag Harbor. Kathryn Szoka and Maryanne Calendrille of Canio’s Books also helped spread the word about the vigil.

Karen Campbell, rector at Christ Episcopal Church, had members of the church ring the church bell this past Sunday. Tom House and his students read the names of those killed as the bell tolled. The bell itself was recently restored through the efforts of David Bray, in memory of his partner, Neil Hartman. 

One thing I find disturbing is that many newscasters and media analysts and commentators seem to be tripping over themselves not to say that the attack in Orlando was specifically an attack on the L.G.B.T. community. I understand the desire to analyze the killer and how various personal, social, and religious issues may have played into his action, but when all is said and done, he chose to kill gay and lesbian and trans men and women, who also were principally Latino. It’s important to say that he targeted an L.G.B.T. dance club and the patrons who were there that night enjoying gay pride. 

I grieve for them and their families.

REV. ROBERT STUART

Keep America Safe

Springs

June 14, 2016

Dear Editor,

The horrific massacre at the Pulse Club in Orlando knocked the breath right out of us and brought tears to our eyes. We have to stop these domestic terror attacks once and for all. 

Four new bills must be passed by Congress that will help keep America safe:

1. Attack rifles must be banned in our country, and not Muslims from entering the country.

2. Anyone buying any weapons must get approval of the sale by the F.B.I.

3. Those involved in any type of domestic terrorism who emigrated from a foreign country will have their family deported to the country they came from, as long as they are not U.S. citizens.

4. Suspected terrorists on the no-fly list should also be on the do not sell weapons list.

Donald Trump is not thinking clearly or rationally. His speeches are full of incorrect information. He may be doing this on purpose in order to embellish his asinine speeches for his followers. Trump referred to the Orlando terrorist as being born in Afghanistan. This piece of dirt was an American citizen born in Queens, the same place Trump was born.

As the Trump campaign starts losing his followers it appears that he will suffer a huge loss. Thank God.

JOE LOMBARDI

Obsession With Guns

East Hampton

June 20, 2016

To the Editor:

The killing in Orlando seems not so different from the dozens of killings that have taken place in our country since its beginning. The obvious solution, if one exists, requires little understanding and virtually no brainpower. Take any fourth-grade class and explain the problem and the variables, and they will reach an unambiguous solution. Controlling a lone terrorist or even a small group is virtually impossible. Dealing with the mentally ill, where too many millions of people can fit the classification, is beyond comprehension. What is left is gun control in some form. How about we start with refusing to sell nuclear material to anyone under the age of 95 and work our way backward from there?

The absurdity of our politicians aside, it can’t all be about the N.R.A. and the gun makers of the world. It has to be about something in the DNA of certain groups of American males that identifies guns and their use as metaphor, or perhaps a significant recognition of their sexuality. Being a real man requires a gun.

Using our Republican and Democratic congressmen who refuse to accept any form of gun control as a control group, we are faced with an enormous percentage of men with unhealthy traditionally unacceptable sexual behavior. If they are a valid sample of American manhood, we can project their attitudes onto the entire male population.

 Their behavior toward L.G.B.T. and women demonstrates a healthy disrespect and sometimes hatred. Some of them are pedophiles, serial rapists, predators, and cheats, which covers the entire gamut of the sexually dysfunctional.

With no real solution involving mental health issues, terrorism, or gun control, a psycho-socio study of American male sexuality is probably our only alternative.

1. As a group we are poorly trained, or completely untrained, in sexual interaction with women. When left by ourselves we seem to do significantly better, but when someone else is introduced to the process we tend to blow it (metaphorically).

2. Consequently, we are petrified about all the L.G.B.T. options, and despite recent advances, have only the most minimal comfort level in dealing with them, which in turn creates an atmosphere for men and women who naturally embrace one of these options to feel uncertain and often horrified that there might be something wrong with them. 

Consequently marginalizing, vilifying, and often hating women, whom we identify as the source of our insecurity and inadequacy.

3. Feeling the enormous pressure of American exceptionalism and specialness that we drill into every male head from kindergarten, we are conflicted in the knowledge that we are often impotent and that our virility has less credence than our expounded exceptionalism. Unrealistic expectations lead to almost certain failure and a deep-rooted sense of inadequacy. Guns may not improve someone’s sexual self-esteem, but they don’t bitch about how lame you really are.

4. When we look outside the country, the number of gun deaths here is staggering compared to industrialized countries. Why we tend to shoot each other and they don’t is a question worth pondering. Are their male populations as sexually dysfunctional as ours?

5. Why would anyone care about not being allowed to own an assault rifle? Maybe only half the people in Orlando or Newtown would have died if the killers used normal guns. Are assault rifles sexier than other guns?

Clearly we refuse to examine what’s really behind our obsession with guns. If exploring the sexuality or lack of it of our elected officials gives a small window of understanding we should run with it. Do Dennis Hastert and Newt Gingrich have gun collections?

NEIL HAUSIG

No-Fly List

Montauk

June 20, 2016

To the Editor,

Let me see if I understand this no-fly and terrorist watch list. If I own a gun and go on Facebook and send messages to my friends to support the Second Amendment and some left-wing gun-grabbing group from the government does not like what I say, they can have my name put on the no-fly list and terrorist watch list. 

Furthermore, since it’s against the law to own a gun and be on the no-fly list and terrorist watch list, I could be thrown in jail without having a trial. Is this correct? If so, this is a gun ban through the back door.

VINCENT BIONDO

The Evil in Their Midst

East Hampton

June 13, 2016

Dear David,

So once again the world is victimized by the evil of our time, radical Islam.

There are many Muslims who have died alongside our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and many who have died standing up for liberty and human rights at the hands of their fellow Muslims. I am not talking about them. I am talking about those who hate Christians, Jews, and their fellow Muslims. I am talking about the deafening silence that emanates from so many of the mosques of the world.

In the 1930s in Nazi Germany many (not all) Christians did not speak out against the attacks on Jews, Gypsies, and any German who did not agree with them. However, for any who did so, retribution would be swift, and final. There is a reason there was no Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. in Germany in the 1930s, protesting oppression. They, like those who might have chosen to peacefully protest in Mao’s China and Stalin’s Soviet Union, would have been eliminated. The world would never know their names. But King and Gandhi were up against injustice in Britain and America. They had a shot.

The Muslims in this country have a shot. I get it that a Muslim railing against the utter madness of those slaughtering innocents in the name of God faces death at the hands of their fellow Muslims in Pakistan. But, with the rare exception of a father murdering his daughter for dating an infidel, that is not a consequence of condemning the evil that is radical Islam in America.

So every imam preaching from every mosque in this country needs to not merely condemn the violence that consumes their faith, they need to demand that every perpetrator of violence in this country needs life incarceration or the death penalty. That anyone who acquiesces verbally or by their silence needs to be deported. If any mosque, any imam, does not condemn the evil in their own religion, that mosque should be closed. I am okay with bulldozing as well.

Imagine if we had had Nazi sympathizers supporting Hitler in our country in 1942. We would not have allowed them to rent out Madison Square Garden to call for the death of our soldiers and the incineration of Jews. That is the equivalent of what is coming out of mosques in countries that allow it so they can, familiar refrain, blame the Jews, to deflect attention from the fact they oppress their own people more than any of us — yeah, the good guys — do. The time to tolerate Islamic insanity must end, and it is time we call every Muslim in the world to account for it.

Can you imagine the response of the Islamic world if a Christian preacher or a Jewish rabbi called for the death of a Muslim? Yet we sit by while we are lectured about this by Muslim leaders. They rail against Israel, a country that is free and democratic, where an Islamic Arab has a better life than in many Muslim countries. Since 1950, 35,000 Muslims died in the conflict with Israel. Yet over 12 million Muslims died at — you guessed — the hands of other Muslims, who are obsessed about whether this guy or that guy had a right to succeed Muhammad 1,400 years ago. Ironically, many Shia and Sunni hate themselves more than they hate us.

The Muslim world needs to confront this cancer. I know some have. I know many abhor what is being inflicted on all of us. But until they stand up to the evil in their midst they are complicit in it. A vast silence engulfs far too many of them. Why? This is a question Muslims all over the world must answer. How much is from fear, and how much of the silence bespeaks an acquiescence in, if not acceptance of, the evil that is radical Islam?

PETER HONERKAMP

Employee of the Month

East Hampton

June 16, 2016

Dear Editor,

ISIL, in a news release yesterday, announced that Donald Trump had been awarded the ISIL employee of the month for the second time this year. Mustafa My Ass, ISIL spokesperson, issued the following statement:

“Our strategy is to manipulate the global political battlefield claiming to be a legitimate Islamic organization, much the same way the Ku Klux Klan in America claimed its terrorist acts were in defense of the ‘Christian way of life.’ Our goal is to create a global war between Muslims and Christians by inciting, through terrorist acts, the Christian community to hate all Muslims for the acts of a few.”

“We were very concerned about the recent celebration of the life of Muhammad Ali, where world leaders and religious figures of different faiths came together in the spirit of peace, love, and religious tolerance to honor the life of the world’s most famous Muslim, Muhammad Ali, a man who loved his religion and dedicated himself to spreading its truths and many wisdoms. This was troubling, as it could cause people to consider the fact that there may be good and bad Muslims, like there are Christians. That would be bad for our business.”

“We needed a low-life, loudmouth stooge, who would use the tragedy of a machine gun massacre of 49 people by a deranged gunman for his personal political gain as well as ours. Can you say Donald Trump? The Donald, who excels at preying on people’s ignorance, fear, and bigotry, step up, or in this case down, to blame and demonize 1.6 billon people.”

The supreme leader of ISIL, Kamel Hump Er, tweeted, “Thanks to Mr. Trump, people are now forgetting the good will of Muhammad Ali, and are back on track to hating the 1.6 billion Muslims. Not since Adolf Hitler have we seen a political leader generate this kind of hatred for a religious group. We are back in business. Can you imagine what he will do for us if he became president of the United States?”

JAY McGLYNN

Look to Your Left 

Springs

June 19, 2016

Dear David,

David Calone, Democratic candidate in the upcoming primary on June 28, has been endorsed by The New York Times to beat Lee Zeldin and become the congressman from the First District. The difference between him and his opponent is something we can all witness. Drive west on County Road 39, and as you pass Tuckahoe Road look to your left. The development you see (as well as the Hills of Southampton) is the result of the Anna years. Drive east toward Montauk and look to your left. The expansive open space known as 555 Montauk Highway you will see — preserved forever — is the result of Dave Calone’s work when he was chairman of the Suffolk County Planning Board. 

Let us send someone to Congress who knows our issues and is experienced in national and international affairs. The Democratic members of our town board who know the work of both individuals heartily support David Calone to be the next representative to the U.S. House of Representatives. I urge you to vote David Calone also.

PHYLLIS ITALIANO

The Only Person

Springs

June 23, 2016

Dear David,

Before choosing a candidate, I always review their résumé first. After all, we are hiring them for a very important position, representing we the people. 

I’m happy that I met David Calone at  recent meet-and-greet the candidates. I am sorry to say there is no comparison between Anna Throne-Holst’s qualifications and David Calone’s. David Calone’s credentials are far superior and he is the only person to vote for in the upcoming primary election on June 28.

NIKI LOMBARDI

For Anna Throne-Holst

Springs

June 16, 2016 

Dear Star:

Regarding the upcoming June 28 Democratic primary, I am appalled at the TV ads David Calone is running against First District Congressional candidate Anna Throne-Holst. We should be focused on issues, not negative insinuation.

Throne-Holst has a very progressive record as Southampton Town supervisor, and has been a leading opponent of Donald Trump. She has run and won four times on the Democratic line, and is the only candidate with a track record of beating Republicans.

As supervisor, Throne-Holst turned Southampton’s spectacular financial deficit into a triple-A bond rating. She is endorsed by the National Organization for Women, Assemblyman Fred Thiele, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, former U.S. Congressman Tim Bishop, and a host of other noteworthies.

Please vote for Anna Throne-Holst in the June 28 Democratic primary. Perhaps we can improve on the current five-to-one ratio of men to women in Congress.

SANDY RAPP

Vice President

East End NOW

For David Calone

East Hampton

June 20, 2016

Dear David,

I am writing this letter to urge my fellow East Hampton registered Democrats to vote for David Calone in the upcoming Democrat primary on Tuesday, June 28. 

He has a long history of pro-environmental activities, including leading the Suffolk County Planning Commission in reaching a decision to deny approval of the former Republican East Hampton Town Board’s effort to downzone the largest tract of open land in East Hampton for condominium development. He saved that magnificent pastureland immediately east of the I.G.A. in Amagansett from development of a 100-unit condominium. Mr. Calone has also been at the forefront of developing renewable energy sources, and, as head of an equity firm, creating numerous businesses on eastern Long Island to increase job opportunities. In addition, he led an effort in cooperation with a bipartisan Congressional committee to create special funding for returning Iraq war veterans to obtain work and start businesses.

Larry Cantwell, our supervisor, and all the Democratic town board members have endorsed Mr. Calone, as has the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee. Most tellingly, his opponent, a former supervisor of Southampton Town, has failed to get the endorsement of the Southampton Town Democratic Committee. She is unpopular among our own fellow Democrats in South­ampton, who know her best. Unlike Mr. Calone, who stopped development, she was instrumental in downzoning land opposite Bridgehampton Commons for commercial development, as well as land farther west, on County Road 39, for development of a golf course and condominiums. She was in favor of continuing F.A.A. funding of the East Hampton Airport instead of supporting local control of the airport so as to reduce air traffic and resultant noise affecting our community, which was accomplished by our town board notwithstanding her opposition.

This past Friday, The New York Times endorsed Mr. Calone in the upcoming Democratic primary rather than his opponent.

Recently his opponent’s campaign distributed literature inaccurately describing Mr. Calone’s role as a member of the LIPA board and ascribing to him responsibility for the inadequate response of LIPA to the events following Hurricane Sandy. In fact, Mr. Calone joined the board, which functions in an advisory role and not an administrative one, in an effort to influence its members to enunciate policies that would cause LIPA to develop renewable energy sources. In the summer of 2010, Mr. Calone, because of upcoming responsibilities, submitted his resignation from the board — effective, as it turned out, a few days after Hurricane Sandy struck. The campaign literature distributed by his opponent describes him as having quit in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which is a bold-faced lie.

East Hampton needs a representative in Congress who will be pro environment, not pro development.

DAVID J. WEINSTEIN

Are You Kidding Me?

Amagansett

June 15, 2016

Dear David,

As a lifetime summer resident and 25-year-plus year-round resident, I am used to the sometimes incredibly high prices we pay to live in this wonderful place. Not much surprises me anymore, but the dry cleaning bill I just paid has me steaming from the ears.

I have patronized both the East Hampton Cleaners and North Main Street Cleaners regularly and always leave with a smile from reasonable charges and the friendly folks who work there. Now that I work in Wainscott, I thought I would try the Sweetwater’s French Drycleaners, since it is on my way to and from work. I dropped off two silk-blend European pillow shams to be cleaned. The courteous young man who took them said he didn’t know how much they would cost as he wasn’t sure of the fabric type. I said fine, as I assumed it would be in the $20 or less range ($14 at North Main and $13 at East Hampton). 

Silly me!

My husband picked them up for me a week later, as I ran out of errand-running time, and paid the outrageous charge of $70 to collect the pillow shams. I understand that Sweetwater’s uses a “special” process, but are you kidding me? When I returned to question the error — as I again assumed it was — the clerk was rude and tried to keep my receipt. He told me to take my shams and go.

We locals work much too hard for our money. May I suggest that you do not give it to Sweetwater’s French Dry­cleaners. 

Sincerely,

JANICE BADKIN

Wasabe

Cambridge, Mass.

June 20, 2016

To the Editor:

Re Haggai, the 128 truck turnoff, and paying attention at 14E of the Mass Pike:

Dear Student of the ARM (Jeff Passan),

Snowfall — Jordan

Tuphill Old Irragaton/Refugee

N + Ultra’s

T — Capital Move

Cosby — Correct Temple

Fill in the Swing of Fleet until March

What did sushi A say to sushi B? Wasabe.

Hosie, Roses, Wind Rush Equistrine Hampton Classic.

GEORGE RICHERT