Jitney to the Rescue East Hampton November 3, 2015 To the Editor: The Hampton Jitney is joining forces with Fighting Chance, the nonprofit charitable organization that supports cancer patients on the East End. The particular problem that prompted the Jitney to participate is transportation. Very often cancer patients need to get to the city for their radiation treatments (which usually occur daily for a number of weeks) or chemotherapy treatments. Some patients are very weak and cannot possibly tolerate driving six hours back and forth from East Hampton to New York. Having someone nearby and available on a daily basis is tough. Then there are those too young or old to drive this arduous trip. There is also a major issue with the cost of transportation for many in the town. Not everyone can afford a round- trip on the Jitney, especially every day for a week or two or three. So in comes the Jitney to the rescue. For every $12 donated to Fighting Chance, the Jitney will donate a trip to and/or from New York. For those who have suffered from cancer and those who have been fortunate enough not to have been afflicted, please consider this an urgent cause. It could be life-saving. Thank you, Star readers, for anything that you can contribute. To help, send a check made out to Fighting Chance-Jitney, P.O. Box 1358, Sag Harbor 11963. To call Fighting Chance: 725-4646. LENI SALZ Gift of Artwork Montauk November 9, 2015 Dear Editor, We are so thrilled to have received the gift of artwork from the students in Laura Cutillo’s fifth and sixth-grade art classes. Thank you on behalf of Rachel Lys and the staff at East Hampton Physical Therapy. The students used their imaginations to create one-of-a-kind artwork with paint and Plexiglas. Each piece represents movement, health, and healing hands, all things that we at East Hampton Physical Therapy strive for. The patients are loving the colors, and we are all so grateful to have the artwork in our windows. We will keep the artwork on display for the next month. The Montauk School is so lucky to have an art teacher like Mrs. Cutillo. RACHEL SIMS Wonderful Care Amagansett November 9, 2015 To the Editor, The Barron family would like to acknowledge the wonderful care by the East End Hospice toward Sylvia Barron, a loving mother, grandmother, and wife. Syl was a brilliant and gifted artist whose work was shown in New York at leading galleries before we moved to Amagansett to support our daughter and her newborn son, Brett, 25 years ago. We would also like to thank Dr. George Dempsey for his tender and generous care of Sylvia. “Who is Sylvia, what is she, that all our swains commend her?” “We shall not look upon her like again.” ROBERT BARRON Osephone? Springfield, Va. November 9, 2015 Dear Mr. Rattray, Thank you for publishing my letter in last week’s East Hampton Star in which I expressed my thanks to the East Hampton High School class of 1960 reunion planning committee for their excellent work in creating a memorable reunion evening. I was somewhat humorously surprised, however, to note that my first name (Josephine) had somehow become “Osephone” in the signature line. In spite of this error, thanks again for publishing my remarks. Sincerely, JOSEPHINE BENNETT DOMINGUES Not Just an Artist Micanopy, Fla. November 3, 2015 To the Editor: Ralph Carpentier is not just an artist. He is, through his work, a teller of history and a chronicler of this magical place we call home: rich black soil meeting in perfect harmony with the sand of the ocean dunes, farmsteads (fast disappearing), water bodies — bays, coves, channels, ocean — skyscapes only a master painter could produce, reminding us of our smallness, our relative importance to the land. This is Ralph’s study and his passion, from which we all benefit. Two shows of his work, one at the Amagansett Library this past summer and most recently at Ashawagh Hall, were curated by Pamela Williams. We saw mere samplings of Carpentier’s monumental work. There is so much more. Please look for yourselves at ralphcarpentier.com. Thank you, Pam, for putting these shows together, and to you, Ralph — I am just so proud to know you! Warm regards, MAGGIE KOTUK Motherhood East Hampton November 8, 2015 To the Editor: Re: Relay. I hope that your children never read that article. Yes, motherhood is exhausting. I worked full time and to this day am grateful that my employer, as yours, gave me the option to work part time for two years while my son was little. I survived. I will never complain, as it was my choice. I tried to have another child but it was not to be. I am so grateful that I at least have one. What I have is irreplaceable. To actually put in print that you wish to wake up childless for even a few seconds is very sad. PATRICIA HABR P.S. My son is 34, and I am now a grandmother. They Saved the Day New York City November 3, 2015 To the Editor: On behalf of all of us at Atlantic Bluffs Club in Montauk, I want to thank the many first responders (firefighters, police, and E.M.T.s) who came to fight the blaze next door at Hartman’s Briney Breezes in the early hours of Oct. 30. The hard work, speed, and professionalism were impressive. Personally, I’ve never been this close to a fire and its destructive power. The police woke us from deep sleep and got us outside. The wind from the west brought the flames, smoke, and sparks so close to where I was that it made it hard to tell exactly where the fire began and ended. We worried about the people at Hartman’s, and we were terrified about the possibility the fire could spread across to us. I saw the Montauk fire trucks arriving, and then the ones from Amagansett, East Hampton, and Springs shortly thereafter. Volunteers all! The amount of water blasted into the burning building from multiple directions was amazing. What struck me was not only their eventually extinguishing the blaze, but the skill and work involved by those firefighters in actually containing the fire to just the one building. Two other Hartman’s buildings were only a few feet away from the burning one. A row of trees and two Atlantic Bluffs Club buildings were downwind and a stone’s throw to the east. Firefighters kept a watchful eye on the showers of sparks headed toward us and kept wetting down our roofs and the shrubs and trees between us and the fire. They really saved the day. As bad as it was, it could have been far worse. Additionally, It was great to see the E.M.S. wagons pull away empty! No injuries. Because of the skill, work, and courage of our Montauk and neighboring town’s volunteers, we have much to be proud of and thankful for. MARK LEVY President Atlantic Bluffs Co-op Board In Time of Need East Hampton November 2, 2015 Dear Mr. Rattray, We wish to express our sincere gratitude to the members of the East Hampton Village Police Department and the East Hampton Village Ambulance Association for their assistance in our recent time of need. The officers and E.M.T.s who came to our aid couldn’t have been more professional and helpful. Their quick and able response was and is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, ROBERT and BETTY LOUGHEAD Only Losers East Hampton November 9, 2015 To the Editor, Hey, look, here’s one good example of why our society is so screwed up. I was at the fall festival in Montauk this year. Everything was just dandy. Good food, lots of people walking about, and the bands were awesome! But then I stumbled upon a sign that read “crab races,” so I stopped to see. They were using live crabs (looked like baby blue-claws to me). They catch a lot of them so there’s enough for the whole day. When one crab dies of exhaustion, they just reach in the bucket and grab another one to take its place. Now the young proprietors ask the kids what color they want to be so he can paint it on the back of the crab. Now he puts all the crabs on the center of the table; the crab that goes in the hole first is declared the winner. But I saw no winners here, only losers. The crabs were losers for being tortured and giving up their life. The young proprietors were losers for torturing the crab, and the kids were losers for learning it’s okay to torture crabs. I then asked the young proprietor what happens to the crabs at the end of the day. His response was, “I don’t know.” Well, let me speculate then. I think after their day of torture they’re probably thrown in a nearby garbage can, and die a slow death for no good reason, and what fun is it anyway to watch crabs being tortured. No wonder we’re having a problem with school shootings, look what we’re teaching our kids. Perhaps if I can get the governing council of the fair to read this letter, maybe next year they can have a different kind of crab race. Now when I was a kid I remember crab races differently. You lie on your back, then push yourself up with your hands and feet and scurry, much like a crab, as fast as you can toward the finish line, first one across wins! But this time everyone is a winner. The crabs win because they are not taken from their home and killed. (This also helps the food chain stay in balance.) The kids win because they get exercise, and the young proprietors win because they don’t have to torture the crabs. In closing, I would like to note that we as humans living at the top of the food chain should teach our children to respect all life on this planet. Sincerely, JEFFREY HINES Stop This Horror Show Montauk November 8, 2015 To the Editor: We must protest the way the Village of East Hampton has handled its deer sterilization project. Here is a summary of the village’s behavior. In 2014, the village hired the White Buffalo firm to sterilize does. In January 2015, the firm removed the ovaries of 114 does in a maintenance shed in unsanitary conditions. In June, several sterilized does died trying to give birth. Dell Cullum, who was frequently called by residents to try to save the does, estimates that at least 17 sterilized does died because of pregnancy or birthing complications. He wrote letters to The Star describing their suffering. Nevertheless, the village allowed White Buffalo, which had proven so careless, to come back to sterilize more deer, apparently in late October and early November. The village shrouded White Buffalo’s return in secrecy. Under its contract with the village, White Buffalo will continue sterilizing does for the next four years. Let’s stop this horror show. One step is to come to a protest rally on Saturday (Nov. 14). We will meet at the windmill at 1:30 p.m. and walk peacefully in single file to the village offices and then walk back. Some will carry signs. Please join us. BILL CRAIN Sugar Dissolving Patchogue October 28, 2015 Dear East Hampton Star, Monothematic metaphysicist. Mellifluent immanence. Pseudo Aristotelian static cling. Sugar dissolving. It’s alive! It’s alive! Sincerely, FRED GASREL Gerard Drive Culvert Springs November 7, 2015 Dear David, Thank you for the concern expressed in your editorial “Contamination in Accabonac” (Nov. 5). Speaking as a homeowner on Accabonac Harbor and as secretary of the East Hampton Baymen’s Association, it does indeed baffle me that the town has not kept open the culvert on Gerard Drive which it spent a lot of money to build. The purpose of the culvert is to lessen the density of fecal coliform bacteria and other pollutants in the north end of the harbor by increasing tidal flow between Gardiner’s Bay and Accabonac. After the culvert remained unopened for (as I recall) two years, the state in 2014 closed 14 acres of shellfish ground almost immediately across the harbor from where the culvert is. The new closures — which are the immediate cause of your editorial dismay — are more to the south end of the harbor, and might not benefit from the increased tidal flow of the Gerard Drive culvert. But the north end of Accabonac would undoubtedly benefit if the culvert were kept open in the summer months. Sincerely yours, ARNOLD LEO Folkstone Road Springs November 9, 2015 Dear Editor: The end of my street, Folkstone Road, is one of the most beautiful spots in East Hampton. What a pity to discover a few days ago hundreds of scallop shells dumped at the end of the road, the stink from which can be detected hundreds of yards away. To make matters worse, about 20 feet away from them on the road, right next to a garbage can, was a pile of human feces and a tissue used for wiping. How disgusting! I wonder if the same person who left the scallop shells decided to relieve himself there. I am the volunteer keeper of this street, removing the trash and other debris I find on the street, and these discoveries are among the worst I’ve found. Why are people so vulgar? To whomever did this: Please help keep this spot beautiful and stop despoiling it. SUSAN JEWETT New Words Montauk November 8, 2015 Dear David: I must admit that my cultural mindset was largely forged in the 1960s. I still sing along with the Temps when “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” is playing on the CD. I still listen closely to the lyrics of Bob Dylan when he was coherent. “Gimme Shelter” continues to engender foreboding, and the music of the Beatles resonates more than ever. As a senior aging quietly in Montauk, I sometimes have a difficult time getting a handle on the new words and terminology that have found their way into contemporary lexicon. Take “Amazon.” It used to be a very long river in South America. Then it became a company that sold books and drove other booksellers into bankruptcy. Then it became a company that sells everything and drives other companies into bankruptcy. I have heard that in two years our Friday takeout of Chinese cuisine and pizza will be delivered by Amazonian drones to our very front doors! Some economists predict that in 10 years all consumer products will be sold by either Amazon or Alibaba. My goodness! “Uber” (without the umlaut) is another relatively new term that apparently has two different meanings in our contemporary culture. It is actually a German word (with the umlaut) that denotes “over” or “above.” It was well known as part of the first line of the German national anthem, which began “Deutschland, Deutschland, uber (with umlaut) alles.” A while ago, this ditty was sung cheerily by millions of Germans as they jackbooted their way into Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. The singing stopped when they ran into some very cold weather and some nasty soldiers in the Soviet Union. But I digress. Today, uber (no capital letter) apparently means “very,” as in, for example, “Donald Trump is uber-rich and uber-stupid.” Uber could well evolve into connoting “big,” as in, for example, “Kim Kardashian has an uber derriere.” The other Uber (capitalized with no umlaut) is, of course, the well-known non-regulated taxi company that became famous for refusing to follow the law in East Hampton Township and ultimately forcing thousands of potential riders to either stagger around Montauk or pay for a town-regulated cab. I am a little hazy on the meaning of “share economy.” My understanding of the term is that it encourages homeowners to turn their homes into hotels or B&Bs, and it encourages car owners to turn their vehicles into taxis. Apparently, many of the share-economy participants are breaking zoning, housing, and transportation laws, but ostensibly they are making a few bucks. Personally, I think the share economy concept is a devious scheme to make the investors and ownrs of Airbnb and Uber very (dare I say uber?) wealthy for doing very little. One term that I think I completely understand is “trending.” It is obviously a new take on “trendy” and refers to what is popular on social media. We now have YouTube videos depicting fantastic animal tricks, precocious and talented children, and wedding ceremony disasters that are viewed by millions. In addition, we are able to follow the thoughts and actions of politicos and celebrity twits when they deem to reward their followers with a tweet. The recent tweet by Marco Rubio, “Hey, can you believe my AMEX was declined by my favorite Washington restaurant tonight?” was especially timely. Some pundits thought Hillary Clinton went a little overboard when she tweeted “Working class folks, I want you to know that I saved $20 when I shopped for my family (just Bill and I) at Whole Foods this afternoon. The organic strawberries were on sale for only $10 a pound, and the truffles look especially appetizing!” I must say that some of these new economic and social realities have left me feeling so anachronistic that I have no choice but to surrender and scream WTF! (Why the Future!) Cheers, BRIAN POPE Night Lighting Code Springs November 2, 2015 Dear David, I’m very concerned that East Hampton Village is about to make a grievous error in the update to their night lighting code. The proposed change will result in more skyglow, light trespass, debilitating glare, health and environmental damage, and will cast an ugly urban pall over the village and the town. Increased skyglow will obliterate our view of the stars in the night sky, a treasured resource that deserves protection. The new LED light fixtures save energy, but they need to be selected properly to avoid vision and health problems. LEDs are blue in color, and filters are added to warm the color to match our traditional lightbulbs (2,000 Kelvin range). There is no justification to increase the Kelvin to 3,500 as the village proposes. All East End towns, including East Hampton, Southampton, Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold, and Suffolk County, have set a maximum of 3,000 Kelvin to allow for the use of energy-efficient LED fixtures. The International Dark Sky Association will not certify fixtures as “Dark Sky Friendly” that exceed the limit of 3,000 Kelvin. The proposed change is the result of a mistaken belief that increasing the Kelvin (blue light) in LEDs will result in better lighting. This is not true. In fact, there are vision (glare), health (suppressed melatonin), and environmental problems (disruptions in ecosystems and more skyglow) as a result of a higher percentage of blue light. When more light is needed, increase the lumens (light) not the Kelvin (blue). SUSAN HARDER We Need Statesmen Springs November 9, 2015 To the Editor, A veterans view. Before I start let me say that I am not a Republican or a Democrat, but I sure as hell am an American, and I truly believe our country needs new leadership. So let me start by saying our president has failed to act on these problems that come from illegal immigration, threats of terrorist infiltration, loss of American jobs, wage depreciation, urban sprawl, vastly increasing social service spending, greater welfare spending, soaring health care costs, increased costs for public education and lower education quality, and the continued reduction in our armed forces, which all amount to a threat to our American way of life. Also as I approach my 80th birthday, I don’t want to see another politician in office (any office) who cannot speak the truth, listen to the people, learn from history, or answer a question honestly. We need to choose someone who values integrity and works for the common good of all the people. It is not red versus blue or Democrat versus Republican, race or gender versus race or gender. It is about we the people. Some meaningful words from past presidents: “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” (Thomas Jefferson) “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.” (John F. Kennedy) “The government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.” (Ronald Reagan) “To announce that there must be no criticism of the president or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong is not only unpatriotic and servile. But is morally treasonable to the American people.” (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” (Abraham Lincoln) The constitution was ratified on June, 21, 1788. In 1789 the Bill of Rights was added and is the law of the land. Stop trying to change it and abide by it. We do not need politicians, we need statesman, people who will put our country first. Sad to say, in our Congress we have lots of politicians in both parties, who primarily put their own advancement in public office first, or that of the success of their political party. Compromise is a word that neither party seems to understand. It is time to remove these self-centered politicians, and there are many from Maine to Miami and all across our nation. There are 465 representatives in the House, 100 senators in the Senate for a total of 565. Senators’ term in office are six years; representatives’ are two years. The House of Representatives has averaged 137 legislative days a year since 2001, according to records kept by the Library of Congress. The base salary is $174,000 for its members, an amount that’s three times the money the median household earns in the United States. We have senators and representatives who have been in Congress for 40 and 45 years. Majority and minority senators and representatives make $193,400. Speaker of the house, $223,500. We, as citizens of this country, can do a lot better. It’s our nations future, as well as our children’s and grandchildren’s. We must do better with our votes. As a member, let me add that we all would like any veteran to join us any day of the week between the hours of 8 a.m. and noon for coffee and conversation at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 550 in East Hampton. All are welcome. TOM BYRNE Lucky Sanders Sag Harbor November 9, 2015 Dear David, Any letters you have of mine relevant to Bernie Sanders can be discarded and considered obsolete based on a current article in The New York Times, Nov. 4. The speed of change never ends. An update follows. Somerville, Mass. In an office here with the trappings of a Silicon Valley tech, a band of brilliant young people politically engaged has built a formidable Democratic fund-raising machine that is fueling the insurgent presidential campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders against Hillary Clinton and leaving even Republican rivals envious. The success of the Boston area outfit nonprofit called Act Blue can be seen most starkly in the latest fund raising report filed, its most prominent political client at the moment. A whopping 74 percent of the $26 million that Sanders raised came through an online platform that lets people donate a few dollars at a time to Democrats — only Democrats. Eighty-eight percent of contributions to Sanders came from donations of $200 or less. The speed and sophistication of the 11-year-old operation have given Sanders a huge edge in the race to gather support from smaller donors, an important test of how well candidates connect with grassroots voters. Sanders is one of the only candidates running for president without a super PAC in his corner. It is a contrast relished by Sanders, who has called for moral and political war against billionaires and corporate leaders. The Democrats largely through Act Blue have gained a cultural and technological edge in developing a low cost quick and seamless online operation — an advantage Republicans admit they have been unable to match. Started in 2004, Act Blue has now built one of the most valuable databases in modern-day politics. The nonprofit organization takes a 4-percent cut on all donations. It has raised $834 million since 2004. Erin Hill, who started the nonprofit at age 24 as its first full-time employee and now runs the place as its executive director, smiled when she was asked about Republicans unable to duplicate Act Blue efforts. “They always seem to be reinventing the wheel,” Ms. Hill said. “We beat them all.” Lucky Sanders for attracting this left-leaning group of talented young people who are committed to make a difference. We will rise from the ashes. LARRY DARCEY Scenario Springs November 1, 2015 Dear Editor: The following scenario is taking place approximately a week after the presidential inauguration. Scene: Oval Office Date: Jan. 30, 2017 Newly appointed Secretary of State: Mr. President, the traditional outreach for a new president is to call leaders of powerful countries so you can talk eye to eye in the Situation Room and size each other up. I have a list of. . . President (interrupting): Do I have to? Secretary of State: Well, sir, all previous presidents have reached out to other powerful leaders around the world to establish their credibility and ability to think on their feet. President: First, I will not be standing. I want to sit when I talk with them. (Sigh of resignation.) What if they ask me “gotcha” questions? Secretary of State (hesitating): We cannot control what they say, sir. President: I will not talk to Putin and that guy from China until the temperature is at 67 degrees because of my flop sweat issues. I must be near a bathroom. Also, tell them I will hang up after two minutes and not three minutes. Are you writing this down? Secretary of State (fumbling with pen and paper): I will try, sir. President: Remember, no disrespect or tough questions. Putin will probably ask me if I am a cartoon character. Tell his people he cannot do that. I will hang up. In fact, let his people know I will never talk to him again if he tries to embarrass me. Your two minutes are up. Secretary of State (turning to leave): Yes, sir. President: (leaning into his intercom): Yes, it is me. Who else do you think it would be? Get the Secretary of Defense. Tell him I want to have plans ready to attack Russia or China A.S.A.P., if their leaders give me a hard time or act like two-bit wiseguys during our two-minute phone call. Do it now (using his soft voice), please. Sincerely, DEB FOSTER
Published 5 years ago
Last updated 5 years ago
Letters to the Editor: 11.12.15
November 12, 2015