Herd Immunity
Amagansett
May 7, 2021
Dear David,
It is increasingly likely that herd immunity in this country against Covid-19 will not be achieved. This is distressing for a number of reasons but especially so for those for whom the vaccines are unlikely to be effective. Individuals with various forms of blood cancers (lymphomas, etc.) in many cases receive infusions of medications that destroy B cells. These are exactly what are needed to make the vaccines effective.
There are millions of fellow citizens and neighbors who, like me, were heartened by the vaccine’s development only to be dismayed by learning of its potential ineffectiveness for us. I am delighted that the great majority of vaccine recipients can now take comfort, and am willing to continue masking, etc. However, I do wish that those who, for whatever reason, fail to take advantage of the vaccines would at least consider what their decision means for their neighbors and fellow citizens for whom herd immunity is the only option.
Sincerely,
GERALD PANE
Actually Good
East Hampton
May 7, 2021
Dear David,
In regard to the Mast-Head essay from last week, replacing the railroad ties with Belgian blocks is actually a good thing, not necessarily because they make the streets look a little nicer, but because railroad “ties are treated with chemical preservatives, such as creosote and chromated copper arsenate. Both of these chemicals are banned for residential use, and they’re potentially harmful to humans and plants.”
So let’s look on the bright side and realize that this is actually a good thing for the environment; besides, what’s wrong with sprucing up a village now and then? Maybe they should have let Main Street remain a dirt road? I’m sure there were people who were against paving it at the time. Maybe we should let Herrick Park stay the way it is, a dismal and underused common space that is screaming for a redo. There is always a handful of naysayers when it comes to change.
Best,
JACKIE DUNPHY
—
Building materials treated with copper chromated arsenate, or C.C.A., remain legal in the United States for most exterior residential uses and are widely available. Ed.
Going Hollywood
East Hampton Village
May 7, 2021
To the Editor,
We have always appreciated the beauty and history of East Hampton Village. Four years ago, when we bought the house next to the Huntting Inn on Main Street, we embarked on an enormous effort to restore the property both for our own enjoyment and as a visual gift to the village. So when I read in The Star of the plans to build cabanas, a hot tub, and pool in the side yard of the Huntting Inn, I thought I was reading about a project in Miami Beach or Beverly Hills, not East Hampton Village.
To be clear, we are pleased to have the Huntting Inn and the Palm Restaurant as our neighbors. During the pandemic last summer they had outdoor dining literally on our property line and, although some patrons did not use their inside voices, we did not complain. We felt the inn and restaurant needed to make a living and so we accepted the minor inconveniences caused. However, we do not support the proposed resort complex. It is not in keeping with the Main Street Historic District nor the restrictions on nonconforming business uses in this residential zone.
As part of the complex, the new Chicago-based property owners want to locate the pool a mere 15 feet from the property line, not the 50 feet setback that is code. Also as proposed, the pool will be surrounded by a concrete wall Although there will be plantings, I thought concrete walls went out of fashion when Berlin got rid of theirs.
We are very supportive of East Hampton Village businesses and the efforts of the new administration to support them; however, with this project going Hollywood and the potential for noise and other nuisance it is just not worth it. I do not think occupancy at this quaint inn will suffer should they be unable to offer cabanas and a hot tub to their guests.
We urge the review board to issue a negative finding and the zoning board to deny the variance request.
Sincerely,
FRANK MORGAN
Why Bother
East Hampton Village
May 7, 2021
Dear David,
The May 6 village board meeting was interesting, to say the least, but at the end of the meeting, when there were no callers, Jerry Larsen stated that they must be doing a good job. However, many residents question why they should call into these meetings. First, one would have to wait on the phone for an hour or more. If the meetings were in their former location, with much room for social distancing, there might be more voices heard.
Second, my feeling and the feeling of many, is, why bother to call? This board is doing whatever they want to do with no regard for the residents of this village — and they do not listen to their constituents. By constituents, I mean the actual year-round residents who did not want their community to become a resort community. It was beautiful and peaceful the way it was. Notice I used the word “was.”
Weekly bands at the beach; activities in the park, weekly or biweekly; the inn having the ability to have affairs whenever they want, parking for these, noise, and the traffic jams and disruptions. I will say that this board has kept their promises and I give them credit for that.
The second-home owners who backed Mr. Larsen, Chris Minardi, and Sandra Melendez are getting what these three ran on. They are creating the community that these homeowners were promised, but it’s these promises that the year-round residents do not want.
So, to close, Jerry, do not think that you are doing such a great job. It’s simply that the people who care about this community and the quality of life know that you don’t.
Sincerely
STEPHEN DEMPSEY
‘Most Qualified’
Amagansett
May 1, 2021
To the Editor,
A few months ago a good friend was kind enough to offer to sponsor me for membership to the Ladies Village Improvement Society. I was more than pleased — I felt honored and flattered. Then I read that the L.V.I.S. search committee chose a man as the person “most qualified” to serve as its executive director.
To say that I was astounded would be putting things mildly. Isn’t this an organization of “ladies”? What, I thought, if the person deemed “most qualified” to run the East Hampton Democratic Party was a Republican?
The last straw was reading in Jamie Bufalino’s April 15 piece that the L.V.I.S. had purged its ranks of members brave enough to express their dismay at having a male director. So the “ladies” who are to be presided over by a man are not allowed freedom of speech?
I realize that writing this letter will probably destroy any chance of my ever joining the L.V.I.S., which makes me sad — but not as sad as what’s happened to this venerable women’s organization.
ALICE HENRY WHITMORE
What Is Next?
Water Mill
April 30, 2021
To the Editor,
I cannot believe one reader is whining about a Chinese auction (Letters, April 29). What is next — no Indian summer, Black Friday, spring white sale?
Remember when Don Rickles made us laugh at ourselves? We were much better off then.
Sincerely,
BARRY SMITH
On Antiques Dealers
You want to buy a house in December
The House is closed today
You try again in May
Sign say, “We are away”
On Gorgeous day I passed
Warm part of the year
I heard from the porch,
“Open up, would you dear!”
ANITA FAGAN
Public Access TV
Wainscott
April 22, 2021
Dear David,
Over the past year or so, we have all seen the value of understanding how the government works. Regardless of what side of the aisle you sit on or your level of involvement (or not), Civics 101 has worked its way back to the front of the class. There is a good segment of the population that feels this is an opportunity for improvement in the school curriculum in the United States.
Until we get that worked out, there is always local public access television. Here at LTV, our Channel 22 on Cablevision/Altice is the “E.G.” station. That means it is totally dedicated to education and government. Twenty-four hours, seven days a week we broadcast government shows and educational content. Every town board meeting is broadcast live then rebroadcast at different times and days so we all can stay abreast of what our elected officials are doing. They are also broadcast live and then reside on the LTV YouTube channel.
Every architectural review board, planning board, town trustee, and school board meeting is broadcast so every citizen can be part of the governmental process without leaving the comfort of their living room. Every village trustee, A.R.B., and zoning board is sent your way as well, and LTV covers special governmental meetings and events, too. LTV is a powerful communication and educational tool if you choose to use it. We hope you do.
Knowledge is power. What better way to understand your local government than by sitting right with the person voted in to make the decisions? (You, of course, in your sweats; they have to wear business clothes.) At some meetings you can even weigh in by calling the number on your screen during public forums or work sessions. We all are given many opportunities to be involved. Again, if we choose to. Let’s choose to.
Civics 101 is at your fingertips and is broadcast on LTV.
MICHAEL D. CLARK
Executive director
LTV
Local Waterfront Plan
Sag Harbor
May 8, 2021
Dear David;
Thank you for reminding your readers about the importance of Sag Harbor’s local waterfront revitalization plan. We are in fact revising it for the fourth time since its initial round, but due to the pandemic, our public input meetings had to be put off until just last week. We hope to ramp back up this summer and fall with discussion in the community and finalize in late 2021 for adoption in 2022. If your readers would like to take a survey about Sag Harbor’s water issues that will be used as part of the new plan they can go here: surveymonkey.com/r/SagHarborLWRP .
The P in L.W.R.P. is important. It is a plan, and, while it is a key plank in our overall comprehensive plan, and as you mention, has the state authority behind it, it is not zoning code. There was nothing in the L.W.R.P. that protected the village or provided codes for the zoning board to stop the building of the three condos on West Water Street. Those buildings were able to pass the coastal consistency review under the current L.W.R.P. guidelines.
I want to assure you that as we started the waterfront zoning overlay, we re-referred often to the goals of the L.W.R.P. and, as we work on both the code and the new L.W.R.P., we are insisting on consistence and mutual support. Just as with the L.W.R.P., community input led the zoning committee to goals for the plan: 1. Protect the unique character of the village, 2. Preserve and enhance public views of the waterfront and continuity of access to the water, 3. Encourage diversity of styles, uses, and scale which give our village its authentic nature, and 4. Enhance pedestrian environments helping to offer more transportation options.
The new code will protect our waterfront by prohibiting private residences and encouraging maritime and public uses, require waterfront yards on all waterfront development, and insist on a public access walkway for anyone requesting a variance in height over 25 feet. (Current code is up to 35 feet with no variance needed.)
Other key points of the code include: any new building will be flood proofed to F.E.M.A. requirements, rather than built six feet above the street level, and new buildings’ street levels will need to be windowed, increasing pedestrian interest and enjoyment.
These new codes will give our planning and zoning boards the tools to protect the overdevelopment of the land on our waterfront. Our next step will be revitalizing and further protecting the actual water in our bays and coves. I hope to be re-elected mayor to continue this important work and start the next phase.
Sincerely,
KATHLEEN MULCAHY
Mayor
Village of Sag Harbor
Was Misleading
Springs
May 8, 2021
Dear David,
I wrote a letter a while back in support of the work Win With Wind has been doing to provide accurate information about the South Fork Wind Farm. In these days of sound bites and breaking news headlines, one headline that garnered a lot of attention in Newsday and other media outlets was about the Hamptons’ offshore wind farm leases being canceled. This was misleading, as the canceled lease sites had nothing to do with the South Fork Wind turbines, which will be 35 miles southeast of Montauk Point.
The canceled sites were off the southern coasts of Long Island and New Jersey. Perhaps the headlines invoked “the Hamptons” because the proposed sites, about 15 miles offshore, would have been visible from the coast.
Suffice it to say, put “the Hamptons” in a headline and it goes viral. Unfortunately, today many readers don’t read beyond the hook and incorrectly assumed that the article referred to the South Fork Wind Farm.
To learn more go to winwithwind.org.
Best regards,
TINA PLESSET
Legitimate Concern
East Hampton
May 10, 2021
Dear Readers:
On May 7, town board members were invited to attend an event as a thank-you for performing our official duties during the pandemic. Twenty front-line workers were among the much larger crowd of attendees.
The organizers promised a donation of $50,000 to Meals on Wheels and Project Most. Guests were treated to a four-course dinner, an open bar with “top shelf” selections, capped by a private concert by the rock star Jon Bon Jovi.
The event obviously had a value much greater than $75. A private concert is an especially rare luxury. I stayed only for a glass of wine, and didn’t attend the dinner or concert. I want you to know why.
The East Hampton Town Code of Ethics prohibits municipal officers or employees from directly or indirectly accepting or receiving any gift of service, entertainment, or hospitality, having a value of $75 or more, under circumstances in which it could reasonably be inferred that the gift was intended to influence, or which could reasonably be expected to influence him or her, in the performance of official duties, or if it was intended as a reward for any official action.
The restaurant hosting the dinner concert is regulated by the town board, as well as by our special events committee. It can also be subject to review by administrative boards, whose members the town board appoints.
I believe that the acceptance of such an expensive gift would invite legitimate concern about whether the hospitality might favorably influence town officials’ decision making in future dealings. Because residents should never have any doubt about our objectivity, I thought the safest course was to acknowledge the workers and charities, and leave early.
It is true that I missed out on the fun. However, I felt more comfortable steering well clear of ethical boundaries.
I do want to add that my decision to leave reflected no disrespect for Jon Bon Jovi — or the work of Meals on Wheels, Project Most, the food pantries, East End Cares, and all the volunteers who continue to selflessly serve our community through the pandemic.
Thank you,
JEFF BRAGMAN
Nothing Accomplished
East Hampton
April 21, 2021
Dear Editor,
Finally, after eight long years, the town has found a site for a new senior citizens community center. In April, a proposed site was outlined near the ball field in Amagansett. It more or less conforms to the site recommendations the original senior committee made in 2014. It has enough acreage to accommodate some future growth. As a member of the original committee here are my comments:
We cannot wait another eight years for the facility to be built. When Mary Ella Moeller and I took the original idea to Larry Cantwell, he handed off responsibility to the then-newly elected Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez. That was an abdication of responsibility and a mistake.
Even though we gave the town several possible sites that were available at the time. Ms. Burke-Gonzalez became fixated upon the wrong site, the existing Springs-Fireplace Road center, and was wedded to the idea of more space in the new facility for offices for town employees than was necessary.
Even when the disruption and inadequate size of the proposed facility in terms of the services that could be offered was pointed out, she insisted on using the existing site and an inadequate design.
She bad-mouthed the original members of the committee and set up a new rubber-stamp committee to back her efforts. Nothing was accomplished.
Four years ago it was pointed out to Supervisor Van Scoyoc at a meeting attended by Howard Lebwith, Ms. Moeller, and myself that the town couldn’t build on the park designated for the facility without an act of the New York State Legislature. It took Mr. Van Scoyoc two more years to figure out that he had to look elsewhere.
So now we finally have a large enough site. I think it will be a disaster if the design of this facility is left to Ms. Burke-Gonzalez or, for that matter, to any councilperson. This is one of the most important public projects to be attempted in this town. It is as important as the hospital annex to be built on Pantigo Place. It affects the lives of possibly one-third of the residents. It should be placed firmly in the hands of the next supervisor and given a high priority.
There were several remarks made by councilpersons at the April 20 board meeting that indicate what will happen next. Councilman Bragman pointed out that he favored a one-level building, not a two-story one, citing national standards. Councilwoman Sylvia Overby then pointed out that she favored a smaller design. She cited her desire to comply with energy-saving mandates. Unfortunately, Ms. Overby appears to be using yet another tactic to shrink the size and usefulness of the new facility to honor some abstract check-the-box environmentally-correct thinking. We might heed her concerns if, with her south-facing Bluff Road home, she had put some solar cells on her roof. But that would involve practicing what you preach.
Mr. Bragman was correct when he stated that a single story facility is preferable by national standards.
All councilpersons and the supervisor wanted the Planning Department involved in the design.
Frankly, building the right facility will take both Planning Department input and political leadership. The Planning Department could benefit from all the research that was done by the original seniors committee. It will find the good and the bad.
We are decades behind other communities but that also gives us an opportunity to embrace the best designs and experiences of the leading communities in the U.S., which have continued to develop over the last eight years. Call it late but better.
This does however bring me back to my original point. We need political leadership to make anything happen. Ms. Gonzalez had her chance and failed. Mr. Van Scoyoc looks as if he will not take charge of this project and is himself responsible for many of its delays. That basically leaves us with needing a new supervisor to take charge and make a senior community center happen.
Mr. Bragman is running for supervisor. If he is willing to step up to the plate and take charge of this project, senior citizens should consider giving him their vote.
Sincerely,
PAUL FIONDELLA
Extremely Negative
Jacksonville, Fla.
May 6, 2021
To the Editor,
Accabonac Road is home to many local working-class residents. It has seen its share of growth and progress in both positive and negative ways.
The stretch of Accabonac Road from Town Lane to Abraham’s Path is once again in the news. The village is proposing the vacant land near its Highway Department be one of two sites to house the sewage treatment plant. Let’s take a closer look as to what this small community of local working-class people have endured to this point with respect to government-owned land.
Along that stretch of land previously mentioned are two living complexes known as Windmill I and Windmill II (both senior living facilities). Moving farther along that short stretch of road is the East Hampton Housing Authority affordable housing apartment complex. Just past that stretch and directly across the street from numerous private residences on Accabonac Road is the backside of the defunct and capped East Hampton landfill that local working-class residents view daily. That site was also home to the now vacated East Hampton Town sewage treatment plant.
Do you remember the issues associated with the town-owned and operated sewage treatment plant? The residents in that area were exposed to noxious gases that repeatedly escaped when it was in operation, and later, when it became a holding area to transport sewage waste out of East Hampton. Those released gases influenced the quality of life in an extremely negative way for residents within several miles of that plant for years before it was shut down!
I remain skeptical about anything of that caliber being located so close to residential and publicly developed properties given the history of the old East Hampton Town sewage treatment plant. Of greater concern is the potential exposure of noxious gases released from such a plant so close to the two senior housing complexes and the senior citizens center. Enough is enough, look for a site more central to the village and not on the edge of village-town boundaries.
ROBERT PEASE
Overdevelopment
East Hampton
May 4, 2021
Dear David,
I am writing in regard to the proposed affordable housing development on Three Mile Harbor Road. As a resident of Three Mile Harbor road year round, we already struggle with an overflow of traffic and car noise.
The thought of introducing 50 residential homes to this area would be devastating in many ways. The introduction of potentially hundreds of new residences would increase the traffic level monumentally, clearing of 14 acres that act as a buffer between residences and the Bistrian mine, hundreds of more residences shopping in the already crowded supermarkets and markets, not to mention the inevitable light pollution that would be created by such a large development further taking away some of the last vestiges of open land would fundamentally change our neighborhood.
A perfect example of this type of overdevelopment in this neighborhood is the Bistrian sand mine on Middle Highway that has wreaked havoc in the neighborhood just down the road from the proposed building site. The loss of 10 pristine acres that was home to numerous local fauna and flora. The neighbors who now, instead of living in a green space, live next to a giant pit that generates noise and dirt, not to mention the threat it creates to our drinking water, and the potentially dangerous, attractive nuisance it has created for local children.
Why is the town treating our neighborhood as a throwaway site? We have endured the development of a massive commercial sand mine in the middle of our homes. Now the plan is to introduce an additional 50 residential units, hundreds of more people driving down the road and maxing the resources? Why does the town insist on denigrating our quality of life?
There is no doubt that the town needs more affordable housing, but this is not the solution. A smaller, well-thought-out plan is in keeping with the neighborhood. Perhaps the town should consider 288 Pantigo for such an ambitious project.
Thank you for your time,
MARY WASERSTEIN
Pollution Machine
Wainscott
May 10, 2021
Dear David:
The commissioned study regarding the airport clearly details the absolute advantages of a new use of our land to move from subsidizing our own ecological and psychological destruction to promoting safety, health, equal access, and a peaceful, more natural way of life on the East End.
The airport has grown into an out-of-control pollution machine that is the plaything of the wealthy few who frankly don’t give a damn for the rights of others or the future of the environment.
The negligible economic impact cannot be the rationale for all of the harmful impacts of the airport. Facts: 50,000 complaints from nearly 600 households in a 30-mile radius of the airport in 2019 alone, 51 million pounds of carbon emissions in 2019, the equivalent of 30,000 households burning 57 propane tanks each in a year. In a climate crisis, with real potential for ecocide, closing the airport is not some courageous act, it is common sense.
BARRY RAEBECK
Altered Forever
Montauk
May 10, 2021
To The East Hampton Star,
Closing East Hampton Airport is not a solution but a transfer of its problems from one East Hampton Town geographic area to another. Town board members Bragman, Burke-Gonzalez, Lys, Overby, and Supervisor Van Scoyoc have all publicly stated, in writing, that “Montauk residents are entitled to the same degree of town board support, attention and protection from aircraft noise as historically provided to other East Hampton Town citizens.” Bragman, Burke-Gonzalez, Lys, Overby, and Van Scoyoc also pledged that “If elected, under no circumstances will I support an increase in aircraft at the Montauk Airport due to any actions by the East Hampton Town Board.”
Long Island aviation professionals, commercial helicopter pilots, airplane maintenance facilities, C.E.O.s, and managers of the very aircraft companies patronizing East Hampton Airport are all in unanimous agreement that if the airport is closed, the Montauk air field will receive the majority, if not all, of the thousands of rotary and non-jet fixed-wings rejected [by] East Hampton Airport traffic. The air routes, already chosen by the potentially rejected commercial airlines, will cover over 75 percent of Montauk airspace, affecting hundreds of private homes and thousands of its citizens and tourist guests. The route flyovers also include dozens of hotel, motel, and retail businesses. If closure does occur, both the economic and social fabric of Montauk, and that of the entire Town of East Hampton, will be devastatingly altered forever.
The people of Montauk have not forgotten the pledges and promises made to them by the above elected officials. These legitimate, taxpaying, voting citizens of the Town of East Hampton demand that their elected representatives have the courage of their very publicly stated convictions.
TOM BOGDAN
Disturbing the Peace
East Hampton
May 7, 2021
To the Editor:
The corner of Stephen Hand’s Path and Route 114 is a trial for those of us who live within a quarter of a mile of the intersection. It also is a warning of problems to come. It is a shame the East Hampton police have not paid any attention to complaints — or pleas. Laws against speeding, noise pollution, and disturbing the peace are being violated.
Cars and trucks — as heavy as traffic has been since the Covid-19 and immigration influxes — are to be expected. That is what our roads are for.
But a new breed of driver and cars popular with these young males shatters the peace — entirely unnecessarily — every five minutes. With souped-up cars and booming exhausts, these drivers accelerate with a roar that can be heard a half-mile away. They are getting off on the sound and speed. And getting off on showing that civility, consideration, and rules of the road are for old, and old-fashioned, East Hampton residents.
I know many residents hear these supposedly macho, in-your-face cars, but this corner, with open vistas on all four sides of the light, seems to act on these drivers as a stimulus to this ridiculous acting out of manhood.
A warning of problems to come? Yes, when a new “element” moves into town, they do not automatically grasp or share its standards of civility. If those standards (for noise pollution and disturbing the peace) are laxly enforced, the message is that no one here stands up for civility. That sends a message about speeding, drugs, gangs, Covid-19 compliance, raucous parties.
Even with the influx of this different culture, the East Hampton we knew and that attracted us here might survive if we reject the biased view that the newcomers just can’t or won’t live up to our standards of public interaction.
(Someone is sure to accuse me of pussyfooting around the issue. Yes, my observation, so far, is that young Latino males may figure into this problem, but I am waiting for the police to get involved and tell me most of the culprits are sons of hedge fund managers.)
All that our police need do is monitor the intersection as they monitor other possible trouble spots. Don’t worry, the truly egregious, deliberate racetrack driving will be obvious. In a few weeks, after a few tickets, and some reporting by our local newspapers, the word will be out: “Guys, we can’t get away with this crap anymore.”
WALTER DONWAY
Sense of Unease
East Hampton
May 9, 2021
Dear David:
We have just celebrated the 100-day mark of the Biden presidency. It is a relief after four dismal years to have a president who actually cares about those he has sworn to protect. And already, the progress is unmistakable. Under his leadership the country has administered 200 million doses of the Covid vaccine, in contrast to the negligible number administered by the uncaring prior administration. In the three months after the Biden inauguration, the country’s Covid death rate has fallen just as precipitously as it had risen in the few months preceding it.
Much of America is relieved finally to have a president who believes that government should serve the people as opposed to an autocrat who felt he was the sole beneficiary. This relief is buoyed by a Democratic administration and Congress earnestly trying to repair the wreckage of the last four years. How? With policies designed not only to rebuild our crumbling physical infrastructure, but build an infrastructure for the future — one of care that supports the less fortunate, our children, and our elders. And just this week we saw the reunion of four families who had been separated at the border by Trump’s sadistic family separation policy. A drop in the bucket to be sure, but a drop that bucket has over four years yearned for.
Yet, there is a sense of profound unease. First, because an entire political party — in the minority — stands staunchly opposed to any policies that help people. Its Senate leadership announced that not a single G.O.P. senator would support Biden’s infrastructure plan and then went further, declaring that the G.O.P. was totally focused on stopping the Biden agenda.
And then there is the Big Lie — the claim that voter fraud robbed Trump of a second term. This “lie” has nothing to do with voter irregularities — that is sheer fiction, as Trump’s election lawyer Sidney Powell candidly admitted in court filings. Rather, to the white, nativist G.O.P. faction the election was stolen, not by the scourge of voter fraud but instead by the nonwhite and urban voter blocs that overwhelmingly supported the Biden-Harris ticket. Using the euphemism of voter fraud as an excuse, this group of unprincipled white nationalists is determined to disenfranchise Democrats, and especially those it perceives as threatening its birthright of a white America. So, in state after state, Republicans are seeking to pass laws that restrict, if not prevent those Democrats from voting, all in an effort to entrench G.O.P. control of the government.
It’s no wonder we feel a sense of unease. One party has declared war on America. If we want to save our country, all of us need to enlist in the resistance.
Sincerely,
BRUCE COLBATH
Facebook’s Response
Plainview
May 10, 2021
To the Editor,
Facebook’s response to the childish Donald Trump accusation that Facebook is “a total disgrace and an embarrassment to our country” should be the classic childhood, “I’m rubber, and you’re glue. So whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you!”
RICHARD SIEGELMAN
Tainted by the Lie
East Hampton
May 10, 2021
David,
The decisions by the Republican House Caucus to dump Liz Cheney from her executive position and by Facebook to continue to bar Donald Trump from the venue reverberated around the political universe. Both issues circle around the soul of the Republican Party and they are really about the rise and growth of fascism in our country.
When an entity bases its existence on a lie it follows that everything that follows is tainted by the lie.
Liz Cheney took an oath of office to uphold the Constitution. Country before party. An outdated mindless concept that would tear apart all the carefully constructed manipulative processes that have been created over several hundred years. Cheney’s conscience overwhelmed her Republican DNA and she felt obligated to speak the truth, sometimes known as the obvious. Cheney, conservative to the core, believed that Trump’s lies regarding the election and Jan. 6 classified him as a fascist and essentially a Nazi. She is supported by a large swath of the American people, but not by her party.
Dissent within the Republican Party, especially disloyalty to Trump, is not permitted, raising the question of fallibility and conscience and purpose. The election lies and the Jan 6 attack are designed to undermine our political system, clearly violating Chaney’s oath of office.
Facebook’s decision to ban Trump is more complicated. By not banning his hate and misinformation rhetoric it is clearly complicit in the dissemination of this information. By banning Trump it is becoming the arbiter of free and acceptable speech. A slippery slope at best.
The determination that Trump’s language was a violation of and a danger to the free expression of our democratic principles was a decision that Facebook was required to make. We constantly return to the “good Nazi” conundrum. Does such a thing exist?
Cheney and Facebook are basically on the same page: Trump stepped way over the line and has to be called out for it. Cheney and Facebook exhibited strength and courage by standing up and being counted. If you don’t lie you can’t be a Republican. End of story.
NEIL HAUSIG