One to Save
Springs
November 21, 2022
Dear David,
I’ve been part of the Brooks-Park Arts and Nature Committee working toward the preservation and restoration of the town-owned Brooks-Park property in Springs. This past year, Preservation Long Island named Brooks-Park on the Endangered Historic Places list. The Preservation League of New York State named Brooks-Park one of the Seven to Save. The National Trust for Historic Preservation named Brooks-Park one of the 11 most-endangered historic places — three independent nonpartisan organizations, trained professionals in the field of historic preservation, one regional, one statewide, one national.
Against numerous applications from other very worthwhile properties, Brooks-Park’s cultural and historical importance continues to be recognized and championed. Within our community, an East Hampton Trails Preservation Society event at Brooks-Park drew 140 people on a frigid Sunday morning in February. Most recently, the 30th annual Ladies Village Improvement Society Landmarks Luncheon on Nov. 5 at the Maidstone Club, entitled “Preserving the Artistic Legacy of James Brooks and Charlotte Park,” was held. The event was completely sold out.
With the continuing and overwhelming show of support from both professional preservationists and town residents alike, I ask our supervisor and town board most respectfully: When will Brooks-Park finally be placed on an agenda for a town board vote to allocate community preservation funding to preserve this historic site?
Sincerely,
IRWIN T. LEVY
Cannabeer?
East Hampton
November 17, 2022
To the Editor,
It was quite a wake-up call to find in the Nov. 10 Star the proposed sale of the Montauk Brewing Company — whose beer is wildly popular locally — then finding out the acquirer is a cannabis company based in Canada, no less.
“Oh, no” was the reaction. “What’s coming next? Cannabeer?”
The rest of the story provided no further comfort. Tilray, the acquiring company, stated in its press release, “it will parlay its acquisition into T.H.C.-based products,” presumably including Montauk Brewery, leaving us wondering what the implications of that will be.
New York State has quite a quirky view of who and what will be allowed to dispense cannabis products in the state. Preference for a license is being extended to New York residents (although this is being challenged) and to those who have a record of convictions for cannabis usage and sale, obviously the state’s way of making amends in some ways.
Looking into the acquiring company’s record, Tilray seems to be a failing business whose sales are lagging and has never turned a profit, even showing a loss in its last report. That doesn’t sound like an ideal marriage, but maybe they are looking for a lifeline.
So, c’mon Montauk. Doubtless the principals have done very well out of the deal; don’t let yourselves get caught up in some shenanigans and lose out. Just bear in mind what happened to Tate’s Cookies.
Cheers!
P. DAVID FREEDMAN
Drying Up
Amagansett
November 19, 2022
To the Editor,
The Euphrates is drying up. Some photos and videos suggest it’s dry now. One could worry about climate — or the Four Horsemen. You see, when the Euphrates dries up, the Four Horsemen will break free and be unleashed upon the world. Oh well, Old Testament stuff. Happy Thanksgiving.
Still Here,
JOE KARPINSKI
Is Vilar Paying?
Amagansett
November 17, 2022
To the Editor:
Having recently taken an interest in the ideology and ethics of the local East Hampton Republican chairman, Manny Vilar, it was a very interesting coincidence when his name popped up in my research regarding the litigation that has divested East Hampton (for now) of its authority to privatize its own airport.
Mr. Vilar filed a lawsuit last May, Vilar v. Town of East Hampton, in New York State Court under index number 606362/2022, asking the court to prevent the town “from taking any action. to close, deactivate and/or otherwise restrict public access to East Hampton Airport [or] to convert [it] to a private-use airport.” Mr. Vilar’s attorneys, Lynn Gartner Dunne & Frigenti, L.L.P., also represent a carrier called Long Island Airline L.L.C. in its own separate litigation to keep the airport public.
The Star reported in November 2017 on “$75,000 in late donations to the East Hampton Town Republican Committee from a mystery group linked to the town airport.” Is Mr. Vilar paying the Lynn Gartner firm’s legal fees himself, and if not, who is? Also, does his lobbying firm, Accabonac Strategies, represent any aviation interests? Finally, how does his desire to get the court to force a public airport on the citizens of East Hampton accord with the supposed Republican tenet of keeping government small and out of our lives?
Sincerely,
JONATHAN WALLACE
I’ve Seen Changes
Montauk
November 20, 2022
Dear David,
Sometimes when one reads something, they don’t comprehend what they read. Don Bolduc, a candidate, should not be elected to Congress for his advocacy on Medicare resolutions.
I’m still looking for said released budget plan from June. It also seems the age eligibility occurs more often than we think. I’ve seen changes since I first applied.
I also wrote about jumping the gun and typing a letter without any investigation. Did I somewhere blame Democrats for inciting violence? The information I typed came from said interview with his ex-girlfriend. I didn’t go into total explanation, but totally agree with your letter. Now, just because NPR gave some information, we should believe every word?
I didn’t in any way deny DePape’s plan, but because I claimed he was not a Republican. I read that I’m in an alternate universe and don’t tell the truth; Keep in mind because NPR tells only the truth, no one else does.
In God and country,
BEA DERRICO
Level of Leadership
East Hampton
November 20, 2022
David,
The Mississippi River is at the most critical point in its long history. The water level is so low that huge parts of the river have become inaccessible to the normal commercial traffic that feeds the economies of 10 states. Seven of those states are red. One might think that the first order of business of the new Congress would be to provide the necessary assistance to those states that depend on the river —or perhaps the Colorado River, which has become a major disaster, or the immigration problem that desperately needs to be addressed, or the high prices caused by inflation that Repubs ran on, or maybe a crime bill, a new set of laws, an idea, or a conversation. Forget climate, educations, and drug addiction. Zip, nada, all bullshit. Of course getting Hunter Biden and impeaching Merrick Garland will help the country deal with its multitude of problems.
If anyone thought that the idiocy and violence of Jan. 6 and election denial were past, they were sadly mistaken. The Republican Party has no reason to exist. Programmed blow-up dolls would provide the same level of leadership and direction and wouldn’t smell as bad. We have to come to terms with our national masochism and hold our politicians to a realistic standard that is based on achievement.
We have been beaten up for so long by our politicians that we don’t feel alive if someone isn’t kicking us in the head on a regular basis. We crave and demand the abuse and use it as fuel for our own abusive behavior. It fuels our Christian fascism and is rationalized as patriotism.
Ross Douthat, in The New York Times on Sunday, missed the point in his Op-Ed. There aren’t two sides to our fascism narrative. Trump and his party let the cat out of the bag and they had no intention of putting it back in if they weren’t forced to.
Nothing has really changed. We will see over the next two years what the Republican Party comes up with as a platform. There are a gazillion problems to address that can make lives better — Hunter Biden isn’t one of them.
NEIL HAUSIG