Lest They Be Angels
East Hampton
August 26, 2024
Dear David,
In last week’s “Mast-Head” column (Aug. 22), you were pondering what to do with The Star’s now welcoming, wide-open downstairs office.
Why not take a cue from George Whitman, who opened Shakespeare and Company in 1951, which became the most famous bookstore and Left Bank literary institution in the heart of Paris on the banks of the Seine, opposite Notre-Dame?
It quickly became a gathering place for the great expat writers of the time. Ginsberg, Burroughs, Anais Nin, Richard Wright, William Styron, Henry Miller, William Saroyan, and James Baldwin, among many others, all found their way to the store.
The bookshop became a literal home away from home for authors, students, intellectuals, artists — “tumbleweed” guests as George was fond of calling them, who could stay overnight (and oftentimes longer — I stayed close to a month)!
An estimated 30,000 young and young at heart did stay there over the decades.
For George, who was known for his free spirit, his eccentricity, and his generosity, a sense of community and commune was important for him — he referred to his shop as a “socialist utopia masquerading as a bookstore.”
The verse he inked above the doorway to the bookshop’s library was “Be not inhospitable to strangers lest they be angels in disguise.”
George graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism in 1935 – in the midst of the Great Depression.
How about opening up that downstairs office to a young journalist just starting to learn their craft? As an intern, they could be invaluable to The Star and you’d be supporting the profession you and your family have honored and loved over many generations.
It would be a way to repay the generosity and support you’ve encountered during your own “tumbleweed” days — blowing from place to place, sheltered by the grace of strangers.
The office would come alive and lend itself to open-mike nights of music, poetry, literary, and artistic presentations of new and old works — a meeting and welcoming place for young and old to gather and exchange ideas, thoughts, and work.
Wonder no more, David. I predict that plenty of people would come. The spirit of our Letters to the Editor comrade Neil Hausig would certainly agree and approve of it, as well.
Very best,
JIM VRETTOS
A Welcome Center
East Hampton Village
August 26, 2024
Dear David,
I’m writing regarding the Osborn-Jackson House Museum at 101 Main Street, which –- as noted in the article and editorial in last week’s East Hampton Star — served as the longtime headquarters of the East Hampton Historical Society.
Even though it was featured on early 20th-century postcards as “One of the Old Quaint Houses” of East Hampton, the house did not become a museum because it has an exceptional history. Rather, the property was gifted to the Village of East Hampton for use as a museum in 1977 by Lionel and Patricia Jackson, who were reportedly concerned about the business district expanding south and believed a museum would help halt the encroachment. In December 1977, the village began leasing the building to the East Hampton Historical Society.
While not unique, 101 Main Street still has a fascinating history. For generations, it was home to the Osborn family. The house was initially built in the early 18th century, and the southern wing was added in the 1860s by Sylvanus Osborn, who lived there with his extended family plus several domestic servants, most of whom were Montaukett. Listed as a farmer in the censuses of 1870 and 1880, Silvanus Osborn worked at various times as a town clerk, stagecoach operator, and teacher at the Town House school. He was also a leader of the temperance movement in East Hampton.
When the village discovered asbestos in the Osborn-Jackson House in early 2021, it required the historical society to relocate its operations and offices. The move to Clinton Academy was supposed to be brief, but, unfortunately, the village found several structural issues during the asbestos abatement that will require a major financial investment to correct. The historical society continues to use the site temporarily to store a limited number of artifacts until its new Collections Storage Center is completed at Mulford Farm.
In 2022, the village presented the East Hampton Historical Society with the exciting opportunity to take on the new Dominy Shops Museum, which the village owns, with the proviso that the society would need to vacate the Osborn-Jackson House permanently. With the historical society’s backing, the village invested in the completion of the Dominy Shops restoration and tabled work on the Osborn-Jackson House.
Because the Osborn-Jackson House is located within the Main Street Historic District, the exterior of the building must be preserved. What to do with the interior is a great question. As village administrator Marcos Baladron noted in last week’s Star, there are numerous possibilities. In my opinion, it would function best as a welcome center for the Village of East Hampton operated by the Greater East Hampton Chamber of Commerce. Unlike Montauk, Sag Harbor, and Southampton Village, our Chamber of Commerce has no brick-and-mortar presence and there is no place for visitors to learn where to shop, eat, or stay in East Hampton.
Located just steps from the Hampton Jitney stop and within proximity of the business district, the Osborn-Jackson House would make an ideal venue for the Chamber of Commerce. Since the building has a significant amount of square footage, it could potentially provide office space for other nonprofit organizations like the Anchor Society and the East Hampton Village Foundation, both of which have missions aligned with the Chamber of Commerce. And, finally, the Jacksons’ original vision for 101 Main Street could still be realized through a video and other interpretive materials that encourage visits to the village’s numerous historic sites and museums.
Sincerely,
STEVE LONG
Executive Director
East Hampton Historical Society
Chipping Away
East Hampton
August 26, 2024
Dear David,
As a longtime resident of East Hampton and involved with the preservation of local history, I was very concerned to read in last week’s Star of the fate of the Osborn-Jackson House Museum on Main Street.
With its original “restriction being lifted,” this represents yet another example of our local history slipping through our hands. Six generations of Osborns lived there, since the mid-1700s, and it’s one of the few remaining buildings sitting on its original location just steps off Main Street. It represents the way life appeared and contributes to East Hampton as a destination for many.
Osborn-Jackson needs to be saved and restored, not torn down. We all understand the value of village real estate but historic landmarks can never be replaced.
Best regards,
GLENN PURCELL
Poor Judgment
East Hampton
August 26, 2024
David,
The board of trustees’ decision to lift the Osborn-Jackson House building restrictions should come as no surprise to anyone, particularly The Star. It’s just another example of the board’s consistently poor judgment, lack of due diligence, and abuse of power.
It’s evident the board of trustees has no respect for New York State’s Open Meetings Law enacted in 1977. This is apparent in their handling of various projects, such as the Telsa stadium (a $1-million waste of a village asset), Saunders Wi-Fi, continuous Herrick Park redesigns, and the hasty “public hearings” that merely rubber-stamp projects without public discourse.
When it comes to Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests, the board’s administration has a consistent pattern of either ignoring them or providing wholly inadequate information. This lack of communication and openness is yet another example of their poor governance.
Finally, the village administrator’s comments on the Osborn-Jackson House structural integrity were most welcomed. It’s nice to know constituents have access to his specialized engineering expertise. On the other hand, I seriously question his suggestions on other potential uses.
DAVID GANZ
A Savage Desire
Amagansett
August 25, 2024
To the Editor,
Village E.M.S. Chief Mary Mott’s letter to The Star last week is a case study in an adage ubiquitous on the Internet, usually misattributed to Winston Churchill, that “history is written by the victors.”
In any event, First Citizen Larsen and his faithful acolyte, Ms. Mott, have, at least for now, won the Battle of Narratives with the generous E.M.S. volunteers who served the village faithfully for free — for decades — but could not bear the First Citizen’s interference and bullying.
As a former paid E.M.T. working in New York City’s 911 service, here is what I believe happened in the village. Larsen’s most obvious goal is to monetize everything in sight — the village is being run as a for-profit business. His successful takeover of the volunteer ambulance is thus consistent with his treatment of Herrick Park, or the removal, reported in last week’s Star, of a restriction under which an 18th-century house on Main Street was donated by its owners in 1977 to be perpetually used as a museum.
When the First Citizen formulates a goal, he runs over anyone standing in his way. His treatment of the village E.M.S. volunteers, verbally accusing them of fraud and crimes, filing complaints to get their Internet fund-raising canceled, suing and taking over their organization by force, was not normal politics. Nobody treats ambulance volunteers like that, anywhere in this country.
Mary Mott never mentions where this all began: The First Citizen wanted to send bills for ambulance runs. This would have been extremely burdensome on uninsured people, the working class who already can’t afford to live here. A tree climber who fell from a tree would have received a bill, which I suspect would total thousands of dollars, for a run to the nearest trauma center at Stony Brook.
Ambulance services should be free, just as the firefighters’ are. And that is what the volunteers wanted, so Larsen broke them.
Larsen captured the narrative because he excels in the needed “skills”: a loud voice, colorful false phraseology, lack of a moral compass, and a savage desire for power and gain. (Who does that remind you of?) The volunteer E.M.T.s, sadly, only excelled in saving lives. It was no contest.
Here is my candidate for an Internet adage: “When a writer claims that someone ‘famously said’ something, they did not say it.” Or, as Abraham Lincoln famously said, don’t believe anything you read on the Internet.
For democracy in East Hampton Town and Village,
JONATHAN WALLACE
A Traffic Light
East Hampton
August 23, 2024
Dear Editor,
Putting 48 $750,000 three-bedroom apartments at the former Stern’s site, selling them to businesses, and then hoping they will be rented to their employees does nothing to reduce the Route 27 trade parade. It will actually create more gridlock on Route 27 between East Hampton Village and Amagansett.
If the four-acre Stern’s site was fully occupied by working people, one can expect each person over 18 to have a car to travel to work. One person per bedroom in 48 three-bedroom units results in 144 autos entering and exiting the site every workday. There is only one exit from the Stern’s site and it goes directly out on Route 27. For traffic turning left toward the village there will have to be a traffic light. For traffic going right toward Amagansett there will be cross traffic from 27 to Skimhampton Road. There will have to be a traffic light. This traffic light will be there forever.
Look at what the traffic light in Water Mill did to the gridlock mess there. Traffic backs up from that light all the way to the County Road 39 intersection. A traffic light at Stern’s will similarly back up traffic going west from Amagansett and going east from the village.
This is hardly the solution to the trade-parade traffic problem that the developer is claiming.
The only development of the Stern’s site that makes any traffic sense is senior rental housing. Moreover, as public policy, the town should only make zoning concessions that increase the density for a developer willing to build senior housing.
Forty-eight one-bedroom apartments rented to those over the age of 75 would make a slight but significant dent in the senior housing need. However, there is an even more creative possibility for a private developer to take.
Limit the rentals to seniors willing to affordably rent their homes to local worker families. That makes a dent in the senior housing shortage and the work force housing shortage. It has no negative traffic impact.
The developer can sell the ground rights to the Stern’s property to the town and obtain a low-cost lease to reduce the capital costs while retaining development rights. It could reduce building costs by asking the town to guarantee any loans for construction, partner with the real estate professionals to match workers with seniors, and float a bond offering to local businesses who would then get rental priority on their workers renting the homes that seniors downsize from. A certain number of senior rental units on the Stern’s property could be reserved for Section 8 seniors.
If the developer really wants to do something to restore East Hampton to the community it once was, then consider this proposal. It keeps the lifelong residents here. It builds a local worker family community. It doesn’t create more gridlock.
With a little creative effort the town could make this happen without sacrificing its zoning principles. The question is, what about the developer?
PAUL FIONDELLA
Out of Context
Springs
August 22, 2024
To the Editor,
The Aug. 22 story “Springs Park Raises Sparks,” written by Denis Hartnett, quotes me out of context in a manner that seems to support his slanted opinion that I agree with the Springs Park Committee’s recommendation to build a small dog park inside our now existent dog park. Nothing could be further from the truth. I was merely replying to a woman in attendance who wants the smaller park built for her aging dog with spinal issues. The point I was making was that when my 15-year-old dog had health issues, I adapted to her needs by not coming to the park anymore. This seems like a common-sense solution to me. After all, would you recommend that your grandmother play Pickleball?
In addition, Mr. Hartnett mentions that I described “occasions” when I had been hurt, as if the dog park is a threatening environment.
Don’t quite remember saying that, as there was only one occasion where I tripped in the parking lot due to a small dog that was off the leash and not heeding his owner. I am dismayed that the impression people will take away from his article is that there are large, aggressive dogs needing to be kept away from our older community and their respective animals. Over the years, I have rarely witnessed anything of the sort. If there ever was an incident involving aggressive behavior, it was probably due to a negligent owner who already knew their dog did not tolerate social interaction well.
Visiting the dog park is a daily treat I give my dog and myself, as it fosters a sense of well-being and community for us both.
Unfortunately, there is an agenda in play, starting with the town board and trickling down to the Springs Park Committee, which is made up of people who have stated that they rarely use the park themselves. It is incredible to me that these are the people who will be instrumental in advocating for unpopular changes to our beloved park.
Please do not help them advance their selfish agendas.
Sincerely,
ROBIN DICTENBERG
Small Dogs
Springs
August 26, 2024
To the Editor,
Thank you for your article about the Springs dog park. As a follow-up, I would like to clarify a few statements made at the meeting but not mentioned in your article.
We were able to provide a list of 181 park users showing names, contact information, and comments agreeing to have a small-dog area but preferring to locate it outside the existing park. Neil Kraft then claimed that 200 people want a small-dog area inside the park. We would like him to provide a similar list in a timely fashion.
One of the other committee members asked me what my “pitch” was, implying that I had misled people in some way in order to get them to sign. I pointed out that the subject of the petition was clearly written at the top and confirmed by another committee member, Carol Saxe Buda, who had a copy with her. People read it and signed or not. Moreover, there were multiple people who collected signatures. I merely supplied the form, collated the lists, and issued a copy to each of the board members.
Another attendee was misquoted in your article. (I believe she is addressing that in a separate Letter to the Editor.) But I clearly remember her responding to the allegation that 200 people wanted the small-dog area inside by saying, “That’s not true.” She also noted that the only person in the room who wanted a small-dog park said she had a 15-year-old dog with a spinal problem and I wholeheartedly agreed with her response that when dogs are old or infirm, regardless of size, it is inappropriate to take them to a dog park.
One man felt an intrusive small-dog area would be a “boondoggle.” In his opinion, and as others have mentioned, it is likely that this area would not be used enough to create the kind of intrusion into a park that many people noted on the petition is “perfection” as it is.
There is no reason we cannot compromise when there is available acreage adjacent to the park that can easily be adapted to this purpose. Ian Calder-Piedmonte, the East Hampton Town Board liaison to the Springs Park Committee, said it would intrude on “mature oaks” that are there, but most of that area is actually filled with dead wood and fallen branches. If those one or two mature oaks that are of such concern were to stay, they could provide shade, and the rest of the area can easily be cleaned up and grass planted.
Let’s not forget that acres were entirely cleared and paved for many other parks, and that the town plans to raze seven acres of healthy trees and shrubs for the new senior center, a project to which many in the community objected for various reasons. He also objects that there are houses along that space. Actually, there are houses on every single side of the park that are much closer than any house could possibly be in that particular area.
Mr. Calder-Piedmonte stated in an interview with The Star on May 30 that he values “fairness above all else.” If so, then the fair thing is to respect the will of the majority of park users who would like this park to stay as is and his recommendation to the board should reflect just that.
Let’s not let the proverbial tail wag the dog park.
BARBARA FELDMAN
Modern Aging
Springs
August 24, 2024
To the Editor,
I appreciate the continued coverage of the senior center, or should I say the Center for Modern Aging? It’s encouraging that the town has a made a few common-sense changes to its plans and reduced the projected budget from $32 million to $28 million, but much more needs to be done to reach a realistic target of $20 to $22 million — for that type of money the town should be able to build a great, much-needed new facility.
For perspective, the town had an unrealistically low budget of $10 million just three years ago, but nearly three times that amount should not be needed today, especially since it seems the vast majority of the funds will be borrowed. It’s unfortunate that after spending nearly 11 years working thru different proposals, the town never set aside any money from its capital budget for this purpose. Interest expenses alone could add tens of millions to its final cost to taxpayers, so every dollar saved on its construction might save twice that amount.
I’ve made many of these suggestions throughout the year and hope some of them are taken seriously by the town administration, as were the ones they did follow through on, like moving the solar component to be located on a more energy-efficient lower roof and do away with the vanity stainless-steel shingles.
First, there should be no need to spend $9 million just on “site preparation” as is still suggested. My guess is that about a third of that is going to the out-of-town and even out-of-state architects (?) they chose who want to be paid both a fee for design but also a percentage of whatever the final cost turns out to be — a clear conflict of interest the town should have avoided from the start.
New architects should be chosen at this point and be paid a set fee of $1 million. I’d like to think there are plenty of local, experienced architects who could come up with and supervise the construction of an energy-efficient two-story building with a basement, as was originally approved of six years ago. Savings of perhaps $1.5 million might be achieved even after paying the current architects $500,000 to walk away. There needs to be better clarity on what the architects are being paid and why.
Having a smaller footprint for this structure by having a basement and second floor would also likely save at least another $2 million even after accounting for putting in stairs and an elevator — just moving the storage and mechanics to a basement area would be very cost effective, as the town recently admitted the cost of that type of space per square foot is about a third of the cost of above ground, $300 per square foot versus at least $900.
Another million in savings could be achieved, most likely, if landscaping fees could be cut in half? The site shouldn’t be completely cleared and revegetated, as is currently planned. Moreover, seven acres should not be needed just for this new facility — half this property should be sufficient and the remainder should be sold to the newly created Community Housing Fund to build affordable senior housing next to this new facility. My guess would be that half the people who use the current facility are ones who conveniently live right next door to it.
The other reasons to allocate some of this land to housing is there is an acute shortage of affordable housing in town and finding land for this purpose is difficult and expensive at this point. The previously approved plans at the current location were thought to be able to be done on 2.5 acres, so 3.5 acres should be fine for a new senior center. Lastly, selling half this land would actually lower the price of the facility by at least another $1.5 million. Subdividing up this parcel would be a win/win, so I hope the town finally takes this option seriously.
Better usage of space in a new design would also be a good idea, given the extremely high cost of building projected — up to $1,000 per square foot (and given how costs keep rising that might not be achieved). Simple changes, like reducing the entry lobby from the current 1,600-by-1,000 square feet, could save another $1 million, for example. There are other rooms that could also likely be reduced. Does the new dining area really need to be greater than 3,000 square feet? Couldn’t some covered outdoor areas also be utilized in the spring/summer for dining, when the facility sees a higher usage rate?
I’d like to think that a great facility could be built and that at least $6 million, if not $8 million, could be saved from the current project. While that might not sound like a lot to a town with an annual budget of over $100 million, this amount will likely double when interest expense is included.
Another reason to redesign this facility is that despite more than doubling its size, the current proposal won’t provide a basic living room/lounge area, as the current one does, to help provide for adult day care. Moreover, the town wants to do away with this service to save money on staffing, apparently. While I’m not an expert on aging, I can’t think of a more important service the town should be providing to many families in the community.
The lack of any real fiscal discipline shown with this project is especially frustrating when there are so many other areas the town should be allocating money to. I’ve been going to the town for years now with suggestions to spend money on environmental investments that would actually save taxpayers money in the long run, or to do studies on the serious tick-borne disease problem and to invest in four-poster tick machines to reduce the number of ticks, but the answer is always “We don’t have the money”?
BRAD BROOKS
Actually Protect Us
Springs
August 26, 2024
Dear David,
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s visit to East Hampton in August was the most egregious example of hypocrisy in a politician I’ve seen in a long time — and that’s a high bar.
She pretended that she cared about our community, a community on the front lines of climate chaos. She acted like she was some kind of climate champion. But she came bearing Band-Aids, not the cures we actually need.
In fact, Governor Hochul has been the single greatest barrier in our state to real action to protect our community and other New York communities from climate change. The New York Climate Law has set down legally mandated targets to get the state off expensive, dangerous energy that pollutes our air, raises sea levels, and creates extreme heat waves and storms. But five years after passing the law, the state is way behind in reaching those goals. Hochul has said that, since that law was passed before she became governor, she doesn’t think it should apply to her. She thinks the law should be “mitigated” or “re-thought.”
As reported in Inside Climate News, lobbyists from the gas industry and an upstate G.O.P. legislator are pressuring Governor Hochul to weaken or overturn the law. Evidently, she’s putting gas-industry profits ahead of our community’s survival.
Hochul claims it’s too expensive to implement our climate law, but we all know that the costs pale in comparison to the financial devastation our communities face if we don’t: massive destruction of our homes from hurricanes and sea-level rise, wiping out of our beaches, saltwater pollution of our water supply, and skyrocketing insurance costs (already happening).
Hochul’s throwing us a couple million dollars to resupply downtown Montauk beaches with sand — which will just be wiped away with the next big storm — won’t help us deal with enormous costs of climate destruction. But the Climate Superfund Act would: It makes the gas frackers and oil polluters pay for at least some of the damage they are causing. But Hochul has so far refused to sign it.
We expect our governor to obey the rule of law, not subvert it. We expect her to actually protect us, not pretend to care about climate chaos while failing to do anything real about it. It’s time she puts her money where her mouth is and become the climate champion she claims to be.
FRANCESCA RHEANNON
Very Weird
Montauk
August 23, 2024
Dear David,
To Mr. Plitt: I gleefully admit to “social distortion” regarding your bizarre and very weird alternate view of reality, but I am not deplorable. And I am not a “boy”; I am a man.
Cheers,
BRIAN POPE
More Money
Amagansett
August 25, 2024
To the Editor,
As we get ready for the start of the new school year in Amagansett, some things remain the same. Cronyism and nepotism have been shown to come full circle. Needing to hire a new special education teacher? Hey, didn’t you just fire four? And now are going to rehire? Amazing how the link goes back to Jan. 8. Documents, got to love them.
Five individuals now are listed doubling as English as a new language (E.N.L.) teachers? Didn’t you just have a class that needed to be abolished? Stipends for all? That would be spending more money.
How are you justifying losing a board-approved, tenured psychologist? Due to economy? To have listed a need for a director of pupil services who would do the same work minus the psychology, but at more money, $50,000 or more, more? Also looking to hire a full-time social worker? That’s more money.
How about who did all the school’s annual professional performance review (A.P.P.R.) this last school year? Both Seth Turner and Maria Dorr were gone. Let us all remember, Maria Dorr is still currently principal. Watching the hearing? Anyone? Where is the detailed enrollment report? Every other school is putting one out periodically. Time for the Lilliputians to come clean.
Still here.
JOE KARPINSKI
Guard or Watchman
Sag Harbor
August 26, 2024
To the Editor,
Jonathan Wallace is a slick fellow — Harvard law degree and all (Letters, Aug. 15,). He blithely passes over the overwhelming apprehension of Jewish students at Columbia (and their families) resulting from acts and threats of physical and psychological intimidation and exclusion practiced against them by student, faculty, and outside goons permitted to roam and appropriate for themselves the Columbia campus, by a flaccid administration. What is going on at Columbia for the most part is not political expression protected by the First Amendment. Jewish students have left Columbia out of fear for their physical safety.
At public universities, we acknowledge that the right to speak on campus includes the right to engage in offensive speech. This right does not include a right to assault and harass Jewish students and Title VI encompasses the protection of Jewish students against antisemitism. Private universities that receive federal funding (Harvard, Columbia) must protect students from antisemitic discrimination
and assaultive behavior. The students, especially at Columbia, who transgressed these guidelines should be expelled; those who committed acts against Jewish students that violated the Penal Law of the State of New York should be prosecuted.
Perhaps as a coda, let us respond to a letter (Letters, Aug. 22) written by Brian Pope, who sees the need to send fan mail to Mr Wallace -– who obviously can take care of himself. Pope goes on to attack us as “the self-appointed defenders of Jews on the East End.” He then veers predictably into a screed about how unfair Israel’s attack in Gaza is. Let us briefly respond:
Hamas says that it has no alternative but to use civilians and civilian structures in its military operations against Israel. Yes, you read correctly. Hamas explains that Israel forced them into this “predicament.” But Hamas did have an alternative; it was not to start the war on Oct. 7 to begin with. Did Hamas (or does Mr. Pope) think that, in response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, Israel would merely demand an apology with a promise of future forbearance from Hamas?
Hamas knew that Israel would respond with ferocity which it had every right to do. Mr. Pope -– compare this to American carpet bombing of Tokyo at the end of World War II and the Allied bombing of Dresden. Is Israel not entitled to defend itself much as we did?
Finally, we are defenders of Jews and Israel -– more particularly, what are called “shomers,” which in Hebrew is a guard or watchman; in history a “shomer” was a mounted guard at Jewish settlements in “Palestine” before the British mandate.
We tend to watch out for incidents of assault, threats, harassment, and antisemitism against Jews. We are sensitive to attempts to provide a double standard to Israel and especially to those who try to hide their dislike of Jews under the rubric of Zionism. Your writings to date point to the continued importance of our involvement.
DAVID B. SAXE
MITCHEL AGOOS
East End Jews for Israel
Rest of the Movie
East Hampton
August 24, 2024
Hello Letters:
I was there for J.F.K., I was there for R.F.K., and their tragic passing is akin to the abrupt final scene of “The Sopranos.”
I wanna watch the rest of the Kennedy movie, regardless of which planet he’s on.
Venus and Mars are all right tonight.
FRANK VESPE
His Cultists
East Hampton
August 26, 2024
To the Editor,
Trump knows that he is the head of a cult and so he can mention, as he did recently in Arizona, that he had indeed lost the election and knows that it will make no difference to his followers.
Similarly, he has no need to make recompense for his feckless and reckless accusations against the Central Park Five after they were proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, innocent.
Adulated by his cultists, he can ramble on about how he, an obese, jowled man, is better looking than a woman 17 years younger and know that he is still the god to whom they genuflect.
TOM MACKEY
Punch and Jady
East Hampton
August 25, 2024
Dear David,
By now you’ve realized, if you aren’t case-hardened and don’t have a cement head, that Kamala Harris is up for the job. If you haven’t done your homework, her résumé speaks for itself; her work behind the scenes is what we all know is a vice president’s actual job. It is all there for you to learn. Just because you “don’t know anything about her” doesn’t mean she isn’t qualified. She’s probably overqualified, and that’s a plus. She is stable, smart, fearless, compassionate, studied, tough, no-nonsense, and, yes, doesn’t do anything “half-assed,” as her brilliant, loving mother taught her. The fact that she comes from a stable family, even though there was a divorce, is also a good thing. Her stepkids love her. That’s not nothing, as many of you know. She’s who she appears to be. Not a phony bone in her body. Or a bone spur. She will swat the “gnats,” as a wise older woman I know calls annoying ridiculous people she comes across. My own mother taught me, “The ones making all the noise are usually saying nothing, they’re just puffing up their chests so you’ll back down. Don’t. You speak up.” So I do.
Let’s look at quite a remarkable list of women presidential leaders across the world, shall we? We badly need to catch up and actually elect a woman president this year. We’re way behind, and it’s time. So here they are, some still leading as we speak, others have served proudly and wonderfully for their people.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand, who tackled gun violence and set gun-safety laws in place, tackled mental illness in her country, family violence, poverty, and a swift successful response to the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. Unlike the pretend president we had in 2020, who decided a pandemic that was killing people was not happening. He refused to honor a learned and studied expert doctor, who was doing his level best to inform us and save us from illness and death. It takes a team. A good leader knows this. But dictators don’t share the credit or give any to anyone else. He cared not that people died. Zero empathy.
Back to the women who know how to lead.
Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Martin, Slovakia’a President Zuzana Caputova, Ethiopia’a President Sahle-Work Zewde, Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir, Norway’s President Erna Solberg, Lithuania’s President Dalia Grybauskaite, Nepal’s President Bidya Devi Bhandari, and a former presidential candidate in Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who fought tirelessly against a diabolical fascist dictator for the freedom of her people.
Let us never forget the “First Lady of the World,” Eleanor Roosevelt, dubbed so by her president husband, F.D.R., for all her work in human rights. Let’s face it, Eleanor could easily have been president herself, if the country were ready in the 1930s and 1940s. We are ready now. We have in Kamala Harris a ready-for-the-job candidate. No flies on her. She has a work record that shines, chops for the task at hand in the Oval, charisma, and a formidable presence. Add tons of experience dealing with people, courts, criminals, displaced people, the average American like you and me, speaking with people one on one and listening, sitting in on hard decision-making meetings as V.P. And she is one of us, no silver spoon in her mouth. She’s worked. She’s relatable, and a good human being. People attest to it, real friends, not famous people. All that matters if you are running a country. That is the American way.
We’re in good hands with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. They are not trigger-happy, unstable, or hateful. The other behavior in Cray-Cray Land is ugly and childish and won’t help our country. We need a real woman and a real man. Not the “Punch and Jady” show. Their families are not showing their faces much; they’re probably embarrassed. Yet, on the bright side, we have a young boy proud to see his dad on a stage speaking real to people as a candidate for V.P. And the MAGAs mocked him, a young boy with disabilities. How in the world is that okay? We need no sequel to the movie we all watched in dreadful 2016 to 2020.
Harris and Walz 2025. Insert flag. God bless.
NANCI LAGARENNE