Greenest Towns
Springs
September 6, 2024
To the Editor,
I found a letter, “Actually Protect Us,” from a few weeks ago criticizing Gov. Kathy Hochul of particular interest as I’d lobbied with an environmental group for New York’s climate law that passed in 2019. What I found worrisome, though, at the time was that there was no real plan to implement the aggressive renewable development (70 percent by 2030) or emissions reduction (40 percent by 2030) targets if they were passed. I was told that once the bill passed there would be a two-year period to come up with a realistic plan. Not surprisingly, it ended up taking four years to come up with a plan that won’t meet either its optimistic goals or deadline.
This reminded me of the absurdity of the town’s own climate goals that were first introduced in 2014 to eliminate all greenhouse emissions by 2020, which were then postponed to 2030. Making such unfeasible goals (100 percent reduction) sounds great — the town deemed itself “one of the greenest towns in the Northeast” for many years due to this pledge — but unfortunately it has done little to meet them. The reality is that, according to a town-commissioned sustainability report issued earlier this year, East Hampton actually produces more emissions today as compared to when it set its grossly unrealistic goal a decade ago.
Why is that? There has been a fair amount of development in that time, but the main reason is the town refuses to spend any of its own money on real environmental investment. The town seems to rely on small New York State grants of $100,000 each year that encourage it to take the smallest of steps in terms of sustainability investment. For perspective, this recent sustainability report suggested it would take an investment of $5 billion to truly reduce the town’s entire emission profile. While that seems too high to me, there is no doubt that billions will be needed in the long run.
Where does the town invest its money? The largest allocations ($1 million) unfortunately are to dump sand at Ditch Plain every year that just washes away. Now that several storms this past winter have taken ten feet of the dune at this location, the town is doubling down and committing $2.5 million (along with another $2.5 million committed by the state) to this area for a plan that will likely do little to slow the inevitable.
Instead of Band-Aids, why isn’t one of the wealthiest towns in the state actually doing something to reduce its own emissions as well as those of its citizens? The town could install solar on its own buildings or land and even get a 30 percent credit back from the federal government — this would likely allow the town to reduce its cost of electricity by 50 percent over the long run. Don’t do this for the environment, do it for taxpayers! Or it could buy more than just a handful of electric vehicles, considering it owns hundreds of internal-combustion-engine vehicles. Or it could install heat pumps at its own facilities as Southampton did years ago.
The largest failure, though, is that the town refuses to allow land it owns near the airport to be used for a community solar project that might offset 30 percent, or more, of the electric usage by the entire town — a huge step to reducing emissions and improving resiliency, since batteries would likely be included in such a project. This has been discussed for almost a decade now and no timeline has been set to move forward in this important area despite there being significant lease revenue to the town for doing so — yes, once again, the town could make money by taking the smart environmental step! Such a project would also allow local residents and businesses to save on their electric charges while going green, too.
As someone who has been coming to the town for about eight years about these common-sense steps, I would encourage the writer of the letter complaining about the governor to redirect her ire to our town’s Natural Resources Department and the town board — they are the ones failing us.
BRAD BROOKS
Tumbleweed Travelers
East Hampton
September 9, 2024
Dear David,
Helen Searing in her Star letter of Sept. 5 (“Shakespeare and Co.”) is absolutely right in adding some of the fabled history of the iconic Parisian Left Bank cultural and literary institution that I left out in my Star letter of Aug. 29 (“Lest There Be Angels”).
As Helen correctly points out, Mlle. Sylvia Beach founded the original Shakespeare and Co. in 1919 and it soon became a gathering place for the great expat writers of the time -– Joyce, Hemingway, Stein, Fitzgerald, Eliot, Pound — as well as a literary home for many leading French writers.
George Whitman was inspired by the legendary Mlle. Beach and adopted the name of her bookstore in 1964 on the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth. Sylvia visited George’s bookshop in the 1950s and his only daughter was given the name Sylvia in her honor. George passed on in 2011 at age 98 and handed over the reins to his daughter, where the tradition of Shakespeare and Co. continues to this day.
Helen ends her letter by declaring how wonderful it would be to have such a gathering place in East Hampton. If enough people wrote to The Star, letting David know that they too are interested in being part of such a welcoming venue, we could meet and help bring it about, with David’s okay and support. Perhaps, starting off with a once-a-month event would be the way to begin?
To be fair, David should have the final say in what would be inked above the doorway to The Star. One version (modifying Helen’s wish) might be: Rattray and Company / A Gathering Place for Writers, Artists, and Fellow Tumbleweed Travelers / Reformed Crass and Greedy Parasites Welcomed.
As I said, probably best to let David have the final word.
Very best,
JIM VRETTOS
Disrespecting the Flag
Springs
September 9, 2024
Dear David;
I feel very loyal and so appreciative of all the fire departments in our community and all they do. So it is hard to point out what I find a surprising political statement outside the Amagansett Fire Department: a desecration of the American flag in the form of the alternative flag that expresses support of the police, who are also, of course, a mainstay of our community.
This alternative flag came to be during the horrific moment in our civic discourse when police violence was on the rise, and reaction to this violence was also destructive. A fire department represents all of us, the collective safety of our communities, the heroic risk of life that firemen and their colleagues are willing to take for us, all of us, as members of this American town.
Changing the design and therefore the message of the American flag has long been around as a means to express anger at some action in our country -– from antiwar protests to antipolice demonstrations –- but disrespecting the flag is just not the way for our fire department, one of, if not the most, important community organizations in our town, to go about it.
It hurts to see this important institution reduced to divisive protest. I think the fire department would engender so much more pride, so much more community unity, so much more character if they displayed only the real American flag, the one that represents all of us, living, working, and feeling safe together in a small town in our great country, America.
BARBARA THOMAS
Wonderful, Exciting
Springs
September 7, 2024
Dear Editors,
I greatly enjoyed Christopher Gangemi’s article (“Love the Whales? Thank the Bunker”) and have a couple of points to add. I’d like to believe that the impetus for reducing fishing for bunkers (a.k.a., menhaden) was due, at least in part, to the book about them titled “The Most Important Fish in the Sea,” written by my late former colleague H. Bruce Franklin, at Rutgers Newark. Bruce was not in the biological sciences department with me, but was an English professor. He was an avid fisherman and also interested in the interactions of science and society, and as he was writing it, we discussed aspects of marine ecology.
Second, while it is wonderful and exciting to see whales in the ocean here, it is even more wonderful and exciting to see them in New York Harbor, where they reappeared in 2010 and have been seen every year since. New York Harbor and the estuaries in the city and northern New Jersey had been highly polluted with industrial waste and sewage for many decades and had very little life in them, but after the Clean Water Act, the pollution slowly went down and species slowly returned. The improved water quality enabled the oxygen levels to go up, so the waters could once again support more fish, including populations of bunker. And once the bunker were back, it was possible for the whales to come back, and they did, in large numbers. It is now possible to go whale watching with Gotham Whale, a company in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Seeing whales with the city skyline in the background can’t be beat!
JUDITH S. WEIS
Professor Emerita
Rutgers University
Profit Over Care
Amagansett
September 8, 2024
Dear David,
We recently learned that Dr. Patrick Hennessy would be moving from his offices in Wainscott, where his practice had been a subtenant of Meeting House Lane, owned by Stony Brook University. It appears that the latter was calling in the sublease. Fortunately, new premises were found in Southampton.
To me, this is further evidence of where the medical business is going. Money and profit, in many cases, take precedence over care. Leases called in, or rents at ridiculous levels; physicians dropping out of Medicare; medical practices owned by distant funds where rapid turnover rules.
In this case, the East Hampton community is left without an excellent dermatological practice. At the least, an explanation from Stony Brook University would seem warranted. My guess is that it won’t be forthcoming.
Sincerely,
GERALD PANE
Imagine Instead
East Hampton
September 9, 2024
To the Editor,
I wonder if we as a nation could take a few minutes off from worrying about the next book to ban or the correct theory of history and instead imagine going to the funeral of our murdered child, grandchild, or a teacher who lives around the corner?
Candidates Avlon and LaLota: Where do you stand on banning assault rifles? Speak up!
TOM MACKEY
Leave It Alone
Springs
September 9, 2024
To the Editor,
We love our park, we use it almost daily, why not leave it alone?
I am the lucky owner of two dogs and enjoy walking in the park with my small one (25 pounds) almost every day. My little guy and I enjoy the community of the park as it is a great place to start or end the day, or both. It is peaceful and the surrounding nature is beautiful in all seasons. There is no need to change it. Why waste money on something that is not needed or wanted by most of the community?
While the time that the committee has devoted is appreciated, it’s important to respect and listen to the larger community. As the owner of a small dog, I can tell you that I will not use the small-dog enclosure currently being proposed. Keep the current dog park configuration as it is and take care of our beautiful nature. If anything, a small-dog enclosure should be sited somewhere outside the current 22-acre dog park and located somewhere on the remaining 18 acres, which are now unused and are available for such a project.
Best,
PAOLA EISLER
Unifying Solution
Springs
September 9, 2024
To the Editor,
Controversy about the Springs Park has erupted again over proposed changes that were soundly rejected by the public three years ago. A major source of contention is where to create a small-dog park.
The opposition is not against the creation of a small-dog park. The issue is where that park should go. The Springs Park comprises 42 acres, and only 22 acres are currently fenced. Hundreds of park users feel that a small-dog park could easily be added adjacent to the current fenced area where there are already a natural clearing and two paths through the space. No trees would have to be removed, so concerns that adding a small-dog area here would harm the environment seem hypocritical and insincere. A half-acre or acre could be inexpensively fenced, as small dogs do not require as high or sturdy a fence as larger dogs.
The 2021 report proposed a small-dog park be cut out of the existing fenced area on the right as you enter the park. This location was vehemently opposed by a majority of the community as it cuts off the most shaded access to the only fully shaded trail, consequently denying access to those people and dogs who require protection from the summer heat. The 2024 revised proposal offers the left side of the park entrance as an alternative location, but creating a small-dog park on the left side would involve clearing and harm native wildlife and plants.
One reason the committee cites for taking a third of an acre for a small-dog park is that it is a small fraction of the fenced space. However, the space they want to take is prime real estate in the park. The right side after entering is an attractive area shaded by an enormous pine tree with a bench underneath. People have been gathering here for years before or after walking, to meet up with friends. Why should the town take away something from one group of people to give to another when there is ample other space in the 42-acre park?
There are significant risks and impact of placing a small-dog park within the existing fenced area that have been voiced by the community but ignored by the committee. First, compressing the area where all other dogs will enter and leave the park into a smaller area can increase the risk of negative dog-on-dog interactions. Expensive tall fencing would have to be utilized so that large dogs would be unable to breach the fence, as opposed to smaller, less costly, lightweight fencing that could be used outside of the existing fencing that would be adequate for small dogs. Finally, plantings or some other solution to visually separate a small-dog park would be needed to eliminate fence running, which can cause aggression in dogs.
The town designated the Springs Park as a park for all that would be dog-friendly for off-leash dogs, and the park has become hugely popular and successful. One hundred eighty-one people signed a petition advocating against taking a portion of the current fenced area of the park for a separate park. Many petitioners commented that the park is “perfect as is” and “just leave it alone.”
As a recently added member of the Springs Park Committee, I will be a voice for the large number of park users who wish to preserve the current park usage. Hopefully, the town board will choose a unifying solution rather than a divisive one when choosing a location for a small- dog park.
CAROL BUDA
I Don’t Understand
Springs
September 9, 2024
Dear Editor,
I am a longtime Springs resident who uses the Springs dog park regularly with my two dogs, one being a large golden retriever and the other being a small mixed-breed. I don’t understand what the problem is. I have never seen any issues between small and large dogs and I believe that chopping up the park with a separate area would compromise the simple beauty of this park. Having two different-size dogs, I can tell you that I would not be using the small-dog area and will continue to walk my two dogs together. I think this is a waste of the town’s and the community’s resources and, for all these reasons, I strongly oppose this change.
Thank you,
JEANINE BURGE
On Deaf Ears
Springs
September 9, 2024
Dear Editor,
As a resident of the Springs neighborhood and an avid user of the Springs Park, I attended two recent meetings of the Springs committee to become more informed about new proposals being considered by the town. My takeaway impressions were that the committee members were intolerant of the public concerns and, worse, were actually hostile and rude to a number of participants. I also perceived a lack of transparency in their dealings when asked direct questions by the public.
This is not a good look for the town, who I believe recycled certain unpopular members from a previous Springs committee and is also recycling old, tired ideas in a report that had previously been shelved due to a public outcry. We deserve a more responsive, communicative committee who can come up with fresh, innovative ideas that actually serve our community. We would also like to have a constructive conversation with officials regarding any changes to our park that they deem necessary , and not be given lip service. I would suggest that a few town board members actually sit in on these local committee hearings to see what goes on; they would be surprised to learn how they are being represented.
As such , I am wholly against any of the recommendations in the report that refer to the creation of a small-dog park dividing up any space inside the existing park. This idea has not been fleshed out at all, and would create a multitude of problems instead. Additionally , small-dog owners who visit in the mornings use the existing trails to exercise with their dogs and other small-dog owners, so I actually think a very small segment of park attendees actually have a need for this or would ever use it.
There is an existing space outside of the park that could be easily utilized, with access to the parking lot and lots of shade in the summer months. We have suggested this proposal and it always falls on deaf ears at the meetings. It is the most logical approach, as this is adjacent land that is available and offers the option of using either/or. I love the park exactly as it is, so please do no harm .
Sincerely,
ROBIN DICTENBERG
Walking the Maltese
Springs
September 9, 2024
Dear East Hampton Star,
My name is Jennifer Grossbach and I have been taking my dog, Bosco, to the Springs dog park for years. I also take my friend’s dogs with me, one of whom is a small Maltese named Lilly. It’s come to my attention that there is a committee for this park, which is about to take a vote on putting in a “small-dog area” within the park. I see people/friends/neighbors at the park every single day with small dogs (including myself as I walk the Maltese daily) and none of them have ever expressed any issues or concerns about their small dogs needing a separate area. In fact, most people I see there have a small and large dog who prefer to walk and explore together. The vast majority of people who use that park do not feel we need an additional chain-link-fenced area for the smaller dogs. There have been close to 200 signatures collected to support that. If this committee wants to create a separate small-dog park, there is plenty of land just outside the park for them to do that. This park is one of Springs’s most beautiful hidden gems and adding more chain-link fences inside the park right when you enter would really detract from the park’s natural beauty.
Finally, I’ve also learned that the committee wants to mow and level down the beautiful wild growth of plants and grasses in the park. There are tons and tons and tons of beautiful wildlife who live in there. I see them every single day — birds, turtles, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, and more. Why are we trying to drive all this wildlife out of the park? Haven’t we done that already too much in the Hamptons? It’s time for the town board to care more about wildlife and less about how we can accommodate the minority, who want to make these changes in a park that has been there for decades. If it’s not broke, then why are we attempting to fix it?
Leave the park the way it is and if changes are to be suggested, then all we are asking is that this committee include the real people/residents of this community who go to that park day in and out, multiple times a day, in the vote and decision-making. Instead, the vast majority of us parkgoers never seem to know about the park committee’s meetings and when they are holding a vote to make changes.
Thank you for helping our voices be heard.
JENNIFER GROSSBACH
Don’t Ruin It
Amagansett
September 8, 2024
Dear East Hampton,
Since 1998 when I adopted my first Animal Rescue Fund dog I have walked in the Springs dog park at least five times a week. Most days I get in at least two laps, each lap being just over a mile. I’ve walked Biscuit, Lilly, Pumpkin, Polar Bear, Molly, and now Binks and Dixie there. I’ve made new friends on these walks. I walked there through Sept. 11, 2001’s aftermath, through winning and losing sports seasons, through wars, through good times, the birth of my boy (carrying him in a snuggle sack at first), the illness and passing of my mother, the pandemic, marriage, good news, bad news, all of it. The Springs dog park is there for the dogs. But it’s so much more. It’s a place for us to relax, contemplate, unwind, and connect with people. I meet people there whose only interaction with other people is at the dog park — they may be older, or they have no family, or they work from home. And yes it’s for the dogs, too. But it is a place for us all and we have dogs as part of that journey.
The Springs dog park is a fabulous resource and works for the vast majority of its hundreds of users in its current form. There is a small, vocal group trying to get the town to carve an area just for small dogs out of the current walking area. So far, 181 residents signed a petition asking the town to leave the park as it is. Please don’t change its basic feel and don’t start dividing it up. Expand it instead.
There are many areas in the woods leading up to the dog park that could easily be used for a small-dog area. Please, town, consider fencing off an area for small dogs that is entirely separate from the main dog park — with a buffer between the two. With this approach, the wonderful existing walking route will be undisturbed.
Please don’t ruin a space that works in its current form, that provides a huge unofficial mental health and social resource to our community, human and canine.
MELISSA BAZAR
Disturbing
Springs
September 9, 2024
To the Editor,
I am writing to express my concerns regarding proposed changes to the Springs (dog) Park. As a resident of Springs who is not a dog owner, I go to the park four to five days a week to exercise, interact with my neighbors (human and canine), and be in nature. In every season of the year, the Springs Park is my choice for a good long walk away from traffic and ticks. It is the perfect place to experience the arrival of spring and the changing colors of fall; there is shade in summer, shield from wind in winter –- and always the glorious light that makes our beloved East End so special.
There are many passionate fans of the park who feel strongly that the creation of a separate “small dog” area carved out within the existing park would have a negative impact in significant ways. In fact, at least 181 people so far signed a petition expressing that opinion. Most of those people don’t object to the creation of a dedicated park for smaller or elderly dogs and their people, but instead believe the best location would be outside the existing park. I strongly agree and would hate to see the current layout changed.
I attended a recent meeting of the Springs Park Committee where members of the public were invited to share their thoughts. It was a disturbing experience: Several vocal members of the committee were hostile and dismissive of anyone who expressed an opposing opinion. It felt perfunctory as best — as if the decision of what to recommend to the town board had already been made.
We are constantly reminded how fragile our democracy is. I hope the town board will take all views into consideration and approach the needs and concerns of the user community with an open mind and creative approach. The Springs Park is a treasure ‚Äì- I urge the Town to “first, do no harm.”
Sincerely,
LISA FEUER
Most Special Park
East Hampton
September 9, 2024
To the Editor:
I am a current resident of East Hampton and owner of an 18-month Kangal shepherd named Benny. We recently discovered Springs dog park early this summer and have been daily visitors since. Having owned several dogs over the last 20 years, I have frequented many dog parks in New York City, Long Island, and New York’s surrounding states. In my experience, Springs dog park is the most special park I have encountered and there is not a visitor to the park who does not appreciate just how special it is. This appreciation was reflected in the overwhelming number of people who signed the petition in support of keeping the park as is. Why then is the Springs Park Committee led by Neil Kraft disregarding the voice of our community and moving forward with plans to alter the park without producing any support for such changes? Until Mr. Kraft can demonstrate clearly that a majority of our community want changes to the park and specify their rationale and plans, Springs dog park should be kept it is — simply the best dog park on all of Long Island.
Best,
SEAN CASEY (AND BENNY)
Fear Not, Friend
East Hampton
September 5, 2024
Dear David,
I wanted to thank Alan Patricof for his kind letter last week. I must say, after two-and-a-half years of working with the town to establish work-force housing, it’s always nice to hear thanks along the way. I’ll try to live up to your words.
You also had a letter from Jonathan Wallace in opposition. He worries we are creating a “company town” that will leave tenants another day older and deeper in debt. Fear not, friend. Unless you think Southampton Hospital, the Town of East Hampton, the local school, and police systems have nefarious goals in mind when buying these units, think again.
We also count reputable companies like the Maidstone Club, Riverhead Building Supply, Rowdy Hall, the Montauk Lake Club, and Hampton Coffee expressing interest in owning units. With covenants from us and oversight from the town to ensure employees are treated fairly, we will build a safe, legal, coded project you can be proud to have supported.
What Jonathan should worry about is the current state of employee housing. Because of the lack of legal options, many local businesses are using single-family homes for housing. Some exceed the legal limit of four unrelated people per house under that roof. Some have as many as four families in a 1,200-square-foot, four-bedroom house with one kitchen and bath. Worse, how many employees are living in basements, attics, garages, any spare space they can find?
We have to do better. Not just for them, but for us. Forget about being anyone’s brother’s keeper. Without housing we have no doctors to tend the sick, no teachers to educate our kids, no police to ensure your safety, no town to manage the overall area. And, yes, we need shops, restaurants, services to function for all our sakes, to maintain the fabric of community that makes this area work.
Whether you like it or not, we are all in this together. And unless we solve the housing issue, affordable as well as work-force, we are destined to fail together, too.
Sincerely,
KIRBY MARCANTONIO
General Partner
Whalebone Workforce Housing
Anything Goes
East Hampton
September 7, 2024
Dear Editor:
I am writing to you as editor of The Star to extend my personal thanks for writing so cogently about the issue of dogs on the beach. I am a resident of East Hampton now for at least 25 years and we have been connected to this place for over 50 years and, more to the point, I am a dog owner who has always loved being able to walk my little dogs on the ocean beaches, especially in the winter. Though I would love to be able to go to the beach in the summer with my dog, I have refrained because I believe that it is a time for the humans to enjoy peace and quiet and no bother near the oceans. Often I have thought, “Why can’t I go with my little guy on a leash and enjoy a longish trek by the water?” But I and others have been prevented by the lack of common sense, decency, and appropriate behavior on the part of not so much the dogs but the humans who do not see and truly accept their responsibilities as collaborative and cooperative members of our society. So the reaction is to restrict, forbid, and punish. How about limiting the times and perhaps creating “pockets” — sand areas where dogs may be allowed on the leash, to spend time with their humans? I guess that would be too difficult to envision in this age of “anything goes” and “I can do whatever I want.”
Thank you for allowing me to vent.
MARINA T. SABATACAKIS
Feared ‘Radiation’
Sagaponack
September 6, 2024
To the Editor,
Lots of discussion of this most-needed lifesaving device finally getting installed! First of all, we will all now be able to call fire, police, ambulances, and any and all help and aid workers where we were not able to before, for auto accidents, fires, and medical emergencies. Lives will be saved, and all sorts of emergencies will be responded to in quick and timely lifesaving manner.
When I first heard objections, I thought, because of previous rather ridiculous objections elsewhere, that some were afraid of the towers falling on their homes in a storm or some such. Considering the experience and engineering, a very weak and in fact foolish concern. But then it became clear that many feared “radiation“ from these towers, that are in fact placed all over the country on tops of schools, hospitals, in church steeples, and on hundreds of apartment buildings.
So, I looked on Google for some information. Numerous answers were as follows or similar.
“Do Cell Phone Towers Cause Cancer?” According to the American Cancer Society, “Cell phone towers are relatively new, and many people are concerned about whether the radiofrequency waves they give off might possibly have health effects. At this time, there’s no evidence that exposure to radiofrequency waves from cell phone towers causes any noticeable health effects.”
And do cell phone towers put off radiation? From the government of Canada, “The radiofrequency electromagnetic fields given off by cell phones and cell phone towers are a type of non-ionizing radiation. It is similar to the type of energy used in AM/FM radio and TV broadcast signals.” And finally: The amount of “radiation” you are exposed to while using your own cellphone, “depends on many factors, including: the strength of the signal, how close you hold the cell phone to your body, how long you use your cell phone.”
So let’s just stop the screaming, yelling, posters, phone calls, and interference in this lifesaving tower!
LOUIS MEISEL
Kick the Can
Sag Harbor
September 5, 2024
Dear David,
Gov. Kathy Hochul convened global experts this week in Syracuse at a Future Energy Economy Summit. Its stated goal was to discuss the role of next-generation clean energy technologies and strategies to accelerate renewable energy deployment while collectively supporting economic development in New York.
This is commendable, but the governor’s recent mixed messages are worrisome. New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act is the nation’s strongest state law to replace fossil fuels with clean, renewable energy. Nuclear energy is neither renewable nor clean.
Why, then, is our governor now meeting with representatives in the nuclear energy industry as part of the forum?
The problems and dangers of nuclear power have not gone away: meltdowns, radioactivity releases, and the yet-unsolved problem of how to permanently store its waste products that remain deadly for thousands of years.
I urge Governor Hochul to stick to safe, cost-effective renewable energy, such as solar, wind, and geothermal, energy storage, and grid improvements. And local communities like ours must do our part and not delay implementation of these new technologies, especially for unfounded fears. All technologies carry some risk. The risks we should choose are the ones that are cleaner and less dangerous in the long run.
Governor Hochul should not kick the can down the road by even considering nuclear power. We are in a climate crisis. We have endured 17 consecutive months of the warmest global temperatures on record. We all must meet the goals we set in New York to lead the United States to a non-nuclear, non-fossil fuel future.
STEPHANIE DOBA
A Horse’s Value
East Hampton
September 9, 2024
To the Editor,
I was delighted to see “Horsewomen on the Trail of Adventure” made the cover of The East Hampton Star on Aug. 29. The article shed much-needed light on pleasure riding in a town where everyone is fixated on sport horses.
As a 17-year-old sailing over three-foot-six-inch fences on my hometown equestrian team, I’d already spent 10 years riding my own horse bareback through rivers and down beaches. Jumping a course was fun but it wasn’t the alpha and the omega.
For the layperson, I would say comparing pleasure riding to the riding of sport horses is kind of like comparing the family car to Nascar. They are, in my opinion, mutually exclusive. Wikipedia does a nice job of defining pleasure riding and lists some statistics from the American Horse Council.
Ninety-five percent of Hamptons horse trainers are sport-horse trainers. The rest are guided by a strange inner compass. Self-proclaimed horse whisperers, they tend to be very preoccupied with their own “trail of adventure” and are not easily bought. It may be difficult to break into pleasure riding out here, but it’s worth it. The benefits of riding out in nature are therapeutic, energetically, and a moving meditation. It’s Zen if done right. Physically, hippotherapy will keep you toned effortlessly. Such an antidote to today’s world!
So, if one thinks pleasure riding is something they’d like to pursue, by all means inquire if Amagansett Equestrian Center would board a horse for you. I’m sure the rate would be less than a show barn facility. I know the prices of boarding out are intimidating. What is being paid for is the facility and services. You might consider becoming a backyard horse owner. Individuals are allowed to keep horses at their privately owned homes in East Hampton. A horse is fed 2 percent of its body weight, adjusting the ratio of hay and grains in respect to the amount of energy it is expending. Hay delivered to your door weekly is 45 cents a pound; grain, 50 cents. Other costs include bedding, usually wood shavings, about $100 a month.
The doctors come to you. Vaccinations and a barn call fee come two times a year. Hoof care by farrier every four to eight weeks, depending on shoes or trimming. Dental one time a year.
As with humans, there are some who have generationally been raised on the equine equivalent of McDonald’s. I believe that is the basis of increased incidence of Cushing’s and insulin resistance. Active performance horses break down and need more vet care. To argue that individuals should not keep horses at their homes due to the potential for abuse due to ignorance is comparable to forbidding soccer moms a minivan because they’re not Nascar-certified and don’t have a pit crew. I am sure the horses bound for the slaughterhouse would prefer to be in a backyard barn. What is particularly cruel about slaughtering horses is that, unlike most livestock, they have been in service to humans and trust them. The rescue barns are doing all they can. True, a rescue may not be rideable, but as stated in Stable Environmental Equine Rehabilitation’s mission statement, a horse is of value for its being or nature, or its value as “medicine.” That concept was pretty woo-woo in 1999 but is becoming mainstream now. Enough said. I’m grateful for having had this opportunity to speak my truth.
MARYLOU KALER
Executive Director
Stable Environmental Equine Rehabilitation
Joy and Exuberance
Amagansett
September 5, 2024
Dear Editor,
A special “thank-you” to Irene Silverman and Sydney Leon for providing a glimpse into our “horse world” on the trails of East Hampton. You managed to capture our joy and exuberance as well as highlight a history of nearly 50 years of adventure in a concise, well-organized manner that truly brought through our emotional commitment and the importance of this local treasure. We are so proud of our unique situation and encourage other riders to come join us at Amagansett Equestrian, amagansett-equestrian.com, for trail riding and instruction!
Happy Trails!
SARA HOBEL
VIRGINIA GRAY
CHRISTINA ISALY LICEAGA
AMANDA KRAUS
KELLY BURNS
NANCY HODIN
Monty Python Stasis
Amagansett
September 4, 2024
To the Editor:
Messrs. Saxe and Agoos, that dynamic duo, write: “Jonathan Wallace is a slick fellow — Harvard Law degree and all.” That was surprisingly mild-mannered. Your fellow MAGA traveler Reg Cornelia might be available to give you a remedial course in letters-column rhetoric: He once called me a “Stalinist” here.
Seriously, our exchange risks achieving Monty Python argument-sketch stasis: “No it isn’t!” “Yes it is!” Nobody wants to read that. I will limit myself to this: I have personal knowledge of incidents which went viral as acts of egregious antisemitism, where the real story is quite different. A scenario I have seen over and over again: Aggressive “Israel right or wrong” counterdemonstrators (in other words, people who share your personal values, and Mr. Agoos’s own tactics) insert themselves into the middle of peaceful pro-Palestinian demonstrators, screaming at them from inches away, shoving cellphones in their faces, sometimes uttering true threats of imminent harm, sometimes “mere” racist hate speech. When some of the protesters react by, for example, peacefully forming a human chain to stand between their fellow students and the provocateurs, these individuals, sometimes carefully editing the cellphone video to eliminate context, file antisemitism complaints claiming they were blocked from “visiting” because they were Jewish.
Mr. Saxe, I believe you are a retired New York State judge. Here is a case for you: “[B]arricaded enclosure for demonstrators and counterdemonstrators was not intended to limit the exercise of free speech. Instead, it is a practical device used by the police to protect those actively exercising their rights from those who would prevent its exercise. We conclude that this type of manner and place restriction is content-neutral since it is applicable to both groups.” Olivieri v. Ward, 801 F.2d 602, 607 (2d Cir. 1986).
No one has a First Amendment right to stand one foot away from me, scream abuse, and shove a phone in my face. When an aggressive counterdemonstrator succeeds in getting up close and personal with people that he hates, a huge responsibility has been abdicated, by the police or campus public safety, to keep the sides apart. The “Israel right or wrong” faction can stand a reasonable distance away, chant, carry signs and flags. They just can’t do it in our midst. This has nothing to do with antisemitism, but with public safety, basic courtesies, and the unimpeded exercise of First Amendment rights.
I am telling you things of which you also have firsthand experience. During the months the dynamic duo led counterprotests to our demonstrations in Sag Harbor for a cease-fire, Mr. Agoos was (at least once every Sunday) that intruder, while Mr. Saxe looked on with approval. You both therefore know the playbook: Invade, insult, then complain that any reaction is a denial of access based on antisemitism.
For democracy in East Hampton,
JONATHAN WALLACE
So Involved
Amagansett
September 8, 2024
To the Editor,
Michael Rodgers gave Richard Loeschner the timestamps for the cameras that show Maria Dorr taking an envelope. Her mail or not? Rodgers wasn’t authorized to view the cameras. Maria Dorr would have been Rodgers’s competition for superintendent.
Two of the witnesses that were called last week, Michael Davis and Ben DiPietro, are, oddly enough, both former students of Amagansett School. In fact Ben DiPietro during his testimony was questioned about who came to him. He said Rodgers did, with Goodstadt (the school attorney). How is Michael Rodgers so involved? The employee who allegedly bought the card from the gas station and is the parent didn’t testify. Christina McElroy already signed an affidavit not to press charges and doesn’t seem to be the one who filed the complaints or prompted the investigation.
Still here,
JOE KARPINSKI
A Better Future
Springs
September 3, 2024
Dear Editor,
Many voters view the upcoming election as a choice between voting for the current state of affairs or voting against the current state of affairs. Let’s examine this.
Assuming that a vote for a Democrat is a vote to continue the world “as it is” misses the whole point that progress can (and will) be made with a new administration. Much of what merits critique in our current situation can be changed. In many cases, there are plans in place for just those changes. So a better future is doable.
But the worse misconception held by many is that voting “against” our current situation will result in positive changes. There is a vague promise of change being proposed by the candidate who views our country as “American carnage,” but if you try to get past that promise of change you find more of a promise of destruction than of progress.
So I ask that we all take a deep breath and examine the two futures being planned. Because just promising change is easy, but if it is not the change that we’d all like for our country, vote accordingly.
I’d hate to see us throw out the baby with the bathwater, because that’s just too much to bear.
DAN FRIEDMAN
Public Spanking
Montauk
September 5, 2024
Dear David,
One would think that Texas’s Governor Abbott would be satisfied with the almost total abortion ban in his state, and that Florida’s Governor DeSantis would be happy with the tiny less-restrictive six-week abortion ban in his state. However, this might not be the case.
According to recent posts on X, both Abbott and DeSantis want even more state control over the bodies of women, and this time they want control over male bodies, as well. According to this post, both governors are working on legislation that would totally ban sexual activities on all Sundays. At the same time, both state governments would mount public information campaigns endorsing “Sexless Sundays” and advocate for more Sunday family barbecues to bring extended families together to discuss politics and better immigration policies.
Knowing that this law would be quite difficult to enforce, both Abbott and DeSantis are quietly hiring networks of thousands of “listeners” to infiltrate churches, bars, schools, newspaper offices, media networks, and businesses where gossip and bragging would easily bring transgressors to justice. Also, both Abbott and DeSantis have agreed to ban the sale of Viagra and Cialis in their states as they are very much opposed to seniors “getting it on” as it is “unsightly.”
At present, discussion revolves around punishments for those found guilty of hanky-panky on Sunday. Some liberal state legislators are advocating a $69 fine; more conservative legislators are advocating for a public spanking by the local police chief and a place in the stocks for 12 hours without a bathroom break. One wonders what Donald Trump will recommend.
Cheers,
BRIAN POPE
The Monogram Shop
East Hampton
September 8, 2024
Dear David,
While gathering with family this weekend, my brother-in-law was very amused and excited to see election cups representing both sides in the window of the Monogram Shop. It was closed, but he returned the next day to buy Trump napkins and cups. He was surprised there were that many Trump supporters out here, as the napkins were out of stock. I said the “coastal elites” is not true. While we are strong in numbers of Dems out here, there are large MAGA supporters; and some very rich people living out here vote the Republican ticket. That “Hollywood/Hampton Dems” thing is another myth, I told him. “One customer while I was paying at the Monogram Shop, commented on my Trump purchase.” He was “surprised she liked it.” I explained there were many like her out here and, the fact is, we are a divided county, as well as state and country.
We don’t argue, my brother-in-law and I, though we are miles apart in our choice for president. We never talk politics, he and I. We talk family, music, places to vacation, delicious cocktails, and the mutual love of my sister. He knows my views. I know his; end of. He’s not going to be persuaded to switch parties, nor am I. So we respect our differences. He’s truly convinced a savior awaits to save his pension and lifestyle. I know he may be in dreamland and on the other side we will be better off with our freedom intact with Harris-Walz and a refreshing alternative to a hothead who is clearly old and losing his mind, and who is likely to give away our state secrets to obvious enemies of America, getting us into war or worse, growing the divide in our country. But none of this has to be said out loud. He’s not stupid, and neither am I. We’re just who we are, from our experiences, careers, etc.
He has his Trump cups, but the napkins in the window they wouldn’t sell him; as they are the window display. I told him I’d go in and ask the manager if she’d sell me one package and I’ll send him some. I have my Kamala wine glasses. I may pick up some Harris-Walz napkins for myself.
The thing is, we both vote; we have since we earned the right at 18. We both love our country. We both lived through Sept. 11, 2001, with family serving and rescuing; he, too, served bravely in the aftermath looking for survivors. We both love New York, as we are born and bred borough kids from Catholic families who survived being schooled by nuns.
Sure, I’d love to have my brother-in-law vote for the Harris-Walz ticket. After all, he has daughters, nieces, and my sister’s rights to their bodies to consider. But what can ya do? In the meantime, we have peace in our family and love life. If Harris wins, my brother-in-law might be greatly disappointed, but he’s not gonna go batshit crazy. He, like me, abhors any violent mob, like the one that raided our Capitol when Trump lost last time. My brother-in-law will accept defeat. Will I? Of course, but we won’t be happy about it, either of us. I’ll want to move to Ireland. He may consider Florida. But that’s a bridge not crossed yet, in either scenario.
You see, my brother-in-law isn’t an “in-your-face alt-right MAGA zealot,” and I’m not a “woke far-left liberal.” Those are terms the Russian bots and X trolls are brainwashing our country and young people with every minute. We’re being played.
My brother-in-law and I will go on being ordinary law-abiding citizens who believe in a safe, peaceful country where working class people get to enjoy their hard-earned life and families protect themselves sensibly, and we don’t need to be angry at everyone all the time. We both want all kids to be safe at school, and I personally favor putting metal detectors in A.S.A.P.; and maybe door patrol, like we did in Brooklyn schools in the early 1980s. Let’s take back our streets, too. I’m very radical as you can see. Eye roll.
In the end our differences don’t exist as much as the convincers and influencers have tried to tell us. Who minds your mind?
Sincerely,
NANCI LAGARENNE
Tsk, Tsk, Tsk
Montauk
September 4, 2024
Dear David,
Biden is out, Kamala is campaigning, so now we have Biden’s chief spokesperson falsely stating grocery prices have “come down.” Listen carefully. Federal data show groceries cost 21 percent more than when Biden took office; this includes a persistent 1.1 percent rise over the past year.
According to Karine Jean-Pierre, she wants to be clear, we’ve seen grocery prices come down over the past year. Jean-Pierre drew viral mockery for her error. I keep removing articles from my cart for a reason: Can’t afford.
How stupid does the Biden-Harris administration think the American citizens really are?
Kamala has learned very quickly how to avoid reporters, put earplugs in, hold up your phone, make believe you’re having a conversation, and walk right pass the press. Tsk, tsk, how phony.
Tim Walz, the public, including your own brother, have not stopped calling you out. You are being accused of being a habitual liar about your military rank, your stolen valor, with such statements suggesting he deployed to combat zones in Afghanistan or Iraq. His brother claims he is too Marxist to hold high office.
Cackling has turned to different accents when talking in different states.
In God and country,
BEA DERRICO
Defending Sam’s Honor
Springs
September 9, 2024
To the Editor,
I must defend the honor of Sam, my deceased cat, and am therefore writing this letter to the editor.
Today my new neighbor confronted me and accused my cat — the one who’s now in heaven — of peeing on one of his plants. This is the same neighbor who hits golf balls from midnight to 3 a.m. next to my house (sometimes hitting my house).
Is it time for a new edition of “Philistines at the Hedgerow”?
JUDY FREEMAN