March 19, 2020
The world of nature
doesn't know the madness of a world
in quarantine.
Primroses and daffodils continue pushing their
green arrival in close proximity,
blissfully unafraid.
Hellebores in snug comradeship emerge beyond their dead leaves and
sprout new heads of wine, rose, and lime green.
How lucky!
To continue without fear to share our Earth
and to lift our closed in and closed off
spirits.
RANDI DICKSON
Community Support
East Hampton
March 24, 2025
To the Editor,
The Kendall Madison Foundation board would like to thank our community for its support of our fund-raiser at the Stephen Talkhouse on Friday. We'd like to thank Peter Honerkamp for hosting the event, his staff, D.J. Andy, and, most of all, those who supported the event by selling or purchasing tickets -- your support made the event a success!
Thank you all again,
SHARON A. BACON
Chairwoman
The Kendall Madison Foundation
Litter Adventure
Springs
March 23, 2025
Dear David,
A hearty group committed to cleaning up litter in our local environs walked the road, trails, beaches, as well as bushwhacked into the brush and brambles of Maidstone Park on Saturday morning, the kickoff to the East Hampton Litter Action Committee's No-Fling Spring.
Members of the East Hampton Litter Action Committee were joined by members of the East Hampton Sportsmen's Alliance, Springs citizens advisory committee, as well as individuals -- thank you, Deputy Supervisor Cate Rogers and a few local students -- in this endeavor.
Hundreds of beer bottles and cans, hard seltzer, iced tea, water and soda cans, lunch containers, coffee cups, napkins, knives, forks, and spoons were included in the 15 bags of litter collected. Environs surrounding the parking lots, including the trails leading from the parking lots and ball field and from the playground to the bay, were found to be favored spots for bottle and can tossing.
The ubiquitous findings of socks, hundreds of cigarette butts, cigarette lighters, energy drinks, bottle caps, and teeth flossers joined a car tire in the assortment of stuff found in the beautiful landscape of our cherished park.
A special thank-you to Maidstone Market for rewarding the participants for their efforts with bagels, empanadas, and beverages after yet another litter adventure.
Hope to see you at the next scheduled pickup: Springs-Fireplace Road, April 5 at 10 a.m. Meet at Grant Avenue, where you can choose your very own vest and litter-grabber. Or just organize a litter pickup of your own.
Creating a litter-free East Hampton is easy: Don't toss it. See litter, pick it up. Cover your vehicle load. Don't trash East Hampton.
Sincerely,
CHRISTINE GANITSCH
East Hampton Litter Action Committee
Used to Be Daily
East Hampton
March 22, 2025
Dear East Hampton Star,
I feel that I have to at least say something in this regard after reading the recent article "Birds Here in Trouble" (March 20). I've been watching birds here in East Hampton since I was very young. I can remember the excitement when my father and sister saw a cardinal in 1970 for the first time. This event is recorded in our family copy of the "Golden Guide To Birds of North America." For the past 30 years or so, I've been keeping a fairly constant record of the birds visiting my yard and I've noticed that though I have most of the same species, the actual numbers of each have generally averaged lower every year.
In the past 50 years, I've actually noticed a loss of a few species that used to be daily visitors when in season. The first to go were the redpolls, both common and hoary, which stopped coming in the early 1980s. A surprising loss were the mockingbirds. The yellow-shafted flicker used to be all over my property helping to control ant and yellow jacket infestations. In 2013, I recorded my first red-breasted nuthatch at my feeder and they were regulars until 2021. I haven't seen one since.
I can attribute this in large part to the heavy deforestation in my specific area. Though this has been partly due to natural forces at work, the rebuilt properties have removed (needlessly in my opinion) crucial trees and other nesting habitats which has definitely contributed to the changes. I have also missed a few transitional migrants which used to stop off in my yard: rufous-sided towhees and indigo buntings, especially.
Back in the early 1990s when my parents decided to put grills over our chimneypots, I was very sad as we had chimney swifts nesting there until that time.
I do what I can to make my yard hospitable to as many bird species as possible but it matters very little if my neighbors don't do the same. I should also point out that we should not stop feeding birds in the face of avian influenza. Birds leave droppings wherever they go and this is the most likely vector of the virus. If you have chickadees or titmice, which feed from your hand, just remember to have hand sanitizer on hand.
To end with two positive notes, my beloved copper American beech has thus far resisted the epidemic of beech leaf disease. As it's a favored nesting habitat for my hummingbirds, it's only fitting to remind everyone that Tax Day (April 15) is also hummingbird arrival day, so if you are inclined, get your feeders ready. They are currently in North Carolina as of March 22, according to Hummingbird Central. Thanks for reading.
Sincerely,
MATT HARNICK
Helping Few
Amagansett
March 21, 2025
To the Editor:
Christopher Gangemi's article "Help for More First-Time Buyers" (March 20) was thought-provoking -- and here are some of those thoughts:
The number of homeowners helped, and the dollar amounts the town loans them, seem very small, making the program more a performance than actual change. In a worst case, getting a loan from the town could be a trap for the unwary, luring buyers into a mortgage they will not be able to sustain over time. Also, I doubt the program helps the people who most need it -- and who the town most desperately needs to keep local.
At the 5,000-foot level, helping a few more people buy homes does nothing to fix the pervasive wrongness out here -- expensive ghost towns with nowhere to buy a quart of milk at midnight. To attract community members, you would have to have communities. Read Jane Jacobs.
For democracy in East Hampton,
JONATHAN WALLACE
Risk of Fire
Springs
March 21, 2025
To the Editor,
I found your article on the potential risk of fire in our area of interest. It was disheartening to learn that the Department of Environmental Protection seems to be downplaying this risk from your reporting: "Big stands of trees or slash piles are thousand-hour fuels. It'll hit that and smolder. It won't burn. It doesn't add much to the fire risk." I hope nobody on the town board believes that.
Of course, the D.E.C. does a lot of things that don't make much sense -- it doesn't require East Hampton to test for lead leaching into the aquifer at the airport despite the fact that we are one of the few towns in the entire nation that still allows leaded gasoline to be sold. Why the town allows this is a better question, but I suppose the interests of the 40 to 50 small plane owners that need it is the answer for putting all at risk.
Or why the D.E.C. allows local mining interests on the South Fork to drill into our aquifer is another good question. Or why several years ago did it start requiring signatures from all who live within a 40-acre radius of a four-poster tick machine -- do they really think deer only travel within that small of an area?
On an even more petty level why did the D.E.C. recently restrict the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife rescue organization from giving out tranquilizing shots to help deer in distress? These are just a few of the things I've seen in the local papers over the last few years and I'm sure there are likely other absurd decisions by this state agency.
In terms of fire risk, it is harder to understand why the D.E.C. seems to be ignoring the risk of lightning strikes that could hit any of the thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dead trees still standing in our area after the pine beetle infestation that they too handled so poorly for over six years now. Especially when it would seem obvious that as our climate is changing, drought could be a bigger problem in the future.
Hopefully, the town will take some responsibility itself and take at least the bare minimum of steps to guard against potential wildfires. The recent fire in Westhampton was a wake-up call that should have been obvious for years now, as so many dead trees dot our town in so many areas.
I found it odd that after the town acknowledged that they learned recently that they need both trash pumps and bulldozers to fight -- and prepare for -- future fires that they will rely on the county or state for them since they have neither, according to your article.
How, in over 200 vehicles that the town owns, does it not own a bulldozer or maybe even two? If not, they should buy one pronto and not rely on others. Take a few hundred thousand from the several million allotted for just landscaping at the new senior center boondoggle if they can't find the money.
Instead of talking about potentially making firebreaks or trails for firefighters to access fires in difficult areas, start doing it, finally. The question isn't if a fire will break out in town but when.
BRAD BROOKS
Ace in the Hole
Wainscott
March 24, 2025
Dear David:
Former Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc was not known for backing down. Just ask opponents of the wind-farm power line or proponents of Wainscott incorporation. So we may safely assume that were he in office, Mr. Van Scoyoc would live up to his stated willingness to reward aviation interests with outright closure of the airport if their scorched-earth litigation tactics met with success.
Sadly, that success has come to pass with regrettable rulings against the town's right to convert the airport to a private, prior-permission facility. Yet current Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez and the rest of the town board have so far expressed no willingness to hand aviation interests the pyrrhic victory they so richly deserve. Instead, all that is publicly known is that the board has opted for ill-defined "negotiations" with those interests.
Let's hope that whatever is going on, the board and its legal advisers have not forgotten the town's ace in the hole: an absolute right simply to close the airport, once and for all.
TOM OGDEN
Students Deserve Better
Amagansett
March 25, 2025
To the Editor,
So much for school spirit. The students attending Amagansett School seem to show more maturity than the administration that was put in charge in December 2023. That was when Maria Dorr was accused of stealing a $25 gift card from the school office. Accusations flew and she was placed on unpaid leave.
Fifteen months later, having spent thousands of our tax dollars on attorneys, arbitration, and hours of depositions, Ms. Dorr was found innocent.
This has all the markings of a political hit job, and our students and parents deserve better than this pitiful example of problem solving and conflict resolution.
We have many wonderful caring teachers at our school. Let's hope Ms. Dorr can renew an environment of trust and respect and prevent such spectacles in the future.
CHARLES WEILMAN
Found Not Guilty
Amagansett
March 22, 2025
To the Editor,
Maria Dorr, the ex-Amagansett School principal, was found not guilty, as many of us who can follow a case suspected the outcome would be. The Amagansett School budget doesn't seem to have a line for her position currently. Tom Mager as of today has failed to answer my email request about this. Guess Michael Rodgers and the school board will continue to go after Ms. Dorr, someone, in my opinion, Mr. Rodgers loathes. Remember, Michael Rodgers had the time stamps to hand Richard Loeschner to initiate the investigation. Cassie Butts, who put in retirement papers before the 3020A was filed, viewed cameras, knew at 10:08 a.m. the card was missing, even though she was never told it was missing until over 90 minutes later.
How strange our board president Wayne Gauger is a police sergeant in the East Hampton Village Police Department. Mr. Gauger now says the same statement Richard Loeschner gave Newsday the day prior. They all now "disagree" with the decision. Really? Can an officer of the law not follow the chain of evidence and make a rational decision? We already know the answer. Harper Valley P.T.A., move over for the Amagansett Red Envelope Express.
Maybe now the school board will be so kind as to explain how Michael Rodgers can't answer where the school curriculum is? Do we have one as required? What is Michael Rodgers v. Amagansett School doing in Miami, Fla.? In my opinion, we have a potential blackmail situation arising. Is that how Mr. Rodgers got hired to be superintendent? Did anything else happen before that? They all must know. In my opinion, we can't put anything behind us when doors keep opening.
Still here,
JOE KARPINSKI
Dangerous for Everyone
Springs
March 23, 2025
Dear Editor,
Last June, I posted a notice that the Springs Park Committee, in concert with the town board, intended to clear the park. I was vilified. The newspapers wrote articles saying there was no truth to my statements. I was maliciously harassed in the most vindictive way possible by the now-defunct Springs Park Committee, particularly Neil Kraft and Devlin Elliott, who advocated relentlessly for a "curated" park.
Fast forward nine months later: Determined to impose their will on the community, the town board moved forward with its "restoration project," despite ongoing pushback from the community, voiced concerns, and clear opposition as reported in The East Hampton Star on August 22:
"Also tackled at Monday's [August 19] meeting was the proposed removal of invasive species in the park. People were worried that too much could be cleared from the park, leading to a change in its aesthetics. It was even rumored that the plan was to clear the park completely.
"There was never, ever an intention to clear-cut the park," Mr. Kraft said.
Scott Wilson, the town's director of land acquisition and management, presented a potential way forward. "We could do a test area," Mr. Wilson said, "we could choose a half an acre and just cut out the species that shouldn't be there." He added that "the canopies will immediately breathe a sigh of relief and be allowed to grow a little more full." The committee was widely receptive to the idea, as preserving the shade and natural look of the park is a priority."
Frankly, the only ones who were truly "widely receptive to the idea" were the committee and the liaison from the town board, Ian Calder-Piedmonte, most of whom did not use the park and had no idea of the way it functions. And, as it turned out, those statements were misrepresentations on every level.
That "half acre" became one acre or more that has been crudely clear cut leaving dangerous twigs, branches, pieces of wood, and spikey roots sticking up all over. There is no shade or "canopies breathing a sigh of relief." The trails have no borders, there are no wind barriers, and the entire aesthetic has changed.
Even worse, it has become dangerous for everyone. There are tripping hazards all over, and the dogs are getting hurt. One dog caught his foot on a root and his claw was torn off. Another had a puncture wound. My own dogs have been entwined with rose bush vines with stickers that are almost impossible to remove, and I just pulled a thorn out of my dog's paw. Clearly, whoever authorized this work had no idea that those trails and the bordering foliage helped keep the dogs from wandering.
Blah, blah, blah about dogs being under our control. Dogs will listen up to a point, but even the most conscientious owners cannot completely control their dogs when they see another one across the park because dogs are social creatures. They want to play.
Equally egregious is the fact that small animals like rabbits and squirrels have lost their homes and are completely disoriented. Sadly, a squirrel was caught by a dog last week because it had nowhere to hide. The birds who have inhabited this place for decades have now lost their nests, and it is nesting season. We were promised this would not happen. It is cruel.
This park needs to be revegetated ASAP, and spring is planting season, not mowing season, which is in the fall. One would think that our director of land management would be aware of that.
I would like to suggest that we start by planting foliage on the edges of the trails for safety's sake, shade, and wind control. Some rhododendrons, wildflowers, or other flowering bushes could be nice, but I am not a horticulturist. All that said, time is of the essence because nothing can be planted until the area is truly cleared and the stems, twigs, and roots taken out.
Almost $24,000 of our money was spent to create this problem. The town board could have removed the dead wood, cut back or removed just the invasives as promised, and pruned some of the overgrown foliage as they should have been doing all along. This project certainly could have waited until autumn when the weather turns cooler, shade is not a priority, and there are fewer people who depend on the park to exercise their dogs and themselves. It could have been better thought out and executed.
I have advocated for this park since 2005. It was beautiful, serene and safe -- a wonderful place that everyone loved just as it was, whether they were there to walk dogs, watch birds, jog, or just wander the trails enjoying the natural beauty. It is devastating to see what has been done to it. People are shocked by what has happened and even more so when they find out that this may be just a prelude to the ultimate goal of clear-cutting the entire park.
I was right then, and I am right now. Maybe this time someone will listen.
BARBARA FELDMAN
Beloved Park
Amagansett
March 23, 2025
To the Editor:
Once again, unnecessary problems have developed at the beloved Springs dog park.
It seems the town has begun significant work on the invasive species issue by hiring a third party to perform the removal of some plant material. I understand that it's not the best time of year to do this work because of nesting birds and the growth cycle of the invasives, but so be it.
But please note that many working people plan their days to include a walk with their dog at the park. These closures really hurt working people trying to exercise their dogs. For the past few days, the town has closed the park for several hours during the day. Would it be too much to ask that, in the interest of transparency to the community, the town post a simple notice on the fence stating what work will be performed in the next week or two; when access will be closed or limited, specific days and times, weather permitting; why the work is being done (i.e., remove invasives, annual spring cleanup, or fence repair); what will be involved (i.e., bulldozers, saws, clear-cuts), and when it will be finished?
This will help residents plan their days and walks more effectively. This will help owners keep their dogs safe. This will help users understand the changes. This will help get in front of the rumor mill. This will help taxpayers understand how their money is being spent.
Please, town, communicate regarding the dog park. It's the right thing in all our interests.
Owner of two great, loving dogs and daily user of the park,
MELISSA BAZAR
(Mis)management Plan
Springs
March 23, 2025
To the Editor:
I want to thank Councilman Tom Flight for being responsive and conscientious and meeting me at the Springs Park before clearing work began. With his help we were able to prevent a row of mature, noninvasive holly about 10 feet tall from being destroyed.
The (mis)management plan for the Springs Park has been poorly executed since its establishment in 2009. Invasive plants were allowed to choke out native growth and specimen plants left by the former nursery. The current plan calls for grasslands in about 80 percent of the park. Please note that no grasslands exist. Everywhere that has been cleared is now covered with invasive mugwort, which is not a grass but a highly invasive weed that can be toxic for dogs. Mugwort can cause gastrointestinal issues in dogs and, in some cases, more severe symptoms like tremors and seizures. The Springs "dog park" is now filled with toxic mugwort.
Regular Springs Park users should understand that the existing plan calls for the entire right side (south side) of the park to be cleared in the same manner, thereby eliminating just about everything. People have been led to believe that this must be done to rid the park of invasives, but they have replaced one invasive with another toxic one. All invasives are not terrible; some are beautiful and many provide valuable habitat for birds and wildlife. We need a better plan that will gradually replace the bad with the good.
The 2009 management plan has not been effective, no longer meets the community's needs, and should be updated and improved as soon as possible. The public has come out in large numbers to say that they need shade and windbreaks on the trails as well as the separation that trails delineated by vegetation provide. Scott Wilson misrepresented the "test area" clearing to the board when he said that only invasives would be cleared and some shade would be preserved for the trails. Neither is true. The test area was basically clear-cut and the ground chewed up. Birds nests have been destroyed, along with everything else. An unusual amount of bird noise bordering the area immediately after the clearing signaled their distress.
Indiscriminate annual mowing not only prevents autumn olive from growing it also prevents native plants that are struggling to revegetate this area. An updated management plan should provide for suppression techniques for the mugwort and some plan to revegetate the area or at the very least a plan to protect emerging native species.
The majority of park users have spoken clearly that having huge open fields and sight lines makes the park more dangerous and more difficult for people to control their dogs. Mowing down the park may be quick and easy but the community's needs should take precedence.
This latest clear-cutting at the park with no plan for revegetation has been a slap in the face to every community member who attended meetings and spoke up. People know they have been ignored and lied to. My advice to this board would be to update the park's management plan and start to remedy this unmitigated disaster as soon as possible.
As a response, a group of us have formed the Springs Park Protection Committee to address these issues and advocate for an updated Springs Park Management Plan that protects habitats, native plants, and the needs of the community. Anyone interested in joining our list can contact me at [email protected].
CAROL SAXE BUDA
Left an Eyesore
Springs
March 24, 2025
To the Editor:
The maintenance plan that was approved by the town to control the invasive species in the Springs Park was farmed out to a third party, which has indiscriminately plowed through a large portion of the south side of the park. After they bulldozed an area that seems much larger than the half-acre "test" area that was originally discussed as the proposed plan, they left behind an eyesore for residents to walk through. This leaves residents wondering what the next steps are here. Is this action to be followed by continued plowing until the entire south side is left barren? Will there be any revegetation to replace what has been lost in the clearing? What are their long-term goals? What about the natural habitat that seeks protection in the foliage and the trees? Where are they to go now?
As a daily park user who had enjoyed the serenity and beauty of the park, I was a champion of leaving the park as it was, with no changes being approved. I am now dismayed by the indifference that the town seems to have toward the wishes of our community, which we made abundantly clear at meetings and with petitions and public proposals in the local papers. All of our efforts fell on deaf ears, since no one from the town bothered to walk through the park and speak with local users to get a pulse on what their thoughts were.
The outcome is another clumsy bureaucratic decision to waste taxpayers' money on a problem that was not thoroughly researched. With all the land management companies and landscaping businesses on the East End, you'd think that the town could have consulted experts in this field before it agreed to arbitrarily remove invasive and noninvasive growth at the park. There was no selectivity applied, and all shady paths that users need for the summer months have been decimated.
The town should halt this ill-conceived project immediately until it consults and outsources a proper land maintenance company.
ROBIN DICTENBERG
Felon Trump
Montauk
March 23, 2025
Dear David,
Within a few weeks Felon in Chief Donald Trump, his boyfriend, Elon Musk, and the United States cabinet of clownish mediocrities have purged the federal civil service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Departments of Justice and Education, and the Veterans' Administration. They have cowed universities, corporations, and national law firms into submission and accommodation.
Deportations of undocumented and legally documented immigrants continue on a daily basis. The federal courts have responded with a series of rulings that are ignored. Felon Trump knows that the courts have no enforcement power. At the same time, Felon Trump has set high tariffs on imports from our major trading partners that will dramatically increase the cost of living for working Americans. I doubt that millionaires will be affected. Perhaps they will buy a Maserati instead of an Aston Martin, or even better, a Tesla.
Our current foreign policy has resulted in the loss of our European allies and the end of American leadership in fighting dictatorships and defending human rights. However, we have acquired a new friend in Europe: Felon Trump and Assassin Vlad are now best bros. Perhaps Homeland Security will help the Russian F.S.B. hunt down Russian dissidents living in the U.S.A. and deport them back to Siberia.
As to the future, who knows? It is easy to turn our heads away and remain silent. But perhaps one day the thugs will come looking for you.
Rather sadly,
BRIAN POPE
Encourage Them
Sag Harbor
March 24, 2025
To the Editor:
Although President Trump has been working to eviscerate most of what has been done at the federal level to mitigate climate change, he does not have all the Republicans in the House of Representatives on board. In fact, 21 House Republicans recently signed a letter to that chamber's ways and means committee urging retention of the tax credits for green energy technologies contained in the Inflation Reduction Act. Among the signers was our representative, Nick LaLota.
This is important, first, because these provisions are giving business and industry incentives to develop and market emerging technologies that can significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Second, because the House is almost evenly divided between the parties, these 21 Republicans could easily stop the Trump administration's effort to repeal the I.R.A.
When it looks like an official is on the right track, it's a good idea to thank them and encourage them to continue. As anyone who works with animals knows, the most effective way to get a dog (or a tiger) to do what you want is to give them a treat when they move in the desired direction. This is far more effective than punishing them when they don't. Humans are no different. We respond in the same fashion.
Therefore, please phone Congressman LaLota's office at 202-225-3826 and thank him for signing the letter to the ways and means committee supporting retention of the green energy tax credits in the I.R.A. You may mention that these are good for the economy as well as for the environment. Then ask him to make sure that in the current budget reconciliation these provisions are kept intact.
It doesn't matter whether you are a Democrat, an Independent, or a Republican. However, if you happen to be Republican who is concerned about the climate (and there are more of you than people think), it's especially important that you make the call, because our representatives need to know that climate action has support across the political spectrum. This is something we can all do now.
JOHN ANDREWS
Had Another Agenda
East Hampton
March 24, 2025
Dear David,
Jeff Gewert's March 17 letter, "Genuine Peace," is a continuation of his one-sided Israel bashing (see his column in The Star's "Guestwords" column a few months ago). His opening sentence brings up Rodney King's savage beating at the hands of the Los Angeles police, followed by wistfully asking, "Why can't we all get along?" Good question. I would have loved to read more about his thoughts on the question, but unfortunately, just as in his "Guestwords" column, he had another agenda. He wants us to equate King's beating by the L.A. police with the Israel Defense Forces and their savage beatings of Gazans. Is that the language we should be using to lead us toward a genuine peace that Mr. Gewert says he longs for?
What Mr. Gewert continually misses is that both peoples act as they have been victims and perpetrators toward each other. Both sides see themselves as acting in moral ways in their cruelty and violence and make it very clear that they would willingly go to their own deaths in order to stand up for their version of what was right or wrong. Yahya Sinwar -- the assassinated Hamas military leader -- said he was willing to sacrifice 100,000 Gazan lives for the sake of his version of a religious cause.
Mr. Gewert says that "Israel is not fighting an army; it's fighting a cause." He's wrong. Both sides have causes and act out their righteousness violently and with increased barbarity.
Right-wing extremists in Israel believe their cause is to bring God's land under the control of Jews from the river to the sea. Extremists in Gaza (not a small group as Mr. Gewert would want us to believe) still see their cause as Palestinian control from the river to the sea.
Something has to give --- moralistic bashing of one side or the other won't break this never-ending cycle of violence. Recognizing that both sides are acting as perpetrators because they fear they'll be victims if they're not, gets us started asking the right set of questions and breaking the cycle of violence.
Mr. Gewert once again shows his biases when he calls for an unconditional peace that would largely come from the Israeli side. He doesn't even want the Israeli hostages released in the absence of a guaranteed road map to such peace: "It would be suicidal for Hamas to release the remaining hostages." How far can one get toward a genuine peace with that sort of cruel and inhumane statement?
Sincerely,
JIM VRETTOS
Legal Ploys
Montauk
March 24, 2025
Dear David,
Who should have more power, the president of the United States or a federal district judge? The answer is obvious and pure common sense.
The president is elected by millions, empowered by the Constitution to ensure the laws are executed, conduct foreign policy, and command the nation's armed forces. The role of district court judges on the bench is generally limited to making decisions of the case before them based on existing law. Yet across the country, highly partisan district judges are using legal ploys to bulldoze Donald Trump, stymie his agenda --all this to set national policy.
In Mr. Trump's first six weeks on the job, Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins has gone through less than 2 percent of the agency's contracts and can't believe the garbage he's found. The V.A. was paying for PowerPoint slides and meeting notes for the watering of plants and consulting contracts to do the work we should be doing ourselves. Dare we mention D.E.I. training, prosthetic private parts, gender affirming hair removal, and gender-affirming voice training? We've got to make sure that we're doing what is mandatory. We need to take care of veterans, no matter what. Secretary Collins has so far canceled hundreds of non-mission-critical contracts to net $900 million in savings and then saved another $14 million by ditching D.E.I. employees and contracts.
Waste and fraud thanks to the Biden administration have destroyed America. Domestic terrorism is out of control, all this because of Trump-deranged syndrome. Burning Tesla dealers, burning Tesla cars, is only hurting our citizens.
Elected officials are calling for violence. Check out statements from the fabulous Maxine Waters (not her first attempt at calling for violence) and Robert Garcia, and newbie Jasmine Crockett loves screaming in the halls of Congress for violence against Elon Musk. This is the party that claims to oppose "hate" and political violence while threatening those who challenge their authority.
In God and country,
BEA DERRICO