Born in the Blizzard Springs February 15, 2015 To the Editor: My husband and I would like to thank the Springs ambulance crew and the Springs Fire Department for the very rapid response to our home in the middle of the now infamous 2015 blizzard. Not only did the ambulance crew arrive promptly, but a group of volunteers arrived with them, armed with snow shovels to ensure our safe passage! Our beautiful 8-pound, 6-ounce baby boy, Cortland John Marchese, was born safely at Southampton Hospital during the blizzard, thanks to these wonderful volunteers. We feel truly blessed to have such caring people in our community. Sincerely, KRISTIN and AARON MARCHESE No Oil, No Heat Sagaponack February 12, 2015 Dear Editor, It is not my custom to rave about oil companies. However, I am so indebted to Lewis oil that I am raving! I live on a flag lot, and, as we know, this is a very harsh winter. My driveway has been plowed several times, but because of the width (or lack of width), and ruts in the driveway, my oil has not been delivered because it is impossible for the truck to maneuver. I have watched the oil gauge go down, wondering what to do. A couple recently moved into the house next driveway over, also a flag lot. Their driveway is flat. So I asked these neighbors (who, by the way personify the term “neighbor,” unlike the former resident, who is another story altogether) if I could use their driveway to have my oil delivered. Of course the answer was “of course.” So I arranged for delivery of oil as I watched the tank get lower each day. Chris, the Lewis company driver, attempted to deliver late last week but was unable to maneuver the neighbor’s drive because at some point it narrowed, and the ice had built up on the side. Yesterday I went out to the point Chris was unable to pass, and, with shovel and some de-icing stuff, I attempted to widen the driveway. I thought I had done a pretty good job and called Lewis’s office, and I was told that oil would be delivered this morning. I hardly slept, I was so excited. At 6:30 this morning I was up and ready for action. The newly purchased ice things (“able to walk on ice attached to shoes”) were easily attached when Chris called and said he was almost at the driveway. Shovel in hand to assist me through the still existing ice and snow that comes up to my knees, I made my way to the driveway and heard — be still, my heart — the sound of the oil truck backing up. Beep. Beep. And then it stopped, and Chris jumped out of the truck, and I started to cry. Uncontrollably. Shovel in hand, standing on ice crying, at 7 in the morning. What a scene! Chris started up the driveway toward me, and after some words about neither of us being at fault, he drove off, and I trudged through the ice to my house, where my dogs were eagerly awaiting me, and their breakfast. I was in tears. There would be no heat, because there would be no oil. No hot water. Nothing. The phone was ringing by the time I arrived back at the house and it was Cindy from Lewis oil trying to calm me down and giving me the name of someone who might be able to clear the ice with his plow. I had already called the guy who usually plows my driveway, but there was no answer. So I called “Rick.” I left a message. Very long story shortened because I’m not sure I’ll live long enough to tell it fully, Rick arrived this afternoon — and did he plow! My neighbor, a really good guy, came out to see what was happening on his driveway and we all had a sweet laugh. Tomorrow, Lewis oil, which after all has tried twice and gave me Rick’s number, will deliver oil. Using the driveway of my neighbor, which now is so beautifully plowed, as my grandmother might have said, you could eat off of it. And wide enough for an ocean liner to drive through, without harming one tree! So, big thanks to Cindy and Edie at Lewis oil. You were wonderful and caring, and I want everyone to know Lewis oil rocks! And to Rick, a very big thank-you. He came all the way from Westhampton to help me. I will be sure to bring my grandson, Theo, to watch him this summer while he works on boats in Montauk. And to Chris, who never gave up hope that he would deliver the oil, and with whom I shared tears in the driveway. And to Ron, my new neighbor. A big thank-you. This afternoon, while I wasn’t home, nor standing in a driveway crying, oil was delivered. Starting with Lewis/RCF, such a big thank-you, as the weather report says we are in for perhaps a record-breaking low temperature. I am forever indebted to the above-mentioned, as are my dogs, I’m sure. SUSAN OSLER BROCKMAN METZGER The Dog Park Road February 16, 2015 Springs Dear David, I would like to commend and thank the Parks Department and Peter Van Scoyoc for getting the road to the Springs Dog Park plowed and even plowing the trails within the park so doggers and their canines can walk the park in this awful winter of cold, snow, and ice. This weather and the past couple of weeks have been tough on animals. Our pups as well as all of us have had a difficult time. Our best friends and loyal companions have been getting cabin fever. It has been hard exercising them and ourselves on the hard, icy, deep, crusty snow. All of their sweet spots have been covered and taking care of business is not so easy. I was so delighted when I drove down Three Mile Harbor Road and saw the dog park road had been plowed, and even more delighted when I saw the trails nicely plowed! Thank you, Parks Department, for all of your grand effort. That really took some doing! We do appreciate. BETSY RUTH A Warming Meal East Hampton February 10, 2015 Dear Mr. Rattray, We, the clients, volunteers, staff, and board of directors of East Hampton Meals on Wheels, do heartily thank the East Hampton Rotary Club for the absolutely delicious spaghetti and meatball dinner that they prepared for our clients, caregivers, and visiting family members on Sunday, Feb. 8. We also thank those individuals who purchased the tickets to provide these meals. In fact, there were enough tickets sold to enable the Rotary Club to give dinners to all Meals on Wheels volunteers who delivered the meals that day. What a warming meal to brighten everybody’s day during such a cold winter! Indeed, we have received several calls from many recipients expressing delight and gratitude. Once again, we praise the Rotary members for their diligence in time and effort necessary to expedite such a magnificent expression of love and fellowship within our community. We want all who live in East Hampton Town to recognize the Rotary’s service to their neighbors. Very truly yours, EDWARD D. McLAUGHLIN President Parade Supporters Montauk February 16, 2015 Dear David, I’m writing this morning to talk to the many well-wishers and supporters of the Montauk Friends of Erin St. Patrick’s Day parade. I see that the local weeklies and free magazine publications are out trying to book advertising for their parade supplements. I would like to let everyone know that of all the different local newspapers and publications out there only The East Hampton Star and The Montauk Sun donate directly to the parade. We thank both of these publications and ask our supporters to please consider using them for their parade supplement advertising. Looking forward to the spring thaw and another great Montauk Friends of Erin St. Patrick’s Day parade. Thanks again. JOE BLOECKER Vice President Montauk Friends of Erin A Few of Us Left East Hampton February 12, 2015 Dear David, I enjoyed the article in the Habitat section “At Home in a 19th-Century Barn,” especially since my husband, David, and I live in a converted 19th-century barn. However, the Toppings were not (as the article mentioned) the first on the South Fork to convert a barn into a house. David bought our barn from Farmer Filer in 1961. They collapsed the roof and moved it from Sherrill Lane to Hampton Waters, where we converted it ourselves into a home. One of the reasons we chose this area was because the late Barney Rosset (founder of Grove Press) had already moved several barns into Hampton Waters, converting them into homes in the hope of establishing a community of artists and writers. There are still a few of us left in the area! JEANIE STILES Not a Small Variance Amagansett February 15, 2015 To the Editor: Regarding “More Money, or the ‘Big Picture’ ” (Feb. 12): This is a quote from the article: “Should the subdivision be approved, Mr. Onisko’s representatives told the board, his overriding benefit would be financial. Britton Bistrian, a land planner, made that clear from the beginning of her presentation, and Rick Slater, a real estate broker with Town and Country, backed her up, suggesting that the property’s value would increase by 30 percent if it were sold as two lots. He estimated its current value at $3.5 to $4 million.” At just under 49,000 square feet, Mr. Onisko’s property currently conforms to the neighborhood zoning requirement of 40,000 square feet. The subdivision would create two lots that are barely half of the required size. This is not a small variance in a neighborhood that is predominated by lots that comply with the zoning requirement. The article refers to a currently existing “smaller house,” which is accessed from the rear of the property. In reality it is a very small, one-story, unheated guest cottage that has been used only during the warm summer months for the 23 years that we have lived next door. Mr. Onisko has a buyer in place who has made clear that, should the subdivision be approved, he will build a large house on the newly created lot, which he will sell off. There will be two large, multistory, year-round residences squeezed onto a piece of land where now there is only one. The only reason the applicant offers for this increase in density and very large variance is that it would increase the value of his own property. We would like to point out that this will simultaneously decrease the value of all of the neighboring properties. If the zoning board of appeals approves this subdivision it will be taking value from the properties of those who are invested in staying in the neighborhood and giving it to someone who is leaving the neighborhood, as well as to a buyer who is acting as a developer. No one has made any argument as to how this subdivision will benefit the neighborhood now or in the future — as to how this will improve the “big picture.” We have lived next door to the Onisko property since 1991. It has been rented by happy-sounding tenants as long as we have been here. It is lovely and usable as is. The owner should not be given a windfall, at others’ expense, simply because he is fortunate enough to have a summer guest cottage with access to the street. It is worth what it is worth, and if priced appropriately will find a buyer who appreciates it as is. The approval of this subdivision will set a precedent that should worry all East Hampton property owners. Sincerely, LARRY and ASHLEY SILVERMAN A Right to Worry Amagansett February 16, 2015 To the Editor: Re “More Money, or the ‘Big Picture.’ ” As I write this, I am looking out my window at my neighbor’s house. I can’t help looking at it, whether I’m downstairs, upstairs, or even out in the yard. It’s rather a pretty house, with its white stucco gleaming through (but mostly above) our trees. It’s even pretty at night, with its twinkling lights shining in our bedroom windows. Like the homeowners mentioned in your Feb. 12 article, I live on Indian Wells Highway. I wasn’t even aware of the existence of the little 1,400-square-foot bungalow behind our house (accessed by Further East Lane) until one morning when we saw girders rising above the trees. I made a visit to Town Hall to find out what was going on (and up), and was told that people who buy houses built before the building code was enacted in 1957 were given “a lot of leeway” when applying for permits. So what happened is that a three-level, 5,000-square-foot house, plus a garage/studio and a pool and pool house (with outdoor speakers; don’t get me started) are squeezed into a lot that’s 100 feet wide at best. (You mentioned a pyramid law that would “preclude such a looming presence,” Mr. Whelan?) I’m thinking that the neighbors of the little house on the back lot mentioned in your story are right to worry. Sincerely, ALICE HENRY WHITMORE The Primary Dune Montauk February 14, 2015 To the Editor: To all and everyone who loves Montauk: Please, please let’s figure out a way to stop the madness that is the removal of the primary dune for the entire length of the hamlet of Montauk next month, with what seems to be little or no professional oversight. From the tip of Montauk to the Shinnecock Canal, as per the Department of Buildings and the Natural Resources Department, you cannot change one square inch of primary dune, period, amen, end of conversation. What is currently proposed is the removal of the primary dune for the entire length of the hamlet of Montauk. What price for this dune? Approximately $9 million in federal funds. The cost of replacement of this primary dune is incalculable. For no dollar amount ever again can we buy this back, as it was created by God and there is no dollar amount that can be equated with Montauk’s pristine natural beauty. The replacement of this dune is proposed to be with sand and (plastic?/ biodegradable geotextile) bags, filled with sand and covered with a layer of sand. And when the first major storm hits, and Sandy missed, and all or most of the geotextile bag-covering sand is gone, Montauk, one of the most beautiful towns in the world, will be left with a 3,500-foot-long exposed series of geotextile bags/garbage. Who is monitoring every truckload of sand that is coming here, to confirm that all of the sand that is replaced is the fine-grained, beautiful beach sand that we all know here? The area prohibiting viewing and scrutiny of the work in progress is 500 feet from the work, which basically means that no one in the hamlet of Montauk can watch or monitor the work in process. Correct me if I’m wrong, but 500 feet from the work is about where our post office is, which is a substantial distance back from the water. This is wrong, this is madness, and we the taxpayers and lovers of Montauk are the ones who are going to pay for it (maintenance) long term. Do we have to lie down in front of the machines — C.C.O.M., Surfrider, all lovers of Montauk — to prevent this from happening? Larry Cantwell, Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, where are you? You did a great job with the airport. This is a far bigger issue. JIM CONROY Proud of the Board Amagansett February 16, 2015 Dear David, In our diverse town there are at least two sides, with legitimate concerns, on every pressing issue. I’m encouraged that our current town board responds with serious attention to all sides. Take the airport. After studying every issue — finance, safety, commuters’ needs, recreational pilots’ needs, and neighbors’ quality of life — the board came up with proposed rules that considered them all and elicited a huge vote of thanks, among other places in this paper. Turned out, though, Montaukers had unexpected concerns. The board’s airport liaison, Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, immediately made looking at those a priority. Or deer. Some in town feel we must harden our hearts to cut a dangerous plague; some, that killing or sterilizing these lovely animals is unnecessary and too cruel. The town has responded by experimenting with multiple approaches to the problem, results to be assessed pending further action. On other fronts, the needs of business, the special requirements of our hamlets, a variety of new measures to get a handle on overcrowding, are being investigated with serious attention to all the issues they present. Not to mention the especially challenging problems of curtailing commercialization and neighborhood abuse in Springs while recognizing working people’s traditional use of their property, and protecting both public and private interests while saving Montauk’s shores. These inquiries are not for studying a problem to death. They bespeak determination to respect and serve all the people in our community, regardless of how we got here or how we’re registered to vote. They promise action by a board that in one year has amassed a record of passing legislation. I’m really proud of the board we elected. Their commitment and the actions they follow up with are keeping East Hampton the town our residents love and our visitors admire. Sincerely yours, JEANNE FRANKL Helicopters in Montauk Montauk February 13, 2015 Dear David, News flash: Montauk is part of East Hampton Town. Apparently neither the current town board nor the editorial staff of The East Hampton Star realizes this, as both have completely ignored the interests of Montauk residents when considering the airport noise-restriction plan. Last week’s Star editorial states that “East Hampton Town officials should proceed with confidence, knowing that residents here and across the East End have their backs.” And then, “the voices of protest and threat of legal action have come almost exclusively from those with a financial stake in maintaining unlimited access to the airport.” Meanwhile on the front page of the same issue there is a lengthy quote from Jeremy Samuelson, executive director of the Concerned Citizens of Montauk, detailing the potential for a huge increase in helicopter landings in Montauk that no one, including the town board, seems to recognize. We get the noise and the limo traffic on a two-lane residential street, homeowners in western East Hampton get to sit back and feel good about themselves. This is not a neighborly thing to do. BILL AKIN Ill-Advised Decision Montauk February 15, 2015 Dear David: I am a bit baffled that the members of the East Hampton Town Board, until very recently, steamed ahead with plans to ban helicopters from landing at East Hampton Airport, giving no thought where these aircraft would then go to land. Surely no one expected them to just go away. One of the likely replacement landing sites would be the only other airport in the Town of East Hampton, Montauk. It seems a bit like sweeping the dust from one side of the room to the other. I sincerely hope that the town board will give serious consideration to protecting the residents of Montauk with gusto equal to protecting those in the more westerly part of the Town of East Hampton. Another concern regarding what I would consider the ill-advised decision to turn down Federal Aviation Administration funding of East Hampton Airport is, can there possibly be enough self-funding to safely run this airport? Can this airport possibly support itself when they plan to do away with one of their primary sources of income, the landing of helicopters? The approximately 4,500 annual helicopter landings that they plan to turn away represent an income of somewhere in the vicinity of $1 million. Can the town afford to self-support the airport without F.A.A. funding as well as without the helicopters? It has been my contention for some time that the Gruber plan, on which this ban is based, has always been to ultimately totally close the airport, and it looks like the town may be unwittingly giving Mr. Gruber what he wants. Sincerely, PETER LOWENSTEIN Relief From Noise Sag Harbor February 11, 2015 Dear Editor, The Noyac Civic Council wishes to thank the East Hampton Town Board for hearing the pleas of East Hampton residents and those living in neighboring communities who beg for relief from aircraft noise. For the last several years, Noyac residents have been vociferous in asking for relief from a problem that disrupts our daily lives. At times aircraft noise wakes us up all hours of the night, interrupts conversations, rattles the dishes in our cabinets, and disturbs the peace and tranquillity we used to enjoy. Many N.C.C. members spoke at public meetings encouraging the East Hampton Town Board to remedy this situation. Finally a plan to regulate the noisiest aircraft and the nighttime and early morning operation of noisy aircraft is before the town board. The Noyac Civic Council also wishes to thank the Southampton Town representatives on the noise abatement committee, namely Councilwoman Christina Scalera, Bob Malafronte, and Barry Holden, for working with our East Hampton neighbors to find a workable solution to this problem plaguing the East End. The Noyac Civic Council urges the East Hampton Town Board to control the airport’s noise by regulating the noisiest aircraft and their hours of operation. The N.C.C. asks everyone on the East End who has been annoyed by aircraft noise to attend the March 5 meeting at 4:30 p.m. at the LTV studios, 75 Industrial Road, East Hampton. We need to show overwhelming support for this legislation. Please attend this March 5 meeting. ELENA LORETO President Noyac Civic Council They Hug the Coastline Southampton February 11, 2015 Dear David, I am writing to support the recently proposed airport legislation regarding the noise from the helicopters and other aircraft. Living in Southampton on the ocean, I have been repeatedly bothered by the low-flying helicopters at steadily increasing frequency. The helicopters are supposed to be offshore and at a minimum height. My experience is that they hug the coastline and fly so low the noise interferes with normal conversation. I heartily support the proposed restrictions on airport use. Thank you for your hard work and for listening to the complaints of our community. Sincerely, ROBERT A. BELFER Not a Bit More East Hampton February 16, 2015 Dear Editor, On behalf of the wildlife on the East End and of all the people who have lived under worsening aircraft noise for these many years, the Northwest Alliance would like to thank the town board for being responsive to the groundswell of resistance to the growing aircraft noise invasion of our otherwise peaceful environment. Northwest Creek has been a selected route for increasing numbers of helicopters for many years, and over that time, endangered piping plover nests have declined from over a dozen nests to zero last year. Other ground-breeding species have declined as well. Wildlife can’t write letters to the editor but science tells us that aircraft noise may well be what’s driving them away. Acting to significantly reduce helicopter traffic over this protected habitat is truly a great stride for conservation, and the board is to be applauded for its courage and wisdom in proposing this legislation. The board properly remains open to the concerns of the public on this matter and they are likely to hear calls for compromise from those few whose interests will be damaged by this legislation. Those adversely affected will certainly try to increase the amount of helicopter traffic that survives the new rules. They may, indeed, beg for a relaxing of volume restrictions by offering routes that minimize traffic over peopled areas. As Senator Charles E. Schumer and former Representative Tim Bishop proposed, they may suggest bypassing all neighboring towns by going along Long Island Sound, around Orient Point and over, you guessed it, Northwest Creek, to and from the airport. If both the incoming and outgoing helicopter traffic is channeled over Northwest Creek as per the Schumer-Bishop proposal, anything less than the board’s proposed reduction in overall volume of helicopter traffic could allow a very disturbing remainder of noise over our plovers. It is vital, therefore, that any traffic that is allowed to continue be held to the minimum that was proposed in the board’s legislation. Again, on behalf of the wildlife in Northwest Creek and on behalf of all of the people who live under the Northwest Creek route, as well as any alternative routes that might be proposed, we urge the East Hampton Town Board to hold its ground on restrictions on the amount of helicopter traffic allowed. Please, not a bit more than has been proposed. Finally, we cannot applaud the board’s protection of the Northwest Creek area from helicopter noise without mentioning our disappointment that the proposed rules that would have shielded our area from the very loud and low-flying seaplanes have been set aside. With restrictions on helicopters in place, we can only imagine that the seaplanes that connect to our area with a seaplane facility just a half mile south of the heliport on the East River in Manhattan will rise to the opportunity to replace the helicopters for convenient commuting. We certainly hope the board will remain vigilant to this possible shortcoming of its legislation. Very sincerely, T. JAMES MATTHEWS The Northwest Alliance Significant Relief East Hampton February 16, 2015 Dear David, The East Hampton Town Board, in the form of Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, has worked long and hard these last 14 months to produce an aircraft access limitation policy to protect the public from aircraft noise that, if adopted, will offer substantial relief to noise-affected residents this coming season. The Cantwell administration has historically addressed this critical quality of life issue in ways that will allow East End residents to, once again, peacefully enjoy their homes and properties. The board has proposed a stepped approach, dealing primarily with helicopters (the most egregious noisemakers) and jets, choosing to address the smaller turbo prop and piston craft at another time. The regulations, as proposed, will offer the noise-affected significant relief this summer. We urge your readers to attend a public hearing scheduled for March 5 at 4:30 at LTV and speak in favor of these resolutions. We also urge the board to pass these proposals at the earliest possible opportunity, and we thank them for their efforts. Sincerely, KATHLEEN CUNNINGHAM Quiet Skies Coalition Night Lighting Law Springs February 15, 2015 Dear David, It was misleading for the mayor of East Hampton Village to characterize the comments received as “8 in favor and 11 opposed” for the amendments to the lighting law. Of the comments in favor, many were from local organizations that collectively represent thousands of residents. On the other hand, the comments from individuals in opposition had little or nothing to do with the amendments, and in fact, their complaints would be addressed by the amendments: They provide a safer (and saner) nighttime environment. The lobbyist for the Business Alliance drummed up opposition based on scare tactics, saying that if enacted, the village would be a “ghost town.” This is a gross mischaracterization. It is incumbent on all of us to address wasted energy. Most stores already adhere to the wise use of energy and shut off their lighting at night, knowing full well that a lit interior is no deterrent to crime. At this point in time, we can only hope that the village trustees will evaluate the legitimate concerns of the community, and not those that are unfounded. Legislation based on unfounded fears is bad legislation. Business lobbyists routinely oppose regulations, even if those regulations are best for their community and the businesses’ own clientele. A little bit of education on the issue of night lighting goes a long way. If the Business Alliance or any individual or group would like to learn about the value of addressing “light pollution” (glare, light trespass, excessive or unnecessary night lighting), there are many resources, and I can provide them. For those who do not want to know about using energy wisely, we need legislation so that our community’s values and standards can be protected. SUSAN HARDER International Dark Sky Association Worse Than Barbaric East Hampton February 9, 2015 Dear David, I find myself deeply saddened about the current doe sterilizations occurring in the Village of East Hampton. Some people consider it a humane alternative, but I feel it is not humane at all. Cutting open a doe’s stomach, taking out her reproductive organs, outside, in frigid weather, just leaving her there and putting huge tags on her ears is a barbaric act. It is worse than barbaric. It is an atrocity and an abomination. To add insult to injury it is not cost-effective. Sincerely, NAN FRENCH Playtime in Forest Hills Southold January 30, 2015 To the Editor, Robert Ryan lived in my mother’s neighborhood. He knew the whole family that had a nice grocery store on Jamaica Avenue, not far from Mario Cuomo’s grocery store. When I had a picture out of Astoria, Robert Ryan came over to my grandmother’s place! Forty-seven, and asked to take me out for a walk. I was around 41/2 years old. He walked far! We both wore long dark overcoats and he wore a dark bowler on his head. We started on Jamaica Avenue, made a left on Woodhaven Boulevard, walked over the long ramp overlooking the Barbagalls trucking agencies, parked on the dirt. It was late and milk trucks passed us, diaper trucks and dirt trucks passed, clunking along the potholes. We walked in St. John’s Cemetery. Something was going on. Lights, cameras, and loud German voices hollered. We peeked over a big bush. I was scared, and I think he was too. I saw a loud couple of German-looking girls around my age, and dogs barking. It was so scary. The guy within the bright lights was playing Hitler. The war was over, but I was very scared. That was about the end of my exciting time out. I started school, and was less the movie kid, more young and loving, but many exciting people would come to our school and work the curtains, playtime in Forest Hills. ANITA FAGAN The Metric of War East Hampton February 10, 2015 To the Editor: A friend once told me to never underestimate his power of persuasion when attempting to seduce an unseduceable object. I told him that persuasion without performance is essentially worthless, or, simply put, overestimating one’s ability to perform is a certain recipe for disaster. So, when President Obama asks Congress for the power to go to war against ISIS, the question of our ability to actually win this war is never posed. So sure are we of the greatness of our Army that we never question its capability to do the job. The overused term “greatness” seems to excuse all failings and imperfections and serves as a basis for blind obeisance and unconscious behavior. It is also indolent, masturbatory, self-serving, and demeaning. Yet, Grenada and Panama aside (can we call the first Gulf War a war?), the past 50 years have not afforded us great success in our military ventures — less a criticism of the military (certainly the greatest in the world) than the politicians who have asked it to do a job that it wasn’t capable of doing. Vietnam. That war would still be going on if we hadn’t pulled out. That war was sheer insanity. Vietnam’s history, a 1,000-year-old civil war, ignored. In the end, what we did to our soldiers and our society and the devastation of Vietnam made little sense. We drank the Communism Kool-Aid and we paid the price. Afghanistan was again unwinnable. We couldn’t get out because we couldn’t define the ultimate goal, which kept changing. Thirteen years later, we were still trying to figure out how to leave a place we never wanted to be. Iraq. There is nothing to say about Iraq except it was a search for fool’s gold by a bunch of elected fools. There is no way to disconnect the chaos in the region from our intervention. Asking our military to fight against an enemy that it couldn’t identify. Unleashing a civil war where both sides are trying to kill you. What a great way to take down our military and break its spirit. (Does one have to wonder why our vets are treated so shabbily?) So, Obama wants to put boots on the ground with limitations. It’s all bullshit. What’s the plan? How do we make it work? What’s the end result? Are we gonna put our people at risk again and go into debt because we are as clueless as ever? Obama boasts, ad nauseam, that we have the greatest military in the world. Yet there is an emptiness in his conviction, a shallowness in compliment. He seems more like the eunuchs in a harem arguing about the size of their genitalia. The metric of war has changed. Wars are no longer fought by armies on battlefields using tanks and fighter-bombers, yet our leaders remain stuck in a time warp of obsolescence. Are they at all capable of making a decision of this magnitude when walking and chewing gum tests their mettle? For ISIS, so disaffected from the modern world that this disconnect allows it to partake in such venal barbarity, there is no future. Trumpeting a religious ideology whose relevance has long passed its time, yet offering no political or economic philosophical underpinnings of any value. Destroying ISIS will be little more than a palliative to the underlying issues. A long-term solution needs to be in place. The problem exposes our weak underbelly as a world power. We should think long and hard about who we are and what we can do, before we put our people at risk again. NEIL HAUSIG Way to Govern East Hampton February 7, 2015 Dear Editor, Now that the recent national elections have passed and Republicans have gained control of both houses of Congress, it behooves us all to just sit back and observe the direction they will take us as they try to govern their way, which they say will be a better way. Surely the likes of the new senator from Iowa, Joni Ernst, will show us the way to govern our great country. That is, she will as soon as she changes her breadpaper-wrapped shoes for the working variety. And we shall see the fruition of the Republican Senator Orrin Hatch’s fervent support of hands off the herbal supplement industry, which enabled him to have a full campaign war chest as the industry defrauded the country. Of course there will be immediate action on new legislation for the clouds of fog generated by the elimination of strict carbon dioxide and air pollution standards, and a new direction in education, probably reduction of funding for public education in favor of public support for private schools. Presidential candidate Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin already proposes that. Well, those may take some time. First they must repeal and destroy Obamacare and remove 10 million from the health care rolls. Don’t look too carefully for their substitute legislation. Eventually they’ll come up with a substitute bill (maybe). See? I told you, keep watching — you wanted them. Their priorities to better the country are now emerging. Inviting a foreign politician to speak in Congress about our foreign policy aims, interfering with our sensitive talks with Iran — there, see? They are governing, all right. We’ll watch as they go after but never get to immigration reform, tax reform, same-sex marriage, Benghazi investigations — all calculated to achieve absolutely nothing to aid our beleaguered and decimated middle class, as well as the economic split between rich and middle classes. Just watch as they try to claim credit for the greatest private sector jobs creation since 1997, now coming into focus with accompanying wage increases; the entire revise-upward economic picture all due to their hated president’s efforts. And while we are all watching, maybe we should be sure our kids get vaccinated like Governor Christie’s kids and climate change gets at least talked about. Or is that too much to ask? RICHARD P. HIGER
Published 4 years ago
Last updated 4 years ago
Letters to the Editor: 02.19.15
February 18, 2015