Poisonous ‘Nutrients’ Springs June 9, 2015 Dear Editor: It’s understandable why you’d encourage municipal and conservation leaders to buy land around Accabonac to protect and potentially improve water quality in the harbor. Land that’s out of active residential or other use will serve as a far better filter for runoff, which is what ails Accabonac and so all ponds and bays on the South Fork. But buying hugely expensive land that borders troubled waters, or buying development rights to that land, only gives the appearance that there’s an easy solution within the reach of all those smart people at Town Hall and at the land trusts. It just gives everyone a false sense of security on how to deal with this seemingly intractable problem plaguing our most valued natural assets. Protecting land around Accabonac not only will not ensure clean water in the harbor all by itself, but it’s the top-down policy response to a water quality problem that can only be solved much more broadly. That broad response involves a policy push that will lead to sacrifice and pain and will require leadership. No one is talking about it. And it is only mentioned in passing in your news stories about Georgica and Hook Ponds and Accabonac. Removing or more severely restricting the use of landscape fertilizers and other landscape chemicals and applications is the most effective and immediate remedy to pond and estuary water quality. Here’s the bargain: If you want clean bays, harbors, and ponds, you’ll have to live with yellower lawns and native species. If you want fertilizer, compost your food waste or buy and use clean compost. Make all this law. New York State already has limits on the use of some fertilizers. But the limits are not designed to address our specific problem and are not far-reaching enough. Much more aggressive local limits to the use of chemical and other problem landscape applications that eventually drain phosphates and other “nutrients” into the estuaries would take tremendous political (and newspaper editor) courage and maneuvering (going up against the local landscaping and estate-care industry and green-lawn lovers, among other things). But it is the step that has proven across the country to improve water quality. No amount of pretty places saved can sufficiently filter the volume of ultimately poisonous “nutrients” we apply to our landscapes. BIDDLE DUKE Two Toxic Chemicals Springs June 14, 2015 To the Editor: Last week, Suffolk County Vector Control sprayed Accabonac Harbor with two toxic chemicals, Altosid liquid (methoprene) and Vectobac 12AS (Bti). They sprayed for over one hour, using a helicopter fitted with sprayers, depositing a significant toxic load to a pristine environment. Vector Control is empowered to kill mosquitos that may carry and infect humans with diseases such as West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis. The mosquitos that carry these diseases are freshwater mosquitos, not salt-marsh mosquitos. So why did they spray Accabonac Harbor? I looked into this and found two areas warranting further examination: salt-marsh management practice and the decision-making criteria. Accabonac Harbor is a tidal salt-marsh system. We know that salt-marsh mosquitos are far less of a health threat than freshwater mosquitos. It behooves us to manage the salt marsh to keep fresh water out of it. Fresh water can accumulate in the salt meadow from road runoff. Based on the type of vegetation growing on the west side of Accabonac Creek near the Merrill Lake Sanctuary, there could be fresh water there. If this is the case, it would be more effective to maintain any culverts that drain the road water away from the marsh, rather than spray. Vector Control makes the decision to spray based on counts of mosquitos in traps as well as calls from residents reporting mosquito sightings. It is not clear whether any particular decision to spray is based on trap counts versus complaints. I hate to think we are dosing our tidal marsh with toxins based on someone reporting a salt-marsh mosquito, which is a nuisance, not a health threat. In the spirit of transparency, it would be helpful to understand the factors and data that go into any given spray decision. The helicopter flies very low to avoid the drift of spray to adjacent areas. Unfortunately, this means they got pretty close to osprey nests. This application was scheduled to occur before the baby ospreys fledged. I have watched and photographed the ospreys carefully this spring, and I observed that the parents were away from the nest longer than usual for several days, deviating from their previous feeding schedule. In closing, I would like to see us do all we can to keep the salt marsh free of standing water, as well as greater transparency in decision-making. PATRICE A. DALTON Community Sewering Sag Harbor June 13, 2015 Dear David, I was pleased to read the June 11 editorial “Questions on Proposal for Sewage Treatment.” The commentary was on point regarding the issues surrounding community sewering. In addressing sewage regulatory reforms since 2005, I’m well informed on the topic and offer the following findings and perspective to the emerging discussion of community sewering. There are approximately 200 sewage treatment plants throughout Suffolk County. Although these plants are being touted by some politicians as the answer to the region’s water quality problems, there are concerns that need to be addressed before we jump on the sewage treatment plant bandwagon; namely, their track record of poor performance, actual benefit to water quality, and pretext for increased housing density. I’ve been investigating their performance for the past 17 years. My reviews have primarily focused on the system’s effectiveness in reducing wastewater-derived pollutants and adherence to effluent discharge standards. Additionally, I’ve assessed the performance of both the Suffolk County Department of Health Services and the State Department of Environmental Conservation in fulfilling their regulatory responsibility of pollutant discharge permits they issued. My conclusion: While these facilities have the capacity to significantly reduce wastewater nitrogen, benefits to local water quality are usually not realized. This is because many of the plants are not functioning properly, and compliance and enforcement are woefully deficient. Moreover, sewage treatment plants typically open the door to dramatic increases in housing density, which can negate the improved level of treatment. Reducing nitrogen concentrations while increasing the overall loadings to ground and surface waters because of the greater flow (more flushes) doesn’t necessarily mean improved water quality. In listening to the presentation on the proposed downtown Montauk sewer district at a recent Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee meeting, I took note of how little mention there was of water quality improvements to Fort Pond. Accordingly, I posed a question to the town’s consultant, Mr. Pio Lombardo. Had an analysis been completed that determined the reductions in nitrogen and bacterial loadings to Fort Pond, comparing the load reductions from the existing development to the potential expanded development? Mr. Lombardo stated that it had not been done, only that it would help water quality in Fort Pond. I submit, this information is essential to the analysis and should be the basis for any further consideration of sewering. While establishing sewer districts is a legitimate management approach, and has its place in downtown development initiatives, restoring water quality must always be our top priority. For any other reason, then please be honest about it. KEVIN McALLISTER Defend H2O You Heard Me, Urine Springs June 15, 2015 Dear David, It seems that every week or so we hear of another body of water that suffers an algae bloom and these blooms are becoming more deadly and more frequent. The latest, Saxitoxin, is so deadly that if one consumes shellfish that are contaminated by this algae, one will suffer serious consequences. In late May there was a massive die-off of bunker fish, so massive that there were dead fish two feet deep lining the shore from Riverhead to all along the length of the North Fork. Perhaps you have seen the pictures. This event had been preceded by the death of a multitude of terrapin turtles. People try to explain away these die-offs, but we all know in our heart of hearts, our waters are becoming more and more polluted. It is the nitrogenous waste that is the primary cause of such catastrophic changes to our waters. Besides the use of fertilizers by farmers and those who must have a trophy lawn, the most obvious cause of excess nitrogen is urine. You heard me, urine. Well, you ask, what can we do about that? After all, isn’t excretion one of the necessary life-giving bodily functions? Indeed it is, but when septic systems are so antiquated and single-family residences are in some cases, as they are in Springs, no longer single-family residences but crowded dormitories (we are not even mentioning the real dormitories under construction for a private school), the results are devastating to our sole-source aquifer. We have to wonder why these situations exist. Think of crowded houses with toilets, showers, washing machines, dishwashers, etc., operating day in and day out with their effluence seeping into what’s below our feet. All this leading to water pollution and algae blooms. This complex problem can begin to be resolved with the simplest step of code enforcement doing the job it is designed to do. Within two or three blocks of where I live in Springs, I know of houses where old people have passed or left, and those who now have power over these houses rent them to multiple families. (Ah, good old money wins every time!) The evidences are apparent by the proliferation of “stuff” all about the house. I have seen it with my own eyes and these houses have been reported to code enforcement, but alas, the wheels of that group move at a snail’s pace and with small insignificant consequences. (Poor Springs!) Without water to drink, bathe in, and cook with, without pristine bays, rivers, and streams, this land that we all fervently love will be worthless. The time to act is now! PHYLLIS ITALIANO Inhumane Deaths East Hampton June 14, 2015 Dear David, There was another inhumane deer incident in the Village of East Hampton last week. I understand there are a variety of reasons for wanting the deer population cut down. I also clearly understand how we created the problem by overbuilding, etc. Although it would seem morally best, as the smarter (human) species, to regulate ourselves to live alongside other living species, I understand there are those who feel that because we are the smarter species, we control the very life of everything below us. I may not agree 100 percent, or at all, with another person’s opinion; I do, however, respect each one, in hopes of getting the same respect in return, for my opinion. There is one exception, and much like the issue of garbage, it’s almost universally understood, yet when exposed to it, many prefer to remain silent rather than say, hey, wait a minute‚ that’s not right. I’m talking about humane treatment of any living species. Folks, the deer sterilization program is not treating our deer humanely. Those village entities need to understand what’s going on, believe it, and stop it. On Friday, June 12, at approximately 9:30 a.m., I received a call about a tagged deer lying in a driveway on Buell Lane in East Hampton Village. I arrived within 10 to 15 minutes to find Doe # 61 lying on its side, still alive and suffering. The back legs had apparently kicked while the doe was on its side, because the gravel was brushed away and a divot was carved into the dirt. When I arrived, the deer could not move at all, except for the lungs struggling to breathe. I stroked her head and it was clear she was in shock. I covered her head with a soft towel and walked to the rear of the deer, where I could see an abundance of flies congregating. When I looked at her back end, I was again horrified to see what was happening. Her back end was rotting black flesh. Maggots were coming out of both her anus and birth canal and surrounding the area. Necrosis (death of body tissue) had begun on this still living and suffering animal. That’s something that usually occurs after the animal is dead. This doe # 61, just like Doe # 57 just weeks earlier, was rotting from the inside and succumbed to septic shock. I asked the village police officer to please put the poor thing down immediately. There was no need to extend the suffering any longer. No need to wait for someone to come sedate or euthanize. She needed instant freedom from the pain, and the officer obliged. This time, I took photos before and after she was put down. They are disturbing and horrific. They show exactly how these deer are being inhumanely handled and how awful and inhumane the sterilization program is. What are the chances of me seeing two of these inhumane deaths? Imagine how many are happening in the woods where we don’t see them. This isn’t something that kills them one morning. This is a slow rotting inside the uterus, then the uterine wall becomes infected and begins to rot. It’s death from the inside out, and it’s a slow and agonizing cycle of inhumanity. Then, to top it off, I find even more signs of absolute inhumane torture. I pull back on the ear tag and see something just as unbelievable. The hole that the rivet bored through the doe’s ear is infected — raw, pus-filled, and unhealed. The radio collars also cause significant neck injury, both from the rubbing of the leather and the bolt used to secure the collar, and the surgery is killing these animals in the most inhumane way possible. This is not right! Here’s the deal, folks. I’ll explain this in a simple way that you will understand. This is not a procedure compared to fixing dogs and cats, like some have been told, simply because a vet would probably not fix an animal that was already carrying a fetus. If by some reason it was necessary, I doubt a fetus too big to be reabsorbed would be left to rot inside the animal’s uterus. With that being said, does are impregnated from mid-October through November. The gestation period is 200 days. The sterilization program began in January. It was called off temporarily in February due to the extreme weather conditions. Many had already had the procedure done. Stress in these conditions could easily cause kidney and heart damage, yet they were darted (tranquilized) in the field, operated on, and released at night, in very cold, extreme conditions, to recover themselves without follow-ups. After a short break, the process continued. Many of the does were well along in pregnancy when they were captured and had their ovaries removed (ovariectomy). Here’s where everyone gets buffaloed and inhumanity sets in. When the ovaries are removed from a pregnant doe, the hormone progesterone is also removed. Progesterone sustains the pregnancy! Without this hormone, the pregnancy will fail. Period. Now, the contention of the doctors and scientists at White Buffalo say that when the ovaries (and progesterone) are removed from a pregnant doe, the placenta automatically kicks in and supplies the fetus with the progesterone necessary to sustain the pregnancy. Wrong! In fact, progesterone doesn’t just get removed with the ovaries and like a light switch, click, the placenta takes over. This is where you’re all being bamboozled, and deer are suffering inhumane deaths. There is a magnificent dance of hormonal activity that drives and sustains the cycle of life and birth. It’s quite complicated, but one thing is for certain, progesterone doesn’t just stop working at one location (ovaries) and begin working at another (placenta). This misconception that you were led to believe is actually killing these animals in the most inhumane manner imaginable. Progesterone is removed and the pregnancies fail. If the fetuses are too big to be reabsorbed or passed, they begin to decompose inside the doe’s uterus. This infects the womb, which further weakens the muscles necessary to pass the stillborn(s) through the birth canal. The rotting continues and the doe suffers unimaginable pain and discomfort, as she is literally carrying death inside her. She stops eating as the infection overcomes her vital organs. The infection travels throughout the doe’s body until she becomes septic, falls into shock, and can no longer move. If she is not fortunate to be found and put down soon after collapse, the suffering slowly continues until the doe passes in a most excruciating and inhumane fashion. Now I don’t know how many of these inhumane deaths the doctors and scientists have seen since they began this program, but I’ve seen two in two weeks, and the does are just now dropping fawns. It kills me to think of all the tagged does that are lying in the woods right now, suffering, rotting alive, dying. And all this is being funded by people who care? Inhumanity contracted by the village and paid for by those who care? This is criminal, and an atrocity of nature. A breech of morality at the highest of inhumane levels. To ignore what is evident and to allow this to continue is willful animal abuse and cruelty of epic proportion. This is what money can buy these days. Inhumane treatment, pain and suffering, wrapped up in a pretty misleading package of lies and deceit. All for the low price of $1,000 a head. Thoroughly disgusted, DELL CULLUM Carpetbaggers East Hampton June 12, 2015 Dear David, Your editorial two weeks ago “It’s Past Time to Tamp Down” was correct and on target. Your only problem is that you expect local government to do something about the “out of control” situation, of which it is either unwilling or unable. No matter where you go, on the highway, to the beach, a trip to the village, or visit any of our various town departments, they are all overburdened with the effects of people who get what they want. These “people from away” press on with no repercussions or consequences for their actions. A good example would be Cyril’s. If in fact they illegally cordoned off the road shoulder for taxis, why weren’t the police called? Or better yet, the state police? I believe it’s their road to supervise. Hopefully, the state troopers wouldn’t put up with that nonsense. The bigger question is, did or would anyone stand up and say something? How can local government impose semblance of control when it’s the local government that lets these carpetbaggers and riffraff get away with their law and code-breaking ways? Now, I don’t believe in the land of no, but I do believe in enforcing our local laws and codes and there should be consequences for those who disregard or ignore them. To sit back and do nothing is downright wrong and morally corrupt. My current concerns are in my own neighborhood. I have a party house at one end of the street and an encroachment issue on town property across the street. Now it is all that is going on in my little neighborhood, what is happening on a townwide basis? This “out of control” situation requires assistance from “we the people.” If you have rude or noisy neighbors, illegal construction, or anything you feel is out of place, make that call to the proper authority. Sometimes it may take several calls. Be vigilant! Arthur French’s letter “Push Back, Push Hard” says it all in the title. If we don’t get local government working to protect its local citizens, those who live, work, send kids to school here, and actually sleep here every night, then we end up moving to some place that does protect its citizens. I’m not ready to go yet, so I’ll keep calling and reporting till I get results or am told to go away. I suggest you all do the same. Many, many years ago the colonists had to deal with a government they thought was “out of control.” The result was a plaque placed on a bridge. Part of that plaque read “By the rude bridge that arched the flood, their flags to April’s breeze unfurled, here once the embattled farmers stood, and fired the shot heard round the world.” Yours to command, JEFFREY PLITT A Rental Registry Springs June 15, 2015 To the Editor: East Hampton residents need to know the answer to this question: If the towns of Southampton, Riverhead, Babylon, Brookhaven, Islip, and Huntington have rental registries, why doesn’t East Hampton? Is it because these towns care more about tenant safety? Is it because these towns care more about water quality? Is it because these towns care more about occupancy regulation? Quality of life? Pollution? Real estate values? Or is it because of a failure on the part of the East Hampton Town Board to provide the leadership to address a politically challenging issue? Residents must make their thoughts on East Hampton rental legislation known to the town board. This year, East Hampton needs to join the ranks of Suffolk County towns that have addressed these issues with a rental registry. N.J. BRADLEY Another Housing Issue Springs June 15, 2015 Dear Mr. Rattray: Once again the overtaxed, overcrowded, least economically viable, but astonishingly beautiful hamlet of Springs is the recipient of a controversial housing issue. Just this week we residents were made aware that two Springs streets would be the home to two school dormitories being built for the elite private Ross School that is located in an industrial district in the wealthy enclave of Wainscott. Over the years Wainscott has been upzoned to five-acre parcels. The Springs streets in question are half-acre residential parcels. One-half-acre parcels! These McMansion dorms will dwarf the adjacent homes. While we see this type of McMansion building happening all over the Hamptons, I don’t believe those structures are being built for dormitory use. For most Springs residents, our homes represent our largest financial investment. Plopping dormitories in the middle of these quiet, small, residential parcels may be legal, but it is just wrong to burden these homeowners and the Springs community with yet another overcrowded housing issue that will surely affect negatively the price of their homes. So, how spectacularly unneighborly and quite frankly obnoxious is the Ross School’s conduct in this situation? On its website, under the heading of Core Values it wishes to imbue its students with, are listed the words “cooperation,” “integrity,” “mindfulness,” “respect,” and “responsibility.” The Ross School is exhibiting none of those core values in this unfortunate situation. How does Ross teach children these values when the institution itself doesn’t live by them? Instead, the actual practical lesson that is being taught is that money and power can trump what is right and decent. The Springs community does not have the resources to fight the juggernaut that is the Ross School with its millions of dollars and legions of lawyers. We must rely instead on our elected officials for support. So, town board members, where do you stand on this issue? Will you stand with the Springs community and help persuade the Ross School that building student dormitories in a middle-class residential neighborhood is wrong and intrusive? Or will you stand with the 1- percenters with the money, influence, and lawyers, and allow the Springs community once more to be degraded? Sincerely, CAROLE CAMPOLO Illegal-Renting Magnet Springs June 14, 2015 Dear David, About 15 years or so ago the residents of Springs became aware that our quality of life was beginning to deteriorate. We were overpopulating. Commercialization was creeping in. Springs School was bursting its seams, property taxes were sky-high, and illegal renting of single-family homes was becoming more and more common, so common you could find these homes on your street and/or even next door. All of this was leaving a mark on our community. Rather than having a town board that dealt with this phenomenon we have had town boards dillydallying and doing not very much. Town boards who have chosen to sit on their hands, town boards who have come and listened and promised, and town boards who have been downright negative and nasty. Town boards who gave lip service with no result. Fifteen years later we have not seen much change in attitude or law enforcement. Today the situation is 15 times worse. Our residential neighborhoods are deteriorating. We are the landscaping capital of the East End, and the illegal-renting magnet. Now, not so much in Montauk or Hampton Bays; many of the illegal renters have moved to Springs. The school district with the highest property taxes. And, we are the parking lot for East Hampton. Major and minor business interests are working very hard to keep it that way. Believe it or not, we have something new occurring. Institutional residences, i.e., dormitories, being built to house students from the Ross School in a house they are calling a single-family residence. This hardly cuts down on development. It only increases traffic, people, septic activity, and vehicles. How can this be? Already we are hearing from those in positions of power this does not violate any code. This “building inspector” who deemed a dormitory with a housemother a family, even though persons are not related, was very creative. He must have been smoking weed! That concept must be revised and revisited. I wonder how many pieces of silver passed with that determination! Other towns have controlled this type of violation and illegal renting. Riverhead, Southold, Greenport, Huntington, Islip, Brookhaven, and Southampton have addressed this. What they have done may not be perfect, but it’s a whole lot better than what is happening in East Hampton Town. We need our town board to stand up and be counted on this issue. We need them to start making some serious and solid decisions to stop illegal renting and provide affordable housing. We need some leadership here. Think Springs. BETSY RUTH Raccoon Habitat Amagansett June 12, 2015 Dear David, The East End New Leaders are committed to local affordable housing, of course. Who wouldn’t be? The Star quoted an estate agent G.O.P. candidate as being “passionate about affordable housing.” Brava. But do they have a plan? The Wainscott affordable housing project must proceed. All affordable housing projects must proceed. If we cannot affordably shelter our young nurses, teachers, lawyers, police, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, they will abandon us. The homes of the ancient rich will wither in place, unattended by nurse, firefighter, exterminator, or household staff. Their overwrought buildings will become raccoon habitat. Real estate will tank — or, perhaps, become affordable? All good things, DIANA WALKER The Daily Whine Springs June 13, 2015 Dear Editor, Does protecting our increasingly fragile environment seem impossible? Here are things we can easily do: Decrease harmful and noxious emissions. Make the world a quieter place for all. Decrease exposure to allergens. Give a home to the diversity of life, such as turtles, salamanders, fireflies, bees, and birds, that cannot survive hurricane-force winds. Enrich the soil with natural organic material. Nourish your wooded property. Stop wasting fuel. Did I say, return the peace to our neighborhoods? How to accomplish all of the above in one simple step? Limit the use of commercial leaf blowers! It has been over two months of the daily whine of leaf blowers, Sundays and holidays included, starting before 8 and continuing until the setting of the sun. We hear them in our sleep (most are to the tune of B flat). This is a new phenomenon, and more trees on properties are not the cause, quite the opposite. Have you watched as a leaf blower chases a few leaves down a driveway, surrounded by clouds of dust? Are we homeowners so compulsive that we cannot tolerate a few leaves and blades of grass? When did it become the norm to blow every bit of organic material from a wooded property? Could it be the perception of the armies of operators that this perfection is the standard for the homeowner — that if they don’t leave a perfect yard, someone else will be hired to take their place? The suburbs of New Jersey and Nassau County are quieter! Solution? Here is a start: There is absolutely no need for commercial leaf blowers during the summer. We can all live with a few blades of grass on a walkway, and if we can’t, there is always the rake or broom. Have a commercial leaf blower-free day of the week in the fall and spring, i.e., Sunday. A fall cleanup on a half-acre property can produce 10 hours of constant noise on multiple days. It need not be so. We all have a responsibility to keep our neighborhoods healthy, for those who live here as well as for the diversity of life that is trying to hang on. CHRISTINE GANITSCH Less Comfortable East Hampton June 10, 2015 Dear East Hampton Star, I wanted to share my experience with the recently updated East Hampton Village noise code, specifically the stipulation that companies that do landscaping, yard work, and construction may only use noisy equipment between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. To be honest, so far the situation has been a mixed bag, as over a year later we still have construction and yard noise after 6 p.m. Personally, I have had a longstanding complaint about a certain very well-known local company that does plenty of work in my neighborhood, including the property across the street from mine. For over a decade, probably more like two decades, I’ve asked them to please finish working on that property early so that I can enjoy a late-afternoon swim or cookout without having to listen to all those leaf blowers and wood chippers. They seemed to get the message last year, but this year again I have had to call the police on them. What I learned this time was that there is a huge flaw in the ordinance, which is that it’s the workers who are summonsed rather than the company owners. The problem with this is that there is no incentive for the people running the companies to tell their workers to finish village properties before 6 p.m. The only way this is going to really work is if the village rewords the ordinance so that the company owners are the ones liable rather than the individual workers. I want to thank the village police for putting up with my calls. I really do appreciate their time and effort at this busy time of year. On a related note, this ordinance and many others often have their teeth pulled because too many local businessmen claim that their ability to make money is infringed. But these are quality-of-life issues. The lawn work and construction noise is just one aspect. There is also the battle over the air-traffic noise caused by use (I would say abuse) of our local airport. My family has owned our house for 47 years, so I know what things were like three decades ago and more. In the last 10 years or so I’ve noticed not so much an increase in air traffic but that the planes have been flying lower and lower, often looking like they’re about to land right on Main Street, or possibly Egypt Lane. Often they are so low I can read the call numbers with the naked eye — which tells you something, because I’m nearsighted. There’s an increase in noise with this, as well as an increase in air pollution; at higher altitudes, jet exhaust disperses over a wider area before reaching the ground. I can see the results in my pool. The tiles have a black, tarry ring that first appeared shortly after planes began flying low over my neighborhood. They are now permanently stained with this gunk. I like it that we have an airport, but the fact is that other than the noise and air pollution, it has very little effect on my life. This is in direct opposition to claims made (I believe in an article in this very paper) by a local aviator who claimed that East Hampton’s economy relies on the airport. I’m not sure how. The lion’s share of the food and other commodities are still brought in by huge trucks. Most of the money-spending visitors come by car, bus, train, or ferry. The fact is that the people who hold the view that the airport is vital to our local economy are grossly mistaken — it’s only vital to their personal economies. This is not a problem as long as they realize that what they want and what the rest of us want may not be the same thing. I like having the airport if for no other reason than the existence of the medevac unit that operates there (sadly, we really need it). But if the local aviators can’t operate in a way that the rest of us can live with, it might be best to get rid of the airport altogether (which I really, really don’t believe is the answer). The airport has been a part of East Hampton for nearly a century (I think) and we should be able to keep it. The overall point of this letter is, I think, that East Hampton is slowly becoming a bit less comfortable for many of us year-round residents and that only through enforcing existing codes and ordinances (including the ones about bicycles on sidewalks) are we going to have a community with a tolerable quality of life. As always, thanks for reading. MATT HARNICK For Uber Service East Hampton June 12, 2015 Dear Editor, Uber yes! Let’s hear it for Uber service. Can I be the only one who would appreciate a money-saving, safe, on-time ride no matter what the hour? Giving “special privileges” to the cabs at my expense does not compute. This is 2015! Get with it, folks. LALLY MOCKLER Smear Campaign East Hampton June 15, 2015 To the Editor: Kudos to Supervisor Cantwell and the town board! Nice to know they make up the governing body of the Town of East Hampton — not Uber! Over past summers, East Hampton was plagued with weekend taxi invasions from hell. Without regulation, hundreds of vehicles and drivers from UpIsland regularly assaulted our communities, especially Montauk and Amagansett, creating a free-for-all atmosphere of unsupervised drivers, cars, and astronomical fees. Now, finally, Code Chapter 226 (taxicabs for hire) provides legislation to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of residents and visitors within our town. We should expect no less from our government. For the consumer, there are safeguards against price gouging, fraud, and inferior service. There is an effort to curtail unsafe driving conditions and to prevent operation of taxicabs not licensed in East Hampton. The code requires that both the driver and vehicle be licensed, with fingerprinting and extensive background checks for drivers; that drivers have valid taxi driver’s licenses, that proper insurance be maintained, that vehicles are clean and in safe working condition. All fares must be conspicuously posted for passengers. And finally, that a cab company have a physical address in the town and that all vehicles under that license be registered to that address. Because the residency requirement does not fit the Uber business model, Uber drivers were found to be in violation of the code. However, the world according to Uber dictates that the town must change its code. Uber sought an exemption, which was denied; and Uber withdrew its service. Thus began their typical smear campaign, telling users that they now “will be unable to get reliable, safe rides in any part of East Hampton. . . .” Users have threatened that without Uber there will be more drunken driving and that if someone is killed as a result, it is the supervisor’s fault. Really! Are we a society so lax in personal responsibility that people can actually believe such an absurd message? Are we at a point in this technological age where we must be saved from ourselves and our own actions by Uber? I certainly hope not! If what I have read about Uber is accurate, it seems to be its custom to go to targeted communities and impose its practices, whether or not the community is amenable. In my view, bullies should not be appeased. They should be sent packing. It gets tiring watching our town being overrun by scofflaws and people who have little or no real interest in our community, other than fulfilling their own personal needs at the expense of everyone else. I hope Larry, Sylvia, Peter, Kathee, and Fred do not back down in their insistence on enforcement of our taxi legislation. BEVERLY BOND More Than Enough Montauk June 13, 2015 To the Editor: It is indeed a sad day and a tragedy of epic proportions that Uber has pulled out of East Hampton Township. Our visiting Yunnies (Young Urban Narcissists) and Motu (Masters of the Universe) will now have to rely on town-licensed and company-insured taxis for transportation to clubs and bars. Of course, the ancient practice of walking would be another option. Despite the spin propaganda disseminated by Uber, there are actually more than enough taxis to cover any transportation need for our visitors. If you doubt me, please come to Montauk and count the taxis on Main Street or South Emerson next to the Sloppy Tuna. I might also point out that the Town of East Hampton did not ban Uber. The company itself decided that it did not wish to comply with local laws and ordinances. I would like to commend Supervisor Cantwell and members of the town board for standing up to a billion-dollar global behemoth that has made a practice of flouting local or national laws and bullying and harassing government officials. Cheers, BRIAN POPE Operating in Violation East Hampton June 15, 2015 Dear David: The many people who are upset and outraged about the fact that Uber car services will no longer be permitted in East Hampton Town are not interested or just don’t care about the fact that Uber was operating in violation of the law. Taxi legislation has been in the works for several years and has now been up-dated and fine-tuned. Taxi companies are now required to be licensed, and Uber does not meet the licensing requirements. I’ve no doubt that it will have the opportunity to do so, but until then it should not be permitted to conduct business as usual. East Hampton is no stranger to large out-of-town companies sweeping in and taking business away from local, mom-and-pop stores that had once characterized our community — companies such as Uber are simply continuing this unwelcome trend. The town should be complimented on enforcing our local laws and refusing to bend to the considerable pressure being levied around this issue. SUE AVEDON My Dad, My Hero Montauk June 15, 2015 To the Editor, My family and I have spent the better part of the past 10 months caring for my dad. We have visited him at Southampton Hospital and the rehab center more times than we can count due to chronic illness, infections, minimally invasive procedures, and normal degenerative ailments because of advanced aging and career-related injuries. My father is a veteran and a retired New York City firefighter of 27 years. He was drafted at age 19 to serve in the United States Army during the Korean War. He never fought in combat, but he and his family like so many others were subject to the trauma and anxiety that war inflicts on all of its victims. During many of my cherished visits I heard countless stories about his life, dreams, “beautiful bride,” four grandchildren, career as a fireman, and his time served as a soldier. He was so proud of his time in the Army, but, more than proud, he was so grateful for the opportunities being a soldier afforded him. During one of my visits, I informed my dad that the V.A. had come to his home to replace the outdated hospital bed we had rented for him with a brand-new comfy air mattress bed that he so desperately needed. His response, “For me, at the house, why? And it’s free? What will we do with the old one?” You would have thought he was 5 and it was Christmas morning. The man was so grateful. He exclaimed, “The V.A. doesn’t owe me anything; I owe the V.A. I got to see the world as a soldier, and now they are giving me a bed!?” My dad had gotten to travel to Chicago and Texas while serving his time in the Army. Throughout his numerous stays at Southampton Hospital and the rehab center my dad was always gracious, always quick with a “please” and a “thank-you” and always ready with a kind word for his caregivers and fellow patients. Through all of his waiting, poking and prodding, and pleading for pain medications, he has always appreciated the care and attention given to him and the opportunity to breathe, live, love, and pursue his dreams in this free country he proudly served. As humble as my dad is, he never talked much about the medal he was awarded by the mayor and the City of New York. The Walter Scott Medal was given to my dad for his heroic actions in saving the lives of two young boys, rescuing them from their fifth-floor apartment. This story was not heard from my dad, but stories from his wife of 61 years were. He has relished the beauty of God’s world and all he created, his loving grandchildren, and the weather. He was my dad and my hero. My wish: that all people living here in the U.S.A. would be more like my dad, Teddy Shaternick. Adore your partner, your children, and grandchildren. Work hard and be proud of what you earn. Save for the future, live within your means, supporting yourself and your family. Give back when you can, and help your neighbor. Hand up, not hand out. In the words of John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” I think it would be a start. Sincerely, EILEEN DEVLIN Safe, Clean Bathroom East Hampton June 10, 2015 To the Editor, I can’t believe the disrespect One Stop Market in Springs has for its customers. On its front door as you enter, they have the nerve to say they have no public bathroom, meanwhile they have two indoor bathrooms. Apparently the customers who shop there and keep their business going don’t deserve to use their indoor, comfortable, well-lit, safe, clean bathroom, which also provides a place to wash your hands. This is important for a worker with dirty hands who will be eating. The owners of One Stop would prefer you walk to the very end of their parking lot to use a Porta-Potty, dirty, not lit; I wouldn’t feel safe, not comfortable at all. Maybe these not-deserving, not-respected customers should realize this is not the best place to shop. There are so many delis surrounding theirs. I can’t believe they’re not bending over backward for their customers. I guess they don’t need us. KERI-ANN BENNETT The Slippery Slope Sag Harbor June 15, 2015 To the Editor, As I write this letter I know the odds are stacked against me drowning in a sea of lies, corruption, corporate power, legal torture, and abuse of women. Our children are sacred but they have no vote or hope. God bless them, they stand alone. And notice how often these so-called scholars love to quote the United States Constitution, no longer even considered by emerging nations! The founding fathers knew their work was flawed. Jefferson, too, believed in the perfect ability of humans; or at least that they would steadily grow wiser, and wrote that the Constitution should be rewritten in every generation to avoid having society “remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.” Do you readily see the link between the first paragraph and second? We are indoctrinated by the image “patriots” who fought to free Americans. But there also were many volunteers including, to John Adams’s surprise, entire companies of nonviolent Quakers. President Obama and many others have their children in the Quaker school in Washington. John Adams is the most often quoted among those who wrote the Constitution. The above is just an introduction, preparation for what I’m about to write. Any fool among us knows that any nation will fall when spread too thin and not supported by the American people. Nevertheless President Obama is open to expanding the American footprint in Iraq with a network of bases and hundreds of additional troops to support Iraqi security forces in their fight against the Islamic State. I saw an intriguing discussion on public broadcasting the other evening among former Secretary of Defense Panetta, a woman from the Pentagon, a retired general who fought in Iraq, and a colonel. Strangely enough, both men representing the military were against the war with ISIS. The other two, civilians who worked for the Pentagon, suggested more bombing. More of the same would further escalate the ongoing violence spreading across the Middle East and beyond. Thirteen more years? Even the Iraqis are saying they are weary of war. The slippery slope, we’ve been there before. Finally, I take it as a personal issue when Gen. Martin Dempsey refers to these new bases as lily pads. Wrong again! I swim in a freshwater pond every day. When you reach the lily pads you cannot swim through them without drowning. Add lily pads to my opening comment. (Written by Larry Darcey, a retired New York City police lieutenant, two years in the Korean War, for seven years conducted investigations of policemen, working for a black deputy police commissioner. Worked in Manhattan and Harlem and witnessed firsthand the entire Vietnam War and the civil rights struggle.) Remember what the veterans tried to teach us: “You wouldn’t understand unless you were there.” Also I had the privilege of being on a panel at LTV with vets. I never met more compassionate men, who were ex-warriors. In peace, LARRY DARCEY No One Is Responsible East Hampton June 15, 2015 To the Editor: The lessons from the war in Vietnam are stark, foreboding, and almost completely ignored: That our military leaders were incompetent and untrustworthy, that our soldiers were not prepared for a jungle insurgency type of war, and that our politicians were unsophisticated bumpkins with little understanding about how the world functioned. Given the cold-war mentality and our anti-everything-communist agenda, we can expect some forgiveness for a war that made little sense and tore the country apart. Our country was certainly betrayed by its leaders, but the betrayal was not conscious and criminal like the Iraq war of 2003. Vietnam is particularly relevant to Iraq because it provided us with the experience that could have avoided the ridiculous repetition of a pointless war and the ensuing ramifications. Vietnam was a product of an existing philosophical and political conflict that had a basis in the real world, however errant it might have been. Iraq was the product of a contrived W.M.D., 9/11 intermix that fabricated a story that leaked like a sieve. With the help of the likes of The New York Times and CNN giving credence to the story, it preyed on an ignorant American population (75 percent of whom didn’t know where Iraq was) and created a firestorm of support for a war that never should have happened. This overt criminal act of bloodthirsty greed and staggering stupidity caused the deaths of several hundred thousand people, led to the current chaos in the region, nearly bankrupted the country, and destroyed the morale and integrity of our military. Yet no one is responsible. No one admits they screwed up. No one is punished. So, as the drums of war beat loudly to destroy ISIS or attack Iran we begin to increase the number of advisers, also known as Vietnam. We create the doomsday scenarios and fabricate threats to our democracy (they hate us for our values, not because we bombed the crap out of them for 11 years). We ignore the condition of our military and the incompetence of the generals. We pretend that we have solutions to problems that we have yet to identify. Congress went batshit over Benghazi; imagine if a bunch of advisers got killed how they’d react. In the Middle East, we bring nothing to the table. We orchestrated an incredible mess and can only make it worse. Obama thinks about what to do, which drives the Republicans crazy. They moan that we never finished the job in Vietnam and the same in Iraq. We left too many people alive was the real problem. America needs to step back, take a deep breath, and have a national debate about what we are doing as a nation. Realistically assess our abilities to function in the world. But first and foremost, be willing to accept responsibility for our actions and the consequences of these actions. NEIL HAUSIG Fraud, Race, Laziness East Hampton June 4, 2015 Dear Editor, The favorite word of wrongheaded right-wing fanatics seems to be “fraud.” Fraud in voting, fraud in receiving welfare benefits, fraud in unemployment claims. Of course, all of these claims are straw men, phantoms, set up to anger the quick-to-hate groupies, but all relating to blacks and minorities. The second most widely used word by these people is “race.” The president is racist, the attorney general is racist, Democrats are using the race card, the media is racist. Again, just nonsense and apocryphal phrases used to make their own faithful racists anxious to vent their spleens. The mal-intentioned individuals who deliberately use these words — fraud, racism, and such others as “culture of laziness” — are being used as part of their scheme to fire up and anger fringe and base voters to get them to support right-wing candidates, who are, of course, great family men and churchgoers (women need not apply) like Dennis Hastert. When universal voter registration eventually comes to pass, and it will, these creatures of the right will just disappear. So for now, just ignore the stupidity contained in letters to the editor with the nasty untrue catcalls against liberals and progressives. RICHARD P. HIGER Our Great Cowboy Southold June 6, 2015 Dear Editor David, Did you ever have anything like this in your lifetime experiences? One night I was having a hard time getting to sleep, ailments here and there flaring. I was actually falling off, and thought I was otherwhere in the house. I was actually still in bed when I came to. Amazed what I saw: I could see a small-medium, yellow moon with a dusty blue outline. There were wisps of white cloud through the moon about 15 or 20 miles up in the sky! I heard a low, masculine, long hoot, eerie-oooos heard, not yet a groan but close. The soul was in a cowboy’s deepest longing to be heard. I’ve heard of sounds like this through my life. This must have been the third for me. Deepest sigh thrown out in the heavens. Life awareness was his want to relay he was alive and well. This throaty sound must have been yearning for his family on earth. He must have had his dog along, barking through the smoke of the cookout of beans and franks! He wanted his family to be aware he was fed, by the burning fire that loosened his throat. First off I thought it was our great leader, Ronald Reagan. I hold to this, our great cowboy, sounding off, and heard maybe on both shores, north and shore on the south, a cool night last week. Regards, ANITA FAGAN
Published 4 years ago
Last updated 4 years ago
Letters to the Editor: 06.18.15
June 18, 2015