A Girl of Many Talents Hampton Bays June 16, 2013 Dear David, My heart is heavy as I write this, just one day after Anna Lytton’s life was snuffed out while riding her bike. She was in my fifth-grade class at Springs School and I wanted to let readers know a little about her. Anna was gentle and wise. She, a girl of many talents, generously shared her gifts. A natural teacher, Anna patiently mentored second-grade buddies in technology. They looked up to her as she showed them new ways to use computer skills. Her artwork was striking and bold in design. She’d plunge right into her zone of creativity and produce something unique. She was a modest girl, never seeking attention or recognition but graciously accepting the spotlight when it shined upon her. She had a mind for math and, like a physicist, was intrigued by the workings of the universe. Her questions were deep and thoughtful, like those a philosopher would ask. She was a poet whose words came from keen observing and love of nature. She wrote many odes, like Neruda. Anna had traveled to India and her spirituality reflected the teachings of Buddha. She accepted and did not judge. She was kind and content. Her death is a loss to this community and to our world, for in her short time of 14 years, she made it a better place. Like all who knew her, I grieve with her mother, Kate, dad, Ramesh, brother, James, and her grandparents and relatives and friends. I share this poem she wrote at age 10 after a class trip to the dunes on Napeague: Ode to an Ocean Feather Surfing in the air, with your majestic feathery fluff, You softly swing to the sandy shore. You land with a silent thump. Silence lapses over the beach. A loud CRASH drenches you with sea spray. You were once a fanned-out feather, but now you are limp, a lump of sogginess. The sun dries the water out from you and you are the beautiful white-gray feather you had always been. Another feather floats down. And the cycle begins again. Spring 2010 Pick up feathers on the beach this summer and think of Anna. I was lucky to know her. Sincerely, IRENE TULLY Springs Teacher (Retired 2012) Times Have Changed Springs June 16, 2013 Dear David, When a member of the Springs School Board proposed obtaining a grant to provide sidewalks for kids to walk to school, I was the lone dissenter at the Springs citizens advisory committee meeting and people thought I was an alarmist and unreasonable. As one who has spent her career in elementary school, I have always known that the reason we call them kids is because they do not have the ability to understand their own vulnerability and mortality, and frequently act on impulse. Although there is some variation in when adulthood actually happens to a kid, their unpredictable, innocent behavior is pervasive during those precious early years. Walking to school should only proceed when an adult is present. I do not approve of kids being unsupervised in any situation or place, and older kids should not be placed in the position of being supervisors of younger children, no matter how mature and responsible they may seem. Both the kid being supervised and the supervising child are always distracting and distractible. In the horror of the Cleveland case, one of the 10-year captives was innocently walking home from school when she was abducted. Please don’t tell me that you walked home from school when you were a kid years ago — so did I, but times have changed. We have come a long way in some areas and in others we have regressed. Life can be pretty dangerous even in seemingly peaceful East Hampton. A devastating tragedy occurred in East Hampton this weekend. A 14-year-old child riding a bike was hit by a car and killed. She was to have graduated from the Springs School this week. This terrible accident needs to serve as notice to the community that we must do a better job of protecting our children. Caution at all times should be our motto. Sincerely yours, PHYLLIS ITALIANO Traffic Nightmares East Hampton June 17, 2013 Dear David, Jane Adelman needs to be in charge of the Village of East Hampton’s traffic nightmares. From the unfriendly, police-state appearance of the car-markers trolling the streets to the insane No Left Turn sign out of Waldbaum’s, she not only sees the problems, but offers the solutions. To her excellent list I would add that the traffic controllers should be allowed to stop people from crossing anywhere but the crosswalks. I hope someone in the village government read her letter. Sincerely, ADRIENNE KITAEFF Criminal Act Amagansett June 12, 2013 Dear David, In September 2011, shortly after we lost our friend Andrew Walsh, my children and I made a small, inconspicuous garden at the site of his untimely death on Old Northwest Road near the Marion Lane intersection. We started with bayberries, William Penn barberries, coast leucothoe, sweet pepperbushes, plum ewes, roses, and daffodil bulbs. Since Andrew was a landscaper, it seemed an appropriate, unobtrusive testimonial marked by nothing except beauty and the regeneration of life. A great deal of time-consuming effort was expended to assure that the plants would establish themselves. There is no access to water up there, so daily, for months, we hauled water, weeded, fertilized‚ and watched the garden grow. However, since the beginning, there is a person or persons who, for some mysterious reason, systematically uprooted, destroyed, or stole plants and saplings. We replaced whatever was missing, which was useless because time and time again, the mischief continued. Recently, returning from a 10-day trip, I discovered that the entire garden had been decimated. Everything was gone. There was not so much as a single leaf or flower left. Andrew lies next to his father in a small cemetery in Ireland where he was born, though he was a United States citizen who lived here. We feel that the place where he died is hallowed ground, the destruction of which is desecration. And according to the East Hampton Town Highway Department, it is also the criminal act of vandalism. Amagansett is my home; all our friends and neighbors are kind and generous and appalled by this single-minded damage committed heretofore with impunity. We intend to replant; however, I have little doubt that the problem will continue and the only recourse would be to post a guard waiting to witness the next episode. This is not impossible, but it is impractical and inconsistent with the welcoming character of East Hampton. I am writing to register my distress in the hope that the culprit or culprits and any enablers in word or deed, will desist. In addition, since the area is public property and the Highway Department has no problem with it as long as it does not impede their work‚ anyone is free to help plant, water, weed, and remove roadside trash. Andrew’s family in Ireland and my family here would be grateful if this small garden with its quiet tribute to a fine man and his love of the natural world would be accorded the dignity and respect it deserves. Sincerely, JOANIE McDONNELL East Hampton Bowl East Hampton June 17, 2013 Dear Editor, It is with great sadness that we will be closing the East Hampton Bowling Center after nearly 40 years of operation and ending nearly 53 years of its service to the community. We recognize the great impact this closing will have on the community and we feel much sorrow for the many lives that will be affected, including but not limited to our employees, their families, and our bowlers, who will have to drive to Riverhead to bowl. We are especially saddened that the high school bowling team will be left without a place to practice. Our family moved to East Hampton full time in 1982 and we were immediately welcomed into this beautiful community. Our children grew up here, attending East Hampton schools and enjoying the natural beauty and the unique opportunities and experiences awarded to those who grow up on the East End. As parents and business owners we became active volunteers in some amazing local organizations, such as the PTA, the East Hampton Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, and L.V.I.S., to name a few. East Hampton Bowl was always available for fund-raising events and there were so many incredible events, each one so deserving and so inspiring. Fund-raising events ranged from the rare disease to the Special Olympics, to cystic fibrosis, to AIDS, to cerebral palsy, to the East Hampton High School, to families in need. There were so many over the years, and too many to list, so please forgive us for not mentioning them all. We’ve had the great pleasure of serving four generations of bowlers through a variety of leagues, countless birthday parties, and private events, and we’ve had the great fortune to meet so many of your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Many even became our valued employees. Through all of these experiences we’ve been blessed by meeting so many of you and so many wonderful friendships have been formed. We cherish each and every one of them! So to our friends, neighbors, bowlers, employees, and our loyal customer base from ages 3 to 103, we bid you farewell! We wish to extend our deepest heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to each and every one of you. Thank you all for allowing us to serve you for so many years. Sincerely, CRAIG PATTERSON For the Patterson Family They Remind Me San Francisco June 11, 2013 Dear Star, I love all of your photos and have started to clip them for office art. They remind me that there’s a wonderful world of life out there. Thank you for the visions. Sincerely, CAROLINE T. CORY Dark Sky, Good News Springs June 17, 2013 Dear David, There is very good news to report about the dark sky-light pollution front. 1. The county is adding a measure to their shielding requirement that will provide better vision at night and less skyglow, sponsored by Jay Schneiderman. 2. It appears that Shelter Island will soon enact its own outdoor lighting code, making the entire East End of Long Island “dark sky.” 3. For your city readers, a project was squelched that would have projected billboards at night onto residential buildings downtown. The only disappointing news is that Councilwoman Quigley’s lighting committee is still trying to repeal our 2006 Smart Lighting Code in favor of a code that would increase glare, sky glow, light trespass, and energy waste. Thank you, SUSAN HARDER Don’t Buy Mylar Greenport June 16, 2013 Dear David, A thoughtful letter from yet another poop picker-upper pushed my pet peeve button. Refreshingly, last week Susan Brockman Metzger wrote outside the usual Star litany: helicopter and airport noise, doggie doo-doo and leash laws, public incivility, too many people partying, not enough parking, or overflowing garbage bins in the loved-to-death Fabulous Hamptons. She wrote instead about Mylar balloons washing ashore. “It’s a Boy!” “Happy Birthday!” “Get Well!” “Congratulations!” They are everywhere. I’d like to add that these balloons float for months at sea before they hit the beaches, with their nylon ribbons dangling beneath the surface, riding the wind to an inevitable lee shore. Offshore veterans know — it’s incredible. Over the years, on every trip between Montauk and the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay, we counted and logged them (yes, watch-standing is boring out there). Looking back over the years, I see we spotted an average of 40 balloons floating on the surface over each average 50-hour sea passage. S.B. Metzger is right, if you really care about pollution, dog poop is peanuts. Don’t buy helium-filled Mylar balloons. If you just can’t resist these gimmicky things, please don’t let them loose into the environment. Still a faithful reader — but from the other Fork, PAT MUNDUS The Best for Others Springs June 14, 2013 Dear Editor; While reading your story concerning the push for a new public bathing beach somewhere on Napeague it occurred to me we were witnessing a very rare thing in Town Hall. That rare thing is a degree of enthusiasm and cooperation to accomplish a task that seems to encompass all the town board, various committees and departments, our lifeguard services, to a degree the trustees, and, I assume, the wise people in the finance department who will ensure we can afford to do this. Good for our dysfunctional town government and good for the businesses on Napeague. No doubt more people mean more for them. It also occurred to me this won’t be cheap. We need to pay for engineering and design, land preparation, paving of the access and parking lot, drainage, lighting and utilities, a restroom sanitary system, handicapped needs, and surely other requirements, none of which can be done in-house. If the bathrooms are pre-fab the cost will be over $100,000, and if built from the ground up, well over that figure. The price to build this new bathing beach will be more than $1 million and ongoing costs will add to that. It’s a cost to be shared by us all on our tax bill. Springs has a number of bathing beaches nearby. Even though most are unprotected road ends with overflowing garbage cans and no parking, we’re going to pay for more and expensive facilities elsewhere. Though the wooden columns that support the pavilion roof at Maidstone Park are rotten and held erect with bands of metal and screws, we’ll pay for everything new on Napeague. Even though we have bathroom facilities that are locked, unusable, vandalized, and worn, and we have three plastic Porta-Potties to take their place, we’ll pay for the best of comfort for others somewhere else. So, I’m happy for the atmosphere in Town Hall that allows so much good will and cooperation to benefit others, but not so happy, using the bathroom reference, that Springs is being pissed on again. BRAD LOEWEN Amagansett Village? East Hampton June 15, 2013 To the Editor, I was spending some time with your current issue while having a fine dinner at Bostwick’s on a strangely quiet Thursday night (which proved to be the calm before the storm, as anyone who went near the village on Friday would attest — has the Friday before Father’s Day become a national holiday?) In any case, I happened to read in succession the articles “Call for Gansett Hamlet Study” and “Move Along, Party Buses,” so Amagansett and its wonderful beaches were prominent in my consciousness. Having finished my meal, the table was cleared and I finally noticed the bold and cheerily painted lettering about 30 inches from my eyes: “Visit Asparagus Beach, Amagansett.” What goes around comes around, yes? It did give me a thought for a possible addition to the Amagansett Hamlet Study agenda: Why not discuss the pros and cons of the hamlet becoming a proper village with its own jurisdictions? Banning alcohol on the beach would become easy to accomplish, as East Hampton Village has done it long ago. I realize this would be an enormous change and task for the hamlet, and probably expensive. But it has recently been accomplished by Sagaponack, and the committee could examine their process and the results it has produced. Amagansett is surely more of a “village” in the classic sense of the word than Sagaponack. Anyone? FRED KOLO New Public Beach Amagansett June 15, 2013 Dear David, Reading the front page of The Star — “Three Spots Eyed for New Public Beach” — I’m not too surprised that Dominick Stanzione wants to duck the need to make a decision that might possibly anger some nearby residents. So he’s side-stepping and calling for another ad hoc committee to study the issue. The issue has already been thoroughly researched and studied by Zach Cohen, chairman of the Nature Preserve Committee, and his group, along with the Planning and Natural Resources Departments. After months of work with the committee, he made a detailed presentation to the town board on June 4, one that included charts, maps, and analysis of the pros and cons of each of the possible sites. It would appear that Dominick, who is liaison to the Nature Preserve Committee, is trying to get in on the act and direct some attention to himself. After all, it is campaign season. Or is he stalling on making a decision on which site is the best choice and would like to be taken off the hook by having an ad hoc committee make that choice for him. And this is the “independent thinker”? It seems that every project that has been turned over to an ad hoc committee has failed. If Dominick wants to kill the idea of another beach, this will do the trick. RONA KLOPMAN A Clear Stand East Hampton June 16, 2013 Dear David: At a recent town board meeting a resolution to transfer funds enabling the supervisor to spend $7,000 on employee jackets was defeated. Councilman Stanzione abstained, thereby failing to take a clear stand on this issue. It seems to me that by abstaining, the councilman is hedging his bets so as to avoid antagonizing either side. Abstentions and/or absences during controversial votes are not unusual from this councilman, who presents himself as an independent. We should not confuse failure to take a decisive stand on difficult issues with independence. SUE AVEDON Turned the Town Around Wainscott June 17, 2013 Dear Editor, I am personally disgusted reading your constant bashing of Bill Wilkinson. Your picking at everything he does lately is just too politically slanted. Please give some credit where it is due. When Bill came into office the town was teetering on bankruptcy. The inefficiency of the McGintee administration was off the wall. The incompetentcy of the supervisor was glaring. Yet, I am finding it very difficult to recall reading any editorial calling for Mc, Gintee’s resignation. Could it be that your loyalty to the Democratic Party has outweighed your sense of propriety? I remember very happily a reduction in my taxes. A reduction of the town payroll, and a return to efficient fiscal sanity. I recall the biggest outcry by those citizens who didn’t vote for Wilkinson was the cancellation of leaf pickup. Get with it and remember if you can that he turned the town around. Give a little credit where it is due. On a different subject, in a prior editorial your calling for the closure of the airport is the height of poor business judgment. The loss of jobs and financial benefit to the town would be enormous. There would be a loss of at least 90 jobs, and $12 million to $15 million in business income (these are figures published by the New York State Department of Commerce). Remember Shaw Aero? They wanted to expand their plant, located on the airport property. The supervisor at the time, Tony Bullock, turned them down. Shaw eventually left and East Hampton lost some 95 jobs. Today Shaw Aero is one of the largest employers Fort Myers, Fla. Sincerely, I.H. PALER Demand for Sand Springs June 17, 2013 Dear David, Sand may become the new gold dust of the Hamptons. Whether sand is used to cover existing hard-surface revetments, the proposed constructed dune in Montauk, or for straight-forward beach replenishment, beach-compatible sand will be needed in large quantities. The news articles on the potential dune to be built in Montauk for free by the Army Corps of Engineers do not detail the large amount of sand that could be needed to maintain it for 30 years. The United States government will generously pay for 65 percent of that maintenance cost, but that still leaves the town with 35 percent of the cost. Where will this sand come from? When I ask East Hampton Town employees and members of Concerned Citizens of Montauk, the view is that there may be a lot of sand available offshore but its location has not been identified, nor has the amount that is available for relocation onshore been quantified, nor has the cost of getting in on shore been estimated. Over the next 30 years, we cannot predict when storms will remove sand from the beach and from coverings of hard structures. But we can be sure that it will happen — and probably with increasing frequency. Long term, the town will need a financial plan that acts like an insurance policy to cover the costs of sand replenishment. Since such a plan is based on probabilities of storms that are not precisely predictable, we should ask the Army Corps of Engineers to include as much information on its estimates of maintenance needs as it can. We will also need to ask independent experts to review the Corps’ work and to make estimates of our sand replenishment needs for the entirety of our coastline. The town will need operational agreements and procedures that ensure that any hard structure that has had its sand removed by a storm must, and can, be quickly recovered. Even proponents of hard revetments usually admit that they damage the shoreline in front and to the sides unless they are sufficiently covered in sand. There will also be a demand for sand for beach replenishment and with rising sea levels and increased storms, that need will increase. The simple economics of supply and demand say that as there is more demand for sand, the price for it will go up. If the amount of sand that can be used for replenishment diminishes, the price will rise further. The more the town allows new permits for revetments that require sand-covering, the more the town drives up its own future maintenance expenses. I have, only half in jest, told the clerk of the town trustees that it may make financial sense for them to buy a dredge that will be used to better maintain our harbors, and that the dredge and its operation would be paid for by the sale of sand. Sincerely, ZACH COHEN Unchecked Expansion Montauk June 11, 2013 To the Editor: Recently, I was misquoted (as well as quoted out of context) in this paper regarding Willie Nelson’s pot smoking — either way, not very newsworthy!? The comment was lifted from a much broader discussion held at last week’s Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee meeting, where a Willie Nelson concert was only an example of the unchecked expansion of use among many of the newly renovated Montauk clubs. The meeting discussion was about the town’s lack of enforcement of 1) expansion of use and 2) accessory businesses newly operated at pre-existing, nonconforming commercial establishments. Examples of expanded use include the Surf Lodge, a pre-existing nightclub now operating as an outdoor concert venue; Ruschmeyer’s, a pre-existing motel and restaurant, now also operating a separate bar hosting live music-D.J. Reggae parties on a filled-in swimming pool, and the Montauk Beach House, formerly Ronjo Motel, selling memberships to its new resort concept with a full bar-restaurant and shop that never previously existed. These are just a few examples of expanded or accessory uses at Montauk landmarks. The issue is not which celebrities have which vices, but rather, how can we enforce our own codes to better balance progress with peaceful coexistence. ANNE MAEGLI ‘Ambient Uproar’ Amagansett June 17, 2013 Dear David, I’m sitting on the deck listening to the bullfrogs courting in the nearby pond. Will the “ambient” uproar get me a pass for a raucous party under Mr. Wilkinson’s new law? Just wondering, JEANNE FRANKL Thunderous Sound Mattituck June 17, 2013 To the Editor, How can it be that such a small percentage of people that opt to hop on a helicopter to get to their multimillion-dollar houses ruin so many other people’s lives on the South and North Fork? The only way I can describe living on the North Fork from the “official” start of the summer (Memorial Day) to October is like living in a war zone. Thursday through Tuesday, we are blasted with the thunderous sound of helicopters, seaplanes, private jets, and prop planes. Pilots have the right to “transition” east of Manorville, and yet the same communities east of Wading River continue to get blasted with the pounding sounds of helicopters because pilots use the shortest point of entry to get to the Hamptons. I have been dealing with this horrific noise for over six years now. I have a logbook that consists of times, dates, flight direction, and descriptions of all types of aircraft flying over my home and two local beaches. These pilots are not supposed to fly over populated areas. Our house was built in the 1960s, as were almost all the others in my development, so our neighborhood did not pop up over the past six years. We are established and quite populated, as many of the houses are along the Mattituck Creek. Best of all, after many efforts to discuss my concerns with the Eastern Region Helicopter Council, elected officials, and even the pilots and owners of a few of the helicopter companies, they just can’t stay away from flying over the Mattituck junior and senior high school while in session. Why? As if we don’t have farm fields and open land to fly over. The East Hampton Town Board has created a huge problem, and it is up to the town board, along with the airport managers, the helicopter council, and others, to come up with a solution. Jointly, these parties can make a difference by having these pilots fly one mile off the Long Island Sound and around Orient Point to get to East Hampton Airport. All pilots should be mandated to fly at 3,000 feet minimum, and yet I can prove that they haven’t even been able to follow the 2,500-foot rule, to “fly friendly.” Also, please note that not all pilots have flotation devices in their aircraft. Why would anyone get into a chopper without a flotation device? Why doesn’t the Federal Aviation Administration mandate this? In conclusion, I will continue to call the complaint line because if I don’t, the East Hampton Town Board will be presented with stats that are low, which is equivalent to there being “no problems.” We all know how it goes: No complaints equals no problems. So I will continue to call, e-mail, and document just to prove that, yes, there is a huge problem brought on by a select few that affect so many people’s quality of life on both the North and South Forks. Fix the problem or shut the airport down! TERESA McCASKIE Airport Activity Wainscott June 17, 2013 Dear Editor, I feel especially honored that I am the recipient of David Gruber’s vitriolic and sarcastic response to my letter of May 16. Unfortunately I was out of town and unable to submit a proper and timely answer, so here it is. I stand by my statements as to the ability of the town to restrict flight operations and access to East Hampton Airport. In the Tim Bishop letter that airport opponents like to quote out of context, the Federal Aviation Administration had a clear answer to whether the town could impose limits on airport activity. Quoting the F.A.A.: “It is well settled that airport operators have limited proprietary authority to restrict access to control noise. Whether or not they have accepted grants from the F.A.A., they are vested only with the power to promulgate reasonable, non-arbitrary and nondiscriminatory regulations that establish acceptable noise levels for the airport and its environs. Any other conduct by an airport proprietor would frustrate the statutory scheme and unconstitutionally burden the commerce Congress sought to foster.” “In the opinion of the F.A.A., should the town of East Hampton propose any restriction that denies access on fair and reasonable grounds or unjustly discriminatory . . . the aforementioned Federal and constitutional law would provide a basis for aircraft operators to prevail in seeking a declaratory judgment and injunction. This basis is independent of Grant Assurances 22a, 22h, and 29.” “From a legal perspective, airport operators have limited proprietary authority to restrict access as a means of reducing aircraft noise impacts in order to improve compatibility with the local community. This limitation applies to the same degree whether or not the airport operator has accepted grants of Federal funding from the F.A.A.” David Gruber’s repeated reference to the case of National Helicopter v. New York City does not explain that after lengthy legal wrangling, the only result was the apparent limiting of sightseeing flights, not the overall use of the heliport. David also likes to use the Naples, Fla., airport legal action as proof that municipalities can prevail over the F.A.A. Also out of context, the Naples Airport legal battle, after costing $6 million, only managed to restrict operations of Stage 2 aircraft. For those not familiar with civil aviation terms, Stage 2 aircraft include Boeing 707, early Boeing 727, 737, 747, Douglas DC-8, 9, 10, Grumman G-III, McDonnell-Douglas MD-11, and other mostly obsolete large airliners. Hardly what you would expect at East Hampton Airport. For all the effort and expense, little was really accomplished, especially considering that by federal law, these aircraft will be banned from U.S. skies as of the end of 2015. I would like to point out once again that Mr. Gruber, in over 20 years of numerous frivolous lawsuits and appeals against East Hampton Town over the airport, using the same arguments he repeatedly uses here and in Town Hall, has never won in court. Never! Never! What he did manage to do is sue the United States Department of Transportation to eliminate several years of grant assurance obligations while somehow managing to keep the town unaware of the proceedings and from participating in protecting its interest, in spite of the fact it was the town that signed the original grant assurances in the first place. This is the kind of “above-board” legal action the aviation community has come to expect of Mr. Gruber. If David is so sure of his position and thinks I am “so ignorant of all the relevant facts and law,” I would like him to provide a list of all the municipalities that have successfully imposed flight and access restrictions when grant assurances expired. I still believe the answer to noise mitigation and relief for those affected by airport operations lies with a town board with the integrity and determination to address the issue without the intimidation and meddling of David Gruber and his followers. Cordially, GENE OSHRIN Accomplishments East Hampton June 16, 2013 Dear Mr. Rattray: I would like to thank the East Hampton Conservatives and the Suffolk County Conservative Party for their nomination. I am honored, and was quite flattered by their praise for my professional accomplishments. I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to your readers. My family roots on the South Fork go back to 1955, and growing up in East Quogue played a large role in who I am today. These life-long roots have ingrained in me a respect for the most important things that make life on the South Fork so special. Most important, it is the people who live here. Second, is the splendor of our natural environment. Third, is the rich history and culture that are so vital to our community. Throughout my life, I have valued and worked to protect all of these. I have worked to protect people, not only as an assistant district attorney, but also as the East Hampton Deputy Town Attorney. Even in my own practice, I am a registered member of the Suffolk County Assigned Counsel Plan, providing legal services to those who cannot afford to hire an attorney. I also am a member of the East Hampton Lions Club. The Lions Club is a service organization dedicated to serving the community’s health and vision needs. I worked through college, law school, and beyond as an ocean lifeguard, protecting swimmers and helping people when they needed it most. As a surfer of over 25 years, I have always been aware of our natural environment. I took up field ecology at an early age. I was a member of the environmental law society in law school, and majored in environmental studies in college at the University of Pennsylvania. As counsel to the East Hampton Town Zoning Board, I provided counsel on many environmentally related projects. Currently, I am the secretary of the Eastern Long Island Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. The Surfrider Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our oceans, waves, and beaches. The culture and history of our home helps bring us all together. Our history, from colonial and pre-colonial times, through the present, has always fascinated me. With a degree in American History, I have always loved learning about where we have been. Currently, I provide pro bono counsel to the Amagansett Life-Saving Station Society. Together we are working toward restoring the structure that is among the most historically significant in East Hampton. My commitment to protecting our people, safeguarding our environment, and respecting our unique way of life are part of what will make me the best justice for our community. I look forward to campaigning and meeting more of you. Yours very truly, CARL IRACE Candidate for East Hampton Town Justice The Big Things Springs June 10, 2013 Dear David, Have you written any articles concerning the problems America is facing, such as Operation Fast and Furious; result, death of a border patrol agent and hundreds of Mexican citizens. Unconstitutional budget deficits. Sending arms and money to Muslim Brotherhood. Promoting voter fraud. Benghazigate, denying Ambassador Stevens and his team help while doing what? when they were under attack — result, four dead. Internal Revenue Service intimidation — seizing phone records from the press and now targeting conservative companies. Black Panther voter intimidation; Department of Justice looked the other way, no charges filed. Fort Hood shooting not labeled terrorism, result: victims denied Purple Hearts and hurt for money while the shooter receives $278,000 in salary. The president threatened with the debt ceiling to stop payments to Social Security retirees, military disability; no threats to frivolous benefits such as Internet access from violent inmates, he and his wife’s out-of-control spending continues. No threats as not to pay senators and/or Congress or their staff free cellphones, food stamp program keeps getting bigger, and last but not least no reduction on foreign aid. So, David, what do you think of the big things in politics? You allowed McGintee to run amok and just about destroy the town, but you practically demand Supervisor Wilkinson and Theresa Quigley quit. So much for your opinion. Sincerely BEA DERRICO Nobody Asked Me But East Hampton June 10, 2013 Dear Editor: Thinking back to the sports news of the fabulous ’50s — the Dodgers, the Giants, the Yankees, Joe Louis, boxing at its peak, and all of it followed religiously in a different New York Post with the best sports reporting in New York — I recalled the columns of the great Jimmy Cannon, who labeled some columns “Nobody Asked Me But” as a means to render his opinions. Jimmy is gone now, remembered in the Journalist Hall of Fame and by those of us who revered his work. I just thought I’d use his “Nobody Asked Me . . .” format in this letter about present-day politics and political personalities. Nobody asked me but . . . New Jersey might just as well skip the senatorial election and anoint Corey Booker. Darryl Issa will be crowned the biggest partisan fool since Joe McCarthy as he hotly pursues “scandals” that repeatedly are all shown to be nonexistent. Women in sports and business will continue to increase their number and influence in society and politics. The Republican Party will continue to bite itself in its proverbial rear end with its views on women, immigrants, gays and lesbians, and low-income financial cuts. Republican negative personal attacks will help elect Hillary Clinton president of the United States. Barack Obama will be hailed as one of the greatest presidents of the modern era. Sandy Koufax was the best left-handed pitcher of all time. Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey will be remembered for their courage and foresight in furthering race relations in America. Willie Mays was the most exciting baseball player ever. Rush Limbaugh will be revealed to be gay and secretly married to Senator Lindsay Graham. Everyone is entitled to my opinion so stay tuned for more in future letters. RICHARD P. HIGER Weather Patterns Amagansett June 10, 2013 Dear Editor, The Earth is in a glacial age that has lasted, so far, over 550,000 years. Generally, there are 18,000 to 25,000 years of warm periods followed by an abrupt change to cooling, the temperature drops, and glaciers grow. Eventually, the glaciers cover North America as far south as, well, right here. Eventually the Earth cycle enters a warming period and the ice retreats slowly and the sea, whose levels had fallen up to 350 vertical feet, rises as the ice melts. The levels are restored, give or take a few yards, atmospheric carbon dioxide drops as the Earth cools and, with slight delays of 100 to 800 years, carbon dioxide increases as a tiny fraction of our atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a vital necessity because our green plants and blue-green algae use it to free the oxygen everyone needs to breathe and use the carbon to construct their cell(s). Atmospheric carbon dioxide is at an unremarkable level compared with previous periods. Our current global temperature is also unremarkable compared with previous warm periods, except to note it is a little cooler than some previous warm periods. The difference is we are here to obsess over it. We need to do our best to keep our corner of the world clean; after all, we live here. America, compared to a short century ago, has done a very good job at cleaning up, and becoming far more efficient. As we appear to be moving back into the weather patterns of the 1950s, we need to pay attention to major costal storms. We need to be prepared for the likely, not fret about the improbable. Yours, PETER OSBORNE Manifest Destiny Boston June 17, 2013 To the Editor, Re: higher education, “or going out of my head.” Pensiveness! Dear professor of murder in Italy, Dempsey syllabus, platinum — playtinum text messaging and education. 1776 — W.B. — four signers, N.Y. Manifest destiny. The road to Armageddon — the new Jerusalem or Worcester and Brooklyn 70-90 and staying out of the hostel the institute of the works of religion. “Doc wirelessed his thanks,” 1934 brand of the Werewolf Papa — hoax. Wes Montgomery pool and park — one wife, seven kids. Chet Atkins — R.C.A. Nashville, “Stay Tuned” album. Taking the staircase when you were young and now owning the building. “Confidence Men” — this time is different. Summer school and dad’s student loans, return on investment/distressed investment even though you were in 9-11 and all the oldtimers are gone. New directors need documentation. Dinah — “What a Difference a Day Makes.” Mickey Mantle, “The Last Boy” — “Don’t be like me” — part of the story. Revisiting New Rochelle. Two-year study, Zephaniah 2-13 = 2-15. Enjoy Townline, GEORGE RICHERT
Published 4 years ago
Last updated 4 years ago
Letters to the Editor: 06.20.13
June 19, 2013