Swim Against Cancer Sag Harbor July 13, 2015 To the Editor: The sixth annual Hamptons Swim Against Cancer was held this past Saturday, July 11, and proceeds raised by the 100 participating swimmers benefited the charity of which I am chairman, Fighting Chance, and so I wanted to extend heartfelt thanks to the swimmers and scores of volunteers who made the event such a success. The funding Fighting Chance will receive from the event will help us continue to offer professional counseling to newly diagnosed cancer patients living on the East End, a service we have provided for 14 years. When 100 swimmers entered the waters of Gardiner’s Bay, one of the things you thought about, of course, is safety, and that was completely covered by East Hampton Ocean Rescue. Members of their group were all over the swim course on surfboards, paddleboards, and even a few Jet Skis. The Ocean Rescue group worked hand in hand, as they have for six years now, with volunteers from Swim Across America, which organized the event, took care of swimmer registration, and handled a vast number of other logistics. So, thanks again to all of you who made the day possible. It was an inspiring example of neighbor helping neighbor — a spirit which runs deep on Long Island. Sincerely, DUNCAN DARROW Dedicated Volunteers Montauk July 7th, 2015 Dear Mr. Rattray, Wednesday started out as a good day. I saw some tiny ants on the floor in a tight area. I sprayed them and inhaled the spray. In minutes, I coughed and then began grasping for air. My airways were closing, and I could not breathe. It was frightening. Gasping, I called 911. The police and Montauk ambulance company responded in minutes. The policewoman gave me oxygen. The emergency medical technicians took vitals. I was taken to Southampton Hospital. The emergency room took X-rays of my lungs; they were clear. The poison control center was contacted, and I was diagnosed with accidental chemical poisoning. I was released with orders to rest and follow up with my doctor in 24 hours. I am fine now. I am ever grateful and thankful for all of the policewomen and men that came to help (sorry, I do not know all their names). I am grateful and thankful for the Montauk fire and ambulance volunteers: Mary and the E.M.T.s in the ambulance on the way to the hospital: Scott, Jason, Rob, Richard (the ambulance driver on duty). Thank you, Rev. Bill Hoffmann, for your support, and my grandson for being there and bringing me home from the hospital. Thank you to all. We are so very fortunate to have such dedicated volunteers and such a wonderful service supporting our town. Sincerely, JEAN RUGGLES Ninetieth Birthday Party Montauk July 6, 2015 Dear Mr. Rattray, I would like to thank Michelle, Ollie, and their staff for the great festive 90th birthday party. It was a beautifully decorated room with congratulation balloons over the tables. Each person got one to take home. We were feasted with a wonderful spread of fine food plus two beautifully decorated cakes for dessert. All at the Senior Citizens Center! We couldn’t have been more well attended to and waited on in the finest restaurant in town. With the many volunteers, we had an enjoyable time, with a great success. A proclamation certificate was given to each one of us by our East Hampton Town Supervisor, Larry Cantwell. I would also like to thank The East Hampton Star on their outing to the center and publishing the picture by Durell Godfrey. A beautiful day, and a job well done by the Senior Citizens Center. A Senior Center member, JOSEPHINE CRASKY A Great Success Montauk July 11, 2015 To the Editor: The Friends of the Montauk Library are pleased to announce that our 36th annual book fair, our first to be held at the library, was a great success. The somewhat smaller book fair raised over $10,000 for the two-day event, and adding that to our other book sales, yard sale, and our Love Letters performance and fund-raising event, we have raised even more money then we did last year. We want to thank the many people that made this possible. We must thank our volunteers who did anything and everything, from baking for our bake sale to spending the whole weekend at the library. We must thank the many people who donate quality books, yard sale items, and jewelry all year for us to sell and recycle, and the businesses that donate supplies for us to use. Thanks also to the Town of East Hampton and the East Hampton Town Police Department for their help in dealing with traffic. Also to Denise DiPaolo and the staff of the Montauk Library that accept and sort through donations all year. We cannot forget the crowds that followed us to the library and lined up long before opening, to shop. I would personally like to thank the executive board of the Friends of the Montauk Library who, under the leadership of Bobbie Metzger, our book fair chairwoman, prepare for this all year. We could not have done it without any of you. SALLY KRUSCH President Friends of the Montauk Library Stepped In to Help East Hampton July 13, 2015 Dear David, We at East Hampton Meals on Wheels would like to extend our thanks to Scott and Holly Rubenstein of East Hampton Indoor Tennis and their patrons for their recent donations. When Scott and Holly learned about our growing client list and our rising food costs, they stepped right in to help. Not only did they make a generous contribution, but they offered their members an opportunity to donate at their 20th-anniversary picnic on June 27. And one couple, who wished to remain anonymous, matched donations up to $1,500. Meals on Wheels volunteer drivers have been providing meals and daily visits to East Hampton’s homebound residents for over 30 years. Because of increased costs, we are quickly depleting our reserve fund. It will only be through people like Scott and Holly and other caring citizens, businesses, groups, and organizations that we will be able to continue this vital service to our community. To learn more, please visit ehmealsonwheels.org. Sincerely, COLLEEN RANDO The Act Is the Fact Springs July 13, 2015 Dear David, Last Saturday night was a sheer delight at Clearwater Beach. The annual party for members and their guests was held and it was spectacular. The weather was perfect, neighbors came down to the beach with blankets, tables and chairs, coolers, and kids, and everyone enjoyed themselves as the members of the board and their worker bees prepared hamburgers and hot dogs and all the fixings, and music played and dancing commenced and ice cream arrived! Neighbors saw neighbors, shared wine and stories, played catch-up, talked about the neighborhood, and as always had a fabulous time. This is something we look forward to every year. This is truly a wonderful community event. For me it is the best beach party of the summer. Besides homeowners and guests, it’s an election year, and we had politicians visiting. Bridget Fleming and Amos Goodman, running for Suffolk County Legislature, were there. Also Larry Cantwell and Tom Knobel, Lisa Mulhern Larsen and Margaret Turner, all running for local offices, were there, each talking to the folks and hearing some of the issues that affect our community. Illegal renting is a major issue in this hamlet, and it is in Montauk also. The Star’s editorial last week “Fast Action Needed In Crises of Crowds” is spot-on. We don’t need nibbling, we need some strong, swift, decisive action. We don’t need statistics or press releases, which always seem to flow forth during political seasons — we need laws to be followed and enforced. The act is the fact, and until we see some concrete improvements no one is going to believe that the politicians are serious in dealing with some pretty outrageous situations occurring townwide. Different hamlets have different issues. Montauk has their short-term renter/visitor problem, with some real bad unacceptable behavior happening. Springs has its long-term renter problem, with overcrowding and commercialization and questionable single-family residences being built. We had high expectations two years ago, and alas, pretty much the problems have evolved and manifested themselves in different ways, but they are the same problems only worse, and very little has been done to remedy them. Again, I respectfully put on the agenda for this political season the quality-of-life issues that seem to plague this town. BETSY RUTH Everything Was Gone East Hampton July 13, 2015 Dear David and Dear Good Samaritan, I was tired when I left Southampton Hospital after spending most of the day bedside with Ralph, who was post-op. On the way home, although I was weary, I pulled into the Kmart driveway to do some shopping (as a silly diversion, I think). After wandering aimlessly around the store, I finally bought an inexpensive lamp that I thought might be useful; I loaded it into the trunk of my car, and it wasn’t until I reached home in Springs that I discovered my purse was missing! I couldn’t believe it. I had paid for my purchase about a half-hour ago and now my purse and everything in it was gone! I searched for it in the car again and again, in the trunk, in the store bag — but it was gone, gone, gone. I phoned Kmart — no purse turned in. I drove back to the store, crying, frustrated, to look at the carts where I had been parked. Empty carts scattered about. Empty carts. No purse. In the dark, I headed home again, totally devastated by this loss, the final clobber following anxious days of the previous weeks. The seldom-used large purse, now filled with objects and documents relevant to the present situation, carried the usual IDs (driver’s license, Medicare, Social Security card, credit cards), a family picture, plus Ralph’s eyeglasses, his record book of past and present medications, hospital appointment cards, two pairs of my eyeglasses, some $60 in cash, and other sundries. All gone. The next few days, when I could face it, I started making telephone calls: Medicare, Social Security, credit card companies. I met with the Southampton Town police. No purse, no sign of it. I had wish fulfillment fantasies that it would turn up somehow, some wonderful person would return it. And after 10 days, when I had lost all hope, a plain, clean, cardboard box was delivered with my purse inside it. Amazing! All its items returned intact! The box carefully addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Carpentier, the return address 200 Bridgehampton Commons, mailed with a $6.70 priority stamp and inside, neatly written on a 3 by 5-inch index card, was the following: “Carpentiers, “Found this left inside a shopping cart outside Rite-Aid at 2 a.m. I hope everything is still in here, but I’m doubtful! Hope getting this back brings you some needed peace of mind. Good Samaritan.” I don’t know who you are, Good Samaritan, but this letter to The Star is the only way I know of whereby I can try to thank you for your kindness in returning my purse and your beautiful note along with it. And I thank you, too, David, for printing this. Two Good Samaritans in the midst of this crazy East Hampton summer! Perhaps there are others of you out there, but you two, whom I wish to thank, have made me very happy and grateful. Sincerely, HORTENSE CARPENTIER The Moving Spirit Springs July 12, 2015 Dear David: The renaming and dedication of the Hartjen-Richardson Boat Shop of the East End Classic Boat Society took place on Sunday, July 12, on the grounds of the Marine Museum in Amagansett, where the boat shop is located. The moving spirit that made this wonderful boat shop possible was, from its very inception, Ray Hartjen, president of the East End Community Boat Shop. It was he who organized the society, appeared in front of the town board and the East Hampton Historical Society for the permits necessary to build the shop on the grounds of the Marine Museum, obtained the pro bono services of the architect, raised the considerable sum necessary, and directed the dedicated crew of volunteers who practically built the shop after foundations and frame were established by professionals. Without him, there would have been no community boat shop. So: Thank you, Ray, for all your efforts, dedication, and success in creating this wonderful shop, which enriches the Marine Museum, the boating community, and the lives of so many, and which will continue to sustain East Hampton’s maritime traditions for many generations to come. REDJEB JORDANIA An Exceptional Painter East Hampton July 13, 2015 Dear Editor: Ralph Carpentier is an exceptional painter who has lived and worked in East Hampton since 1955. His paintings capture the beauty of the East End throughout the seasons. His skies depict the unusual light that is unique to our area. These paintings celebrate the vistas that are, unfortunately, rapidly disappearing. He paints the landscapes that drew many of us here. His life’s work is about the natural beauty that is found here — not the trendy benefit parties, the celebrities, or the shops from Madison Avenue and SoHo. We all mourn the loss of the East End that we came here to enjoy. Yet this fine painter’s work is not receiving the attention it deserves. It isn’t in the Parrish Museum. To my knowledge, he hasn’t had a show at Guild Hall. His most recent show is downstairs in the Amagansett Library — arguably a fitting spot for such a modest and humble man, but his work also should be seen in well-lit spaces that are designed to show art. There are about 12 paintings and several drawings in the show. It’s not to be missed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t reviewed in the East Hampton Star. How can we, as a community, complain about the changes to the East End when we don’t support those people who epitomize the best the East End has to offer? We pride ourselves on the large group of artists for which our area is known, but we seem to be overlooking the quintessential landscape painter of the East End. TRISH DIAMOND Glaring Absence Sarasota, Fla. July 13, 2015 To the Editor, I write to point out a glaring absence in the Star’ arts coverage. Ralph Carpentier has devoted a life time to recording the quickly disappearing life of commercial fishing and farming on the East End. Pam Williams, formerly the owner of Pamela Williams Gallery on Main Street, Amagansett, has curated a retrospective show at the Amagansett Library of some of Ralph’s most evocative painting. For many artists on the East End, Ralph Carpentier, who has been painting and working out of his Spring studio since 1955, has long been considered the dean of local painters. Though I am no critic, it seems to me that his show deserves a thoughtful review in The Star and a wider audience for this important painter. Sincerely, RICH MACDONALD The Real Thing Boston July 13, 2015 Dear Editor, I write to complain of my own bad judgment. I should have attended “All My Sons.” That was the real thing — an Arthur Miller play in a strong production with first-rate actors — all in the very intimate Guild Hall Theater. To say that Miller’s work is sacred is not an overstatement. He exposed the dark underside of American capitalism and its loony twin, right-wing paranoia. For me, the sacred part comes in when he makes meaning out of needless death and destruction of innocent lives at the hands of corporate dons who sip perfectly balanced cocktails and slice into the tenderest steaks far away from the carnage they create. Miller destroys that distance. He pushes the effects of capitalism up to our faces. With “All My Sons,” the loss of the pilots is recalled, enshrined in art, and used as a cautionary tale. Maybe progress can come of it and if it does, art will have made victory of suffering. Congratulations to everyone involved in the production. I promise to catch it the next time. MARK KRONE Who We Still Are East Hampton July 13, 2015 To the Editor: Honor to you for publishing Biddle Duke’s powerful and provocative Guestwords, “Charleston’s Reckoning.” America’s still virulent racism — “This is who we are,” as he says — is not a regional but a national problem. Whether we are willing and able to face it truly — to make “the profound atonement” necessary — still “remains to be seen.” Americans have been looking to the future for an end to our racism ever since the Civil War. I recently read in The Nation’s 150th anniversary collection the following comment by John Richard Dennett, a young Harvard Law School graduate sent by The Nation in 1865 to assess the condition of race relations at the end of the war, who found that despite the end of slavery, the essence of racism lived on. “How long a time will elapse,” Dennett wrote, “before white people cease to be more angry at a Negro’s impudence than at a white man’s,” is a question “only to be decided by future experience.” After 150 years, our hope for America remains in the future. This is who we still are. Shame on us all. MALCOLM MITCHELL Toxic Chemicals East Hampton July 6, 2015 To the Editor: I cannot stay silent any longer in regard to Suffolk County Vector Control’s continued agenda of spraying toxic chemicals into the saltwater coastal marshes in East Hampton Town to prevent mosquito larvae from developing into the pesky little bugs that they are. I have two words for them: silent spring. Can they not put up more martin houses and bat boxes? These winged friends eat about 6,000 bugs a night, each. For those of you who don’t know the connotation, “Silent Spring” is the title of a book by Rachael Carson, about 40 or 50 years ago, who educated the public about the negative effects of a toxic chemical that Big Brother authorized for use to kill pests. It ended up almost killing the osprey population, because the chemicals went into the water, the fish consumed the toxic chemicals and passed them onto the birds that depend on fish, etc., for food. The ospreys laid eggs that couldn’t hatch because the chemicals caused the shells to become very thin and break, unable to support a hatchling. Rachel Carson’s actions stopped the use of toxic chemicals, and now the government is at it again. Please stand up and be heard, before this beautiful bucolic landscape and all of its natural inhabitants vanish, not to mention the baymen, who are directly in the line of fire where the chemicals are being sprayed. At 5 a.m., getting their boats into the water, they are directly exposed to these chemicals and have not an extra hour to sit down and research what their government is spraying, literally on top of them. Their livelihood will vanish for sure. Please research for yourself VectoBac 12AS (bti) and Altosid Liquid (Methoprene). The cranberry bogs in the Walking Dunes in Amagansett (where myself and others, and a long line of Native Americans who were the first inhabitants of this area on the East End, have harvested every autumn) were sprayed with the active chemical in Roundup a few months after protesters stopped them the first time, two years ago. So sad that right under our noses the agenda forges ahead, unless there is public outcry. I am sure I will get a load of contrary responses in next week’s letters but I am betting there will be more followers than opposers. BRIDGET BROSSEAU P.S. Lobsters are in the same phyla as insects. Perhaps there is a connection here as to why there are no more lobsters in the Long Island Sound. Aerial Poisoning Springs July 7, 2015 To the Editor: I agree completely with Bridget Brosseau’s letter opposing the spraying of our marshes for mosquito control. Can this destruction be stopped now? The waterways upon which so many local people depend are already endangered. Aerial poisoning is far worse than mosquitos. GALE FIELDMAN No Valid Reason Springs July 12, 2015 Dear Editor, As a marine biologist, I wholeheartedly agree with Deborah Klughers’ letter (July 9) about Suffolk County Vector Control spraying pesticides on our marshes. Methoprene is an endocrine mimic that affects the growth and maturation of insects — and crustaceans. Crustaceans are a very important part of the ecosystems in our marshes and estuaries. I worry about what it is doing to our crabs and shrimp: Are their larvae about to metamorphose normally into adults? Studies done elsewhere have shown abnormalities and other problems in the maturation process. In addition to these types of crustaceans (that many are familiar with) are those that stay microscopic during their whole lives and are important food for small fishes, which are eaten by bigger fishes, etc. Impairing the populations of crustacean plankton low on the food web could have negative effects on fish populations higher up on the food web. There is no valid reason for vector control spraying these damaging chemicals in our environment. Sincerely, JUDITH S. WEIS Rutgers University See Things Differently Amagansett July 12, 2015 To the Editor: I’ve just read Debbie Klughers’s letter regarding her outrage at the persistence of an aggressive mosquito control program put forth by Suffolk County Vector Control. As with all Ms. Klughers’s, letters this one is jam-filled with facts and thoughtful concerns. The issues of trying to protect the public against disease while trying to protect our environment and local industries are oftentimes complicated. I know Ms. Klughers has come to her own strong opinion about what makes sense regarding spraying. Some others see it differently. To attack the professionals of Vector Control along with the D.E.C. and our 18 elected legislators because they see things differently than Ms. Klughers isn’t a useful way to proceed. I don’t doubt Ms. Klughers’s intentions, but I also don’t doubt that the people at Vector Control, the D.E.C., and our elected legislators have anything but our best interests at heart regarding our health and safety. JERRY LUTZER Wastewater Treatment Springs July 13, 2015 Dear Mr. Rattray: I was disheartened when the grant deadline that could have helped to defray the cost of a water treatment facility to serve the Springs School passed, but end of the school year events, and the difficulty of completing the application on time, were understandable. It was also possible that the grant may not have actually materialized. Fortunately, there are others down the line — waves of the future. That said, Liz Mendelman, school board president, did have several conversations with our school’s administrators, and with Suffolk County wastewater officials, and has pledged to have county engineers present to the school administration on the topic. I expect that to happen, as do other community members and organizations, among them the Accabonac Protection Committee as well as the Duck Creek Farm Association. Even so, it was odd to read comments in the paper from school district staff subsequent to a facilities committee meeting where wastewater treatment needs were raised by a committee member, Susan Harder. (The public was not invited to speak at the meeting.) The district treasurer, Tom Primiano, apparently said something like, “no one in authority has said it was necessary,” as was quoted in your paper’s coverage of the meeting. This is true, but disingenuous. Not to give complete credence to simply anecdotal reports, the Springs School has its system pumped out roughly monthly. Even if only half right, the over-50-year-old system has clear problems. Designed originally for around half its current student and staff users, and with no mitigation from either showers or cooking wastewater, the potently concentrated waste stream has to go somewhere. The documented issues with the adjacent Pussy’s Pond and close-by Accabonac Harbor cannot at this time be laid squarely at the school’s antiquated leaching field(s), but DNA sampling by Cornell, with the leadership of our environmental protection director, Kim Shaw, is due, and highly likely to indicate that human waste is a significant, if not the chief, factor in the problems affecting these waters. The recent fishkills UpIsland show that human waste is at a critical juncture throughout the Peconic Estuary. Does the “stinking gun” implicate the school? Despite the density in Springs, houses all over, Ashawagh Hall’s and the Springs Presbyterian Church’s kitchens and bathrooms, the library, and the general store’s cooking and upstairs residence, can anyone really doubt that the more or less 1,000 flushes per day for at least 180 days a year when school is in session are having a major effect on the deterioration of proximate surface water quality, and wildlife, fisheries, and recreational uses attendant to it? The Springs School’s renovation needs and more space requirements, despite some doubt about projections, are actively considered, planned for, and as a result, Springs residents can anticipate further indebtedness until our Balkanized hamlet school systems conform to a rational townwide school consolidation plan. In the meantime, the Springs School has the opportunity to lead by example, whether or not they’ve been cited by anyone in authority. So I am asking again, what about doing something for the rest of us, those that pay the bills, and the future residents attracted to living here by the great beauty of our area, based on the beautiful waters that surround us? Put a modern wastewater treatment system on top of your to-do list. I’d love to be able to announce that you have, this Saturday, July 18, 9:30 a.m., at the Duck Creek Farm Association’s annual meeting at the Springs Church. Open to all, and facilities available. IRA BAROCAS Curb the Occupation East Hampton July 13, 2015 Dear David, Your editorial in last week’s paper “All Out in White” enforced my theory that we the people don’t do enough policing on our own. The “people from away” just keep pushing, and this time they pushed you! As you stated, you arrived at the event and tried to park in the public lot, only to see “a uniformed attendant associated with the event who appeared to be blocking the entrance to the large public parking lot.” You later went on to call it the “guests-only parking lot.” As we both know, this act was wrong. The big question is why you let yourself be bullied by an unofficial goon? Even if you didn’t just drive past the attendant and cause a little ruckus, you should have at the very least called the police! Here’s another question for you, what would Bill Havens and Calvin Lester have done in the same circumstances? You know the answer. Case in point. Do something! The “people from away” are pushing. Just listen to the folks in Montauk. It’s yours and every other local’s responsibility to curb the reckless occupation. My new motto “push back, push hard” applies here. You were right about one thought. Big clown-like events like these should be strictly limited. Self-restraint “would not be a bad thing.” Yours to command, JEFFREY PLITT Right on Target Montauk July 7, 2015 To the Editor: Thank you, thank you, thank you, Matt Harnick, from a Montauter. Your July 2 letter to The Star was right on target and greatly appreciated by a fellow local. RAYMOND M. CORTELL Their First Words Montauk July 8, 2015 To the Editor, Wow! What a great Fourth of July weekend in Montauk! Although there was no presidential motorcade, there were so many visitors that gridlock — both pedestrian and automobile — frequently occurred at both ends of the Plaza. We are indeed blessed to live in such a popular location! I was happy to see that most of the visitors were normal human beings, although I did spot several abnormal mutants who had apparently escaped from Level 4 at Plum Island. I subsequently heard that they were later apprehended by members of the East Hampton Town Police Department after staggering out of the Sloppy Tuna. I also noted an increasing number of visiting V.C.P.s (Very Cool People). They are very easy to spot as they have the nonchalant demeanor of a zombie and usually speak in a nasal and clipped cadence with a very slight British accent. When speaking to a local, their first words are usually “I need. . . .” As in (to a bartender): “I need a Ketel One with a splash of St. Germain and an even smaller splash of cranberry to give the concoction just a slight bite, garnished with a sprig of mint, stirred not shaken so as to not bruise the vodka on the rocks, and did I tell you how I have summered here on weekends for the past three years and how refreshing it is to breathe in the sea air and how this place is so peaceful after my usual super-stressful and overly hectic week in the city, and how the ride out on the Jitney was just horrible this weekend?”As in (to a waitstaff member): “I need a grilled chicken cutlet with mayo substitute on gluten-free whole-grain bread with lettuce and tomato, and I certainly hope that the tomato and lettuce are organically grown as I am averse to the use of pesticides, and please do tell me that your establishment serves organic free-range chickens, as I appreciate the fact that in their short lives they were able to roam the prairie before being gently euthanized in a humane chicken slaughterhouse, and did I tell you how I am so into the whole concept of farm-to-table dining, because I will only eat veggies that are grown on farms and I much prefer to eat my food on a table?” The only downside to the weekend was that the costumed characters from Times Square did not make an appearance, but there is always hope for next year. Cheers, BRIAN POPE Cause of Overcrowding Montauk July 9, 2015 Dear Editor, The July 4 fireworks was a spectacular show this year and the Montauk Chamber of Commerce, the police, and the fire department did an excellent job. Families and singles of all ages enjoyed the scene. It would be a shame to cancel future fireworks in Montauk. While this successful event did bring crowding to town and the roads, the blame should not be placed on the hotels and restaurants, as East Hampton Town Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc and your recent editorial falsely suggested. The real cause of overcrowding in Montauk is that many of the homeowners, including some of those who are most vocal about the nightlife, are illegally renting their homes to unrelated groups as a for-profit business. The only way to prohibit this illegal practice is for code enforcement to ticket and the courts to penalize this illegal occupancy. It would be financially prudent for the town to forensically review which homeowners are advertising this illegally rental on Airbnb and other online rental platforms. LEWIS GROSS Decline of Montauk Montauk July 12, 2015 To the Editor: Right on, Mr. Duryea! For over 15 years now, we have been seeing the decline of this beautiful hamlet, Montauk. Ever since the trend of turning restaurants into nightclubs started with places like Oyster Pond, the town officials have chosen to ignore the ramifications. I know they wore me down and my senses became dulled after so many one-on-one meetings with town board supervisors, town board members, and other town officials, as they would all quietly listen with their condescending grins. They would shake my hand and send me on my way with promises of “we will look into it” or “we will see what we can do.” What well-trained negotiators they are. As a business owner and longtime resident of Montauk, I have had to deal with public urination by both males and females who patronize the local bars but don’t seem to be able to find the bathrooms (or maybe these places don’t have enough bathrooms to accommodate the “patrons”). In the past, when I approach these highly intoxicated people to please leave my property, I have been threatened with physical violence or comments like “My father is a retired police officer, I can do what I want.” At the end of the night they return to vomit in the stairwells, or, really, anywhere. I know there is rampant under-age drinking and drug use and drug sales going on in various popular nightspots but the town board doesn’t seem to care. I avoid going anywhere on weekends in July and August because of how disgusted I get with the new norm of tourists that now frequent what used to be a most beautiful place to bring your family. Now families can’t afford to spend a night here because even the motels are converting to clubs and hosting loud and crowded venues. Some of the stories that I have heard: “Some guy was snorting cocaine off the hood of my car.” Drugged women being put in taxis to change their location before calling an ambulance, rape victims being silenced with hush money, bartenders making enough money in one night to pay for the public fireworks display, code enforcement feeling too threatened by bouncers to do their job, “Let me use one of your bathrooms or I will defecate right here in front of you.” I was once told by an official, “Don’t worry, these trends are usually cyclical, they only last about 10 years.” Well, yes, Oyster Pond is gone and my corner of the world is much, much more enjoyable. Does anyone remember when you could sleep with the windows open and listen to the frogs and crickets, or the ocean? Now I have to keep the windows closed and the air-conditioning on just to keep out the not-so-subtle beat of the bass and the noise of the drunken and disorderly adults. Does anyone remember when we didn’t have to lock the garbage Dumpsters on our properties? Now because of all the share houses, Dumpsters have to be locked because the renters don’t know what to do with their garbage. They choose to drive around town looking for open Dumpsters or just leave bags of garbage outside the cans by the beach for the seagulls to distribute. Summer home rentals and share houses have diminished the need for motel rooms drastically. How many motels have been bought and changed to house summer workers for specific businesses? Also a change of use of a property. Do the summer rentals or share houses have to pay the Suffolk County motel tax? Do they have to have any inspections by the fire marshal or the department of health? Do they have to pay any sales tax at all? The town board can find ways to deal with hot topics like single-use plastic bags at the supermarkets, but not the dangers of crowds gathered so that ambulances and fire trucks can’t get through. How many single-use plastic bags do you find on the beach, compared to Solo cups and beer cans? The supermarket here in Montauk wanted to expand their produce department but was denied. Silly them, they should have just closed part of their parking lot to sell beer, because obviously it is allowed in other locations. So here we are, summer 2015, the town board will try to appease us once again. They will go after some of the little guys, make it look like they are enforcing the laws, but the big money-makers will continue to operate as usual. I ask you, members of the town board, what will it take for you all to have a backbone? Your police department is terribly understaffed. I would hate to see one of them hurt trying to do their job, or an ambulance driver hitting a drunk. Please, everyone, keep this movement going. Don’t forget when Labor Day comes that the Fourth of July 2016 will roll around quickly, and we will be in the same situation. Sincerely, LORRAINE MENA Wilky’s Way Springs July 9, 2015 Dear David, I would suggest that the section of 27 East that runs past the Memory Motel in Montauk be renamed Wilky’s Way. Wilky’s Way could run past the Sloppy Tuna and the Ronjo, then over to the Surf Lodge and then past Ruschmeyer’s. A reminder to all of the dangers of electing Republicans in an environmentally sensitive area. All the chaos let loose in Montauk is a result of the actions of the rabidly pro-business Republican town board majority, led by Montauk’s own Bill Wilkinson. They provided parking for the Surf Lodge, land for the Ronjo, and lax enforcement for everyone else. Deals made, bars in parking lots. On and on and on. Peter Van Scoyoc and Sylvia Overby, when elected, were able to slow down the runaway train, but the damage was done, and it must be repaired. The best way to deal with this Republican-created mess is to re-elect Larry, Sylvia, and Peter, Democrats who know that out here the environment is the economy Stay well and don’t get hit by a taxi. Yours truly, BILL TAYLOR Group Rentals Amagansett July 11, 2015 Dear David: I had to laugh (ruefully) at some of last week’s letters to the editor from Montauk bemoaning the problem of illegal group rentals. Where were these people last year when the town board was considering legislation regarding group rentals modeled after that of Southampton? Although the proposed law was lacking real teeth in certain respects, it was at least a start in the right direction. It was never brought to a vote, however, because of the vociferous opposition of absentee homeowners who want to line their pockets at the expense of their neighbors’ peace and quiet, and the local real estate brokers who don’t want to lose the commissions that these rentals generate for them. Maybe now, there will be an impetus to reintroduce this legislation. Very truly yours, JACK HASSID Majority With a Strategy Springs July 12, 2015 Dear Editor, Facing East Hampton’s illegal housing problems in the past, we were a loosely organized majority, perhaps totally disorganized. We were losing, facing a loud, activated minority and unresponsive town boards. Don’t break out the party favors yet. Let us recognize that a well-organized majority, with a strategy, is very tough to defeat. So, to all who want to resolve the unsafe, illegally over-occupied, single-family homes and the short-term rental issues, come, join us and participate. We need your help and your voice. Don’t be shy. Speak up! FRED J. WEINBERG Pro-Business Attitude East Hampton July 13, 2015 Dear David: The open letter of Perry Duryea III will not fall on deaf ears when read by any resident of the Town of East Hampton, whether or not that resident lives in Montauk. Having said that, your readership should be aware of the fact that the conditions of which Mr. Duryea, a leader of the East Hampton Republican Party, complains, came about as a result of the pro-business attitude of the Wilkinson administration over a four-year period, during which time no effort was made to control the out-of-control bars and night spots that generated and continue to generate these conditions. In fact, the bars proliferated and code enforcement efforts were minimal or nonexistent all through the Wilkinson years. It is interesting to note that the Republican Party candidate for town board, Margaret Turner, who is also president of the East Hampton Business Alliance, has expressed her opposition to the proposal of the current Democrat-controlled town board to limit bars in motels, because she contends and is concerned that such a law would limit the value of motels when the owners wanted to sell them. She is clearly not concerned about the well-being of the residents of Montauk, and in reality neither is Mr. Duryea, who protesteth too much. Mr. Duryea’s open letter fails to mention the responsibility that his party, the Republican Party, should take for the conditions which he bemoans. Fortunately the current Democrat-controlled town board and Montauk citizens’ groups are taking action to limit the spread of the havoc in Montauk. In my June 22 letter to the editor, I discussed your editorial that appeared in The Star the previous Thursday, in which you pointed out Ms. Turner’s opposition to the aforementioned legislation limiting bars and motels, and I commend your readers to read your editorial, as what you point out confirms my contention that the Republican pro-business mantra is the foundation for the current problems. DAVID J. WEINSTEIN Disruption, It Is Called New York City July 10, 2015 David: Thank heaven, and you, that you are speaking up directly and forcefully. “Fast Action Needed in Crisis of Crowds” shows the kind of leadership we need, and as you know, badly. Please keep it up. We are suffering in an entirely new app-enabled world. Disruption, it is called in business, and boy is it working on our dear community (taxis, housing, aircraft noise, public space, real estate and commerce, etc.). Our elected leaders have to understand this. So far they seem reluctant or unable to do so, vigorously and imaginatively. Best wishes, PETER M. WOLF To Run for Town Board East Hampton July 13, 2015 Dear David, I want to thank the Republican Party and Conservative Party for giving me their endorsement and the opportunity to run for town board. I look forward to serving the residents of East Hampton. As the executive director of the East Hampton Business Alliance for the last nine years, I have observed all of the town board meetings and work sessions, as well as many of the village meetings. I am very aware of the issues facing us today. Sadly, many are the same that existed nine years ago. All too often politics gets in the way of progress, and I think it’s time to change that. I have the knowledge and the skills to do so. I am eager to meet and discuss the issues with my fellow East Hampton residents — I want to know what is on your mind! Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. Thank you. Best regards, MARGARET TURNER P.R. Stunt Wainscott July 13, 2015 Dear David, I’d like to thank Joanne Pilgrim for her excellent coverage on airport matters with the article “After Curfew No East Hampton Airport Logjam.” When I read the article I was shocked that the supervisor and a councilwoman went to the airport on Monday at 9 a.m. to observe air traffic. It is absolute silliness to believe there would be some kind of an event then. I am beginning to wonder if silly season is arriving at the town board, as it did in the prior administration. I immediately thought this was a public relations stunt by Jeff Smith, chairman of the Eastern Region Helicopter Council, or a joint P.R. stunt with the East Hampton Town Board participating, trying to illustrate to the public that the restrictions are having an impact or better than perceived. Rather, they should have gathered with the media Sunday afternoon and evening, when the helicopter traffic was relentless, worse than ever, as the frequency of helicopter traffic was compressed into a shorter time frame due to the curfew. No one who lives by the airport or knows the history and pattern of aircraft traffic at the airport would imagine such a contrived scenario of a possible logjam at 9 a.m. It’s absolute silliness; if it wasn’t so silly, it would be crazy. I can’t believe I’m using this phrase again but I will when it’s deserved. Everyone knows Monday morning helicopter traffic, prior to when the curfew went into effect, started Monday mornings around 4 or 5 a.m. and slows down around 8 or 8:30 a.m., because most folks need to get to where they are going by 9 a.m. I wrote about this in a letter to the editor in The Star on July 8, 2013, titled, “Torture and Torment.” I show every noise event starting at 4:38 a.m. until 9:05 a.m. — 32 events in all. The curfew in effect now doesn’t allow helicopters to pick up passengers until after 9 a.m., so those who usually left early in the morning by helicopter left Sunday afternoon or evening or found some other form of transportation Monday morning. It appears to me that helicopter traffic overall is worse than ever. Perhaps it appears that way because the frequency of noise events are greater. The entire town board needs to visit the airport Sunday afternoon and evening, if they aren’t forced away by spent jet fumes burning their eyes and making them nauseous, as it does me just driving by the airport at that time, or when the wind blows it in our direction; when it does, the noxious fumes fill our house. Sincerely, FRANK DALENE On Dolphin Drive Amagansett July 12, 2015 Dear Editor, The surprise attack on Dolphin Drive, a 20-foot-wide, two-lane, residential street about 300 yards long, came to our attention in an article which appeared in a local newspaper on Sept. 21, 2011, which reported that the Wilkinson-Quigley administration had begun plans to pave a good portion of one of the most important, environmentally sensitive, and vitally flood-protective pieces of land on Long Island, namely South Flora, and install a 100-car-plus parking lot, with Dolphin Drive as its access road. The First Coverup: The residents of Dolphin Drive and the entire surrounding neighborhood rose up, united, and successfully fought this, as Mr. Wilkinson put it, “just an idea,” and were told, after we requested pertinent information and documents, that there were no documents or information available. Subsequently, a year later, we received copies of correspondence and detailed architectural plans that had been drawn up on the whole project right from the beginning. Obviously, it was not “just an idea.” Without our substantial resistance, this “idea” could have quietly become a reality, and a state and national treasure, South Flora, would have had to face the dire straits that the overrun hamlet of Montauk is now facing. The Second Coverup: We produced, with hundreds of hours of volunteer work, a highly factual and thoroughly researched report on the impact of such a project on the land, traffic, and safety of residents and responsible visitors. It was promptly ignored, and we did not get the courtesy of a review of the plan or any reply from the town administration. The Third Coverup: Although the descriptive signage erected on the land as of the purchase date, and to date, reads “Nature Preserve and Beach,” Zachary Cohen, chairman of the nature preserve committee, informed all present at the subsequent town board meeting addressing the South Flora topic, that although bought with C.P.F. funds, South Flora had never been formally dedicated into the Town of East Hampton’s nature preserve inventory, and therefore did not have the protection against development that comes with nature preserve status. The Fourth Coverup: After hearing the above, the East End Dunes Residents Association drew up and submitted a nomination petitioning that South Flora be formally dedicated into the town’s nature preserve inventory, along with a $25,000 pledge to assist with maintenance. Councilwoman Teresa Quigley objected to the $25,000 pledge. We redrafted the petition without the pledge. It was ignored, as far as we know, and we were never given the courtesy of a reply. We waited till the next year and resubmitted our nomination to the new board, and despite Mr. Cohen’s repeated suggestion that all that was needed was a management plan and not nature preserve status, at an Oct. 16, 2014, public hearing, the board, with the support of the nature preserve committee, unanimously formally dedicated the South Flora into the town preserve system. The Fifth Coverup (a surprise attack): On Aug. 23, 2014, the community woke up to an overnight, complete parking re-signage of both sides of Dolphin Drive, from “No Parking Anytime” (a situation which had been in effect for over 40 years) to unlimited parking on both sides of the street from beginning to end. No one living on Dolphin Drive, no one in the entire community, no one on the board was notified that this change was to take place. It obviously created a dangerous traffic condition (a two-lane street) for pedestrians, residents, and visitors. This was orally confirmed at a hearing by East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo. We were blindsided once again! We contacted Supervisor Larry Cantwell, who personally visited the street and said he was highly concerned with the safety issues and would look into the matter immediately, and he did. Apparently the Highway Department had received a complaint from “someone” as to the current 40-year-old signage being wrong, as the town code was amended to permit parking on both sides of the street “sometime in the past.” The Sixth Coverup (the existing but not existing code change): We and the town investigated the alleged code change and no one could find any verification of it. It turned out to be a nonexistent code change which, after checking all town records, library records, town code service records, and local newspaper records, was seemingly, illegally, and clandestinely inserted into the town code by some person or persons. There existed not one scintilla of evidence as to the existence or validity of the code change, yet it was on the books. According to the town clerk, her best guess is that it was amended in the early ’90s but obviously never implemented till Aug. 23, 2014 — 25 years later! This matter was never investigated afterwards and remains an unsolved mystery. Again, we were blindsided! Could someone “cook” the code? The town board scheduled a common public hearing date, Oct. 16, 2014, for (1) the nature preserve petition and (2) the signage change, with a resolution by Mr. Cantwell to restore the original “No Parking Anytime” signs to both sides of the street. At the hearing, the nature preserve resolution was unanimously adopted, but the hearing on the restoration of the original signage was, it would seem, purposely diverted from signage to a heated debate on beach-access parking, which was not the object of the hearing at all, and the board, faced with mixed issues, tabled the matter. At a later date it was tabled again, pending a nature preserve committee draft management plan, which was to be presented prior to Memorial Day weekend to avoid the parking chaos of an overflow weekend. The draft had not materialized as expected and the street remained illegally signed. Strangely enough, at a subsequent board meeting, the existing illegal signs were ordered to be taken down and the street was left completely unsigned! The situation remained that way until about a week before the long weekend, when, miraculously and thankfully, the original “No Parking Anytime” signs were restored on both sides of the street. The Seventh Coverup: Some weeks after, the nature preserve committee submitted an amended draft management plan to the board, which, lo and behold, like the first draft, contained a parking “scheme” once again targeting Dolphin Drive (and abandoning any possible alternatives), without notifying the residents or seemingly never seeking advice from the board, and the board set a public hearing date for a management plan for South Flora, a piece of land that lays behind the primary dune and most certainly did not include the beach. The hearing, once again, turned into a hearing on beach-access parking. The parking “scheme” could not have been for access to the preserve, which has no trails across it at present other than two trails on the extreme southwest tip of the preserve, one pedestrian and one vehicular, which in a matter of several feet, lead to the beach. The access to these trails is from Dolphin Drive and will remain open. Inasmuch as the nature preserve committee is opposed to any new trails and any foot traffic at all, the preserve apparently needs no access parking and the parking issue becomes a politically oriented discussion. As of now, the matter is still tabled as the board contemplates the issues, environmentally, safetywise, and, it would seem, politically. All of the above being said, Mr. Blatt, Mr. Cohen, and the board, is anyone concerned aware of the fact that it is not the number of parking spots available that will create the problem, but the number of cars cruising the street in both directions looking for a parking space, once the availability becomes known to the public, that will create the danger, havoc, increased litter, environmental damage to South Flora, and additional traffic over the primary and secondary dune system? In response to Mr. Blatt’s bad poetry in last week’s issue, do you, Mr. Blatt, believe this matter is funny? Do you believe this parking matter which you are addressing in a frivolous manner warrants flippant poetry which also contains a demand for 12 parking spaces or else political retaliation? We are fighting for the protection of the land, the safety of residents and visitors and their kids, our last vestiges of peace and quiet, our neighborhood character, and the danger of our block and whole community falling to the same perpetrators who have ruined the rural town of Montauk, and you think that this is funny? Already CfAR is talking about compromising the other streets. Do you realize the precedent that would be set by this draft management plan being adopted? Is this all entertaining to you? Mr. Blatt, you have found a new word, “elitist,” and you use it over and over again. You have asked “what is so damned special about this block?” Do you realize how many thousands of restricted parking signs exist in the entire five East End towns ranging from no parking anytime to no parking between certain hours or certain months, to timed parking? Are all of those protected residents elitists too? You want 12 spaces for your association members. Does that make them elitists? Is this whole advocacy on your part, part of a deal? In conclusion, I would like to say that your “poetry” is lousy. Your cadences, harsh. When and if you do read this beautiful Christmas story to your kids or grandkids, I would suggest you use the original words. They are beautiful and should not be sullied and made bereft of the spirit of the Christmas season! MIKE STERLACCI And the East End Dunes Residents Association The Tick Epidemic Montauk July 6, 2015 To the Editor: I wish you could print this to give some folks an idea of what the tick epidemic means for deer. Every one I see in Montauk has their ears similarly covered at this time of year. BERNARD RICE Solar Farm in Springs Springs July 7, 2015 To the Editor: So, I hear and have read bits and pieces about a solar farm going in, in Springs. Less than a mile from my house. Yaaayyy, right? Nooo, I don’t think so. And it’s the town that is doing it. The town that is clearing the land. The town that, if I’m right, is going forth with this without a community meeting. (I may be wrong here — I might have just missed the teeny-weeny type font used for legal notices.) But of course, it’s in Springs, so no big deal. Right now, I am dealing with fallout from a plume from the dump, the private Bistrian golf course over my Springs watershed, the town waste management disposal station, which I’m sure is heading my way if the dump plume is going in the same direction. An asphalt plant within a mile. Hmmmmm, nice healthy atmosphere we have here in Springs, the dumping ground of the town. If this solar farm was going in south of the highway or in Amagansett, or most definitely in Montauk, the shining star of the town, oh my God, there would be a-yelling and a-hollering so loud. But remember, this is Springs. We don’t get a choice. We are told and we obey. I’ve lived here for 30 years and now I have to worry about my electric “sensitivity,” which I’ve read can be really really bad from the electricity emitting from solar farms with people who live within a mile. I am mid-range — what about the people who live right next door? Were they told? I mean, when you have your yard and trees sprayed, your neighbors are supposed to be notified. So now that a solar farm is going in, no notification is necessary because the town is involved in it? Let me count on my fingers to see how many town board members live near this solar farm. Ummmmmmm — none! “Not in my backyard.” I’m sick and tired of decent people having to live in the cesspool that is becoming Springs, a quiet community of hard-working locals who pay way too high taxes, amongst other things. Just interested, by a show of hands and letters — how many of you knew this was going on? KERRY S. BAKER P.S. By the way, who is this solar farm going to benefit? Goodbye, No Apology East Hampton July 9, 2015 Dear Editor: Something happens to our reasonably pleasant and courteous business owners in the summer. They are rude. As an example, I sent out three rugs, a sofa cushion, and all my outdoor cushions to be cleaned. I was given a price of $1,300. Fine. But when I asked when they would be delivered I was told that I should have sent them out in October in order for them to be ready July 4. Absurd? Maybe. I didn’t know. I said do your best. I didn’t have the cushions and rugs for July 4. Okay. After three weeks went by and I was about to have a rather large party, I phoned and was told they could do it and have them delivered next week. I said fine, please deliver them on Thursday, July 9, between noon and 6. I would be in the city but my housecleaner would definitely be there from noon on. No delivery! When I called I was told that it wasn’t sufficient to just make an appointment, it had to be confirmed the night before. I wasn’t told this. Nonsense, of course, but besides the no-show they treated me extremely rudely and in effect said too bad. What! I’m an old customer. I was stupidly willing to spend $1,300. Goodbye, no apology — and they hung up on me! Needless to say, I won’t be doing business with Griffiths Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning again. JUDY HARRIS Kudos, Guys East Hampton July 11, 2015 Dear Editor, Fortunately I read the letters of Michael O’Neil and Neil Hausig in the July 9 edition of The Star. I just want to ask them if it is okay if I add my name at the end of each of them. I loved both of them. Kudos, guys. RICHARD P. HIGER Real Litmus Test East Hampton July 12, 2015 To the Editor, There are a multitude of issues that impact the essential character of our democratic system, but nothing more so than our electoral process. The constitution required constant amending to craft an electoral process that included most of the population and to make it fare and equitable. After 240 years we are still tinkering with the process and losing the battle for democracy.. Democracy without participation is not democracy. So, obviously, getting everyone to vote is the democratic litmus test. We are moving in the opposite direction. The electoral process is the key to a real democracy and ours has gone off the rails. The passage of Citizens United, the repeal of the Voting Rights Act provisions, the introduction of voter identifications in a poll-tax fashion, have all made the process more exclusionary and easier to manipulate. But, the most damaging and insane aspect of our electoral system is the almost-two-years long electoral campaign. If one disregards the demeaning boobery of the 2012 Republican circus as a miserable political aberration, one might think that we would move on to a more reasonable political mindset. Wishful thinking. This year’s presidential campaign for both parties began almost two years before the election. Twenty candidates are already in the running spending hundreds of millions of dollars and wasting thousands of hours on an endless stream of senseless blather. We talk about polls and front-runners and policy speeches that will be forgotten in the next week. Huge amounts of time on cable news and the press discussing the various candidates and what they don’t bring to the table. The distraction from other important business is frightening. If one took the best qualities of all 20 and glommed them together it isn’t certain that a viable competent candidate would appear. How many white male presidential hopefuls does it take to screw in a light bulb? Life was so much simpler when the local political clubs would get out the vote in their districts and throw thousands of ballots in the garbage. They made no pretense of honesty or democratic values. They gamed the system. We need to get the electoral process under control. We lost the money battle and the voting rights initiative. We can’t control the number of would-be kings, but we can control the time of the primaries and the campaigns. Six to eight months is more than enough time to pick someone and get out the message: two debates and only a few hours of TV ads. Simplify the process and let the country tune in and make its choice. NEIL HAUSIG Radical Change Sag Harbor July 13, 2015 Dear David, My last letter was titled “Change Is Coming,” but no longer applies with the speed of current events. Not the fast track of the Pacific Rim, but another track just as exciting, Radical Change. I waited a long time for The New York Times to acknowledge Senator Bernie Sanders. However, on July 9, 2015, a real surprise came my way. The following is excerpted from a whole Page 3: “Bernie Sanders is surging. He trailed Hillary Clinton by as much as 50 points in the polls in New Hampshire but pulled within 10 points in a few months. Mr. Sanders has doubled his support in Iowa over the last month.” The crowds Mr. Sanders has attracted numbered 35,000, 15,000, 10,000, and a mere 1,000 and on the move. One might ask why? His message is on the mind of the American people — enough of corporate powers, the 1-percenters sucking the lifeblood out of the poor and what was once the middle class. Politicians love to deny this class warfare between the rich and poor. The pain has increased; the issues of injustice are spelled out on the many signs at large demonstrations in every state and in local communities. One in four of our children live under the poverty level, a scandal in the richest country in the world. Senator Sanders throughout his long political career has always been an advocate for the underprivileged. Change is coming. It’s radical. Last week, a Quinnipiac poll in Iowa showed Mr. Sanders leading Mrs. Clinton among “very liberal voters,” 47 to 43 percent. Jeb Bush can’t figure out where he stands and flip-flops quite often. At the helm of a misguided ship kept afloat by a billion in fund-raising/corporations. Do we really want another Bush after the wrecked ship he left us with, an estimated cost of $4.7 trillion, including fallout from the war, the wounded warriors with P.T.S.D. and their families. Wait till the debates begin. Then there is Donald Trump, also known as Donald Duck. The press has created him. Apparently Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts will open the path for Mr. Sanders, not Mrs. Clinton. Senator Warren now appears on the cover of Time magazine, which asks the question, why is everyone afraid of Elizabeth Warren? She is also on the cover of three other magazines. The editorial page of the July 6 New York Times indicated the number of manufacturing jobs in the United States has declined by five million, or 28.7 percent, between 1995 and 2015. Many Democrats like Senator Warren said no to President Obama’s fast-track trade plan that blindsided us and was kept secret among many, many corporations. They all but own us as of this moment. However, radical change is not far ahead. Hang in there. LARRY DARCEY
Published 4 years ago
Last updated 4 years ago
Letters to the Editor: 07.16.15
July 15, 2015