Finest Kind East Hampton September 18, 2014 Dear David, Steve Marley, who taught my children in high school a long time ago, was very special. He loved his subject matter, history, cared about his students, and was devoted to his town. In other words, he was yet another of East Hampton’s finest kind. LONA RUBENSTEIN Lovely People Wainscott September 22, 2014 Dear David, No disrespect intended, because I am sure they are lovely people. But, one of your announcements in last week’s paper was a true classic. Her Majesty Princess Krasteva (of where?) and Henri (the Bodyguard-Madonna dancer) vacationed in luxury in the Hamptons at Whoopie Goldberg’s home. (And in a fancy Corsiva font to boot.) I am so pleased that for her discretion they did not reveal golf locations. It would have rivaled the panic caused by the Kardashian pop-up store! Traffic would have been unbearable. All kidding aside, I hope they now love the Hamptons as much as Abu Dhabi. Have we been “punked?” Hilarious, I couldn’t stop laughing. Thank you for making my read of The Star this week a very memorable hoot. DIANA WEIR A Whole Other Level East Hampton September 22, 2014 To the Editor: I’m relatively new to the area and to the pages of The East Hampton Star. I’ve been shocked by the reports of hit-and-runs, aggressive tailgating, cars gunning toward pedestrians and runners — in fact, I experienced a car speeding directly toward me during a jog — and the general violent rudeness and thoughtlessness that is reported on these pages. But fortunately I’ve been here long enough and often enough to know that underneath the summer madness is an exceptional community similar to the one that I grew up with in Vermont and New Hampshire, made up of retailers, mechanics, doctors, lawyers, schoolteachers — all busy living their lives and raising children and being good neighbors. A community that I greatly value. And then there’s a whole other wonderful level that I recently discovered. A few weeks ago, I fell off my road bike and fractured my hip. A remarkable gentleman appeared in the light rain while my wife was trying to untangle my legs from the foot clips. He immediately asked if there was anything he could do. Both my wife and I said, “No, thanks, but thank you.” He stood still and quietly. It quickly became clear that I couldn’t walk. So he simply put my arms around his shoulders and took me to a picnic table where I waited for my wife to get the car. He asked us if we wanted him to wait. Again, we both said no. “We’ll be fine,” we told him. When my wife arrived, it was about 100 yards between the picnic table and the car. It was again clear that my wife and I could not get me to the car. My wife thought it best we call an ambulance. All of a sudden and out of the rain, the gentleman reappeared. He got me into the front seat of the car. We expressed our profuse thanks and drove away. It was only a few days later that I realized he had never left the scene. He merely walked far enough away so that we couldn’t see him. And then he patiently waited in the rain until my wife returned with the car. He did what exceptional neighbors do. He helped. Although I have his full name, I would not want to rob him of the joy of having acted out of such generosity of spirit and so anonymously by printing his last name here. But Dennis knows that on that particular day at that particular moment, he gave me an extraordinary example of kindness that my wife and I will never forget. I know he ascribes part of that motivation and strength to his years in the 82nd Airborne, but I also know that there must have been a generosity of spirit in him that existed prior to his military service, and that has far outlasted that service too. So when I read stories of dangerous thoughtlessness, rude and ignorant behavior, I remind myself that the truth is that there is an exceptional warm human community here made up of individuals like Dennis, who on a rainy Sunday changed my life. And that gives me joy. VEDDER VAN DYCK A Jar of Prunes East Hampton September 16, 2014 To the Editor, We have a growing norm in our culture, no less in New York City, where an increasing number of people are part of the C.L.&S. movement. Put succinctly, it means cheating, lying, and stealing. I can see, if we don’t use that style, the other guy will, and beat you down. Practitioners of C.L.&S. know that as long as you don’t get caught, that means you are innocent. And if you are not guilty, you can relax. It would be nice if, as a local, I/we could assume that a citiot’s bag of C.L.&S. could be left back in N.Y.C. when he/she came out to the country. C.L.&S. is not needed here, but for us to proclaim that could look weak, and be just like a sissy. Recently, I planned a car ride through a local town to a post office, and then to a grocery store to pick up one of my favorites, a glass jar of stewed prunes. While traveling eastward dutifully in my right-hand lane, respecting the 8-foot parking strip to my right, sectioned off with 7-inch-wide painted lines out from the curb every 18 feet, I saw something very strange in my rear-view mirror. A brightly colored sports car swerving back and forth, not more than 6 feet behind me, indicating I was not going fast enough. I did not think that 35 miles per hour in a 30 m.p.h. zone would be all that annoying to somebody in a hurry to get to an important meeting with a very important person. I guess I was wrong. Well, this nervous Nellie behind me apparently thought he should pass me on my right, since the car-parking spaces over there were for the most part unused that morning. Makes sense, since on my left side was a double yellow line, and streams of cars going in the opposite direction. Then, all of a sudden, he did pass me on the right, sneering at me through his and my aligned and opened windows. But as he came abreast of my front right headlight he came to a screeching halt, since some nasty person had actually parked his/her car in one of those marked-off areas right along the curb, having no consideration for somebody who might need that space to get ahead of slow traffic. As I then moved past him, he gave me another bad face and soon was once again right behind me, swerving back and forth. Then suddenly he was no longer in my rear-view mirror. Why? Because he was passing me on my left, going over the double yellow line and forcing two cars off the road that were trying to drive in the opposite direction. I noticed he was wearing a garish yellow and green dunce hat. As he passed on my left he honked his horn loudly, giving me the standard middle-fingered salute. My next stop was the post office, in contrast a perfectly civilized visit, with no C.L.&S. apparent. As I drove over to a distant grocery store to pick up my much-revered jug of stewed prunes, I wondered if I was due for yet more challenges from anxious idiots. Once there, as I wandered through the store’s aisles toward the checkout counter, the reverse side of the jug’s label caught my eye. I took out my pen, and, being an artist, altered the picture of a prune into a human face, complete with wrinkled face, sunglasses, large ears, a mouthed cigarette, with saliva drooling out of the mouth’s corner. I thought I might get a chuckle out of my quirky girlfriend when I returned home. I plunked my jar of prunes down on the checkout counter while the first person in line to my right was having her items bagged and paying her bill. I, being next in line, took out my wallet ready to pay, when behind me and to my left I heard the loud rattle of a heavily laden grocery cart making its way to the counter. Suddenly I heard this loud noise of several dozen items thrown in a heap atop the counter, and of course completely burying my cherished jug of prunes. This next guy in line, number three, thinking he was entitled, and wearing that yellow and green dunce hat, looked at me and asked what I was doing just standing there. I told him I was looking for my prunes, and began sliding both my arms deep into his pile of about-to-be-paid-for items. He went ballistic, yelling at me to take my hands off his produce. I yelled back at him, telling him that he buried my prunes. He screamed, “Your what?” While I recognized his hat, he did not remember me as the car he’d challenged. In a flash, the store manager appeared, yelling at the third person in line to “shut up!” He knew me, so just nodded in my direction and went about dealing with the guy demonstrating his C.L.&S. tendencies. I strolled downstreet to another store, picking up a jug of stewed prunes there, aware that as the counter girl in the last store rang up his bill, know it or not, he would be paying for a jug of prunes not on his list, and upon going home would have to deal with a wife perplexed by this bottle of ugly brown things, having a strangely altered label on the back side trying to explain product use, calories, sugar, and the list goes on, but offering no clues as to the damaged face staring into hers. Maybe I should just adjust to the new norm, avoiding car crashes and lost prunes. RONALD LEWIS Fifty-Five Free Dinners East Hampton September 15, 2014 Dear Mr. Rattray, Three cheers for the Amagansett Fire Department! On Sunday, Aug. 17, the ladies and gentlemen of the Amagansett Fire Department made available delicious barbecued chicken dinners for delivery to clients of East Hampton Meals on Wheels. These gallant men and women cooked wonderful dinners, which included chicken, sweet corn, potatoes, coleslaw, rolls, and watermelon to raise money for their own much needed community service. Then they took the time to prepare 55 extra dinners free of charge so that volunteers from East Hampton Meals on Wheels could take the meals out to our homebound neighbors. This service filled a tremendous need in our community, because the clients who received these delicious meals are homebound and unable to cook special meals for themselves. We heartily thank those who skillfully coordinated this event with our organization, and all the members of the Amagansett Fire Department and Ladies Auxiliary, who gave so generously of their time and energy to help so many lonely individuals. We are thankful to live in a community in which so many organizations and individuals are concerned for the needs of their neighbors. Thank you again, Amagansett Fire Department. Very truly yours, EDWARD D. McLAUGHLIN A Personal Affront East Hampton September 22, 2014 To the Editor, Last week’s paper contained three separate pieces attempting to disparage the current East Hampton School Board, of which I am a member. I am addressing each one in turn. Before I begin, I want to make it clear that I am writing as an East Hampton School District board member, but not on behalf of the school board. “Hunger Games,” by Helen Rattray: Yes, $6,300 does matter, Mrs. Rattray. First, it’s $6,300 out of the pockets of district taxpayers. Second, it’s $6,300 less we can spend on all of our students’ education. Third, $6,300 would buy three Full Option Science System kits, which we need. I have been working with all of the elementary schools in East Hampton Town, with private funding for the last five years (less than $6,300 per year), investing my own time and money to improve hands-on science instruction. I am sure you are familiar with this phrase: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” As for the “hard-nosed” tactics of the marketplace having no place in the school’s food program: 1. The school board is absolutely doing everything possible to a) not embarrass children, and b) assist those families in need. 2. As far as the alternate food choices are concerned, three of my four grandchildren who are currently enrolled in the East Hampton Union Free School District prefer a bagel, a peanut butter sandwich, or a cheese sandwich to a hot lunch. If you are so passionate about this, I suggest you set up a private account to fund those who cannot pay, much as the parent did to fund the elementary science program. We on the board are charged with and responsible for providing the best educational experience for each and every student, with limited funds. Next, “She’s Got Binders of Ticks and a Mission.” In this article, Pat Hope (recently resigned school board member) is quoted as saying, in looking at the year ahead, that the current configuration of the board was such that she felt she would be “doing more harm than good by continuing to serve.” This is at once a vague and curious statement, since the board is configured exactly the same as it was the previous year, and had the same two incumbents running for re-election in June (Ms. Hope being one of them). It is the very same board that Ms. Hope praised on more than one occasion during her tenure as board president (2013-14). Next, “Fiscal Responsibilities.” In a letter to the editor, Mary Ella Moeller wrote, “It is unfortunate that some current members of the board feel unable to handle their fiscal responsibilities. They can, however, do something more than look for someone to lean on and make excuses for them. They can resign.” First of all, I take this as a personal affront, since I serve on the audit committee, along with two other board members, who successfully run their own businesses. Second, I have a B.S. in business and finance, as well as a master’s in science education. I ran two businesses for a total of 21 years. Ms. Moeller also wrote that the board “placed conditions upon who could apply.” In her rush to criticize the board, she falsely wrote that “the person has to have a financial background.” The board never said or wrote “has to have.” What we did communicate was that if there exists a community member with current accounting and financial skills who was also interested in serving on the school board, we would encourage that person to apply. It never ceases to amaze me how some people spend so much time trying to find fault instead of volunteering that time to do some good. Sincerely, RICHARD C. WILSON Montauk Book Fair Montauk September 22, 2014 Dear David, I would like to clarify a few points regarding the Montauk Library Book Fair. We have decided to not do the book fair on the green in 2015. We are using the next year to explore other ways to raise funds for our organization and we hope to find a way to accomplish that without the past herculean task of moving materials. We have not ruled out a possible return to the green in some abbreviated form in the future. One of the things that we have already started is a section at the library of books available “free with donation.” They are to the left as you walk in the door and are marked with yellow signs. They include general fiction, mysteries, children’s books, cookbooks, biographies and other nonfiction. As well as getting the word out to locals, we are going to be advertising this at the motels in town and other places where tourists are likely to go. In response to the letter from Heidi and Tom Oleszczuk in last week’s Star, we found that the only good reason to continue the book fair was the community event that it had become over the past 35 years. We hope to rekindle some of that spirit by running more events at the library. We look forward to the challenge ahead but we fear that the magical feeling on the green, where all these people came to town and bought our books and we helped to build a library, has passed. Sincerely, SALLY KRUSCH President Friends of the Montauk Library Bonfire Havoc Montauk September 19, 2014 Dear David, Speaking as one who observes the Montauk beaches every summer morning, it was encouraging to see the attention brought to the growing problem of bonfire havoc on our beaches. The pockmarked, blackened, and smoldering sands one finds in the morning are heartbreaking, knowing that the healing process that begins after Labor Day will only have to mid-June before the carnage starts again. Here’s a thought: What about allowing beach fires from Sept. 15 through June 15? (Similar to beach-driving restrictions.) Most likely the people who really care for our beaches would then be able to enjoy this time-honored tradition. JOHN McGEEHAN Commendable Sensitivity East Hampton September 22, 2014 Dear David, The town board has demonstrated a commendable sensitivity to preserving the rural nature of our community — its tranquillity and physical beauty. This sensitivity is demonstrated by the following actions: • Preventing the development of a luxury senior citizens housing development known as 555 and located at 555 Montauk Highway east of the I.G.A. in Amagansett and acquisition of the land, which constitutes one of the largest open tracts of agricultural land in the town. This prevented the construction of over 60 town houses on land that constitutes a magnificent vista for us to enjoy. • Passing a law this past Thursday regulating the construction of formula, or chain, stores so as to assure that they will conform to the local architecture of historic districts in such places as Amagansett, Springs, and Wainscott. We will not have McDonald’s arches or 7-Eleven stanchions or “Big Whopper” signs in these areas. • Resolving to commence professional studies of the noise levels caused by helicopters and winged aircraft with a view toward taking such action as shall be necessary to protect the residents of East Hampton as well as those in other towns whose quality of life has been seriously compromised by the constant flights over their homes, which in the case of helicopters increased by 30 to 40 percent this year. • Considering, though not taking a public position at this time, the offer of the new owner of the East Deck motel at Ditch Plain to sell the it to the town. Having acquired the property recently, the developer at the last minute withdrew an application to the planning board to develop the motel into a resort that would include underground parking, a spa, stores, and waste disposal facilities that could accommodate 537 vistors daily. The surfing community and others in East Hampton were and are rightfully outraged by the potential of this development from eliminating Ditch Plain as the magical mecca that it is for surfers and those who love to watch them. No doubt the board will carefully weigh whether it can commit community preservation fund money to acquire this four-acre parcel and the East Deck Motel to assure that Ditch Plain will remain as it is. The Town of East Hampton is in its entirety a magical place consisting of the most beautiful beaches in the world, bucolic bays and harbors, dune lands, forests, and quaint villages. Preserving all this is a great responsibility — a public trust — that this town board takes very seriously. It should be noted that commercial interests in all of the above situations sought to influence the town board not to take the actions it did. I believe that seeking to so influence the board is shortsighted because the cachet of East Hampton is created by the magic of which I speak, and in the long run the commercialization of the town would make it a less attractive place and thereby negatively influence the quality of our lives and the value of our homes. We all should continue to support the town board members in their efforts to preserve the town that we know and love. DAVID J. WEINSTEIN On Hot Issues Amagansett September 21, 2014 Dear David, I have been a board watcher for the past four years and nine months, and this current town board and Supervisor Cantwell have been working feverishly to provide closure to an enormous agenda of issues left languishing by the previous administration. Their desire to address a wide scope of issues is astonishing. The number of issues can’t be enumerated but I’d like to mention a few: community preservation fund purchases for open space, committee to provide a management plan for C.P.F. properties, Amagansett Farms, the airport, wastewater management plan, PSEG, Montauk beach restoration project, code enforcement complaints online, draft for a rental registry, Lake Montauk feasibility study — along with hosting several community meetings on hot issues. These are but a few of the issues addressed in these nine months. Supervisor Cantwell does a superb job of utilizing the efforts of all those working under him, as well as listening to residents of the community. He facilitates connectivity, openness, and transparency, and has provided open dialogue at all town meetings. He understands government processes and fosters citizen participation and engagement. Civility and respect for all are evident at all meetings. I can honestly state that he loves his job! The East Hampton Town community can expect increased knowledge exchange, openness, and transparency by this administration. The following meetings will be held to listen to the public: today at noon, the Army Corps of Engineers presentation at the Montauk Firehouse for beach stabilization; a town board work session on the wastewater management plan at the Montauk Firehouse on Oct. 14, and the rental registry draft at a work session on Oct. 21 at Town Hall and at the Montauk Firehouse on Nov. 12. Please attend these meetings and see for yourself. Sincerely, RONA KLOPMAN Tuned to the Town Amagansett September 19, 2014 Dear David: As a junior reporter on The Cornell Sun, many decades ago, I was told that it was critical that there be a clear separation of the news and the editorial opinions. Furthermore, that this distinction dictated that the editorial column be relegated to the end of the first section. Never, never on the front page. This convention was recently disregarded by The New York Times in its weeklong campaign to legalize marijuana, but our Star, in its 129-year history, to my knowledge, obeyed the separation concept until last week. There it was, one of the most powerful Star editorial statements in recent history. A stunning airborne picture, on the front page, 200 waterborne surfers protesting the privatization of their beloved home base, the East Deck Motel in Ditch Plain, Montauk. While being thrilled by the picture, I must admit that it appeared to me that the ED40 group, having scrupulously followed the procedure to go forward, would succeed, and result in yet another loss of a unique feature of our town. But no, there it was again. A town board, tuned to the town’s voice, has decided to halt the process and study ways to retain the status quo by the use of the community preservation fund. While it is in its early phase and might not work out, we should praise the board and wish it success. I know I am beating a dead horse, probably once too often, but I believe that this ED40 proposal would have sailed through if presented to the Wilkinson board two years ago. Just remembering the ramming-through of the Ronjo Motel/Montauk Beach Club fiasco with its devastating impact on downtown Montauk makes my case. Last fall, Larry Cantwell conducted a series of “listening” meetings in every hamlet, aimed at hearing firsthand the presentation of their problems and their proposed solutions. He subsequently issued a series of documents that clearly listed, if elected, his plans to address these issues. Unlike many promises made on a local, state, and national level by both parties, this board has consistently indicated that it plans to respect those promises and conduct its business according to the notion of what is best for the people. We are lucky to have them. IRVING HIRSCHBERG Dolphin Drive Access Springs September 19, 2014 To the Editor, At last Thursday’s town board meeting, the board announced that it would follow the recommendation of the nature preserve committee and declare the 37-acre oceanfront property known as South Flora to be a town nature preserve and would hold a hearing on the matter on Oct 16. The property was bought by the town in 2000 with the understanding that it would be used as a public “ocean bathing beach.” That’s the good news. The bad news is that the board also announced that some of its members, including Supervisor Cantwell, would hold an additional hearing on the same night to prohibit all parking on Dolphin Drive, a public road that runs along the entire western side of the property to the ocean. It is currently the only existing public access to the beach. To deny use of this road defies common sense. The nature preserve committee at its last meeting voted unanimously that there should be permitted parking on at least the east side of the road, and the town trustees have agreed. If you believe that the public should have access to public lands purchased with the public’s money, please come to the Dolphin Drive hearing on Oct.16. REG CORNELIA Owners of the Beach Amagansett September 19, 2014 To the Editor: There is a massive error in this story that says in the Seaview case the trustees were ruled to be the owners of the beach. This is completely false. No owner has yet been determined; however, the Benson deed was upheld, which confirms the trustees sold the beach in its entirety and absolutely do not own it (page 5 of the ruling). After the trustees sold to Benson the beach has since remained in private hands, it’s just a matter of determining whose. Even though language is vague in subsequent deeds, the beach cannot just magically revert to the trustees or the town. And since the trustees-town attempted inverse condemnation, that is the trustees admitting they don’t own the beach and so tried to condemn it. At the very least the correction should read that no owner of the beach has been determined. CINDI CRAIN PSE Ampersand G (Sung to the tune of “Sweet Betsy From Pike” in the manner of Woody Guthrie) Folks at PSE ampersand G Don’t give a damn about you or ’bout me. They dig big deep holes to plant poisonous poles And lop off the tops of lots of our trees. Oh, PSE ampersand G Is ruining all of Suffolk County. We have no say; the company always has its way For it has the power, don’t you see. Oh, PSE ampersand G’s Trucks block traffic wherever they please. We curse and glower: no one likes an occupying power. (Just you go and ask the Afghanis.) Oh, PSE ampersand G Rebuff every suggestion and every plea: “Take down the poles, bury the lines!” They say, “That is just fine, But then we will charge you quadrupally.” Oh, who’d ever thought that one fine day We all would miss the L-I-P-A. They had their scandals, but at least they weren’t vandals Like PSE ampersand G. FRANK MILLSPAUGH The Beating Wings Boston September 16, 2014 To the Editor, Re: O thou who changeth not: abide with me. Judges, Ezekiel, Zephaniah. Dear student of the three other corners of the beach blanket and depends what your definition of is is after a jog from Bruce’s past. Arthur Herzog, David Porter to the paper. Lion’s lair and the Idle hour (like the old airport), “Yankee pasha” Eisenhower era film mentioned in “Million Dollar Mermaid.” Other films of the time, “The Naked Jungle,” “The Mississippi Gambler,” “The Eddie Duchin Story.” The six talons, the beating wings, and that ever busy beak and eyes. The Peter Jennings way. GEORGE RICHERT About Jean Hantz Amagansett September 20, 2014 Dear Mr. Rattray, I apologize for my long absence from the pages of The Star. I’m sorry. Sorry for you, sorry for my 52 readers, and sorry for myself, as my failure to write a letter has prevented me from having something to read for many weeks. Now, however, we celebrate. Let’s get a bottle of chardonnay and head to Pumpkin Town! Am I upset that you failed to acknowledge my 67th birthday in July? The passage of 804 months on our beautiful planet? Don’t cry for me, Mr. Rattray. I sent myself a thoughtful text that day and an email as well, with an adorable photo of me at age 5. Then I went to my room, looked in the mirror, and sang “Shake It Off” — even before it was released by Taylor Swift! So happy. But I digress. This letter is not about me. All right, never mind, maybe it is. I’ve been thinking about my mother-in-law lately, perhaps because my wife, Mary, has been dreaming about her mom, Jean Hantz, a lot in recent weeks. Jean is in hospice care at the Home of the Good Shepherd in Saratoga, N.Y. It’s a tough time for Jean and for this very close-knit family. You know I am a wiseass with an off-handed quip for most things, but this isn’t one of them. Recently in The Times I read “The Conversation” between two of my favorite columnists, David Brooks and Gail Collins. It was titled “What’s Left of Positive Thinking?” and concerned the troubling state of affairs on so many fronts, global and national alike, from ISIS and beheadings to family abuse in the N.F.L. We can all add our own anxiety-causing news items to the list — there’s so much to choose from, it’s suffocating. I’ll put the potential plundering of Rich, I mean Ditch Plain on my list . . . oops, sorry, this is not about what’s on my selfish list. This is about Jean Hantz, who just turned 88. One thousand and fifty-six months! Jean is a pioneer woman — a survivor of difficult times and a creator of joyful times. (My own mother, if heaven is fortunate enough, has gone marching in with the saints. Her name, coincidentally, was Jeanne. And both of these great dames have German in their ancestry. But this isn’t about my mother, it’s about Mary’s mom.) Jean lost both of her parents and her two sisters in a car accident before she was 5. She was a ward of the State of New York until she was given over to her aunt and uncle and raised on their upstate farm, near Buffalo. I guess little ones are resilient. They have the will to survive, like all living things. Maybe they benefit from not being able to reflect too deeply, to contemplate what has happened, its meaning. They do what they are told, and shown, eat what they are fed. I’m just making this up, trying to understand how a little kid comes through all this. But this isn’t about me, it’s about Jean. On the farm, she learned to grow vegetables, to cook, to can, to sew. She also went to college, joined a sorority, and was the treasurer of her class. She still says it: “Buffalo State in ’48!” Shortly after graduating Jean moved to East Hampton with a girlfriend, who’d heard there was employment on the East End of Long Island. She found a job at the Maidstone Arms, probably as a housekeeper. On days off the girls went to the beach at Indian Wells. That’s where Jack Hantz was a lifeguard, in 1949 through the early ’50s. (Jack was an athletic, dark-haired guy who grew up on Meeting House Lane in Amagansett. His father, Leo Hantz, was a conductor on the Long Island Rail Road.) Jean noticed Jack, perched on his lifeguard stand, and she must have thought he was a catch. She walked the beach past his station, back and forth, until Jack took notice of Jean. When he fell off his tall chair she caught him in her arms. Okay, I mean when Jack’s heart fell out of his bare chest, Jean caught it. Not catch-and-release like today; catch-and-keep, old school. They were married about a year later. A few years after that, Jack got a job as the head of the athletic department at Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., and that’s where Jean and Jack would raise their four girls and two boys. That’s where the kids would become, if I may say so, somewhat fanatical about hockey, which is why Mary could kick our ass on the rink, Mr. Rattray. But this isn’t about Mary, it’s about Jean. Every year this pioneer woman would sew the kids a new pair of pajamas for Christmas. Let’s pause for a moment and think about that. Okay, continue reading. And every summer the family would pack up the car and drive to Amagansett. The siblings had salt on their skin and sand in their hair all summer long. They were tossed out of the house in the morning, spent the day at the beach, returned for dinner and raised their voices at the table to get attention, and seconds. (This disturbing habit continues today, God help me.) Jean got her shellfish permit every year, went clamming in her secret spot, made clam chowder. She also discovered the late-season joys of beach plum picking, found her secret spots, made jars of beach plum jam and beach plum “bounce” — a potent medicinal beverage requiring about a half-liter of vodka. Cheers! In some not so abstract way, Jean is how I understand Mary — when Mary gets her shellfish permit. When Mary strongly suggests we journey to the “secret spots” for beach plums (last week was a bonanza — over 40 jars of jam to spread on those buns, Mr. Rattray!). When our table is filled with Mary’s (and Rick’s) girls, and their incredibly lucky young men, the cacophony begins anew. I shake my head in wonder when I see them trading recipes. Or hear Liv scream with delight over the sewing machine Sean got her for her birthday. Crazy. Their own kids won’t need to be taught to text or tweet or write code—that’ll all be gone with the fountain pen by then. But they will learn to go clamming some day, in the secret spot, and to make clam chowder. They’ll learn where to find the beach plums and how to make the jam, and the bounce. So, “What’s Left of Positive Thinking?” This letter is about Jean Hantz. Raise your glass! LYLE GREENFIELD The ISIS Threat Sag Harbor September 18, 2014 To the Editor, A quote from my last letter: “At this moment, the president, the C.I.A., N.S.A., and the generals can’t agree on what to do next, because it’s insanity.” Little did I know what would follow. But as President Obama prepares to send the United States on a military campaign against ISIS, American intelligence agencies have concluded that it poses no immediate threat to the United States. Some officials and terrorism experts believe that the actual danger posed by ISIS has been distorted in hours of television punditry and alarmist statements by politicians, and that there has been little substantive public debate about the unintended consequences of expanding American military action in the Middle East. The power of fear. Daniel Benjamin, who served as the U.S. State Department’s top counterterrorism adviser during Mr. Obama’s first term, said the public discussion about the ISIS threat has been a “farce.” The power of fear. “It’s hard to imagine a better indication of the ability of elected officials and TV talking heads to spin the public into a panic.” The power of fear. How do you feel about training Syrian troops to fight our wars in Iraq? Have we not trained Iraqi troops for seven years that failed? How long will it take to send American soldiers into action? Advisers are already there. Unfortunately, the power of fear has spread among the American people, often referred to as manufactured consent. In peace, LARRY DARCEY What Do You Think? Springs September 19, 2014 Dear David, Are the Democrats really proud of Debbie Wasserman Schultz? This woman needs to go back to school and learn how to be a civil person. Where does she get the gall to say the things she comes out with. I am ashamed she’s a woman. The real unemployment rate is 12 percent, there are 92 million citizens out of work, employers are taking hours away from their employees so as not to pay for their health care. Yes, Obamacare has done more damage to the citizens of the U.S.A. with his great health reform and yet his followers still defend it. There is no passion in Obama’s speeches, he has a lack of aggression toward the Islamic terrorists and he is too passive. Blaming the media for his golf game? Hillary Clinton thinks the biggest threat to America is climate change, not ISIS, not Russia, climate change. What do you think about that? The follower for all concerned in East Hampton is, drum roll please, Tim Bishop is on board with Obama and Hillary Clinton. The congressman who has done nothing for East Hampton is on board. Get out and vote, and vote this man out of office. This man has not introduced a single bill that would have a good effect for us, but he talks big and makes sure his daughter has a job. In God and country, BEA DERRICO Political Brinksmanship Southampton September 22, 2014 To the Editor: On Saturday, Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate for Congress in the First Congressional District, is welcoming the Republican speaker of the House, John Boehner, for a fund-raiser. While I’m sure Mr. Zeldin will raise a nice chunk of change from his rich donors, he’s also demonstrating that he’ll contribute to the dysfunction that paralyzes Congress. Just look at John Boehner’s “accomplishments” as speaker. He shut down the government to prevent hard-working Americans from getting health care — costing our economy $24 billion in the process. Then last month, he sued President Obama for his executive actions regarding immigration. But less than a month later, when he couldn’t even get the votes for his own meager border security proposal, he called on Obama to take executive action instead. Hypocrisy, thy name is Boehner! If anyone remains confused about what kind of Congressman Mr. Zeldin would be, Mr. Boehner’s visit further reveals his intentions to put ideology before his constituents. He has said he supports Boehner’s lawsuit, and he endorsed the shutdown. And only two weeks ago, he welcomed the Tea Partyer Allen West into town, despite calls from religious leaders in our community to withdraw West’s invitation due to his controversial remarks comparing Democrats to Nazis and plantation overseers. We need leaders who will work toward bipartisan solutions and put their constituents before political brinksmanship. Lee Zeldin’s association with John Boehner illustrates he has no intention of reaching across the aisle. The voters of Long Island should not give Mr. Zeldin the chance to add to this dysfunction. SUZANNE MURPHY Without Human Help East Hampton September 19, 2014 Dear David, Earth’s climate is in a constant state of change. Over the last 55,000 years it has gone from typically cool, with glaciers as far south as New York City, and Long Island is a terminal moraine marking the end of the glaciers’ advance. All that ice made the seas 300 feet lower than today. Main Beach would have been out into what is now sea at the continental shelf’s edge. Four times the Earth warmed and the glaciers melted, the seas filled to where they are now and a little more, all without human help. What was the driving factor? Not carbon dioxide, as the Lake Vostok ice core graphs show the CO2 in the atmosphere increased with an 800-year lag as Earth warmed, and decreased as Earth cooled. Humanity played no part in this. Carbon dioxide was not the driver but a lagging indicator. The climate change was driven by the varying energy levels of our sun. The long cycle is, interestingly, 100,000 years long. The cycle is falling energy output with cooling for about 50,000 years, then warming back up for another 50,000 years. Then the Earth is treated to 15,000 to 20,000 years of warm climate, as it has been for about 18,000 years. It goes from active, with sunspots, as it is now. In the distant geological past, the CO2 reached levels of 8,000 parts per million; today it is 380 to 400 parts per million. There was no runaway warming, life was not adversely affected. The current levels are simply not a reason to be desperate to change anything. Carbon dioxide is what plants need to grow, They take in CO2, keep the carbon, and release the oxygen for us to breathe. Humanity had nothing to do with climate change during its entire existence and is not doing it now. The thoroughly discredited theory that CO2 drives climate is clutched to the hearts of some, like, say, a belief in original sin. Some seem to think civilization is somehow bad and those creating it are causing retribution from some self-created source. This is simply not so. Online, at geocraft.com, “A Closer Look” by Dr. S. Fred Singer, and, same site, “Global Warming Chilling” provide basics. Using your favorite site, search “paleoclimatology.” Dr. Roy Spencer, Dr. Don Easterbrook and others provide a good science-based background to draw from. If you prefer lectures, YouTube has many, just type in “global warming” or “climate change” and the list that you get is quite long. Please examine the work and think about the information they offer. Yours truly, PETER OSBORNE
Published 4 years ago
Last updated 4 years ago
Letters to the Editor: 09.25.14
September 24, 2014