Alcohol City Springs December 20, 2013 To the Editor, Okay, if you read The East Hampton Star this week under “Notices,” next to the last page there is a notice that a license is pending for beer and wine to sell retail in a sports arena under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 385 Abraham’s Path in Amagansett. Well, folks, for your information, this is the indoor arena at the Terry King ballfield, a place originally set up for the youngsters of our community. It has now been turned into, or trying to be turned into, a place that sells alcohol! Call your town board — 324-3187 or 324-2620 — and tell them not to approve this license. New York State Liquor Authority complaint hotline: 518-474-3114. This is an outrage. Not in our town! Speak up now, or forever regret it. One more thing taken away from our children. It’s time to take back our town. It is not all right to turn this town into Alcohol City. Sincerely, KERRY S. BAKER Deer: A Few Details East Hampton December 19, 2013 To the Editor: Hiring professional sharpshooters to cull an excessive number of white-tailed deer, rather than just encouraging sport hunters to kill them off for recreation, is nothing new. But hard information on how well this more efficient, humane approach has actually worked has been conspicuously missing from reports on this hot-button issue — both in our local papers and in a wordy but skimpily researched article by N.R. Kleinfield in the Dec. 19 New York Times. Before the final bureaucratic clearances to go ahead with a culling operation this winter, aren’t we entitled to a better understanding of its track record and what results we might expect here? I devoted a quarter-hour to Googling press reports on recent deer culls in several neighboring states. I found accounts from Princeton, N.J., Valley Forge, Radnor, and Gettysburg in Pennsylvania; Groton, Conn., and, further west, Cook County in Illinois. These were repeated annual operations that state and environmental officials apparently judged worthwhile. Aren’t East Hampton (and other East End) residents entitled to hear a few factual details amid the emotional polemics? Is there an investigative reporter in the house — any local publication’s house? SUSAN SEIDMAN Humans Culled by Deer East Hampton December 19, 2013 Dear David, I blame Walt Disney for the deer problem in East Hampton. If it wasn’t for Bambi, deer wouldn’t be thought of as more lovable than, say, chickens or cows, just two animals we slaughter by the millions for food. I haven’t heard of any petitions to stop eating meat or chicken. And think of what would happen if no leather was available for designer handbags or shoes. I live in the Northwest Woods and I fear hitting a deer as it crosses the road. Not so much for the damage to the deer, but to me and my wife. And I’ve noticed that the deer don’t run away from cars and people. They slowly walk away as if they have nothing to fear. Of course they don’t have anything to fear. They read The Star and know that nothing ever gets done quickly by the East Hampton town government. Hopefully that will change when the new administration takes office. I, reluctantly, favor culling by hunters. Deer hunting is legal in most places in America. And the meat doesn’t go to waste. Most of the game killed is utilized as food, as it could be in our area. It might even be used in gourmet dishes and served in our many restaurants that talk about using local food. Once the population is brought under control, the remaining deer could be tagged and tracked to monitor future population growth. I also question the remarks by Laura Simon, a wildlife ecologist who states as a fact in The Star that if the deer population was reduced, deer would compensate by giving birth to “twins and triplets after their numbers have been reduced.” That doesn’t have a ring of truth to me, but I’d like to hear what study she got that information from. I’ve never heard of animals or humans who can have multiple births just by willing it to happen. To me, the threat of humans being culled by deer crossing the road is more alarming than the threat of deer being culled by humans. And I urge the deer-management plan to go ahead as soon as possible. Respectfully, LARRY SPECTOR Gung-Ho on Slaughter East Hampton December 21, 2013 Dear David I attended the East Hampton Village Board meeting on Friday that in my view was set up as a perfunctory show of some form of democracy to allow those opposed to the bait-and-cull slaughter proposal to voice their opinions to the village board that plans to adopt and fund this program, offered by the Long Island Farm Bureau and the United States Department of Agriculture with our tax dollars. It appears that our Mayor of Murder has dug in his heels regardless of the information presented as to why this deer bait-and-cull slaughter of hundreds if not thousands of animals throughout Suffolk County is a really bad idea. He stated at the beginning that he was allowing just 15 minutes to speak, five minutes for each person, and requested no redundancy. Fortunately there were more than just the three people allowed in this time frame who were prepared to take to the stand, and thousands of signed petitions were presented to the board. At the end of maybe 25 minutes a lawyer in attendance announced that two lawsuits have been issued, one to the village and one to the town, against this program. After that, no one else was allowed to speak. The mayor then proceeded to make a speech about how it is in the best interest of the people in the village for elected legislative government officials to make this decision for them because this deer problem is catastrophic. I recall this is somewhat the same line that Dominick Stanzione was quoted to say about this before the November election. I was, however, shocked to hear him use the word “catastrophic” with regard to the deer problem in the village. I believe he is blowing this out of proportion in order to make his case. You could just feel the air being sucked right out of the room. I called out to the mayor and asked for an explanation as to why he thinks the village has a catastrophic problem. I was ignored. He continued then to say that some of the speakers don’t even live in the village, as if to discount what they had to say. Well, Mr. Mayor, I do live in the village, and your comment was flippant and very non-community minded. Throughout, I felt the mayor was dismissive and condescending, and that he really wasn’t interested in any of the findings that were presented to him. At one point the woman speaking who presented the petitions actually asked him if he was listening to her. I couldn’t believe it when he started to shovel the lines about how he likes baby deer too, and Bambi. It was so insulting that I thought I was going to get sick — so I left. I was very disappointed to see that the mayor of East Hampton Village appears to be another outdated version of yesteryear’s authority figures. The type that I had no respect for when I came across them in school and in the corporate world, and very similar to the conduct of our outgoing town supervisor. I hope this mayor retires soon, as I think our East Hampton Village deserves a new, inclusive, and progressive leader, not an old dictator that won’t listen to reason even when the facts are presented to him. I just don’t understand why this mayor is so gung-ho on this slaughter — it just doesn’t make sense. For him to consider that the deer problem in the village is catastrophic and epic is just beyond my comprehension. Who has his ear on this and why? The figures and stats are just not there to back up his position. I am speaking strictly about the village, and I just don’t get it. BETSY PETROSKI Ugly Event East Hampton December 22, 2013 Dear David, What an ugly event to my mind at the last town board meeting, the Talmage decision a travesty. Had me in tears. It was Dave Talmage who once said to me when the Napeague quarrel was going on, “I never thought anyone in Bonac would refuse someone a glass of water.” To me, as an aside and irrelevant to the issue, the Talmages are indeed Bonac’s finest kind. LONA RUBENSTEIN Lighting Code Springs December 20, 2013 Dear David, Whew! Four years of minority (trying to) rule are finally over, along with all the name-calling, bickering, posturing, screaming, insults, time-wasting, and crazy talk. It has been a painful time for those of us who watched and tried to participate in our local government. Thank you for your editorials and The Star’s reporting on the efforts of (soon to be former) Councilwoman Theresa Quigley to repeal our lighting code. She was not successful. We owe thanks to Councilwoman Sylvia Overby and Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc for their help in protecting our nighttime environment from the effects of light pollution: glare, light-trespass, and excessive or unnecessary night lighting. The incoming town board will address updates to the current code, per recommendations from the Planning Department. Again, thank you, SUSAN HARDER Nicholls Privileges Amagansett December 14, 2013 Dear David, When my husband, the late Paul Nicholls, agreed to move here, I knew it might be bittersweet. My husband’s Nicholls ancestors, Brits from Kent, used to own the place (the Nicholls Patent), they sold to Lord Dongan some 300-plus years ago. (The Dongan Patent created the East Hampton Town Trustees.) If the Nicholls Patent were currently in force, I would assume permanent discounts at the Ladies Village Improvement Society, along with other privileges. I do think that my advocacy of the East Hampton Town Trustees has to do, in part, with indirect lineage. I present a wish list for 2014: 1. The East Hampton Town Trustees should hold a seat on the East Hampton Town Board. 2. Trustees’ meetings should be televised. 3. Heads should roll when shellfish are poached, and when trustee property is compromised or jurisdiction is not acknowledged by other government entities. 4. The role of East Hampton Town Common Whipper should be restored. Given my indirect ancestral rights, ready arm, and a willingness to do the job, I say, look no further. All good things, DIANA WALKER Sport of Wrestling Montauk December 17, 2013 To the Editor, Now that wrestling season is upon us, I will attempt to cover those factors that would be most beneficial to a high school wrestler. Wrestling is truly the only sport offered at the high school level which fully shows one’s sole athletic skills in a one-on-one contact sport; there is no one else to blame if you lose nor anyone who truly deserves credit if you are victorious other than yourself. To truly learn the sport of wrestling, one shall find that knowledge and proper execution of both its moves and their counters, along with substantial strength and good cardiovascular fitness, are all positive factors in making a top-shelf wrestler. There are many coaches who will introduce a rather large group of intricate or advanced techniques in hopes of bettering his squad. I feel that merely learning and perfecting the basics and mastering several preferred variations of take-downs and top-and-bottom referee positions moves and their counters, along with maintaining adequate body strength and cardiovascular fitness, is far more beneficial to the wrestler. One should never minimize any opponent, for even the weakest shall have his day, nor shall he fear even the utmost opponent or enter any match with thoughts of loss, for by doing so he is truly giving his opponent the upper hand even before the match has begun. Therefore, he shall enter each and every match headstrong and determined to be victorious. If he doesn’t demand this of himself, he shall at times fall short. If one is completely honest knowing he has given his all, he is a winner no matter the outcome of the match. The wrestler shall find attaining total perfection is truly a myth, though with repeated practice sessions he can and will progress. There will be times when it may seem redundant repeating the same routine day after day, yet, like anything in life that we truly desire, “You shall reap what you sow.” Also, many competitors try to lose substantial weight in an attempt to drop down to a lower weight class where they feel they would be more competitive. This may be acceptable if they are not already at their proper weight, but there are those who will over-exceed sensible limits in a quest to achieve a goal which realistically may be far beyond their reach. For a wrestler to lose an extremely high percentage of his weight, he must at times not only diet but actually deprive himself of proper nutrition. If one is introduced to wrestling at an early age and follows this proper regimen outlined above, he will already be at his optimum weight and strength and properly prepared for any and all matches. Sincerely, LEW SEITZ Stubborn and Arrogant Springs December 18, 2013 Dear David, I guess being that I live in East Hampton and write letters to the editor about President Liar Obama, I screech and wallow through outdated, untrue facts. At least I don’t use a potty mouth to make a point. I watch all stations, find facts both from television and the Internet, and use my brain to make a clear decision. This president is a liar, constantly goes on his campaign trips and lies right to the American people. Should you choose to stand up for this president that’s your choice, but I have my right to voice my opinion as I see fit. Missteps in Benghazi, Syria, the Middle East in general, a joke of course. We lost the ambassador of Benghazi and three other American citizens, two being Navy Seals. Their parents are still looking for answers, answers the president and Secretary of State Oscar winner and what difference does it make, Hillary Clinton, promised to get. The president stated he was angry and would get to the bottom of it. He’s angry and getting to the bottom of a lot of things. Heads are going to roll. But this is not happening. Everyone seems o be getting promotions or leave with pay. Here’s a quote: “President Obama gives the impression of a man on a West Wing tour trying out the desk in the Oval Office only to be told that he is the president.” (Charles Krauthammer, nationalreview.com, Dec. 12.) His blunders are amazing and then he hides behind the curtain and makes statements that all his blunders are false stories. He didn’t know this and no one told him about that, he is learning from TV news stations and read about his failures from the newspaper. Pretty bad example of a transparent president. He paid out $600 million for a failing software healthcare program that does not work, and millions of our citizens are running scared and getting sick over the fact they cannot keep their doctor or their plan. The president gave exemptions to his friend and unions, why can’t he just put the plan on hold for another year to work out the kinks. Stubborn and arrogant, that’s why. If you think we can trust Iran and talk into a peace plan, ask Israel how they feel about it. Russia outsmarted Obama, don’t think for a minute Putin gives a rat’s thought about Obama. For God and country, BEA DERRICO
Published 4 years ago
Last updated 4 years ago
Letters to the Editor: 12.26.13
December 24, 2013