Rooster Malone
Springs
April 22, 2024
To the Editor,
Let me get this straight. Someone buys a house in a family-oriented neighborhood without checking what the neighborhood is like and gets to make demands of his neighbor who has been there for 22 years, with a rooster that’s been there for the last seven of them? I just hope they’re picking on the right rooster. There are definitely three roosters within 750 feet of the complainant’s house on Malone Street. What’s next? Go after the other roosters? Too much noise at the firehouse? What about the birds right after the rooster in the morning? Neighbors' kids making too much noise?
How well will you qualify your renters? Background checks? What kind of people are you bringing into our neighborhood?
I’ve lived on Malone for 37 years, raised my family. I have great neighbors of 28, 25, and 15 years and we help each other with downed trees and heavy snow.
We’re all friends of Rooster Malone.
BOB CUMMINGS
We Cannot Continue
East Hampton
April 20, 2024
Dear David,
I am aware of the proposal to amend the current housing law in East Hampton town, to expand from eight to 12 the number of units that can be built per acre. The objective is to increase the number of affordable housing units to accommodate demand, which far exceeds current supply. I am totally in favor of such proposed amendment but believe that the need is for far more than just senior citizens. The number of times it has been brought to my attention by workers at my own property or at various business establishments that "it is impossible to find housing in the East Hampton area at a reasonable cost" -- and thus the need to drive an hour or more from their place of employment each day makes this an undesirable place to work and places a burden on living. We cannot continue to be such an exclusive community of residents, both all year and summer, that we cannot allow a more-efficient use of certain qualified properties to be built to accommodate those who cannot afford the increasing pressure of higher
costs of housing accommodations. There is no reason why we cannot become a much more friendly and acceptable location where people of all means can find a decent place to live within their means.
I urge the planning board to pass regulations that not only expand the number of units per acre but also make them applicable to families with members of all ages.
Sincerely,
ALAN PATRICOF
Seize Opportunity
Amagansett
April 22, 2024
Dear Mr. Rattray,
I must strongly disagree with your position taken in an April 18 editorial asserting that the town board "should decouple the senior
citizens proposal from the larger goal of affordable and worker housing." The zoning proposal on the table, allowing 12 housing units per acre instead of the current eight, is a modest but crucial step forward in relieving a situation that is of vital importance to each of these demographics, from seniors to working people, both seasonal and year round.
The needs of seniors and workers (and the employers who hire them) are not mutually exclusive. They represent a yearslong sore spot in our community that has never been comprehensively addressed. In an environment of ever-expanding affluence, the areas where affordable developments can be brought to fruition dwindle with each passing year.
Proposals currently before the town include private-sector investment, not simply money from the community's funds. Meaning, businesses are willing to take on a substantial portion of the financial responsibility for building affordable housing for their workers. The town should be thrilled with that idea, and support it, with the appropriate conditions and stipulations.
When we take measures to assure that our waterways are clean, we don't say we're doing this for the scallop population, or the striper or flounder populations. It's for the health of that entire ecosystem. That's where we are with the current zoning proposal -- an opportunity to address an economic and social quandary shared by more than one demographic group. We should seize that opportunity now, while it's right before us.
Sincerely,
LYLE GREENFIELD
Lifestyle or Numbers
East Hampton
April 21, 2024
To the Editor,
Thank you, David, for your editorial "Keep Focus on Elders for Now."
While your editorial focused on affordable housing for our communities' elders, by default the focus also includes all East
Hampton Town senior services, from housing to the senior activity center, to senior transportation, to senior counseling.
For the last 12 years, the town's Human Services Department was the responsibility of Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, a board member and now supervisor, and the Democratic Party. Clearly, the assignment of the town's Human Services is not a cherished position, nor has it seemed to be monitored, in terms of what was being accomplished, on an annual basis.
Our "elders," myself now included, are the backbone of the community. A growing number of us continue to be employed. We are the bulk of volunteers for organizations like the food pantries and Meals on Wheels. We volunteer in our schools and libraries with reading programs and math tutoring. And we hold the historical knowledge of our communities as the elders of the "tribes" from Montauk to Wainscott.
Given the appalling condition of the East Hampton senior citizen programs and the reprehensible and dangerous condition of its center, it is long past time to focus on who is responsible for the ongoing abysmal conditions of all age-related programs in East Hampton. From affordable housing to entertainment to transportation to counseling, Ms. Burke-Gonzalez has failed the community at every turn. Clearly her inabilities are now why the town suddenly has a town manager, which of course should be the supervisor. Kathee's ignorance of aging services is inconceivable after all these years as part of her responsibilities portfolio. Case in point: hiring an architectural firm with absolutely no experience in design for older Americans demonstrates her ongoing contempt for educating herself, considering all the many volunteer professional citizens who have served on her multiple advisory boards.
The culmination of her ignorance is the backhanded introduction to the public of a massive, casino-size senior center.
To further demonstrate her ignorance, she has based the need of its size on population statistics. Those statistics tell planners little
or nothing about usage. The people moving into second homes in East Hampton are not part of the equation. First and foremost, they are wealthy, well educated, and discriminating. Demographics do not portend usage. It is lifestyle, not their numbers, that must be factored into the demographic numbers! Ms. Burke-Gonzalez clearly doesn't understand that on any level, from housing to social interests.
In addition to affordable housing for seniors, the town must develop a safe, well-designed senior center immediately for those of us who use it today. That can easily be accomplished by constructing new prefabricated buildings and offices attached to the existing kitchen facilities at the Springs-Fireplace location, and can be accomplished in months, not years!
NANCY R. PEPPARD
Difficult Decisions
Amagansett
April 17, 2024
To the Editor,
This is a shout-out to the Amagansett School Board that has clearly been fraught with extremely difficult decisions over the past few months. Unfortunately, the school board is bound by privacy laws that often prevent them from defending their actions in a way that may make sense to the community. Many school board decisions are governed by state law and will not please everyone. Letting teachers go, hiring administrators, and managing a school budget effectively are a few of the responsibilities of these community-elected volunteers. Members of the board are unpaid community-minded individuals who answered an appeal to a civic duty. The decisions a school board makes are often extremely difficult and are not taken lightly. Their job is to do right by the school as it relates to every aspect of the kids and community as a whole. Every action creates a reaction that often differs among teachers, administrators, parents, and the community. This can be an incredibly stressful position for board members as they must look at the big picture rather than focusing on the desires of one particular group or person. Effective boards are not partial. They are mindful, fair, and lawful.
Amagansett School was a wonderful place for my kids to start their education (pre-K through sixth grade) and it still is. Amagansett kids enter middle school in East Hampton with a solid foundation and often go on to become top-performing students. We are lucky to have such a gem in our community. The school's historically outstanding reputation was acknowledged by receiving Blue Ribbon status and is testament to the hard work of the children, teachers, administrators, parents, and the board. The accolade speaks for itself. I applaud and trust the school board will continue its difficult work to keep Amagansett School on the right track.
ERIK PETERSON
Let's Vote No
Amagansett
April 21, 2024
To the Editor,
The interim superintendent of Amagansett School claims to know someone is a voter because they have a home here. I didn't dispute a home was owned in town. I can read the tax roll.
Why is the superintendent doing door-to-door visits with the school board president? That's not on school grounds? One could speculate that the rumored secret meetings that occur have been brought to light. So the proof is he now admits to going to visit his boss so she doesn't need to sign in at the school. Cool.
The specter I had raised at the Amagansett School board meeting is what is on the Board of Elections' "active voter" list, also confirmed by phone and online by them. The voter list I have goes back to 2021 when I ran. It has the same thing.
This raises the question of why Tom Mager asked everyone to raise their hand who was registered to vote in town, not just owning here, on March 26. Mr. Mager also fearmongered to the crowd, saying, "If you don't pass the budget, the state will take over." I still say let's vote no and see what he cuts next. They get another try. Don't obscure facts.
Speaking of such, I never once said they were cutting services. Legally, they cannot under federal Law. Then again, they aren't to give less money to special education than the year prior. But the thought process is, more burden on fewer teachers will reach more students.
Richard Loeschner made a bold statement that this is a "personal attack." I merely reciprocated how you all treated us on March 26. This is a school's way of trying to silence my voice. They will mostly try to use the vague Policy 903 and then, if needed, I will win in court for my protected speech at a public meeting, as other individuals do all over the country. I have newspaper articles, police reports, government documents, contracts, resolutions, paperwork in general. In regard to the driving while intoxicated: Sure, I know how it got dismissed; you can read the Carl Irace quotes. Still happened as an active school board president.
School officials are to be held to a higher standard. Especially those who choose to get elected to a public office.
By the way, if the board or interim superintendent had stopped me from talking at the meeting it would have been a violation by the board. The fact they posted their video and took it down before reposting it seems odd, too. Were you going to edit it and then realized I have my own copy?
The interim superintendent is here for a cup of coffee to do a "hatchet job." Not my words -- but it was great to hear multiple others say them. I call him a "hitman." You'll always be told to advocate, but it doesn't stop there. Then they will try to discredit you for speaking truth. If you are a parent, you need to be the one to go the extra mile. The school can't do certain things or even say certain things. You need to be involved. A voice of the voiceless. Vote no.
And, P.S.: Thank you to Jonathan Wallace. Great read last week. We should get together one day for some information sharing.
Still here,
JOE KARPINSKI
Music Outreach
Springs
April 22, 2024
Dear Editor,
What a wonderful Saturday afternoon!
Thank you, Nigel Noble, for sharing your Oscar-winning short documentary film, "Close Harmony," with the East Hampton Library audience. Although this wonderful film was created a few decades ago, its message of respect, love, understanding, and openness is one that continues to resonate.
The East Hampton Library and our neighbors, the Hamptons Festival of Music, brought this documentary to us as the first in a six-event series titled "Music and Art in Concert." The next film in the series, "The Last Repair Shop," will be screened tomorrow at 6 p.m. This 2024 Oscar-winning film celebrates the stories of four unassuming heroes who ensure no student is deprived of the joys of music. How timely, as many of our school districts are facing budgetary issues, often placing music and art programs at risk.
Which brings to the forefront the Hamptons Festival of Music's school and community-outreach events at the end of May.
The main focus of the Hamptons Festival of Music lies in orchestral masterworks performed at the highest level by 41 orchestral musicians brought together from many world-class orchestras to form the festival orchestra, the New American Sinfonietta. However, the Hamptons Festival of Music is also fulfilling its mission of bringing classical music to all through its school and community-outreach events.
School-outreach programs will be held at East Hampton High School, Springs School, Project Most, and, for the wee ones, at the Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center.
Community-outreach programs will take place in several churches throughout town from May 31 to June 2.
You might wish to visit the website, thehamptonsfestivalofmusic.com, for additional information regarding the community concerts, main-stage events, as well as how you might support their efforts.
Now more than ever we need music to unite us, inspire us, and bring us joy.
Sincerely,
CHRISTINE GANITSCH
Voldemort's Power
Amagansett
April 22, 2024
To the Editor:
Voldemort, the private shot-caller of the town's Democratic machine, rarely has (or, I assume, wants) his name in the paper (at least not in that role). He surged up in last week's Star, however, representing an exclusive Manhattan club that (I am guessing) nobody reading, writing for, or editing this page could get into. It wants to take over the Hedges Inn in the village.
Voldemort is quoted in your front-page article by Christopher Gangemi, calling the village's opposition to the club "garbage" and saying, with no apparent sense of irony, that the village doesn't "have this regulatory power that they think they have."
Does the town? Perhaps there is a connection between Voldemort's power over our affairs and the strangely listless defense the town has mounted for more than four years against litigations brought by a billionaire seafood hobbyist (whom I shall now enjoy referring to as Q, after the Star Trek character).
"Ye shall know them by their clients" (slightly paraphrasing Matthew 7:16 K.J.V.).
For democracy in East Hampton,
JONATHAN WALLACE
Discretion
East Hampton Village
April 21, 2024
Dear David,
I want to express my gratitude to Mayor Jerry Larsen for taking an important stand in support of the character of our historic village district. It is distressing to imagine the potential impact of the Hedges Inn transformed into an exclusive private club.
There is an admirable traditional history of discretion among the most elite members of American society who choose to spend time with us in our community.
My family supports our mayor in drawing the line, and we look forward to being patrons of the Hedges Inn for years to come.
Respectfully,
OBRON FARBER
Drink Beer
Sag Harbor
April 16, 2024
To the Editor,
Wow. This is so crazy. [Re: Springs General Store], you won't be able to drink beer or wine bought from the store legally, but you can legally smoke marijuana and legally eat marijuana wrapped up to look like children's candy outside there on their chairs? Ridiculous.
ERIC HADLEY
Dream Come True
East Hampton
April 14, 2024
Dear David,
I recently received in the mail a letter from a group called the Freetown Neighborhood Coalition. After carefully reading their very detailed letter and looking over the proposed plans I have to say that I don't agree with a single point they made and I am beyond thrilled about the looks of the proposed Project Most plan.
I live directly across the street from the existing Neighborhood House which in its present incarnation is an absolute eyesore. Freetown is a vibrant family-centric neighborhood with neatly kept homes whose children, for the most part, attend the local schools.
One part of the letter that I was most struck by was the ill-informed bit about the refusal to consider either Most Holy Trinity or the former Child Development Center of the Hamptons building. First, neither property is being offered as a donation to Project Most. Further, the existing building at C.D.C.H. is in dire and serious need of renovation and, again, is not being offered as a donation. What is being offered as a gift to Project Most and the community is a stunning building, landscaping, and 2.4-acre parcel at 92 Three Mile Harbor Road. This is an unparalleled gift to the children of our community which is deeply needed, especially as our year-round community continues to grow.
As a mother of four children who attend the local schools, I can attest to the fact that affordable and engaging after-school programs are desperately needed in East Hampton and the proposed Project Most plan at 92 Three Mile Harbor Road would be a dream come true.
MARY WASERSTEIN
Knew in October
East Hampton
April 21, 2024
Dear Reader,
The Oct. 18 issue of The East Hampton Press newspaper contained an article by a reporter named Michael Wright about the East Hampton senior center. The article clearly stated that the town board was aware of the serious environmental issue of the northern long-eared bat.
To quote Mr. Wright's October article: "The town's planning board and architectural review board are still to be consulted on the layout and design. But the construction site and access road must be cleared by the end of February, after which cutting down trees is prohibited until the following November to protect endangered long-eared bats." Aha. The article quotes the then-deputy supervisor's description of two phases of clearing at the site, and includes her statement that "town staff is working on an environmental assessment of the project." It is clear that the town board intended as early as October to avoid regulatory review of the project by the planning board. The article ended with this: "Van Scoyoc" -- then town supervisor -- "urged the team to expedite getting the property cleared this winter so that the construction schedule would not be threatened with months of additional delay. It's important we start doing the site work. It's the only window we have."
Thus, it is evident that the town board knew in October about the presence at the forested project site on Abraham's Path of a robust population of the federally protected northern long-eared bats and anticipated the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's labeling of the bat as "endangered" as of Nov. 30 (finalized as of Jan. 30), which would encumber the project with potential federal and New York State restrictions, penalties, and legislation. The board used its legal connections to dig up the Monroe Balancing Test (a 1988 court decision regarding the city of Rochester) to allow the town board an opportunity to "accept or reject the Planning Department's findings and opinions," as per a Planning Department memo dated Jan. 3; and, further, to exempt itself from official oversight by our planning board, zoning board, architectural review board, and Natural Resources Department.
The current deputy supervisor and past town board member was, last year, and is this year the town board's official liaison to not only our planning, zoning, and A.R.B. boards, but to our Natural Resources Department, an agency described on the town website as being responsible for "endangered species management," and linked on that site to both the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The town natural resources site states: "The Town of East Hampton holds the responsibility to assist the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and United States Fish and Wildlife Service in their endangered species recovery goals." Yet, throughout the brouhaha about the senior-center project, nowhere is found any relevant official statement, opinion, rationale, plan, level of involvement, or reference to our excellent Natural Resources Department, despite the obvious topical onus on that department, and despite the liaison status of the town board's deputy supervisor.
There is more to come.
Sincerely,
PATRICIA HOPE
Preventing Abuse
East Hampton
April 22, 2024
Dear David,
As the executive director of the Retreat, an organization dedicated to supporting families and individuals impacted by domestic abuse and breaking the cycle of family violence, I commend Gov. Kathy Hochul for her commitment to addressing this critical issue. I am thrilled to learn of the inclusion of $35.7 million in funding in her 2025 budget aimed at preventing and prosecuting crimes of domestic violence.
This funding is not just a number but represents hope and support for countless individuals and families who have endured the horrors of family or gender violence. With this investment, we can enhance our efforts to provide safety, shelter, and comprehensive, free support services to those in need across eastern Long Island.
At the Retreat, we understand the importance of prevention education in the schools and communities as well as comprehensive services in combating domestic violence. Our 24-hour bilingual hotline, counseling and legal services, and emergency shelter are just some of the resources we offer to survivors and their families.
We are committed to providing compassionate, culturally aware, and inclusive services to all members of our community. Governor Hochul's dedication to this cause is commendable and so important. I am confident that with her leadership and support, we can make meaningful progress in ending domestic violence. Together, let us continue to work toward a future where every individual feels safe and supported, and free from abuse.
Sincerely,
LORETTA K. DAVIS
Unorthodox Thoughts
Springs
April 22, 2024
To the Editor,
Have you ever heard the story of Giordano Bruno? Born in 1548, a philosopher and mathematician, he believed in an infinite universe, that the stars above are other suns with planets circling around them, some harboring life. He also believed in the Copernican theory that the Sun, not the Earth, was the center of the solar system. The Earth rotated on its axis once a day and circled around the Sun once a year -- a very unorthodox way of thinking back in the day.
Unfortunately, he was put in a dungeon and tortured by the Catholic hierarchies for seven years, and then stripped naked, turned upside-down, and burned at the stake in Campo de' Fiori square, Rome, Italy, in the year 1600, because he wouldn't recant his thoughts on astronomy. Apparently, the church strongly believed in the geocentric system, where the Earth was stationary and that everything revolves around it. A few decades later, his contemporary, Galileo Galilei, came with his telescope to the same conclusion, that the Sun was the center of the solar system and Earth, like all the planets, circled around it. Galileo himself was now on trial to be executed for heresy because of his teachings. So he recanted, only to save his own life, and was condemned to house arrest for the rest of his days. These are just two examples of backward behavior and murder by the Catholic Church. Turns out Bruno was right in his assumptions, and Galileo finally proved it. All those priests and hierarchies may now be burning in hell for torture and murder of a fellow human being who only wanted to voice his opinion, which, by the way, shouldn't be a crime.
Most religions have similar stories and cannot keep up with science. Morality trumps religion, and you don't have to be religious to be moral.
I was brought up in a half-Catholic, half-atheist family. My mother, devoted to the Church, sent me to catechism on Saturdays and church on Sundays; the nuns never taught me about Giordano Bruno or Galileo Galilei. My father had interest in science and astronomy, so I was able to see the other side of the coin. Science has checks and balances, religion has none.
Thanks to science, we have recently discovered our planet is just one amongst quadrillions in the known universe. To think Earth is the only planet with life is highly unlikely. Someday soon, we may find Giordano Bruno was correct in his assumption that life exists throughout the universe.
Most religions are out of touch with nature, causing more harm than good. Especially here on Earth. Perhaps nature is God, whether or not she's aware. I'm not sure. Space-time, matter and energy, miracles at large, their inherent properties merge together in a miracle universe. Perhaps through science we may find God someday, or perhaps we never will, for an infinite universe can never be resolved.
JEFF HINES
Protest Tradition
Amagansett
April 20, 2024
Dear David,
I am shocked at how illiberal, money-hungry, and craven our university presidents have become.
The police action earlier this week at Columbia, called for by the university's president, Nemat Shafik (who cowardly feared for her job after the fate of two other Ivy League presidents), is a testament to the death of free speech, activism, and protest at American universities.
A couple of dozen peaceful protesters had camped out on the South Field Lawn to protest the genocide killing of 35,000 civilians in Gaza. A moral cause if there ever was one.
They were not harming any of their fellow students. It was a very small gathering. They were not blocking roadways or assaulting other students. They were protesting what they considered a gross injustice, a long-honored tradition of Columbia activism.
In 1968, as a graduate student at Columbia, I spent a week living in the president's office protesting the university's support of the Vietnam War and the racism of Columbia taking over a piece of a park in Harlem. In fact, in its recruiting material, Columbia often touts this tradition of past activism as an attraction to would-be students.
This kind of peaceful protest and free speech at our universities are the hallmarks of an American tradition envied around the world. If our universities cannot defend free speech, then what can we expect from the government or other institutions?
You will not see such freedoms prevail in Russia, China, Iran, Cuba, or much of the rest of the world.
I think back to the long-ago March in Selma, the Greensboro lunch protests, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 March on Washington, and the Vietnam protests at almost every university in the 1960s, which were all, at some point, illegal protests.
The University of Southern California also disgraced itself this week by canceling Asna Tabassum's valedictorian speech amid concerns about her pro-Palestinian activism. The Office of the Provost selected her from an elite group of nearly 100 straight-A applicants.
Ironically, the violent arrests at Columbia have since sparked a greater backlash of protests, giving wide publicity to the Palestinian cause. If the administration had really wanted to calm the university turmoil, it should have shown a little forbearance for peaceful protest. Instead, Shafik kowtowed to the threats of right-wing Zionist donors and the publicity-seeking members of Congress.
Without free speech, there can be no democracy.
BLAKE FLEETWOOD
Wrong Again
North Haven
April 21, 2024
To the Editor,
Responding to the response of Brian Pope (Letters, April 18): You should be aware that a recent survey indicates that 70 percent of Gazans support Hamas. We actually think that number is on the low side. The final point Mr. Pope makes is that we were wrong to compare the deaths of Palestinians to the deaths of Japanese and German civilians at the end of World War II because we (the United States) were then fighting a "genocidal, westernized, industrialized" nation state, "not a terrorist organization."
Mr. Pope's comparison is completely off the mark. While Israel is battling Hamas now, it is undisputed that Hamas is a proxy of Iran, which has supported Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist proxy organizations militarily -- those entities dedicated to the eradication of the State of Israel. Israel is not just fighting a ragtag terrorists group. It is in a war with Iran and a regime there that has continually called for its extinction and has armed Hezbollah to the north with over 100,000 pinpoint rockets. In your comparison, did you factor in Iran's direct drone and missile attack on Israel last Saturday? Do you factor in Iran's dedication to becoming a nuclear power?
At the end of his rejoinder, Mr. Pope remonstrates [with] Prime Minister Netanyahu for the failure of the Palestinians to have a nation-state and instead, of having to become a terrorist group. Wrong again. Starting with the partition of the British Mandate in 1947, on at least five occasions, the Palestinians have been offered their own nation-state and on each occasion they have turned down the proposed two-state solution. And the reason? Simply because the Palestinians are holding out for the one-state solution -- greater Palestine and the elimination of the State of Israel.
DAVID B. SAXE
MITCHEL AGOOS
East End Jews for Israel
Measuring Up
East Hampton
April 22, 2024
Dear David:
Yes, the accidental speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, has proclaimed his religious fundamentalism and political extremism from the proverbial rooftop of the speaker of the House's balcony. Yes, the accidental speaker is (or was) a robust MAGA supporter, who tried to overturn a U.S. election. In spite of this, he somehow was able to measure up, step up, and embrace reality after he was given a position of profound responsibility and immense power.
It's a sad thing that acts of political bravery are so rare these days, but that makes it even more important to recognize them when they happen.
The political outlooks of Mr. Johnson and I are at opposite ends of the political spectrum, as may be the case with many Americans, but we need to step back and appreciate how much courage it took, along with legislative skill, for Speaker Johnson to defy the hardline bullies of his own party and put forward the $95-billion package of foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan that passed last weekend in a rare Saturday session.
Mike Johnson measured up. He stood up and he wasn't afraid.
At least in this instance, I underestimated him. One can only hope that this act of political courage will mark the beginning of the emasculation of the MAGA extremists. I would urge the minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, to refrain from letting him twist in the wind if these extremists make good on their threat to unseat him.
America is a complex place, and we did the right thing in the end.
It wouldn't have happened without the accidental speaker who measured up in a time of insanity.
Sincerely,
BRUCE COLBATH
Really Strange
East Hampton
April 21, 2024
David,
In the current news cycle it seems that things sexual dominate the landscape. From the Trump trial related to paying off a hooker, to the Arizona abortion law of 1864, to the Alabama in vitro issue, to the 231 laws relating to transgender issues passed in the last six months, etc., etc. Not a good sign for the health and well-being of our country.
Electing a president who was a self-proclaimed "pussy grabber," an accused serial rapist, and allegedly a renowned participant in the sex-for-hire community set a new standard of sexual political behavior for the nation. The term "degenerate" was removed from our dictionaries and replaced by the phrase "I'm so hot." (Remember, in 1984, when Gary Hart stepped down as a candidate because of a possible sexual dalliance?)
Historically, we remain consistent. The first English settlers were religious zealots coming from one of the most sexually challenged places on earth. Their reaction to the sexually free and scantily attired Indigenous people was rape and death. In no particular order. Obviously, sexual progress is a long, arduous process. Look at England!
Yet, even more worrisome was the New York Times article relating to strangulation or choking as an emerging issue in the sexual behavior of teenage and college students. Really strange. Strangulation as a sexual device has a small place in the history of sexual behavior. It usually relates to sophisticated, experienced people who believe that the act of cutting off air to the brain heightens orgasmic pleasure. The desire to reach a level that isn't experienced by usual sexual interaction -- whatever that is. (Missionary plus? Is this possibly Trump's problem?) Yet, according to the article, most of the participants never experience orgasms or pleasure. They felt dizzy and unwell. The sex makes no sense. The weirdly perfect intersection of Trump and the Puritans. The uniquely American way of turning something exciting and beautiful into a bag of crap.
My first thoughts upon reading the article on strangulation were about an erotic Japanese film, "In the Realm of the Senses," that came out in Paris in 1976. Everyone was talking about the film, which included a sexual strangulation scene that ended in death. The film was stunningly beautiful and sexually charged. Fuel for thought at a time when life included the pursuit of pleasure and fun. But we have left behind the New York and Paris of the 1970s and moved to a world where sexuality, along with politics and economics and culture, is twisted and distorted. Where fun and pleasure are captive to an insane reality that no longer is real. What are these young people thinking? How did they devolve from the pleasure and joy of sexual relations to choking the life, or is it the pain, out of each other?
Trump was crowned in 2016. Are we capable of connecting the dots?
NEIL HAUSIG
What Freedom Is
Montauk
April 21, 2024
Dear David,
Is there an explanation for the fighting, brain-dead students, thinking they could protest like a soldier at war? Where do they come off going into people's homes to upset the guests?
If you want to protest, get a permit and walk peacefully on whatever block your permit is for.
[Why are] these students, who show how much they hate America, allowed to take over a college campus, threaten Jewish students, use their hands on anyone they feel like? They fight the police and burn our American flag and nothing is done.
There must be a punishment for these mush-brain idiots.
If they hate America, why are they here? Go to Palestine, live amongst those you love.
Ilhan, I'm sure you're so proud of your daughter, thrown out of the college she attended, ran as fast as she could to Columbia to protest. Well, she was arrested. Shame with your upbringing, she didn't spend more time in jail. You brought her up with so much hatred.
For years and years the so-called teaching professors have been brainwashing the students. Think they won?
Please leave, go to a Marxist country, see what freedom really is.
In God and country,
BEA DERRICO