Mark He Made
Sag Harbor
August 25, 2025
Dear Mr. Rattray,
The memorial event to celebrate the life of Sean Scanlon on Sunday at the Breakwater Yacht Club truly befit him and the mark he made on our community, especially Sag Harbor. His family, friends, and band of merrymakers all gathered for a Ma–anaville Production filled with pink flamingos and floral-print shirts in his memory. Special thanks to all the friends and family who made it happen.
Sean, “Uncle” Sean to some, including me, was one of those people who made this community special. He always seemed like he knew every inch of land on the South Fork, every drop of water around it, and every person who lived on it. Though known for the fun-loving nature of some of the parties he contrived, he also used them as food drives and fund-raising opportunities to help people in our community not just with a smile but with assistance that made a meaningful difference.
Uncle Sean, you will be missed, and may you rest in peace knowing that everyone who knew you is grateful that we had that opportunity; and it was great to see people turn out for yesterday’s tribute.
Yours truly,
CARL IRACE
Blaming Deer?
Noyac
August 19, 2025
Dear David,
Blaming the deer? (“Mast-Head,” Aug. 14.) Another observation might be people who develop land, fence off areas creating less land to browse.
Similar to blaming the pine beetle for killing trees, when increased pollution from air and vehicle transportation weakened the pines, making way for the beetles to clean up the disease the people brought.
ELAINE MCKAY
Wanted to Ask
Springs
August 19, 2025
To the Editor,
Here are a couple questions I wanted to ask Neil deGrasse Tyson at his second annual Star Talk show at Guild Hall last Sunday night but was too afraid to ask. If he reads The East Hampton Star, perhaps he could give me an answer. If not, have fun pondering my thoughts.
A thought experiment: You don’t have to travel 25,000 miles an hour (also known as escape velocity) to reach outer space. If you had a magic helium balloon, or one with a small propulsion system, and let it go, it would move up and away from Earth, reaching outer space in a couple of days. Is this true or false?
If true, one practical application for this could be laser-based space travel, where a rocket takes off slowly and gradually gains speed.
Thoughts on quantum mechanics (quantum entanglement): At the subatomic level, if you measure one entangled particle, you immediately know something about its counterpart, even if they are 2 million light-years apart, seeming to break Einstein’s law of physics, that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. Einstein called this “spooky action at a distance.” Do you think we can ever develop instantaneous communications or travel through space using quantum entanglement?
JEFF HINES
Without Outcry
Highland Beach, Fla.
August 18, 2025
To the Editor:
Watch out! What are we doing to ourselves and to our children?
We are being exposed to increasingly wild and hazardous weather conditions without even an outcry for reforms to dangerous climate practices.
Have we no future on Mother Earth? Think of the consequences to all of us, regardless of wealth or status, as droughts and wildfires, torrential rain and flooding, hurricanes and tornados, earthquakes and rising seas occur in some of the least-likely locales.
No one can possibly be spared these exposures to our health and safety as we live and breathe on the same planet.
So what follows our Generation Alpha? Will it be Generation Omega, signifying the end of the human species? Can’t we admit to ourselves we are on the brink of self-destruction?
Sincerely,
MARY LICATA
Better Than Average
Springs
August 18, 2025
Dear David,
I was very disappointed in your last opinion on the proposed cell tower at the Springs Firehouse. The fact is that now Springs has totally adequate and considerably better cell service than many other places throughout the East End. Try getting a call or text in downtown Sag Harbor on a busy day in the summer — absolutely no chance. From Bridgehampton south going east throughout Sagaponack south, Wainscott south, and Georgica — not happening. From the intersection of the highway north along Cove Hollow Road and east to the gas station — mostly a dead zone. Even in downtown East Hampton Village at times — no good. However, Since the new cell tower was put up at the Blue Bay Girl Scouts property, every day I drive throughout Springs and Amagansett north and happily converse on the mobile phone hither and thither and only rarely do calls drop all summer long, much less in the off-season.
The benefits of improving cell service that is already way better than average deserve to be considered against the clear detriments to the community and homeowners that are directly impacted by cell towers. Those impacted have universally rejected cell towers and the proposed Springs Firehouse tower is in one of the most densely populated residential areas of any other tower that has been proposed and rejected. It has a — if not the most — visual impact on its surrounding area. I could go on and on about how the code was changed to reduce the fall zone so 11 or so homes were magically no longer in harm’s way, etc., but most people know all that by now.
KRAE VAN SICKLE
From Speculation
East Hampton
August 25, 2025
Dear David,
I would like to respond to the letter to the editor that was written on Aug. 18, 2025. I believe the view presented was from a perspective of a lack of understanding of emergency medical services operation. Mr. Vrettos, who attended the Artists-Writers Softball Game, gave his criticism regarding an injury that happened to a spectator attending the game. He states that it took a “full 20 to 25 minutes before an ambulance arrived.” Along with this statement, he also implied that police and E.M.S. workers were “unable to alleviate her physical condition.” His inaccuracies and the negative tone of his letter need to be reviewed.
Mr. Vrettos’s account and his associated emotions during the incident show that much of his letter regarding the call in question was based on assumption and his conclusions were drawn from speculation.
The first point of clarification that I would like to make is that of response time, and his equation to good patient care. It is a frequently misunderstood association by untrained bystanders due to the lack of knowledge regarding the immediate situation and the total grasp of a 911 call evolution. There is so much more taking place behind the scenes than meets the eye of an unqualified observer. When evaluating the quality of patient care within the E.M.S. system, it is essential to consider all phases of the emergency call.
The first phase of a call is when dispatch takes the 911 call. They will ask about the nature and location of the emergency, your name and phone number, and based on the information you give them they will ask a few more vectored questions in order to clarify and ensure the correct E.M.S. response. Dispatch will then “tone out” the needed emergency resources with the information they received from the caller. The second phase of the call is when the agency dispatched begins its response to the scene. Patient care begins with the first responder on scene.
Depending upon where the bystander is observing the unfolding of the emergent situation timeline and their role or personal connection to the individual needing help, time, and or response from E.M.S. may seem to move more slowly than desired.
When the first responder arrives on scene they begin with a thorough patient assessment and begin the treatment needed for the situation encountered. In this case, the first responder, other E.M.S. personnel, along with highly trained police, were assisting and caring for the patient. The ambulance was simultaneously being staffed at headquarters and then responding to the scene as well. During this time the patient was not “lying on the ground unattended.”
When the ambulance arrived on scene with an additional paramedic and three volunteer E.M.T.s., the total on-scene time lasted approximately 25 minutes. This is an acceptable amount of time for a fully involved advanced life support response.
The final phase of the ambulance call is when the patient is prepared and transported to the next level of medical care. In this case, the crew determined that transport via helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital would be in the patient’s best interest. The ambulance crew transported the patient to the East Hampton Airport, where they met the Suffolk County Police medevac paramedics, and the transfer of patient care to the flight paramedics completed the call.
The sequence of emergency care provided to the patient after the call was dispatched included an advanced life support first responder on scene and rendering care in less than six minutes, an efficient ambulance response, a second paramedic and a volunteer E.M.T. crew, assessment and treatment of the patient’s chief complaint, and a transport decision to the best hospital destination for the patient. There was no delay or neglect in patient care. There was no lack of crucial medical resources for the situation. In conclusion, the E.M.S. team responded quickly, delivering efficient care that was clinically appropriate and of the highest quality.
Sincerely,
MARY MOTT
Chief
East Hampton Village Emergency Medical Services
Game Was Stopped
East Hampton
August 25, 2025
Dear Editor,
As both a first responder and the emergency manager for the Village of East Hampton, with more than 30 years of experience in government and emergency services, I feel compelled to correct the grossly inaccurate account published regarding the Artists-Writers Softball Game. In full disclosure, I also serve as chairman and chief executive officer of the East Hampton Village Foundation and was on the field that day as one of the umpires.
The game was stopped immediately when the incident occurred. Care was initiated at once by myself, a village police officer, and two physicians in attendance, one of whom was a trauma surgeon. Within minutes, a paramedic was on scene and continued advanced medical care. This was followed promptly by the arrival of the East Hampton Village ambulance and E.M.S. crew.
Contrary to the writer’s mischaracterization of all of the facts in his letter, the game did not continue while the victim lay unattended. It remained halted while care was provided on scene and until she was fully stabilized, placed on a backboard, moved onto a stretcher, and placed in the ambulance. The ambulance itself stayed on site while patient care continued inside before departing. To reiterate, the game resumed once the victim was safely in the ambulance.
The letter’s version of events is either willful misstatement of facts or a misunderstanding of what actually transpired. I will not address the reasons and motivations behind it but publicly undermining the professionalism of our volunteer first responders and medical personnel, who acted quickly, effectively, and with compassion, does a disservice not only to them but to the community that relies on accurate reporting in moments like this.
The Village of East Hampton, its mayor, and all first responders are deeply committed to the safety and well-being of its residents and visitors. On that day, our coordinated response reflected exactly that commitment.
Sincerely,
BRADFORD E. BILLET
No Response
Montauk
August 25, 2025
Dear Editor,
Thank you for printing my letter in the Aug. 14 East Hampton Star. I was pleased and amazed by the number of local people who told me they read the letter. Many of my friends and neighbors were shocked when I explained the situation that prompted me to write to your paper.
After many requests to speak to someone from the supervisor’s office, there has still been no response. It is sad and frustrating when the town you love, where you lived for 30-plus years and raised your family, turns its back on you and will not offer a justifiable explanation for its actions.
If anyone from the town would like to contact me to discuss why I believe that the Town of East Hampton was at fault with the situation that I mentioned in your paper on Aug. 14, I would love to hear from them. Thank you.
Sincerely,
THOMAS G. STAUBITSER
Is Nothing
Amagansett
August 24, 2025
To the Editor:
The New York Times reported last week that Democratic voter registration is dropping like a stone. The old adage that all politics is local could not be truer: There is nothing about the East Hampton Town Democrats that would inspire anyone to register as a member of their party.
You can’t salute a flag if you have no idea what it stands for. The expression of calm amorality, the equivocal eyes, I see in the local leadership is also visible of course in the faces of Charles Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries.
Here’s a riddle I just thought of:
Q. What do you do when your political world is ending?
A. Build the senior center.
For democracy in East Hampton,
JONATHAN WALLACE
Crime-Ridden
Montauk
August 22, 2025
Dear David,
I was happy to see that National Guard soldiers were being sent to areas of Washington, D.C. I had assumed that they would be assigned to the three most crime-ridden areas in the city: the White House, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security. I was disappointed!
Most Americans are cognizant that the F.F.O.F. (First Family of Fascism) has established a criminal and corrupt regime in the White House controlled by a convicted felon and convicted pervert who is protected by Republican spineless jellyfish members of Congress. His lies, crimes, and violations of the American Constitution are known to all. Why is he not in jail?
The Department of Justice title is an oxymoron that is controlled by a former Trump attorney who is doing a great job of hiding Trump’s role in Epstein’s Fantasy Island of child abuse. Why did Blonde Bondi fail to release the Epstein client list that she said was sitting on her desk?
Another oxymoronic title is the Department of Homeland Security that is headed by a Botox-loving cosplaying “hard ass, tactical gear-wearing, gun-slinging, Rolex-wearing, pet dog-shooting” twit who actually said that habeas corpus is defined as the president has the right to deport anyone he wants. Most eighth grade social studies students would disagree with her — even the ones from South Dakota. She has recently signed a contract to advise El Salvador’s president’s wife on Botox treatment, a choice of Trump gold watches, and the best ammo to use when shooting the pet dog.
Happy Labor Day to all our summer workers, and thanks!
BRIAN POPE
Baseball Caved
East Hampton
August 25, 2025
To the Editor,
Perhaps I am at fault. When Major League Baseball caved to Trump pressure to allow the admitted sexual predator Pete Rose into the Hall of Fame, I, like Neville Chamberlain, kept rooting for the Yanks as I have since 1956. Now our own tin-pot despot demands that Roger Clemens be put in the Hall of Fame — now!
So I say no. I will not watch another minute, read another article, check another site, buy another thing ‘til someone in baseball says no, “Hell, no.”
TOM MACKEY
Best Ever
Montauk
August 22, 2025
To the Editor:
Last week’s letter by Carol Dray is probably one of the best ever when it comes to being clueless regarding actual facts. Her explanation of this administration’s economic policy is priceless. I was trying desperately to figure out her logic and source of information, and where she saw it actually necessary to document them in last week’s Star. Carol Dray and Bea Derrico are running neck and neck competing for most outrageous and clueless letter.
I was baffled by the detail and utter falsehoods one individual could conclude; but then I figured out there could only be one excuse. Carol Dray has left St. Petersburg and taken up permanent residence in Disneyland!
ROBERT IHLE
Should Have Listened
Montauk
August 20, 2025
To the Editor,
Hey, East End Demoncraps and The East Hampton Star: Raise your hand if you secretly want my King Trump’s peace talks with Ukraine and Russia to fail because of your hate for our mighty, orange president.
So King Trump has now successfully negotiated the stop of seven world conflicts. And all this is in only six months’ time. Oh, and we know you want King Trump to fail with Russia and Ukraine. We also hope you took King Trump’s advice at the start of the tariffs when the market plunged.
My King Trump said to the fake news, quote King Trump: “Well, maybe this is a good time to invest.” You should have listened to King Trump because we and America are making money now like never before with the new business coming into America and tariffs, something like $7 trillion is coming into our coffers — that’s $7 trillion less than if Harris were elected. We win again. And hah — now the European Union has bowed to our king. They are spending 5 percent of their gross domestic product on world security through NATO. That is something that Putin has to listen to. Ah, the art of the deal.
Thank Baby Jesus that Biden’s cackling vice president was not elected. Israel would have been nuked by now, as Iran was on the verge of a nuclear bomb. But, as we know, King Trump fixed that. Remember, Obama and Biden sent billions. King Trump sent a few well-placed bombs. The borders are secure, You may be able to walk safely in Washington once again. In strength there is peace.
God bless America. God bless the king-dictator Donald J. Trump.
Peace,
DAVE SCHLEIFER
Brown Shirts
Springs
August 21, 2025
To the Editor,
I understand that the Department of Defense and the Pentagon are seeking volunteers to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement in rounding up undocumented people seeking safety in the United States.
I would like to volunteer but only if I can be issued a uniform with a brown shirt. I understand that the Brown Shirts were very effective in rounding up individuals in Germany not too long ago.
SUSAN MENU
Reminds Me
Plainview
August 23, 2025
To the Editor,
The Donald Trump-ordered Federal Bureau of Investigation search for forbidden classified documents in John Bolton’s house reminds me of the classified documents that Trump himself once stored right next to a toilet bowl in one of his many Mar-a-Lago mansion bathrooms. And God forbid Trump ever run out of toilet paper.
RICHARD SIEGELMAN
Mission Abandoned
East Hampton
August 25, 2025
Dear David,
I read Rabbi Jan Uhrbach’s Aug. 4 letter (“Engage With Dissent”), depicting her shock and embarrassment at an event in the Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton, with great interest, but little surprise or shock.
Houses of worship are simply choosing to, or are incapable of, offering the moral leadership needed when some polarizing figure like Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin gets invited to speak at their church or synagogue. That was the case in Westhampton, as behavior directed toward peaceful protestors became rowdy, uncivil, and shameful as video coverage of the event showed.
Rabbi Uhrbach hits the nail on the head when she says, “Houses of worship ought to be places where dialogue across differences can take place, and where we learn to treat all people with kindness, dignity, and respect, including those who challenge or disagree with us. . . . Clergy bear the particular responsibility of setting that tone and modeling those skills. . . . Woe to us if we abandon that mission.” That mission has long been abandoned.
Clergy are beholden to their boards that have hired them and renew their contracts. Choices of who will speak or not speak at an event go through them, as do many other crucial issues concerning the church, synagogue, or mosque.
Clergy often depict themselves as educators and argue that they’re not politicians and don’t take political stands. The reality is that they are making political choices as to who gets invited to speak or not.
The majority of speakers usually come from positions of power or represent ruling elites of organizations the board favors. A true dialogue where discussion of differences can take place never really happens — the game is stacked and rigged against dissenters from the start. Congregants shouldn’t be blamed totally — they often have little or no experience, or moral direction by clergy in developing the basic skills necessary to engage with dissenting voices — the skills Rabbi Uhrbach argues are absolutely necessary to have a healthy and civil democratic society.
I attended the recent 2025 Ken Bialkin panel, “Issues Facing the State of Israel,” at the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, where these skills weren’t followed by members of the panel themselves, let alone the audience.
The panelists were Stephen Greenberg, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Noam Weissman, who hosts the most-listened-to Jewish podcast in the country, and Susie Gelman, an activist and chairwoman of the Israel Policy Forum.
Mr. Weissman, in particular, portrayed himself as an educator and is well known for his “Essentials of Israel Engagement,” advocating arguments like, “Debate ideas, not identity,” Israel as the “flawed hero,” and “Know what you see. don’t see what you know.”
Mr. Greenberg, at some point of his talk, declared, without evidence or further explanation, that New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was a socialist and an antisemite. That got him a round of applause from the audience but brought no comment from Mr. Weissman (Debate ideas?) or the moderator, Rabbi Josh Franklin, who had spent five minutes introducing the panel and pleading for people to be civil with those they disagreed with and avoid name calling, etc.
Fear and kowtowing to powerful interest groups is what is driving the “ugly culture of bullying, contempt, and brute force characteristic of so many rallies mimicked by clergy and allowed to desecrate what purports to be sacred space,” as Rabbi Uhrbach aptly puts it.
True believers and authoritarians of both the extreme left and right are the ones doing the attacking in this country. A similar dynamic exists in Israel/Palestine by extremist religious settlers, a government beholden to an extremist-right agenda and their counterparts among the leaders and adherents to a Party of God in Gaza dominated by Hamas.
Both Mr. Weissman and Rabbi Franklin should have had the political and moral courage to raise up Torah values and object to that sort of language — otherwise their words ring hollow and their congregants miss an all-important learning moment. This was the time for “educators” to take moral, principled, and political stands. It was an unacceptable remark by Mr. Greenberg and needed to be decisively challenged and questioned.
I stood by Susie Gelman after the event to ask her a question and witnessed a congregant lambaste her for comments that he considered fostering Jew-hating. By the way, Ms. Gelman was the only one on the panel calling for a two-state solution and called out the possibility of working with Palestinian protest, peace groups, and United Nations Arab countries that have called for a demilitarizing of Hamas.
Ms. Gelman handled the confrontation well — informed him he had crossed a line and walked away.
I was one of only two people at the event who applauded Ms. Gelman’s talk. As I walked out after it was over, I met the other person who clapped — he was a visitor from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in the village. They must be doing something right at St. Luke’s!
Sincerely,
JIM VRETTOS
Official Report
Amagansett
August 24, 2025
Dear David,
Using “anxiety” to replace “emotional stress” in an official report is generally not advisable, as the terms have different meanings, and the formal context of a report requires clinical and legal precision. “Emotional stress” is a broad term, encompassing a response to external triggers. While “anxiety” refers to a specific clinical condition, and using them interchangeably could be considered inaccurate, misleading, immoral, unethical. The list goes on and on.
Still here,
JOE KARPINSKI