Op-Ed Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, June 18, 2026
Make Patriots’ Day A New York State Holiday
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By Will Sussman | Daily Wire The famous “Shot heard ’round the world” was fired at the Battle of Lexington in April 1775, a year before the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. That day has been recognized in Massachusetts as Patriots’ Day — commonly known as “Marathon Monday” — since 1894, and seven other states have followed suit with the most recent in 2025. New York should be the next state to recognize Patriots’ Day. That’s what I’ll pursue if elected to the State Assembly. My district already celebrates a version of the holiday. Since 2015, the Three Village Historical Society has hosted Culper Spy Day, drawing history enthusiasts from across New York to the hamlet of Setauket on Long Island. “It was here that the nation’s first spy ring operated in secrecy,” writes the historical society, “providing General George Washington with critical information that helped turn the tide of the American Revolution.” Indeed, Setauket native Benjamin Tallmadge was a close friend of Nathan Hale during their time at Yale. Following Hale’s execution by the British for espionage, Tallmadge recruited his neighbor back home, Abraham Woodhull, to lead a new spy ring that helped reveal the treason of Benedict Arnold. Washington himself may have suggested the alias “Culper,” after Culpeper County, Virginia. It’s a tale portrayed in the hit TV series, “Turn: Washington’s Spies.” Fans of the show will recognize the names Tallmadge and Woodhull, as well as Caleb Brewster and Anna Strong — all real people who lived in Setauket. Margo Arceri, the founder of Culper Spy Day, shared that her tours have exploded in popularity since the AMC drama premiered in 2014. When I visited Woodhull’s grave, it was decorated with numerous rocks, coins, and American flags. Now, Congress has taken notice. Last month, a bipartisan pair of Long Island congressmen introduced legislation to designate a new National Historic Trail connecting key sites used by the spy ring.
“As America approaches its 250th birthday,” said Congressman Nick LaLota (R-Amityville), “Congress should recognize that without the Culper Spy Ring, General George Washington may never have turned the tide of the Revolution and set the United States on the path to becoming the greatest nation in the world.” Yet this history is not taught in New York public schools. According to the state’s K-8 Social Studies Framework, “The outcome of the American Revolution was influenced by military strategies, geographic considerations, the involvement of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and other Native American groups in the war, and aid from other nations” — no mention of intelligence. I personally remember learning about the upstate Erie Canal, but not the spy ring in my own backyard. Patriots’ Day would not only educate our youth; it would stimulate our economy. The Boston Marathon, for example, is estimated to inject approximately $200 million into the Massachusetts economy each year. Why not host a Patriots’ Day Parade in New York? It would be poetic justice to march through the former Loyalist stronghold and British military headquarters. New York politics has become very negative. Taxes are too high; criminals are being released without bail; antisemitism is off the charts. All of that is true. But we also need a positive vision for our state, and that starts with appreciating our history. Patriots’ Day is something every New Yorker can get behind. Perhaps even Mayor Mamdani would attend the parade. Will Sussman (R-Port Jefferson) is running for New York State Assembly’s Fourth District. The district includes Belle Terre, East Setauket, Gordon Heights, Old Field, Poquott, Port Jefferson, Setauket, Stony Brook, Strongs Neck, and Terryville, and parts of Centereach, Coram, Middle Island, Port Jefferson Station, and Selden. This piece originally ran in The Daily Wire. Republished with permission.
Letters to the Editor What the Ides of June Have Wrought Dear Editor, This June brings us closer to campaign season. Here on Long Island, that means a face-off between two Democratic candidates for Congress. In my neck of the woods, that means two young men want to unseat Congressman Nick LaLota. I have met them both. I have never met Mr. LaLota. Even though I do not have any skin in this game as registered Republican, I do care who rises victorious on Primary night June 23. When the campaign mailer arrived for Mr. Gallant, I did a double take. It looked like a CGI creation. His neck was not that bulky and thick in person. The second thing that elicited a laugh was the plethora of endorsers - Legislators, Trustees, and Democratic Chairs. I have reached out to some of them in various ways when they were quoted in Newsday about a committee they serve on. I found them insincere and selfpromoting. The more I see names in Newsday, the less impressed I am. The more press you receive does not mean you are the top of the heap. Now, they proudly attach their name to a candidate who bailed on a planned debate with his opponent that was to be held Saturday June 13 at the Smithtown Democratic Committee. The mood in the room was if he can’t make it to a debate to face his challenger, how can he stand up for us in Congress? Good question. One candidate stood at a podium and spoke from his heart with passion and enthusiasm about his hopes for not only his campaign but for the country he wants to serve. As the voters consider who they want to help steer the ship of our shared democracy, do we want a pilot jock that likes to speak in platitudes, or do we want a candidate who studied constitutional law and defends the ideals our country stands for? Mr. Lukas Ventouras stands firmly for his beliefs down here on earth with the rest of us mere mortals. Respectfully submitted, Jamie Hanja Lake Grove
Let’s Not Pretend There Isn’t Vote Rigging
Dear Editor, Questioning everything about our government and how it works is our right as Americans. For the last few years, I’ve been watching election after election decided by late mail-in ballots. Some states have ridiculous laws that count ballots even if they’re postmarked after Election Day! I watched the Democrats steal House seats in California in 2018, certain they would steal the 2020 election. Statistically, Biden’s wins in the swing states were nearly impossible. Then I saw it again just recently with the Los Angeles Mayoral race. The outsider whose house burned down in the wildfires was shut out from the primary. The race was conveniently called after enough votes came in to knock Spencer Pratt out of the running. If we live in a system where Democrats can cheat like this, Republicans certainly can too – and they might have, for all I know. But if I question it, I’m an “election denier,” even though Democrats who ran with the obviously fake and now-disproved Russiagate hoax in 2016 were considered to be doing their civic duty. If I question results, I’m an enemy of the republic. Let’s not pretend there aren’t shifty things going on. California is one of the world’s top economies, yet it takes them weeks, or even months, to count all the ballots? Third-world countries have quicker election tabulations than we do. It’s either incompetence or corruption at this point. California guarantees that every voter automatically gets sent an absentee ballot. If we try to take that away, we’re “disenfranchising” voters, apparently. No, we’re safeguarding a system against abuse. There’s nothing wrong with requesting an absentee ballot if you want one. We’ve been doing that for years. My sister, who fled New York nearly twenty years ago, STILL receives registration cards and absentee ballots to her old address in Smithtown. Let’s not pretend there isn’t a problem. Best, Joe Mastic Beach
Evil Truly Lives in Our World Dear Editor, The news of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the blatant corruption in our government and protection of serial pedophiles, and the verdict in the Gilgo Beach case, which I assume is going to be printed in the next edition of your paper, depress me throughout the week. I find I am exercising more, spending more time in the sun, more time in the quiet, and am resigning myself to my crafts just to get away from the negativity. I hardly digest much news voluntarily anymore. It’s so pervasive and constant, it saddens me to think that we lived in a world where all of this stuff was still going on, we just didn’t know about it. Any news I do get is either from the local papers or from what I simply can’t avoid. And it’s almost always negative. It’s a challenge to live in today’s day and age. Keeping oneself out of constant depression spirals is truly one of the greatest regular challenges I face, and I know I’m not alone. To understand that people, fellow human beings, are capable of exterminating an entire group of people for simply being the wrong religion, tens of thousands dead, millions displaced, cities levelled; that people in power go to the top degree in wielding it, even over the most vulnerable and in the most heinous ways; and that someone like Rex Heuermann was able to mercilessly strangle young, struggling women simply for the conquest or thrill is almost unconscionable. I almost want to resign myself to the mountains or plains and never see another human again. It’s proof-positive on two things: that evil truly does exist in our world, and if it does, there must be an equal and certainly more powerful good. Sincerely, Anonymous West Bay Shore