PAGE A26 • THE VILLAGE TIMES HERALD • FEBRUARY 09, 2017
OpiniOn
Editorial
Letters to the editor The Statue of Liberty is weeping
Photo by Alex Petroski
Freshly washed trucks at the East Setauket firehouse on 25A.
An abundance of gratitude There are heroes among us. We sing their praises so our neighbors will know how very lucky we are they’re here for us. These men and women answer our calls every day, regardless of the weather, time of day, or their own activities and needs. They save our lives. They protect our homes. They give to our communities beyond all measure. And they do this without pay and by choice. They are the ultimate volunteers. Firefighters and emergency medical technicians come when we call. They put their own lives on the line to serve us. With the increase in population on Long Island throughout the decades and the changes in the types of challenges these volunteers face — the need for high-rise fire training, water rescue capabilities, or Narcan administration to revive opioid overdosers — there is much for them to learn and more to do. Imagine the relief of an ambulance requester when a team arrives, quickly gathers information and determines the necessary course of action, then professionally administers aid while calming bystanders present. Imagine the gratitude of a family whose lives are saved or whose home is saved by the quick response and technical savvy of a firefighting team that approaches each event with expert problem-solving skills. Imagine the appreciative loved ones of an accident victim, cared for by first responders who know what to do on the way to the hospital to ensure the best possible outcome. A member of our editorial staff had occasion to summon an ambulance on Super Bowl Sunday when a diabetic family member who had been ill was found in bed, unresponsive. The ambulance arrived within 10 minutes, the crew quickly sized up the situation, dealt accordingly and the patient responded instantly. Our communities are brought together by these brave men and women who respond to calls from neighboring towns, sometimes being the first on the scene to help stranded boaters, gather victims of a plane crash or pull a pet from a burning building. Words cannot quantify the huge debt we owe our local volunteer firefighters and first responders, especially because it is sometimes hard for their fleets to find those willing to dedicate time and risk their lives to do the job. We should support them in every way we can, and thank them every chance we get.
Letters …
We welcome your letters. They should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style and good taste. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include a phone number and address for confirmation. Email letters to donna@tbrnewspapers.com or mail them to The Village Times Herald, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733.
In marked contrast to Donald Trump, who for several years spewed his “birther” blather to try to delegitimize President Obama, I acknowledge Trump as the duly elected president, albeit with three million fewer votes than his opponent. So, too, I accept the fact that elections have policy consequences. However, when an administration, through one of its executive orders — which the GOP condemned the past administration for using — adopts the profoundly un-American policy of shutting its borders to political refugees and establishing a religion-based test for entry into the United States, men and women of good faith must protest. The Trump order bans all foreign nationals from seven Muslim countries; halts the entry of all refugees, including children, women and families, for 120 days and Syrian refugees indefinitely. Reminiscent of the disgraceful
turning away, in 1939, of the MS St. Louis and its more than 900 Jews attempting to flee Nazi persecution, the disgraceful xenophobia of Trump was denounced by U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer: “Tears are running down the cheeks of the Statute of Liberty.” Beyond the humanitarian abyss created, the order does nothing to make us safer. According to the Cato Institute, between 1975 and 2015, foreign nationals from the seven banned countries killed a total of zero Americans on U.S. soil. Moreover, the ban on refugees is equally misplaced. There is not a scintilla of evidence that a single terrorist was among the pitifully few Syrian refugees admitted into our country — 12,500 constituting less than 0.2 percent of Syrian refugees worldwide. The Trump plan has caused chaos and suffering in America and abroad with green card holders, permanent residents traveling
abroad, university students and critical employees of many companies detained, denied entry and expelled from the country. Trump will not listen to protests from foreign leaders, including our main allies, thousands of scholars including Nobel laureates, federal judges who have halted aspects of the order, Republican and Democratic senators, thousands of Americans, or his acting attorney general who refused to defend the order and was promptly fired in a classic Nixonian move. Perhaps Trump should heed his vice president and secretary of defense who earlier condemned the overbroad targeting of Muslim immigration. To those Americans who succumbed to Donald Trump’s xenophobic exploitation of fear, you might consider Galatians 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
William P. Schaefer Old Field
Nothing fishy at West Meadow nature preserve This is in response to the letter “Something fishy at West Meadow Beach?” (Jan. 26) in which George Locker presents an uninformed and misleading picture of the Town of Brookhaven’s management of West Meadow Beach, the flagship park/preserve in the town’s park system. Mr. Locker contends that the interest generated from the town’s endowment fund has provided more than ample funds to repair the cottages at West Meadow Beach. What he obviously doesn’t know, but undoubtedly should if he’s going to make highly critical comments of the town’s management efforts here, is that the town has, since day one, committed virtually all the interest generated from the fund to pay the salary of the environmental educator working there — first Eileen Gerle and now Molly Hastings. Funding this position has been the town’s highest priority as it has allowed the town to offer numerous walks, activities and programs to town residents, thereby enhancing their understanding and appreciation of the natural beauty and wonders of West Meadow Beach. In addition to the initial removal of the cottages and
the unsightly telephone poles, and the implementation of the aforementioned environmental education programs, the town in fulfillment of the town-sponsored West Meadow Beach Restoration Master Plan has to date: 1) Renovated the northernmost cottage to provide residence for the environmental educator; 2) Elevated the Gamecock Cottage and entered into a license agreement for the structure with the Three Village Community Trust; 3) Controlled invasive plant species throughout the property; 4) Applied for and received a grant to fund the installation of attractive and highly informative signs highlighting the wildlife species found at the park; 5) Installed requested kiosks, benches and picnic tables; 6) Supervised a number of Eagle Scout projects such as the erection of the osprey nesting platform situated along Trustees Road; and 7) Worked with other groups to study and better protect some of the notable wildlife species found here, including piping plovers, horseshoe crabs and diamondback terrapins. The town wishes to do more to enact the vision detailed in the West Meadow Beach master
plan but for this to happen the governing state legislation needs to be amended so that the town can access principal funds in the endowment. That is why Supervisor Ed Romaine recently wrote to Assemblyman Steve Englebright, sponsor of the state-enabling legislation that guides West Meadow Beach, to initiate discussions on how to best provide desired levels of funding. Town Councilwoman Valerie Cartright is participating in these discussions as well. Lastly, Mr. Locker raises the issue of the town’s disciplinary action against Molly Hastings, who according to Mr. Locker is being “scapegoated” for the town’s problems at West Meadow Beach. While it would be totally inappropriate to comment on the details of the case, town residents can be assured the disciplinary action against Ms. Hastings is in no way related to the condition of the existing cottages nor the town’s financial management decisions relating to the park.
John Turner Brookhaven Town Law Dept.
The writer is the former director of the town’s Division of Environmental Protection, which oversaw creation of the referenced master plan.
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