Letters to the editor: Fire Prevention Week
CALVERTON
Heed advice of prominent Republicans
Liz Cheney and Dick Cheney say that Donald Trump is unfit for any office, much less the presidency, and Nick LaLota still says Trump’s his guy!
Trump’s press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, says that Trump’s disgraceful behavior on Jan. 6 disqualifies him from upholding the oath of office, and Nick LaLota still says Trump’s his guy!
200 officials who served in both Bush administrations signed a letter saying Trump should never be let back in the White House that they revere, and Nick LaLota still says Trump’s his guy!
Seventeen officials who served under Ronald Reagan said: “We know that President Reagan isn’t here, but we also know that he would join us in supporting the Harris-Walz ticket” and Nick LaLota still says Trump’s his guy!
Trump’s former national security advisor (“In no arena of American affairs has the Trump aberration been more destructive than in national security”), his secretary of defense (“I do regard him as a threat to democracy”), his secretary of homeland security (Trump is “a person who has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution and the rule of law”) and even former Vice President Mike Pence say that they can’t endorse Trump, and Nick LaLota, incredibly, still says he knows better and that Trump’s his guy!
It’s time for voters in the 1st District to heed the advice of all of these Republicans — and so many more who have had the courage to stand up for country over party. It’s time to defeat Donald Trump — and Nick LaLota, who brags about being the first L.I. congressman to endorse him.
Jerry Silverstein
WADING RIVER
Sarah Anker puts people over politics
Sarah Anker supports protecting the rights of people and groups that may be in peril from right-leaning politicians.
Sarah is endeavoring to cement these ERA rights into our N.Y. State Constitution. The groups that would be covered from discrimination are LGBTQ, immigrants, disabled, voters, women [and their] productive rights, and everyone who truly believes in equality. She will continue to fight to ensure that government stays out of private health care decisions.
Sarah Anker has been fighting for equality for all for many years. I feel she will continue on this path, especially when she becomes our N.Y. State Senator.
Sarah Anker has my vote!
Maureen Hollett
JAMESPORT
Budget seems ‘frilly’
How can Supervisor Hubbard say, on one hand, it’s a “basic, no-frills budget” and then, on the other, reward himself with a hefty 8.7% pay increase? I’ll remind Mr. Hubbard that senior citizens in this town trying to live on social security were given a 2.5% increase in 2024. On top of this, in the “basic no-frills budget,” our Town Board has seen fit to reward itself with a hefty 7.5% pay increase.
Gee, wouldn’t it be nice if everyone could vote themselves a pay increase? The tax cap was passed to try to eliminate huge budget increases and to force towns and schools to be more fiscally responsible and to try to stem the flow of New Yorkers fleeing a high tax-and-spend state.
This is a very bad, fiscally irresponsible budget that doesn’t just pierce the tax cap but shatters it. With this — and the ridiculous, widely opposed “agri tourism” proposal the town tried to force through — let’s remember come Election Day and get some fiscally responsible officials in there who will actually respond to the citizens of our town.
Scott Gillespie
CASTLETON, NY
Why we can’t abandon landfills without a plan
In response to Yvonne Taylor’s Aug. 30 op-ed from August 31 (“Closing Brookhaven is a chance to end landfills”), the fate of the Seneca Meadows landfill has sparked passionate debates among local residents, environmental advocates and town officials. With recent Town Board decisions delaying action on the landfill’s permit, we are once again reminded of the complexities surrounding waste management.
While frustrations over odors and environmental concerns are valid, the conversation must not lose sight of a critical reality: Shutting down a landfill without a practical solution in place will create far more environmental hazards than it resolves.
Landfills are not merely a dumping ground for unwanted materials; they are integral to protecting human health and the environment. Modern landfills, like Seneca Meadows, are designed with systems that actively safeguard our communities. Liners prevent contaminants from seeping into the soil and groundwater, leachate collection systems treat any liquid waste and gas collection systems reduce harmful emissions. These technologies may not be perfect, but they represent the best solution we currently have for managing what cannot be recycled or composted.
In an ideal world, recycling and composting would account for all of our waste. Unfortunately, we don’t live in that world. After sorting recyclables and diverting organic waste, we are still left with significant amounts of material that must be safely managed. That’s why landfills exist; they provide an environmentally controlled space to handle what’s left, protecting us from the dangers of unmanaged waste.
It’s tempting to envision a world without landfills as a utopian paradise, free from pollution and environmental strain. But without them, our reality would be far more dystopian. Imagine piles of waste with no place to go, clogging our waterways, polluting our oceans and littering our landscapes. Harmful substances would leach into our soil, find their way into our food and drinking water, and wreak havoc on plants and animals. The environmental hazards would be unmanageable, leading to poorly managed waste that would pose a far greater threat to public health than any landfill ever could.
Shutting down Seneca Meadows or any landfill without addressing where the waste will go next does not eliminate the problem — it amplifies it. The Town of Seneca Falls must balance community concerns with the practical realities of waste management. We should be striving for a comprehensive approach that includes robust recycling and composting programs, but also recognizes the continued necessity of landfills in ensuring that our leftover waste is dealt with responsibly.
Rather than abandoning landfills outright, we need to invest in improving their design, minimizing their environmental impact and exploring innovative waste solutions. But until we reach the point where we can truly recycle or compost everything, landfills remain our best defense against a world drowning in its own waste.
Lewis Dubuque
CUTCHOGUE
The party of Lincoln
Former Republican representative Liz Cheney’s recent appearance at the Democratic rally for Vice President Kamala Harris had the added significance of being held in the birthplace of the Republican Party, Ripon, Wisc.
A dive into history reveals the following: In 1952, Alvan E. Bovay called upon his follow citizens for a new political party to stand against slavery. The idea of a new party took off in 1854, when the Kansas-Nebraska Act permitted the westward expansion of human enslavement.
This act repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 that had outlawed slavery in the northern portion of the Louisiana Purchase. The people of Ripon became the early participants in the movement of people across the North to stand not only against slavery, but also against the small group of elite enslavers from the South who had taken over the U.S. government and who espoused a rejection of the self-evident truth in the Declaration of Independence that all men were created equal.
Republican Abraham Lincoln articulated a worldview in 1859 that took a stand against oligarchs, and for a government that advances the interests of ordinary people and protects the rights of everyone to be treated equally before the law and to have a say in their government.
Lincoln believed these principles accurately represented the aspirations of the nation’s founders, and he called these principles “conservative.’ In her speech in Ripon, Ms.
Cheney said that putting patriotism ahead of partisanship is not an aspiration; it is our duty. She said this while standing under banners proclaiming “Country Over Party.”
If young Lincoln were starting out his political career today, which presidential candidate would he endorse? Are there any Lincoln Republicans still out there? Our nation needs you. Please stand up and be counted!
Barbara Farr
SOUTHOLD
How political is the judiciary?
This November, countywide, there are candidates for eight judgeships on the State Supreme Court, the highest trial court in New York State.
Note that the same name appears as the candidate of all parties. This is because the candidates are chosen not by the voting public or by elected officials, but by unelected political party leaders who control every step of the process referred to as “cross-endorsement.” The theory is that judicial candidates must remain above the partisan fray of politics and campaigning and that judicial decisions must be apolitical.
However, in contemplating this selection method, one must look at a number of factors, some of which are recently becoming much more relevant. As an attorney for 50 years, I have appeared before countless judges and observed how their legal outlook and day-to-day decision making ranges from highly conservative to liberal, based on their politics. Secondly, of the eight candidates listed, all are white, only one is a woman, aged 33, and the men are all between 57 and 70.
They certainly do not reflect the populace of Suffolk County.
Of great importance however, is the shadow of the U.S. Supreme Court, the most visible court in the country, on all discussions of the politics and ethics of the judiciary.
That Court has definitely shown the influence of politics on their rulings in the last few years. We have seen the appointees go through a rigorous process of questioning by members of the Senate before the confirmation vote and some have clearly misrepresented their approach to decision making. At the same time, research by Gallup News polls since 1972 show that trust in the judicial branch of government reached an all-time low in September 2021, which was nearly equaled in 2023. Before that, trust in the judicial branch averaged over 20% higher.
Public trust and confidence in our Suffolk County judiciary is not immune to being questioned.
The current process of selecting of judges to appear on a ballot must be changed so that voters are informed of how judicial candidates stand on the issues and have more input in the selection of those candidates.
Philip Wasilausky
SOUTHOLD
Fire Prevention Week
On Oct. 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire started. The city burned for more than two days, destroying over 17,000 buildings, killing over 300 people and leaving another 100,000 homeless.
In 1922, in remembrance of the most historic fire in American history, President Wilson proclaimed Oct. 9 as the first Fire Prevention Day. Since 1925, the week that includes Oct. 9 is known as Fire Prevention Week, the longest-running public health and safety observance on record.
The greatest life-saving device ever invented is the smoke detector. The risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms. Roughly three out of five deaths happen in homes without them or with non-working smoke alarms.
If the smoke detectors in your home more than 10 years old, your home and safety could be at risk.
In my professional life, my employees and I visit hundreds of homes every year. We continue to see homes where smoke detectors are missing, their batteries are disconnected or they’re just way too old to work. This simple life-saving appliance is neglected all too often.
I urge your readers to do the right thing. Update old smoke detectors.
Add them to every bedroom and level of your home and within 15 feet of closed bedroom doors. It’s a simple DIY project — or ask a professional electrician or alarm company to provide this service.
Lastly, thank your local fire department and make a contribution to the brave men and women who volunteer to keep us safe.
Paul Romanelli
