Letters

Letters: Vets run, water safety and — you guessed it — Obama

ORIENT

Where were they?

I was very interested in your May 17 article on the vets running from Orient to ground zero. It was a great story.

I live in Orient so my daughter, her husband and myself waited for the Marine runners and cheered them on, but we were the only people out there.

We later followed behind in our car on the way to Greenport, but there was no one out to cheer them on there either. To make it worse, when they ran through Greenport no one knew what it was all about.

There was a Channel 12 crew there so I asked how come this wasn’t covered by their news. They never heard of it.

I love all the tall ships and fun and Orient’s lovely parade to the memorials, but I think Channel 12 should have covered it or at least mentioned it on the news. After all, Memorial Day is all about remembering those who gave their lives for us.

Thank you for your article because that’s the only way I knew about it.

Mary Zeballos

LAUREL

Just pick it up

For the life of me, I can understand why the town, instead of monitoring local waste management companies, doesn’t just contract the companies to  pick up our garbage.

It’s not justified to say that since some households have a little weekly trash and some have a lot, we should continue this silly yellow bag routine. Having your garbage picked up by the town is not a luxury, it’s an essential service that should be paid by all equally.

I have never had any children in any of the Southold schools, but I still pay my fair share for school taxes. I use Go-Green and am very satisfied with their service. The town should either hire them, along with the other local garbage companies, to pick up our garbage or let free enterprise flourish.

I’m willing to bet that if the town hired carters to pick up our garbage, the increase in local taxes would be less annually than I’m paying to Go-Green.

Please, just pick it up.

Vincent Falco

GARDEN CITY

Don’t look at us

In your otherwise interesting recent article regarding attorney Brud Rossmann, you incorrectly state that he is “registered” with the New York State Bar Association and imply that in some way the New York State Bar Association has been lax in not disciplining Mr. Rossmann.

It is a common misconception that the New York State Bar Association is responsible for the admission, registration and discipline of attorneys in New York. In fact, the bar association is a private voluntary association of attorneys and has no authority over attorney admission, registration or discipline. Those are all government functions.

Admission to practice law is controlled by the New York State Board of Bar Examiners and the four Appellate Divisions of the Supreme Court. Registration of attorneys is done through the New York State Office of Court Administration, and discipline of attorneys is done through the court system and the department disciplinary committees of the four Appellate Divisions of the Supreme Court.

A. Thomas Levin
past president, New York State Bar Association

SOUTHOLD

On-target editorial

Your May 25 editorial was on target. We members of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary applaud your editorial about attention to safe boating practices and the importance of boating safety courses.

A safety course specific to canoe and kayak sports will be offered by the Southold Flotilla on the evenings of June 19 and 21 at the Southold Town Recreation Center in Peconic. With the increased interest in the sport, there have also been increased accidents, injuries and deaths. This course is designed to address the safe use and enjoyment of these vessels. To register call 765-5182.

We also offer boating safety classes at the town rec center each winter for ages 10-18 and each spring for adults. Anyone interested in these classes, finding additional information or setting up a boating safety class for six or more may contact me at [email protected] or at 298-8130.

Barbara Christianson
flotilla commander, Southold Flotilla 18-08

SOUTHOLD

These are the facts

This letter is a response to one I read a few weeks ago.

The author lambasted President Obama from all sides, referring to him as a “demagogue” among other things. I am here to set the record straight and refute these outlandish and unsubstantiated claims about our president.

It must be said again that Mr. Obama is not a socialist. If we’re going to classify him as such because of the Affordable Care Act, than Mr. Romney is a socialist as well, seeing as he implemented an almost identical program as governor of Massachusetts.

In fact, the president has filed more trading suits with the WTO against China for unfair business subsidization than President Bush ever did.

Turning this country into a plantation society in which he would have ultimate control? That’s just preposterous. Were that the case, would he bail out both the banks and the auto industry? He would have just told the nearly 2.5 million people who would have lost their jobs to find work on a farm rather than keeping factories and banks open.

Mr. Obama hasn’t done anything to “assault” our Constitution. President Bush signed the Patriot Act, not Mr. Obama. Considering that letter, it’s clear we still have the right of free speech, no matter how stupid or outlandish that speech may be.

He’s held up surprisingly well on foreign policy and making the move to kill bin Laden took guts. Unannounced military action within an “allied” state is dangerous, yet he took the risk and it paid off.

He took the lead and with NATO stopped the air assault on the Libyan people by their own government. If anything, that’s very American and should make us all proud as we stand with the Libyan people in their fight for freedom against the tyranny of an oppressive, genocidal regime.

The president has not disgraced us internationally; in fact, he’s brought some ethos back to the American message of freedom.
Mr. Obama’s rejection of opening up American oil fields comes from hard science and good business practices.

Whether you want to agree with the science or not, oil is bad for the environment. Trying to promote American jobs through tax breaks and subsidies for green technology does nothing for his “pals in Saudi Arabia.”

God help our president.

God bless our president

Jake Brassil