Letters to the Editor: Melting memories
Townsend, Tenn.
Melting memories
I understand that The Candy Man in Orient will soon be closing for good and admit to an unexpected, profound sadness at this news. I grew up in Mattituck, and this business has been a meaningful part of my life for many years.
When my dad started working on Plum Island in the ’90s and passed the store each day on his way home from the ferry, gifts of The Candy Man’s chocolate became a regular occurrence. Report cards, birthdays, holidays, “just because” moments — even my wedding — were all celebrated with sweetness. This cherished business held a place in my heart long after I left home for college and eventually settled in another state. Every time I’m back home for a visit, I stock up on chocolate.
Many changes have taken place on the North Fork since my childhood, but the things that have stayed the same still make this special place feel like home and continue to draw me back. As I keep an eye on real estate listings and see large tracts of land on the market with development rights intact, I wonder what else will be lost as time passes. Those of us who grew up there still get pangs of nostalgia when driving down small main streets, walking familiar shorelines and enjoying local sweet corn from the farm stand down the road.
Though time will march on and things will continue to change, my fervent hope is that the soul of the North Fork won’t be lost. Many thanks to The Candy Man for being such a precious part of our lives these many years.
Leah LaRocco
Laurel
Scrutiny is warranted
Mr. Winterfield (“ICE federal law enforcement,” Feb. 12) frames immigration as simply a “right way and wrong way to enter” and says those who didn’t legalize “have no right to stay.” But most immigration violations are civil, not criminal. Civil enforcement still requires hearings and due process. Constitutional protections do not disappear because someone lacks legal status.
He suggests that because America “voted for a president in 2024” to “fix the ongoing border crisis,” the matter is settled. Elections set priorities; they do not suspend the Fourth or Fifth Amendments. ICE is federal law enforcement and remains bound by constitutional limits.
Regarding the reference to “President Obama deporting three million criminals” and his claim that “nobody in liberal states had a problem,” that framing reveals the bias. ICE is not red or blue, and the Constitution does not shift with party control. The question is whether enforcement today is staying within legal guardrails.
Documented deaths in ICE custody and lawsuits over detention practices warrant scrutiny. Every citizen should care about how our immigration laws are enforced and whether our government is following its own laws. That is not political. It is patriotic.
Kim Caldwell
Cutchogue
Senate defies the people’s will
People who enter the country illegally and who find employment do so with falsified documents. These documents can then be used to enter the voter system.
Voter ID is in the news because of the Safe Act. It requires proof of citizenship upon voter registration. Well, duh, in order to vote you must be a citizen, as stated in the Constitution.
Every American citizen has a birth certificate with which to prove citizenship. Every immigrant who is a citizen has a naturalization certificate.
The polls show over 83% of Americans support Voter ID with no regard to party or racial ethnicity. It is a wonder why Democratic senators stand in opposition to this requirement, which would put an end to some of election controversy.
Common sense among Democrats in the Senate seems to be an oxymoron in this regard. Do they hate the “orange man” so much that they can’t “do the right thing”?
Bob Bittner
Cutchogue
Breaking my silence
As someone who, in the past, hasn’t been particularly outspoken about politics, it’s unfamiliar to finally be expressing my opinion. However, the current situation in the U.S. — specifically the actions of Trump and ICE — have made me so extremely angry that I find it difficult to not say anything at all. The job of the U.S. government is to protect all of the people, not to shoot innocent protesters or imprison people who pose no threat to our country. The violence in Minnesota, and all over America, is in stark contrast with the “gifting” of a Nobel Peace Prize to an undeserving man (Trump) who has done nothing but abuse his power to create conflict and cruelty. Trump, and the people of his administration, must be held accountable for their actions, and all the suffering they have caused.
Susan Lemerise
East Marion
Democratic Socialism
“A rose by any other name …” is Marxism.
Wake up, Southold.
John Copertino
Riverhead
Oppose ICE
Recent letters to the editor have cited the U.S. Constitution in their support of ICE and chastised those who oppose ICE. Opposition to ICE is justified because ICE and DHS are violating the Constitution, which states: “…nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law….” The majority of people currently detained by ICE have no criminal record. ICE has detained over 170 U.S. citizens. Federal Judge Patrick Schiltz stated that ICE has violated 96 court orders. ICE agents shot a prone man in the back multiple times. These are criminal acts by ICE that are not prosecuted by the Department of Justice — the same DOJ that refuses to prosecute any of the rich pedophile friends of Jeffrey Epstein.
David Jaffe
