Letters

Lee Zeldin’s speech for the Republican National Convention forgot our Long Island Veterans of Foreign Wars members.

He forgot about our elderly veterans, as so many were a casualty of COVID-19 politics.

Zeldin’s convention address was given at the Westhampton Beach VFW. Don’t you think that was a cruel, and thoughtless choice of venue? Should that have been a political stage?

One of the biggest losses of life on Long Island was, sadly, at the Long Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook. Newsday reported that it was the largest publicly reported death toll at a Long Island nursing facility. The article continues that the management of the 350-bed facility had sent out an email and fliers to civic groups with an urgent plea that staff members needed supplies of personal protective equipment.

Where were the masks, Lee, that you repeatedly referred to in your national address that Trump sent us? Maybe the post office doesn’t deliver to the veterans’ home?

Lee Zeldin reported that President Trump sent us 1.2 million masks. Where did they all go?

As we know here on Long Island, the fog often rolls in, and it gets difficult to see clearly. It’s a good guess that Lee Zeldin must live in the foggiest place on Long Island, because it seems that Lee Zeldin’s facts and memories are just like Trump’s: often changing in the wind. Long Island got the masks too late.

Let’s break up the fog, let the light in. Let the facts stand.

I believe in science, and I believe in masks. Nancy Goroff respects science. Goroff will be our first female with a Ph.D. in chemistry to serve in Congress.

Nancy Goroff knows what fog is, she knows what climate change is. Nancy Goroff understands the chemistry of our waters. Nancy Goroff thinks in facts and math. Nancy Goroff knows that the old fog and mirrors trick is based on fear, not research.

And, again, to all our veterans, we praise you for your loyalty and service. Our country would never stand without your devotion and sacrifice. Please excuse the use of VFW Post 5350 in Westhampton Beach for a show that showcased a national fog machine show by Zeldin.

Those elderly VFW members and their workers should have had the protective equipment they needed. All fog and mirrors, as they say. But as Long Islanders, we know how to let the fog settle and let the light in.

Elizabeth Plate

Quogue