I greatly appreciated the column in this past week’s edition titled “In Another World” by Anthony Brandt [Out Of Left Field, Opinion, November 25], in which he lays bare the insanity of certain folks denying in social media the obvious truth of the miracle of the COVID-19 vaccine, thereby putting the lives of others unnecessarily at risk.
Like Mr. Brandt, I too am of a certain age where the very real threat of polio was the No. 1 concern of my childhood, and to this day, although I have been fortunate over the years to have rubbed shoulders briefly with a few of the giants of the 20th century — President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Neil Armstrong, to name just a few — the warmest spot in my heart is reserved for a friendship I developed as a 15-year-old teenager in charge of the ninth hole refreshment stand at the Westhampton Country Club.
It was the summer of 1957, and longtime club member and chairman of the Polio Foundation March of Dimes, Basil O’Connor, invited none other than Dr. Jonas Salk to be his houseguest and daily golfing partner. Needless to say, just seeing Dr. Salk in person was the thrill of a lifetime, as was handing him a drink: Apple juice was his choice of beverage.
However, I soon discovered something I never expected: a quiet and modest man genuinely interested in my plans for the future.
Bottom line, Dr. Salk was properly and universally treated as a hero in those days, and the men and women who work tirelessly today to save lives should also receive that same respect and admiration, not ridicule and abuse.
George Motz
Quogue
Motz is the former mayor of the Village of Quogue — Ed.
Shut Him UpFolks: it is time to take Michael Daly at his word(s), unpleasant as that may be. First: glide by his smarmy greeting card calls for “love.” His own words reveal him, above all, and consistently, a purveyor of hate and...
Suffering in SilenceWhen our world gets out of balance, we lose our comfort and security. Too much or too little of anything spikes our fear, and we lose our sense of peace. Those who have what they want and need are comfortable....
Advocate & Adjudicate?The previous administration of [Supervisor Jay] Schneiderman and current board member Tommy John Schiavoni did not give high priority to monitoring appointed public officials for ethical lapses in their private life activities. This laissez-faire policy towards ethics enforcement appears to...
Soil Is CallingIn a book titled “In Old Southampton,” Abigail Halsey reminds us that in the early days of Southampton, “every man was a farmer and a fisherman.” But those days are long gone and most people, today, have no connection to...
A Web of InterestsKudos to Craig Catalanotto [“What Are We Doing?” Letters, April 18] and Barbara Ring [“Tangled Web” Letters, April 18] for their letters to the editor shining a light on the web of special interests, conflicts of interest and misinformation that...
Dates of InfamySeptember 11 and October 7, similar dates of infamy for strong allies with similarly divergent reactions. Now gathered mobs of protesters are cheering on those who cry “Death to America” and call for the complete annihilation and genocide of the...
Your VoiceOn June 25, registered Democrats will go to the ballot box to determine who will represent their ticket for New York’s 1st Congressional District. Although CD1 has recently been held by Republicans, both parties have assumed leadership over the years....
Master ClassI thank Barbara Ring for aptly proving my point. In response to my letter [“An Alliance,” Letters, April 11], which decried the state of civic public discourse in Hampton Bays as being overtaken by misinformation, fear-mongering and conspiracy peddling, Ring...
