Now in the autumn of my life
The bright colors of fall bring a bounty
Paired with a desperate knowing that soon
Gas-powered leaf blowers will surround me.
Such a horrid sound — must we really all suffer
This exercise that’s so pointless and dumb?
They blow them into the street or on the lawn of a neighbor
As if there aren’t more leaves to come.
We rebel against unmuffled cars
And curse airports with low-flying jets
We’re so sensitive if music’s too loud
And we muzzle our barking pets.
We legislate against all forms of pollution
Be it from lights, or swamps, or cars,
But somehow we have all accepted
The racket in our own backyards!
It’s not as if there is no solution;
Batteries now power most everything,
Your car, your drill and your skillsaw
Can’t we apply this to just one more thing?
The reward would be heard in an instant
Peaceful silence would fill our heads
Our local walks will bring lasting relief
When the gas-powered leaf blower is dead!
Howard Mitchell
Sag Harbor
When Tim Bishop was our congressman, he held numerous town hall meetings with his constituents. They were raucous affairs. Those were the days of the Tea Party, and its members were outraged that the federal government was expanding health care...
I have a suggestion for Craig Catalanotto, who is on record for opposing cross-endorsements and for allegedly switching alliances from Democratic to Republican Party candidates, such as Cyndi McNamara and Stephen Kiely. When the Pine Barrens Commission was in the...
While I respect the journalistic integrity of The Southampton Press, I disagree with your editorial awarding the Southampton Village Ethics Board a “dunce cap” for Open Meetings Law violations [“Gold Stars and Dunce Caps,” Editorial, July 3]. The Ethics Board...
As a 30-year litigation-scarred veteran of the sand mining/composting wars waged in Southampton Village and Town, I am a proponent of the amortization of sand mines proposed by the town. In our battles, we were up against the “pre-existing use”...
On behalf of the Fourth of July Parade Committee and the Southampton Village Commission on Veterans Patriotic Events, I would like to thank the community for such a wonderful turnout for the Fourth of July parade. I would like to...
“It feels like Southampton has lost its soul.” That’s how one local merchant recently described the state of our village business district. Many would agree. Local businesses reported a soft July 4, but a much better July 5 and 6....
It has taken me a few weeks to respond to the recent “Cup o’ Joe” newsletter, where Executive Editor Joe Shaw ventured onto an editorial limb, venting about village issues, particularly the controversy surrounding Pond Lane. Let’s set the record...
The editorial dunce cap for “creeping authoritarianism” [“Gold Stars and Dunce Caps,” Editorial, July 3] awarded to the president for his anger at the deliberate leak of a premature intelligence assessment by an individual acting solely out of malice in...
We're happy you are enjoying our content. You've read 4 of your 7 free articles this month. Please log in or create an account to continue reading.
Login / Create AccountWe're happy you are enjoying our content. Please subscribe to continue reading.
Subscribe Already a Subscriber