The Times of Smithtown - December 15, 2022

PHOTO BY BILL LANDON

St. James community enjoys a night of holiday shopping

The St. James Lutheran Church parking lot was filled with shoppers looking for some unique holiday presents Saturday, Dec. 10.

The Community Association of Greater St. James presented its Holiday Night Market Wonderland organized by its president Kerry Maher and event organizer Tracey Anne.

Attendees checked out goods from vendors, and enjoyed live music, character photos, baked treats, hot chocolate and more.

St. James Lutheran Church members also provided a live Nativity scene.

— Photos above and lower right by Rita J. Egan; all others from The Community Association of Greater St. James

Hahn, professionals and parents lead fight against local drug addiction

BY RITA J. EGAN RITA@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) joined forces with the Westburybased Long Island Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence to inform residents about the increased danger of opioid-related deaths during the holiday season and the threat of street drugs.

COUNTY

The legislator, treatment providers and family members of those who have died from opioidrelated deaths, some holding posters featuring photos of their deceased loved ones, gathered at a press conference held outside Hahn’s Port Jefferson office on Tuesday, Dec. 13.

Steve Chassman, executive director of LICADD, said the area is “rich in resources, and we are going to need them.” He listed some of the organizations that provide services 24 hours a day for those dealing with drug use and their families, such as Seafield Center of Westhampton Beach and Hope House Ministries of Port Jefferson as well as LICADD.

“We are here because it is absolutely necessary to let Long Islanders know the drug supply, not just heroin — cocaine, amphetamines, ecstasy, pressed pills — are tainted with fentanyl,” Chassman said.

He added that the death rate due to drug overdoses continues to rise, and for many families the holiday season is not a season of peace and joy.

“For families that are in the throes of substance use or opiate-use disorder, this is a time of isolation. This is a time of stigma. This is a time of financial insecurity, and we know that the rate itself, that of self-medication,

increases exponentially,” Chassman said. “We’re having this press conference to let families know they’re not alone.”

Hahn said according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, winter is when drug-related deaths spike, most likely due to holiday gatherings or experiencing depression during the winter season.

“The months of March, January and February, respectively, are traditionally the deadliest of the year for overdoses,” she said.

Hahn encouraged families to take advantage of the resources available to them.

“Too many families already face empty chairs at their tables, but there is always hope,” the county legislator said. “Recovery is possible.”

Carole Trottere, of Old Field, lost her son

She said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration now refers to overdose deaths as poisoning. The DEA has stated that six out of 10 illegal pills tested had fentanyl.

“Using street drugs is the equivalent of playing Russian roulette with your life,” Trottere said. “It’s not if it will kill you, it’s when.”

Trottere advised parents not to “hide their heads in the sand.” She said to talk to their children about the dangers of drug use and to reach out to an organization for help when needed.

Anthony Rizzuto, Seafield Center director of provider relations, said, “When I first got involved in this advocacy fight, we were at about 74,000 [deaths],” he said. “We’re looking

at each other, how can we let this happen? We are now at 107,000.”

This number from the CDC, for the year ending January 2022, reflects the opioidrelated deaths in the U.S.

Rizzuto said one of the challenges of providing help is the stigma attached to drug use, and people being hesitant to talk about it.

“There is no shame in getting help for the disease of addiction,” he said.

He reiterated how marijuana, cocaine and fake prescription pills often are laced with fentanyl.

“If you’re not getting your medication from a pharmacy with your name on the label, please be [suspicious],” he said. “Fentanyl kills.”

For information on how to get help, visit www. licadd.org, or call the hotline, 631-979-1700.

Alex Sutton to a heroin-fentanyl overdose in April 2018.

Steve Chassman, of LICADD, shows attendees strips to test drugs for fentanyl at a Dec. 13 press conference in Port Jefferson. Photo by Rita J. Egan

Giving peace a chance: NCPG marks 20 years in the fight against war

BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

This month, North Country Peace Group marks its 20th anniversary.

Posted at the southeast corner of Route 25A and Bennetts Road in Setauket, NCPG has maintained a visible weekly presence within the community, advocating various causes throughout its history. On Saturday, Dec. 10, some members reflected on this milestone year for their organization and discussed why they remain committed to their cause.

Roots

Bob Becherer was among the founding members of the peace group. He traces the organization’s origins beyond 20 years when, in the early 1990s, a group of civic-oriented parishioners of the St. James R.C. Church formed the Peace and Justice Community.

“It was really out of that group that we became the North Country Peace Group,” Becherer said, crediting Bill McNulty as the founder and leader of both organizations.

In an exclusive interview, McNulty chronicled his “traditional, apolitical” upbringing and his eventual reawakening. Growing up, he said he maintained a 16-year connection to the military. Between U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, ROTC, active duty and active reserve service, McNulty kept in close contact with the military and military culture. Over time, however, he began to question these ties.

Catalyzing McNulty’s transformation was America’s foreign policy throughout Latin America during the 1970s and ’80s. His early advocacy work centered around the School of the Americas, a training ground founded as a bulwark against the spread of communism. Over time, McNulty said, the school devolved. A string of murders and rapes connected to the School of the Americas prompted him into action.

During that time, McNulty said he devoted his energies to “increase the knowledge among the American population that this school existed and that we were, through our tax dollars, paying for training for these soldiers.” His resistance led him to a federal prison, where he served for six months.

Within the full swing of these events, McNulty soon got involved with the Peace and Justice Community, initially focusing on America’s involvement in Iraq during the Persian Gulf War (1990-91). As the PJC’s work took on more secular aims, they moved out of the church and onto the streets. NCPG emerged from the second Iraq War (2003-11).

Organizational principles

McNulty offered some of the philosophical precepts underpinning the NCPG’s activism. He said the group seeks to challenge conventional wisdom, to prompt community members to think critically about the information authorities give them. Through this, he said the group has often met fierce resistance from dogmatists and partisans.

“Very often, when you bring a message that’s contrary to the conventional wisdom, they get angry at you,” he said. “They don’t want to hear what you have to offer because it’s very startling and shocking. There’s a cognitive dissonance.”

McNulty maintained that NCPG, since its inception, has rejected the notion of reciprocal violence. “The Old Testament thinking of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, you have to break it with that idea of love and acceptance,” he said.

He viewed the human propensity toward violence as a conflict between instincts and ideals. Though he held that most people are born peaceful and good, he sees many as conditioned to accept violence and war as the natural order.

“People, I think, are pretty good, but they

acquire a lot of these characteristics as a result of what they experience in life,” he said. “Down deep, people are good because they always act well when the dog falls down the well or when the tornado rips the roof off the house.”

McNulty said that overcoming aggression requires conscious effort, but doing so may be the recipe for lasting peace. “The idea is to take the words of the song, the words of the poem, to take the suggestion of the painting or the sculpture or whatever else and to put it into practice,” he said. “It’s a very hard job.”

Two decades into the struggle for peace

One of the essential features of NCPG throughout its 20-year history has been the persistence of its members. Member Susan Perretti regards the organization as a weekly reminder to the community that there is an alternative to unceasing human conflicts worldwide.

“We’re sort of a reminder to the community that passes us by,” she said. “It’s a reminder that we still have war — endless war — going on and that violence itself is not the answer.”

Robert Marcus, another NCPG member, said the fight for peace and preserving democracy go hand in hand. He said that standing on the street corner is a way to promote both ends.

“We have to do everything we can to make a more peaceful world,” Marcus said. “We can’t just take it for granted. We have to work really hard for peace and to strengthen our democracy because it’s under threat.”

For John Robinson, participating in the peace group’s various activities is a way to connect to a larger cause and to make a difference on a grander stage. “It feels good to be around people who have the same concerns, the same thoughts, the same issues that I do,” he said. “Coming out here makes a real statement about the need for peace and the need to treat each other well.”

Myrna Gordon said she and NCPG use their platform to advocate a new mode of thinking around the way the United States government spends its taxpayer dollars. According to her, too great a share of the federal budget is devoted to perpetuating violence.

“We need to move the money out of the military and back into human needs and human lives so that we will have that money and be able to fix roads, provide better education, health care and everything else,” she said.

An alternative to war

McNulty was asked if he believes a lasting peace is possible or if humanity is doomed to a fate of unending war. He admitted that lasting peace may not be attainable but that pursuing such an ideal is.

“We would like to hope that it is possible,” he said. “We helped each other to a great extent, and we have affected a few people around our immediate neighborhood, but they’re still making war. The School of the Americas is still open, still training soldiers to keep people under control.”

Perretti offered a slightly different take by suggesting humanity could adapt itself to a condition without war.

“The point is that we have to evolve past this idea — as a human species and not just as Americans — that war and killing one another is the only solution,” she said. “I don’t know what that takes, but for me I’m here because I won’t give up the struggle, and I want to be faithful to what I believe in my heart.”

Whether humans can coexist and overcome violence is still to be decided. Twenty years after their organization’s founding, members of North Country Peace Group remain stationed at their usual street corner, committed to giving peace its fair shake.

Above, members of North Country Peace Group on Saturday, Dec. 10. Below, Bill McNulty, one of the founders and thought leaders within the organization. Above by Raymond Janis, below courtesy Myrna Gordon

‘We have to evolve past this idea — as a human species and not just as Americans — that war and killing one another is the only solution.’

— SUSAN PERRETTI

Red-light camera administration fee repeal awaits Bellone’s signature

BY RITA J. EGAN RITA@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Suffolk County red-light camera offenders will find their bill will be a little less in the future.

did so because of the county’s budget.

Suffolk County considered high risk for COVID once again

BY RITA J. EGAN RITA@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised Suffolk County residents to wear masks while at indoor public spaces regardless of their vaccination status

The recommendation is due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in the county. According to the Suffolk County Department of Health, for the week ending Dec. 3, there were 264-290 people hospitalized with COVID-19, and 14 died from the virus in the county. There were 4,168 new cases reported. The reinfection rate for Long Island increased from 10.3 to 18 per 100,000.

Flu cases have also increased. According to the SCDOH, during the week ending Dec. 3, flu cases increased in the county by 85%, from 1,577 confirmed cases to 2,916.

In a video posted to the SCDOH’s social media pages, Dr. Gregson Pigott, county

health commissioner, said the COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (or RSV) infection rates are surging in Suffolk. The cases are in addition to the rise of other common seasonal infectious diseases.

“They are causing too many people to miss work or school and straining our health care systems,” Pigott said.

He urged residents to take precautions such as getting the vaccines for the flu and COVID, noting it is safe to take them together. He added the COVID bivalent booster “has shown to be effective against the older and newer strains of SARS-CoV-2.”

Pigott said the flu shot is a good match for this year’s circulating strains. Currently, there is no vaccine for RSV.

In the video, he reminded residents to wash their hands often and stay home when sick. He added that masks should be clean and well fitted, and used in enclosed public spaces.

“As we head into our third pandemic winter, let us be safe and do our best to protect one another,” Pigott said.

COUNTY

County legislators passed a veto-proof resolution, 126, to repeal the $30 administration fee that was an addition to the $50 ticket at their general meeting Dec. 6. The resolution was sponsored by Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga). Trotta has been an opponent of the red-light camera ticket program since its inception more than a decade ago. The $30 administration fee was added a few years after the program began.

The bill now awaits County Executive Steve Bellone’s (D) signature.

All 11 Republican legislators were in favor of the legislation and Tom Donnelly (D-Deer Park) also voted for its repeal. The remaining Democrats voted against it.

Trotta has called the program a “money grab to generate revenue by the county executive.”

In a phone interview, Trotta said it’s the equivalent of people going a few miles over the speed limit.

“It’s not a safety issue, it’s a scam,” he said.

Suffolk County Legislature Minority Leader Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon) said in a statement that those who voted “no”

“Repealing the administrative fee for redlight camera tickets is a fine idea and is not what our caucus has an issue with,” Richberg said. “This problem is we have a law on the books that says the Legislature cannot remove any funds out of the budget unless there is an offset, which there is not currently. Without a budget offset we are knowingly putting a $7 million hole in the county’s 2023 budget, which was voted on and passed less than a month ago. We’re not able to amend the budget until February, so until then there will be gaps that could lead to shortages in other areas.”

Trotta also acknowledged the problems with the budget. While he is against the redlight cameras entirely, he said removing them completely presently does not make sense.

“We’re in a bind where we have to be very careful,” Trotta said. “We have to start cutting before we can start cutting the cameras.”

Trotta said the current administration fee was deemed illegal by a state Supreme Court judge. The ruling was handed down in 2020, and the county has appealed it. With the redlight program being a state initiative, the county cannot charge more than other municipalities in the state, according to the court.

Marykate Guilfoyle, a spokeswoman for Bellone, said the county executive would sign the bill. Once Bellone signs the legislation and it is filed with the Office of the Secretary of State of New York, the law will take effect.

Red-light camera tickets will be less expensive in the future after the Suffolk County Legislature voted to repeal the $30 administration fee. File photo by Phil Corso

Dix Hills woman killed in house fire

Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad and Arson Section detectives are investigating a house fire that killed a woman in Dix Hills on Dec. 14. Second Precinct officers responded to 1365 Carlls Straight Path at 2:53 a.m. after a 911 caller reported a fire at the location. Two patrol officers and a sergeant attempted to enter the cottage but were repelled by the fire. They were transported to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. Tanya Bathija, 32, the resident of the cottage and daughter of the homeowners, was killed in the fire.

Wrong-way driver arrested for DWI on Nesconset Highway in Hauppauge

Suffolk County Police arrested a woman on Dec. 10 for driving while intoxicated after she allegedly drove the wrong way on Nesconset Highway in Hauppauge. A 911 caller reported a sedan was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of Nesconset Highway at 3:10 a.m. A Fourth Precinct Patrol officer responded and pulled over the driver of the sedan, a 2020 Honda Civic, just west of Browns Road at approximately 3:15 a.m. The officers determined the driver, Karen Morales-Moreno, was allegedly intoxicated and placed her under arrest. Morales-Moreno, 21, of Port Jefferson, was charged with Driving While Intoxicated.

A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Man seriously injured in Stony Brook motor vehicle crash

Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that seriously injured a man in Stony Brook on Dec. 10. Marquice Campbell was driving a 2009 Mercedes Benz in the left lane of northbound Nicolls Road, between Nesconset Highway and Oxhead Road, when he attempted to cross into the right lane and struck a 2022 Honda CRV. He then lost control of the Mercedes, which traveled onto the right shoulder and continuing off the roadway, crashing into construction equipment, at approximately 4 p.m. Campbell, 27, of Middle Island, was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The driver of the Honda, Karrer Alghazali, 38, of Little Rock, Arkansas, was not injured. Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks. Anyone with information on the crash is asked to contact the Sixth Squad at 631-854-8652.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Wanted for Lake Grove petit larceny

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole approximately $415 worth of liquor from SV Fine Wines and Liquors, located at 121 Alexander Ave. in Lake Grove, on Nov. 26 at approximately 3:40 p.m. The suspect fled in a black two-door sedan.

Update on puppy stolen from pet store

Following an investigation and tips from the community, the Havanese puppy that was stolen from Selmer’s Pet Land in Huntington Station on Dec. 6 was recovered on Dec. 7 in Brooklyn. The 3-month-old puppy was returned to the pet store. The incident is under investigation.

Car tires slashed in Ronkonkoma

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fifth Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly damaged vehicles in Ronkonkoma in November. A man allegedly slashed the tires of seven vehicles in the parking lot of the Suffolk County Department of Social Services, located at 3455 Veterans Memorial Highway, on Nov. 26 at approximately 11:20 p.m. The suspect, who was riding a skateboard, was wearing a gray hoodedsweatshirt and black pants.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS.

The following incidents have been reported by Suffolk County Police:

Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

— COMPILED BY HEIDI SUTTON

Bulls wrestling shines at invitational

BY BILL LANDON DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

the 1:23 mark. Michael Teplansky defeated Zack Wilson of Shoreham Wading River by major decision.

In consolation finals, Anthony Santaniello, at 145, defeated Vincent Zimmerman, of Centereach, and Philip Reneiris pinned his opponent at the 4:44 mark.

SPORTS

Smithtown West hit the mats at the Carl T. Korpi wrestling invitational at Miller Place High School Dec. 10 with championship performances by Joseph Jaeger at 102 pounds, pinning his opponent in the championship final at the 3:09 mark.

Teammate Jack DiMaggio, at 138 pounds, defeated his opponent by a 4-2 decision, and Kenneth Leverich, at 145, ended it early, winning his match with a pin at

The Bulls are back in action when they travel to West Islip for a league matchup Dec 14 with the first bout scheduled for 6 p.m.

Pictured clockwise from above, Smithtown West’s Tyler Tuckey, Carl Korpi, Anthony Santaniello and Jack DiMaggio.

— Photos by Bill Landon

Swim team honored

Smithtown High School East students and their families proudly attended the St. James Community Cultural Arts Center art reception highlighting the student’s work.

Students from Nancy Smalley’s, Christopher Lauto’s and Dianne Shanian’s classes had their artwork displayed. A quartet of music students who had met at the Usdan summer camp for the arts provided uplifting jazz tunes to enrich this festive event.

Natalie Weinstein, owner of the arts center, spoke at this event, highlighting the history of the Calderone Theater and all the wonderful opportunities that lay ahead for artists of all ages to work and perform at the center.

High School East principal Robert Rose said how impressed he was by all the artwork he saw at his first art reception, and how creative the students are. The pieces will be displayed until early January.

Smithtown High School West

Relay for Life

The Relay For Life at Smithtown High School West recently won a national competition, raising $7,500 in the fight against cancer.

During a four-week span from October through November, High School West students raised the most money out of 31 other high school relay events in the country.

The American Cancer Society competition was titled Fall Fumble. It was a bracket-style tournament where each week High School West faced off against one school to see who could

fundraise more that week.

The championship round was Nov. 29 and High School West won the final round.

Congratulations to Relay Chairs Amanda Froehlich, Gracie Caroppoli, Erin Fels and Madelyn Law. They were joined by High School West Assistant Principal Annemarie Freund and High School West advisors Dillon Archer and Cathy Abbott for a group picture.

All donations go to the American Cancer Society.

Smithtown High School East

— Photos from Smithtown Central School District

Photo from Smithtown Central School District

Service announcement

Joan Macgregor Marino

Joan Macgregor Marino, of Stony Brook, French, Spanish and English language learner teacher, and interfaith social justice for all leader, entered eternal life on Nov. 22, at the age of 80.

She continues to bless the lives of her husband, Frank; sons Gregory and Frank; daughter and son-in-law Barbara and Michael; their family and friends and members of the many communities she served so well.

The family would like to thank the many health professionals at Stony Brook Hospital and St. Johnland Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for their compassionate, loving and dedicated care.

A celebration of her life will be held on Jan. 7, 2023, at 11 a.m. at the Setauket Presbyterian Church, 5 Caroline Avenue, Setauket.

A full obituary will follow at a later date.

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Editorial

Putting age before youth: Caught in COVID’s crosshairs

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unforeseen challenges for nearly everyone in our nation and world.

COVID-19 has already claimed the lives of 6.65 million people around the globe, 1.09 million of which are in the U.S. Countless more have been infected, with the illness hitting hardest the elderly and those with preexisting conditions. In this time, however, perhaps no demographic sacrificed more greatly than our youth.

We made a decision: Would we let the kids — who were not nearly as vulnerable to the disease as their older counterparts — continue their lives as usual? Or would we limit their inperson activities and restrict their social gatherings to curb the spread of COVID-19? Given a choice between age and youth, we opted for age.

Many children were shut out from traditional social interactions during those critical early years of their emotional and psychological maturation. Sadly, many high school seniors lost their graduation ceremonies, proms and final sport seasons.

In the absence of interpersonal connections, our young became increasingly dependent upon their technologies. Zoom sessions quickly replaced the classroom. Video games supplanted schoolyards and after-school hangouts. Their relationships with the outer world became mediated through a digital screen.

There is still much to learn about the long-term social and psychological impact of the pandemic on our youth. How will the frequent COVID scares, forced separations, quarantines and widespread social panic affect their developing minds? This remains an open question.

As we transition into the post-COVID era, we know that our young will have difficulty adapting. Right now, they need our help more than ever.

The generation that came out of World War I is often called the “Lost Generation.” A collective malaise defined their age following the shock and violence during that incredible human conflict.

Members of the Lost Generation were often characterized by a tendency to be adrift, disengaged from public life and disconnected from any higher cause or greater purpose. Right now, our youngsters are in jeopardy of seeing a similar fate.

Like the Great War, the COVID-19 pandemic was outside the control of our children, with the lockdowns and mandates precipitating from it. Yet, as is often the case, the young bore more than their share of hardship.

We cannot allow Gen Z to become another Lost Generation. They have suffered much already, and it is time that we repay them for their collective sacrifice. To make up for that lost time, parents and teachers must try to put in that extra effort.

Read with them, keep up with their studies, and apply the necessary balance of support and pressure so that they can be stimulated and engaged in school. Keep them from falling behind.

Remember to limit their use of technology, encouraging instead more face-to-face encounters with their peers. These interactions may be uncomfortable, but they are essential for being a fully realized human being. Devices cannot substitute these vital exchanges.

As it is often said, difficult times foster character and grit. Perhaps these COVID years will make the young among us stronger and wiser. But we must not allow the COVID years to break them either.

Despite their lost years, with a little effort and love they will not become another lost generation.

Letters to the editor

Party chairs are out of touch

In reading the Dec. 8 TBR interview with Suffolk Democratic and Republican party chairs Rich Schaffer and Jesse Garcia [“Suffolk’s two party leaders dissect midterm election results”], I was struck by how both men are deeply out of touch. For workingclass and poor people, government serves as a lifeline. For those who struggle to survive on Long Island, elections are not a game of red vs. blue.

This lack of understanding is clear in Garcia’s crowing over the defeat of state Assemblyman Steve Englebright [D-Setauket]. Englebright has been a champion for environmental protection, public education, and has brought home tens of millions of dollars in resources to our community. If you believe in government as a public good, you’d be hard pressed to find a better legislator than Englebright. However, for Garcia, this is just a game, and he has no qualms about taking out Englebright and replacing him with a nonentity like Ed Flood [R-Port Jefferson], who is unlikely to deliver for this community.

Flood’s campaign was built on sharing fearmongering New York Post articles, stoking racial resentment and offering “change,” while never articulating how “change” could occur as a freshman member of the minority party, which will be outnumbered more than 2:1. Unfortunately, our community will find this out when Flood fails to bring home the resources that Englebright did.

With that said, Garcia is a perfect embodiment of today’s Republican Party

— petty, cruel and power hungry for the sake of power itself.

Schaffer is deeply out of step with today’s Democratic Party. As a Democrat who also runs as a Conservative in his elected town position [of Babylon supervisor], he does not represent nor understand the changing and evolving Democratic Party, as is clear in his statements in the article. He has time and again sided with Republicans, including his cheerleading for county District Attorney Ray Tierney [R] in 2021.

Suffolk Democrats deserve a leader that recognizes the need to reach out to youth voters, meet the needs of the growing minority population in the county and embrace the grassroots movements that have grown since 2016. Schaffer has done none of this, and the Democratic Party has been bleeding seats over the past few years. It is time for new leadership that can provide an alternative to Garcia’s worldview and can outorganize the Republican machine.

At the end of the day, we in the 4th Assembly District lost a great public servant in Englebright because of partisan politics. I look forward to reclaiming that seat in 2024 with a Democrat that will put the interests of the community first and will be

the type of public servant in the mold of Englebright. I look forward to a stronger, more diverse, better organized Democratic Party that wins elections and works for the people who need the government to work for them.

Shoshana Hershkowitz South Setauket Founder of Suffolk Progressives

Biden doesn’t know how to play chess

President Joe Biden [D] announcing the agreement to exchange former Soviet military translator turned “merchant of death” arms dealer Viktor Bout for WNBA star Brittney Griner reminded me of a chess game. Bout has served over 12 of 25 years in prison for crimes, including the targeting of American citizens.

Bout was the second most-wanted man in the world after Osama bin Laden. Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged a pawn (Griner) and got a king (Bout). If Biden knew how to play chess, he would have exchanged a king for a king and made it a higher priority to obtain the release of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan instead.

Whelan was arrested in Moscow in 2018 on espionage charges. He was subsequently found guilty in a closed trial and has served more than two years of a 16-year prison sentence. Contrast that with women’s basketball star Griner, who has been detained for almost 10 months and just began serving her nine-year prison sentence.

In 2020, she was quoted by the Arizona Republic as saying, “I honestly feel we should not play the national anthem during our [WNBA] season.”

Michael Braun, then retired chief of operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, told “60 Minutes” (CBS) in 2010, “Viktor Bout, in my eyes, is one of the most dangerous men on the face of the Earth.” The exchange of Bout for Whelan would have been better.

Once again, Putin has played Biden for a fool.

Larry Penner Great Neck

WRITE TO US … We welcome your letters. They should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style and good taste. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include a phone number and address for confirmation. Email letters to: rita@tbrnewsmedia.com or mail them to TBR News Media, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733

The opinions of columnists and letter writers are their own. They do not speak for the newspaper.

Jesse Garcia, left, and Rich Schaffer answered questions about the midterms in the Dec. 8 editions of TBR News Media newspapers. Left file photo from Suffolk GOP; right photo from Babylon Town website

Has customer service become a vestigial organ in our culture?

Icould take it personally, you know. I mean, come on! Does this happen to everyone? Okay, so, check it out. First, I’m coming back from the airport, and I’m starving. I don’t tend to eat too much on days when I’m on a plane. I have a sensitive stomach, yeah, right, poor me, and I’m a bit, which is an understatement, of a neurotic flier. The combination doesn’t tend to make travel, food and me a harmonious trio.

D. None of the above

tells me I have to get there within half an hour because they’re closing.

When we arrive home, I bring in my small bag, grab the keys, and race out to the restaurant.

“Are you Dan?” she asks hopefully as I step towards the counter.

“Yes,” I say, realizing that I’ve cut the halfhour mark pretty close.

“Here’s your food,” she says, shoving the bag across the counter.

“This is everything?” I ask.

“What?” I rage, between clenched teeth in the kitchen as I unload the groceries.

“Your salad isn’t here. Did they charge you for it?”

“Yes,” I say, as I grab some slices of turkey I bought for lunch and a few salad items.

professional basketball game. Stunningly, the person operating the scoreboard had the wrong statistics for each player and the wrong names and uniform numbers of the players on the floor.

What’s happening? Is customer service a thing of the past? Are we better off with artificial intelligence or online systems?

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF

Okay, so, there I am in the car, on the way home, and my wife can tell that I’m hungry. Ever the solution-finder, she suggests I order food from a local restaurant. When I call, the woman on the phone takes my order, which includes a salad with blackened chicken, and

“Yes,” she says, as she rings me up and is clearly eager for me to step outside so she can lock the door and go on to the portion of her evening that doesn’t involve taking food requests, handing people food and charging them for it, all while standing near a gratuity jar that says, not so subtly, “Even the Titanic tipped.” That, I suppose, should inspire me to consider forking over a few extra dollars.

I stop at the supermarket for a few items next door, drive home and bring the bag into the dining room, where my wife opens it.

“Uh, Dan?” she says tentatively. “They forgot your salad.”

skin off my nose,’ but there was.

Just to add some excitement to my life, I had Mohs surgery this past week. Of course, it was not my idea. The dermatologist identified a spot on the side of my nose as possibly the beginning of a basal cell carcinoma, scraped it off and sent it for a biopsy. The report came back positive.

The next step in this situation was a visit to a Mohs surgeon, who specializes in removing the unwelcome cells.

So off I went.

for areas totally visible, like the cheek or nose, where scars would be most undesirable. The skin with the troubled spot is cut away one layer at a time and then studied under a microscope. When a layer is found free of the cancer, the surgeon can stop removal. In that way, no more skin is cut away than is affected, minimizing the healing process and the scarring.

At the initial consult, I was told to come back at 8:30 a.m. last Monday and bring lunch and a book because there was no way to know in advance how deep the basal cells have penetrated and hence, how many layers may have to be removed.

The next day, I called the restaurant to explain that my food didn’t come. The manager said he came in that morning and saw a salad with blackened chicken in the refrigerator. He says he can make a new one that day or can leave me a gift card. I opt for a new salad, When I arrive, the same redheaded woman with a nose ring from the night before greets me.

“If it makes you feel better, I forgot much bigger parts of other people’s order,” she says, with a curious mix of sheepishness, humor and pride.

“No, how is that supposed to make me feel better?” I ask.

Still in food ordering mode, and perhaps not having learned my lesson, I ordered two breakfasts the next morning and, this time, received a single order that was a hybrid of my wife’s and mine.

That night, my wife and I went to a

I realize that the missed food could have happened with anyone at any time and that the thankless job of taking orders, preparing food and making sure people get what they order isn’t particularly exciting.

Are people not taking responsibility in their jobs? Are they proud of their mistakes? Has customer service become like our appendix, a vestigial organ in our culture?

I’m the type of consumer who would eagerly become more loyal and would recommend services when the people who work at these establishments show me they care, want my business, and can be bothered to provide the products I purchased. Companies, and their staff, should recognize that I’m likely not the only one who enjoys efficient, professional and considerate customer service.

of baby boomers turn 65 every day.

Mohs surgery can be done in a hospital or a physician’s office. I was in an office. First, the nurse carefully and thoroughly wiped my face with antiseptic to prevent an infection. Pictures were taken to record the exact location of the spot. Then my upper body was draped, and the nurse injected pain killer in several locations on the nose and cheek, which each felt like a sharp but quick pinch.

In less than an hour, the nurse waved me back into the procedure room, and I swooped up my untouched lunch, my book and my coat and anxiously followed her.

“It’s all clear,” she said smiling. “No further cancer.”

BY LEAH S. DUNAIEF

Now typically there are three types of skin cancers: basal cell, squamous cell and melanoma. Mine was a basal, the least of the three and slowest growing. Nonetheless, it had to come off.

An appointment was made for the deed to be done. Now Mohs surgery, used first by Frederic E. Mohs in 1936, is intended

“Plan to spend the whole day here,” the nurse instructed. “Of course you can leave as soon as the skin is cancer free.”

So I dutifully appeared at the appointed time, heart pounding, not knowing exactly what I was in for. For those facing Mohs surgery or will undergo the procedure in the future, here is what’s involved. And by the way, more and more people are developing various skin cancers because the skin is damaged by the sun, older people have had more time to be affected, and there are now more older residents in America than ever before. Thousands

When I was anesthetized, the physician entered, put on his surgical gloves, and the procedure began as Christmas music played softly in the background. It took less than five minutes to get the specimen for the lab. It takes about an hour for the slide to be inspected, using a special diagnostic machine.

I was then bandaged and sent out to wait. While I was waiting, I studied the others in the waiting room. Some had bandages on their ear or their cheek. One lady had a dressing on her scalp. A man had one on his neck. All were reading.

I also enjoyed the company of my son, who accompanied me throughout this experience, for it gave us an opportunity to chat and catch up on the latest. That was the silver lining.

“Hot dog!” I exclaimed, thereby giving both the young nurse and youngish doctor a laugh. Apparently, they were not familiar with that enthusiastic expression. I guess the current phrase would have been, “Cool!”

Then the surgeon took a thin slice of skin from elsewhere on my nose, and using this plastic surgery technique, covered the surgical site. The wound was next stitched up and covered with a pressure bandage that was to remain until the next day.

Happily we could leave. The task now is to keep the area clean and manage the ensuing pain until the healing is complete.

Until then, should we cross paths, I hope you won’t confuse me with your neighborhood raccoons. Or think that I was in a bar fight and got punched in the eye.

‘No

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