Zeldin's support of brief is a travesty

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) signed a letter along with 125 other representatives supporting President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn a legitimate election won honestly and fairly by President-elect Joe Biden. That Zeldin would support such an effort, to me, is a travesty. This group of Republicans has traded its decency and character for a chance to stay on the good side of a man who has, in my view, no decency and no character you would want your children to have. Our Constitution and our democracy have been at risk because the party of Zeldin would have us believe that Biden will be an illegitimate president. I believe this undermines our history, our credibility in the world, and even our ability to govern during the pandemic and recession. I believe Zeldin and the others should be ashamed of themselves and should apologize to their constituents for what they have done. People evicted? Out of work? Not enough food? Dying from COVID-19? This is all secondary to the needs of a bombastic president who I maintain has failed us every day.

Philip Paskowitz,

Yaphank

Rep. Lee Zeldin’s support of the amicus brief aimed at undermining our democratic system needs to be addressed. A proposal by Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), based on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, would refuse to seat the Republicans who took part in this shameful attempt at treason. This has happened only once before — following the Civil War. As Zeldin is also an active member of the Army Reserve, I believe he should be subject to court martial based on Article 81 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. To me, he has broken his vow to protect his country from all enemies, foreign and domestic. He has betrayed America. The latest attempt so defied the Constitution that the Supreme Court refused it to be brought to trial. This cannot be swept under the rug or ignored as "business as usual." There must be consequences or I believe our nation’s fabric will be torn asunder for all the world to see. Russian President Vladimir Putin must be the happiest man on earth. To me, America is being destroyed without a single shot being fired — and with the willing aid of what used to be the Grand Old Party.

Russell Alexander,

Brentwood

Shame on Rep. Lee Zeldin and the 125 other House Republicans who submitted an amicus brief in support of the Texas lawsuit attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election. As an attorney, Zeldin surely knew that Texas lacked standing and the submitted arguments lacked substantive proof. As an elected representative and military officer in the Army Reserve, he took an oath to uphold the Constitution, but he and his House cohorts didn’t uphold the Constitution. Instead, they sought to negate the votes of millions of citizens in those four states, and undermine confidence in our democracy and its institutions. Fortunately, the Supreme Court justices showed the wisdom to reject the Texas motion, thus protecting the will of the people. I say that Zeldin needs to apologize to his constituents for his attack on our democratic republic, and if he can’t do that, then he should resign.

Vincent Lyons,

Riverhead

Too rosy a scenario on landfill

I believe that Newsday’s editorial calling for a regional solution on the Brookhaven Town landfill crisis paints too rosy a picture of Long Island’s waste crisis ["LI, do not waste this crisis," Editorial, Dec. 6]. It is worth asking why the town has not planned for viable post-landfill futures even though the 2024 closure of the landfill has loomed for years. Since at least 2017, the town planned for an ashfill expansion that will continue to concentrate the waste of almost 2 million people in the same community that has already borne the lion’s share of risk and hazard for 45 years. Brookhaven has not dedicated resources to any other plan, so no other options will be deemed viable unless residents speak up and speak loudly for their neighbors and the environment. A definition of insanity is said to be doing the same thing and expecting a different result. To me, we should not trust that the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Covanta and town officials addicted to the revenues associated with the cycle of burn and dump would suddenly prioritize the lives of North Bellport residents, the inviolability of our sole source aquifer, or the necessity of clean air. They have never done so before.

Abena Asare,

Brookhaven

Editor’s note: The writer is a member of the Brookhaven Landfill Action and Remediation Group.

If Long Island wants to decrease waste, towns could start by requiring landscapers to leave grass clippings on the lawn instead of bringing them to landfills. I noticed recently that the landscaper who mows most of the lawns on my street of 16 homes left at least 40 huge bags of grass clippings at the curb for town pickup. Excessive packaging is another reason for so much waste. We don’t need double and triple packaging of goods we buy. Why can’t the town burn paper waste — responsibly, of course — to create energy or heat? Methane created by decomposing waste could be used to create energy to fuel buildings. I suggest plastic manufacturers pay a deposit on containers they produce, and plastic should always be recycled. There are ways of accomplishing this, but we all have to do our part.

Mary Kinsella-Rossi,

Holbrook

Editor's note: Since at least 2017, the Town of Brookhaven planned for an ash-fill expansion concentrating the waste of almost 2 million people. The number was incorrect in an earlier version of this letter to the editor.