Voting machines, Georgia indictments, obesity, cartoons, Roslyn Grist Mill restoration
The first phase of the Roslyn Grist Mill restoration project has been completed. Credit: Danielle Silverman
New vote machines mean new problems
The new voting machines do not have capacity for a recount — there are no hand-marked paper ballots to recount [“Technology is here for our voting, too,” Letters, Aug. 25].
An electronic recount can only get the same numbers, over and over. The “garbage in, garbage out” rule applies.
Election Systems & Software (ES&S) machines have had unresolved problems in several elections. I am beyond distressed to see they may come to Nassau County.
— Ann Kemler, Long Beach
Indicted lawyers may incur dishonor
I began my legal career 40 years ago and was given a key chain fob inscribed “honest lawyer.” At best, I thought it was awkward — why would anyone assume otherwise?
These days, though, many may question the integrity of the legal profession. Why? More than 40% — eight — of the 19 indicted in Fulton County, Georgia, are attorneys allegedly involved in conspiring to thwart the democratic transfer of power after a fair presidential election [“All 19 charged in election case surrender by deadline,” News, Aug. 26]. It’s an election scrutinized and repeatedly upheld by state and federal courts.
Indeed, it is alleged these indicted attorneys were at the root of the scheme, proffered false claims and supported “fake electors.”
Much of this is already revealed in documents, videos and emails that underpin the indictment.
If true, it goes well beyond accepted zealous advocacy; it portrays an effort to subvert the Constitution and ignore the attorneys’ ethical obligation to uphold it.
While this indictment should not be used to paint the legal profession with a broad brush, if proven in court, these lawyers will have disgraced themselves and dishonored their profession.
— Michael Lesman, Merrick
Older folks don’t need to add pounds
As a registered dietitian, I am appalled at the article “A few extra pounds may be healthier” [act2, Good to Know, Aug. 20].
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health says, “Roughly two out of three U.S. adults are overweight or obese (69%) and one out of three are obese (36%).”
I have been in private practice for 26 years and have watched Americans become unhealthier. We need little encouragement to say, “I may need to gain a few extra pounds to stay healthy.”
The article states that “carrying some extra weight can sometimes be protective in later life.” The article mentions extra padding for falling. The unfortunate older people who fall are more likely (based on percentages) overweight or obese. The “extra weight” places a huge strain on bones, joints and ligaments, increasing the likelihood of falling.
Newsday also published an article, “Most of NY adults overweight” [News, June 24], which said that more than 63% of New York adults — 8.4 million people — were overweight or obese in 2021, according to a survey released by the state Department of Health.
Let’s encourage healthier lifestyles for Americans.
— Robyn A. Cotler, Plainview
Satire is in the eyes of the beholder
Two readers expressed dismay [“Political cartoons must be accurate,” Letters, Aug. 25] over what they saw as a false narrative in two political cartoons [Opinion, Cartoon Roundup, Aug. 19].
One of the cartoons satirically suggested that criminal charges were politically driven and based on what former President Donald Trump really meant with his words on Jan. 6 and other events. Oh my, how dare anyone think such thoughts!
Sorry, but many educated people do see it this way. I guess we must all just accept the views of most of our media, including Newsday cartoonist Matt Davies. Be careful who you call cult members!
— Andrew Ross, Kings Park
Who would have guessed that political cartoons now need to come with a trigger warning. While it appears that some readers have never ventured too far away from the deep blue echo chamber of their hometown editorial pages, Newsday’s editorial board, to its credit, does publish on Saturdays a weekly roundup of political cartoons from around the country.
It’s a big country out there, so let’s be good to each other and agree to disagree.
— Glenn Tyranski, Huntington
Restoring grist mill a waste of money
The restoration project at the Roslyn Grist Mill is estimated to cost $7 million [“Grinding along,” Our Towns, July 27]. This is a tremendous waste of money on a dilapidated, sinking one-story building.
I understand that it is designated as a “historic building,” but the lack of needed upkeep should have led to its demolition and being replaced with a modern building.
The replacement building could have cost less than $2 million with $5 million left for the Village of Roslyn. That $5 million could have been used for many purposes. Roslyn would no longer need their parking meters. Roslyn could have fixed the clock tower or even lowered taxes.
The current restoration is reminiscent of a game of endless pick-up sticks. Workers must wait until each piece of wood is restored out of state, then put each piece back in place. A new modern grist mill or tea house would have been a better solution.
— William Pastarnack, Glen Cove
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO JOIN OUR DAILY CONVERSATION. Email your opinion on the issues of the day to letters@newsday.com. Submissions should be no more than 200 words. Please provide your full name, hometown, phone numbers and any relevant expertise or affiliation. Include the headline and date of the article you are responding to. Letters become the property of Newsday and are edited for all media. Due to volume, readers are limited to one letter in print every 45 days. Published letters reflect the ratio received on each topic.
