‘Taking Back’ Truro
To the editor:
As a homeowner, taxpayer, and part-time resident of Truro, I’m disappointed in the small number of vocal neighbors who seem to be focused on dividing our beautiful town and who exhibit disrespectful and bullying behavior in their efforts to impose their perspective on the rest of us.
People will differ on issues. It is the mark of a civilized society that we resolve our differences peacefully, with respect on all sides for the concerns of others. I find it odd and inappropriate that some seem to feel they alone have the right to “take back” our town.
Ken Field
Truro and Cambridge
Doing What’s Possible for Whales
To the editor:
Thank you for the article “Climate, Not Wind Farms, Is Called Threat to Whales” [Oct. 26, front page]. It was refreshing to read a thoughtful and informed account of the many human-created challenges whales face in the ocean, which puts into perspective the disturbance that wind farms might pose.
Though we can’t discount the added burden wind turbine noise might place on whale populations, there’s no doubt that by shifting away from our dependence on fossil fuels we can reduce the far greater threat of collapsing ocean ecosystems.
Perhaps the sound of wind turbines will be much less disturbing than the din and danger of the tanker traffic that now fills our waters as fossil fuels are shipped around the world.
We cannot give today’s whales the quiet oceans their ancestors knew, but we can do what’s possible and necessary to ensure that they and their descendants have an ocean that’s habitable. To do that, we must turn toward cleaner renewable energy sources. Our fossil fuel dependence is the greatest threat to whales, not wind turbines.
Lili Flanders
Truro
Seashore Point Fees
To the editor:
I was delighted to see the article about the entanglement we are experiencing here at Seashore Point [“Seashore Point Residents Sue Owner, Claiming Fraud and Abuse,” Oct. 26, page A8].
There was one small error, however. You reported that our “condo fees have jumped from $250 to $600 a month.” That was the concierge fee that was to cover all the activities we no longer have. The actual condo fee for a one-bedroom apartment is $834 a month, which we have no question about since it covers our maintenance costs.
The increased garage fees ($100 to $275) and concierge fee ($250 to $600 — though no one can explain what it is for) mean we’re paying $875 in fees added to our $834 condo fee, equaling $1,709 in total.
We sold our home in 2015 and moved here to enjoy the varied activities, security, and convenience of Seashore Point, which have diminished as quickly as the fees have increased after the recent sale to a for-profit corporation. We are looking forward to an amicable solution.
Lorraine Kujawa
Provincetown
Death in Gaza
To the editor:
Ruby T’s op-ed in the Oct. 26 issue [“Demand a Middle East Ceasefire Now,” page A3] overlooks the fact that the plight of the citizens of Gaza is directly due to the actions of its leaders, Hamas. I agree that “Palestinian lives are as sacred as anyone else’s.” The problem is that Hamas doesn’t. Why else would it use its own citizens as human shields and then claim that Israel is committing “genocide” when it fights back?
Why doesn’t this demand for a ceasefire also demand that Hamas release the 200+ hostages? Why is there no demand that Hamas renounce its charter, which explicitly calls for the destruction of Israel? Why is there not a demand that those responsible for rape, beheadings, and kidnappings be held accountable for war crimes?
When Hamas uses citizens as human shields, it is Hamas that is responsible for their deaths, not Israel. To argue otherwise means that Israel is not entitled to defend itself and is therefore not entitled to exist.
Evan P. Provisor
Wellfleet
Nothing Justifies Barbarism
To the editor:
Leaving Hamas in control of Gaza would be perceived throughout the world as a victory for Hamas and its strategy of destroying Israel by unrestrained violence. It would strengthen Iran in its quest to destroy Israel through wars initiated by its proxies: Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the militias in Syria and Iraq. It would undermine the Arab governments that have made peace with Israel and those considering it, including Saudi Arabia.
I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government of extremists bears some responsibility for what has occurred. It has followed a policy of acceptance of Hamas and hostility towards the Palestinian Authority to make a two-state solution a virtual impossibility, with the goal of Israel eventually annexing the West Bank.
That said, nothing justifies the barbarism of Hamas. Once this awful war is over and Hamas is removed from power in Gaza, hopefully Israel will have a new government with a desire to end its endless wars with the Palestinian people. But that will not happen if Israel allows Hamas to win by remaining in control of Gaza.
Stephen Greenberg
Wellfleet
Providing Aid to All
To the editor:
Last week’s Independent included a letter to the editor requesting donations to the Palestinian House of Friendship.
I would also like to bring to readers’ attention Magen David Alom, the Israeli Red Cross. This organization provides aid to any individual who needs help regardless of ethnicity, religion, race, or political affiliation.
For more information, please visit afmda.org or mdais.org.
Alison Siegel
Sharon and Wellfleet
Never Forget
To the editor:
Thanks to Dennis Minsky for his thoughtful piece on the futility of naming [Oct. 19, page A3]. With all of the hatred and chaos constantly swirling around us, it becomes more and more difficult to maintain some sense of equilibrium. Yet it is essential to find peace and solace where we can, either in nature or something else.
That said, it is equally important that we never forget the suffering of others, whether halfway around the world or here at home.
Lisa Jablow
Brattleboro, Vt. and New York City
