Dan's Papers - October 3, 2008 -

Dear Dan,
Just finished reading your book In the Hamptons and couldn't put it down. What a delicious concoction - my compliments to the chef! All those anecdotes, all at once historical, were touching, humorous (natch) and unforgettable!
The readers now know the Hamptons, even if they've never been there before.
Thank you for a great read.

P.S. - I tried to send this message through danrattiner.com" as Indicated on the inside cover of the book but to no avail (unrecognized), so here I use the "Letters" box of Dan's Papers. Thanks - DR

Dear Dan,
We have noticed that Sally Flynn's column "The Sheltered Islander" has not been in the paper lately. We really enjoyed reading her column and hope that she will be back in Dan's Papers. There has been no announcement about Sally in your paper other than the cryptic note in the "Police Blotter" of the September 19th issue, which stated, "Nothing happened on Shelter Island."
Should we be concerned?

We love Sally and will continue running her column when space permits! - S.G.. Mng. Ed.

Dear Dan,
In Friday night's debate, Senator Obama presented an enlightened vision of a New World order. He showed us clarity of vision, enlightenment, compassion, and true globalism - that is, an understanding that many other countries have values and priorities different from those of the USA that need to be recognized and included in America's international policies. Meanwhile, McCain just trots out the same old garbage - so backward, so unenlightened, so primitive, narrow-minded and self-serving that he would drag us back to the middle Ages if he could. You know who I am voting for.

To the Editor,
In the Sept. 19, 2008 edition, T.J. Clemente wrote an article about taxes. The first sentence reads, "Perhaps the most volatile component in the financial crisis facing the Hamptons and the nation is the fact that one in every 10 mortgages is in foreclosure." 10% ??? This is an absurd falsehood. When I read it, I immediately went to Google for an answer. From the latest data from "The Mortgage Bankers Delinquency Survey," the current foreclosure rate is 2.47%. It is way up. In normal times the rate is about 1%. The survey also noted that the rate on fixed 30-year mortgages is lower than it was in 2002.
My point in writing to you is that this is irresponsible journalism. The author and the editor are guilty of fanning the flames of the gloom and doom crowd and using lies to do it.
You should print a retraction and an apology.

The source for the information was a statistics report from the Mortgage Bankers Association, (cited in an article on pastpeak.com), entitled "Nearly One Homeowner In Ten Delinquent Or In Foreclosure." And therein lies the problem. The 10% refers not only to foreclosures, but includes homeowners who were past due on mortgage payments. Mea culpa. - SG, Mng. Ed.

Dear Dan,
I have never seen such a stream of lies and misrepresentations in your article in the 9/12 edition called Alert: You see people praying in their homes in WHB, call the police.
I invite you and the public to go on line and check phone calls to the Westhampton Police for the past three months and you will find one phone call to the Westhampton Police by Irene Barrett and it was to notify the police she had received a written physical threat.
The first part of your article is a lie and I leave others to correct the other ninety-nine misrepresentations in this piece.