2/11/2010

Dear Editor,
Thank you for your support of our auditorium's renovation. The renovation is inspirational to us and to our students. Last week we rededicated the auditorium to Harry Simon, who began and taught in the Onteora music program for 36 years. His marching band was legendary for winning many awards, and marching in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade; at Shea Stadium for a Giants game; at the 1980 winter Olympics in Lake Placid, and even recording a Pepsi commercial.
For the concert, we invited alumni musicians to play along with our 150 student musicians - in orchestra, chorus and the band. We had over 60 alumni musicians, dating back to the 1960s, come back to play, some from as far as Maine, California, Maryland and Virginia. Their enthusiasm sparked us all. The electricity in the room was extraordinary. We thank them, and our wonderful emcee, Simmie Sernaker.
For the music department, this celebration and our new auditorium means a tremendous amount. Performing in the auditorium now is a pleasure. Gone are the hard, uncomfortable plastic seats (donated to area groups), replaced by comfortable fabric ones. And, we now have HVAC, custom-designed acoustics and lighting and sound controlled by a computerized board. New steel rigging means we can have sets for our productions.
We also would like to thank the following area businesses for their donations to feed our 200+ musicians, and for our after-concert reception. Please patronize them, their generosity is immeasurable. They are: Adams Fairacre Farms, Boiceville Supermarket, Bread Alone, Catamount at The Emerson Resort & Spa, DECA at Onteora HS, Deising's, Dominick's Caf?, Hudson Valley Spring Water, Hurley Ridge Market, Kasey's Caf?, Mizuna Caf?, Onteora Mountain House, Pastryqueen's Cooking School, Sportsman's Alamo Cantina/Brio's, Sweet Sue's, Village Pizza and Winchell's.
We invite you to join us for our next concert, featuring guest artist, Justin Kolb, pianist. The date is February 4. Look for further details at www.onteora.k12.ny.us. We hope that the auditorium will become a well-used venue by artists and speakers supporting our students' education.
Thank you again. And, please do come to the upcoming events.
Dr. Leslie Ford, superintendent
Onteora School District

Dear Editor,
I was devastated to learn that thousands of pallets of food and water sit in the Port Au Prince airport while people are dying of starvation and dehydration...no food or water in a week for most of them. When the food is moved it is to the American Embassy.
On the ground small charity groups are the ones who are getting in what little aid they have in relation to population (Haitian People's Support Project, Madre, etc.) with no access to what is necessary to give to life.
That marines could have been dispatched from nearby Guantanamo Bay on the many planes there...and with many supplies including water purification systems is a given. It did not happen.
Furthermore the head of a humanitarian organization on the ground there, an American, has called the story of 4000 prisoners a lie. That is pretty strong language from an American. Dr. Evan Lyons of Partners in Health and attorney Joseph spoke stating that that at least 80 percent of the imprisoned were not charged with any crime and have sat in jail from between one and six years...Many of these are former low ranking officials from the elected government of President Aristide which was ousted violently a few years back.
This was reported by Amy Goodman, award winning journalist of impeccable credentials, on TV (Link TV) and many radio stations and at www.democracynow.org.
"You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free"
Roberta Gould
West Hurley, NY

Dear Editor,
I found Mitchell Langbert's letter in your January 14th issue quite interesting. His theory that Democrats come in two general categories, a)liars, and b) suckers, was quite persuasive.
But why just Democrats? His theory fits Republicans even better. Republican policies are even more in thrall to large corporate interests over those of common individual citizens.
Personally, it seems to me that Party loyalty most resembles rooting for sports teams; "Yay my team, good, bad, or pitiful." No one ever wonders if the Mets really deserve to win or are really objectively the best -- Mets fans just want to win any way they can.
Gus Murphy
Brooklyn, NY

Dear Editor,
During this time of economic uncertainty, and for some, economic instability, there is an anti-poverty tool that many people are unaware of. Called the Earned Income Tax Credit or EITC, it was initially enacted in 1975, and has been expanded over the years to become one of the best anti-poverty tools in the country, enjoying broad bipartisan support. For the 2009 tax year, a claimant with one qualifying child can receive a maximum credit of $3,043; a claimant with two qualifying children, a maximum credit of $5,028; and a claimant with three or more qualifying children, a maximum credit of $5,657. Yet, research by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the IRS indicates that between 15%-25% of people eligible to receive the EITC don't claim it.
The Ulster County CASH Coalition, led by the United Way of Ulster County, was formed to help rectify this. In 15 locations throughout the county, trained volunteer tax preparers are available to work privately with individuals and families by appointment. Appointments are available during the day, and every Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., January 30-February 27 at the Hudson Valley Mall, and on Saturday, March 6 at the Everette Hodge Community Center in mid-town Kingston. To schedule an appointment, call 845-802-7190. While appointments are preferred, walk-ins, especially at the Hudson Valley Mall and Everette Hodge Center, are welcomed. Also available on site will be specially prepared packets with comprehensive information on other federal, state, and local benefits that customers may be eligible for.
The ultimate goal of the Ulster County CASH Coalition is to make sure that every household in Ulster County eligible to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit does so. Not only is it a benefit to the family who receives it, but for the county as a whole, as data shows that much, if not all of the refund is used to pay bills, or to buy basics such as food and clothing. So, please pass the word to you friends, your neighbors, and your colleagues. Help is available.
Stacey Rein, President
United Way of Ulster County
Kingston, NY

Dear Editor,
In Jennifer Holz's Phoenicia Times column the large photo of a Chickadee was irresistible and her accompanying piece was quite courageous, making a parallel between the chatter made by birds and the chatter of people. She did not use the word gossip once, though it seems that is what it was about. She refers to a book by a rabbi and also Jewish law, "...slander ruins a life for years to come." She says a mouthful when she says, "I will resolve to pay more attention to what goes out of my mouth than what goes in."
This reminds me of a film, "Odd Man Out", a British movie about an IRA member, seriously wounded, who finds refuge in a wreck of a mansion, occupied by three societal outcasts, a priest an artist, and a physician. The three want to use the dying man for their own selfish purposes, indifferent to his life or death situation. I compare this to several people telling the same tale about the same person but for their own individual reasons, emotional, ego driven or whatever. It is interesting that when we talk about someone, degrading them, we are doing so perhaps without fully realizing why. We are using that person-for our own purpose, regardless of the harm we may do, unless, of course we are doing it intentionally. Sure there is friendly gossip, but not friendly slander. Incidentally, to a Chickadee, one sunflower seed is a mouthful. .
Thank you to the Phoenicia Times POV for giving us the oppor-tunity to read Martin King's "From Paul's Letter to American Christians." It was an extraordinary read. What a courageous man Martin Luther King Jr. was!
I have to remark on the intelligence and passion behind Jill Paperno's letters. Her dedication to informing us of various issues and trying to light a fire under our dormant butts has to be commended. Keep it up Ms. Paperno. The big pot of truth and awakening has tipped over and is slowly spreading. .
Thank you to the Phoenicia Times for its generous letters page.
Robert Jacobson
Mount Tremper, NY

Dear Editor,
Last year we were suddenly in the midst of stage 4 lymphoma.....my husband was critically ill, and was hospitalized or undergoing treatment most of the year. Throughout this period, we were constantly astonished by the the calls, cards, prayers, and assistance from not only our dear friends; but also from people in the local businesses, our doctor, and individuals we knew mostly just to say hello in town. People showed up and extended themselves to us with food, shopping, firewood, chores around the property, and help with our dogs when I needed to be working. The meaning of the word "community" became clear to us, and our gratitude is immeasurable. Who knew there were so many angels in one small town ? Thank you to all of you for your incredible kindness and support.....the experience was truly life-changing.
June & David Brought
Shandaken, NY

Dear Editor,
The portrait of unimaginable human suffering coming out of Haiti is unbearable even to look at. I wish I could get these images out of my mind but I can't. How the people of Haiti find the strength to go on is beyond me.
Likewise, I can't help seeing these images and flashing back to Gaza and similar scenes of people trapped in collapsed buildings, mourning over lost loved ones, of the hopelessness and despair in the eyes of the homeless wandering the streets.
The loss of any life always gives us pause to reflect because our consciousness of mortality makes us see ourselves in the dead and dying.
Poverty is easy to ignore, and war is easy to support when it's stripped of its humanity.
Bill Campion
Mount Tremper, NY

Dear Editor,
Like many, I was frequently approached by Mark at the Woodstock Library, Grand Union or on the street and eagerly engaged in dialogue (during his non-silent phases) about what was important to him at the time. As a lawyer, he often gave me his opinion, and sought mine, about current legal topics. Each conversation ended with his gift of a Buddhist drawing on rock, paper or wood.
Some years ago I took one of Mark's small inked stones with me on a visit to Sri Lanka. In Anuradhapura, in the center of the island, stands a strong old tree, said to have grown from a shoot of the original Bodhi tree under which Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment in India centuries earlier. It is a sacred and busy spot, where pilgrims gather and monks chant. I approached as close as I was permitted and deposited the stone as an offering.
Upon returning to Woodstock, I encountered Mark in Bradley Meadows and told him the story of his stone. As I spoke, tears gathered in his eyes and, though he was in one of his silent periods, he grasped my hands and slowly whispered "thank you."
I'll miss him.
Alan Sussman
Bearsville, NY

Dear Editor,
When President Obama and his Cabinet took office a year ago, they faced an array of historic challenges: an economy in freefall, job losses averaging almost 700,000 a month, a middle class under assault, two wars and badly frayed global alliances, and a staggering $1.3 trillion budget deficit.
Faced with these unparalleled challenges, the President and his Cabinet got to work. The Obama administration took bold steps to rescue the country from a potential second Great Depression; to rebuild the economy for the long-term -- so businesses can thrive, the middle class can grow and all our families can be more secure; and to restore America's leadership in the world, as our government wrestle with the global challenges of the 21st Century.
According to the National Bureau of Economic Research this recession began in December 2007. The fact that there are more than 7 million fewer Americans with jobs provides an indication of the human tragedy many in our country are continuing to endure. Fortunately, we're no longer seeing the severe deterioration in the job market that we saw last January. According to the Congressional Budget Office the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act," has already created and saved up to 2 million jobs.
Nevertheless, small businesses have continued to find it difficult to get the loans they need to start up or grow. Obama has proposed to increase the guarantees for Small Business Administration backed loans, and has asked his Treasury Secretary to continue mobilizing the remaining TARP funds to facilitate lending to small businesses.
Recently, Obama pointed out: "And when we walked through these doors last year, our first and most urgent task was to rescue our economy, to give immediate relief. These steps have saved or created about two million jobs so far. But more than seven million have been lost as a consequence of this recession, an epidemic that demands our relentless and sustained response."
Palin and Brown represent change on the Republican side. Now, Democrats need change or else. What we need now is George Clooney, Steven Colbert, Jon Stewart, Sam Waterson, Susan Sarandon, Sandra Bullock, Fran Drescher and Meryl Streep to step up to the plate, serve their country and help to take it back from the corporate heads. It belongs to We, the People - remember? Don't worry about what they know- they can be filled in by Kucinich, Waxman, Waters, etc. Whatever their lack of history is, they surely know more than Palin and Brown and those are one step away from running our country.
As for Health Care, we can solve that without Washington. Have you seen a doctor lately? That's so "then". Now, you see his Nurse Practitioner. So, why not open up a "Nurse Practitioner" storefront? Or, call it something else, if you must. Why bother with insurance to cover what you could pay for. The only reasons one needs insurance is for surgery and expensive drugs. So, let's get a new insurance policy - one that only covers surgery. Instead of using up your insurance for drugs that surely weaken your system, get insurance strictly for surgical procedures, and pay for over-the-counter preventative remedies that humans have been using since Biblical times. Remedies that work - and that don't have serious side effects, unless you don't head the instructions. Let's go walk the reservoir for free, invent a shovel and a rake that works in both directions, and buy local pesticide-free food.
Meanwhile, if you should get cancer, a heart attack, or any condition that will turn into "pre-existing", I suggest taking a vacation outside the country, and don't get your condition on their list, or you're cooked - at least for now, unless we take our country back. Oh one more thing: DEMOCRACY IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT.
Jill Paperno
Glenford, NY

Dear Editor,
With the rising costs of propane and electricity, alternatives to these fuels are needed. Compost heating is a technology that hasn't yet been fully tested, but it still shows a lot of promise for the future. If this method is used properly, it can be a very effective way of heating water. There have been many prototypes made of this technology, but none that have been marketable.
A compost heated shower works by heating water inside of a compost pile. The most important piece to this method is having a living active compost pile that produces heat. Anyone can do this if they are willing to take the time and energy.
If we were all to use this method of heating, everyone would have to learn to compost effectively. It would take some time, but in the long run it would be worth it. Also you could save a lot of the money that you would otherwise spend on propane and electric.
Compost heating is realistic for the future because the prices of propane and heating fuels are going up. It would also help decrease pollution which would be very beneficial to our environment.
Rachel Schackne
Saugerties, NY

Dear Editor,
Fox has hired Sarah Palin. What a catch!
I think I missed my calling. I should have aspired to be program director at the Fox Network. I see endless possibilities for the former governor. Since I don't expect any of the Murdochs to call me soon, I feel compelled to share with them my tele-visions.
If I was the program director: "Palingenesis," a story of the rebirth of a dysfunctional Alaskan family; "Palinopsia," a real-life series that chronicles the life of a woman who sees foreign countries from her home; "Palinode," a story of recantation of passed lives.
"Palindrome," a late night show (good timing) which, of course, will feature the Saraband and be sponsored by the anti-depressant, Sarafem.
However, the focus of the network could well be a true-to-life show featuring, among others, Steven Seagal, with Ms. Palin, on the streets, protecting mankind: "Betcha I Getcha!" Rupert, call me...
Chip Brill
Bearsville, NY

Dear Editor,
The "Ship of State" in Washington, DC is trying to trim its sails following the forceful northeaster that blew in from Massachusetts. We watch with interest as the ship's captain struggles to change course in search of calmer waters. Ah yes, treasury secretary Geithner may be made to walk the plank. Likewise the navigator, fed chairman Bernanke, may be targeted to be put in chains and set adrift as well.
From "The Bridge" (we call the White House) a tie-less president whips up the citizens in Ohio into an ideological frenzy of rhetoric. He says, "I will not stop fighting." Perhaps it is time to stop fighting and try to embrace. (Mr. President, you tried to embrace murderous adversaries i.e. Iran, North Korea and the like -- all of whom want to kill us. You failed at that. Why not try to embrace those who once upon a time believed and trusted you for the change you proffered? The change you brought thus far is CHUMP change, not CHAMP change as we had hoped.
From the the Bridge of your command, flash your search light and find a quiet port. Stop saying, "I will continue to fight." Your passengers are fiscally bloodied. Come to the rail and see the shore-laden-lives of the unemployed. Unload the ship of the over-weighted agenda your party has lashed to the deck of the USS America.
With jobs we will repay our treasury, provide for family and country. Your "wish-bone" policy has snapped and we all have gotten a splintered end.
As Americans go back to work again and regain self-respect, so perhaps you, Mr. President, can regain the respect of passengers and stand with pride on the bow of the USS America. Ring the bells to alert your crew -- slow the speed; re-check your charts, change the ship's course. Otherwise your political party pirates will be holding us hostage for a debt ransom figure most can't even imagine. Don't scuttle the ship of state!
Nelson Burhans
Saugerties, NY

Dear Editor,
We are one year into the Obama presidency and where are we?
Two personalities are before us - Obama the candidate and Obama the president.
Obama the candidate is the leader we were looking for. During the campaign, you said the things we wanted to hear, you gave the promises we were seeking, you said you would fight the special and vested interest groups, the pork barrellers, the lobbyists, the multi-national corporations, congressional corruption, and you would protect middle class America. You got us all fired up and ready to go.
As a 40 year Republican New York State Committeeman from the Hudson Valley, I bolted and went to work for your election. I spent my time, energy, money and opened my rolodex for fund raising. I also got some very interesting phone calls. We won, but where are we? You have kept two campaign promises - Michelle got a night on the town in New York City via Air Force One, and Malia and Sasha got Bo...
On the Olympics it was Obama 0; Climate Warming, Obama 0; Virginia, Obama 0; New Jersey, Obama 0; Massachusetts, Obama 0. How many 0's must there be before it becomes clear that a majority of the country does not think you are moving in the right direction?
You got off to a poor start with the appointment of Timothy Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury. You put the Fox of Wall Street into the Obama Hen House to lay out fiscal policy. Many see him as little more than a Mule for his banker-broker friends. We end up with a Secretary of Treasury who did not file or pay his income taxes on time. What kind of message does that send to Middle America?
The Health Care program appears to be some two thousand pages of bribery and congressional corruption - Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean seems to have it right. Trash the whole thing and start over again. You really only need One Page to get started toward a Consumer Protection National Health Program: Item One - No Preexisting Conditions - period - no ifs, ands, ors or buts for special vested interests.
Item two - No Caps - period. The last thing you need when you are sick is some insurance company actuary saying you are no longer a medically viable assumption under the company's age and medical standards criteria. You are going to die in a short time so go off into the woods and be quiet about it. How humane!
Item Three - Portability. A health benefit should be declared an entitlement benefit and 100% ambulatory on a national basis. If a citizen wishes to move at the request of an employer or for personal reasons, say from South Dakota to New York City, health benefits go with the citizen and no surcharges or reduction in benefits. The benefits should be universal and national in application. Item Four - Strip the insurance companies of their exemption from the anti-trust laws. Mandate that insurers must compete across local, state, and regional lines of jurisdiction. Corporate greed will take over and insurers will come up with national programs tailored to the needs of the citizen because they want to gather unto themselves as much money as they can in each marketing area. That's it - a one pager and throw the other 1,999 pages on the trash heap of Congressional arrogance.
Thomas Jefferson, the third president and probably the most gifted, saw ahead of his times and believed the Republic needed periodic revolution to cleanse itself. In a letter to William Stephens Smith of November 13, 1787 he wrote: "the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants; it is its natural manure."
I do not believe in violence. You can be of great service to your country and send a message which can highlight a new direction in your presidency. Send a Term Limits proposal to the congress - Senators - two sixes, Congressmen - six twos and back to private industry.
Congressman Charles Rangel of New York seems to have a different view. He advocates that from time to time somebody gets elected president and goes to the White House for four or eight years and then fades into history. With no term limits, the seniority system and the all powerful committee chairman system, the Charles Rangels hang around a long time. Rangel has been in Congress for some 44 years - that is more than five presidencies. Rangel seems to be saying: Hi, my door is open 365 days a year. If you need something done, come and see me and bring your checkbook.
Mr. President, a majority of the people like you and still have faith and trust in you. You need to do a 180 policy wise. You can save your presidency and place in history and the Democracy. Many of us will be waiting and watching.
God Bless You and God Speed to you in your efforts for America.
H. Clark Bell
Woodstock, NY

Dear Editor,
Last week a breath of fresh air came over the political scene when George Phillips announced his candidacy to represent our 22nd Congressional District in the House of Representatives. George has all the earmarks of a leader and a winner: He is young, intelligent, well educated, experienced and personable. He is a hard worker and is highly motivated to restore the principles of fiscal conservatism, limited government, individual freedoms and traditional values to our government.
George is a summa cum laude graduate of Villanova University and has a Master's Degree from Notre Dame. He currently teaches at a Binghamton High School and at Broome County Community College.
George served on the staff of Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey for four years where he handled assignments in foreign affairs, business matters, immigration and senior citizens issues for the Congressman.
Former NY gubernatorial candidate John Faso was present in Kingston to endorse George and pointed out some of the major problems with the current administration in Washington, including: the mortgaging of the financial future of our children and grandchildren to the reckless spending impulses of today, the accumulation of control over every aspect of our private lives and the hubristic attempt to grab power over 20% of our economy via a socialistic health care program. Faso praised and congratulated George for stepping into the breach to resist the big government intrusions and power grabs and to work for the benefit of the people.
George Phillips is a young man who dreams big dreams...who believes America's best days are still ahead of us. He comes to represent us in Congress at the right time...for he is desperately needed, right now.
Jim O'Reilly
Saugerties, NY

Dear Editor,
summer, and to get my kids up to the NYS Fair in Syrucuse for 4-H shows and competitions. The immediate effect of this cut will be NO 4-H public presenations in March; NO 4-H Clothing Review and Show in May; NO 4-H kids going up to Albany this spring to learn about state government; NO tractor safety training; NO UC 4-H booth at the NYS Fair in August; NO UC kids going to national 4-H animal science competitions this fall;and quite possibly, NO 4-H animals, exhibits, competitions or milk shakes at this summer's UC Fair. Imagine going to the fair and finding only rides and the midway. Imagine the huge drop in attendance. This is a real possibility at this time. For my kids, and nearly all 4-H kids I know, the Ulster County Fair is the absolute high point of their entire year.
I spend a lot of my free time volunteering as a club leader in order to teach kids how to raise animals humanely; I teach them poultry science and how to run a small farm; basic farm animal biology and care; how to plan and produce effective public events that enable to public to see where their food comes from and learn about animals. I could go on and on. My heart is really breaking right now for the kids in 4-H in this county.
I have to tell my 14-year old not to bother making that fancy dress she was going to show at the May clothing revue, since it apparently won't be happening. The pieces are already cut and she was going to start sewing this weekend. The purse she already made is just a thing she can use , but not show. Also that her and her brother won't be part of the dog drill team that practices all summer to compete at the NYS Fair... won't be happening this year. No need to schedule a pullorum flock test with NYS Ag & Markets, since I guess
chicken's won't be going to the fair this year.
I don't know whether I'll be allowed to continue my Feathered Friends 4-H club meetings, nor the annual Spring Fun Festival we were planning to produce on April 3rd, like we do every year, at the High Falls Firehouse. If UC 4-H doesn't exist, then our club activities aren't covered by Cornell Cooperative Extension insurance, so my hands will be tied. What a huge disappointment, to me, my family, the kids in my club, and everyone who's ever petted our chickens, dogs and rabbits at the fair and the many other places my club goes.
Ulster County Legislators ought to be ashamed of themselves. I'm deeply ashamed of them. I'll be watching their individual votes on Feb. 10th, and I will not be voting again for anyone who votes to
eliminate Ulster County 4-H.
Annie Mardiney
Rosendale, NY

Dear Editor,
Dramatic policy changes that go against the interests of the people take both parties to accomplish. That is why the insurance industry, oil companies, weapons makers, pharmaceuticals, etc. pay for both types of politicians, Republican and Democratic.
Reagan's revolution in deregulating corporations and hiring their lobbyists to run the government was only completed during Clinton's presidency, when the accounting and banking sectors were given free rein to speculate with the public's money, and huge corporations were allowed to buy up all the media. By the end of the Clinton Era, Reagan's extreme and ruinous ideas had gained the legitimacy of being supported by both parties. We were off to Enron and to the current subprime meltdown.
In a similar way, the Bush/Cheney counter terrorism policies that so horrified a majority of Americans are now getting bipartisan support from Obama and the Democratic Congress. This year, it is Obama praising the virtues of war while he intensifies the violent military occupations in the Middle East. Gone are his condemnations of indefinite detention, government eavesdropping, military commissions, extreme secrecy, and immunity for government lawbreaking. The Bush/Cheney era is entering its golden age.
All this would not be so surprising if we understood that the two major parties serve the same corporate interests, and that our elections are just Punch and Judy shows served up by corporate media. Enjoy the entertainment, because that is all we will ever get from our current, two party political system.
Fred Nagel
Rhinebeck, NY

Dear Editor,
I plead a grievance to the flatulent corporate state of America, and to the plutocracy for whom we slave, one notion: greed is god - (thieves invisible) - with lunacy and junk stores for all.
Now is the time for all good persons to come to the aid of their country - lest we all be held accountable.
Liam Watt
Saugerties, NY

Dear Editor,
In response to the Jan. 14th letter from the standing waitstaff of Sweet Sue's, I'd like to say - first, no offense to any of you, or to Sue herself - but Lea was the only pleasant thing about the place. As a cook, I understand the importance of the attitudes and presence and state of mind of the cooks and the surrounding environment, and the impact such has on the food. Perhaps this is why nothing I eat there sits well with me. Nonetheless, I visited the establishment from time to time to see Lea's smiling face as she moved gracefully around the too-closely-packed tables usually all alone, and to have coffee or get a cookie for my little boy. Now, I'd rather drive to Woodstock to get a descent breakfast.
Along with countless neighbors and locals, I will no longer patronize Sweet Sues. Whether or not the community should or should not be privy to the inner workings of the small businesses in our neighborhood, as the waitstaff suggested in their letter, the fact is that we are all aware of one important fact - Lea was the face of Sweet Sue's and now, all of a sudden, she is gone. If a business wants to be successful in a small town, it had better take into account the consequences of decisions like this one, no matter what the reason, legitimate or not. Perhaps the visiting city folk will keep Sue's in business, but I have heard comments of disappointment and shock from several of them as well, one of whom stated he'd traveled from the city just to see Lea.
I wonder if Dakota's next question might be: "Where will you have breakfast now?"
Chisti D. Dryden
Phoenicia, NY

Dear Editor,
Abortion is the most horrendous, barbaric, despicable and disgusting thing that mankind has conceived. I have witnessed an abortion in progress where the surgeon cuts up a living baby in the womb and out comes pieces of fully developed body parts; legs, hands, arms, detached heads, and eviscerated torsos. Pictures of aborted babies lying in pieces in a bloody tray; and several babies all chopped up in a garbage container demonstates the horror of abortion. This is what abortion is really about. People who chant "pro choice" liken this in a cavalier way to a pimple on the nose that must be plucked. That is far from the truth. And this holocaust of the wombchild is condoned by our U.S. and State governments. We taxpayers are even forced to pay for this carnage with taxes to which we object. This is an absolute disgrace and must be stopped. Planned Parenthood, the most egregious perpetrator of abortion, must be held criminally accountable for its actions and must be de-funded from taxpayer support. And politicians who promote abortion must be removed from office.
Abortionists as well as the women who abort must be held criminally liable and prosecuted for their conspiratorial actions in killing innocent life. We worry more about cats and dogs and snail darters than we do our own progeny. Where is our moral indignation, I ask, when it comes to abortion? Let's hear what you have to say America!
Paul Henderson
Napanoch, NY

Dear Editor,
It is impossible to believe that the citizens of the USA really want to reduce energy used or "go green." It is all talk because when the chips are down there are only a few who care enough to have changes made or make changes themselves in the way we live and waste. If this were not so we could probably save billions of dollars and reduce emissions enormously simply by using less electricity. That disgusting satellite view of this continent's glow of light at night attests to wanton waste. In no way can one excuse the use of so much light. Half as much would easily be possible and just as effective for safety's sake. The whole gamut of waste from over heating of buildings, over use of hot water, burning of unnecessary light, etc. etc. is known. We all know but most don't care. Other countries control light usage in hotels. Hot water heating devices used elsewhere can cut down drastically on the unnecessary heating of water. We all know these things. We need to trim up our act and demand that municipalities reduce electric usage with unneeded lighting.
Another big energy saver would be reduction of driving miles by everyone. Do you realize that gasoline was rationed once and we survived well? So many trips are made when it would be easy to consolidate. Defy that instant gratification urge and put off "going right now" to going the next time we have to make the trip.
Mescal Hornbeck
Woodstock, NY

Dear Editor,
What good luck we have recently had! After eleven years of stellar service in Sweet Sue's over in Phoenicia, the legendary Lea has come to work in Woodstock! My husband and I would often drive to Phoenicia just for the fun of talking with Lea over our breakfast or lunch - No more driving! She's here!
If you still don't know who I'm talking about, picture the tall, graceful blonde dancer- super-waitress handling those breakfast plates faster than a blackjack dealer deals cards...Phoenicia's loss.
Here in Woodstock we all like nice healthy food - we like to know where it comes from and what's in it. A quick and peaceful breakfast and lunch, great coffee, smoothies, salads, soups served with grace and happiness - I'm re-setting my GPS (Go Purchse SAUSAGE) to Sunfrost.
Welcome to town, Lea. You're going to like it here.
Mariella Bisson
Woodstock, NY

Dear Editor,
I just experienced government as it should be...efficient, effective and caring. County Executive Michael Hein recently made the time to meet with me regarding Historic Huguenot Street. This meeting went well beyond "face time," and I was impressed by many aspects of the level of support that I received. Importantly, it was clear that he truly cares about our mission. County Executive Hein provided helpful suggestions on clarifying how to better reach out to those in our region as well as those visiting Ulster County. Furthermore, on the spot he brought in his staff with appropriate expertise to assist with identifying potential grant sources for our organization. This kind of leadership is imperative for the overall health of our non-profit organizations and county government. County Executive Hein clearly is making a difference to Ulster County.
Mary Etta Schneider, President
Historic Huguenot Street
New Paltz, NY

Dear Editor,
The Kindle electronic reading tablet is a portable computerized device. Its purpose is to download books which are displayed for reading on its screen. The owner of a Kindle purchases a license to download each book. Other services are available through subscription just as electricity is obtained from a utility.
Does physically holding a genuine book in our hands change our reading experience? Would Great Expectations still touch our hearts as deeply if it were presented as transient blips on the surface of a plastic plate? What about the Bible, the Koran, the Talmud and the Bhagavad Gita? Will the poetry of Yeats still "get us" in the same way or will it be diminished? Is champagne the same when drunk from a Styrofoam cup? Is a snap shot of the Grand Canyon really worth the climb? In short, will Kindle trivialize literature?
Media scholar Marshall McLuhan observed that "the media is the message." If he's correct then what is the message of Kindle? Will it convert literature from an art to a product? Will books become media content? Do only commercially viable works of literature have a chance at world-wide network distribution as is the case with television, music and movies?
Who will have access and who will control it? What happens if you don't pay your literature bill? Surely, you will be cut off! (Not so at the library.) Will accountants then have the ultimate editorial control? Is this the privatization of the literature? Will this new kind of printing press sow literature more broadly throughout the world or only exclusively to those who can afford it? What about dissenting voices? What about minority voices? Will Kindle publish anti-Kindle works? Controversial works? The Grapes of Wrath? Fahrenheit 451? Slaughterhouse 5? The Origin of The Species? Would Johannes Kepler's dangerously controversial three laws of planetary motion have been published by Kindle if it were available in the 1500s? Even in its day Astronomia Nova wasn't a box office slammer.
Many of my tech-savvy friends are eager to get a Kindle or have already gotten one over the holidays. Here I'm referring to certain friends whose obsession it is to monitor the state of affairs at all times through manipulation of their Blackberry brand fetish sex toys. A constant connection to the mother ship is maintained for them through an electronic implant clipped directly to their ear. Sometimes these friends appear slightly transparent, as if they have just begun to teleport somewhere and are only partly in my presence. However, they assure me that they've heard every word I've said. Like, really. I mean totally. But that's another matter for another letter.
Chester Pertchik
Woodstock

Dear Editor,
Here is an Old Fish Tale...
I will relate a tale of the summertime brook, in hopes of loosening your purse strings a bit to help us stock trout in Woodland Brook, and in hopes of amusing you.
"TRUDI TICKLES A TROUT-One summer, as the water in the brook got lower and lower because of the draught, some of the boys dammed up a corner of it with rocks and made a respectable little wading pool. It was deep enough to let the kids dog paddle and an adult sit in it up to his chin and cool off. Trudi and her husband Ettore were down there one afternoon when they spotted a big trout scoot under a rock. Trudi, before she went off into the world to make her fortune, grew up along this stream, as did her daddy before her, so she knows it pretty well. And as a girl, her daddy taught her how to tickle trout and she got very good at it. To tickle a trout, you spot one under a rock or an undercut bank. Then you put your hands in the water real real slow and stroke its sides and belly. This sort of hypnotizes the fish and allows you to do what you want with it. Nowadays, if your intent is to scoop it out of the stream, take it home and eat it, you're breaking the law, so it's a practice that's pretty much fallen by the wayside.
Trudi's husband Ettore began learning to fly-fish this summer and he attacked his new hobby with high purpose and energy. I imagine the pursuit of salmo with a fly became the overriding topic of household conversation. So it was only natural that Trudi, given an opportunity, would jump at the chance to show her spouse that there are other ways to catch a trout that don't require a feathered hook. And though it had been a good forty years since she'd last mesmerized a trout, there are certain talents that simply do not leave a person. In the next few minutes, under the incredulous eyes of her fledgling fly fishing hubby, Trudi set about tickling a seventeen inch brown. She knelt down on the rock where the fish was hiding, reached under and leaned over the edge. She found the quarry. Delicately, delicately, she began to stroke its sides. The big fish began to relax, and then the whole thing fell apart. In her concentration, she'd leaned over too far, and with an," Ah shucks and be DAMNED," on her lips she tumbled into the creek, arse over teakettle, as the valley old-timers would say. Zing went the trout upstream, and damply home trudged Trudi with Ettore.
JIM TAKES A SMOKE BREAK-About a week after this, Jim wandered down to the wading pool in the late afternoon to contemplate nature and to smoke a cigarette. He too has known the brook all his life, but seldom had he seen anything quite as bizarre as what happened next. Finishing his Camel, he tossed the still smoldering butt into the stream, having been taught as a young lad by Smokey the Bear that such an action was a fine way to prevent forest fires. From under Trudi's rock the big brown trout surged out, leapt in the air and dove upon the floating butt, thinking it was something nice to eat. As fast as he could, Jim hurried back to his cabin, The Grand Hotel, grabbed his fly rod and tackle, and returned to the site, where now two other neighbors stood-innocently contemplating nature in the late afternoon.
"Hey, watch this fellows," Jim said as he tied on a big white fly and began presenting it as artfully as he could. For the next ten minutes he floated it above the rock, beside the rock, below the rock, even under the rock. Nothing happened, and his audience began to grow restless.
There are times in each sportsman's life when the temptation to act, well, unsportsmanlike presents itself. And-let us admit it--there are those few occasions when we actually succumb to weakness. It wasn't so much that Jim wanted to catch this particular trout, as it was that he wanted to prove that it existed in the first place. For his audience was casting dispersions on his veracity and his description of the cigarette chomping brown. Well, that's not true; he did want to catch it pretty badly. So, putting down his rod he motioned the two kibitzers to wade into the water and join him next to the rock. They reached under, found that indeed the fish was there, and for the next few minutes tried as best they could to grab it and pull out from under. The trout was doing its best to resist and escape. But in the end, Homo sapiens won out over Salmo trutta.
Jim felt sorry for this fine trout-one of the bigger ones that had been stocked in the brook that spring-and decided that it should be released. But, try as they might to revive it, the poor fish kept going belly up. Apparently the rough treatment it'd received had been too much for it, and it just gave up the ghost. Women trying to tickle it one day, and nicotine and mugging the next-no trout was built to withstand that sort of abuse.
That evening he invited the audience and several other friends over to his place where he cooked that trout in the biggest cast-iron frying pan he could find in the old kitchen. The trout was so big that he had to cut its head and tail off to fit it into the pan. They feasted in candlelight around the big oak table. It was delicious, and not a scrap was left.
There's a moral to this story, surely two or three, but I leave it to you to find the one you like the best."
Now every word of what I've just related is true, mostly. As Huck Finn said, "I only stretched it a little, where necessary, for art's sake." And it is true that we need some help from you to be able to stock the Fly Fishing section of the brook, as we've been able to do annually since 1965. Would you please make out a check to THE WOODLAND TROUT FUND in the amount you feel the stream deserves, and send it to me, Mike O'Neill, at Mike O'Neil, 101 Rambling Road, Vernon, CT 06066.
Mike O'Neil
Woodland Valley, NY

Dear Editor,
It's that time of year for one of Phoenicia's favorite winter traditions! Valentine-making sessions at the Phoenicia Library have resulted in unique, handmade Valentines. These festive cards are available at several Main Street businesses for a suggested donation of $1. All proceeds will help support our Library, which now offers free wireless service for your own laptop, as well as the desktop computers upstairs. We also have a brand-new copier/fax machine available to the public for very reasonable rates. And if you're looking for a special Valentine's Day gift, check out our new Phoenicia Library backpacks, featuring a bookish bear, designed by Shandaken's own Kurt Boyer.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Holly George-Warren
Phoenicia Library Board

Dear Editor,
Winter's are always long
And Lover's seem to lose their song
Yet when it's real beyond faith
It will never enter an empty gate
So hang on I say
Until the cold wind turns
And the blush of Spring fills your face
How blessed the dancers are
Carefree in their bubble
Spinning without illusions
Through all the seasons
NO questions NO answers
Unwavering, Steadfast
And Constant In their
Knowledge of Love
There's no having
Nothing in Love
There's no having
It ALL in Love
Love is nothing
And everything
We chase our tails
To find our heads
Lying in an uncertain bed
While your pillow beckons
I'm here, I'm here,
I'm right HERE.
Gus Mancini
Boiceville, NY