2/25/2010

Dear Editor,
Gus Murphy makes an excellent point in your February 11 issue: both parties are culpable for the serious fiscal and monetary decline facing future generations of Americans. George W. Bush engineered a policy whereby a great deal of money, some insiders are saying $14 trillion, was donated to Wall Street. President Obama executed the Bush donation, which has been his chief achievement besides reappointing Robert Gates defense secretary. Of course Obama threw in an extra trillion of "stimulus" to corrupt contractors, such as to the mob-linked construction firm that is building the power plant in Middletown Connecticut that killed five people last week.
But there is one difference between the parties. There is a movement of Republicans called the Tea Party which rejects the big business- and special interest-linked Republican leadership. I have been at two well-attended meetings of the Kingston Tea Party. At the Tea Party, complaints about George W. Bush are as frequent as complaints about Barack H. Obama. On the other hand, I know of no large group of Democrats who have not goosestepped behind Obama every step of the way. Indeed, the Wall Street-financed media, starting with MSNBC and CNN, have made every effort to paint the Tea Party as violent extremists because they threaten the Bush-Obama, Republican-Democratic Wall Street-Washington equilibrium.
Where are the Democrats who protest Obama's massive subsidy to Wall Street? I can tell you where we Republicans are. I can also tell you where plenty of Obama-cheering limousine liberals are. But where are the Democrats who don't like $14 trillion subsidies to special interests?
Mitchell Langbert
West Shokan, NY
Dear Editor,
With more than a third of our children now overweight and many already diabetic, Americans of all political colors should commend the First Lady for her recently announced campaign against childhood obesity. But taking on such an enormous problem is going to require a lot more than praise. And it will require more than heart-healthy choices, limited TV, and "opportunities for exercise" - buzzwords that public-health experts have been tossing around for years with no apparent effect.
This will require something very old-fashioned and very unpopular: self-discipline and self-control.
There are many factors which contribute to our current epidemic of obesity: the near-elimination of physical labor by technology; the disappearance of playgrounds and neighborhood ballgames; too few miles walked, and far too many driven. All of these things add up to a soft, comfortable life, which is hazardous to our health. One rather obvious fact seems to be repeatedly ignored: We Americans simply eat way too much food, while millions of other people are starving.
We eat not only once or twice a day, but three or four times a day. And despite what we may think or say, we adults are very bad examples. And so as noble as our intentions to help children may be, they will continue to fail if we do not recognize that we ourselves are the problem. If we want our children to change, then we have to start with ourselves, and start to eliminate our bad eating habits.
I have recognized these bad habits in my own life, and have decided - along with other friends - to change them. This starts with daily exercise. Also, since the recent tragedy in Haiti, we have decided to only eat two meals a day, and quite often skip dinner as well. With the money we've saved, we are sending checks to local people who are involved in grass-roots relief efforts: a local obstetrician who is traveling to Haiti this spring, or a couple who support four orphanages.
There is much more we can all do, simply by saying "no" to some of the many pleasures that we take for granted. Then we can give away the money we've saved to people who are suffering. Many little steps can make a big difference.
School districts should keep on ripping out vending machines and buying fresh local produce instead of processed foods. But these efforts must be accompanied by a serious debate about the role of personal responsibility. Let's talk not only about calories and diets and exercise regimens, but about self-discipline, self-control and self-denial. And then we need to turn that talk into action, starting with ourselves.
When we start with ourselves, our children will catch on very fast. We will be surprised how happily they will follow our example.
Pastor Johann Christoph Arnold
Woodcrest Bruderhof
Rifton, NY
Dear Editor,
The top military commander, Mullah Baradar was captured in Pakistan, at the same time as the surge in Afghanistan takes place. Their spiritual leader, Mullah Omar is still undetected, as of today, (Tuesday). However, this appears to be a change in Pakistan's former hands off behavior.
The New York Times reports that at least 480 people were killed in suicide bombings in Afghanistan in 2007, dropping to 275 people killed in 2009, and dropping to about 15 people a month recently. The cooperation of Pakistan in this arrest suggests a change in that country's policy of supporting the Taliban even after 9-11. The New York Times speculates that: "Pakistan had previously bought off Washington by co-operating on the capture of al-Qaeda figures, while keeping the Afghan Taliban leadership safe. But, with the Afghan insurgency spiraling and now arguably a bigger problem than al-Qaeda, it seems that the Americans had run out of patience."
Is it possible that our Commander in Chief is doing better with the world outside of the U.S.? It surely seems as if the fighting between us, is almost insurmountable, so perhaps his tactic is to make us safe, while we work it out amongst ourselves. As I see it, we still have a somewhat racist country, which is led by the Tea Party, followed by a large number of Republicans and ending with a small portion of Democrats. Our first Black President is now our Commander in Chief. That's good news, considering who our former Commanders were, (especially if you take Cheney into the picture). So, if Obama can leave us with a bit less fear of terrorists who presently want to see us all dead, it appears that we will have to take financial matters into our own hands, while the politicians duke it out, leaving important domestic matters up to us.
As I see it, the rich will continue to be rich, many of the middle class will have to shovel out their own driveways, and hopefully encourage their teenagers to trade with their elder neighbors for some good old fashioned home-made cookies. I believe that it's time for us to dig out some treasures from our attics and dig deeper into our hearts to once again prove that we can retain a government "Of the People, For the People and By the People." As a reminder: Democracy is not a Spectator Sport.
Jill Paperno
Glenford, NY
Dear Editor,
If the Town of Shandaken board meetings are not going to be replayed on Time Warner municipal access channel 23 as advertised, perhaps the frame listing airtime as Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays @7:00 PM and Saturdays, Sundays @12:00 Noon should be removed or corrected to reflect the rare times those meetings are actually replayed. I tuned in last week ( Feb. 11-15) on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Tuesday at the time listed, only to find (surprise) no meeting. And this has occurred more often than not these past few years.
Is there some reason, legal or otherwise, why these meetings are only televised once a day, five days out of seven? (or NOT televised?) The other 160 plus hours of the week has this channel replaying a 10-minute loop consisting of local events and info. Am I the only one who is unable to attend these meetings and is interested in what our elected officials have to say? Just curious. One final thought...perhaps now is a good time to take down the ad for the "cookie walk" and Christmas boutique that took place on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009. Also, thumbs up for Channel 20, OCSTV!
Vince Morrisey
Mt. Tremper, NY
Dear Editor,
My name is Tallas Sandy, I'm 16 years old and live in Phoenicia. I left for Japan on February 9th for two months to visit a sister school of mine. I go to the Hudson Valley Sudbury School in Kingston on Zena Road. We follow the Sudbury philosophy of the Sudbury Valley school in Framingham, Massachusetts. In Japan there are two Sudbury schools but they are new and very small, the one I'm going to is in Hyogo. I plan on going to see how they operate and and experience the culture. I've also been invited to Kyoto where another school is trying to start up. So I will be similar to an Ambassador of Sudbury.
I have been studying Japanese on and off for 5 years with a native Japanese woman, who in fact lives in Phoenicia too! I have been infatuated with Japan and it's culture since I was 7 years old. I was introduced by my cousins who watched a decent amount of Anime and played a lot of video games. Through these venues I discovered Manga, which is a Japanese comic or graphic novel. In these books I learned a lot about Japanese society, not only their traditions but about pop culture as well. By going to Japan I hope to improve my language skills, learn about a completely different society and culture from my own and to make unforgettable memories.
Living in a small community such as Shandaken, one has the upper hand of knowing others' business. I planned on working rigorously to pay for my trip. By word of mouth many people heard about my trip. I work at the Peekamoose Restaurant and Tap Room in Big Indian as well as the Phoenicia Library. Without the people who I work with I wouldn't be able to meet the requirements for my trip. I can't thank those people enough (you know who you are), for so many people to come and offer me their help is astonishing. I guess thats a bit of the beauty in living in our area.
With my trip I hope to inspire the community, especially the youth of the community to aspire to explore the world. The possibilities are endless on this planet and no matter how much I love being up here in the Catskills I can't remain here forever. I believe that everyone should travel and see sights that they never knew where there. With that said I hope that everyone enjoys the New Year and I'll see you all when I return from Japan.
P.S. I will take millions of pictures. So everyone can see a bit of Japan through my eyes.
C. Tallas Sandy
Phoenicia, NY