(letters from November 9, 2006)

Dear Editor,
A front-page guest column in your 26 October issue was written by a woman who says she was invited to speak to the Onteora seventh-grade humanities class on Native American history. It appears from the column that this woman is not Native American. As a Native American resident of the area, I cannot help but wonder why a Native American was not asked to speak.
Is the Onteora Central School District unaware that there are hundreds of Native American people living here? Is the district unaware that quite a few of us often speak about our heritage throughout this region (if not in Onteora) -- to classes, churches and synagogues, and civic organizations?
Do district officials think it would be appropriate to ask someone of French extraction to speak about Chinese culture? Or a person of Russian descent to explain African culture? Why, then, are non-Natives invited to speak about our culture?
We have in the area a thriving Native American community that meets monthly. Many of us are deeply involved with our heritage -- we speak our languages, we practice our traditional spirituality, we make the crafts taught to us by our ancestors. Area resident Donna Coane, who like me is a Mohawk, has spoken for many years to schools throughout the mid-Hudson Valley. Marist College Professor Evan Pritchard, of M'iq-M'aq heritage and author of Native New Yorkers and other books, does thes the same. The Rev. Nickolas Miles, of the Pamunkey Nation, does the same. So, too, does area schoolteacher Deborah Joyce, who is of Anishinabe (Ojibweh) descent.
And, of course, I have given lectures on Native American culture for four decades from Canada to Mexico; I am an internationally known speaker on Native American culture and the author of The Circle of Life (www.clearlightbooks.com/circleoflife), among other works.
If I had spoken to the Onteora humanities class, I would have pointed out the fallacy in the very question posed to your columnist. The question she addressed -- "How did environment influence the Native American culture?" -- is in the past tense. And, according to her own words, she answered it in the past tense. Apparently your columnist is unaware of the fact that Native American culture is living and thriving, thank you, despite all attempts by the European-American culture to thrust it unwillingly into the past, into forgetfulness.
The environment influenced in the past, to be sure, but it continues to influence it, and always shall. For us, this Earth we walk upon is sacred, and everything that lives in it (including even things non-Natives do not consider alive, like rocks and wind and rivers and spirits) is likewise sacred, and to be treated with the utmost respect. We look with horror at how the Catskill forests are cut down to make way for posh golf resorts. We feel pain when wild animals are slaughtered and their bodies used properly rather than wastefully. We worry when we see the land fenced off into ever-smaller parcels, the rivers dredged in ways that foster flooding, wetlands drained and poisonous runoff allowed to pollute aquifers.
So it is utterly wrong to say the environment "influenced" us -- it influences us every moment of every day. We hope and pray that non-Native people will learn from us to work in harmony with the sacred environment, and not seek to force it into unhealthy, destructive patterns.
It is indeed this climate of speaking about Native Americans in the past tense that provides districts like Onteora with ostensible justification for choosing our proud people as their "Indians" sports mascot without even asking us if we mind -- who can complain, after all, if you just assume there are no Indians left in this area? And who can complain if non-Native speakers fail to challenge the assumption that we Native Americans live only in the past, in a sanitized memory that forgets all that was done to us when our people were systematically raped, tortured, robbed, and killed, our culture and spirituality declared illegal, and our land stolen from us? Even today, in the Catskill Region, non-Native people are taking advantage of pseudo-governments that do not legally represent my Iroquois people, in order to build casinos that are aimed at making multi-million-dollar profits that will harm our fragile Catskill environment and not (no matter what you have been told) truly benefit either Catskill Region residents or Native American residents.
I call on your newspaper in the future to present a full and fair picture of the living Native American community in our region. And I call on the Onteora Central School District to ask Native Americans to speak about Native American culture.
And I invite the general public to attend either of two Thanksgiving worship services that will include aspects of Native American spirituality: on Tuesday, 21 November, 7:30 p.m., at the Shandaken Reformed Church of Mount Tremper (on Route 212 a half-mile north of the junction of Routes 212 and 28), or on Wednesday, 22 November, 7:30 p.m., at the United Reformed Church of Bloomington (take Route 32 to between Kingston and Rosendale, and take the turn between the signs for the church and the Bloomington Volunteer Fire Department, heading east to the "T", and then turn left).
The Rev. James David Audlin
Pastor, Shokan Reformed Church
Pastor, Shandaken Reformed Church of Mount Tremper, NY

Dear Editor,
Mid-Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union would like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of MHV's 2007 Family Fun Fair last Saturday. This free annual community event to promote child safety and family fun attracted hundreds of children and family members for our Hollywood-themed program.
Special thanks to...Casanova Carriage Limousine Service of Lake Katrine who donated a stretch limo for three hours so the kids could be photographed (in top hats) on the red carpet leading to the tent; Rodney Batista of Triumph Karate in Kingston who donated his services to work with the children in the Karate Kid Korner; Bonnie Simmons and John Dickson of Ulster Police for providing fingerprinting and child ID cards; Kingston Fire Department for escorting children through the Fire Safety House to teach them how to prevent and survive fires; Clarke-American check printers, who provided sample Super Hero checks so the kids at the check writing booth could write a pretend check to "Kids on Stage" which was later matched with a real check from MHV's Community Relations Fund for a $305 donation to the Rhinebeck children's theater program, and the MHV staff members who always work so hard to bring this annual event to the public.
MHV is proud to be associated with these organizations and individuals who care so deeply about our kids and our community, and we want to publicly recognize the contributions they make to help enrich our quality of life here in the Mid-Hudson Valley.
Nan Greenwood, VP Marketing
Mid-Hudson Valley
Federal Credit Union

Dear Editor,
By the time this letter is published [or considered] November 8, 2006 will have come and gone. The results of the Nov. 7th elections will have been ingested with some being regurgitated. I have envisioned who the winners will be [today is 10-30-06] since we live in a society that condones law breaking, avoiding good order and rule "bending". We permit or overlook misbehavior, forgive failure to do one's duty and in fact celebrate arrogance, ineptness, greed and corruption.
I believe Alan Hevesi has won even as I vote(d) for Mr. Callaghan. Mr Hevesi has that element of arrogance in that he belives that he is entitled to use [4] Civil Service employees and NY State vehicles for his own personal use. Oh, he made restitution in the amount of $82,000 [or $33,000] which is about 20-25% of the real cost to New Yorkers. I estimate a cost for 1 driver at $160-180,000 for 4 years. Don't forget the over time. Then there is the cost of the vehicles and for fuel, tolls, etc. for 4 years. Now I hear of the same thing when Hevesi was Controller of NY City for 8 years. Oh yes, I still have contacts [and people talk].
Mr Hevesi is seen stating [TV] that his life and his wife's life was threatened and therefore needed an official vehicle for her. Who would dare attack a State vehicle complete with decal and official plates? There is a section in McKinney's book #9 [NYS Civil Service Law (annotated)] that makes it very clear re: "theft of service" and "misuse of resources" by elected, appointed, temporary or provisional personnel. Mr Hevesi knows that.
One of the functions of the NY State Comptroller is to investigate, observe, document [written and graphic] and set up "stings" of any wrong doing by personnel employed by NYS or any political sub division [cities, counties & towns]. It's called a NYS Comptroller's audit. The offender is then prosecuted at some level and if found guilty [or admits guilt] forfeits his/her position with all rights and benefits [no matter length of service or good works]. Hevesi has admitted all of the above and the "Ethics" commission has substantiated that confession. I believe that the IRS should be interested in Hevesi's "ill gotten gains". It is, after all, income!
Now we move to Elliot Spitzer whom I have admired as Atty. Gen. of NY State in that he won judgements and "consents" against the Wall Street gang(s) and big business "Gurus" but failed miserably to "get on" Alan Hevesi. Mr. Spitzer obviously picks and chooses his "victims" and punished Mr. Hevesi by withdrawing his support for re-election instead of donning his "Top Law enforcement officer's" hat to pursue a flagrant violation of the law(s). I voted for John Faso for governor even as I know nothing about him except that he came into the election with "clean hands". Elliot Spitzer failed to look after the people's [money] interests.
Voting for Jeanine Pirro for Attorney General was a "slam dunk". She has a convicted felon for a husband but has done her job as Westchester DA with diligence, zeal and impartiality. According to web searches the most Andrew Cuomo did was accept a job as Secretary of HUD as "salve" when Clinton referred to Italians as "Mafia" which insulted Mario [the father]. I wonder if the Vikings had been criticized we would have had a Norwegian HUD Secretary. Vikings were much more violent and brought no fire works displays to the table. Here Andrew squandered money to sue the gun manufacturers which went down in the courts. He'll make a great Attorney General trying to unscramble the eggs [2nd Amendment].
Another candidate that I ignored [but won] is Madame Hillary who supports personal misbehavior by husbands [her own], abortion and of course prevarication. She would have us believe that she did not support the Iraq debacle, has created numbers of jobs in NY, has saved the NY farmer from extinction ["and boy, has she come through for us!].
I left the Bonacic/Zimet contest for Nov. 7 as I don't care to "hold my nose" while voting for anyone and I am afraid of people from New Paltz. They act as if they grew up in Woodstock and own whatever is in their sights [Mall, Reservoir, etc].
I guess I'll have to wait for the opportunity to vote for the Paretes [whom I know and like] with their friends. Mrs. Parete makes a super "Chicken Parmigiana" and that's in the equation.
Glenn T. Anderson
Olivebridge, NY

Dear Editor,
Advertising has become a key defining characteristic of contemporary society. It’s everywhere. Schools used to be one of the few places that weren’t bombarded by advertisers. But even that is changing with the introduction of Channel One and BusRadio.
Channel One is a “news” show shown to millions of students in middle and high school. However, Channel One, as critics argue, is less of a news program and more of an entertainment program that coerces unsuspecting young people.
The counterpart to Channel One is BusRadio, which supposedly allows children to enjoy the benefits of radio as they travel to and from school on a bus. While BusRadio executives concede that the show is geared toward entertaining the students, it supposedly incorporates educational content and safety awareness messages. But many critics think that, like Channel One, this is just another ploy by the corporate giants to tap into the teenager consumer market.
Introduced in 1990, Channel One is a news program of sorts that shows 12 minutes of programming to more than 12,000 schools across the country. The program is sent via satellite early in the morning, where it is taped and then shown to children at the school’s discretion. Proponents of Channel One argue that it provides students in impoverished areas with access to better technology that will facilitate the “learning process.” Critics, however, accuse Channel One of being more harmful than helpful through its discreet and indiscreet forms of advertising. Indeed, in his comprehensive analysis of Channel One, Professor William Hoynes reveals that only slightly more than half of Channel One’s air time is devoted to news content. Features and profiles not related to breaking news events constitute 57% of news time, meaning that after sports, weather and plane or train crashes are subtracted, the figure is around 20%. The remainder of the show is made up of ads, a “Pop Quiz” section, contests and activities and the music and banter that serve as filler. This means that in the course of a school year, students spend the equivalent of six school days watching Channel One, with another day lost to the commercial breaks that occur during every show.
One study found that advertisers such as Nabisco, Pepsi, Proctor & Gamble (with ads for Clearasil skin cream and Pringles potato chips), movie studios and the U.S. Armed Forces (for recruitment) pay premium rates of up to $200,000 for a 30-second spot to reach Channel One’s audience of 8 million students. In fact, the channel’s advertisement to media buyers states that the show “is viewed by more teens than any other programme on television.” Another industry advertisement refers to the channel as “the smartest place to reach tweens,” a term for children between 9 and 14 years of age. “Many children and especially teens are difficult for advertisers to reach,” said Gary Ruskin, executive director of the public advocacy group Commercial Alert. “So the product hawkers are going where the kids are—where they are forced to be, in school.”
In addition to luring teens through advertisements, Channel One also contains what many critics consider to be inappropriate content targeted toward unsuspecting teenagers. In testimony before a Senate Committee, Phyllis Schlafly of Eagle Forum expressed concern that “commercials are the hard-sell ads for movies and television shows that contain vulgarities, obscenities, blasphemies, sexual innuendoes, or violence.” According to Schlafly, the ads induce students to see the movie over the weekend so they can answer a question the following week and win fabulous prizes.
Channel One even advertises PG-13 movies to pre-teens in middle school. For example, in a recent show, Channel One featured actress Rosario Dawson who was there to promote her movie Rent. Dawson claimed that the movie is entertaining for the whole family, but she did not mention that the R-rated movie dealt with topics such as homosexuality and AIDS, which might not be suitable for young audiences. Not surprisingly, numerous national educational groups oppose Channel One, including the National Parent Teacher Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the National School Boards Association and the National Education Association.
BusRadio is a new radio show that will begin in the fall of 2006. Unlike Channel One which claims to be educational, BusRadio’s website clearly states that while “kids across the country will be listening to the dynamic programming of BusRadio,” advertisers will have a “unique and effective way to reach the highly sought after teen and tween market.” BusRadio plays music, public-service announcements, contests and ads, all aimed at kids. For each hour of programming, 44 minutes will be set aside for music, six for public-service announcements, two for contests and eight for advertising. According to its website, by September 2006, BusRadio will be heard by 100,000 students between the ages of 6 and 18 on 850 school buses in Massachussetts. By 2007, BusRadio hopes to have a base of one million students.
Cover Concepts, the corporation that owns BusRadio, is a multi-million dollar enterprise that relies on advertising for profit. It presently reaches 43,000 schools and 30 million children by providing schools with free supplies, namely book covers but also stickers, posters, calendars, bookmarks and other materials. The catch is that each has an advertisement on it from various companies such as McDonald’s, Nike and Calvin Klein. Whereas in traditional print media a client gets a 4% to 5% brand recall, Cover Concepts advertisers get up to 74% at the end of the school year. For their free supplies, schools provide Cover Concepts with demographic data on students’ family incomes, gender, age and race. This means that Cover Concepts can target specific groups to meet the demands of its advertisers.
The bombarding of our young people by corporate America is not healthy. Gary Ruskin is concerned that the companies are using “the compulsory education law to compel kids to listen to ads.” BusRadio claims that it aids in making kids quieter and more well-behaved on buses. But Ruskin says, “So what? They’d be quiet if we gave them cigarettes, but that doesn’t mean we should.”
John W. Whitehead
Washington, DC

Dear Editor,
Is the life of a squirrel precious? A bluejay? A bunny? Yes, of course, the answer is always yes. Our lives, as well as the lives of the wildlife we share this land with, are indeed precious. I want to thank all the wonderful folks who took the time and energy to bring orphaned or injured wildlife to a wildlife rehabilitator to be cared for. Many precious birds and mammals were saved and released back into the wilderness.
A special thanks to Brian and Jennifer Ellsworth. We held our breath as Brian climbed a forty-foot ladder to rescue a nest of flea-riddled orphaned squirrels. Eight weeks later those squirrels were released as healthy, strong, and wild as the day they were born. Thanks to Emily Thing for stopping to pick up an opossum hit by a car and left for dead on the road. The opossum had a pouch full of babies. Sadly, the babies didn’t make it, but after a month of intense nursing care, the mother was released. There are many more people to thank for their rescue efforts. You know who you are. Thank you from the heart.
And thanks to the folks who made it possible for me to leave home now and then and get to my job. A good wildlife babysitter is hard to find! Thanks to Zig Arbatsky, Viva Fraser, and Tony Morelli. Thanks to my good friend and neighbor, Carol Shalaew, for being there every time I needed help.
More than a hundred wild creatures passed through my doors this season. It wouldn’t have been possible without the help and support of Denise Edelson, Wildlife Rehabilitator Extraordinaire! Thank you, Denise, for your expertise and help and support every step of the way.
Jo-Anne Rowley
Phoenicia, NY

Dear Editor,
As a steadfast Democrat who has been frustrated and disgusted not just with the current Republican controllers in Washington, but also with my team's complete inability to define who they are and articulate it in a concise and honest fashion, I have decided to take matters into my own hands and define the platform I'd like to see. It's this: lead by example. Simple. Lead by example.
It's a rallying cry that can be convincingly shouted by Democrats both national and local. It's anti-corruption and anti-incumbent and anti-politics as usual. It's pan-religious, philosophy-for-dummies common sense and I think it could help the Democrats to regain control of my country.
Lead by example. Here's how:
Lead by example. Create a government of transparency and honesty. There is no other way to have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Accountability should be the first task of every government official.
Lead by example. Our officials are not elected to advance their own individual party's agenda, they're elected to advance the American people's agenda. Act like it.
Lead by example. Preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of this great nation. It is the thoughts therein that continue to make America a concept and a reality that is the envy of the world.
Lead by example. Government benefits must be given to deserving citizens regardless of race, creed, age, economic status, gender or sexual orientation. There must never be a second class of citizens in this country.
Lead by example. Return this great country to the great ideal of separation of church and state. As John F. Kennedy said: "I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish -- where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source -- where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials -- and where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against all."
Lead by example. If we are going to be the most powerful country on earth, we must always use that power for good, not evil. We must ensure that our motives are beyond reproach and if we use it at all, we must use our military might righteously and without prejudice. We must stop the dealings of murderous dictators whether they have oil under their soil or not. We must step in to prevent genocide whether it takes place in countries of strategic importance or not. We must promote nuclear nonproliferation abroad and at home. We must not turn a blind eye to atrocities no matter where they occur.
Lead by example. Let's be a country with no imperial aspirations, Let's remember that if it's spread at the point of a gun, it's not Democracy, it's tyranny and that stopping unjustice is not the same thing as spreading Democracy.
Lead by example. Give our military and paramilitary forces the tools they need to do their jobs. And when they've finished serving their country, we must make certain that we honor their service with a secure retirement and benefits.
Lead by example. Make America the most secure country in the world and maintain that security without compromising our principles or the rights of any human. Shut down the Guantanamo detention center and all secret prisons.
Lead by example. Our balloting systems must be open, accountable, accessible and impartial. We must get more Americans to vote.
Let's make every environmental decision based upon the notion that we don't inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. Why was the biggest global environmental agreement ever called the Kyoto Protocol and not the Washington Protocol? Let's sign it. Let's reduce CO2 and SO4 emissions and get mercury out of the environment all together. Let's take the lead.
We must lead the way in the invention and perfection of safe, renewable energy forms. American business will profit in this quest, as will the global environment and all mankind. Let's have a 100 mile per gallon car by 2010. Let's make all our energy consumption more efficient. Let's work towards energy independence.
Medical, environmental, and energy innovation are the growth areas of the 21st and 22nd centuries, let's lead that growth.
Let's lead by example by forging the path toward responsible globalization. The global market is an inevitability, putting profits before principles is not.
Lead by example. Our children are the leaders of tomorrow. Our educational system should be the envy of the world. Higher teacher salaries, better training, and more technology will help.
Lead by example. Let's spend only the money we have and borrow only the money we know we'll be able to pay back in a timely fashion. Our current culture of credit is fiscally and psychologically dangerous and makes America vulnerable.
Lead by example. Make decisions based upon the ethic of reciprocity that is found in every major religious text: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Let's end poverty and ensure health care for all. Let's treat our elderly as we will demand to be treated when we are older.
Lead by example. Incorporate the lessons of history into the leadership of today. If America is to stay great, we must be a country of great insight and justice.
Lead by example. That's what I want the Democratic party to stand for and I know they can do it.
Norm Magnusson
Lake Hill, NY