(letters from February 16, 2006)
Dear Editor,
I commend and thank you for your recent “A Nation at Stake” editorial about Al Gore’s Martin Luther King Day speech. I was out of the country when it was delivered, so I didn’t hear it; can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.
At the same time, I respectfully wish to draw your attention your phrase “...our founding father’s vision of a nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and so on...” That is erroneous. Neither the Constitution nor the Bill of Rights contains any language referring to ...”a nation under God.” A variation of that controversial phrase became part of our nationalist lexicon more than 50 years ago, a time of almost hysterical fear of so-called “Godless” communism.
It’s important to remember that the Europeans who first settled in America came here because of religious persecution in their native lands, mainly from the Anglican church.
Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and most of the other founders, though they respected people of faith and their right to that faith, did not believe in God and therefore wanted to keep Church and State separate. In writing the Constitution, Jefferson’s main argument was that all governments derive their legitimacy from the consent of the governed and that a government without such consent had no authority to rule. Jefferson chose the word “Creator” instead of “God” because he, like many of his revolutionary colleagues, were deists. (Some members of the Continental Congress were theists, others atheists.) Jefferson was contemptuous of the idea that a “God” truly interfered in the lives of men and he despised clergymen all his adult life. “The earth belongs to the living,” he said. No statesman of his time would match Jefferson in his hatred of established faith, particularly the Anglican Church. During the Revolution, the destruction of the power of the Anglican Church became one of his chief goals. According to one of Jefferson’s biographers, “...his distrust of clergymen as factionalists, schismatizers, and imprisoners of the human spirit continued to his death.“
As a younger man, he had proposed legislation to separate church and state forever in his native Virginia, though he was not confident that it could. In urging that the church be curbed he pointed out that it was still legal to burn a heretic in Virginia. Notes on the State of Virginia, a text Jefferson wrote many years before he became President, is described in a 1955 edition as “probably the most important scientific and political book written by an American before 1785...” In it, Jefferson said, “Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites.”
Clem Hallquist
Mt. Tremper, NY

Dear Editor,
I have been playing "catch up" with the Olive Press of January 19, 2006 and find a very stressful letter written by a very distressed person.
Let me preface that with my comment based on experts in the field [Game Animals of North America by Leonard Lee Rue III; Stuart L. Free, Sr. Biologist, NYS DEC; Albert W. Erickson, Bell Museum of Natural History; C.R. Harington, Canadian Wildlife Service] of a letter from Jo-Anne Rowley of Phoenicia who states that "the bears are bedded down....." and they arn't. The weather has been such that the bears have been up and about and as of this date, February 3, 2006 they are still roaming around. The old hibernation theory is just that; a theory. Makes a good bedtime story. The bears in northern Canada will get into a cave or shelter in the side of a hill but will come out on a warm [for them], sunny day. As for the bird feeders; "that's for the birds". Who is going to feed them when you are gone? Have they ever built a hospital or a senior bird center? But I digress.
The stressful letter I alluded to above is from Mr. Brendan Maidian whom I and any psychiatrist or psychologist would characterize as vicious, disingenuous and one who bears false witness. The "vicious" and "disingenuous" is obvious in his presentation and the "one who bears false witness" becomes quite apparent in that Mr Maidian cites no sources; he just spews his hate off the top of his empty head.
Let me inquire of Mr. Maidian that which I strongly suspect; you are an immigrant or your folks were. Welcome to the country of your choice where you may do that which you do best; throw "verbal" bombs and the American constitution [First Ammendment] protects your right to do so.
Mr. Maidian charges that the Bush brothers "rigged" the election of 2000 and fails to credit his source(s). My source that the election was legal and fair is the manner in which the Constitution directs the Presidential election; The states will regulate those elections [of Electors] except for the day of the election which is to be all states on the same day. The U.S. Supreme Court directed the Supreme Court of Florida to "just follow the law". Of course the media of that time continued on with their own recount until they admitted that Mr Bush had indeed won [AP]. Then the absentee military votes [for Bush] began to pile up because most military mail does not get post marked from APO's and NPO's [also AP and NY Times]. It is true that Al Gore of Washington, DC; finally of Tennessee won the popular vote but guess what? The Constitution promotes the "electoral" system in that small states have a level playing field with large states. This is a Republic Mr. Maidian, not a medieval fiefdom.
Then we have 9/11, seven months following GW Bush's inauguration. Mr. Bush was never an official in Washington prior and had very little time to organize with the terrorists. Mr Maidian again cites no sources as to Mr. Bush's "partnership" with the terrorists who have been shown to have attended colleges, flight schools, traveled to training camps and planned for over two years [TV news and wire services]. When the Twin Towers were attacked the president was informed and yes, he kept reading to the children. Many psychologists, teachers and counselors [including Dr. Phil (on Oprah)] stated that the president did just right. What else was he supposed to do Mr. Maidian? Run around like Chicken Little? After all, the sky was indeed falling. He then was whisked onto Air Force One by the Secret Service and flew off and away from whatever might be coming as part of a larger attack. He also had a fighter escort until AF-1 put down. The Vice-president was also taken into "custody" because of the nature of the assault. [I think he was in a Guiness "aging" cellar]. This is what we do in America, sir. Of course in some places terrorists open fire on funerals at the cemetary and the mourners become as dead as the deceased.
The Patriot Act traces it's genesis to 1978 [Cong. Record] when George Bush was dancing on the local tavern bars in Houston; he was not president. Now, I am opposed to violation of the Fourth Ammendment Mr. Maidian but I want you to site your source as to the Bush officials and administration implimenting that provision of "breaking and entering" without a search warrant. Mr. Clinton's agents did it in the Aldrich Ames case. You remember that, don't you?
Mr. Bush as Governor Bush did not send any record number of "evil doers" to their death; the criminals, mutants and mis-fits did that for themselves with the assistance of the good Texas jurors, the sentencing judges and the appeals justices. Gov. Bush may have laughed or giggled when describing an appeal by or for Karla Faye Tucker who was executed on Feb. 03, 1998 [but so would I]. Ms. Tucker [Brown] had been convicted of murdering Jerry Lynn Dean and Deborah Thornton with a pickax on June 13, 1983 and freely admitted it [TV, Radio & Print of the day]. Ms Tucker outlived her victims by 14 years. Again you cite no source, sir. Just a lot of [your] facts based on a fertile imagination filled with hate. Even Hitler gets honorable mention along with Stalin. You forgot Aids, Mr. Maidian. Bush did that?
Mr. Maidian pleads with anyone to prove him wrong. Well, Mr. Maidian, the ball is in your court and one thing that I can prove is that by your letter and it's content you are a vile, hateful and vicious person; not a man; not a human being. I am not a Bush supporter but the truth is quite important and a virtue which you are devoid of.
Now go out and yell "fire" in a crowded theatre or meeting hall. Do it! I will defend your right to do it.
Glenn T. Anderson
Olivebridge, NY

Dear Editor,
Dear Conservative Friends,
I have previously accused you of ingoring the Truth. In case you are simply unaware, here are a 10 truths to think about.
Truth: The Downing Street Memo reveals that Bush decided to overthrow Saddam Hussein in the summer of 2002.
Truth: Jack Abramoff remembers meetings that Bush dishonestly denies. “The guy saw me in almost a dozen settings, and joked with me about a bunch of things, including details of my kids. Perhaps he has forgotten everything, who knows.” – Jack Abramoff
Truth: Tom Delay, indicted for financial corruption, has been appointed to the House Appropriations Committee. What a great place for crooks, dispensing
money.
Truth: Lewis “Scooter” Libby testified to a federal grand jury that he had been "authorized" by his boss,
Vice President Dick Cheney, and other White House "superiors" to disclose classified information to journalists to defend the Bush administration's use of prewar intelligence.
Truth: The Bush administration never alerted the Mayor of Los Angeles, about the alleged terrorist plot against his city, "I'm amazed the President would make this announcement on national television and not inform us of the details through appropriate channels." - Mayor Villaraigosa
Truth: Bush knew the New Orleans Levees failed a full day before he claimed to have found out.
Truth: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert engineered a backroom legislative maneuver to protect pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits by secretly slipping in language to a DOD appropriations bill AFTER it had been voted on.
Truth: Spying on Americans is ILLEGAL!
Truth: So is torture!
Truth: Tens of thousands of human beings are dead and hundreds of thousands seriously maimed and wounded, thanks to the self-proclaimed “War President”
Are you still feeling safe and secure?
David J. Turan
Stamford, NY

Dear Editor,
Did you know... 1. 80% of all votes in America are counted by two companies: Diebold and ES&S.
2. There is no federal agency with regulatory authority or oversight of the voting machine industry.
3. The vice president of Diebold and the president of ES&S are brothers.
4. The [recently resigned] chairman and CEO of Diebold is a major Bush campaign organizer and donor who wrote in 2003 that he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."
5. Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel used to be chairman of ES&S. Hebecame senator based on votes counted by ES&S machines.
6. Hagel, long connected with the Bush family, was recently caught lying about his ownership of ES&S by the Senate Ethics Committee.
7. Hagel was on a short list of George W Bush's vice presidential candidates.
. 8. ES&S is the largest voting machine manufacturer in the US and counts almost 60% of all US votes.
9. Diebold's new touch screen voting machines have no paper trail of any votes. In other words, there is no way to verify that the data coming out of the. machine is .the same as what was legitimately put in by voters.
10. Diebold also makes ATMs, checkout scanners, and ticket machines, all of which log each transaction and can generate a paper trail.
11. Diebold employed 5 convicted felons as consultants and developers to help write the central compiler computer code that counted 50% of the votes in 30 states.
12. Jeff Dean was senior vice president of Global Election Systems when it was bought by Diebold. Even though he had been convicted of 23 counts of felony theft in the first degree, Jeff Dean was retained as a consultant by Diebold and was largely responsible for programming the optical scanning software now used in most of the United States.
13. Diebold consultant Jeff Dean was convicted of planting "back doors" in his software and using a "high degree of sophistication" to evade detection over a period of 2 years.
14. None of the international election observers were allowed in the polls in Ohio, where Diebold is based.
15. California banned the use of Diebold machines because the secuity was so bad. Despite Diebold’s claims that the audit logs could not be hacked, a chimpanzee was able to do it. (see the movie at www.bbv-docs.org/videos/baxterVPR.mov/).
16. 30% of all US votes are carried out on unverifiable touch screen voting machines with no paper trail.
17. All - not some - but all the voting machine errors detected and reported in Florida went in favor of Bush or Republican candidates.
28. Serious voting anomalies in Florida - again always favoring Bush - have been mathematically demonstrated and experts are recommending further investigation.
Sources are available at nightweed.com/usavotefacts.html.
HR 550 the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2005 by Rep. Rush Holt, D-NJ, would allow voters to verify their ballots and election officials to conduct meaningful recounts. See also verifiedvoting.org.
Beverly Braly
Roxbury, NY

Dear Editor,
As a people of faith, we the New Paltz Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), must protest against the use of torture. The consequences of our living in a world and in a country that condones torture are profound as they result in spiritual injury for the persons who torture, the persons who ignore torture, and the persons who receive torture. There is no justification for torture.
As Americans, we are particularly concerned about the acts of the United States Government in condoning and not taking responsibility for torture and its consequences. For us, torture injures all who know any aspect of it from any distance, and the acceptance of it or ignoring of it is
shameful. We therefore ask all people of good heart to stand with us to speak out and act against torture.
Patty Salone, Clerk
New Paltz Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)

Dear Editor,
We applaud the leadership of State Senator John J. Bonacic and Assemblyman Kevin Cahill for co-sponsoring with Senate and Assembly Environmental Committee Chairs Carl Marcellino and Tom DiNapoli legislation which, if enacted, will increase funding for the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) to $300 million by 2009.
The EPF is a dedicated environmental trust fund that provides state money to protect and support locally and state important open space resources, including farmland, around the state, including on and around the Shawangunk Ridge. The EPF also protects water quality and natural diversity, parks, state land stewardship and the Hudson River Estuary.
In January Governor George Pataki's 2006 budget proposal included increasing the EPF to $180 million. An expanded environmental trust fund will protect the health of this and future generations of New Yorkers. Thank you to Senator Bonacic and Assemblyman Cahill for their leadership and support for this important environmental funding.
Cara Lee, Director
Shawangunk Ridge Program
The Nature Conservancy
New Paltz , NY

Dear Editor,
CORETTA SCOTT KING D. 1-30-06/STATE OF THE UNION 1-31-06
You had the grace
to die a day early
leaving the demons full court
though you watch and denude them
bare in their puerile concoctions
that kill
You are gone from our plank of
history
but we who are pierced by
your vision
continue glad that you suffer
no longer the hell you have left.
Roberta Gould
Woodstock, NY

Dear Editor,
With Ulster County's share of Medicaid expenses exceeding $34 million, county officials are working with the state to combat waste and fraud that can account for 10 to 40 percent of total Medicaid costs.
Ulster County Department of Social Services Commissioner Glenn Decker and the Legislature's Human Services Committee will soon be meeting with companies that developed computer software to detect irregularities in Medicaid claims that may signal provider fraud.
The software is based on a program developed by the New York State Association of Counties that detected $13 million in dubious Medicaid provider claims in Rockland County over a 21-month period.
The software will narrow down questionable claims and identify cases that can be prosecuted. The cases will then be turned over to the state Dept. of Health and Attorney General's Office for legal action. Settlements will be split between the federal, state and county governments.
New York's $44.5 billion Medicaid program is the largest in the nation. The explosive growth of Medicaid has negatively affected every county in the state, especially Ulster County. In the past five years, Ulster County has spent $197 million on Medicaid and routinely used its fund balance to offset the ever-rising local costs of the program.
Hopefully, new technology will give Ulster County the ability to act to control costs, save tax dollars and bring added accountability to a program that threatens the prosperity of every resident of New York State.
Joe Roberti
Ulster County Legislator

Dear Editor,
My wife and I own a small mini mall in Shokan, The Olive Plaza, and the last two years we have held a Christmas Tree Lighting and Santa Visit for the kids in the Town of Olive. The Olive Fire Department has graciously delivered Santa to us for both years. We provide the photo opportunity, decorations and candy canes while Santa and his elf and the excited children provide the joy. All of this is done with no expense to the town; we fund the event ourselves and also provide candy canes for another Christmas event in the town. Years ago the Town of Olive held a tree lighting at the town offices in West Shokan but attendance fell and the event was cancelled for lack of participation.
We thought it would be a wonderful idea to try it again in Shokan. The idea was to bring people in the town together for a happy occasion. The Town of Olive has shown over and over again that it can rally together when need be and we thought there was a need for a happy occasion.
It has been brought to my attention that one of our neighbors complained to the town about our event. He assumed the event was being funded by the town and didn't think it should be held in our plaza in case any of my tenants benefited from this activity.
Hey Scrooge, get your facts straight. It is possible to do something nice for people without expecting something in return. It is most rewarding. If you would like to know who the Scrooge of Olive is
Joseph Tumasian
Owner, Olive Plaza

Dear Editor,
"The tipping point" is merely the latest evidence that New York City's DEP is an oxymoron.
Methinks I hear four clodhoppers leaping upon the bandwagon. Where were Cahill and Hinchey "Last February, prior to the April 2005 storm" when "Bonacic introduced flood control legislation requiring the city DEP to lower reservoir levels in anticipation of (prescience!) coming storms and ice melt to prevent overflow and flooding?"
It would have been interesting had the writer told us what, if anything, came of that legislation. Nor, in thenext paragraph, did she clarify the date (was it "last week" or "last February?") of "Bonacic's legislation at which time Kevin Cahill (also) "introduced a measure..."
Alan Wickman
Kingston, NY

Dear Editor,
Hi, everyone...have been meaning to say how much I enjoy the paper...and especially the On The Farm column above! Her writing is vivid, funny, well-organized...keep it up!!!
Katie Jeannotte
Olive, NY