EDITORIAL
Better
Questions Than Answers
Across the world in Iraq Americans die every day. Our generals
and the White House are at odds over the war’s conduct,
most Americans now disapprove of the President’s handling
of it and many of us have long felt his administration has been
out of touch with the reality of its human cost. And whether
from within our own hearts we applaud or view with concern the
actions of Silver Star Mom Cindy Sheehan, encamped outside the
President’s Texas ranch, one thing’s clear about
this mother’s attempt to make actual human contact with
the president on the subject of why her son and almost 2,000
others are now dead. What she’s done has already accomplished
what nothing else has effectively been able to do: focus America
on the cost of the war and the reasons it goes on. In accomplishing
that – and she has — she’s already won her
struggle, regardless of the president’s personal response
to her or his continued lack of one.
Ms. Sheehan’s message on the war is simple and she says
it in one sentence: “The majority of Americans think this
war is based on lies and deceptions and they think it was a
mistake and they want the troops to come home.” It’s
the kind of clarity one hardly ever gets from, say, elected
officials. But the substance of her message, especially given
current public opinion, is hard to dispute. And the facts about
the war’s origin - revealed in the Downing Street Memos
from British intelligence – say she’s right.
Ms Sheehan’s critics, some of the war’s most unabashed
and unblinking proponents, have indeed treated her and her stated
intentions rather viciously. Nonetheless she’s been clear
and well spoken on her motivation, saying “we believe
we’re honoring our children by working for peace.”
We honor that sentiment, and hope that those who question it
may in time come to see things differently.
It’s unfortunate that the president’s response to
Ms. Sheehan has become a major national embarrassment. Most
ranch owners would have hopped in their pickup and put the media
story to rest with a quick 4-wheel drive and a few minutes of
private discussion. The White House has barely taken issue with
her characterization that he treated their meeting last year
as if it were a party. What she wants, like most of us, is actual
dialogue, better answers, and accountability. Improbable as
it seems she’ll get the first, her attempt at it may well
precipitate -ultimately anyway - both those answers and an accountability
that’s long overdue for everyone. We certainly hope so.
Closer to home, we must express kudos to county legislators
Peter Kraft and the Parete brothers for the political sophistication
of their successful end-run that has mooted the implimentation
of Large Parcel legislation in regards to Olive taxes, at least
through the coming year. At the same time, we’ve also
got to hand it to supervisor Bert Leifeld and the town board
for sticking to their guns and keeping the pressure on higher
ups at all levels of government. Although, in the past, we have
expressed some reservations about the town’s current push
to litigate, we’re now seeing deep wisdom in the tactical
approach being taken, as evidenced by the results to date. Even
though we’ve heard talk, within New York City bureaus,
that the growing threats of assessment changes would backfire
on the town, we’ve started to understand how much the
current predicmanet has come as the result of tactical moves,
on the state and city’s part, as anything truly issue-oriented.
Which makes thhe Town of Olive’s tactical responses, and
successes, that much more amazing, given the David and Goliath
nature of this unfolding story.
Given the growing suspicions of so many of our townspeople regarding
the underlying motives of the state and city (see Donna Bryan’s
letter a few pages ahead of this editorial), and knowing the
citizenry’s well-honed research skills (dating back to
overflights and other threats to the Olive way of life), it
may not be long before this town will be seen as a municipal
version of Cindy Sheehan, using its passion to point new ways
for true democratic governance and administration.
It may still be a few weeks off, but we suspect this year’s
OLive Day, in early September, will be a true occasion to remember.
After all, it’s been one hell of a year, with much that
needs celebrating.
