(letters from January 18, 2007)

To the editor:
The following is an open letter to the Townspeople of the Town of Shandaken.
I am writing this in the hope that I can clear up some of the confusion and put an end to the malicious rumors that have been circulated by certain members of our community concerning the rather abrupt resignations of Jerry Pearlman, Lisa Benjamin and myself, Adele Pearlman, from our positions on the Shandaken Ambulance Squad at the January 2 reorganization meeting. First, the Town has not been left dangling, we will continue to do our regularly scheduled shifts through 1/12/07 at which time all control of the ambulance will be turned over to Peggy Vitarius. A little background on this whole affair is probably in order at this point. Jerry Pearlman has been working 130 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, for the past 10 years, give or take a few hours as Chief Technician, Lisa has been working only slightly less, plus doing the billing for the squad. During that time they spent endless hours improving the quality of care that the ambulance provides by upgrading our services to the paramedic level. After grappling for many hours learning the intricacies of the medical insurance and Medicare systems, they were able to put in place a billing system that has brought many hundreds of thousands of dollars to the coffers of the Town. I find it hard to fault them if they were just a teensy bit offended when after all their hard work the Town Board relieves them of their jobs with 2 days notice and hands control over to an unqualified person. We will not work for Peggy Vitarius. We have already had that experience and will not go back.
It is no secret that for the past 3 years there has been a dispute between Jerry and Lisa and Tony Lanza over the increased use of the Town’s thinly staffed ambulance service by Belleayre Ski Center. The squad is short of personnel and always has been. There has been no good faith attempt at a solution from Tony Lanza, and in fact he chose to attack and slander Jerry, Lisa, and the ambulance service in general at a meeting at Town Hall in 2005 that was called to try and address this issue before it came to a crisis. Our town supervisor has been unable to deal with Mr. Lanza, and now the entire Town Board has chosen to take Mr.Lanza’s approach by replacing Jerry and Lisa with an administrator, that has presented the Town with a bunch of names on paper, allegedly people who would work on the ambulance to solve the staffing problem. These people were appointed by the Town at the reorganization meeting, yet the Town had not received an employment application, resume or any documentation of qualifying credentials to verify that they were actually qualified for the positions. It is ludicrous that the Town Board would actually appoint people to any position much less to a position that required people to enter other peoples homes and become privy to very sensitive personal and medical information without obtaining any personnel information. This is yet another example of negligence and incompetence on the part of this Town Board. Please be aware that many of these people are affiliated with Belleayre. My advice to Bob Cross was that he had best make sure that these individuals understand that they have been appointed to serve the entire Town of Shandaken, and they will have to do their Belleayre Mountain boot-licking on their time off.
This is a dangerous business. It is unfortunate that politics can have such a strong effect on ambulance operations, and that the Town Board allows ambulance policy and operations to be directed from Belleayre Mountain. While it is true, as Ms. Joan Lawrence-Bauer contends, that the town is being held hostage, it isn’t Jerry, Lisa, or myself that are the hostage takers. You won’t have to look to far to find out who they actually are.
In conclusion, Jerry, Lisa and I would like to thank the people of the Town for the opportunity to serve them and for the support they have always given us. We have personally received much satisfaction from serving, especially on those occasions when our presence contributed to a positive outcome for the patient.
Finally, since I am no longer a Town employee, I can now be free to vent my spleen, and say that after 25 years of ambulance service and many Town administrations, I believe I have the experience to say that this is one of the most inept, self serving, brown nosing, back stabbing bunch of idiots it has ever been my misfortune to be employed by.
PS: This letter was written on 1/3/07. The following events took place after that. On 1/3/07, at 10:00 AM, when we submitted our resignation letters to Town Hall, Peggy Vitarius was present. Jerry asked her what paramedic did she have that he could legally transfer custody of the narcotics to. She gave a name that was on the list of appointed paramedics, and Jerry told Mrs.Vitarius to have this person contact him immediately to affect a legal transfer. Jerry also asked Mrs. Vitarius if she would be able to provide 24-hour paramedic coverage immediately. She stated “yes”, witnessed by Bob Cross, Lisa, Jerry and myself. On Thursday, 1/4/07, there was an unfortunate article in the Freeman that was creating a disturbance at Jerry and Lisa’s other employment and was raising questions in the Health Department. It was also becoming obvious that there was a campaign to discredit Jerry, both personally and his past operation of the ambulance. Jerry was advised by the Health Department in the early afternoon on 1/4/07 to return the narcotics to the supplier, which is Kingston Hospital pharmacy. Jerry still had not heard from the paramedic that he was supposed to transfer custody to, and he immediately contacted and advised Bob Cross. Bob was also told to advise Mrs. Vitarius of the circumstances. The narcotics were surrendered about 5:30 PM on Thursday, 1/4/07, following a process mandated by the Health Department, which is extensively documented.
It is not Jerry’s fault that the Town had to contract with Mobile Life Support to provide services that Mrs. Vitarius stated she could provide. Had there actually been paramedics on staff as everyone had been led to believe, there would have been a paramedic to transfer the narcotics to, and there would have been no need to surrender the narcotics, and had there been paramedics on staff as everyone was led to believe, there would have been no interruption of paramedic services. Had there not been a flurry of unfounded and undocumented lies being spread around Town, Jerry and Lisa probably would have worked for the 2-week period that they had promised. Cast the blame where it belongs.
Thank you.
Adele Pearlman, AEMT-I
Former member,
Shandaken Ambulance Service

Dear Editor,
On Feb.3, 2007 the residents of Phoenicia will be asked to cast a vote for or against the proposed Phoenicia Wastewater project. There has been a lot of discussion as to the merits of this undertaking. If you are a resident who is affected by the “sewer project” there are a few points concerning the project that should be stressed.
1. The City of New York is paying 17.2 million dollars for the project - 16 million dollars is the actual estimated cost. 1.2 million is the allotted cash just in case there is an overrun. In the towns where the Delaware Engineering Co. (our contractor) has performed the same service there have been no cost overruns. Should this be the case here the extra cash will be used for reimbursing the landowner for the cost of the lateral connection — which runs from the home or business to the main line. NYC is also paying 85% of all operating costs, the remainder of the operating cost will be paid by the $100.00 per year fee for homes and the fee charged to businesses. The business fee will be $200.00 per year plus a small charge for use of more than 300 gallons per day.
2. There are also low income grants - a family with 2 children may earn up to $33,000.00 per year and still qualify for a grant that will pay for their lateral connection. Should the family be larger the qualifying yearly salary would be higher. There are also state and federal grants that may be applied for as soon as the project is confirmed.
Eighty odd years ago NYC came to Phoenicia and wanted to install a sewer system and it would have funded the entire project. A handful of business owners opposed the project. In those days all but a handful of residents worked for the business owners, if they said -no sewer- you voted no sewer. Phoenicia has been kicking itself ever since.
Two years ago the Phoenicia water system had to shut down and flush and chlorinate its system. We for three days were not able to drink our own water because of e-coli bacteria. I have been told by a main street business that they do not need a sewer system - because every time we have a 2-3 inch rainfall their system flushes out and is empty and clean again. Our e-coli experience happened 2 days after a heavy rainfall - our water system is 2 miles downstream from main street — Coincidence?? I don’t think so...
If we do not put a sewer system in place now, sooner or later the county and state will come into our town and perform the necessary testing and mandate that we do so - at our own expense. Once NYC is off the hook it will not be back the third time. When that happens - (not if—but when) we will pay the entire bill which by that time will be much higher than 16 million dollars.
NYC wants clean water - we want clean water - NYC is willing to pay —state, federal, and low income grants will be available for our use. We have up to one million dollars built in along with the grants. If ever there was a time to act it is now.
We still have today, eighty years later certain individuals painting their own picture of doom should we attempt to help ourselves. Most businesses that I have spoken to cannot wait for the system to be up and operational. It means growth and prosperity for them and for the town as a whole. Business expansion means additional revenue and jobs not to mention the growth necessary to insure a secure future for the next generation. When the day arrives I urge everyone connected to the system to go to the polls and cast your vote.
Steve Stettine
Phoenicia, NY

Dear Editor,
This letter is to thank Mr.and Mrs. Jerry and Adele Perlman and Mr. Lisa Benjamin for their long years of service to our community as ambulance squad members. I have witnessed first hand their professionalism, competence, and compassion as they responded to emergency calls for both of my elderly parents.
Being a resident of Phoenicia for over twenty years I have found Jerry, Adele, and Lisa to be among the most kindhearted and decent individuals that I know. They are good people and good neighbors.
Things that led up to their resignation from the ambulance took place at the Tuesday, January 2 reorganizational meeting. If this important meeting was held at 7pm rather than the inconvenient time of 1pm, much more of the public could have been there to show our support for Jerry, Adele, and Lisa. Was this just one of the reasons for the time change?
Many of our elected official town officials should look to Mr.and Mrs Jerry and Adele Perlman and Mrs. Lisa Benjamin in order to really understand what it means to be Public Servants. Thankyou so much Jerry, Adele and Lisa for everything you have done for our community.
Jeanne Schofield
Phoencia, NY

Dear Editor,
Once again, as with most controversies, there are several positions that can be postulated. I'm speaking about the recent letters to editors concerning trapping and the changing demographics of our area. These changing demographics are commonly perceived as a socio-economic evolution. There is a more insidious evolution that was started by the drought situation of about ten years ago.
The Pepacton was like a stream. The Ashokan lowered, hilltops and even an old church steeple protruded from its surface water. Bear in search of water descended to the valley hamlets where they found not only water, but also bird feeders and garbage.
Now, several generations later, they continue to come. Phoenicia is not a petting zoo and I cringe when tourists flock to the dumpsters to get the photo op of their vacation. These bear are wild and dangerous and getting aclose up of the cute and cuddly cubs is not a good idea. It seems that nothing can be done about the bear except to treat them with respect and common sense.
There is a much more insidious problem with the wildlife in the valley hamlets, and that is coyotes. Only true vegetarians stand on the high ground in advocating the abolition of hunting. I, on the other hand, have eaten more raccoons, opossums, and even chipmonks than I care to think about. There are laws that stipulate the use of traps and I am in no way defending any violations of those laws. Violators of those laws need to be prosecuted. It is illegal to set traps on private property without that owners' knowledge and permission. Conversely, there are leash laws in Shandaken, Olive and Woodstock, and the entire Catskill Park. In these anti-trapping letters, people are encouraged to vent their outrage to their legislators and senators. Before anyone acquiesces to these suggestions, let me point out the benefits these trappers provide the community.
For years, the DEC denied the existence of coyotes in this area. It wasn't unitl it was obvious to everyone that these mangy and sometimes rabid killers proliferated. A small pack can eat an entire deer in one night. A few years back there were approximately 45 running free in Chichester. They kill everything they can, both wild and domestic. Look on any store bulletin board or telephone pole and you will more than likely see a plea for anyone who has seen their missing cat. Anyone who has let their cat outside is risking its death. Knee-jerk reactions that call trapping barbaric, bloodthirsty, cruel and not-sportsmanlike are responding with prejudice and misconception. Everyone feels the pain of an animal owner who has had his or her pet injured or killed. In that same breath, how many pets have been saved by the culling of these ravenous packs? Coyotes pose a real threat to children and pets as they roam Main Street in Phoenicia. I hope that tragedy will not be the thing that sparks recognition of this problem. I want to thank the trappers that are ridding this area of as many of these carnivorous and dangerous animals as possible.
Eric Hansen
Phoenicia, NY

Dear Editor,
After reading Chairman of the Legislature David B. Donaldson’s 2007 State of the County, one segment that I wish to comment on at this time is the Web Site that he claims to have “more information to our constituents” through the efforts of the Legislative Clerk’s Office. Actually, it would have been more appropriate if he had referred to it as “useless information” and I will tell you why.
Glancing at the County Directory on-line, I noticed that his Madame Clerk had swiftly removed my name and title from the Legislature’s listing, while leaving a deceased department head intact. In checking further, another former Legislative employee (who worked in that capacity for approximately one month), appears in two different departments. In fact, there are still glaring inaccuracies in quite a number of departments that should have been corrected months ago. While one can appreciate this information is speedily accessible, how useful is it, if it is not accurately displayed?
Might I add the “Clerk” has the capability of going right to the Web page and make the necessary corrections personally. (This was an issue early in 2006 when she was instructed to have direct access to the Web Page to post announcements in a timely fashion.)
If the Chairman stands behind his statement that “we will continue our efforts to make County Government more user-friendly by providing information in a clear and concise matter” (isn't it manner?), then why have these errors remained on-line for months when the updates can be made almost daily if need be?
Ellen DiFalco
Kingston, NY

Dear Editor,
Fool me Once, Shame on You. Fool me Twice, Shame on NYS
NYS has seen the disastrous waste of money spent by other counties nationwide on DREs (touchscreen) voting machines. All those States fooled by vendors making billions on poorly crafted machines that breakdown causing in some cases 8-11 hour lines, losing votes (18,000 in one Florida county in 2006) or flipping the vote you cast and giving it to a candidate of the computer=s choice. Having been duped by vendors who spent many millions to manipulate election officials to purchase these lemons, many counties have now had to swallow their losses and replace DREs with Optical Scanning machines (PBOSs where voters actually cast their own vote on a paper ballot, which is then counted by the Optical Scanner).
Unlike these new overpriced and faulty DREs, PBOS machines have been used for two decades. Not only do they cost less than half the cost to purchase, but the cost of running a DRE-election vs a PBOS election has shown itself to be cost prohibitive in county after county, costing taxpayers millions more for every election. Further, PBOSs are less susceptible to problems (if the DRE fails, no one gets to vote, but with a PBOS everyone can still vote, we just can=t count the votes until the machine is fixed –or we can count them ourselves!
Write to your State Senator and Governor and tell them: having waited to be the last state to purchase voting machines, we would be fools if we failed to learn from the overwhelming evidence of the abysmal failure of DREs.
Andi Novick, Northeast Citizens
for Responsible Media
Rhinebeck, NY

Dear Editor,
A Personal Response to our President's Address to the Nation about Iraq...
Dear Mr. President:
I was disappointed and frightened by your long-awaited address to the nation about your plans for Iraq. Your words will not leave one person in the entire world unaffected. Therefore, I hope you will feel my love and concern in writing. The > "> new course" that you propose for Iraq is flawed and will lead to disaster. It will bring more death and destruction to friends and enemies alike. Most of all, it leaves God out of the picture.
Mr. President, I respect you deeply. You are daily in my prayers. Even on television, it is obvious how lonely you must feel, separated from your fellow Americans and from the entire international community. Yet there are millions of people who would love to help you, and pray for you, if only you would reach out to them. This is why I want to reach out to you and humbly ask that, in this moment of world crisis, you lead our nation by putting your trust in God alone and not in our military superiority.
The world is full of fear because of the events that have occurred since our country started the "War on Terror. “ And no one has become any safer.
We cannot ignore the important lessons that are taught to us in the Old and New Testaments. For God is a jealous God. He will not let Himself be mocked. He wants our leaders to lead us in humility and compassion. When King Ahab realized that he had done wrong, he tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth and fasted (1 King 20:27). When Jonah finally preached the word of God to Nineveh, the king himself rose from his throne and laid down his robe, and covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. When God saw this humility, he relented from the disaster that He had planned to bring upon them (Jonah 3).
In Isaiah 1:5, the kings of Judah are warned sternly about leaving God out of the equation:
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you. Even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight. Stop doing wrong.
In the same way, the words of the prophet Obadiah speak directly to this moment:
"Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; you who say in your heart, 'Who will bring me down to the ground?' Though you soar like the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," says the Lord. (Obadiah 1:2-4)
Mr. President, you profess to be a man of God. Show the world that the words of the prophets are still true today, and pray with us that God will not forsake our nation even in its darkest moment.
God wants to give more grace. That is why the Apostle James writes, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6).
As a pastor who has worked with government officials for years, I feel a special burden for your task, and would strongly desire to meet with you to discuss these matters further.
Respectfully,
Johann Christoph Arnold
Senior Pastor
Church Communities International
Rifton, NY

Dear Editor,
Recently, I received an email letter from Howard Dean on behalf of the Democratic Party. He said the Democrats are "ready to act." He wants me to write my local newspaper to voice opposition to the President’s troop increase for Iraq. This is what I wrote back to him.
Dear Howard,
I disagree with your bold contention that the Democrats are ready to act. If they were, they would have immediately gone on the offensive to begin proceedings to impeach George W. Bush. The man is a criminal by law. He has broken and bent the laws of our land. He and the neo-cons are destroying the Constitution or at the very least riding roughshod over it. And the Democrats are letting him! We are not talking about clumsy mistakes - of which he makes plenty - but the President, Vice President and his Cabinet have lied to the people and Congress. Maybe you and our newly elected Democratic Congress don't get that but the people who elected this new congress do.
So it seems to me the first order of business would be impeachment proceedings but Nancy Pelosi says that is not on the agenda, consequently the man in the White House and his fellow crooks are emboldened. Now this is what will happen: Your Democratic Congress, many of whom rubber stamped Bush’s previous lies to America, will now attempt to block his escalation of the war. They will fail. And what's amazing is, the Democrats, as you say, think they have reason to be “upbeat.” They can't see the forest for the trees. This
never-really-elected President will again be empowered by his victory over Congress and do still more damage. He will put more troops in Iraq and this bloody war will drag on. More children will die, more families be uprooted, more villages destroyed and more American service people will die and be grievously wounded.
But the privileged members of the Senate and House, who have no children in Iraq, will continue to play politics, will not risk anything, not take any chances even though the President and his cronies are busy wrecking what is left of civilization both by war and absolutely horrid environmental policies, not to mention torture, illicit spying, detention of innocents and denial of universal right of habeas corpus. The Democrats will have failed the country once again because, with exceptions like Maurice Hinchey, Dennis Kucinich and a few others, they have not an once of courage - something I thought you once had. Party politics has robbed you of that. Once you spoke your mind for the truth, now you just try to strengthen the party. What a difference.
Sadly,
Tarak Kauff
Woodstock, NY

Dear Editor,
In the Jan 4 issue I; indeed we all are fascinated with the 80-90 year old account of Ms. Mescal E. Hornbeck's adventures in the Olive Grade Schools.
Since Ms. Hornbeck began her formal education 90 years ago at age 5 I must pause to wish her many more years in which she might regale us with further delightful reports of her most interesting and productive life. We are blessed with you in our midst, ma’am.
Ms. Hornbeck endured the same difficulties and inconveniences in those one room schools as did I, albeit 15 years later for me in Olivebridge. I regard our experiences as pleasant memories of friendships, education and joy.
All of her account is quite accurate with each Teacher, Trustee and Parent embracing the same values and goals. Red Rover and/or Fox and Geese blended nicely with our curriculum as did Phys-Ed which were exercises and Soft Ball [hit it over the fence and "you're out"].
The Olivebridge M E Church was closely related to the School in that our secular programs and religious pageantry were integrated; a rarity today.
In Olivebridge our student body consisted of 25-40 "clients" [ages 5-14] which was well managed and tutored by one teacher. In 1932 I first met Mrs. Elthia Quick who was intelligent and dedicated. She retired in June 1938 and was replaced in Sept. by a young, pretty Carol Gridley who shortly became Mrs. Albert Davis [following courtship on a motorcycle]. She was followed by Ms. Ludwig, Mrs. Winchell and Mrs. Burgher.
Ms. Hornbeck recalls that many of us went to High School at age 12 and she attributes this to listening to the advanced classes report and recite at the front of the room. In recent times I would accuse Ms. Gridley Davis of sending me early for my regents exams because, "that was your way of getting rid of me".
Our running water was filling a pail at the hand pump and running with it. Each Halloween the pump was justifiably raised to 4 or 5 limbs in the maple tree above it. Someone else turned over the out houses, I swear!
We also were assigned chores which included fetching an armful of firewood, erasing the blackboard and then 'clapping" the erasers outside to clear them of chalk. There were one and two finger "signals" frequently implemented but nevertheless controlled. Detention did not generate overtime for the teacher.
I would be remiss if I didn't celebrate the supporting cast. Mr. Charles Eckert was the Trustee and so very dedicated. Bill Lortz was our Janitor who warmed up the school with its wood stove and swept the floor. Bill was also the local electrician, plumber and carpenter. As resident barber he cut our hair on Saturdays for .25 cents and caused much laughter. Our parents were instrumental in maintaining order and discipline as they supported the teacher no matter how wrong.
I would say, too that the Phoenicia Times has added to our enlightenment by its presence here. The Times has expended much print and ink for us to express our view of current events and exchange ideas. The Times is the information conduit between OCSD, the politicians and we, the people. Bravo Schools and Times! .......OK, our public servants are certainly praise worthy too.
Thank you Ms. Hornbeck. You are a local, if not a national treasure.

Glenn T. Anderson
Olivebridge, NY

Dear Editor,
Boy, does THIS ONE really hit home.
Epistemology
by Ed Higgins
It’s always about loss,
this kind of epistemology
philosophers regard with dread.
And we can fool ourselves with thinking.
Like the grandfather
I read about recently
who picked up his four-year-old grandson
in two pieces on a Baghdad market street,
after a sudden car bomb there.
And then just yesterday grocery shopping,
concentrating on which broccoli florets
to buy,
out of the corner of my eye
a little blond four-year-old girl
is running to the side of my leg
yelling grandpa, grandpa, we saw your car
in the parking lot and knew it was you.
And my son and his beautiful wife
are smiling an aisle away,
near the potatoes and sweet onions,
she holding their year-old daughter
on her hip the way m others do.
And I’m so happy to see them all there
in one piece that I begin to cry,
like a foolish, foolish old man.
Mike O’Neill
Woodland Valley, NY