(letters from January 4, 2007)
Dear
Editor,
NYS Conservation Law section 11-0923 reads as follows:
§ 11-0923. Dogs.
1. No owner or trainer of a dog shall: a. allow it to hunt
deer, or to run at large on enclosed lands on which wildlife
or domestic game is possessed under license issued pursuant
to the Fish and Wildlife Law or in any state park, state park
reservation, state-owned game farm or wildlife refuge or state-owned
or leased wildlife management area; b. allow it to run at
large in fields or woods inhabited by deer outside the limits
of any city or village, except on lands actually farmed or
cultivated by the owner or trainer of the dog or a tenant
of such owner or trainer.
If you allow your dog to run at large, which is off the leash
in a state park, you are breaking the law. Dog owners, pay
special attention to section b. How many of you are breaking
this law?
Don't turn this around and try to blame it on the trapper.
If the dog owners who are complaining actually handled their
dogs in accordance with the law, they wouldn't step in traps,
they wouldn't get hit by cars, wouldn't get shot by people
defending their own children or animals when they illegally
run onto somebody else's property. Not that long ago one of
my neighbors had to shoot a dog almost point blank as it came
on his property growling at one of his children.
About six weeks ago I watched two dogs chase deer through
my property. Lucky for the dogs I had my bow instead of my
rifle. If you have your dog off your property, it should be
on a leash. If it's not trained to stay on your property,
it should be tied up. If I'm engaged in a legal activity like
trapping in a place I'm allowed to trap and one of your animals
bumbles into one of my traps because you allowed it to be
somewhere it should not, that's on you.
Thomas O'Connell
Olivebridge, NY
Dear Editor,
Did I miss something here? Didn't we have a national election
on November 7, wherein a substantial number of Americans elected
a new Democratic majority in Congress based mainly on opposition
to the war in Iraq? Now, suddenly, President Bush is speaking
about increasing American troop levels by 20,000-30,000. Only
they are calling it a "surge" rather than an increase
in American forces. He is still fixated on believing his own
lies about the need to invade Iraq, until "victory"
is achieved, no matter what that means nor how many years
we will be bogged down there.
Our democracy is really in danger when our government ignores
the expressed wishes of the majority of the people. How can
we bring "democracy" (as we know it), to the Iraqis
when our own leaders completely negate it?
It's up to Congress to hold hearings on the conduct of this
unnecessary and destructive war. The newly elected majority
must decrease its funding and finally end this folly. To bring
our men and women home without further delay; to fund only
the reconstruction of homes, schools and hospitals by Iraqi
companies; to drop our original plans to establish military
bases and take over the oil fields for the profit of American
oil companies.
This is a true change of course. It will prove that our intentions
are honest and end the insurgency. It will encourage those
Iraqis who left their country to return to their homes. Most
of them are professionals who are needed to rebuild their
native land.
We will reduce our military debt and release needed funds
to provide universal health care for all, repair our crumbling
infrastructure, help the Katrina victims rebuild their cities,
provide new jobs for the millions of American workers who
have been outsourced, and make a college education available
to all.
We should speak out loudly and firmly against any plan to
increase our troop levels in Iraq.
Esther Nason
Kingston, NY
Dear Editor,
Over the holiday weekend a friend and I were walking through
the woods on a piece of state land that borders my property
in Phoenicia. We were stopped in our tracks by a bright red,
bloated . . . "thing." Both of us, I suppose so
unused to sites like these, initially thought it was some
kind of art. (Ha!) When the synapses finally made their connections
between our brains and our eyes, we realized that all around
us were the bodies, carcasses, skeletons of mostly skinned
animals. And quite a variety, too!
My husband went down to investigate and besides some smallish
animals like beaver or raccoon, there was what seemed to be
a bob cat carcass and coyote remains. Oh, and random, scattered
deer parts/skeletons. I've never spotted a bob cat or a coyote
(alive that is!) but would count it a great and memorable
personal moment if I did.
Of course we put a call in to the game warden. We were informed
that it is not exactly illegal, but that responsible trappers
and hunters bury their animal remains.
So, walking-in-the-woods-lovers, beware not only the traps
that have killed and injured area pets; beware the macabre
leftovers of those equal-opportunity killers.
Joyce Parente
Associate Publisher, Marketing
Men's Health Magazine
Dear Editor,
Today is a day of celebration for people of freedom around
the world. Sadaam is gone, and the world is a better place.
Certainly Iraq is not, as long as the coalition forces are
operating there. But a "good" spin-off of this action
is the capture and final disposition of a tyrannical dictator
who had as equal a regard for his citizens as did Adolf Hitler
for his.
Do we lament the execution [suicide] of Hitler or celebrate
him as a great benefactor to mankind? Today in these United
States there are confused "decent" folks who would
prosecute President Bush for the small part he played although
not the mission in Mr. Hussein's demise. I am listening at
this moment to "Talk" radio and those idiots who
call in praising the "butcher of Baghdad" and his
half brothers who are "up" next. Hussein's sons
went to receive their reward of [40-60-70] virgins [whew]
making this family the most dysfunctional in history; hallelujah!
I would have preferred that the Iraqi "devil" did
life in [Gitmo] as execution of a tyrant is not a deterrent.
There will be another, and another. Brutality, alas is the
one way that order can be maintained in that part of the world.
The ultimate terrorist is the leader with the authority and
mechanism to commit crimes against the people with impunity
and disregard for any consequences. Now it is time for our
military to come home and repair the damage to themselves,
their family and the community. Don't forget, we owe it to
ourselves to assist them in whatever way to put their lives
together [if that is possible]. Suicide in our military has
become epidemic. Despair is number two. Organizations such
as MSF [Medicine Sans Frontiers/Doctors without borders] are
leaving. The Red Cross/Red Crescent cannot do what they do.
Military and civilian psychiatrists or psychologists are in
a losing battle. Generals are dismissed with a wave of the
hand by those [as Gen. Patton said] "know less about
war than they do about fornicating". Shinseki was "dumped".
Garner was replaced for suggesting that the defeated Iraqi
Army be kept in place. Now Gen. John Abizaid, our Arabic speaking
Commander is on his way for admitting "it's a civil war
and "while we are not losing, we are not winning".
Looks like a loss to me with over 3,000 dead and 10,000 wounded
with no real estate, no hearts and minds and losses to the
enemy have been by their own actions. We must consider the
men that come home to an abandoned home, kids gone , and the
ex wife being "entertained" by the local gigolo.
That;s a loss.
The new congress can and should take the lead. Just say "No"!
No money, no draft, no war! I still maintain that the military
as any corporation has the right to recruit, solicit, interview
and hire anywhere that it is legal.
Glenn T. Anderson
Olivebridge, NY
Dear Editor,
I am writing as one whose grammar school days were spent in
three of Olive’s one room school and was finished in
the one room school in Boiceville in the building which still
stands near the intersection of 28A and 28.
In the early part of the century public schools had to be
available within walking distance of the homes. Walking distance
meant 4 or 5 miles , not a few blocks. Therefore in the hamlet
of West s\Shokan alone there were 4 school buildings at one
time. There was the Bushkill school up Moonhaw road, and Watson
Hollow school up the Bushkill road toward Peekamoose. I believe
only one of these schools was open at a time but I attended
both. The Bushkill school has been converted to a home and
the Watson Hollow school disintegrated. The West Shokan school
on 28A was larger and near the center of the hamlet.
My mother was the teacher at each of these school and we walked
about two miles from the end of Burgher road where we lived
. I started at age 5 , in 1916 . None of you readers can imagine
what it was like going into this little building with a pump
for pumping water into a pail from which we drank from a dipper
in one end of the roo. A wood stove provided the heat in winter.
The toilet was an outhouse which was often invaded by porcupines
who were nocturnal creatures which liked to gnaw on the toilet
seat because of the salt from our bottoms. Trhey left an occassional
quill .
The seats or benches with desks were of varying sized to fit
the kids. At the Bushkill school there couldnot have been
more that 10 or 12 children and often no more thatn one in
a given grade. The desks had ink wells built in and filled
from bottles as needed . Writing tools were pencils and pens
witth removable nibs which are now only used by artists. Fountain
pens emerged a little later. Ink wells at a desk made it possible
for a “naughty” child to dip the end of the long
pigtail of a person in front of you in just a little Do you
think it ever happened? The outer garments were hung at the
side of the room along with the lunch boxes. There was a very
meager supply of library books but our textbooks were furnished.
Each class in each subject ca,e to the front of the room for
class sessions and it was interesting to hear the classes
ahead of you reciting. It was really no problem to study your
own lessons while others recited in the same room, believe
it or not.
There was no Phys Ed but at certain times all the students
stood in the aisles between desks and did exercises in place
as it was mandated. We also had brief music periods where
we sang songs together. Songs like “Dixie”, “Old
Black Joe” “Yanke Doodle”, and other folk
songs. And, yes, we drew pictures at one period in the course
of a week . Every boody had to practice that then popular
writing movements supposed to help us writ well . It didn’t
do me much good. Cursive writing, not printing , was the mode.
At recess times . both mornings and afternoon, everyone was
expected to go outside and play . We played games like tag,
Red Rover, a game involving throwing a ball over the schoohouse,
tug of war and in snow time Fox and Geese. We usually had
some time out at lunch time. In bad weather we must have done
something inside but I can’t recall what. After school
everyone went home and there was no such thing as hangingout
with your friends In my experience there was very little opportunity
for a kid to get together with others inasmuch as there were
few peers and no place to get together
After this little school I went to the West Shokan school
and there were about 15 or twenty children there . There was
an indoor toilet and a water faucet. There were more books
available and a much more clement atmosphere for a child.
As to the scholastic program the courses and content there
was a syllabus put out by the state was followed for each
subject and the teacher would decide on the basis of your
work when you could take the regents exams in the different
subjects and if your grade was satisfactory you would be able
to graduate and enter high school so any fairly bright kid
could get into high school by 11 or 12 years of age. So after
the West Shokan school I went to the Boiceville school , where
my mother was assigned to teach, which was larger still. I
was able to go to Kingston High school at 111/2 years of age.
My High school experience was great and there was no problem
scholastically or with extracurricular school activities
I must say, however, I was not well prepared to cope well
with interpersonal relationships as my peers from the larger
schools.
Mescal E. Hornbeck
Woodstock, NY