Dear Editor,
            On Sunday, July 18 (the second day of the Shandaken Bicentennial weekend),  everyone is invited to enjoy the "first ever" Phoenicia Garden Tour.
            This tour will take you through nine private gardens in the Phoenicia area, the heart of the high Catskill peaks. It will be held on Sunday, July 18, from 10am to 4 pm, rain or shine.  These local gardens, large and small, offer varied landscapes of perennial and annual beds, wildflower meadows, herb gardens, rock gardens, water gardens, and woodland shade gardens.
            Tickets cost $20 and will go on sale at 9:30 am at the Phoenicia Plaza, one mile east of Phoenicia on State Route 28.  Participants will be provided with a brochure that describes each garden and a tour map, with directions for driving to each location.
            This event is a major fund-raiser for the volunteer group Phriends of Phoenicia, for its Main Street Beautification projects.  The group has been active installing and maintaining planters and gardens on Phoenicia‚s Main Street for two years.
            As one of the tour participants I can guarantee that, rain or shine, you'll have a wonderful day!  It's well worth the $20 ticket price and a great opportunity to support our hardworking "Phriends."  If you'd like more information, call Tour Chairperson Terry Spies, (845) 688-2733.
            You can purchase tickets in advance at these locations: the Tender Land, Tender Land Home, Terrace Farm Nursery & Greenhouse, Phoenicia Belle B&B, Phoenicia Wines and Liquors, and  Zena Green Nursery.  Then you pick up the tour map and brochure the day of the event. 
            Sincerely,
Veronica Rowe
Chichester, NY
 
Dear Editor,
            My wife and I are visiting for the summer at the home of friends, old curmudgeons like us, at the Twilight Park in Haines Falls, and just yesterday I picked up the June 17 copy of your paper at your local gas station. We wanted you to know that we enjoyed reading your paper so much, as it is very well done and kept us abreast of local events and issues, and I take it is deservedly very well received by residents, second home owners, and visitors alike, and we all here wish to congratulate you. The only thing you do not have is coverage of the local courts, that does inform upon who is doing what to whom and of the final result, which we find very entertaining in our hometown newspaper in Pasadena, Kalifornia. This also has the tendency to keep mischief subdued as potential troublemakers are on their toes, and you should consider all the other benefits of doing this as well.
            By the way, we all had a good laugh in seeing a posting on one of your ulitity poles in town that reads "Breast examination 20 feet ahead, please hang them out", and that shows that some in your community have a very good sense of humor, a thing we really need in the troubled times ahead of us.
            We also read this very interesting letter to the editor by this fellow R.Wayne Gutmann, with whom we could not agree more. We all miss and salute the WWII heroes and soldiers and we cherish the Gipper and his accomplishments, perhaps us in California more than others, as he lived mostly with us and was perhaps counted by most as one of us. But we have to move on, as many more difficulties still lie ahead of us, and the politicians able and willing to tackle them are perhaps lacking, the misguided being unfortunately too plentiful. I do not know of the uniform, or of the political party(ies) of your Mr. Gutmann, but he certainly wears all the horse feathers of the would-be politician, as most of us will agree with his statements, and they really appeal to all in the political spectrum. Come on, come November, elect him as the Breast Examiner you do not yet have!
            We are all looking forward and are impatient to read the future issues of The Phoenicia Times.
Randolph Eyst
Pasadena, California
(In residence for the summer at The Twilight Park, Haines Falls)

Dear Editor,
            With the death of Marlon Brando, I feel a sense of the loss of hope of my entire generation. He was the hope of real in the world. Of sexuality unashamed. Of raw need combined with the most delicate of sensitivities and a way out there, wacky sense of humor. I think of him as the most beautiful man I ever saw.
            The images from his films are in the minds of all of us who came of age in the fifties and defined our world by the movies, that desperate time of artifice and supposed perfection. He broke through that for us and pointed us in directions of unvarnished truth, beautiful, as well as ugly.
            Through the years, I have felt so much sadness for him because he could never seem to enjoy his gifts, only use them with a ferocity that struck our hearts and cleared our minds. Yet, according to Sean Penn, who I saw being interviewed by Charlie Rose last night, he loved actors and spoke glowingly about the ones whose work he was moved by. I thank God for that.
            He changed the world. He loved beyond his ability to make sense out of it. He defined courage, sexuality, human nature, and loss.
            In another time of image consciousness and surface reality, his presence in the world was a glowing reminder. His absence in the world is felt.
Carol Fox Prescott
Lake Hill, NY
 
Dear Editor,
            It's about time that the Onteora taxpayers sent a message to the School Board. The second vote on the budget was rejected by a vote of 1,529 against, 1,072 for the budget. That forced the school to go on an austerity budget. It also sent an undeniable message to the school board that they start taking a look at the way the administration runs the school and that they play a more active part at the beginning of the budget process. Chairman of the Board Marino D'Orazio attributed the defeat to the voter backlash from the town of Olive over the so-called "large parcel" legislation and the closing of the West Hurley School, but it also sent the message that the cost per student is way out of line with other Ulster County schools and the tax payers want something done about that.
            Although the school is now on an austerity budget don't be surprised if many items that the school threatened to do away with get restored. When the school was forced to go on an austerity budget back in the 2001-2002 school year, the administration found $200,000 and many items were restored.
William Warnecke
Glenford, NY

Dear Editor,
            At a Fourth of July celebration Bush said that "the founders would be proud of America today." Maybe, if they didn't happen to notice the pollution, poverty, preemptive war and patriot act. Good Grief!
            Another Good Grief goes to the sense of timing of those who presumably oppose the Belleayre Resort but are now busting New York City's hump in the midst of their (our) struggle to stop this mountain-eating, river-wrecking boondoggle. If attempting to save the land and the water for the greater good is "dictatorial" then so be it.
            Right now let's help NYC see this horror to its grave and then we can worry about the City overstepping its bounds or mistreating the land it has acquired. For heaven's sakes this is the wrong time to be getting on their case for some unlikely thing they may do in the future such as clear cutting the land or forbidding any development at all.
Peter Koch
Woodstock, NY


Dear Editor,
            The arguments about whether "we" should have invaded Iraq, WMD, if Saddam plotted 9/11, etc. go on and on; but all the controversy is but a distraction to keep the general public from realizing and confronting a truly hideous fact. The true motive for many, even most, of the invasions of foreign countries by the United States is economic.
            This is not because nations like Iraq have ever posed any real economic threat to the large majority of citizens; but our young people were sent to kill and to die on foreign soil simply to secure and/or enhance the wealth and profits of the mostly hereditary wealthy ruling class of this country. Of course some "noble cause" such as just punishment for some invented wrong done to our country, or to "bring democracy and freedom" to the invaded territory, is always trumpeted to deceive the public.
            Years, often many years, later the truth comes out; but only after the next generation has matured enough to be eligible for use as cannon fodder for the next grab of some other nation's territory or resources, and has been "educated" by the well-crafted propaganda foisted on them in elementary and high school history classes.
            If anyone doubts that we are now living under a "restricted dictatorship," consider that the Supreme Court has ruled that Dick Cheney does not have to reveal the details of the energy policy agreed on by him and his power company sponsors until after the election. If there is any more damning admission of guilt, I can't imagine what it would be short of a public confession of malfeasance. I think we may correctly assume that agreements and plans adopted in that secret conference would disgust, and perhaps even enlighten the public as to the corporate-rule of government policy. What is to be done? You know as well as I do, if you dare think about it.
Phil Sullivan
Woodstock, NY
Dear Editor,
            On June 6, it was my pleasure to attend, along with many hundreds of others, the 13th annual Hudson Valley AIDS Auction at Williams Lake Hotel in Rosendale. I don't know how they do it but each year it gets better.
            There is no comparable venue where such a large number of wonderful high quality items are displayed with such taste and attractiveness. Every aspect of the event ran smoothly, the food was delicious and bountiful, and the volunteers were gracious, helpful and knowledgeable.
            On behalf of AIDS Related Community Services (ARCS), one of the beneficiaries of the funds raised by the event, and speaking for our clients, volunteers, staff and board, we express our deepest thanks to Mrs. Anita Peck and the staff of the Williams Lake Hotel; to auctioneer Jay Werbalowsky and his entire staff; and to all the members of the Hudson Valley AIDS Auction Board of Directors for their incredible efforts on behalf of the community.
            The following individuals served on this year's Board of Directors: Karen Clark Adin, Jeanette Aprile, Donn Avallone, Jeffrey Boardman, Merle Borenstein, Osborn Richard Dewitt, Jacob Halpern, P. Isis Heslin, Kathy Janaczek, Stuart Klein, Ron Marquette, Michael McGowan, Robert Ohnigian, Carol Papini, Joe Perry, Dominick Vanacore and Duffy Violante. Thank you all for giving of yourselves in this most important fight against HIV and AIDS. Our sincerest thanks are also extended to all of those who donated items or made contributions or purchases. Thank you so much for your perseverance and your commitment.
Jeffrey Kraus
Executive Director
AIDS-Related
Community Services


Dear Editor,
            "Bundle to Beat Bush" is a local effort by the Woodstock/Saugerties community to pool contributions in order to oust George Bush from the White House. To date we have raised almost $30,000 in contributions from ordinary people who understand the dangers our country faces if Bush remains in the White House another four years. Bush's policies have jeopardized longstanding U.S. relationships with world allies, diminished the constitutional line between church and state, established dangerous precedents of preemptive strikes and passive acceptance of 'intelligence' information, deteriorated our educational system and been an all-out assault on women's reproductive rights. If you also have deep concerns about what four more years of such policies will do to the United States, dig deep and contribute to the efforts to get Bush our of office.
            Go to the "Bundle to Beat Bush" web site at www.BBB2004.com. You'll see an option to contribute by credit card or to print a form to mail in with your personal check. 100% of your contribution via "Bundle to Beat Bush" goes directly to the Kerry campaign - nothing is withheld by our organization. John Kerry needs to build his campaign finances now before the Democratic convention.     
            Contribute as generously as you can - because whatever cause you may personally support will only be enhanced by a change in the White House.
Joyce Hunt
Bearsville, NY

Dear Editor,
            June 22 was a happy day for me when the voters of Onteora school district voted down the budget for a second time. I've been preaching for the past 10 years that superintendent Hal Rowe was not doing his job of scrutinizing the budget increases every year. He had been giving all the department heads, especially Barbara Boyce, whatever they requested. Does the public realize the Barbara gets approximately 25 percent of the school budget for special education? Whereas we have a yearly dropout rate of 15 percent. I'd like to know how many of these dropouts were in special education classes. It's senseless to spend the money on these students in giving them special attention when you know they will drop out due to their frustration. It would be better to mainstream into regular classes until they reach 16 years old, rather than hiring special ed people.
            I've been proud of the district voters who learned to say 'no' to any more waste of taxpayers' money. It was deceiving for the board of education to say they would have to terminate 25 people as part of the austerity program. These people were approved but never hired.
            Mr. Grehl, head of transportation, should not have been surprised to learn the voters turned down his request for four buses. They were aware that meant hiring four more drivers who not only would be on the school payroll, but would be given the same health benefits the teachers get.
Joseph Scott
Woodstock, NY

Dear Editor,
            How tough it is going to be on the Onteora students with the budget defeated! Yes, our school taxes are high. Consider one aspect of the increase. Read the news and can't miss the frequent allusion to the fact that this or that budgetary increase or the cost of various projects had increased "because of the greatly increased cost of health care insurance." The increase in health care insurance has risen astronomically yet the American people and the American government won't act. Aside from the huge salaries the HMO and Insurance company CEOs are getting and money being made by the investors in the "for profit" health care industry, the very simple fact that there are many companies rather than one program is one cause. The smaller the number of persons covered by any insurance the greater the expenditure per capita by the company is bound to be. But we sitting ducks have to take it. Many are going without insurance, others going broke paying for it. The majority of us don't understand that there is a better way than the American way. Health care should be a service under the aegis of the government, not a commercial enterprise in the hands of private companies. The other industrialized countries. Having it under the aegis of the government as most of the industrialized countries and many of the other countries do it. They spend about half as much per person and all their citizens have health care and don't fear bankruptcy when illness strikes. The Drug and Pharmaceutical companies spend billions on what is, frankly, bribe money on our politicians and keep the people themselves well buttered up. We must know the facts about health care insurance and we must let out legislators know that we want it. For in depth information, visit www.cnhpnow.org or www.pnhp.org. Call Art Richter in Kingston at 338-9009, or e-mail arichter@hvc.rr.com.. To act, contact all your legislators local state, and national and tell them you want national, comprehensive health care insurance which covers everybody, reduces cost close to 50 percent of what we are paying now and puts the pharmaceutical companies within reach of our government.
Mescal Hornbeck
Woodstock, NY