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Dear Editor,
In a recent letter to Pine Hill water users, Bob Cross gives credit
to Pete Di Modica and the Pine Hill Water District Coalition for
many events that actually occurred during Dean Gitter's
ownership of the Pine Hill Water Company. Specifically, the water
district's current financial difficulties arose in large
part because the water company under Dean Gitter's management
did not collect full costs for water use from the Pine Hill Arms,
the Pine Hill Day Use Area, and SHARP's Friend-ship Manor
building, large water users
whose metered water use would have netted the water company hundreds
of
dollars per month. Previously, Al Frisenda had picked Robert Feller
to be the Town's attorney for water matters, and most of
the bills from Mr. Feller that are being criticized were generated
while Dean Gitter owned the water company and was refusing to
negotiate in good faith with the Town because he needed to have
an important source removed from the water permit held by the
company. Dean Gitter also owned the water company on March 1,
2003, the deadline for filing for the tax credit that the Town
is still seeking.
The Water Coalition's efforts did result in the preservation
of one major
water source for the hamlet. Now that the Water Coalition's
claims about the
flows from the hamlet's water sources have been validated
by data submitted
by engineers from Crossroads Ventures, the Town of Shandaken can
proceed
with the admittedly deficient grant and loan package it had to
purchase from
Dean Gitter.
Sincerely,
Rich Schaedle, Chairman
Pine Hill Water District CoalitionDear Editor,
The August 5th Phoenicia Times reported that Shandaken Town Supervisor
Bob Cross, Jr. publicly addressed his attempted cover up of a
letter received from Friends of Catskill Park by stating that
"All of our adjoining towns have golf courses."
Mr. Cross apparently needs another history lesson. Although Shandaken
was a town of greater acreage when first incorporated 200 years
ago, the Town of Denning was later incorporated in 1849, originally
ceded from a part of Shandaken. Here in Denning, we have no golf
course. Mr. Cross should recognize Denning as an independent and
adjoining town.
Clifford Faintych
Denning, NY
Dear Editor,
The Belleayre ski area's expansion plans are the latest casualty
of Dean Gitter's proposed resort. After many exciting presentations
by Tony Lanza about new lodges, slopes, lifts, parking areas and
boosted attendence, NY State now announces that that there never
were any official plans, and that the public won't hear anything
more about it for at least two years. This is because Gitter's
resort could not go forward without considering the combined impacts
of the two plans together. So the ski area expansion got the ax.
The first fatality was our town's peace of mind. The zoning laws
were next. Trophy homes could be designated as bungalows. Gitter
argued to get golf courses permitted while declaring he had no
intention to build one. He took Pine Hill's water with the promise
it would be returned. We're still fighting over that one.
The next victim was the comprehensive plan. The one Shandaken
worked hard to craft didn't suit Gitter's purposes, so it had
to go. The only way to do that was to take over the government.
You should have heard our Town Supervisor say "I don't see
any way the resort could hurt our community" at the DEIS
hearings. You did hear him say that he had the green light to
spend our tax dollars to mow Gitter's private heliport, oops,
I mean soccer field.
How many more of our rural values will have to die so the Belleayre
Resort can get built? How many kids on bicycles will be crushed
by the tens of thousands of construction trucks the resort would
require? Right now, there are sensible hotel and housing developments
proposed for our region that are getting back-burnered to pave
the way for Gitter's boondoggle.
Belleayre ski expansion plans are dead. What's next?
Dave Channon
Shandaken, NY
Dear Editor,
Have you heard about the Kosher Soup Lunch for Seniors every Wednesday
at 12:30 p.m., at 254 Lucas Avenue, Kingston in Agudas Achim?
Have you heard that the Kosher Lunch is free to all seniors, 60
and over? Have you heard that you are served a complete meal from
delicious homemade soup to satisfying desserts - even sugar free
desserts for those who require? Have you heard that you can speak
to our wonderful chef, Andrea, or one of her marvelous assistants
to get a favorite recipe or request a special dish? Have you heard
that you can get extra food to take home? Well, you've heard it
now so come on down. Call Jewish Family Services at 338-2980 before
Tuesday morning to make a reservation so that we will expect you.
See you at Agudas Achim on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m.
Renee Englander
Woodstock, NY
Dear Editor,
I have a question. Are you aware of this study on fear in relationship
to voting?
In studies to be published in the December issue of the journal
Psychological Science and the September issue of the Personality
and Social Psychology Bulletin, they are saying death can raise
people's need for psychological security.
"There are people all over claiming every time Bush is in
trouble he generates fear by declaring an imminent threat,"
said Sheldon Solomon of Skidmore College.
Jeff Greenberg, a professor of psychology, University of Arizona,
said generating fear was a common tactic. "A lot of leaders
gain their appeal by helping people feel they are heroic, particularly
in a fight against evil," Greenberg said in a telephone interview
from Hawaii, where he presented the findings to a meeting of the
American Psychological Association.
In the first study, Solomon, Greenberg and colleagues asked students
to think about their own death or a neutral topic. They then read
campaign statements of three hypothetical candidates for governor,
each with a different leadership style. The students who thought
about death were much more likely to choose the charismatic leader,
they found. Only four out of 100 chose the imaginary leader when
thinking about a neutral topic, but 30 out of 100 did after thinking
about death. Greenberg, Solomon and colleagues then set up four
separate studies at different universities.
"In one we asked half the people to think about the September
11 attacks, or to think about watching TV. What we found was staggering,"
Solomon said.
When asked to think about television, the 100+ volunteers did
not approve of Bush or his policies in Iraq. But when asked to
think about Sept. 11 first and then asked about their attitudes
toward Bush, another 100 volunteers had a very strong approval
of President Bush and his policy in Iraq. Solomon, a social psychologist
who specializes in terrorism, said it was very rare for a person's
opinions to differ so strongly depending on the situation. Another
study focused directly on Bush and his challenger, Sen. John Kerry.
The volunteers ranged from 18 into their 50s and described as
liberal to deeply conservative. No matter what their political
conviction, thinking about death made them favor Bush. Otherwise,
they preferred Kerry. Solomon wants voters to be aware of psychological
pressures and how they are used.
Judith A. Boggess, MSC
Shokan, NY
Dear Editor,
While it is illegal to invade your neighbors property or home
by entering uninvited and you can be arrested for trespassing,
on the other hand a person could open his windows and turn his
radio or TV up as high as he pleased. The noise would invade his
neighbors' home, prevent his neighbors from talking or sleeping
and yet the cop could not tell him to turn the sound down because
of no legal backing. And the culprit would claim the right to
do as he pleased. What is trespassing, anyway?
America is becoming noisier than ever before in history, illnesses
are occurring in people whose occupation is associated with loud
noise, deafness is running rampant. The noise incidental to traffic,
commercial and industrial activities, and air traffic are making
life almost unbearable for many people. And added to this is the
assault on all of us by those people who invade us with the loud
noise with their home and auto noise making equipment. The cars
specially equipped to allow noise advertised as being "loud
enough to kill" are being sold, and are not being stopped
by our laws.
And so the City of Kingston is having a hard time passing a law
making it possible for a cop to ask that music be turned down!
And the councilwoman who introduced this matter is said to be
doing it for political reasons!
Well, the first convention is over and a rousing one it was. There
is one troubling item. Unless the health care insurance thing
is really solved, taken out of the hands of profit making companies
and put under our control so that the cost can really be cut,
it seems to me that it is going to be hard to bring jobs back
here where the health care costs are so much higher than elsewhere
in the world. It is intriguing that we might have a first lady
who speaks her mind and has a mind to speak. A person like that
could help a president get a broader perspective of the presidency.
We had one once who did.
Mescal E. Hornbeck
Woodstock, NY
Dear Editor,
In a chance conversation with another postal patron in Mount Tremper,
we both agreed that we felt a loss with Nancy going to Phoenicia
to work and we would miss her. Jackie agreed that it was a joy
to converse with her and see that smile. Mt. Tremper thanks you
Nancy Elliott and we will miss you.
Bob Jacobson
Mt. Tremper, NY
Dear Editor,
As a child I was intensely interested to hear about my grandfather's
visits to the wounded veterans of World War I in the hospitals
of Berlin, Germany. Talking and listening to these courageous
men had a great impact on my grandfather's life and inspired some
of his best writings.
Since World War I, we have experienced many more wars that have
caused death and endless suffering throughout the world. Now we
find ourselves in another war; the attention of the whole world
is focused on Iraq. Again we are in a Vietnam-like conflict which
has already caused many casualties and which will not go away
overnight.
It is easy to forget that it is now more than a year since we
sent our young men and women into battle. At the time, there was
a lot of fanfare - much was made of how we on the home front should
support the troops on the front lines. Since then, a thousand
of these brave men and women have lost their lives. The grief
is overwhelming. Each one has a precious story that needs to be
told - of courage, patriotism, fear, love, and the longing to
serve one's country.
Almost more devastating, though, are the thousands of wounded
soldiers who are returning from Iraq. Their names are rarely mentioned,
the nature of their injuries are consigned to the back pages of
newspapers. But for all of them, their lives and the lives of
their families will never be the same.
The most badly injured are medevacked first to Germany, and then
the severely wounded and the amputees go on to the Walter Reed
Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. These soldiers have received
more attention than was the case in earlier wars, in the media,
and in films like Fahrenheit 9/11. But as a nation there is a
lot more each one of us can do to welcome these brave young people
home. Regardless of our personal feelings about the war or the
fine points of foreign policy, the reality is that these men and
women have laid their lives on the line on our behalf. For that
we owe them a great debt.
My wife and I were grateful for the chance to go to Walter Reed
with some friends. We were able to meet some of these soldiers
- a rewarding experience, and one we hope to have again. Our government
is doing everything possible to help these wounded soldiers and
their families, and the staff is to be commended for their dedication.
That said, it is sobering to see the suffering of the wounded.
We met one Marine and two Army servicemen. We greeted them with
the words: "Welcome home, brother, and thank you for what
you have done for all of us." They had lost their arms and
legs and one could only breathe from a respirator. Their lives
have been changed forever - they will never play with their children
or mow their lawns again. But their determination and patriotism
and faith are incredible. Every one of them wants to go back to
Iraq as soon as possible to support their friends and comrades.
The men we met were eager to tell their stories and how they were
wounded. They were happy to have someone beside them who listened
and cared. Each one of them had lost close friends in action.
It must be very hard to see a comrade killed right beside you.
There are already at least 6,000 severely wounded soldiers who
have come home from Iraq. There will be more. We have not yet
begun to feel their presence, but over the next years we will
see these sons and daughters of ours in towns and cities across
America. Such wounds are a burden that few can bear. Families
will be broken. Many returning soldiers will be abandoned and
rejected. They will discover that the skills they learned in the
military are of little use in civilian life. Many will go through
deep anger and bitterness toward the society that sent them to
war.
How can we be sure that these beloved men and women with their
broken bodies are not a burden but a precious gift to our country?
How can we keep them from slipping off our radar screens and make
sure that their sacrifice is honored, not only this year, but
for the rest of their lives? God forbid that they suffer the same
fate as the Vietnam veterans who continue to line up outside the
soup kitchens and drug clinics of our country. Before the war
each one had their dreams, their longings, and their ambitions.
They had beloved families - many had married shortly before they
were deployed. Now their whole world has collapsed. We have to
help them to come to grips with this huge change in their lives.
We have to help them to forgive and accept themselves and all
of us who sent them to war. That way, they can use their own personal
tragedies to teach others, because each one of them, although
not by their own choosing, has been through the valley of the
shadow of death.
There are two recoveries. The first is that the physical body
recovers and begins to function again normally. For many of them
this will take months if not years and most likely in many cases
a full physical recovery will never happen. Yet much more important
is the spiritual recovery, the healing of the emotional scars
that the war has inflicted on them. This is a tough one that can
only be tackled with love, patience, listening, and prayer, one
person at a time.
It was a privilege for me to spend time with three of these men.
I was reminded of Jesus' words: "Whatever you do to the least
of these my brethren, you do to me." I felt that I was on
the receiving end; they were teaching me much more than I could
ever give them. The staff at Walter Reed echoed this sentiment;
the chaplain told us that he received inspiration from the patients
there. Each one of us has the chance to learn from these veterans
- let us not miss it. These men and women can become our nation's
greatest asset. This will only happen if we help them to see that
their bruised bodies are nothing to be ashamed of. There is so
much they can contribute to society simply by telling their stories.
We must be ready to listen.
Johann Christoph Arnold
Senior Pastor
Bruderhof Communities
Rifton, NY
Dear Editor,
The political play of the year was Mr. Bush and his administration
rushing to turn Iraq over to the Iraqi government. Remember he
turned it over one month before it was scheduled to be turned
over. It might have been a smart move by Mr. Bush because it took
some heat off of him and now we really don't know who's
doing what. Are the United States armed forces directing the war
or is the leaders of Iraq running the war. In truth it doesn't
matter because Mr. Bush wanted this war and he should be held
responsible. Almost every day our young men and women are dying.
Nine hundred and twenty two brave young men and women have died
already and thousands have been wounded. Have you noticed that
no one is talking about all of the innocent people in Iraq that
have been killed?
The closer we get to election we'll probably start to see
either good news coming from the Bush administration about the
war or there will be finger pointing at the Iraq government. We
might even see gas prices continue to fall as we get closer to
the election.
William Warnecke
Glenford, NY
Dear Editor,
I came across a letter to the editor from a person in Glenford.
The letter was in reference to West Hurley School and the school
board. The part that really caught my attention was, "if
the school board members stop shaking their head Œyes'
to the superintendent and the administration and what they want
and does some research on their own they wouldn't be accused
of waffling." He also said "when we elect the school
board members; we expect them to worry about the good of the students."
My letter is directed to the school board and the administration.
I wonder just how much they worry about the children that go to
Onteora School. There has been some matters that have been brought
to their attention on many different occasions. Things that could
mean the safety of the children that go to school. They have done
nothing to look into these matters. I think the parents of the
Onteora school district should stand up to the board and find
out what is going on with the transportation of their children
so that we do not have what happened to Kevin O'Connor happen
again. In his case he was the only child that got killed. Maybe
next time it will be a bus full of children that get hurt. I think
it is time for the school board to show that they are not puppets,
and are really working for the safety of the children that go
to school. They should want to know. The board should have looked
into these matters themselves. You would think they would want
to know as board members and parents what really is going on and
just what is the truth. Not just bury their heads, and sit on
their hands, and do what other people tell them to do. I hope
the new school superintendent has a wider vision and is open to
what is really going on and is not afraid to do the things that
have to be done.
I would also like to know how the school bought a new school bus
when it was voted not to buy any new buses. If these types of
things are happening and we don't know about them, then
we have to ask, what else is going on? Maybe we should be asking
how and why. These are the question the parents should be asking.
Jean Daniels
Glenford, NY
Dear Editor,
The efforts of nearly a hundred extraordinary people combined
to produce a magnificent show on Saturday, July 31 at Dietz Stadium
in Kingston: "Democratic Festival 2004," sponsored by
the Ulster County Democratic Committee. Besides the 46 world-class
performers who came out for the Democratic cause - plus one surprise
guest star - we had a staff and crew of volunteers as able and
willing as any ever assembled. As executive producer, I was extremely
fortunate in having access to all that talent.
Hearty thanks to Wayne Platte of the Kingston Fire Department
and Don Quick of the VFW for the Color Guard, and of course to
the marvelous performers, most of whom are residents of the Hudson
Valley: the Dwyer Family Band, Jonathan Kleigler, The Queens,
Carol Fox Prescott and Paul Helou, The Saints of Swing with Rene
Bailey, Betty MacDonald, Steve Knight, Peter Schickele and his
Kerryokians with Karla and Matthew Schickele, John Sebastian,
Donovan (yes, that one), Tom Pacheco, Bruce Milner, Big Sister,
the Five Points Band, Gus Mancini and his Sonic Soul Awe-Kestra,
and the Brite-Man Band.
Among the host of deserving volunteers, these must not go uncredited:
Steve Knight, musical director; Hank Neimark, stage manager, assisted
by Jency Elliott; Tom Ocker, operations manager, Peter Walther,
assistant stage manager; Rennie Cantine and Alex Nahow, production
facilitators; Bernadette Lozada, crafters coordinator; Chandra
Smith, art show curator; Renee Englander, children's activities
director; Chuck Ballantine of Ballantine Communications, Inc.,
sound control; supervolunteers Tim Rinaldo and Janet Klugiewicz;
and MCs Jerome Taub and Michael Schacker. Musical equipment was
supplied by Bruce Milner, Jeremy Backofen and Steve Knight. Special
thanks go to the Bear Café for the delectable provisions
in the Green Room.
Despite confusion due to capricious weather, a good many people
of the Hudson Valley and from as far as New York City formed an
enthusiastic audience and enjoyed warm rapport with the performers.
It was a night that will be spoken of for a long time. I am delighted
to have been a part of it.
Otia
Lee
Phoenicia, NY
Dear Editor,
Bush gave a big speech last week about how his faith is "important"
to him. In this attempt to convince the American people
that we should elect him president because of his piousness, he
announced that his favorite Bible verse is John 16:3.
Of course the speech writer meant John 3:16, "For God so
loved the world that he gave his one and only Son..." but
apparently nobody in the Bush camp was
familiar enough with scripture to catch the error, including George
himself.
Bush believes John 16:3 which says "And they will do such
things because they have not known the Father nor
Me".
The Holy Spirit works in strange and mysterious ways.
Steve LaMarca
Poughkeepsie, NY
Dear Editor,
I am writing to you because I am concerned about a dear friend
of mine who lives in Olivebridge. She has a large brown bear who
has become a frequent visitor.
If you could see her going down for her mail you would split a
gut. She has a large iron pot which she bangs on with a metal
spoon and a whistle around her neck, and she sings "Bear
go over the mountain." All that's missing is a coonskin
cap and a muzzle loader.
A lady in Shandaken said all we are getting is lip service. What
we need is a bear hunt.
Not to be silly, a solution to the problem would be to get thirty
or forty DEC men and, no pun intended, a million of those cars
they have and make our own bear hunt. We could get Bobby Benson
and Tonto to lead the pack. I know it's not funny especially
if you have young children. I hope any God will show us the way.
Bob Donovan
Saxon Hill House
Olivebridge, NY
Dear Editor,
Mid-Hudson Valley residents will be among hundreds of thousands
demonstrating in New York City against the policies of President
George Bush as the Republican National Convention opens this month.
Special buses have been chartered from Kingston and New Paltz
to bring anti-Bush activists from Ulster and Dutchess counties
to participate in an Aug. 29 march past Madison Sq. Garden, site
of the convention, to the West Side Highway for what is expected
to be one of the largest rallies in recent history. Organizers
of the massive demonstration, led by the United for Peace and
Justice coalition, have obtained police permits for both events.
The Mid-Hudson National People's Campaign and Hudson Valley Activist
Newsletter are organizing the local buses, which cost $25 for
the roundtrip. Reservations, which must be received by Aug. 15,
are available via email (jacdon@earthlink.net) or phone (845-255-5779).
Jack A. Smith
New Paltz, NY
Dear Editor,
I really enjoy reading the Phoenicia Times. You give me
information that I have never seen in print, or perhaps it's been
buried and I've skipped over it. Through you, I learned
about the two impending draft bills in Congress, S89 and HR163.
Researching the topic, I found out that if/when there is a draft,
there will be NO SCHOOL EXEMPTIONS. College students will no longer
be deferred past their current semester, and if chosen in a lottery,
would be headed for basic training camp in the year they turn
twenty. And no more going to Canada, kids, because
John Ashcroft worked out an agreement with our northern-most neighbor
not to let that happen again. Also, students thinking of
becoming a conscientious objector, think again. You will automatically
forego certain government student aid, training and employment
possibilities. And several states bar non-registrants from attending
state colleges and universities.
Thank you, Phoenicia Times. Keep up the good work.
Judith Boggess,
Shokan, NY
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