Transcending civility
Melanie Strell kindly wonders why Hugh Reynolds used “Hi Ho Silver, Oy Vey” as his headline directed towards Sheldon Silver’s recent woes. I don’t wonder at all. He wanted to call attention to Mr. Silver being Jewish.
I’ve found Reynolds to be offensive on more than one occasion; his remarks about Maurice Hinchey stand out for me. However, this one transcends civility. It borders on an anti-Jewish attitude and warrants an apology. Frankly, it was an editorial failure.
Meyer Rothberg, Saugerties
Time for the trail
Growing up in Olivebridge we often wondered when the train might come through along those abandoned tracks in Shokan. As a kid, the idea of a train ride seemed like it might be fun. But that train never came. It still hasn’t, 25 years later.
Now I live and work in Uptown Kingston, where walking and biking are my preferred modes of transportation. Weeks can go by without getting in my car.
A state-of-the-art urban trail will be well used and welcome by all who live and work in Kingston. Although I’m sure the network of trails will get much use for recreation by families and all who live and visit Kingston (and I do look forward to being able to get on my bike in Kingston and ride west out to the Ashokan, to Rosendale, the Strand or Marbletown) — it is the rail trail’s value as a network of safe, sustainable paths of transportation — everyday — that I value most.
Seeing these long defunct publicly owned corridors turned into a network of urban trails — which supports a more sustainable, healthy lifestyle while lowering the cost of living and carbon footprint of Kingston residents like me — is worthy of our support.
Surely those who oppose this don’t live and work in Kingston.
Siena Wright, Kingston
How to win friends
It seems to me that ISIS needs a new public-relations firm. Do they really believe they can threaten the entire world by executing private citizens from everywhere? “There! That’ll teach you infidels.” Really?
Aren’t they just pissing everybody off and getting one country after another to join the coalition against them? Why would anyone want to provoke the entire world to fight against them? How preposterous is that?
But then, when it comes to U.S. foreign policy matters, we’ve been down the rabbit hole for a long time. Remember the non-existent WMD’s that were the excuse for getting us
into this quicksand quandary? And back when those pajama-clad rice farmers in Vietnam were such a threat to our national security that we had to go and kill a few million of them. Now, they’re happily doing all their business in dollars.
Maybe ISIS ought to hire Dick Cheney’s public relations people, he knows how to get the job done. Well, maybe they already have?!
Liam Watt, Mount Tremper
What public space is for
I am a bit hesitant to weigh in on the rail vs. trail controversy. I enjoy trains and trails for different reasons. As an attorney who practiced for decades in Kingston and a former property owner there, I am pleased to see positive developments for the city, represented by both the success of this fall’s tourist trains and the impressive trail progress made by the Kingston Greenline group.
I also look at the rail trail issue with my attorney hat on. When I consider the conflicting plans for the corridor between Hurley and Phoenicia, I see the reality that the railroad company has been unable to maintain, much less develop, more than a few miles in its 20-plus year control of the property. It may have seemed a good choice at the start, but this is a huge tract of scenic publicly owned land. It should be developed with its beauty preserved for as many users, with the least environmental degradation, for as much of the year as possible. I encourage the county legislature to create policy that preserves the property for that purpose so that planning can move forward rather than wait for what certainly seems like the inevitable end of the railroad’s leasehold. Our elected leaders have a responsibility to steward county property effectively.
As much as I like trains, I see the railroad’s proposal as the passion of train enthusiasts. I have visited and lived near places with trails for hiking and cycling and I have seen how much use they attract. They offer accessible exercise, outdoor education and safe cycling to work. People use them every day. This is what public space is for.
Richard J. Goldman, Woodstock
Join the family! 
