Opposed to Onteora Plans
I recently learned that the Onteora school board has planned two changes to district operations that I find I am opposed to. The first change would be to move secondary start times to no earlier than 8 a.m. by September 2020. The second change would be to reconfigure the district and close the Bennett Elementary building, thus mashing fifth and sixth graders into the high school building.
Changing secondary start times has been talked about at OCS for over 30 years. Though research claims that secondary level students will benefit, I ask, At what cost to the disruption of family life due to the later time of dismissal at the end of the day?
Part of the proposal notes that the late bus # 2 will leave OCS at 5:30 p.m. This will result in many students arriving home at 6:15 p.m. My prediction would be that this will greatly disturb the delicate balance that working families have established for dinnertime, homework and rest at home.
The closure of an elementary school within the district is going to create a great upheaval within the district. I do understand the need to downsize, however I am not convinced that placing fifth and sixth graders with high school seniors is going to resolve our problems at OCS.
I am deeply concerned about how the reconfiguration is going to affect the families and communities of OCS. I urge parents, grandparents and OCS taxpayers to join together to tell the school board to focus on the reconfiguration of the district first. Put the start-time change on the back burner. I believe the board of education needs to place all its energy into the reconfiguration of the district. Stop the September 2020 plan to change the start times at the secondary level .
Janine Fallon Mower
Woodstock
Like-Minded People
Victor Capelli’s pointed letter lamenting the degradation of the natural ecology of this area was touching and right on. I suspect that there will be several letters similar to mine to remind all who were touched by this reminder that there are many ways to turn this lamentable situation around.
I suggest Mr. Capelli and like-minded people contact one of the numerous organizations and people who are hard at work attempting to stop this degradation and turn the needle around. Just do a search for conservation organizations in the mid-Hudson valley and take the time to connect and see where your passion and skills are the best fit.
I’m on the board of the Rondout-Esopus Land Conservancy, and we would welcome your help. And there are many like-minded people working in the same direction. Just get out and get to work.
Jac Conaway
Olivebridge
It’s Not Too Late
Early last year I pointed out that [Bill] McKenna had the right to hire [Les] Walker to design the addition to the Comeau building without being required to put out a Request for Proposal (RFP). However, I also pointed out that the town board had the right to direct McKenna to solicit RFPs. If the town board had done so, there probably would not be any issues now.
It appears to me that there are two ways the town can proceed. One is to bite the bullet, cut its losses, and put out an RFP, which in addition to saving thousands and thousands of dollars may allow Woodstock residents to have some input regarding the final design. The other way is to continue with Walker, whose proposed design, it appears, is one of the reasons McKenna said, “It has come to my attention there are questions about the process and the design.”
Now, according to Woodstock Times, “he’s stepping back from the Comeau renovation project and leaving it largely up to the town board. Councilmen Richard Heppner and Lorin Rose will continue to work with Walker Architecture to fine-tune the design for the main offices at 45 Comeau Drive.”
So, Woodstockers, do something, say something or write something. Show you are aware and care.
Howard Harris
Woodstock
The World of Politics
Twelve percent of Californians vote the way Siri tells them to.
Sparrow
Phoenicia
Bernie’s Not the Best Bet
I noticed an interesting parallel in the history of Democratic presidential politics. The left-wing idealistic candidate Eugene McCarthy was denied the nomination in a bloody struggle in Chicago 52 years ago. Establishment Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey lost due to the deep division within the Democratic Party. We handed the election to Richard Nixon.
Four years later, the Democrats ran George McGovern for president. His nomination was a vindication of the ‘leftist’ sentiments of the party. For the first time I was old enough and voted for him. We were slaughtered, winning only one state. Even so the Democrats held on to both houses, making the impeachment of Nixon possible.
In 2016 the centrists emerged victorious but bloodied, and Hilary, echoing Humphrey, lost an election she should have won, likely due to the non-participation of Bernie voters. Four years after that messy fight Bernie supporters are looking for the same kind of vindication that brought disaster to the party in 1972. The downside risks of his candidacy are starker than 1972 by a long shot.
Best-case scenario: Bernie wins and carries both houses.
Nothing will get done because Bernie won’t compromise any more than Trump, and his ideas are impractical and deeply unpopular in a number of cases. He won’t be able to summarily dissolve the health-insurance industry. He won’t be able to enact the kind of tax increases necessary to fund free everything and debt forgiveness. In two years he will lose the House big-time. Then they will impeach him in 2023.
Second-best case, he wins and keeps the House, but does not flip the Senate. Mitch McConnell will continue to stop all bills and not allow Supreme Court nominees to go forward.
Third-best case: Bernie wins and loses both houses of Congress. These mothers will impeach him and remove him from office on inauguration day, with the veep close behind. A Trumper House speaker will become president due to the line of succession in the constitution.
Worst-case scenario: Bernie loses, both houses are lost, and the Trump monarchy goes into full swing. Kiss democracy, the planet and your freedom goodbye.
That’s why i hope Bernie does not get the nomination. And I hope my friends will realize the ego gratification of heroically casting the “righteous” vote for Bernie on principle is not worth crashing and burning everything we hold dear.
In my view we only have a chance of saving democracy, the environment and world peace and prosperity if Democrats win the presidency and both houses. Without the Senate we’re still dead meat. Any of the other candidates are capable of carrying both houses along with their victories. A majority in this country is made nauseous by Trump and the values he espouses.
Paul McMahon
Woodstock
If There’s a Will, There’s a Way
Towards the end of the “New trustee” article in last week’s paper [2/27] is a paragraph dealing with library president Marcus’ understanding of the frustration of people who are attached to the current Woodstock Library building. She goes on to say, “If there was a way we could do the renovation and it would be cost-effective we would do it.”
Hallelujah! You have seen the light.
This is exactly what our alliance has been saying for many months. There is no question that the building can be completely rehabilitated, you just need the will to do it. The work could be completed along with a substantial addition to the rear of the existing building at a fraction of the cost of the replacement proposal.
The new addition could provide for the continuance of the basic library functions while the existing building was being renovated. All this for a cost of less than half the original $4.4-million budget and far less than the $6.9-million-plus-extras cost of the Tilly design.
Geez, Ms. president, you said it yourself.
Bob Young
Mt. Tremper
Lent
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
We spend our entire lives eating from Nature’s bust,
For the final feast, she gets to eat us.
Zura Capelli
Town of Ulster
Stalking Statisitics
Because of recent stalking incidents in Woodstock, it’s urgent to educate the community on this crime which carries a penalty of up to seven years in jail.
One in twelve women will be stalked during her lifetime. Acquaintances and former/present partners are perpetrators in 77 percent of cases. Stalking is a persistent, unwanted pursuit of an individual that would cause a reasonable person fear. It’s an intentional and unpredictable conduct that can be intrusive, intimidating, threatening, and harmful. Behaviors that seem harmless such as sending gifts, may be deemed stalking incidents depending on the context.
Stalking frequently involves an escalating series of incidents. The vast majority of stalkers are obsessed with their victims, intent on exerting power and control over their target using many tools including high-tech devices.
Following or watching the victim, trespassing/lingering at the victim’s home/workplace, initiating unwanted communications through deliveries, telephone calls, mail, email are frequent means of harassment.
What’s difficult in recognizing this illegal behavior, sometimes even for the police, is that a perpetrator’s actions may look ordinary and are dismissed by the uneducated. For example: “So he stood across the street from your house. That’s not illegal.” “So, he sent you flowers. What’s wrong with that?” “So, he shows up at your vacation spot, house of worship, or child’s school. Just a coincidence.”
What constitutes the criminal charge is the frequency and escalation which cause fear in the subject. No one is entitled to spend his/her time with someone who objects to it. Stalkers are frequently told by their targets to cease all communication, yet even negative communication can feed the stalker’s obsession.
To combat stalking keep a journal of all unwelcome behaviors. Do not engage in anyway with the stalker. Be aware of your surroundings. Change locks, passwords and pins. Create a personalized safety plan. Trust your instincts. If you feel you’re in imminent danger, call the police. Save all physical evidence. Contact local professionals such as domestic violence organizations for advice/support.
Orders of protection (restraining orders), obtained from criminal or family courts are orders which tell an individual what contact is prohibited/allowed if any.
Seventy-six percent of female murder victims and eighty-five percent of attempted murder victims have been stalked in the year before they were murdered or assaulted. Everyone must be alert to this crime.
Sharon Stonekey
Woodstock
Empower Yourself
I am not a healthcare practitioner but simply a researcher.
According to Orthomolecular News Service, the coronavirus can be dramatically slowed or stopped with a few simple, affordable, antiviral, daily supplements.
They include the following:
Vitamin C 3000+ milligrams can be taken throughout the day in divided doses. (“Whenever I am getting sick I take 2000 before going to bed. Sleep is when the body does its best healing. Excess vitamin C will be peed out.” — Linus Pauling)
Vitamin D3 IU/day – start with 5000, then reduce to 2000. For myself I also include vitamin K2. (“I get most of my vitamin D from the sun, ten minutes a day on the hands and face.” — Jack Soltanoff, chiropractor/ nutritionist.) Magnesium — 400 mg. daily in citrate, malate, chelate, or chloride form. Zinc — 20 mg daily. Selenium — 100 mcg daily (I actually get my selenium from about five Brazil nuts a day.)
It is most important to maximize the body’s natural immunity when a virus attacks the body. Prevention is easier that treating severe illness.
Whenever I am fearful of an illness (like Lyme disease) I educate myself. I become a researcher. It is most empowering. Please read the following article published on www.orthomolecular.org by Andres W. Saul, Editor for a more complete recap of this writing.
There may be more viruses like this in the future. Our immune system is our best defense, always working to protect our body.
Barbara Adrienne Rosen
West Hurley
Unfair Coverage
As I’ve recently stated, most people in Woodstock have battle fatigue from the Library Wars. But not, apparently, Woodstock Times. Its coverage is determined to fan the flames and keep the controversy stoked.
I know that controversy sells papers, but doesn’t Woodstock have more than enough? Worse, the paper is complicit in spreading and reinforcing misinformation. Several speakers at our recent board meeting were quoted at length, including erroneous statements and assumptions. And then these same untruths and distortions appear in the letters column, so readers are exposed to them twice.
And those who spoke in favor of the new building project were not quoted at all. The board meeting ended on a positive, upbeat note that inspired some critics to reach out with an olive branch.
Let me offer a different perspective. The majority of people in town are happy we are moving forward vigorously to make a beautiful, functional new library a reality. They expressed confidence in the board at the ballot box, and they elected a pro-new building slate of trustees. We have new interior layouts from the architect that reduce the size to 12,272 sq ft. while still accommodating the library’s programming needs. The budget is being brought in line.
The library director and her staff have been intimately involved in the design process, and so all considerations of staff needs and patron comfort and security, including for children, have been thoughtfully considered. Our new building chair, Howard Kagan, is an experienced architect who has designed and built several libraries and knows what he is doing. And our construction manager agent, JC Alten, is on the case making sure the numbers are right and researching new technologies and alternative solutions.
We will soon have the new layouts and final design to present publicly, at a large community meeting and in smaller settings. Our fundraising is going gangbusters. Go to newlibrarywoodstock.org and have your voice heard. Ignore the noise from a few, and show that we are many.
Dorothea Marcus
President, Woodstock Library
Woodstock
Sheer Insanity!
A couple of weeks ago Trumpf claimed that the coronavirus was a hoax being spread by the Democrats in order to try to keep him from winning a second term! The hundreds of psychiatrists who have said he is mentally ill and getting worse the longer he is in office are absolutely correct. Who in their right mind would dismiss the potential of a pandemic? Who could ever conceive such a concocted, warped thought, let alone verbalize it?!
Last week, while in India, he claimed that the USA had everything in order to face the threats this virus might create. Another lie, since he had done absolutely nothing to set the necessary wheels in motion to deal with this potentially astronomical threat to the health and welfare to untold hundreds of thousands of residents. By failing to add thousands of trained personnel and the sites necessary to isolate those who contract this virus he has totally failed to fulfill his mandated oath to provide for the protection of the citizenry.
No restoration of staff, or budget, to the CDC. Fact is, he withdrew the funding of 37 of the 47 countries that had been covered in the pandemic prevention program that Obama had passed. One of said countries was China!
His obsession over removing everything Obama accomplished has continued from day one of his inauguration. Such insecure actions are not the actions of a stable mind! Don’t fall for Trumpf’s persistent, repetitive, brain-washing attempts to convince all of us that his ways are the ‘new normal’! His insisting there is a ‘deep state’ that is out to remove him is actually just the opposite. He and his cult cabal are the deep state, out to remove all of us from every standard this country has held since its beginning!
He and his cult cabal are the snakes that must be removed from every agency within our government that they are corrupting! Instead of preparing for the worst, while hoping for the best, Trumpf’s concerns are for himself and the others who are heavily invested in the stock market. Only 53% of US citizens hold investments in the stock market, and a high percentage of them are handled by their IRA managers.
I wonder how much the cuts to that CDC/WHO program went to his stupid, futile wall?! Trumpf is unfit to serve in any position, and it is time voters tuned in to that fact and trounce him and all those in his corrupt coterie out on their collective behinds!
This corrupt, GOP Senate chose not to do that when they dismissed his impeachment. That leaves “We the People” to do what this Senate refused to do, and we must, via our vote, succeed.
Mary Phillips-Burke
Woodstock
The Marxist Messiah
Democratic primary voters, please do not throw away your vote on multi-millionaire Marxist Messiah hypocrite Bernie Sanders. Vermont’s Senator Sanders would be a disaster as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in 2020, which would only assure a second term for deranged Donald Trump against all odds. We cannot afford to roll the dice in November. The political stakes are far too high for that this year.
Are we American adults actually supposed to buy into Bernie’s B.S. that he has supposedly turned over a new leaf and is now a so-called “democratic socialist,” whatever that’s supposed to mean? The fact that revolutionary Marxist socialist Eugene Debs is Bernie Sanders’ professed personal hero says otherwise, folks.
First and foremost, Sanders is now and always has been a Marxist socialist. There is no question about it. Why do you think that foolish, far-left communist caricature publicly calls for revolution constantly? Bernie is no Michael Harrington, that’s for sure. Sanders is a Marxist socialist of the old school, Soviet Stalinist variety.
If Sanders is really a “democratic socialist” as he falsely claims, then why is there so much publicly available videotaped documentation of pro-Soviet Senator Sanders proudly and passionately praising anti-American, totalitarian communist dictatorships? Would you care to answer that simple unavoidable question, Bernie bros? (No, I didn’t think so.)
As the vast majority of Americans over the age of 40 are already well aware, the political label “democratic socialism” is basically nonsensical and is every bit the contradiction in terms that the oxymoronic phrases “military intelligence.” “business ethics,” or “Stalinist variety” are. Socialism is not democratic! Get a clue, Bernie crew.
Socialism is now and has always been fundamentally anti-democratic. Read Karl Marx some time if you don’t believe me. Bernie Sanders obviously has read and worshipped Karl Marx extensively, which explains Sanders’ personal political history.
Jake Pickering
Arcata, CA
It’s Alright, Ma
Here’s [a part of]another parody of a Dylan song. This one is inspired by the present political chaos in the Democratic Party and is based on “It’s alright, ma; I’m only bleeding.” The title is “It’s alright. ma; I’m only writing.”
Darkness sometimes breaks at noon
Biden’s demise can’t come too soon
and Warren has gone into a swoon
while Trump is singing a strong tune
the Party of Obama seems near ruin
and they’re looking for … a savior.
Bernie thinks that he’s the one
who can do what’s never been done
who could win what’s never been won
but It seems it’s all one big con,
his socialist delusion continues on
Bernie says Castro did some … good things.
Bloomberg thinks the nomination is his to take
Donald says some news is fake
politicians’ false promises are hard to shake
but to both parties having new plans to make
it would be good for all humanity’s sake
If the search for truth could … be objective
And you might fear if you hear
propaganda … in your ear
but it’s alright, ma
you know it’s phony.
[And so on.]
George Civile
Gardiner
Join the family! 
