New Paltz Democratic Committee meeting
The New Paltz Democratic Committee is holding its March meeting on Thursday, March 12, 7 p.m., at Village Hall, 25 Plattekill Avenue. All registered Democrats are invited to attend. The committee is looking for additional committee members and associates for the very important upcoming elections. This meeting’s agenda includes get-out-the-vote actions, interviewing new members, a presentation of the Neighbor-to-Neighbor program, a grass-roots voter outreach and education effort and other topics. The committee’s current members — a diverse, multigenerational group of passionate community members, both veterans of and new to political involvement — are excited and energized about working diligently towards getting Democrats elected in 2020. Please visit our website at http://newpaltzdemocrats.com/membership/ for details about joining, or attend our meeting.
William Wheeler Murray, Member at Large
New Paltz Democratic Committee
Silver lining
It’s difficult and maybe inappropriate to seek out a positive spin for a pandemic. We can’t, however, ignore the positive impact that the coronavirus is having on climate change. People are traveling less (by choice or by regulation), they’re flying less, they’re consuming less and industry in general has slowed to a walk.
The important result is that we are burning far less fossil fuel (oil prices are the lowest they’ve been in a year) and sending far less CO2 into the atmosphere than a few short weeks ago. When the pandemic becomes global, the positive effect on climate change will become even more profound.
For those who’ve been saying that there is no way for us to cut back, slow down or consume less, please look around you. Maybe our most important lesson from this crisis is that we can change our lifestyle when needed.
Dan Guenther
Ann Guenther
New Paltz
A dangerous President
P.T Barnum of Barnum and Bailey Circus fame (“The Greatest Show on Earth”) called himself the “Prince of Humbug.” He lied easily and often, making his way as a con man. One of his early businesses involved showing a phony mermaid for a price. She was created by sewing together skins of an orangutan, a baboon and a salmon. By hook and by crook he convinced newspapers to provide widespread coverage. Barnum believed there was no such thing as bad publicity, since getting recognition was all important. He staged false controversies to catch the public’s eye. He believed the public was willing, even eager, to be conned, so long as it was entertaining. He considered running for president and would have chosen someone from Indiana as his running mate. We have a current “Prince of Humbug,” more dangerous because he occupies a more powerful stage with larger fish to catch than false mermaids.
Hal Chorny
Gardiner
Take action to move beyond plastic now
On March 3, I had the privilege of attending an outstanding and inspiring talk entitled, ”Planet or Plastics: Moving Beyond Plastics” by Judith Enck, former EPA Region 2 administrator, commentator on WAMC and Senior Fellow and Visiting Professor at Bennington College, among her many credentials. The workshop was part of the Climate Action Through Zero Waste Conference held at SUNY New Paltz.
Here are just a few the disturbing facts that Ms. Enck shared:
- By 2025 (at the rate we are currently polluting our oceans), every three pounds of fish in the ocean will be matched by one pound of plastic. By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans.
- Our oceans are becoming the earth’s landfills. 8.8 million tons of plastic enter the oceans each year. Ninety percent of those plastics sink to the ocean’s bottom, where they disintegrate into micro-plastics and enter the food chain.
- Forty percent of the all the plastic produced is for packaging
- New Yorkers use 23 billion plastic bags/year.
What could be inspiring about such dire facts, you might ask? For me, it was the ideas she shared about what each one of us can do right now, to usher in a new era that goes beyond plastic. Here are a few to keep in mind when you eat out, take out, throw out or shop:
- Be a preemptive consumer: Bring your own re-usable eating utensils, mugs, take-out containers, thermos, straws and whatever else you can to avoid using non-renewable materials such as the single-use plastic and Styrofoam containers that abound.
- Refuse excess packaging whenever possible.
- Refuse unnecessary and nonrenewable items: Such as condiment packets, plastic bags and containers or plastic eating utensils.
- Contact your legislators: There are two Break-Free-from-Plastic bills that were recently introduced in both the US Senate and House of Representatives. Our NY representatives have not yet signed on. Tell Senators Schumer and Gillibrand to support Senate Bill # 3263. Tell Congressman Delgado (or whoever your representative is) to become a sponsor of HR #5845 in the house.
None of these suggestions are complicated or grandiose. As Ms. Enke said, we simply need to do what we can with what we have, where we are right now! Please consider these small but important changes that you can make. Take action to move beyond plastic now.
Wendy Rudder
New Paltz
Riverkeeper: Save the Palmaghatt Kill
The pristine waters of the Palmaghatt Kill flowing from the Shawangunk Ridge create quality habitat for a variety of organisms, including wild trout — until they stall at Tillson Lake.
Typical of most temperate lakes, Tillson suffers in the summer from a bloom and bust cycle of phytoplankton growth that causes oxygen depletion. The most recent survey of Tillson Lake revealed late September oxygen levels are less than 1 ppt below 11 feet, which is insufficient for aquatic life. Because of high temperatures and oxygen limitations, the lake is unsuitable for cold water species and likely impairs downstream ecosystems. In the summer, upon exiting Tillson Lake, the Palmaghatt is transformed into a tepid, tea-stained creek.
The consensus of the scientific community is that dams impair water quality, modify stream flow and cause habitat fragmentation. Habitat alteration and fragmentation is the bane of freshwater organisms and its widespread advance is causing these creatures to be the most imperiled on the planet. A recent study revealed that freshwater organisms are disappearing at twice the rate of any other species. The problem is particularly acute for freshwater mussels and brook trout, which are indicators of water quality. In NYS, 33 species of freshwater mussels listed are under various forms of protection and wild brook trout have vanished from the majority of their native range. In the Hudson River Estuary, our most iconic species are not faring any better: Every one of them are in states of decline due to habitat alteration and exploitation.
In our blog “Save the Palmaghatt Kill,” we described how dams negatively impact freshwater ecosystems and that the Hudson Valley is burdened by approximately 1,600 dams that have a cumulative impact upon the watershed and the Hudson itself. Consequently, Riverkeeper is actively engaged in a campaign to rid the Valley of obsolete dams. We currently have several projects underway, with commitments for more. Dam removal is sweeping the nation with 1,600 dams removed since 2012, and many more projects in process. Best of all, the movement is gaining traction in the Hudson Valley.
Contrary to statements by Hal Chorny, (“Saving Tillson Lake,” February 27) Riverkeeper is anything but neutral on the question of removing the Tillson Lake dam.
Before any decisions are made to rebuild the dam a fourth time, thorough research is critical, as stated by Janet Kern (“Saving the Ridge, again,” February 6). We recommend a robust biological survey of the entire Palmaghatt, emphasizing water quality and the macroinvertebrate and fish communities. A full survey is critically important because the Palmaghatt drains into the Shawangunk Kill, which has one of the most diverse biotas of any stream in southeastern New York. This system supports six species of freshwater mussels, including the only population of brook floater known in the Hudson Valley.
The Tillson Dam is a high-hazard structure that has breached twice and been rebuilt three times. It is in need of reconstruction again — but now and forever at taxpayer expense. Climate change will stress the tolerances of this dam and others, while posing an ominous threat to downstream communities. In recent decades, the Northeast saw greater than 70% increases in rainfall during heavy precipitation events, with numbers increasing. Local communities are building flood resilience in preparation for more intense weather events. Dam removal has a role in flood mitigation strategies because it lowers water levels in streams and reduces the vast amount of potential energy inherent to the impounded water.
In response to the urgent crisis facing freshwater and estuarine ecosystems, climate change and threats posed by dams, Riverkeeper continues to advocate for the removal of in-water infrastructure that does not serve vital human interests. You can find out more at Riverkeeper.org/dams.
George Jackman
Senior Habitat Restoration Manager
Riverkeeper, Inc.
What do we do about the environment?
There has been a lot of talk about preserving our environment. There have been meetings, presentations, walks and question-and-answer sessions about what is happening to our polluted earth. We’ve been shown pictures of plastic cans drifting on ocean waters, oil slicks on reservoir waters, poisonous fertilizer sprayed on the land and animals affected by the pollution. We have been over-informed to the point of exhaustion and frustration. Many of us leave such informational meetings shaking our heads and wondering what we can do to stop the threat to earth. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the presenters told us what we can do to reduce or stop the pollution? The appropriate concern is there, the accurate information is there, but where is the action plan to guide us? All presenters should have a plan of action at the end of a presentation on the environment. It should tell us what we need to do to improve the environment, such as call your local politicians, send letters to the opinion column of the local newspapers, write to the President, send money to groups who support your ideas, urge your local church leaders to get involved and finally, picket organizations, stores or politicians who pollute the earth.
That’s what a presenter should do if he or she hopes to improve the earth. Give us an action plan.
Robert Brunet
New Paltz
A couple of tour de forces
Although Chuck Schumer called impeachment manager Adam Schiff’s opening impeachment presentation statement in the chamber of the Senate halls “a tour de force” which commanded attention, I must admit the lyric, “The lunatic is in the hall” from Pink Floyd’s song “Brain Damage” came to mind while watching Schiff in action. With this in view, the following is a parody of that master of parodies, the Congressman who won the Chuck Schumer award for “Best tour de force performance by a congressional manager while seeking to impeach a POTUS,” the irrepressible…Adam Schiff. I mean, who can forget Adam’s famous but dishonest parody performance of Trump’s perfect phone call during his committee’s hearings? This parody was only rivaled by William Weinstein’s own “Schiff mimicking” tour de force parody attempt of Schiff’s parody, presented in his paean to the discredited, and, often wrong and untruthful Adam in his letter, ironically titled, “Right matters and the truth matter.” I say ironically because Schiff’s credibility concerning “right and truth” is so egregiously lacking one would assume that he didn’t think they mattered at all. (Reader alert: To avoid the dreaded Dream Motif Annoyance Fatigue Syndrome Caused By Overuse In Parody Songs (DMAFSCBOIPS) readers are advised to pretend that this is the first dream motif song parody they have ever read in the New Paltz Times.)
After another hard day of his never-ending investigations of POTUS Trump, Adam Schiff needed to unwind and relax. Thinking of his options in this regard, Schiff noticed, in his fridge, the six pack of beer Elizabeth Warren and her wine-drinking husband had brought him on their last visit. He popped open a can and decided to watch his favorite movie “The Legend of Ron Burgundy” on Amazon Prime. Feeling a bit drowsy — and pleasantly distracted by visions of future impeachment proceedings that filled his head as he watched Burgundy in action — Adam drifted off to sleep with the sound of Ron Burgundy’s voice from the TV whispering in his ear. In his slumbering state, Congressman Schiff had the following dream in which he composed and sang the following song “For Ron Burgundy Wherever I May Find Him.”
(To the tune of Simon and Garfunkel’s “For Emily Wherever I May Find Her”)
What a dream I had
…of Ron Burgandy
He was with Chuck Todd
…His guest on NBC
They were bashing Trump
I changed the channel fast
and…heard Wolf Blitzer say:
Trump’s been impeached for sure
but he-won’t-go a-way
he’ll just…go on
I turned on Morning Joe
and…saw dear Mika there
The Scarbouroughs and their guests
never treat Trump…very fair
…Joe’s hair’s sure high
(short musical interlude leading to a dramatic ending)
And when I awoke
my TV was…still on
my feelings that were good
…suddenly were gone
Oh I hate you…Trump
Oh how I hate…Trump!
George Civile
Gardiner
Ruth Gruber exhibit not to be missed
Our own community proprietor, Mark Gruber of the Mark Gruber Gallery (255-1241) in New Paltz, is hosting an exhibit of his aunt’s work until the end of March. The exhibit will then be traveling elsewhere.
Ruth Gruber was a well-known photojournalist and author. Movies and books have been made about her. Her presence and photographs on the boat Exodus 1947 had the effect of inspiring Leon Uris to write his book, Exodus. She lived and photographed displaced persons in the 1940’s in the camps and elsewhere. She travelled and photographed the gulags of Siberia. She was involved in photographing Operation Moses, the airlifting of Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
Her works are on display in the Museum of Jewish Heritage in NYC. You will be in awe as you are surrounded by her life’s works with Mark telling you more than I can summarize here.
Judy Joffee
New Paltz
Fact vs. opinion # 512
Fact: By “indirect” influencing of the sentencing of Roger Stone, Trump interfered with the attorney general in reducing the sentence of this criminal who was convicted of seven counts of crime and sentenced to seven to nine years in the slammer. All four prosecutors resigned.
Opinion: “What is “indirect influencing?” This is where hints, comments, suggestions are made that were interpreted by the attorney general and passed down to the lawyers trying the case, to go lightly on the sentencing of Roger Stone. It is not a direct order from the attorney general, which would be a flagrant violation of the office and interference with the administering of justice. But it is Trump’s way of influencing the system to protect his own. (From what I understand, at this late date, over 2000 ex-justice and justice department lawyers, defense lawyers, prosecutors, signed a letter of petition against the intrusion into the justice department by this political ‘hack.’)
By now it is clear that the firings and resignations not only of, in this case the justice department, but other agencies as well, fit the pattern of his Lordship’s ‘modus operandi’. He wants his cronies in office that he can control and do his bidding. He does not want any independent thinking or adherence to departmental guidelines; it is his word that counts and only his word. Loyal civil servants that have been in the service for years, like Vindman, (National Security Council), Sonderland, (ambassador to the European Union), Maria Yovanovitch, (ambassador to Ukraine), who dared speak out the reasons for their suspicions regarding Trump and his call with the Ukraine president, a ‘quid pro quo’ arrangement, were fired or were pressured by Trump’s minions to resign or be forced out. What a guy!
Keep in mind that of the 44 presidents who proceeded him into the Oval Office, he is the only one who has not one lick of political experience, whether on the local, state or national level, before assuming this office. This includes positions of ambassadorships, judges, congressmen, senators, governors, local councilmen, mayors, state legislatures, cabinet or department chairpersons. And so on.
Donald is building his own private country, complete with family members and personal cronies in positions of doing his bidding and only his bidding.
Wake up people. This man is a direct threat to the Republic of the United States. Every time he gets away with something that is questionable, he becomes more and more emboldened; a momentum is built which thrives on its own and continually feeds itself.
Read the history of Adolph Hitler. Hitler was thrown in jail for leading a “putsch,” was not elected to the Reichstag initially, but when he took the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia where millions of Sudeten Germans resided, the German people were ecstatic over the move and even more so with his haranguing over the sellout of Germany during the first world war. Throw in the latent hatred of the Jews underlying Europe and the dye was cast. Eventually Von Hindenburg appointed him as chancellor of Germany. And the rest is history.
Robert LaPolt
New Paltz
Senator Metzger: A champion of farmers and the environment
This week, the New York Senate passed nine bills which aim to support our local farmers. Five of those bills were introduced by Senator Jen Metzger (D-Rosendale). One key piece of legislation expands tax credits for employing workers. Another allows farmers’ markets to plant stakes in new areas, including state parks.
Senator Metzger, in her first term, has also introduced and gotten bipartisan support for a number of bills that move New York closer to clean, economical energy in our changing world. For example, her legislation, signed into law, would direct the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to expand the number of charging stations for electric vehicles.
Metzger is a model for demonstrating that our leaders can be both environmentalists pledged to our future and advocates to sustain our rural economies and family farms. Commitments to both platforms do not conflict. In fact, it’s critical that we, the voters, support leaders who have the vision and the resolve to protect our land, water and air. City dwellers, suburbanites and rural residents all know there is no future without these treasures.
Tom Denton
Highland
Thank you, Dr. Morrison for providing such excellent care
I would like to express my thanks to Dr. Scott Morrison, optometrist, for going “above and beyond” in patient care. During an exam at his New Paltz office, Dr. Morrison determined that I required a prescription for eye drops. Rather than just ordering the medication, Dr. Morrison took the initiative to check the affordability of that particular brand. He went online and saw that that choice would have a cost of over $100 through my insurance. Dr. Morrison then took the time to research equivalent brands and found one with a cost of only $9 through my plan. He took the time to find an affordable, effective solution to my medical needs.
As a long-time patient of Dr. Morrison’s, I have always found him to be very knowledgeable, professional and caring. He and his entire staff are always willing to take the time to provide information in a clear understandable way. This most recent visit demonstrates his concern for not only my vision and eye health, but also his appreciation of financial considerations in the complex world of health care. Thank you, Dr. Morrison for providing such excellent care.
William Hueston
Clintondale
Join the family! 
