The views and opinions expressed in our letters section are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Hudson Valley One. You can submit a letter to the editor here.
Winston Farm: Why a divisive approach?
As a Saugerties resident, I’ve been taken aback by the political-style mailings and Letters to the Editor to which the Winston Farm developers have exposed the residents of Saugerties in the last couple of weeks. Not that they do not have the right to promote their agenda, but it’s how they characterize anyone who they feel is in “opposition” to the project that is troubling. They have chosen to politicize the project, which at this point is actually subject to mandated environmental review. This is not a zero-sum political contest: I win, you lose. We are in a period of consideration and disclosure.
The New York State Environment Quality Review is a mandatory process to evaluate the potential significant adverse environmental impacts of the proposed development. It is intended to elicit comments and suggestions from governmental agencies, interested parties and the public, so that the developers can respond by support of their proposals, or amend the parameters of the project so there is full understanding of the consequences and compliance with the laws and regulations governing their actions. These comments are not “opposition,” but a necessary part of an investigative process. This is especially important in a project of this size, the largest I believe this Town has ever seen. It is to the advantage of all, now and in the future, that this investigation is rigorous, wide-ranging and objective. Calling for political pressure, as is done in the Winston Farm, LLC mailer, to influence a scientific study does not seem appropriate.
Their public relations team claims that members of the public are spreading fictitious information, such as the developers are going to “clear-cut” the whole property or pave the “whole thing” over. But no one to my knowledge has actually said those things, at least in print, in seriousness, or for the record. Actually what is on the record, in the Final Environment Assessment Form, posted on their site, Winston Farm, LLC say they envision increasing impervious surface (paving et cetera) from the present six acres to 200 acres, and reducing the current 607 acres of trees by 296 acres, which one might see as reasonably raising concern and comment.
The promoters attack Catskill Mountainkeeper for their advocacy of inquiry on several issues, derogatorily dismiss them repeatedly as meddling “out-of-towners” and accuse them of trying to get donations for their organization in the process. In fact, CMK is qualified as an interested party who is recognized within the SEQRA process. At the same time, the promoters don’t deride others whom they see as proponents for not being Saugerties residents. They tout previous endorsement of the site by the Poughkeepsie-based Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp., none of whose officers are Saugerties residents or sport any particular environmental credentials which might lend credence to the SEQR process itself, as support for the value of their project. Even their representative submitting pieces to the newspapers on their behalf lives in Orange County, though he signed his December 7 letter to HV1 implying he is a resident of Saugerties.
My plea to the Winston Farm, LLC folks, whoever they are or wherever they’re from: Let’s take a less divisive approach and work together through the SEQR process to the common good, which is what I hope we all want.
Shirley Polishook
Saugerties
New Paltz Rotary Club thanks the community
The New Paltz Rotary Club held our Facebook Holiday Power Wheel Fundraiser throughout the month of November to raise money for our Scholarship Fund. It was a great success, and we were able to raise over $17,000 to award this spring to graduating high school seniors who wish to pursue college degrees and/or technical training.
We would sincerely like to thank all those who participated and donated to our holiday fundraiser, including those individuals and businesses who donated prizes, goods and services. Special thanks to: Jenkinstown Day Spa, Village Pizza, Carry Out Kings, Krause’s Chocolates, Main Street Bistro, McGillicuddy’s, Mohonk Mountain House, Main Course, In Good Taste, Floating Lotus Microspa, Lola’s Cafe, La Charla Mexican Restaurant, Murray’s Chicken, Essence Medi-Spa, Grazery, The Parish Restaurant, Jar’d Wine Pub, Burger Box, APizza!, Shapers New Paltz, George & Cathy Sifre, Dee Jaye Kurta, Julian’s Provisions, P&G’s Restaurant, Hampton Inn by Hilton of New Paltz, Garvan’s Restaurant & Maggie Mae’s, Kevin Zraly, Doug Thompson, Wallkill View Farm Market, Inquiring Minds Bookstore, Garvan and Leonie McCloskey and Bob and Dawn Rich.
Our Rotary Mission is “Service Above Self” and we are truly grateful to live in a community that embodies this very ideal. Again, thank you to all for your support in our fundraising endeavors.
Stephanie Blaisdell, Cathy Sifre, Geraldine Kelly, Jeffrey Smith, Linda Ferrante, Leslie Rubin and Teresa Thompson
New Paltz Rotary Club
New Paltz
Meeting up
“COVID” sounds like the name of a website where people go on videos together – which is exactly what happened during the pandemic.
Sparrow
Phoenicia
Getting back
Perhaps driven by the end-of-the-year holiday season or perhaps hoping for a change, I pray that we all concentrate on being less divisive and remember we are all brothers and sisters in one big family of man. It appears from television, print or social media we are unconsciously all passengers on the bus of disagreement.
When I was growing up in New York City, there were blue laws which restricted business operations on Sunday. This practice was started by the Puritans in 1656. The term blue laws was based on the Puritans who wrote official doctrine on blue paper. Prior to the Puritans, the history of blue laws dates to the Roman Emperor Constantine in 321 AD, who wanted to set aside Sunday as a day of rest. Not a bad idea!
While the blue laws were in effect, it was usual that church attendance was the order of the day, usually followed by whole families spending their day together at dinner and social interaction. The right to observe the Bible’s Sabbath as practiced by Jews gained momentum in the early 1950s. This stance was supported by the New York Federation of Churches and the Protestant Council of New York. Envision the benefit of no TV, no cell phones being replaced by families doing things together.
In 1976, New York City repealed the blue laws by court order. After the repeal, attendance at religious services diminished sharply and the social interaction of family dinners moved to a halt, so that people could go to the mall shopping early Sunday morning and spend the day devoid of family togetherness.
We need a change. We need to pass our religious practice on to our children. We need to restore family dinners and having families talk to one another.
Simple things like charitable giving whenever you can, as compared to expecting someone else or the government to do it, should be our way. If you have an elderly person or couple as your neighbor, check on them occasionally. Also, if you’re making dinner or cookies, how hard would it be to make a plate for them? It can really make a big difference in their lives and yours.
Individually we can do better, and we can hope that good practice becomes infectious.
Jim Dougherty
Bearsville
Pipes at parking area on Huguenot Street?
These Class 52, 12-inch-diameter ductile iron pipes will replace an old eight-inch cast-iron water main. This main sends water down the hill from New Paltz’s Water Treatment Plant on Mountain Rest Road. There are two ways water flows from the treatment plant to serve the Village, Town water districts, SUNY New Paltz and our four-building K-12 school district. Water from the plant follows either 1) Mountain Rest Road or 2) a path north of Mountain Rest crossing Canaan Road, Calvin Boulevard and through the Morningstar neighborhood. Both of these mains serve Town water district customers along the way before they cross the Wallkill River to continue heading east to the Village, our schools and additional Town water districts, like District 1 with the Tops Plaza or District 2 including the New Paltz Central School District High School.
In December 2019, New Paltz was awarded a $3 million grant from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation via the NYS Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA). That assistance will provide ~60 percent of the funding for our 18,000-linear-feet project, including North Chestnut, North Manheim, Prospect, Huguenot Street, South Chestnut and the area between Canaan Road and Morningstar East that is parallel to Mountain Rest Road. New Paltz water ratepayers will make up the +$2 million difference for this +$5 million project using bonds.
New Paltz’s water system consists of approximately 37 miles of water main of varying materials and diameters, from two to 16 inches, with the majority of the system consisting of eight-inch mains. Approximately 7.3 miles of water main are contained within the SUNY New Paltz campus. Portions of our conveyance system are approaching or exceeding 100 years in age and have outlived their life. The Village Department of Public Works and Town Highway Department are routinely burdened with repairing deteriorated broken water mains that are constructed of cast-iron pipe of unknown age.
We performed an audit of our system in 2015 that showed New Paltz having 42 percent non-revenue water, which means we did not collect any revenue from 42 percent of the water produced at the treatment plant. This was the highest rate of non-revenue water the auditor had observed among NYS communities. We have made improving this problem a priority and are pleased to report that the figure improved to average 25 percent during the last four years, and was 22.6 percent in 2021.
We believe replacement of the line between Canaan Road and Morningstar East will help lower our non-revenue water figure further so we may continue to provide our community with safe and affordable drinking water.
Mayor Tim Rogers
New Paltz
Glib of tongue
“They are not bogus.” If I were to ask, “What time is it?” and he replied, “2 p.m.,” and I looked down at my watch, which read “2 p.m.,” I would think that the watch was broken.
Howard Harris
Woodstock
The Grinch that stole Woodstock’s Library
’Twas during the pandemic and all through the town
Not a creature was stirring, not even a clown.
Most within walking distance liked our library a lot.
But the Grinch outside of town certainly did not.
The Grinch hated our old library and the whole library season!
Now, please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.
It could be that his head wasn’t screwed on just right.
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.
But, whatever the reason, his heart or his shoes,
He stood there in Woodstock waiting for news.
Staring down from his home with a sour, Grinchy frown
At the warm lighted windows of our old library in town,
Then he growled, with his Grinch fingers nervously drumming,
“I must find some way to keep a new library coming!
For, tomorrow, I know the Woodstock old, girls and boys
They will walk to their library. They’ll play with the toys!
They’ll stand close together, with bells ringing.
They’ll stand hand-in-hand, and those kids will start singing!”
“And they’ll sing! And they’ll sing! And they’ll SING! SING! SING! SING!”
And the more the Grinch thought of this library sing,
The more the Grinch thought, “I must stop this whole thing!”
Then he got an idea! An awful idea!
The Grinch got a wonderful, awful idea!
“I know just what to do!” the Grinch laughed in his throat.
“I’ll make up a story and win the YES vote.”
“Vote YES for a new library on a non-toxic dump.”
Then he slithered and slunk, with a smile most unpleasant,
Around the whole town, and he took every present.
“Pooh-pooh to the NOs!” he was Grinchily humming.
“They’re finding out now that a new library is coming!
They’re just waking up! I know just what they’ll do!
Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
Then all the elderly and the children in the town will all cry boo-hoo!
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
It came without packages, boxes, or bags!”
He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.
Maybe a library, he thought, is not like a store.
Maybe our library, perhaps, means a little bit more!
And what happened then? Well, in Woodstock they say
That the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day!
And then the true meaning of a town’s library came through,
And the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches, plus two!
He rode into Woodstock. He brought children’s toys.
He brought back the library to all girls and boys.
He brought everything back, all the books and a feast!
And he, himself, the Grinch, carved the roast tofu beast!
He was welcomed back to the library on old Library Lane.
Now Woodstock library is again within grasp where we walk
But please respect other patrons and be quiet when you talk.
Chris Finlay
Woodstock
The gift that keeps giving
Have you ever wondered where conspiracy theories come from? Look no further than the fridge! “Now, support your cause, jus’ because – so, do it right!”
The new Build Your Own Conspiracy Theory Kit includes over 450 totally right-wing reliable words and “White Christian phrases” that can be pieced together when preparing for imaginary Fox News appearances from the comfort of your home leatherette recliner. Yes, the kit contains magnetically “stick to the fridge” tiles. It’s simply magical! Tiles will also stick to a filing cabinet, teeth fillings or anyone who has still said “No” in receiving their second shot of the Pfizer vaccine. Free tinfoil hats are included for those who need an extra boost of that special sumptin-sumptin’.
By the way, these tinfoil hats can act as liners for red baseball caps, too, and will fit snugly on those “blessed pointy little heads,” which tend to have “big” brain dumps. Who doesn’t want to own the libs, right?
I decided to order this for some laughs, and of course, as an under-the-tree holiday gift for the two letter-writing MAGAt conspiracy-theory clowns John Butz and Georgie Civile. They no longer have to waste thousands of precious hours coming up with inane and embarrassing rebuttals on the letter page; they’ll have almost instantaneous help now, which should be equally ignominious (especially when it’s all spelled out on the refrigerator door).
Yes, now the two fellas can undermine democracy from the comfort of their own domicile and “build their own conspiracy theory.” So much fun and will be a great conversation-starter when Second Amendment pioneers come over to guffaw and jeer commie Democrats with Georgie and/or John. They’ll be known as kitchen cut-ups (stay away from sharp cutlery and pointy forks), especially when they’re creating a multitude of QAnon conspiracies that will later be used as the newest faux talking points in their Hudson Valley One Letters to the Editor.
Uh-huh: Butz and Civile can find radical-right words and fascist phrases, which when pieced together will entertain MAGAt friends who, like themselves, live in a QAnon bubble. Just scramble the tiles and blame your failures on the dark underworld that controls the Academy of Motion Pictures or find fun new topics to discuss with your uncle who watches Tucker Carlson.
I’m honestly sad that it doesn’t include “Four Seasons” or Lauren Boebert utterances in the set. Nevertheless, Butz and Civile can find what’s needed when they make up shit for whatever reason these two Trumpublican MAGAts do it.
Remember: Read at your own risk when visiting them for the holiday, as I am not responsible for uncontrollable laughing fits. But have at it when they come up with some real gems like, “Did you know that the pope taught Hillary Clinton how to trade crypto currency?”
I do want to be clear that I can neither confirm nor deny the accuracy of any statement that they create. Why? Because they are more likely to obfuscate than enlighten the readers here. Sophisticated they’re not!
Plus, 50 percent of profits from this kit will be donated to candidates and organizations working to make a difference in the unsuccessful ultra-MAGAt Horror Political Party of Trumpism! How could you go wrong, right?
Have a “Happy Hollandaise,” boyz. Merry Xmas and, may the New Year that is upon us display democratic values. But most importantly, peacefulness always!
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
A beautiful day in the neighborhood
Sunday, December 4 was the Saugerties Chamber of Commerce annual Holiday in the Village and the Sawyer Motors/Sawyer Chevrolet annual toy raffle. It was a “beautiful day in the neighborhood,” and the crowd was able to enjoy all the festivities.
The Chamber thanks the following for making the day a rousing success: mayor Bill Murphy and staff, town supervisor Fred Costello and staff, Police Chief Sinagra and staff, the DPW, all the firetrucks and firemen participating in the firetruck parade, the Village shops, bars and restaurants, the Saugerties High School Key Club for their “elf” work, the Saugerties High School band and choir, the Saugerties Library, the Saugerties Boys & Girls Club, Ray and Carol Mayone for the wonderful horsedrawn wagon rides, Marge and Harry Block for the use of the Dutch Barn – the place where Santa and his main elf greeted the kids, Leanne Thornton and Betsy Wilson for making and distributing hot chocolate, Tammy Drost and Hope Farm for bringing animals for the kids to pet, Barbara Bravo and Bill Kimble for judging the window-decorating contest, the Kiwanis Club and Jeannine Mayer for the events at Seamon Park and the reading of “’Twas the Night before Christmas” and Bob, Larry and Macy Siracusano and the rest of the Sawyer group for their generosity, enthusiasm and energy.
What a wonderful day!
Peggy Schwartz, vice chair
Mark Smith, chair
Saugerties Chamber of Commerce
So this is Christmas
“Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (spoken by John the Baptist of Jesus of Nazareth).
Described as a “reluctant atheist,” historian Will Durant wrote concerning Jesus of Nazareth, “That a few simple men should in one generation have invented so powerful and appealing a personality, so lofty an ethic and so inspiring a vision of human brotherhood would be a miracle far more incredible than any recorded in the Gospels.” With this in view, the Christmas season, which celebrates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, is an opportunity to consider the question: Who was Jesus of Nazareth?
The only reason this question about the identity of a Jew who lived 2,000 years ago has any relevance today is because of the influence he has had on human history. When my brother visited the Louvre, he was astonished to find that most of its art treasures were inspired by a Jew whose claims of “divine” messiahship were rejected by the leaders of his people as blasphemy and resulted in the ignominious death of crucifixion at the hands of the Romans, who considered his claims of being the “King of the Jews” a political threat. Indeed, this influence is inexplicable when one considers his life and death.
In short, Jesus of Nazareth is a name no one should have ever remembered outside of his small circle of disappointed companions. And yet, each Christmas, nearly everywhere in the world, people are forced in some way to consider the identity of Jesus of Nazareth. Some challenge his very existence, while others defend his claims. Still others, like Will Durant, while admiring his influential words and accepting his historicity, reject his claims of divinity and messiahship.
The New Testament records many of Jesus’ sayings. He claimed to be the truth about the character and nature of God by saying: “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father [God]” and “I and my Father [God] are one.” Indeed, after Jesus was executed, his Jewish disciples claimed to have seen him alive again, and began to speak of him in terms reserved, from their perspective, only for the one, true and living God. John wrote: “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” According to John, Jesus claimed to be the “savior” of the world by informing a teacher of the law, Nicodemus, that he did not come into the world to condemn it, but to save it. He claimed that the only work God required was to believe in him, the one Ha Shem sent to save the people of the world. And he made claims before enemies – who were looking for a reason such claims would present to condemn him – to be sinless and able to exercise the divine prerogative of forgiving sins. (It should be noted that this is pretty crazy stuff for fiercely monotheistic first-century Jews to write – unless, of course, “this stuff” happened to be true.)
Moreover, he revealed that God is like a father who longs for his prodigal son to return and, when he does, celebrates because his son who “was dead is alive again” who “was lost is found.” Finally, Jesus claimed that he would be given over to the Gentiles and would be abused and executed, but on the third day would “rise again,” never more to die. And he indicated that this rising would be the proof and sign that everything he said was true. It was this “rising again” that, apparently, convinced those fiercely monotheistic first-century Jews to say the abovementioned “crazy stuff” about Jesus.
In closing, it was said of Jesus, “No one ever spoke the way this man does.” It was during Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, that Jesus declared himself to be the “light of the world.” Christmas, which celebrates his birth, is a time when the skeptic might question not only if Jesus ever existed, but even if he did, the significance of his life and words for those living today. These questions are important because the only reason the life and words of Jesus of Nazareth should be considered significant at all by anyone is if they are true. Indeed, if true, in light of death and the possibility of an eternal judgment, his words would be the only words anyone really needed to hear.
With this in view, perhaps this holiday season should be the time for those who are troubled by their own sins and the effects such sins have upon themselves and others, and the fear of judgment and condemnation these sins arouse, to seriously consider what Jesus actually said and did. Those who do so, looking for reasons to believe rather than to doubt (no matter how formidable an atheist one might be), may discover that Jesus is not only a “powerful and appealing personality,” but “the Lamb of God” who takes away the sins of the world.”
George Civile
Gardiner
Writing about Terramor
As executive director of the Woodstock Land Conservancy, I’m writing to express our organization’s concerns about the proposed Terramor glamping development. We have studied this proposed project and the parcels it would impact, and we believe that it is inappropriate for the reasons identified below.
Woodstock Land Conservancy (WLC) is an accredited land trust, with a service area in the eastern Catskills, specifically focused in the Towns of Woodstock, Ulster, Kingston, Olive, Hurley and Saugerties. We are dedicated to the protection and preservation of open lands, forests, wildlife habitat and water resources. Among the hundreds of acres we’ve worked to conserve are four preserves open to the public, including Sloan Gorge Preserve, less than a mile from the proposed Terramor site, and Zena Cornfield Preserve, only half a mile away.
There are many red-flag issues which could each justify rejection of the Terramor proposal. These include density, traffic, noise, air pollution from 75 campfires, groundwater impacts, surface-water impacts, pesticide use, encroachment upon adjoining existing residences, violation of community character, among other concerns. In particular, we would like to focus on the threat to the aquifer and the large, multi-municipality interconnected wetland system, which provides vital habitat to a variety of wildlife, including threatened and endangered species.
We feel that the capacity of the existing aquifer, which supplies well water to many existing residences, has not been adequately studied to determine its carrying capacity and the impact from the proposed additional use by 75 “camping” sites (each with running water, electricity and septic), as well as a lodge, pool and permanent on-site staff housing. Effects of treatment and disposal of the vast amount of wastewater that will be produced are also unclear, and could pollute and threaten the surrounding wetlands. A plan for proper stormwater management is also unclear. This is disturbing, especially given that Terramor is situated on and adjacent to wetlands that are shared between the Towns of Woodstock and Saugerties.
In this time of climate change, conservation is more important now than ever, as signaled by the 30 X 30 movement (conserving 30 percent of undeveloped land globally by 2030 to prevent the further effects of climate change). Since the start of the pandemic, Ulster County has experienced enormous development pressure. To read the rest of the letter please visit our website, www.woodstocklandconservancy.org.
Andy Mossey
Executive director, Woodstock Land Conservancy
Transformative development
Another Winston Farm mailer came the other day calling for support of their proposed transformative project without any (even they take pains to point out) specific or concrete plan. How can any rational person sign a blank check, no matter how trustworthy the payee may be, if they can’t tell you what the check is for? Even with best intentions stated – increasing job opportunities, for example – there may well be unwanted consequences without specific study. To wit: Throughout Saugerties you can see an abundance of “Help Wanted” signs, indicating businesses are experiencing trouble filling jobs that already exist. If this project adds more pressure to that demand, might it make it even more difficult for existing businesses to secure, or even retain, the workforce they have or need to survive? Will they fall prey to the “success” of the Winston Farm project? Further, does the promise of employment draw even more people from out-of-town, competing with locals and putting more upward pressure on services and housing – at a time with the already inflated “market-priced” housing that many locals can’t afford? What is the plan to provide the promised “affordable” housing that would benefit these workers and young families?
Wouldn’t it be better to bring a specific plan to the table, with clear consideration of the whole dynamic of our Town, for people to evaluate, and then ask for our support? Four generations of my family currently live in Saugerties. We would love to see Saugerties grow in a way that allows our families – young and old – to prosper here.
Let’s see the plans of these venerable gentlemen with an open mind and review the science that supports the sustainability of their proposals. How about taking a less divisive approach by working together through the SEQRA process towards the goal of getting the transformative development Saugerties deserves?
Virginia Luppino
Saugerties
How dare you judge us?
I am writing in response to the letter from Mr. Stonitsch regarding Harley motorcycle enthusiasts. I take great offense to the comment that “Most of these macho freedom-loving guys also saw nothing wrong with January 6 either.” My husband and I own a Harley and belong to a motorcycle club (gasp!) called the Red Knights. Our club has 16 members comprised of community-minded individuals who actively serve as volunteers in the fire service. How dare you judge us based on the type of motorcycle or loudness of our bikes? What does riding a Harley have to do with the travesty of January 6? Nothing!
I agree there are motorcyclists who do not abide by the rules of the road or are unnecessarily aggressive (so are cars and trucks), but to stereotype us is completely wrong. There are many cases of noise in our community, but to attack a particular group is irresponsible. I would suggest you follow up with your local politicians to seek a solution, rather than write a Letter to the Editor, which will get you nowhere.
Colleen Phillips
Bloomington
Listen for the Last Boom: It’s coming
The Baby Boomer era is almost over. Nursing homes are filling with Boomers, doctors’ offices are crowding with Boomers and Boomer bank accounts are emptying. COVID’s helped speed up Boomer funerals and slowed down cruise vacations.
We were born after World War II and dubbed the “Me Generation.” Our lives centered on Flower Power, civil rights, Woodstock and the Vietnam War. As a Vietnam combat veteran, I’ve seen that war split my generation, and it has never healed. What we face today grows from infection in that open wound that was never cleaned by telling the truth. The wealthiest and most potent in business and politics today are Boomers who did not go to war, nor did their children or grandchildren go to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that they started.
Most frontline troops in the Vietnam War were Blacks from city slums and ghettos and poor whites from all over America. Politicians saw Vietnam as a way to clean up the streets and a place to put poor kids; they didn’t want the government to pay for them to go to college. Also, this was a quick way to take the “less-thans” out of the job market, so when their kids graduated, there was less competition for finding jobs. It worked; the “more-thans’” kids are now beginning to retire.
Those who returned from the Vietnam War never fully integrated into society. We were labeled baby-killers who lost the war. The side effects of figuring out we killed people that were simple farmers to stabilize our economy at home helped feed the new diagnosis of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder).
Veterans who received the GI Bill got to go to college with war protestors motivated by their professors. As a result, the “more-thans,” who’d used college to avoid the war, earned a ten-year head start in the job market.
History-writers, sociologists and psychologists must have buried their heads in the political rhetoric of those who made vast piles of cash from that war and are using the same tactics today. These facts have been ignored in the Baby Boomers’ culture; the actual sociology will be written only after the last one dies. It’s unclear how any historical truth can be noted when those who control the media edit, rewrite, report too late, politicize, lie and use the supercharge of the Internet to camouflage and confuse. Gen X reporters have a vast stack of BS to sort through to find any remnants of truth that weren’t formed to assist those Boomers in military and political power. Withholding truth is the most potent weapon the government owns; Homeland Security has welded into its guideline to keep the public clear of the truth.
All wars are stated and built upon lies. Only when those who began the wars are dead will archaeologists find remnants of truth. To quote James Hillman’s book A Terrible Love of War, “You don’t attack the grunts of Vietnam; you blame the theory behind the war.”
Larry Winters
New Paltz
Corrupt FBI — no surprise
With the most recent Musk revelations from Twitter, it’s now more obvious than ever that the FBI communicated with and DIRECTLY manipulated Twitter with its pretend concerns about “hacking” and “Russian disinformation.” There were 150 emails between several FBI personnel and Yoel Roth, alone, who was one of Twitter’s chief deceivers in all the covered up corruption prior to the 2020 Presidential election. And, for a good laugh, let’s all remind ourselves of Roth’s title at Twitter — the “Head of trust and safety.” As I mentioned last week, this is the real threat to our democracy in the stifling of our basic 1st Amendment right to free speech for everyone, not just for one party.
After seeing all the latest facts and truths contained in all of the Musk Twitter releases to date, I was very curious to see how this was being covered on the liberal “news” outlets and what other “news stories” the jokesters were covering on CNN, MSNBC, et al. So, last week I watched the entire 6-7 P.M. Wolf Blitzer hour and the following entire Erin Burnett 7-8 p.m. time slot. In the face of all the serious problems we are all witnessing and experiencing, they found it much more important to cover a story about pieces of a shipwreck washed up on Florida’s east coast due to hurricanes Ian and Nicole. Another story of critical importance to all Americans involved China, but only regarding a superstition in their culture that believes that canned peaches can cure just about anything. There were a few other fluff stories covered at length that would put most viewers to sleep.
Then twice, once in each show, they covered the already over-reported story on the crypto fraudster, Sam Bankman-Fried, however, with no new news, just a regurgitation of what’s already been reported. Another biggie that desperately needed coverage was about a documentary done by Alexandra Pelosi regarding a lifetime of filming her mother, Nancy Pelosi — more NoDoz needed for the ill-informed, as they try to stay awake for these “blockbuster breaking news stories.”
Unsurprising to any conservative, they did cover, at length, the January 6 faux insurrection while, again, beating it to death, as always. They also spent quite some time on Elon Musk, but only on negative things they dug up from his past. They spent not even one second on the actual toxic information released from the old Twitter cesspool. Did they cover the border? Yes, but in the vaguest and weakest manner by not mentioning the statistics on the record number of illegals crossing our border daily. They made it sound like the majority of the illegals were families with children when the stark reality is that the majority of illegals are healthy young men traveling alone.
Not only did they “forget” to cover the realities of what’s actually going on at the border, but it slipped their minds to address the record amounts of fentanyl and its deadly effect on American youth. And, of course, no mention of how, once Title 42 is lifted, the already out-of-control illegal crossings will at least double, causing states of emergency in all border states as well as other locations in our country. How about the epidemic on crime affecting everyone? Not one second of air time in two hours! And, no acknowledgment and fact checking, at all, of the innumerable lies spewed by the arrogant and haughty press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, on a near daily basis.
Based upon all the preceding, no one should be wondering, at all, why CNN, MSNBC, et al are light years behind Fox News in the news network ratings.
John N. Butz
Modena
Join the family! 
