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.
Letter guidelines:
Hudson Valley One welcomes letters from its readers. Letters should be fewer than 300 words and submitted by noon on Monday. Our policy is to print as many letters to the editor as possible. As with all print publications, available space is determined by ads sold. If there is insufficient space in a given issue, letters will be approved based on established content standards. Points of View will also run at our discretion.
Although Hudson Valley One does not specifically limit the number of letters a reader can submit per month, the publication of letters written by frequent correspondents may be delayed to make room for less-often-heard voices, but they will all appear on our website at hudsonvalleyone.com. All letters should be signed and include the author’s address and telephone number.
Mega-trucking warehouse/mega problems
I live in Gardiner and was shocked to learn of the possible inappropriate intrusion of a trucking mega-warehouse in an area that already has so much more traffic than when I first arrived here 50 years ago. It is impossible to imagine the outlandish thinking of someone (and he is local) who wants to put a project like this adjacent to a road that is narrow and used by locals to shop, to work, to visit and to do the everyday driving we have to do in a semi-rural area.
This project belongs near a thruway. It is fraught with dangerous possibilities — noise and air pollution, accidents, quality of living issues, environmental disasters and a host of other issues that are avoided when a truck leaves a major highway and has a depot near the exit or entrance. It will impact towns in a big radius from the development since trucks get off the Thruway in New Paltz, Newburgh and Kingston. They also exit 84 and 17 and a host of other roads this warehouse will serve.
I drive on 44-55 to go shopping and I cannot imagine what it will be like with 18-wheelers coming toward me on an already-narrow and hilly road. What if two trucks are trying to make turns at the same time as they come from the east or west. How will they make seamless turns on this road; how will they negotiate some of the turns on Route 32 coming from the thruway; and how will they brake going down hills or if an oncoming car swerves slightly. How will trucks who are coming over the mountain on 44-55 going east to the site negotiate the tight turns on this route in the Town of Gardiner. Our roads already have had too many deaths.
This is a nightmare waiting to happen. I hope Plattekill has the foresight to oppose it before too much in our area is sacrificed to this ill-thought-out project. It must not happen. It has no place in a rural area. This project will impact our lives and our environment. Shame on the developers who put profit above their neighbors.
Annie O’Neill
Gardiner
Friendships take effort
I was moved by Susan Slotnick’s column about friends that have grown estranged. (“The end of friendship” 1/17 /24). A few hours before reading it, I had been reflecting on some longstanding friendships that had either faded away or abruptly ended. For most of my adult life, I have only been “moving forward,” giving only minor thought to friends that are no longer in my life. More recently, I am reflecting on what has been lost. Some moved away, either geographically or spiritually, and some, as Susan notes, expressed views that became an irreparable source of conflict.
While reading Susan’s column, WKZE happened to play Bob Dylan’s “Shelter from the Storm,” which speaks to a once-close friendship that ended. “Now there’s a wall between us, somethin’ there’s been lost.”
As a bit of irony, the next song was by the Mammals titled “Unpopular ideas.” It spoke to Susan’s comment that social or political views can put people out of synch with others. They could have easily been speaking about Trump voters. To be clear, I want friends that have different views than me, I learn from them. But thinking Trump is the answer is a bridge too far.
Thank you, Susan, for sharing thoughts we have all had about friendships. I do hope to eventually reconnect with some lost friends. Indeed, friends have recently hinted that I am not as available as a friend to them as I once was. Work, non-profits and volunteerism have given me less room for friendship time. That needs to change. I don’t want to lose those friendships, especially as I have reached the age that new, meaningful friendships are harder to cultivate. Other friendships have simply run their course, and that’s OK.
When you find time, reach out to a friend and tell them the value they hold in your life.
David Sterman
Gardiner
Questioning the narrative in Jewish community coverage
I’m responding to the January 13 article, “Ulster County’s Jewish community struggles with itself.” Initially balanced coverage of this community debate, this piece devolved into an exposition of the author’s own bias. The characterization of Klein’s reference to the murder of Israeli toddlers as “an old hoary chestnut,” and using terms like ‘purported’ for the October 7 atrocities, undermines the gravity of these events.
The coverage, under the guise of a debate over the ceasefire resolution, selectively fact-checks and pushes a narrative that diminishes the atrocities of October 7. Such language implies these events are exaggerated or fictitious.
Contrarily, the horror of October 7 is well-documented, even by Hamas’ own footage, showing the stark reality of that day’s violence. The NY Times detailed the sexual violence and murder by Hamas (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/28/world/middleeast/oct-7-attacks-hamas-israel-sexual-violence.html). The author’s reliance on a Netanyahu spokesperson for validation and dismissal neglects other credible sources, See the Times of Israel’s walkthrough of Kibbutz Kfar Aza’s violence (https://www.timesofisrael.com/1-month-after-oct-7-massacre-the-ruins-of-kibbutz-kfar-aza-testify-to-its-horrors/).
I lament the loss of life in Gaza, a tragedy for which the Israeli government holds responsibility. However, Hamas’ strategy involves using civilian infrastructure for military purposes, contributing significantly to the civilian toll. The complexity of the situation, including Netanyahu’s policies and Hamas’ tactics, must be acknowledged.
The situation in the ‘Holy’ Land is a disaster fueled by extremism on both sides. There is no point in contrasting the severity of the loss of life on either side, all is tragedy. However, the article underplays Israel’s suffering and the psychological impact, misrepresenting it as an investigation of the views of Kingston’s Jewish community.
Dan Stone
Kingston
Do not build the mega warehouse in Modena
While we are sympathetic to the property owner of 2021 Route 44/55 who wants to capitalize on the land by selling it, this warehouse development would be very damaging to the immediate community as well as the surrounding villages and towns.
A few facts on the impact of this project as currently proposed:
• The roads and traffic impact: Route 44/55 is a narrow two-lane road with no shoulder to buttress the traffic from homes. This road would not be able to support the steady truck traffic to the warehouse. There are no major roads leading to the proposed warehouse. The traffic impact and damage to the local roads that feed the area (routes 300, 32 and 208) would be significant. These are residential communities and two-lane roads, most of the roads do not have shoulders. Our children get on and off school buses on these roads. Trucks going to 100 loading docks would endanger our children.
Will these trucks carrying loads to and from the warehouse be driving through the Village of New Paltz? Village of Gardiner? How do they plan to get trucks to routes 87 or 84? A traffic study for this project would likely show the fact that these roads are not built for large truck traffic.
• Environmental impact — well water and septic: Our home, as most of the areas, have well water. Has the town and developer considered or studied the impact to the ground water? The plan says they will drain the pond and pave over wetlands — disastrous for the surrounding environment. Truck traffic and a project of this size would certainly affect the ground water feeding into our wells and create health hazards for our families.
How will the warehouse deal with sewers? Do they plan to install a massive septic system? There are no municipal sewers in the area.
How do they plan to provide water to the warehouse for all the planned workers? With no municipal water supply this seems irresponsible and untenable.
Did the developer provide studies to account for these issues?
• Environmental impact — wetlands: Our homes are surrounded by wetlands feeding into the waterways in Ulster County and surrounding communities. Has the developer consulted the DEP and done a study as to the effect of the traffic and the building of such a massive structure on the wetlands?
• Environmental impact — noise and light pollution: The warehouse forklifts and truck traffic will greatly impact the noise in the community. Currently a rural community we enjoy dark skies and quiet days and nights. This warehouse will destroy our lifestyles.
The scope and scale of the project would be detrimental to the entire community and surrounding area. Based on these facts, we respectfully ask the town board of Plattekill to deny the project.
Rachel Bunin
Modena
Most disturbing
As a Jewish American-Israeli, I have stayed away from writing letters, carrying signs and taking sides in this conflict. I feel too much pain, hopelessness, fear, frustration; overwhelming sorrow. But the article printed in the 1/17/24 edition of HV1 by Rokosz Most jolted me out of my silence. I appreciate Most’s coverage of the community’s interest in an internecine war in a country the size of New Jersey who’s history of conflict begins in antiquity. What I take issue with is the strange insinuation that certain facts are unknowable.
With regard to the unfolding tragedy in Gaza, Most writes that a speaker said that 23,000 people had been killed in Gaza in over 95 days. Writes Most, “It’s hard to know where these numbers are coming from.” These numbers are coming from the Gaza Ministry of Health and from the Israeli Defense Force. The accuracy of the number perhaps we will never know. Does it matter if it’s actually 27,763?
What I find even more upsetting, however, is Most’s difficulty in accepting that the massacre of Jews on October 7 is not verifiable. Writes Most, “The slaughter was purported to have occurred at the kibbutz of Kfar Aza during a murderous rampage by agents of Hamas. Once spoken a million times repeated, and still not yet proved.” Do the eyewitness accounts of survivors, the footage the Hamas themselves released of the massacre, the burnt-out remains of homes, the testimony of released hostages, the experiences of my friends and family not count as proof?
I don’t want to believe it’s happening either. I don’t want to see the suffering. I don’t want to feel my pain, their pain, our pain. I don’t expect that we can know the truth in the chaos of the present moment, but to deny, to confuse, to obfuscate our story is worse than looking away.
Rebecca Ackerman Raphael
Kingston
Mistakes happen
Sometimes when a politician makes a mistake, he creates a new nation.
Sparrow
Phoenicia
My concerns about the proposed warehouse
This is a copy of a letter I submitted to the Plattekill Planning Board:
I am writing with great concern over the warehouse proposal.
In weighing a project, I understand that your obligation is to both your zoning code and the effect on the community. There is a cost/benefit analysis that must be considered with every potential project.
I know that this will create some tax revenue, and jobs, though just a handful because the majority of people passing through the facility would be truck drivers.
But, the potential cost of this project is what greatly concerns me.
The proposed 75 truck bays indicate that there would be the potential for quite a few trucks at any given time.
I read that it was projected at 50 or more trucks during each rush hour.
On a road (Route 44/55) that has, from what I have seen estimated currently, as single digit truck traffic daily, this would be disastrous.
The close neighbors would suffer from noise and emissions, in addition to the project’s negative environmental effects.
However, you must consider the deleterious effect to all of Plattekill, and your neighbors in Gardiner, New Paltz and all of the other towns that these 80,000 pound behemoths will be traversing.
The location could not be worse. This type of facility is best-suited to Fishkill, Newburgh, Kingston, or other locations near a Thruway exit to minimize truck traffic disruption.
I have the following specific traffic concerns:
1. Trucks turning from, and onto, Route 44/55 — an inconvenience and potential hazard.
2. Congestion caused by the daily addition of hundreds of trucks — do we really want our rural community to look and feel like Secaucus?
3. Where do they turn? — The weight limit on 32 North is 17,000 pounds. Will they be going on 32 south, North Ohioville Road, the Scenic Byway of Route 208? Whichever road, the turns are tight and this will be a daily slow-down and hazard.
4. Tourism is one of our biggest economic drivers — people do NOT come to our community to be stuck behind an army of tractor trailers … there WILL be a negative economic impact.
5. Road safety will be compromised — not only will we all be inconvenienced, but it is just a matter of time, and probability, until there are serious and God forbid fatal accidents. Even if this project were to be scaled down in size, road safely is a major concern. Please do not put yourselves in the position of having that on your conscience.
For all of these reasons, and others that I have not addressed here, I call upon you to do your jobs and protect your community.
Tim Hunter
Gardiner
Who’s pulling the wool over our eyes?
The Town of Woodstock, under Supervisor McKenna, allowed short-term rentals (STR’s) with no idea what they were in for. This is when monthly rentals disappeared. Do you see the connection?
Now we have (handpicked by McKenna, hmm?) “housing” committees and task forces to handle this “crisis?” The Housing Alliance was given $175,000 for what? Where is the accounting? A waste of time and money?
Think about current STR’s — decrease the number. How about they all have to be owner-occupied? More monthly rentals would be available and competition would lower rates without having to overbuild.
Instead, McKenna allows a few more STR’s!
Why would McKenna put the town in jeopardy by having an STR application where the owner doesn’t need to show proof of liability insurance? The town is responsible for the safety of these STR’s by inspection and the annual fee — the town is libel. Another lawsuit?
Wake up Woodstock!
Affordable housing? Do you honestly think they will be affordable to an employee who works in town? The shop owners can only afford to pay so much salary due to our high living costs in Woodstock.
No sane businessman would build city multiplexes as lower/middle income housing for an investment — it would have a long turnaround or loss.
Government funding would be used and the doors would open to all who are eligible across the state/country. Do you honestly believe the people from Woodstock who are currently seeking affordable housing would actually get it? The competition would be far too great.
How many people who live at the Rupco housing in town were actually from Woodstock? How many got in?
We only have so much water (free from contamination?), there are no major jobs. Zena School is closed and potentially closing Woodstock School would not bring families to town. No jobs, no families!
Guess what? The town isn’t big enough for everyone who wants to move here — we don’t have the resources to accommodate overbuilding and we never will.
One said, “Like the geese who fly overhead and want to make a home in the big beautiful popular pond, but the pond is already full, so they have to fly on.”
Where is your common sense? You don’t overbuild/overpopulate because issues arise and then the town is no longer manageable or governable.
We are a small TOWN not a big CITY!
Natalie Cyr
Woodstock
Stop the mega warehouse
Our area is a rural community of farms, orchards and small towns. It will forever change the quality and experience of driving and living here. If we drive to go shopping, drive to work, or just want to go to New Paltz or Plattekill, 18-wheelers will profoundly affect our ability to get from one place to another, particularly if we drive on 44-55 or Route 32. Imagine trucks driving through at all hours of the day; imagine the turns they will have to take on a narrow road like 44-55 when we are driving home or going to Hannaford’s. Imagine two semis coming from different directions having to enter this property at the same time! Cars will be hampered and even endangered by these trucks. There will inevitably be accidents, and automobiles will be the losers in any encounter with an 18-wheeler. It would be a nightmare from which none of us could awaken!
The proposed trucking mega warehouse simply does not belong here. This horrendous project should be located on or near a major highway, not on narrow roads or in the middle of our towns.
So let’s all wake up and stop the mega warehouse!
Jose M Moreno-Lacalle
New Paltz
Family of Woodstock hotline volunteer training
For well over 50 years, volunteers on Family of Woodstock’s hotline have responded to the needs of individuals and families in crisis; offered support to those who seek connection with someone who will, in a safe, anonymous and confidential setting, listen closely and carefully, with kindness, empathy and skill, to whatever it is that may be causing them distress; and provided referrals to community resources for any number of concrete needs. Over the past four years, I’ve had the privilege of being one of those volunteers. Family of Woodstock will begin its next series of Hotline training programs on February 9. The trainings will be conducted virtually and in-person. I encourage anyone who is looking for an opportunity to give to others the kind of support we all deserve, to stop by the hotline at 16 Rock City Road in Woodstock for an application or to contact Sue Carroll at scarroll@familyofwoodstockinc.org.
Helene Kendler
Lake Hill
Municipal water management
In 2015, we performed an audit of our drinking water system. It showed that 45% of the water our municipal system was producing was “non-revenue” water. This meant we were only collecting revenue (water bills) for 55% of the water produced at the treatment plant on Mountain Rest Road. This was the highest rate of non-revenue water the auditor had observed among communities in New York State.
Non-revenue water is defined by the American Water Works Association as the sum of unbilled authorized consumption (water for firefighting, hydrant flushing, public buildings, etc.) plus apparent losses (customer meter inaccuracies, unauthorized consumption, etc.) plus real losses (system leakage and storage tank overflows).
We made improving this figure a priority and are pleased to report 2023 was another successful year. Non-revenue water averaged 21.5% during the last two years through 2023, and 24% during the last six years through 2023. Now we are receiving payments for over 75% of the water produced, up from 55%.
Additionally, we are simply using less water overall. For the last three years through 2023, we averaged using 246.9 million gallons annually. In comparison, we averaged 321.3 million annually for three years through 2015.
New Paltz is using 74.4 million fewer gallons of drinking water per year and has been receiving payment for at least 75% of the water we produce.
Mayor Tim Rogers
New Paltz
I choose optimism!
Today we celebrate the birth of Martin Luther King, a true beacon of light in the quest for a more rational world. Martin dedicated his life to inspire and uplift so many people, white as well as black, toward honoring each other based on our merit and not the color of our skin. He had a dream that painted a beautiful picture that we could all understand. The dream is still with us. We have come far. But the dream as reality still has a long way to go.
Today is also 100 days since the horrible massacre of Jewish people that took place in Israel on October 7. We’ve all been on such a wild ride of fear, grief and rage since that day when people around the world mourned for those brutally killed, and for the families that were enduring such suffering. The Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem, was played on all continents as a form of solidarity with Israel.
Not long after that outpouring of love, the sentiment changed drastically as the military of Israel began their campaign to eliminate Hamas, the terrorist group responsible for the massacre. Israel certainly had the right to defend its people and its country. But knee-jerk reactions can happen in any direction, and in a flash the world shifted their rage away from Hamas, the terrorists and more toward the Israeli government and the Israeli military, as a growing number of innocent Palestinian people were being killed.
The disgusting massacre by Hamas brought out the worst behavior against a people that we may have ever witnessed as a society. And now the effects of the Israeli Defense Forces to destroy Hamas is being seen, up close and personal, by the whole world as nothing less than an ongoing tragedy. Both are true, and I will not make any judgments here. The complexities are too vast. But one thing I do know. War turns all parties into losers. Nobody ever wins.
Dr. King had a dream, and we are still working toward manifesting that dream. But thanks to his vision, we all can, at any time, continue to be inspired, and to hold up that picture as the way to go for our society.
I had a vision a few days after the Hamas massacre. It was a picture of the Jewish people in Israel living peacefully and feeling secure in their country. That vision also had the Palestinian people living peacefully, and feeling more secure than ever in their history. Whether Israel and the Palestinian people live to enjoy that image as neighbors, or as former neighbors, we’ll have to wait and see. Only time will tell. But this new vision is something we all can hold on to, as a real possibility. And as Dr. King’s words have been inspiring for generations, we can decide to envision peace in the Middle East as a real possibility. I know there are many who are pessimistic. But I choose optimism. Point of view does matter. Will you join me?
Marty Klein
Kingston
Mega warehouse in Modena needs impact studies
I am writing as a resident of the Town of Gardiner regarding my opposition to the special permit application for a mega warehouse to be located off Route 44/55 in Modena without a full OCED review. It seems historical that the Town of Plattekill has chosen not to avail themselves of impact study resources even when residents and concerned neighbors demanded such for other development projects. Impact studies may have seemed like unnecessary bureaucratic red tape the town wished to avoid in the past. However, I think it is exceptionally clear that following that habit in the case of a proposed 450,000 square-foot mega warehouse would be incredibly ill advised.
There are certainly going to be countless negative impacts from a structure of this nature and the heavy truck traffic it will bring that will affect not just the Town of Plattekill, but the neighboring communities as well. Many of those impacts might be dangerously consequential. It must be also be considered what precedent would be set for the region by categorizing a facility of this size as “light industrial use.” This could cause further depletion of the true industrial zones in the region. If planning boards start to allow very large businesses to take up space in the less expensive rural areas, why would any business pay more to be in the proper industrial zones? The Ulster County Economic Development Alliance should be consulted for their advice about this issue. There may be very far reaching economic impacts that a short sighted decision would have. For these reasons I urge the editor to highlight the need for impact studies for this project.
Camille D’Amico
Gardiner
Truth or consequences
Proponents of the HOTF proposal to change zoning in Woodstock have called the opposition fearful individuals who have their facts wrong. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The facts speak for themselves. Across the country upzoning has failed to provide affordable housing. Even as close as Esopus, residents didn’t understand the ramifications of the zoning changes until it was too late after an apartment building ended up in their backyard. Renowned supporters of upzoning have also changed their opinions when countless attempts at affordable housing backfired.
The proponents have called concerned citizens the NIMBY crowd, fearful individuals whose concerns are pure fantasy. They say we take sections of the proposal out of context. We don’t. Our fears are very valid. Woodstock has managed to maintain its beautiful rural setting since my childhood. I purchased my home on a country lane because of the forest setting. Now they want to change the code where potentially my wooded road could be cleared to make room for 20 units and the required 40 parking spaces. Any lot on any road that meets the lot requirements is at risk (except the scenic overlay and R8).
They also don’t seem concerned about wildlife displacement, the water or septic issues, or that property values surrounding this type of development will plummet. They dismiss the countless articles on upzoning and how it failed to provide affordable housing. All valid arguments continue to fall on deaf ears.
When opponents plead for them to go with a proven entity that will provide affordable housing, we are dismissed. One only has to look at Woodstock Commons to know that the answer is and has always been right in front of them. Can’t they see that? Partnering with Rupco or finding government grants to build units on a larger parcel is the best way to provide affordable housing.
Marcia Zwilling
Woodstock
Gaslighting, Gaza and genocide
Gaslighting is a psychological technique that causes one to question their perception of reality. After reading Mr. Civile’s tit-for-tat letter in last week’s HV1, it becomes clear he is gaslighting regarding Israel not committing genocide. Mr. Civile doesn’t want us to believe hundreds of genocide experts declaring what is happening in Gaza is textbook case of genocide, as his mocking title indicates (“Expert, texpert”). Instead he would have this readership believe anyone proclaiming genocide has an “anti-Israeli bias.” Curiously, he makes no attempt to demonstrate how the applicability of the 1948 Genocide Convention’s definition of genocide does not apply to Israel’s brutal actions in Gaza against Palestinians civilians. Mr. Civile would gaslight us to believe it’s just our “anti-Israeli bias” when we bring up Israel deliberately slaughtering 32,246 innocent civilians (Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor), mostly women and children; deliberately depriving civilians food and water creating famine as a weapon; deliberately depriving civilians fuel, medicine, medical care, hospitalization and shelter creating an epidemic of disease; deliberately depriving civilians escape routes and making it so there is no safe place from all this horror within the confines of Gaza.
Never mind that all of that, individually or collectively, easily satisfies the categories of acts of genocide whose definitions are agreed to by all 153 convention members, including Israel, as follows: In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: a). Killing members of the group; b). Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; c). Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; d). Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; e). Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
Beyond Mr. Civile’s gaslighting, four categories of genocide defined above, clearly indicate events taking place on the ground in Gaza is a textbook case of genocide, and that is not “anti-Israeli bias,” but responsible critical thinking, supported by 900 genocide scholars. By extension, Mr. Civile would have us all believe the U.S. Holocaust Museum has an “anti-Israeli bias” for declaring Israel is indeed committing genocide. No amount of gaslighting by Mr. Civile, and the infamous Israeli propaganda machine, will make barbarism okay in the 20th century. All culpable parties should be held accountable, including the Netanyahu administration, which has far surpassed Hamas in barbarism, and the Biden administration, which has made this genocide possible with US money and armaments. Modern Israel, as a product of the terrible 1941-1945 Holocaust, and as a signed member of the Convention On The Prevention and Punishment of The Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention) since 1950, has a moral and legal responsibility to prevent genocide, not perpetrate it under the guise of self-defense. All of Mr. Civile’s gaslighting cannot change that fact.
Steve Romine
Woodstock
Improve Woodstock’s Zoom capabilities now
We think it’s way past time that our town commits to giving our residents the respectful right to be able to attend meetings on Zoom with clarity of sound and picture. We are tired of trying to attend meetings on Zoom where consistently the sound or picture and chat function is seriously lacking in clarity and usability. Residents have a right to be able to attend all our meetings using the Zoom function in order to gain information and knowledge about specific issues and public hearings. The current situation has consistently been getting worse.
Please pressure the supervisor and town board members to do the right thing by upgrading and improving the sound and video on the Zoom with new and modern equipment. We have a large unappropriated fund balance. There should be money there to bring Woodstock into the 21st century with state-of-the-art equipment for the Comeau property, our town hall and the community center. And don’t forget the TV station.
It’s very frustrating to want to be an informed citizen when technical difficulties with antiquated Zoom and speaker systems are not cooperating. Please, let’s all ask for this upgrade because we the people deserve it. The town’s governance should respect its citizens enough to be transparent by improving these systems once and for ALL!!
Linda and Terence Lover
Woodstock
Moonlighting again?
A flatbed pick-up truck is used by, among others, a contractor who needs a vehicle that is easy to load building materials on or a person that plows snow who uses a sander for icy driveways. Based upon these facts and seeing McKenna in his new vehicle, a flatbed pick-up truck, I believe that we might see Supervisor McKenna revert back to the daily work schedule he kept when he first became supervisor where he would as he stated “get into the office about seven in the morning for a couple of hours, then go swing a hammer midday” or in this case plow and sand his customer’s driveways.
Howard Harris
Woodstock
Kudos to our road crew
These cold and snowy days make me think of our highway superintendent, Brian Stiscia, and the entire road crew. Thank you all for the great job you always do in clearing town roads and helping to keep us safe.
Glenn Gidaly
Gardiner
A train wreck
If you need someone to guide you off the garden path, well, I’m here.
Carpe Diem…
I think I
seized the
wrong fucking
day…
In other
words…
[shit], I haveCarpe’d the
wrong Diem
Anyone fancy going off the effn rails with me, I’ve had enough?
… All aboard … I’ll let you blow the horn…
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
Hand over your heart
As I reflect on my journey through the landscapes of morality and history against the backdrop of our modern society, I find myself grappling with profound contrasts. Placing my hand over my heart, an act once brimming with honor and allegiance now feels like a mere echo from the past, struggling to affirm its relevance in the present. “We are witnessing morality crumbling the bulwarks built to protect democracy.” I muse, these words echoing a stark metaphor for the erosion of foundational values. It’s as if I’m living within Yeats’ haunting verse, “Things fall apart; the center cannot hold.” I see justice, once the proud defender of democracy, now adrift in the murky waters of politics and bureaucracy. In this imagery, the foundational principles of governance seem to lose their footing in the ever-shifting landscape of modern management.
Through a historical lens, I recall the noble intentions that once guided military and governmental actions. The dual purpose of war — to protect our homeland and to plant seeds of freedom and justice abroad — now clashes with the reality of political rhetoric and its implementation. Orwell’s words resonate with me: “In our age, there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics.’ All issues are political issues.”
My critique of the present digital age, where technology, represented by the binary “ones and zeros,” seems to bulldoze over human values and emotional intelligence. Technology is a double-edged sword akin to money: It can empower or diminish our human experience. Truth and trust become as elusive and contaminated as the plastic-laden oceans, a poignant allegory for the state of disinformation and moral ambiguity that plagues today’s world.
In my closing thoughts, I consider touching one’s heart a poignant call to return to our core human values. If we could feel our hearts as often as we interact with our technology, perhaps we could rekindle the spirit and heartbeat of a society in dire need of compassion and truth.
However, I also contemplate the positive aspects of modern technology and global interconnectedness. Despite its pitfalls, the digital age offers unprecedented opportunities for education, awareness and the spread of democratic ideals.
Technology has given a voice to the previously voiceless and enabled movements for justice and equity to gain global momentum. As both a destroyer and a creator, this duality of technology adds complexity to my narrative.
My words are a call to honor past sacrifices, critically assess present challenges, and envision a future where humanity, not technology, steers our values and actions.
Larry Winters
New Paltz
New LLC Transparency Act
Thank you to assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha, who worked with other state legislators to pass the LLC Transparency Act this legislative session. It is essential for renters and small business owners to know who they are renting from. Large property owners have been hiding behind a facade of anonymity far too long in New York. This law gives tenants and business owners the right to information they need when problems in their buildings are not adequately or promptly addressed.
I owned a small business in Kingston from 2013-2018. What had been a peaceful, cooperative relationship with my local landlord became hellish and impersonal when the building was sold to a New York City speculator. With this law New Yorkers will be more empowered to stand up to negligent or abusive property owners.
Unfortunately, the governor’s last-minute amendments to the law mean that the public will be required to contact state and local government to access the LLC information. Lucky for us here in AD 103, Assemblymember Shrestha and her constituent services team will be of great help to us when the resources become available. I hope renters, small business owners and others wronged by the once-hidden owners of businesses will reach out for help now that this law gives us the right to know.
Deena Rae Turner
Saugerties
Stop Enbridge’s Project Maple
Warning! Climate-unfriendly proposal looms!
From those wonderful folks at Enbridge who brought you: 1. The original Line 3 (biggest onshore oil spill in US history 1991); and; 2. The rerouted Line 3 (invading sovereign land in Minnesota); and
3. Line 5 (accident waiting to happen under Lake Michigan); and 4. Line 6B (second biggest onshore oil spill, Kalamazoo River 2010), comes now a new proposal with the homely name of Project Maple.
The company wants to expand existing pipeline capacity to move lots, more methane from NJ thru NY, CT and RI to MA and maybe beyond.
Even if it’s just passing gas through NY (close to the stored fuel rods at Indian Point), this infrastructure buildout in our state would be complicit in the 2024 climate crime of extracting, emitting and consuming yet more fossil fuels.
Everyone who cares about humankind’s efforts to stop global overheating and wants to act locally should get ready to fight Project Maple. Prepare for action by going to http://tinyurl.com/2t43tmym.
Stephen Shafer
Saugerties
What time is it?
When does a 30-point victory become a loss in a primary? When you’re watching MSNBC’s Morning Joe (the Neil Jarmel of cable TV’s anti Trump bias) and he announces that had Barack Obama run a third time in an Iowa primary — like Trump did — he would have gotten 90% of the vote. Oh well, as Nigerian conga player, Jimmy Scott-Emuakpor, an acquaintance of Paul McCartney was known to say: “Obladi, Oblada.” Recent polls say — Joe Scarborough notwithstanding — the 81 million vote man, (and “Corn Pop” whisperer) POTUS Biden, is losing ground to (the twice impeached, greatest threat to democracy) Donald Trump. This parody of Bob Dylan’s “Desolation row” is written for those who held their noses and voted for Biden and now — despite regretting their devil’s bargain — are still unwilling to answer “Yes” to the question asked by a once popular Rock group (that probably no one remembers) “Does anybody really know what time it is?”
(Stanza)
They’re selling postcards of the laptop
The Biden family is feeling down
Nancy Pelosi’s gone to the funeral parlor
Barack Obama is wearing a frown
Here comes dear Kamala Harris
She’s sounding proud and is standing tall
Then Liz Cheney says “please tell her
“false pride comes before a fall”
And the Democrats, they are worried now
as they prepare for the election show:
They didn’t think that the polls would say:
It’s time for Joe to go
(Stanza)
The cable newscasters are all uneasy
They can’t believe Trump’s still going strong
While they were counting his indictments
the “Heartland” heard Trump’s MAGA song
And in stumbles old Joe Biden
“I’ll win again; I do believe”
Then someone says “Joe’s babbling again;
lead him to the door and help him leave”
And the only sound that is heard right now
by a Biden friend or foe
Is the rising loud, clear clarion cry:
It’s time for Joe to go
(Stanza)
Joe sent planes to bomb the Houthi rebels
for attacking merchant ships at sea
He said we had to bomb them; to save
the world’s economy
Now Trump put the Houthis on the terrorist list
‘cos Iran — backed terrorists they are
But old Joe took them off it and that
just seemed so bizarre
And cos the Houthis never changed their stripes
Joe put them back on the list you know
And now that Jamie Dimon’s praising Trump:
It’s time for Joe to go
(Stanza)
Yes, I received your letter yesterday
about the book Jill Biden wrote
It’s titled “80 is now the new 60:
so, Joe’s still young and deserves your vote”
All those pundits that you mentioned:
their defense of Joe is really lame
I rearranged all their TV Stations
but they all still sound the same
Right now, Dems don’t feel so good:
‘cos it seems that they’re stuck with Joe
And since even at 60 Joe was clueless;
they know it’s time for Joe to go
George Civile
Gardiner
Israel/Palestine
We forget. We dismiss, we deny, and we are distracted from untold suffering that surrounds us every day. Not just in Palestine. Every day 25,000 die of starvation worldwide. In the US, 772 women are raped or sexually assaulted every day. Twenty-three million terrified animals are brutally slaughtered every day so we can consume their flesh. Extractive industries like mining, logging and drilling cause suffering and devastation around the globe every day. And yes, it’s always about power, privilege and profit. And yes, the perpetrators are often white men. Many are members of “big brother’s” billionaire club and are determined to commodify, monetize and digitize all humanity and all life. And we become numb and accept new normals that degrade our humanity.
Don’t let Israel’s genocide and ethnic cleansing become normalized. It’s not. Don’t be desensitized by the daily reports of atrocities and deaths. And don’t be fooled by the well-oiled and well-financed Israeli/Zionist propaganda machine which spins out lies, distortions and misinformation to a media that questions nothing. For the truth about the fabrications about beheaded and burned babies or rape and sexual assaults on October 7, read and/or listen to Max Blumenthal https://thegrayzone.com/2024/01/10/questions-nyt-hamas-rape-report/ . There are more than 23,000 corpses (10,000 are children) in Gaza, but no water, no food, no electricity. They have no voice, but we do. Please speak out about the ongoing genocidal slaughter in Gaza (made possible with your tax dollars).
Eli Kassirer
New Paltz
Neil’s misguidings
Last week, Neil Jarmel asked me to address the truth. Unfortunately, most of his machinations about Trump are exaggerated and merely Neil’s vision and version about who Trump is, which we’ve all witnessed nearly every week in his letters. If Trump was as dire as Neil portrays him to be, then that should scare every American out of their wits, making it impossible for Trump to be running away as the leading Republican presidential nominee. What American from ANY party would vote for a Hitler? I certainly wouldn’t.
Neil says that Trump smears politicians and the media as “enemies of the people” even though the media’s countless lies and fake news stories end up being debunked as misinformation. This kind of seriously biased “reporting” misleads and propagandizes the average viewer making it impossible for them to make an objective, intelligent informed decision and, therefore, actually does make these guilty politicians and media outlets “ the enemy of the people.” The truth that Neil seeks is hidden from the people thanks to shoddy and intentionally biased “reporting.”
According to Neil, Trump has always been a fascist. If that was true, then why would a fascist be interested in creating a record pre-pandemic economy benefitting everyone, especially minorities? Aren’t minorities the kind of nuisance a fascist would want to get rid of? Why would a fascist want to protect his country’s national security by seriously monitoring its borders regardless of his population’s race, level of wealth, or political party affiliations? And, everyone knows what Trump meant by “being a dictator for just one day” as he was describing that, on his first day in office, he would immediately reverse every last incompetent anti-American Biden policy that has put us all through hell for the past three years and counting.
On another topic, Steve Romine requires another quick response. As Steve pushes for a cease fire, he has been totally silent on Hamas’s involvement and contribution regarding the deaths of so many Palestinians. As Steve continues to place full responsibility and blame on Israel for the Palestinian deaths, he gives free passes to Hamas and all the Palestinians who support Hamas.
Aside from a ceasefire, which would leave Hamas holding all the aces, there would be no end to Hamas’s continued persecution and attacks upon Israel in the future. Steve never offers his own suggestions as to how a lasting peace could be reached when dealing with a pack of mentally deranged terrorists. A cease fire is a temporary bandaid and does nothing to solve the problem responsible for this never ending hostility.
John N. Butz
Modena
Rock (Salt) On
Snow-covered fields not forever.
Nothing to get hung about.
More snow loosening in the skies
like diamonds…
Patrick Hammer, Jr.
Saugerties
Can we do better together?
The week in which we are currently living is designated as the sixth annual National Gun Violence Survivors Week. According to Everytown for Gun Safety-Everytown Survivor Network, everyday 120 people in America are shot and killed, more than 200 others are shot and wounded, and countless others are affected in some way by gun violence. As a society, can we do better? Can we make certain that guns are stored safely — locked and unloaded, stored away from children and teens, stored away from ammunition? Can we support an Assault Weapons Ban? Can we have more effective background checks and hold gun manufacturers responsible before tragic events occur? We can work together to strengthen safeguards for everyone in our communities.
Contact our New York legislators and governor and our representatives in Washington to express any concerns that you may have. At the same time, recognition should be extended to responsible gun owners who maintain their own knowledge and skills, store their guns responsibly, keep their families informed regarding safety and in doing so, have the respect of the general public.
Each of us can make a difference every day.
Terence Lover
Woodstock
A good day for our little town
On Sunday, a water main broke at the corner of Neher Street and Tinker Street in Woodstock. We are writing to thank Bill McKenna and the water department for responding quickly to this problem. They worked tirelessly in frigid weather to repair the damage and restore our water for our whole street of houses. They were polite, chipper, friendly and it was all in all a good day for our little town.
Thank you, thank you.
Terry and Mark Antman
Woodstock
Join the family! 
