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Replying in gratitude
I thank Mr. Romine for the excellent segue to address common misconceptions regarding the Israel-Hamas war and the editor at HV1 for the platform.
Mr. Romine labels Israel as genocidal and apartheid, a narrative pushed by those hostile to Israel, claiming it discriminates against Palestinians. However, apartheid in South Africa involved systemic racial segregation and dominance, unlike Israel, where law treats all citizens — Jews, Arabs, Christians, Druze — equally. This inclusivity is evident across judges, politicians, journalists, even Instagram influencers, with public signage in Hebrew, Arabic and English throughout the country, and everyone freely practicing the religion of their choice. Like every diverse country, there are social tensions; many people there address them, like here. The sole preferential law for Jews is called “The Law of Return,” which exists to secure it as a safe haven for Jews persecuted from other countries, not just from Europe, but the Muslim-majority countries surrounding it — Syria, Yemen, Iran, for example.
Mr. Romine oversimplifies the definition of genocide per the Genocide Convention, which includes murdering, intentionally causing physical or psychological harm, imposing hazardous living conditions, preventing births, and forcibly transferring children. Unbiased, objective data at worldometer.com will show the Gaza population has grown over the past decades. Standards of living among Hamas leaders are quite extravagant. Every Israeli military engagement has been defensive, not genocidal. War is tragic, and costs many lives. Misusing the term “genocide” for propaganda against Israel dilutes its grave significance, however, overlooking actual genocides today — those against Rohingya Muslims, Uyghurs and Ukrainians. Those of which the supposed genocide — objectors are radio silent on comparatively.
Once again, Israel is in this war it did not start, not this past October, certainly not in 1948. They provide aid to Gaza, as they should. I have never heard of a genocide in which the persecutors provide humanitarian aid to the persecuted. Is it getting to those who need it most? No. What happens to it once it is in the hands of Gaza authorities is beyond Israeli control.
Hamas uses human shields by instigating violence, then hiding in its tunnel system while those above face the consequences. This is the most obvious example of their human shield use. For more information, visit the Wikipedia article “Use of Human Shields by Hamas.”
Gaza is in crisis. Netanyahu handles this war carelessly, with complete disregard for the hostages. The rhetoric of his right-wing ministers is heinous, the settler violence, disgusting. These issues do not negate Israel’s right to exist nor grant Hamas impunity for crimes against humanity. The violence is driven by war-hungry men empowered by polarity, division, instability. This is not a conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, but between peace builders and breakers. Neither nation is going anywhere, so both must learn to share the land above or doom themselves to share the earth below. Which side do you stand for?
Sarah Stone
Hurley
Note to congressman Pat Ryan
We really need you to vote to completely close the southern border. Our country, our state, our cities, our drug overdose and crime status, our government budgets and our schools are being destroyed by the influx of illegal immigrants. Why can’t you stand up for completely closing the border? Please don’t mention the sham Senate border bill that would allow 5,000 illegal immigrants per day before stopping the flood of unvetted groups including criminals, mental patients and people with unchecked disease. Your failure on the border totally cancels your “accomplishments” on gay marriage, trans and abortion laws.
Ralph Mitchell
Kingston
Stop preaching falsehoods
With regards to letters to the editor I’m finding Steve Romaine’s weekly personal hate column exhausting to read. It’s possible to replace his name with Yahya Sinwar or Rashida Talib. His writings are full of misinformation and vitriol towards Israel, Israelites and Jews. His ignorance of historical facts is mind boggling. His revisionist history demonstrated in his last rant requires me to make the following corrections. A just and learned person would not attempt to preach falsehoods emanating from a terrorist organization, namely Hamas. Steve’s use of the word genocide to support his own indoctrination displays his own lack of understanding and belittles people who have actually been faced with genocide, namely Jews. Is he not aware of Jordan’s Black September or Syria’s civil war? Steve throws around figures (35,000) which is ambitious even by Hamas standards. He fails to mention that many of the casualties were terrorists. The most recent polls taken in Gaza, Judea and Samaria show 80 percent of the populace support Hamas and their October 7 atrocities. He fails to mention the billions of dollars spent by Hamas to build hundreds of miles of military tunnels within the tiny enclave of Gaza. Is it possible that you are so ‘outraged’ about the ongoing war in Gaza because Jews aren’t rolling over and accept invasion and slaughter. No country in the world would sit back and accept being invaded and slaughtered. What do you think the response would have been by the US and UK if Hitler and Himmler would have requested a ‘humanitarian’ cease fire once their troops got pushed back into German territory in 1945? On a personal note in June, 1975 I spent several hours with Menachem Begin, his wife and daughter in his home in Tel Aviv. One of the memorable things he said which I will paraphrase was as follows, ‘Goyim (non Jews) mass kill Goyim and the Western World stays silent. Goyim mass kill Jews and the world stays silent but if a Jew kills a Goyim, the world erupts in condemnation.’ Steve, you lost any credibility you may have had when you denied the right to Israel and the Jewish people to defend themselves and exist as a sovereign nation.
Donald R Simon
Woodstock
Confused by article
I found the article about short-term rentals confusing although I write that with all due respect to reporter Rokosz Most.
Perhaps I need to be schooled, but I don’t quite get the connection between short-term rentals and the current housing crisis which is created by a host of problems.
Short term rentals, to my knowledge, are mostly homes and not apartments, although I’m ready to be corrected. I know of long-time residents as well as part-time who rent through the various tourist channels. Their homes would not add to the housing stock available to workers seeking apartments. It’s already clear that a nationwide hot-housing market has made home ownership unaffordable for most blue collar workers, but I more to say about that later on.
I think the story lacked that breakdown of how many STR’s are apartments versus single family homes which would better inform the true nature of the housing problem. Also, how many corporations are operating STR’s versus individuals who, like some people I know, depend on the income to pay taxes and overhead on their second homes which are often their part-time residence. Their housing stock will still not solve the need for affordable apartments.
Legislator Jeff Collins’ does not help matters by his off-handed remarks which imply that “part-time” residents do not contribute to our communities. Nothing is further from the truth. Reporter Most did point out that hybrid workers and second-home owners generally have higher incomes. As a result, they have been economic fireballs supporting and helping to grow local businesses.
In addition, I have personally seen a growth of volunteers among this group which is much-needed and welcomed. I can also attest to the generosity of our upstate-downstate residents. As a volunteer with a group which depends on an annual membership drive, we’ve had an overwhelming uptick in number and size of donations among people with two addresses.
This leads me to my own humble opinion about the true problem behind affordable housing. It’s wages. Our government and the corporations which it protects have us so divided that we can’t even figure out the simplest of problems. Instead, we’re pitted against each other when we should be united as a working class. I’ve heard some workers question why fast-food workers should earn $15 an hour. The question is why most American workers aren’t earning $100 an hour and receiving a full benefit package which includes universal health care. Please don’t mock me. Just look at the salaries of the fat cats who are manipulating us to think that something like a second-home owner is a problem, or someone receiving food stamps. Educate yourself about the profits corporations are currently making off the backs of our workers. This is another Gilded Age on steroids.
Corporate welfare is the problem. If corporations — who are NOT people — paid taxes and paid their workers accordingly, many of this country’s problems would suddenly be fixed and workers could afford housing. There’s no such thing as affordable housing without living wages.
Jo Galante Cicale
Saugerties
Overheard in a Bar
Overheard this recently
in a village bar:
In an inconsistent world,
I like my drinks to be
consistent.
Patrick Hammer, Jr,
Saugerties
Just say no
Eggs frying in a pan, with the TV making it clear those were our brains … it didn’t work, but who likes being hooked? This is a nightmare election, and support for Biden is thin, and dislike for Trump is thick. We are on a bad trip.
Tell your favorite politician you want other choices. It is not too late. Chicago is going to be a replay of the last Democratic convention there, in what, ’68? That was a horror show. Dump Trump and dump Biden! Save America, the country we love.
Paul Raymond
New Paltz
The roads converged: A journey of hand and heart
I have two brothers. We are all in our seventies. We all drive pickup trucks; this indicates that we grew up in a time, place and family that lived off the land, fixed, built, dug, hauled and made things.
In the heartland of my soul, where the roads of academia and blue-collar wisdom converge, I find myself a man of two worlds. As the wheels of our pickup trucks roll along the gravel roads of memory, I recall the days of my youth, nestled in the bosom of the earth, where my brothers and I learned the language of labor and the poetry of the soil.
The pickup truck, a steadfast companion, symbolizes more than just a vehicle; it’s a testament to a life lived with hands in the dirt and eyes on the horizon. It speaks of a time when we crafted our destinies with the tools in our hands, under the watchful eye of a setting sun.
I, the lone wanderer among us who sought the halls of higher learning, realized that the scholar’s ink is no mightier than the carpenter’s hammer. The GI Bill was my chariot, ferrying me through the labyrinth of academia, yet the siren call of sawdust and sweat beckoned me home. I found my proper education in the embrace of the familiar among the wood shavings and nails.
In this duality of existence, I discovered that survival is an art painted with the brush strokes of practical skills and the palette of knowledge. The pickup truck, a vessel of our collective spirit, is a monument to the enduring power of self-reliance and the beauty of a life built by one’s own hands.
With its digital dreams and academic ambitions, the world often forgets the poetry of pragmatism.
Ultimately, it’s not the algorithms or the theories that shelter us from the storm but the roofs we build and the fires we kindle with our weathered hands. In this symphony of existence, the melody of manual labor harmonizes with the notes of intellectual pursuit, creating a composition that resonates with the rhythm of the real world.
And so, as I journey through the autumn of my years, I carry the wisdom of both paths with me. For in the heart of a man who knows the value of a day’s work lies the true essence of education — the kind that can fix a leaky faucet, heal a wounded soul and navigate life’s ever-changing landscape.
Larry Winters
New Paltz
A penny for your thoughts
I steal a lot of ideas from the Dalai Lama – but he doesn’t mind!
Sparrow
Phoenicia
Yep, they prefer Ted Nugent
Letting out a laugh, January 6 was okay with those nimrods, but boy, Taylor Swift attending her boyfriend’s football games, well, that’s where they draw the line. It is what they do.
If she did not attend, they would also complain about that. Twenty-five seconds of her over 3.5 hours is “shoving her down our throats?” Put on your big boy pants, less than 45 seconds out of 3+ hours. You can do it.
However, anything to cause them to go into apoplectic shock is okay with me … actually, I welcome it as they get a Taylor-made swift kick in the head … or as I like to believe — she’s redneck kryptonite! Opinion: Anyone who thinks there is some big conspiracy or that Taylor Swift’s presence at the big game was anything more than her watching her man play, might need to readjust their tinfoil hat.
Mission accomplished. Taylor Swift saw her boyfriend win the Super Bowl indicating six more weeks of the reich-wing nut jobs trashing her with conspiracy theories. Now that the rigged NFL football season is over, it is officially baseball season … [wink]
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
The Bamiyan Buddhas and the American Taliban
Few things are more emblematic of Taliban rule in Afghanistan than the destruction of the two Bamiyan Buddhas. One male and one female, standing 180 and 125 feet tall, respectively, they were sculpted in the 6th Century CE in the Bamiyan Valley from the red sandstone mountains in which they stood. The male figure was named Salsal (“The Light Shines Through the Universe”), the female Shah Mama (“Queen Mother”).
It was hard to destroy the Buddhas. Over the centuries, it wasn’t for lack of trying; many religious and nationalistic fanatics gave it a go, unsuccessfully. A Taliban representative explained in 2001, “The destruction work is not as easy as people would think. You can’t knock down the statues by dynamite or shelling as both of them have been carved in a cliff. They are firmly attached to the mountain.” But the clever Taliban planted antitank mines at the bottom of the niches, so that when artillery fire sent chunks of the Budddhas to the ground, they landed on explosives that finished the job. Human ingenuity knows no bounds. Yes, it took a Taliban to raze a statue.
The rise of American Talibanism in this country continues in the recent the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that an embryo is a person. The court ruling refers to frozen, fertilized embryos stored in a cryogenic facility as “extrauterine children.” Since the loss of such alleged children, due either to lack of viability, not surviving the freezing or thawing process, use in medical research, or simply their intentional destruction for any of several reasons that are part of the IVF process, employees working in IVF facilities face draconian legal consequences for participating in alleged murder.
The Alabama Supreme Court tried to split hairs, saying that only the death of “children” (the quotation marks are mine) who are in utero would subject “perpetrators” (my quotation marks again) to criminal penalties under Alabama’s criminal homicide law. But the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act does permit civil actions under certain circumstances. As I write this, the media are reporting that the University of Alabama at Birmingham is pausing IVF as it considers the legal consequences.
Many Americans will have to forego having children if this American Talibanism spreads.
Younger readers of this newspaper may not know that contraception was officially illegal in this country until the US Supreme Court ruled otherwise in Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965, a case that acknowledged a right to marital privacy. Yes, this included the use of condoms as well as other birth-control measures. In Eisenstadt v. Baird, the Court extended this right to unmarried couples. Were you aware that such normal behavior had to be sanctioned by a court ruling in order to be legal?
When the US Supreme Court overturned Roe, Clarence Thomas wrote a concurring opinion calling for the court to “reconsider” the rights to contraception, marriage for same-sex couples and the right to choose who you have sex with. Clarence Thomas and his allies, and the Alabama Supreme Court, are coming for you.
It took centuries for the barbarians to turn the Bamiyan Buddhas into rubble. What about the Bamiyan Buddhas that adorn American pluralistic society? How long will that take for our secular norms to be overturned?
Will you join me in voting for Joseph Biden come November, and for all Democratic candidates, so that we can defeat Trump, Trumpism and the American Taliban?
William Weinstein
New Paltz
Assemblymember Shrestha a champion for universal school meals
Last year’s state budget passed a historic $134.6 million to expand free school meals across the state, thanks to the effort of our state representatives, including Assemblymember Shrestha who championed the initiative since day one in the Assembly, along with bill sponsor Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas. As a father of two young children who attend public school, I’m especially thankful that Shrestha was one of the vocal advocates to keep pushing for the full universal version of the program. This year, Shrestha and her Assembly allies have joined champions in the Senate, like Senator Hinchey, to renew the call for a fully universal statewide school meal policy, with an additional allocation of $90.4 million. Proud to have a representative willing to push the envelope on what’s possible!
Klaus Yoder
New Paltz
Yes or no?
Right after she was elected to the town board, I posted, “Here is hoping that Anula [Courtis] is her own person and not another McKenna minion.” On December 29, 2023, a complaint was emailed to Supervisor McKenna and the other town board members “requesting required action regarding conduct of Zoning Board of Appeals chairman Gordon Wemp specifically.” On January 2, 2024, because Anula Courtis had not been a town board member at that time, the complaining email was sent to her, and on January 3,2024 she acknowledged receipt of the email.
On January 9, 2024, at the town’s organizational meeting when the matter of the complaint was brought up, according to HV1, Anula said, “There was an opinion email that came out,” and “I didn’t see any formal filing of anything with any of the committees or commissions. But I did read that opinion.” The preface to that email she received contained, in part, “Below is a complaint I filed prior to your seating on the town board.“ The subject line of the email was “misconduct complaint.” The body of the email contained the specifics of the complaint. So the question remains. based upon her response: is Anula her own person or is she just another McKenna minion?
Howard Harris
Woodstock
Heartless apologists
Susan Peretz begins her letter in last week’s issue of HV1 with a denigration of me being “anal-compulsive” and ends with me being “obnoxious and arrogant”. It should be obvious who is the one with the “tirade” she accuses me of, as she slanders my good name. So why have I placed the genocide in Gaza front and center of my other activist issues, is because the situation in Gaza is so serious and compelling, that “to be silent is betrayal” (Martin Luther King Jr.).
Evidently 800+ genocide scholars, who understand the definition of genocide better than Ms. Peretz, agree, and jointly published a letter back in October warning of a potential genocide happening in Gaza: As scholars and practitioners of international law, conflict studies and genocide studies, we are compelled to sound the alarm about the possibility of the crime of genocide being perpetrated by Israeli forces against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. We do not do so lightly, recognizing the weight of this crime, but the gravity of the current situation demands it (https://twailr.com/publicstatement-scholars-warn-of-potential-genocide-in-gaza/).
That was written before the slaughter of 30,000 more civilians and 10,000 more children (euromedmonitor.org), before all of Gaza’s hospitals destroyed and before two-million Palestinians forced on the brink of a planned famine. Apparently Ms. Peretz ignores what the International Court of Justice has told Israel in so many words, to stop committing genocide. As far as the CIA controlled New York Times (gag!), it lost its credibility when 500,000 children were slaughtered in Iraq because the NYT’s irresponsibly published fake news about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction, when United Nations weapons inspectors said they did not, and stirring up public support for an invasion that murdered 1,000,000 Iraqis and destroyed a nation that had nothing to do with 911. The NYT’s never apologized for its role in all of that bloodshed, or admitted after the fact, its false reporting.
Ms. Peretz needs to wake up and smell the coffee, as the world knows genocide is indeed happening in Gaza, no matter how she and Mr. Civile try to spin it. We in the anti-war community will not be silent, fooled, or back down from any obvious ad hominem attacks. Calling us “anti-Israeli” or “anti-semitic” doesn’t change the fact Israel is committing the most serious crime on earth, being genocide. Bottom line to all my detractors is, I am antigenocide, period, and right now Israel is the country that is perpetrating that hideous crime way beyond anyone else on the earth since World War II, and with horrific measure.
Expect opposition from people with a conscience and a heart, apparently absent from Ms. Peretz and Mr. Civile.
Steve Romine
Woodstock
Just trying to get by
Dear Supervisor McKenna: This fee/tax/renewal leap of $400 is a harsh and unexpected shock. As I’m sure you know, there was no notice to prepare for this increase — unlike the Ulster County room tax rate doubling; which was announced by letter in December. By doubling, it was an increase of 2%.
Your increase is 800%. Unlike the County, the Town of Woodstock did not give anyone a courtesy notice so that those of us on tight budgets in the middle of winter could prepare for this hurtful increase.
Is there any recourse? Can a sliding scale be established?
As was suggested by William Spencer, I wrote you an email on February 10 with this same question and have not yet heard back.
I believe the $50 annual fee for owner-occupied short-term rentals is fair. Even if this fee doubled (with fair notice), I would understand. I have sent you the annual fee I was expecting to pay and request a ‘balance due’ notice with either an explanation for this stupendous increase, or an adjusted and reasonable alternative for those of us who do no harm and help the town.
Please hear me out.
I am over 65 and a full-time painter and writer. I set up a single bedroom and bathroom in my home for visitors to Woodstock with mindful consideration of my neighbors, and to be as low impact as possible.
I only allow one traveler at a time to stay with me for several reasons:
• No noise — no loud talking, music, etc. either inside or outside.
• I offer comfort and affordability to those with lower budgets. My guests are students and young people, grandmothers visiting their grandkids, vendors for the many festivals in this area and foreign travelers. In the winter, I mostly host skiers. Unfortunately, snow conditions this winter have reduced that to two. With the cleaning fee, that earns me $170 for two nights.
Yes, baring one small art sale and social security, that is my income this month.
• I don’t allow cooking or share my kitchen. This compels guests to support local eateries.
• Couples are insular. Solo travelers engage and enrich my life in more ways than money.
I don’t want to raise my rates as this would repel the people I want to host affordably.
I beseech you and the Town of Woodstock to please reconsider punishing us owner-occupied little folks who are just trying to get by, follow the rules and offer fair value with a $400 increase.
Thank you for your consideration.
Mernie Buchanan
Woodstock
Symbiosis can be fatal
Having read the recent anti-Trump letters in the tradition of Neil (my TDS makes me happy) Jarmel, I thought of offering a rebuttal but realized the futility of such an endeavor since these writers (I would wager) still believe the Steele Dossier was “Gospel Truth” and Trump an apocalyptic threat to Democracy. Instead, the following is a commentary on Democracy’s real and fatal threat: a biased press and the inappropriate, mutualistic, symbiotic relationship they have with those who share their biases.
(To the tune of Bob Dylan’s “With God on Our Side”)
(Stanza)
Though I’m independent
you’d call me a liberal I guess
The views that I hold dear
are the same views as the press
And I speak them quite boldly
and I speak them with pride
And it’s not hard to do
with the press on your side
(Stanza)
I voted for Biden
‘cos my heart’s hopes he fed
But after three long years
my hopes are all dead
Joe said he’d unite us
and said Trump cheated and lied
But Joe’s been a great failure
with the press on his side
(Stanza)
After Trump’s “Insurrection”
the press thought he was done
They fought to destroy him
and they thought they had won
But his primary victories
just can’t be denied
And he still rules his party
without the press on his side
(Stanza)
Well the press can be happy
when what’s lost has been found
And when a dead man’s revived
you know their joy can abound
But what makes them angry
and wounds their great pride
Is when a man can gain new life
without the press on his side
(Stanza)
“Trump’s disgraced forever”
That’s what the press said
“Things could only be better
if he was…forever dead”
So, they’re backing the same horse
hoping to victory he’ll ride
And Joe’s thanking the Press Corps
‘cos they’re still on his side
(Stanza)
They call Trump a liar
and a criminal too
But so is Joe Biden
from a fair point of view
Yet they’re singing the same song
while the truth they must hide
But their song has turned sour
‘cos Joe’s hurting their side
(Stanza)
Our country’s divided:
the world seems aflame
And since Joe’s been the POTUS
the press should give him the blame
But since Joe once beat Donald
they believe in things tested and tried
So, they’ll never blame old Joe
‘Cos they’re on old Joe’s side
(Stanza)
Though my eyes are now opened
I’m still liberal to the core
And though Joe’s still a runnin’
I’d rather vote for Al Gore
And while “Orange man” Donald
may be full of false pride
I just can’t vote for Biden
with the biased press on his side
George Civile
Gardiner
The issue of single-use plastics, 101
I have recently completed an environmental action fellowship at Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. The fellowship lasted roughly eight weeks. I spent most of my time conducting research on the issue of single-use plastics. It worries me so deeply that as the global population has been growing, the production and use of single-use plastics has been accelerating tremendously. Single-use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and service, such as bottles, wrappers, straws, bags, etc.
Despite the ease and convenience of single-use plastics, their use has significant negative ecological impacts. For instance, when oceans, rivers and lakes are polluted with plastics, fish, seabirds, sea turtles and marine mammals can become entangled in or ingest plastic debris. When animals consume plastics, they are unable to digest them, and can block airways, or fill their stomachs, resulting in starvation. Similarly, microplastics can affect various human systems, including the digestive, respiratory, endocrine, reproductive and immune systems. First, the digestive systems are affected when microplastics are ingested, and physical irritation to the gastrointestinal tract may eventually cause inflammation, resulting in various gastrointestinal symptoms.
There are small habits we can develop and practice that help to reduce plastics pollution and keep the environment clean and sustainable: reduce the use of disposable shopping bags by using reusable bags, avoid single-use cutlery and straws, opt for glass or stainless steel reusable containers, buy in bulk and avoid packaging when possible.
Always and forever remember: “Just because plastic is disposable doesn’t mean it just goes away. After all, where is away? There is no away” — Jeb Berrie.
Paulo Araujo
Bennington, Vermont
A criminal with nukes?
The disgraced former president will remain a former president, if we vote
AGAINST rape
AGAINST a lie a minute, a crime a day
AGAINST utter hatred of the law
AGAINST a wannabe dictator
and
AGAINST bottomless stupidity.
Don’t Make America Gag Again
MAGA!
Wolf Böhm
Gardiner
Sarahana’s advocacy and support of universal school meals
In the February 14th edition of HV1, in a letter to the editor, Sarah Stone accuses Sarahana Shrestha of not supporting school meals. Nothing could be further from the truth. After assertively pushing for the program to be funded, Sarahana and others, including the lead Assembly sponsor of the universal school meals bill, symbolically voted “no” on the budget bill, which some assembly members have dubbed the “Big Ugly” because it is a single huge, complex budget bill that traditionally contains many of the good aspects, but also has glaring inadequacies. Voting “no” was a way of bringing attention to the bill’s shortcomings and to the problematic budget process, at the same time she recognized that in no way was the bill going to fail on the floor, still enabling it’s positive aspects to come into effect. I think at best Sarah missed the point and effect of Sarahana’s action.
If we want to get technical, the funding for the meals program was in the “Aid to Localities” bill, which Sarahana voted “yes” on, bringing $169 million for school breakfast and lunch programs….guess Sarah missed that too.
In addition, I have attended several in-person, as well as online, presentations given by assemblymember Shrestha on topics ranging from Central Hudson to the Build Public Renewables Act, which have been given here in Saugerties, as well as in many other towns around the district. This outreach demonstrates how deeply involved she is in advocacy and action. And personally, on several occasions, her staff has made significant and timely inquiry, and response, to issues I’ve brought to their attention. I have never experienced such concerned and effective involvement from my representation in government. Actually, I was not supportive of her when she first came to vie for office, then preferring the more stayed and “connected” approach espoused by Kevin Cahill, but Sarahana’s work and actions have totally changed my attitude, as well as faith in what is possible.
Marcus Arthur
Saugerties
Shady ethics
The ethics training for Woodstock Town Board members that was recommended by the ethics board as a result of councilperson Laura Ricci’s two ethics violations cannot come soon enough, as Ms. Ricci’s February 21st letter to the editor demonstrates her misunderstanding of what her violations were. One of Ms. Ricci’s violations was not due to anything that was or wasn’t said or done in a personnel meeting nor, in fact, is it relevant whether the complaints aired at that personnel meeting have merit or not.
Ms. Ricci’s violation is that, after presenting herself as a victim of two offending emails (one saying “boobs” and one saying “farce”) and attending said meeting against protocol, she should have recused herself from any subsequent discussion or decisions on the matter. Instead, Ms. Ricci introduced a motion to appoint Chris Compton as WEC chair in my place and cast the deciding vote in his favor. Mr. Compton was a peculiar choice over other, more experienced members as he was the newest member of the WEC and frequently missed meetings. Professionally, Mr. Compton’s NYC firm was paid to expedite demolitions permits, among other things. FOIL’d documents show that within a week of his appointment as chair, he and Ms. Ricci colluded to seek out alternative expertise on the 10 Church Road dumping issue. This work was done under the guise of the WEC, but WEC members had no idea that Compton and Ricci were acting behind their backs. Ms. Ricci and Mr. Compton even exchanged emails dismissing the Woodstock Human Rights Commission’s advisory recommendation on the matter as “propaganda.”
Violating ethics laws to install an underqualified WEC chair whose politics align with the supervisor’s and Ms. Ricci’s is one action in a pattern of wrongdoing which appears to have the goal of protecting an illegal, contaminated dump sitting atop one of Woodstock’s largest aquifers. Issuing an illegal permit that was subsequently thrown out by a judge in the NYS Supreme Court is another example. These actions threaten the safety of our drinking water and our health, and though we are constantly assured by Supervisor McKenna that the site is remediated, he has been unable to provide any evidence to support such claims. Chris Compton’s untimely death has left a leadership vacuum in the WEC at a time when we need it the most. The ethics board deserves our praise for their work in pointing out Ms. Ricci’s violations, but unfortunately, no amount of training can undo the consequences of Ms. Ricci’s ethical lapses.
Alex Bolotow
Woodstock
STR or taxes?
Every other week there’s an article in local papers about towns fighting Shot Term Rentals (STR), always assuming it’s the reason why locals can’t afford housing in our area.
Not once did I hear any official mentioning that high taxes, high insurance costs and historical rise in repairs and maintenance fees are the main reason people resort to the headache of STR! I also haven’t heard (from towns or county) of any incentive to homeowners in order to reduce their asking price.
It’ll be great if our representatives will finally start thinking outside the box, keep-up with the changing world and society, instead of just taxing and blaming homeowners who are fighting to hold on to their properties.
Mirav Ozeri
Mount Tremper
If only Democrats cared
In his letter entitled “Republiclown Party,” of course Neil Jarmel continues his ongoing and monotonous attacks on Trump and Republicans just as his idol Joe Biden continues to do. Notice how Neil and Biden’s synonymous platform leading up to the November election is simply and solely to bash Trump and Republicans while totally avoiding a much more intelligent platform of painstakingly detailing what Biden will actually do for ALL Americans. Why is this? Easy answer: they have absolutely nothing to offer after 3+ years of the destruction of ALL American’s values.
And, of course, they pretend Biden’s intentional ruination of our border and national security while ignoring ALL existing immigration laws is all Trump’s and the Republican’s fault simply because the Republicans won’t pass a bill really meant to endlessly continue giving more financial aid while it very weakly pretends to “fix” the 3+ years border crisis intentionally orchestrated by Biden for the sole purpose of generating a new Democratic voter bloc. Biden pretends he’s helpless without Republicans passing this phony “border bill.” Just as Biden created his open border with a mere stroke of his pen on his first day in office, he could have easily stopped all this dangerous nonsense with the same stroke of his pen in the form of another executive order. He thinks we’re all too stupid to figure this out.
Finally, in addressing another deluded TDS sufferer, William Weinstein, I’d like to suggest to William a barter offer regarding his trying to find and solicit 50 Republicans to vote for Biden. How about I ask for a few million Democratic voters to vote for whomever ends up being the Republican presidential candidate, Trump or not, because of the fact that they must finally be fed up with all of Biden’s toxic behavior and actions that have caused them significant financial loss and personal palpable safety fears, among many other woes … all overseen and approved by Biden.
Unless these Democratic voters are in a coma, they should be honest with themselves and know that four more years of Biden, or any other Democrat, will be the final nails in theirs, their kids and their grandkid’s coffins of safety, freedom and financial success.
John N. Butz
Modena
Join the family! 
