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Woodstock is not all peace and love
Issues continue to pile up that have tarnished the image of Woodstock as the vibrant village in the Catskill Mountains, home to all forms of art and especially music, that so many of us fell in love with. It troubles us to see the assaults on our environment, the eroding of democracy in town government, the marginalization of our less well-heeled neighbors, and the rancorous divides in the town of “peace and love.”
There has been an ever-growing list of actions on the part of the Supervisor and Town Board that require thorough investigation, but the only recourse that ordinary citizens have is three minutes in the ‘Public be Heard’ part of a tightly ruled Town Board meeting. There is no interaction, just blank stares from the Board members while people state their grievances, and no follow up is ever undertaken. There are no Town Halls where a discussion may be had, and most issues seem to be settled behind closed doors. And if the Supervisor ever feels that the level of criticism reaches an uncomfortable level he illegally stops the meeting and leaves the room.
So what are some of the things the Board has done that have generated so much disillusionment and such growing opposition to its right to rule? After promising to clean up the over two hundred truckloads of toxic debris illegally dumped in Shady, the Supervisor eventually instead employed a scam alternative which was recently declared unlawful. And rather than participating in a lawsuit against the criminal dumper, he has the Town fighting a lawsuit by the victims using our tax dollars, while the toxic particulates remain over our Town aquifer, to leach into our water if it hasn’t already. In addition, he removed the Chair of Woodstock’s Environmental Commission based on a trumped up excuse when she was vocal in her opposition to his handling of this situation.
When charges of racial and sexual harassment within the police department surfaced, rather than appointing an independent investigator, the Supervisor, as seems common practice these days, appointed himself, despite the conflict of interest caused by long-standing relationships with the accused parties. (Conflict of interest charges have already been cited by the Woodstock Ethics Commission against a Board and several Committee members.) His inadequate response resulted in yet another lawsuit against the Town. The officer accused of sexually harassing a fellow female officer has been kept on paid administrative leave for over a year, again at the expense of our taxpayers.
He has not been open and communicative about the rise in PFOS in the town water supply, and it was only because of two of our members that the public is even aware of this danger, not to mention the reporting errors that would have gone unchallenged. Finally, or not so finally, he arbitrarily increased the annual Airbnb permit fee by eight hundred percent without due process, making no distinction between corporate profiteers and Woodstockers just trying to supplement their income in a Town that has become more and more unaffordable under his leadership. These are some of the reasons why we need change.
Chris Bailey, Alan Weber, Vince Mow, Stephanie Kaplan, Chris Finlay, Linda Lover, Marcel Nagele, Sylvia Bullett
Woodstockers United for Change
Heavy heart and RFK, Jr.
It is with a heavy heart and a sense of not knowing what the truth is anymore, that I write.
As I am sure most of you know, RFK, Jr. has “suspended” his campaign and has publicly announced that he “endorses” Trump. When I first heard rumor of this news, I refused to believe it. Surely this must be some sort of mainstream news lie. And then, I heard it directly — coming out of his running mate’s mouth, Nicole Shanahan. She voiced what they were “considering” and a day or two later, RFK, Jr. created his announcement to the nation, wherein, he made it very clear what his plan was moving forward. I was shocked, confused, then deeply saddened and finally, deeply upset with RFK, Jr.’s decision.
Bobby joined Trump at Trump’s rally in Arizona, shortly after his shocking announcement. He received a roaring approval from the Trump supporters, who actually started chanting, “Bobby, Bobby, Bobby” and applauded him LOUDLY and with an incredible amount of vigor! After a positive introduction by Trump of RFK, Jr., Bobby went to the mic to talk. He shared that although he and Trump do not agree on everything, there are some very important, key issues on which they do agree — and have discussed — during their meetings they have been having these past few weeks. Who knew? We — Bobby’s supporters — certainly did not know he had been meeting with Trump — several times — over the past month or more! Another hit to the gut! Why were we not informed of these “meetings?” Why were we deceived? Why is RFK, Jr. suddenly “quitting” and then stating he is not — but rather — is putting his campaign on “suspend” — whatever that means.
Is this a big middle finger to the DNC from Bobby — in return for all the horrific acts they have performed against him — in order to keep him off the ballot and keep him well censored? Is this decision on Bobby’s part of a huge chip on his shoulder towards the so-called Democratic Party? He says it is not.
I thought it was not about red and blue. I thought that Bobby had told us he would “never quit.” I thought Bobby would fight ‘til the bitter end.
I thought, I believed, I trusted, I supported, I stood up for and yes — here I am again — confused and sad and feeling betrayed. Duped again — by what I so badly wanted to believe about a man who I thought possessed strong integrity and a man who would fight for and ALONGSIDE all of us! And now, I am left with an empty place in my heart. Once again, I believed …
We were told we can still vote for him, with the exception of ten “swing states,” wherein Bobby took himself off the ballot. Of course, you can still write Bobby in when you vote. Who knows, maybe; just maybe there may still be a chance. But right now, I don’t know who I am voting for and I don’t know what I believe. I feel lost. I feel disappointed. I feel betrayed. I see that this world is proving to be more and more difficult to be in — and to ascertain the truth among all the deception and lies.
In the end, I do believe and know with all my heart, mind and soul — that there is one who will never disappoint me, never desert me, never betray me, never stop loving me and who I can trust 10000000000000%! He is the only one I can trust in this way! Of course, this is Jesus Christ, my beautiful Shepherd, who came to me directly almost three years ago and saved me. I am grateful for his deep love, his faithfulness, his compassion and his never-ending presence in my life! This is truly a blessing and a gift.
Thus, overall, I feel gratitude. I am grateful. I am blessed, all things considered I am so fortunate to now — deep in my heart — that I am in this world, but not of this world. I am grateful and will focus on my blessings!
Nicole Nevin
Woodstock
Robert Kennedy has found a way to make America’s children healthy again
To friends and neighbors. Please take some time to watch the following link to Robert Kennedy Jr.’s 40-minute video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n15oCfLdmXI). What has been going on during the four years of the Biden administration tramples our sense of fairness and American honesty. But for former Democrats like Robert Kennedy, Jr., the Democrat Party has become the party of war, censorship, corruption, collusion with big pharma, with big tech, with big agriculture and big money. Hopefully in a new administration, Robert Kennedy can realize his 20-year dream of making America healthy again.
Ralph Mitchell
Kingston
These are the days, my friend!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! In a few days, young people will be anxious, looking forward to a new school year, some wanting to avoid the inevitable for a variety of reasons, some looking forward to moving onto a new step of maturity, some looking to make new friends, and some openly or secretly curious about what they will learn formally or informally about life. So, if the opportunity presents itself, a word of encouragement/recognition/support may provide just a little boost as students of many ages return to the classroom — nursery and Pre-K through college.
Teachers and all school personnel already have been preparing in so many ways to play their part in the growth/shaping of the learners that they will encounter. Ahead of the game — thank you! And the biggest hats-off to parents, parent figures, family members and all communities who do their best to provide guidance and encouragement to the youth/adults who seek their place in this world. Let us be there for one another — especially for those who will be observing the role models that society presents, whether we are aware of these times or not. We all have the responsibility to think and act in a way that will hopefully nourish the types of communities that we hope for in our hearts. Stay positive, be hopeful, and drive carefully!
Terence Lover
Woodstock
The silent architects of immunity and morality
In the labyrinth of the human psyche, where science and the soul intertwine like vines around the ancient ruins of our beliefs, we find ourselves at the precipice of a new dawn. The notion that emotions — those capricious winds that steer the ship of our being — could be charted and understood with the precision of a cartographer’s pen is as beguiling as it is bewildering.
“The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing,” Blaise Pascal whispered from the annals of history, a testament to the enigmatic dance between the heart and the mind. In this brave new world, where emotions are no longer mere specters in the mist but tangible entities to be measured and analyzed, we stand on the cusp of a revolution that might elevate the varus nerve, that humble messenger of compassion, to the pantheon of the heart and mind.
Consider the emotional landscape a vast, uncharted territory, where each feeling is a star in the cosmos of our internal universe. Today’s science beckons us to map this terrain to quantify the unquantifiable. Yet, as we navigate this brave new world, we must ask ourselves: does the act of dissection diminish the magic of the human experience? Or, paradoxically, could this new understanding usher in an era where kindness is the currency of our moral economy?
In this narrative, where emotions are the silent architects of our immunity and morality, we find ourselves entangled in a web of questions. Why do we often surrender to the storm of our emotions, allowing them to dictate our decisions, health, and sense of self? It is because these whispers of joy, these shadows of sorrow, are the primordial language of our ancestors, echoing through the ages.
The media, that modern-day alchemist, has mastered the art of transmuting these raw emotions into the gold of political persuasion, often eschewing the cool, detached logic of facts for the fiery rhetoric of feeling. In this crucible of emotion, we see the power of fear, anger, and joy wielded like swords in the arena of public opinion, where the heart often overrules the head.
Yet, in this exploration of the morality of emotional dissection, we are reminded by Franklin D. Roosevelt that “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” Perhaps our journey into the heart of emotion will not lead us astray but will instead reveal the strength of compassion, the resilience of empathy, and the enduring power of love.
As we contemplate the future of treatment in this emotionally enlightened age, we face a curious paradox, best encapsulated by Carl Rogers: “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” Could the key to our mental and physical well-being lie not in the cold calculus of emotion but in the warm embrace of acceptance and understanding?
This journey into the heart of emotion, where science meets the soul, is not merely an academic endeavor but a voyage of discovery that challenges us to reconsider our understanding of ourselves, our politics, and our society. In this alchemy of emotional intelligence, we might find the keys to a more compassionate, empathetic, and enlightened world.
In this narrative, where the varus nerve is not just a part of our anatomy but a bridge between our physical and emotional selves, we see the potential for a new paradigm of understanding. Emotions, once the realm of poets and philosophers, might become the wellspring of political wisdom and profound self-knowledge.
As we stand at the threshold of this new era, remember what Jawaharlal Nehru wrote, “The only way to deal with fear is to face it. We are as much the architects of our own lives as we are the architects of our fate.” In this complex narrative, emotion is not mere passengers on life’s journey but the terrain we travel, shaping our destiny with every step.
Larry Winters
New Paltz
And he wants to be commander in chief?
Open mouth, insert foot. Happens daily with this fool. Former president Donald Trump received an immediate backlash when he said the “Presidential Medal of Freedom” he awarded to Dr. Miriam Adelson, the widow of Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, was “equivalent” and “much better” than the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award for bravery in combat. He was denigrating those who received military honors.
This man has no conscience. A presidential civilian award is “better” than top military honor whose recipients are “dead” or “hit” by bullets — really? Praising someone who has given over $100,000,000 to his campaign vs. veterans who gave their lives for our country is insane! And his veteran base plus his MAGAt cult believe he cares about them. Get your heads out of his ass.
The Medal of Freedom should be earned by doing great things. It should not be something someone can buy. Felon Trump has made this medal, that is the highest medal a civilian can earn, into a meaningless award.
And in doing so, he is trying to cheapen the Congressional Medal of Honor. An award EARNED by soldiers [bravery] who put their lives on the line for others. Meanwhile, and I’ll reiterate the above fact, that many veterans are still supporting him. Remember, he deferred to serve his country on multiple occasions … Mr. Bone Spur.
I don’t fully know the meaning of patriotism, however, to steal classified military and nuclear intelligence which he did as a bargaining tool when he left the oval office is one of the lowest forms of humanity IMHO.
Trump, you are your own worst enemy. Just keep talking and show us all who you really are — not fit to run our country. What an utter embarrassment to the United States!! What kind of effn idiot would vote for him, it’s baffling. I am so grateful to every person who has fought for our safety, freedom and protection!
Like all his rhetoric/opinions, his comparison of the two medals lacks context and is full of inaccuracies and exaggerations. Trump is a joke, a sick and dangerous joke, but a joke, nonetheless. And he wants to be commander in chief? Let that sink in.
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
F — The future regarding our present benefit, #1
Before we continue, I feel it is important to bring to the reader’s attention two very important concepts. Those two concepts are conservatism and progressivism. Two words with totally different background and meaning. For example:
I grew up on a farm back in the 1940s. Loved it. From the ‘ole folks gathering the logs every year to be sawed up, split and stored for the future, to the seeding of the land, harvesting the crops, feeding the animals, twice daily, milking time, haying time where hay is harvested, dried and stored in the hay mow for the following winter, the smell of the wood burning, the butchering time each year, the five springs on the property that were there since the last Ice Age. And so on.
A very independent self-contained system, dependent upon no one. We had all our own food, our heat, our land to furnish all our needs. It was a Norman Rockwell painting/episode of time. From the end of the Civil War, 1860-1865, with the technology unleashed by the war, the self-contained farm is gradually gone like the leaves in the fall. Do I miss it? I can honestly state, yes, it was a very formative time of my young life. A more secure time. I long for those days. Even now there are times I get in my car and travel back up into that area of Sullivan County, travelling the hill country, seeing where the family farms used to be, stretched up through the area, all gone. The land grown up. Forests now where there used to be fields, joined together, one after another stretching over hill and dale. All gone. I long for that way of life. That is conservatism/traditionalism or as C.W. Mills in his book, ‘he Power Elite’, states, ‘conservatism in its classic form is traditionalism’.
A longing for the way it used to be. We will never go back. It is always the march forward, never backward, in spite of our longings and misgivings.
Progressivism is just the opposite. It is a moving forward despite our trying to hang on what we loved and which is gone or gradually slipping away from us. From the time mankind stood up on two feet, it has been a march away from the past. But all too often, it sometimes does not seem a better way. A case in point is the present political system. I feel and many others do as well, that FDRs administration was a big step forward as his administration ushered in numerous programs/innovations that benefited the American citizen, which they did not have before this. That’s a fact. Right at the top of the list is Social Security and the Banking Act of 1933. Plus, Lyndon Johnson’s Medicare and Medicaid.
Millions of Americans support these innovations; but unfortunately, there are many who do not. And many of those belong or ascribe to the Republican Party. For them, it is a longing, a belief, a drive to unburden the country of these liberal, socialistic beliefs and programs. And which they created and also played a major role in bringing FDRs administration into focus! Let’s get back to the days where it was everyman for himself . Let’s unshackle ourselves, free ourselves, from these liberal socialistic ideas and programs. Let’s get back to the real America, where a man is a man, not hooked into these socialistic innovations.
I will admit, though, there can be/are inequities in the march forward. In every social program there are those nefarious individuals who could care less about the overall good of the program and find ways around the requirements to solely benefit from it. More to come.
Robert LaPolt
New Paltz
A no brainer
Zombies can ruin a golf tournament.
Sparrow
Phoenicia
Rolison’s environmental record
Our State Senator Rob Rolison is no friend of the environment. In fact, The New York League of Conservation Voters gave Rolison the low score of 64% due to his lack of support for environmental legislation in the 2023 legislative session. This is the lowest score of all 5 Hudson Valley state senators, with three of his colleagues scoring 100%.
Rolison voted against S3328A, a bill that would establish limitations for toxic air emissions and contaminants including benzene, formaldehyde, vinyl chloride, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and mercury. As neurotoxins and carcinogens, these chemicals are hazardous to our health, and our pocketbooks. They contribute to chronic disease, lost time from work and school and high medical expenses. Sadly, 61% of Hudson Valley residents are at risk for air pollution, and Poughkeepsie is considered the sixth most difficult place to live in the US if have asthma.
Rolison also voted against the Just Energy Transition Act, S2935, which would require a study of options to phase-out, replace and/or redevelop New York State’s oldest and most polluting fossil fuel generation facilities by 2030.
Our children deserve better. Dutchess County Legislator Yvette Valdés Smith, running against Rolison this fall, is an environmental champion. She has sponsored legislation to expand green spaces and to hire a county climate smart coordinator. Valdés Smith supports county-wide waste reduction strategies: she has co-sponsored legislation to expand composting and supports creating a sustainable county wide waste management system that ends our reliance on burning garbage. Yvette is the leader we need!
Sandi Stratton-Gonzalez
Fishkill
Opinion vs. journalism
It’s hard to find unbiased reporting from organizations claiming to be news outlets. The big news stations like CNN, MSNBC, the networks, Fox News and Newsmax are all biased. Bias is present on the national level and locally. We know HV1’s Rokosz Most is biased to the left. Most of the time he doesn’t try to hide it. I think there are some other contributors to HV1 who mix reporting with opinion. Here’s an example: There was an article about our local public schools in the July 24th HV1 written by Frances Marion Platt. In the first paragraph she states that right-wing groups like Moms for Liberty are trying to ban books.
That line should have been prefaced that Moms for Liberty being right wing is the author’s opinion. She could have cited others with the same opinion. This is not reporting. Next is the banning books part. Sexually explicit books are being supplied to public school libraries. They are inappropriate for people in those school-age groups. Moms for Liberty is fighting premature sexualization of children. That seems fairly centrist to me. If you go to Moms for Liberty website, their mission statement is that parents should have control over what their children learn. They want these books out of public schools. Nothing extreme about this.
If parents want to expose their children to these books, they are available at Barnes and Noble and at Amazon.
MSM repeats Biden’s lies without analysis. Trump gets misquoted. I think the most famous quote taken out of context was Trump supposedly saying the white supremacists at Charlottesville were good people. He did say the white supremacists and the antifa rioters were bad and then that many of the others were good people. The other Trump quote taken out of context is that there will be a bloodbath if he is not elected. He actually said that the US automobile industry would be in a bloodbath if he wasn’t elected.
I ask that you, gentle reader, think critically about what “news” you believe. Shop around, do a little research.
Read transcripts from several sources. Don’t jump to conclusions.
Tom McGee
Gardiner
Forest for the trees
From HV1, McKenna said. “And yelling in a meeting is childish behavior. So I really do hope it comes to an end. My first five or six years as supervisor, we just didn’t have that problem. People were respectful and we respected one another. And it’s sad where we’ve gotten to.” Someone should buy him a mirror
Howard Harris
Woodstock
S#it yeah !?
During last week’s public comment at the village planning board meeting, an individual asserted that a project planning board members have been reviewing will “add more s#it in our river.” He also falsely claimed that raw sewage overflows from our wastewater treatment plant into the Wallkill River over 5% of the time, or 20 days per year.
I had no intention of making a public comment but I refused to let this misinformation campaign go unaddressed. I responded by emphasizing how New Paltz’s wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is regulated by the EPA and the DEC and how it is “important that we use real numbers, real analysis and not hyperbole based on a misunderstanding of how treatment plants work or how plants are metered.”
Undoubtedly, New Paltz has been party to a consent order from the DEC since 2003, which was reissued in 2014. This is because of hydraulic overloading of our sewer conveyance system from excessive Inflow & Infiltration (I&I) during large rain events. Overloading has caused sewage to periodically discharge from maintenance hole covers at lower elevation areas in the village. Fortunately, sanitary sewage normally contains less than 0.5% solids and is 99.5% water, with a larger percentage of water when there is more I&I. Either way, addressing our I&I challenges continues to be one of our absolute priorities.
In 2023, New Paltz received its eighth grant award to repair sewer mains for the last nine rounds, representing over $6 million in sewer grants from the federal government. As we have stated many times over the years, fixing I&I is the most effective way to manage and protect our conveyance system and the WWTP’s permitted capacity.
Our WWTP is regulated by the DEC and required to maintain daily flows averaged monthly so the average does not surpass 1.5 million gallons per day, or 45 million gallons per 30-day month. We have low-volume days when SUNY New Paltz is on break (lowest YTD 6/1/24: 417,888 gallons) and some high-volume days above 1.5 million gallons. The high-volume days occur during big rains or when temperatures suddenly rise and there is snow on the ground (highest YTD 1/10/24: 2,750,021 gallons).
The two largest volume months YTD 2024 were January and March, at 36 million and 37 million gallons, respectively. Both were well below the 1.5 million gallons per day permit, or 46.5 million gallons for the month.
We have been assured by NYS Department of Environmental Conservation staff that it is important to monitor the “less than 1.5 million gallon day” permit but our WWTP’s monthly results are well within compliance and below its permitted limit. The WWTP has never violated its permit since it was granted in 1999 when mechanicals were updated to 1.5 million gallons from 1.2 million.
Mayor Tim Rogers
New Paltz
“Boys don’t cry”
A loving moment at last week’s humanity-and-diversity-rich Democratic National Convention and that same moment’s hateful aftermath offer an example of why I’m proud to be a Democrat and further proof that Trumpism is as pitiless as it is pitiful.
During vice presidential nominee Tim Walz’s humble, stirring acceptance speech, his 17-year-old son, Gus, spontaneously leapt to his feet and, sobbing, shouted, “I love you, Dad. That’s my dad!” It was a moment that touched the hearts of the conventioneers and produced a lump in the throats — or at least in one throat that I can unashamedly vouch for — of those watching at home.
Unless those hearts and throats belonged to Trumpsters.
Jay Weber, a conservative radio host, posted on X: “If the Walzs [sic] represent today’s American man, this country is screwed: ‘Meet my son, Gus. He’s a blubbering bitch boy. His mother and I are very proud.’”
Also on X, right-wing podcaster Mike Crispi mocked Tim and Gwen Walz’s “stupid crying son” and said to them, “You raised your kid to be a puffy beta male. Congrats.”
Trumpster Alec Lace wrote on X, “Get that kid a tampon already,” a seeming reference to a law that Governor Walz signed requiring Minnesota’s schools to provide free menstrual supplies to girls. Lace podcasts — ready for this? — a show on fatherhood. Heaven help us!
I wish I hadn’t been conditioned, as most boys are, that “boys don’t cry,” that I should keep my feelings hidden: “lumps in the throat.” But I’m sure glad that — unlike Jay Weber and too many other Trumpsters, terrified of and hostile toward all things even remotely LGBTQ+ — I wasn’t conditioned to fear and despise males who, like Gus Walz, can unselfconsciously and courageously liberate their throats from the slavery of “American man(hood)” and, in full view of the world, “blubber.”
Tom Cherwin
Saugerties
Congrats coward
I recently published a letter denouncing Vance — who is not a combat vet — for standing next to a man who dishonors the military and has also put our law enforcement in grave danger during the January 6 insurrection.
In return, I received a response from a lilliputian! What a surprise. The response came with lots of postage, but no return address or post-mark. It contained pages and pages of what the lilliputian tried their best within their limited intellectual capacity to build a case reinforcing their own beliefs.
My visiting family asked about the packet since I couldn’t stop laughing so we passed it around. No, we didn’t read it since it was recognized as drivel and we are woke and didn’t want — also as snowflakes — to contaminate the positive energy of our household. Instead, we mourned the loss of trees and threw away the crap. We refrained from burning sage.
Now down to the bottom line. I have very strong opinions which family, friends and the community know because I voice them face-to-face and when I send media letters I sign my name!
Lilliputian stands with fascists which explains the need to hide. They stand with a man who called white supremacists “fine people,” as they marched carrying torches and Nazi flags chanting “Jews shall not replace us.” Lilliputian stands with the man who says “I just don’t get it,” as he stands over the gravesites of our fallen war heroes. The National VFW, along with a growing list of honorable military leaders, have denounced the over-inflated orange-man, for his disrespect of our military.
Now back to lilliputian. My Sicilian mom had another word somewhat comparable to lilliputian and which I invoke here. It’s mamaluke, loosely translated means mucking anus.
Congrats coward for knowing how to use Google to find my address. You could have just asked almost anybody in town. I don’t hide.
Jo Galante Cicale
Saugerties
Every animal is someone
It’s a win-win. PETA has pledged to donate $10,000 for the restoration and preservation of the beautiful Hudson-Athens Lighthouse — if the restoration committee agrees to add a permanent fish empathy exhibit. The display would include interactive games, breathtaking images and the first-of-its-kind “Fish Empathy Quilt.” This striking work of art is made up of more than 100 squares handmade by kind, compassionate folks opposed to the exploitation of animals.
Fish are friends, not food. They are also intelligent, complex individuals. Studies show that fish are capable of learning, building and communicating. Some fish even woo their potential partners by singing to them. And fish hurt. Scientists tell us that fish’s brains and nervous systems closely resemble our own and that fish are just as able to feel pain as cats or dogs.
Urge the lighthouse to accept PETA’s offer, while finding the light in your heart to go vegan. Every animal is someone.
Scott Miller
Research specialist, fishing & waterways
The PETA Foundation
True dat
“Just what the truth is, I can’t say anymore.” (Neil Jarmel HV1 8/14/2024)
“What is truth?” (Question presented to Jesus of Nazareth by Pontius Pilate when he claimed his purpose was to bear witness to the truth)
Those holding-non-Biblical worldviews — including agnostics and atheists — often take a syncretic approach in determining truth. With this in view, the following is inspired by the song “All You Need is Love” and is written for the poor in spirit who are seeking after truth. It is dedicated to Neil Jarmel who, in a recent letter, admitted that, he can’t say what the truth is “anymore.” (Note to reader: Neil’s admission, viewed from the context of his letter, apparently, comes from the mistaken belief that he thinks everyone who seeks after truth should listen to and agree with him. Moreover, Mr. Jarmel’s confessed doubt regarding knowing truth seems to have arisen because he just can’t understand why everyone doesn’t accept this obvious fact. However, If Neil’s acknowledgment that “I don’t know” causes him to question “What is truth?” with a genuinely seeking heart, it would be a step in the right direction of ending the “mistaken belief” noted above.)
(Stanza)
Much of what you say makes me feel blue
‘cos much of what you say is just not true
Some tales you tell scorn faith and promote prideful doubt
Believe me
(Stanza)
Most every word you write just makes me sad
Your anger always makes angry ones
glad
The song you always sing can make
a good person seem bad
Believe me
(Chorus)
All you need is truth
Nothing but the truth
All you need is truth, truth:
Truth is all you need
(Stanza)
Only truth can make the foolish wise
Truth can give the blind one seeing eyes
Why would you choose to live in darkness
when you’ve seen truth’s light?
Believe me
(Stanza)
Speaking truth to power is your song
But truths the weak may speak can be so wrong
Some truths the weak have spoken
have turned daytime into night
Believe me
(Stanza)
Every truth that’s learned cannot be true:
Different truths have different points of view:
Some views can make fools, seem wise
and give scoundrels, high respect
Believe me
(Stanza)
Those who’ve received mercy should share its gain
For they have known the shame of guilt’s harsh pain
And they were given mercy knowing it was undeserved
Believe me
(Stanza)
You may desire love you’ve never known
It’s the kind of love you’re longing to be shown;
It sees you at your lowest point
and lifts you to its heights
Believe me
(Chorus)
All you need is truth
Nothing but the truth
The entrance of the truth
leads the seeking heart to…love
George Civile
Gardiner
Concerns about the plan for Winston Farm
The newly suggested plan for Winston Farm that was described to the town board of Saugerties this August is puzzling. Since it is just a generic plan intended to support their case for necessary zoning changes, I don’t expect much detail. However, what they offered to the town was only an in-person retelling of what is on the Winston Farm website plus some numbers suggesting potentially wonderful possibilities including increased “economic windfalls” from earnings and spendings at home and from enhanced tourism. The following concerns are what puzzles me:
• Is 840 acres large enough for 799 housing units, a 5000-seat indoor venue, a 150-room “boutique” hotel, a conference center with 250 additional rooms, a 100-cabin campground, 250,000 square feet of commercial space and 250,000 square feet of light industrial or lab space?
• All on 840 acres? And promised “open space?” Not public open space? Public open space was not the language used..
• Has the Howard Johnson and Holiday Inn Hotels on Route 32 disappeared or are they continually full? Is Diamond Mills unable to provide conference space and rooms any longer? Are the commercial spots on 9W finally occupied? What’s going in at the old McDonalds? Is the commercial and industrial development completed on King’s Highway?
• Imagine the amount of asphalt all of that construction will require…all of it draining onto the roads, and none of the water entering the aquifer underneath.
• The issue of water was spoken of: the developers believe the output of two wells, 270 gallons per minute, will make the entire project self sufficient without drawing on the municipalities resources. However, perhaps the town and village need more water? Water supply is already a big issue in local towns.
• The suggested plan doesn’t mention sewage treatment after the water is used by the various entities covering the 840 acres. Who is picking that responsibility up?
A few other things puzzle me:
• With due respect to the business acumen of the developers, who were able to buy the land, but who is expected to pay for the huge construction costs of development even if it only develops over stretches of time? Banks may enter the picture and when that happens, it’s banks that own the land not our local fellows.
• An increase of about 125,925 tourists was suggested in the presentation. I love the village. Partition and Main streets are appealing, but not remarkable. And then there’s traffic and parking to consider.
• Finally, a comment I consider naive, was made that developing Winston Farm would help avoid development in other places. On what planet do developers think that way?
I could pick out a few more points, but I come to an end with some imaginings on my part.
Was this proffered plan just intended to give the developers some leverage: they will give up much to get what they might really want, whatever that might be? I believe they would make their money back and with good profit if all they built was a limited number of high-end houses. Is it just the change in zoning they want? That alone may be very valuable if the property is resold. But, I am untutored in real estate. I can’t read the minds and motivations of all concerned nor can I foretell the future. All I can do is hope that once the SEQR is available that a sensible plan is proposed and that the involved lead agency, the town board, does its duty to the citizens as a whole regardless of the local status of the developers.
Mary Ann Mays
Saugerties
Fireworks at 1:20 a.m.
I’m just going to assume that the people celebrating with fireworks at 1:20 a.m. this past Sunday, over the lower Esopus Creek, just don’t understand post traumatic stress disorder. With that in mind, I apologize for the very unkind words I screamed at you from the other side of the creek.
Roger Cunningham
Saugerties
DNC fluff convention
Who remembers the old TV commercial for Wendy’s back in the mid 80’s: Where’s the beef?” After the convention, I would imagine that tons of people concerned about solutions to our every-day woes, but hearing nothing of substance, were asking themselves that very same question.
All we heard from the convention speakers were smatterings of self-aggrandizing horn tooting, faux Democratic “values” and countless lopsided attacks of Donald Trump, including many, many exaggerations and repeated outright lies even though they had already been debunked quite some time ago.
The giddy party of “hope, joy and the future” were certainly mum on their disasters of the past 3 1/2 years. Now, suddenly and miraculously, Harris wants to “fix” all those same disasters that she and her boss incompetently created for ALL Americans from day one of their administration. And, how will her colossal and hypocritical flip flops resonate with the everyday person still financially suffering from hers and Biden’s failures? How can their confusion, lack of transparency and deceit instill trust from a candidate with ever-changing chameleon “values?”
Harris calls herself a “joyful warrior.” Where was this “warrior” trait when she was immediately given the task of controlling and solving our severe southern border crisis on 3-24-21? I love the interview, nearly three months later, with main stream media’s Lester Holt when he pointed out to Harris that she hadn’t been to the border yet. Her incredibly asinine response was, “I haven’t been to Europe, either,” which she followed up with, “I don’t understand the point of your question.” Is that the height of arrogance, or just plain stupidity?
And what was with her nonsensical one-time “root cause” trip to Guatemala all about? Did she really think that all the illegal immigrants from around 150 different countries came to and through Guatemala?
In her acceptance speech, how about Harris’s shameful and weak attempt to salvage as many Jewish voters AND pro-Hamas/Palestinian voters with her fence-sitting comments, in essence, supporting Israel’s right to defend itself while ALSO supporting and defending Hamas/Palestine.
Once her spontaneity is on full display during hopefully unscripted question-and-answer situations, we’ll all be scratching our heads asking. “what in the world did she just say; what does that even mean?” Regardless, her words will be weak and meaningless, as time and patience will have us all adhering to the old revised adage – “Actions speak louder than word salads.”
John N. Butz
Modena
Lost kids
When we learn that 32,000 kids have been brought into America illegally, and then lost, attention must be paid! That was the news just released while the Dems partied in Chicago.
Evil people hide and abuse kids all over America. Ulster County, like everywhere, has its share. But this: the Feds have failed in another important job. First, not requiring each immigrant to enter through our approved, legal and fair system, and then letting minors be sent to bogus “Uncles” and other evil child abusers. This is sick, and the Biden administration just confessed that they cannot find these kids who may be sex trafficked, or may be locked in illegal factories working like slaves.
For me, everyone in DC is disqualified and should be replaced, unless they can show us what persistent efforts they have made to save these children. This report is sick. Now that I know, I want answers and accountability.
It’s one thing to go to DC to selfishly line your pockets, we hardly expect more of anyone these days. But it’s entirely different when this horrific child abuse, aided by our immigration people, goes on and our elected representatives claim to be “shocked”!
Throw the bums OUT!
Paul Raymond
New Paltz
Ordinary miracle
Amazed, I stopped everyday,
marveled watching a small
clipping with even longer
roots grow shoots in water
in a see-through plastic cup
until the day came I knew
I had to transplant it into
a roomy ceramic pot filled
with the peat-like soil I bought
and since it has grown and grown
with heart-shaped flowers that
stretch towards the light here
at the window where I display
it — this ordinary miracle of life
I’m so proud of.
Patrick Hammer, Jr.
Saugerties
Greed!
We have a precious jewel in Saugerties, a special and unique property called Winston Farm. Eight-hundred-plus green acres that have been left alone since farming ended around 1940, with no black top or any other impermeable surface, replenishing an aquifer that holds lots of pure, clean water! Winston Farm creates a natural, carbon sequestration process that removes greenhouse gas from the atmosphere every day — for free!
We all need nature, peace, relaxation and contemplation. Tourists do not come here to experience more cars, more housing developments and more congestion. They come here to be among the trees and the birds and the clean air. Why can’t we make it into a park? The developers at Winston Farm saw this beautiful piece of land, they saw the jewel, they saw the preciousness. But the moment bulldozers start their work, that very beauty will be taken away!
Imagine the amount of blacktop poured for the parking needs of 800 condos, 200 + more houses and a 5000-seat theatre!! Imagine all the trees and plants that will be destroyed. No more home for little creatures.
We do need housing for teachers, nurses, associates and housekeepers. The developers promise jobs but will the people who work at Winston Farm be able to afford to live there, because that is the type of housing we need!
Think about the land the Hudson Valley Mall in Kingston sits on. At some point, it was beautiful wild nature, maybe farmland with beautiful views. Forty years ago, some developers had the brilliant idea to build a mall, create economic opportunities! Now, 40 years later, that mall lost its shine — a depressing and empty place.
Once the bulldozers do their work, the beauty is lost forever. Greed indeed!!
Edith Bolt
Saugerties
An ecological disaster
Yankeetown Pond is at present the scene of an ecological disaster which officers of both the DEC and DEP have promised to investigate and remediate on this Monday morning of August 26. As the reporter who published in the Woodstock Times on July 11, 2018 the first of two articles entitled “Yankeetown Pond sold for a dollar!” I volunteer the following. 1) I was invited to view actions which are now threatening life in and around Yankeetown Pond (to what extent I am not qualified to say) and chose not to attend. 2) When writing the aforementioned articles, I did not view actual documents and so, technically, I only superficially researched statements which could have opened the way for harm now being done to the town treasure known as “Yankeetown Pond.”
Tad Wise
Bearsville
Democracy farce
Democracy in the U.S.is a now sham to anyone who takes the time to look into it. The downhill spiral began with the 2010 US Supreme Court ruling that made it possible to buy candidates with no restrictions on corporations making huge campaign donations. Then we have the Republicans practicing various very effective voter suppression tactics, such as but not limited to, removing hundreds of thousands from the voter rolls. Meanwhile, the Democrats use undemocratic tactics to undermine independents who would run for office, which is a monumental abuse of law when one considers that half of all voters now register as independents.
Case in point is RFK, Jr. who as an independent was required to obtain a certain amount of signatures in each state to get on the ballot. He did so in all 50 states to the tune of the record setting one-million signatures (https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2024/07/31/Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr-petitions-states/7401722482427/). The Democratic Party and their allies in turn filed law suits in every state to try to prevent him from getting on the ballot (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democrats-allies-sue-to-keep-rfk-jr-off-ballot/). That does not foster democracy and has been called “Lawfare” by RFK, Jr., a well seasoned lawyer. Let us not forget how Bernie Sanders, who had the popular vote on his side, was covertly undermined by the Hillary Clinton machine and the Democratic Party, which displaced him from continuing his campaign in the 2016 presidential election race. So now we have the Harris team who was chosen without any competitive nominating process, but basically installed by the Democratic Party as the candidate.
The media is a major player in all of this undemocratic behavior by pushing clear bias for the two-party war choices giving almost no coverage to the pro-peace independents that were running. Let us not forget RFK, Jr. was denied the opportunity to be on the presidential debate stage and rarely covered whenever he spoke anywhere. The epitome of that was all the media coverage that happened when he suspended his campaign, but none before that. The media is supposed to be informing the public of what all the candidates have to offer, not brainwashing us with status-quo bias. So what we are left with as electable candidates are the two-war party candidates. It doesn’t matter if it is Democrat or Republican, each obviously have no problem with continuing genocide and shipping U.S.-made weapons to the rogue state of Israel. Meanwhile, innocent children are being slaughtered and the mass of innocent Palestinian civilians are being bombed, starved, brutalized and tortured. None of the latter was allowed to be spoken about by U.S Representatives of Palestinian ethnicity in the Democratic Convention. True democracy in the U.S. is obviously going down in flames.
Steve Romine
Woodstock
How did this happen?
Gardiner is privileged to steward considerable terrain of the Shawangunk Ridge, which the Nature Conservancy named a “Last Great Place” on earth. That stewardship is codified in zoning law, based upon which the planning board guides land use throughout the town and, when necessary to adjudicate a conflict, the zoning board of appeals depends.
Almost 20 years ago, facing community opposition and the ire of his investors, the now-deceased John Bradley was foiled from building 349 luxury homes in a “gated” development on his 2500-acre “Awosting Reserve” Ridge parcel.
The family, however, retained ownership of 250 acres, on which John’s heir, Camilla Bradley (whose primary residences are in Montana and Newport, R.I.) developed and has operated the Awosting “Club” for 3+ YEARS, without any of the permits required of and adhered to by other landowners. Facing persistent, prolonged and growing public concern, the town board finally put the “club” on its radar, which a furious Camilla Bradley mischaracterized as “WAR!” When the town attempted to hold Camilla Bradley accountable, she sued, three times! Only after her litigation strategies failed, she turned to the Gardiner Zoning board of Appeals to press her case.
Claiming pre-existing non-conforming status based on being “grandfathered” by prior use as the “Ridge-Ho” girl scout campground — but without any permits — Ms. Bradley had already replaced/expanded the wooden platforms on which girl scouts erected temporary canvas tents back in the day, and gone into business. She “improved” access with bulldozed trails and built large, year-round geodomes with electricity, heat, air conditioning, fire pits (and gourmet meals if requested), for which glampers paid approximately $350/night. A family tradition of profiteering from the commercialization of nature, while calling it love, continued.
“Glamping” (glamorous camping) is NOT camping. Ms. Bradley built what is essentially a motel on the Ridge. It in no way, in dimension or intent, “grandfathers” the preceding use. To claim that it does is akin to equating a whittler with a lumberyard.
The “Club” represents a serious environmental assault on its surroundings. Negative impacts of human activity on wildlife is known to eddy in every direction. To describe the Awosting Club as utilizing “only a teeny-weeny”portion of the property displays willful indifference to its unassessed negative impact.
Evaluations by the Gardiner Environmental Conservation Commission have not occurred because such review is triggered by mandated planning board request, but no complete site plan has ever been submitted to the planning board. (One of the geodomes is supported by columns that may be illegally and dangerously located on a precipice within the 100′ buffer of the highly protected Palmaghatt Stream. If an Awosting Club guest is injured, what Town of Gardiner liability is implied?)
Ms. Bradley blamed her procedural failures on “bad advice from an un-named “someone [she] trusted.” Who might that be???
Awosting Club’s disrespect for community regulations is appalling, as is the lengthy delay of any meaningful and timely engagement by the town board.
As is the shockingly odd accommodation shown to the club by the zoning board of appeals. Despite concern expressed by a ZBA member, and the consternation of the public, the town lawyer was not present to counter the detailed legal defense by Ms. Bradley’s assertive counsel. Toward the end of its public hearing, the chair announced a continuance of its deliberations to the following month, pending ZBA review of the voluminous financial records provided by the “club” to legitimize its claim to being grandfathered: NO 12-month period within which it was not used as a campground. (Time for a forensic accountant, perhaps?)
Most public observers left at that point.
Within moments, however, responding to a plaintive statement about “financial hardship” by Ms. Bradley, — and bypassing the just-promised documentation review — the chair unexpectedly called for an immediate vote and the ZBA approved, 3:2, to grandfather the “club.”
Was it appropriate to vote after announcing continuance, and without the crucial records review? Is it appropriate to even consider financial hardship (despite big profits presumably accrued during the “club’s” prolonged, unpermitted, operation)? Will fines, fees and consequences be imposed for numerous violations? Has a dangerous precedent been set? Is it acceptable for select landowner families to ignore procedural regulations to which others must comply? Are there repercussions for town officials who allow it?
How did this happen?
The Ridge is our treasure. Our boards are its bulwark.
Janet Kern
Gardiner
Join the family! 
