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I cannot keep silent
I have made it a policy not to wade into the toxic waters of the online political debate. But when people share disinformation about the hands-off protest that took place in Kingston on April 5th, I cannot keep silent. As one of the many people who volunteered to make this event happen, the allegations of “paid protesters” and “out-of-state” license plates spotted in the vicinity, feels deeply personal. Nobody was paid to protest. And, yes, people did travel from “other places” to join us in Kingston. We were joined by our Dutchess County neighbors, some of whom were part of the organizing team. We were joined by students from SUNY New Paltz and a group from the Zen Monastery in Mount Tremper.
I met first-time protesters and saw many of my Kingston friends and neighbors. I was also grateful to witness many families in attendance. One of our volunteers was moved to tears watching people with walkers and in wheelchairs being helped by younger people. Conditions were hardly ideal — cold and pouring rain. But it mattered that much for all of us to be present. I don’t know what the final count was. 1500? 2000? From where I stood, there was a sea of engaged and committed patriots who cared enough about our country to show up and loudly, but peacefully, proclaim our grievances about the cruelty and greediness of the current regime.
Charlotte Adamis
Kingston
Threat to democracy
The ruthless bullying tactics of the Trump administration keep on coming, detention upon detention, deportation upon deportation, bungle upon bungle, budget cut upon budget cut, layoff upon layoff, stock slide upon stock slide. The step-by-step dismantling of our government and our economy seems so deliberate, so patently destructive, that I wonder if we’re witnessing without recognizing something even more sinister than what we’ve seen so far. Involving Russia, perhaps. Or “just” a totalitarian takeover by our own power-and-money-mad oligarchs.
What we’ve seen since January 5 should be frightening and disheartening to all of us. But there’s been no persuading many Trumpsters; as with a belief in God, no matter how lousy life becomes, their faith is unshakable.
There are some positive, if tempered, signs: Trump’s ratings are slipping, but not careening; a Democrat was elected to fill the vacant seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, but the Republicans prevailed in the race for two congressional seats in Florida; many judges and law firms are standing up for the Constitution against Trump’s myriad assaults on it, and on us, but others are caving in.
What will it take to awaken the true believers to this threat to our democracy? The signs leading up to both the Third Reich and McCarthyism are there, but most Trumpsters seem unaware of the parallels. Could they actually want the kind of country we’re becoming? Assuming most of them don’t, if they’re getting all their news from Fox and the like, that could explain their nonchalance, for one would think that even a glance at other news sources would rouse them, at least to asking questions.
I was no fan of George W. Bush, but he’s a saint next to Trump. Add Musk to the mix and you’ve got a Dynastic Duo, with a soulless supporting cast in the House, Senate and Supreme Court. The world has seen this movie before, and it doesn’t have a happy ending. Will we the audience bring down the curtain on it, before it’s too late?
Tom Cherwin
Saugerties
I am honored to be at your service
Thank you to the 634 New Paltz residents who signed my petition for the June 24th primary ballot! Thanks, too, to those of you who joined me in petitioning on so many evenings and weekends all around New Paltz.
Here are the most-asked issues I heard when I knocked on your doors.
Consolidation: What’s it all about? First of all, there is no longer a mutually consensual consolidation under consideration. Instead the village board is preparing a dissolution study for the village government to be eliminated and all its services and costs to be absorbed by the town. Under state law, town residents outside the village are not able to vote on this dissolution. If it should pass by the vote of village residents, as the re-elected town supervisor, I would of course work with the village mayor to best implement a strategic and efficient merger of our governments.
The village has held one public information meeting and another is planned for April 29. You can catch up on the process here labergegroup.com/newpaltz.
Henry W DuBois/bike/ped: The Town of New Paltz is responsible for maintaining this new leg of the Empire State Trail. I recently met with the NYS DOT representative and we are very close to getting final sign off. Thanks again to highway superintendent Marx for taking care of a number of design issues.
Taxes: Federal cuts to already promised aid and grants could present significant impact on town projects and services already contracted and underway. That plus the possibility of taking on the potentially dissolved village’s operating costs could make the 2026 budget very challenging indeed.
Civil rights: As supervisor, I will never let the attorney general of Texas impinge on the courageous and compassionate service Dr. Maggie Carpenter provides to the women he has persecuted in his state. Additionally, in response to the attacks on so many policies, principles, and people by the federal government, I am proud to remind our citizens that our town is more committed than ever to support diversity, equity and inclusion. We are ONE New Paltz made of many colors, beliefs, genders and principles. I am honored to be at your service.
Amanda Gotto, Supervisor
Town of New Paltz
Overblown focus
Why all the hullaballoo about “signalgate” and the shabby liberal “journalist,” Jeffrey Goldberg, who was more than happy to blab a mistake to the whole world rather than do the right thing? Contrary to the nonsense spewed by the “legacy” media, actual and specific attack plans against the Houthis were not discussed. If they were, the mission would have been a total failure with the Houthis having gotten advanced notice of what was about to happen to them.
And, how about the character, or more accurately the lack thereof, of this unpatriotic “journalist?” Goldberg immediately knew he was accidentally and mistakenly included in a defense department communication. A real responsible and patriotic journalist would have immediately contacted the appropriate people in the administration to quietly let them know of their inadvertent error so that it could quickly be investigated and remedied. But, since Goldberg is an obvious progressive lefty who hates Trump, he salivated at his opportunity to widely broadcast the incident in an obvious attempt to embarrass and humiliate his own country and its current administration. And, of course, the Democrats were immediately calling for the resignations of Pete Hegseth and Mike Waltz, among others.
Regarding these loud calls for resignations for an obvious but insignificant mistake, these same Democrats were totally silent in calling for the resignation of Biden, Harris and others of their cabinet members regarding real and significantly larger catastrophic blunders that actually cost our country dearly while causing the deaths of 13 military men and women due to one of the worst governmental decisions in our country’s history. Biden/Harris and the Democrats held no one responsible for any of this. Nor did they hold Alejandro “the border is closed” Mayorkas responsible for the injuries and murders caused by illegal criminals who were eagerly welcomed and presented with all kinds of freebies, causing severe financial strains on local, state and federal pocketbooks. Who was held responsible for all the fentanyl deaths and significant crime spikes everywhere? No one, as usual. And certainly not George Soros who funded much of this chaos while causing a temporary bastardization of our judicial system by promoting soft on crime DA’s who were more interested in protecting illegal criminals than the legal citizens of the U.S. Unlike Merrick Garland, this will be reversed by a real attorney general, Pam Bondi.
So, enough of this whining about “signalgate.” Try, instead, to focus on and acknowledge responsibility for the real catastrophes forced upon all Republican, Independent and Democratic Americans by your previous hypocritical administration.
John N. Butz
Modena
The best of both worlds with Tim Rogers
I am pleased to offer my strong support to Tim Rogers for New Paltz Town Supervisor. Tim has served with excellence as mayor of the Village of New Paltz for the last decade. As we face an important decision and a complicated process in the unifying of the town and village governments, there is no one more qualified to lead the town and oversee this process. This is coming from one who was once a skeptic of both the merger and of Tim Rogers personally.
As a progressive, I am wary of business leaders who shift into government service. Typically those with a business orientation seek to make government “more efficient” which usually translates into cutting government services and lavishing tax cuts on private businesses and the wealthy (think DOGE). For this reason, Roger’s Wall Street background gave me pause. But my worries were unfounded in this case. Tim Rogers recognizes the vital role of government in advancing the public good and the important services it provides. But he also uses his business expertise to ensure that quality services are delivered in the most efficient way possible, minimizing expenses for the ordinary taxpayer. In this sense, we get the best of both worlds with Tim Rogers; he has been able to maintain high quality public services and greatly improve the village infrastructure all without raising taxes. This is truly impressive.
Tim Rogers believes that there are more efficiencies to be had in the merger of village and town governance, and based on his outstanding record, I believe him. He recognizes the importance of preserving the unique character of the village core, but there is no reason that cannot be done with a unified more efficient governing structure. Such a move will enable us to more rationally integrate services and planning that will actually improve our ability to protect the unique qualities of this special community. There is no one better suited to carry out this important work than Tim Rogers.
Brian Obach
New Paltz
Latest water tests are of serious concern
The latest Woodstock water test results from samples taken on March 12 have now been reported and they are of serious concern. Not only has there been an increase since December in the levels of PFOS, a carcinogenic chemical already known to have been present in our drinking water, but another highly toxic chemical, PFOA, has appeared for the first time. However, rather than communicate this information directly and openly to the public, the town’s social media post merely directed people to the town website to search for the results. (Note: They can be found on the water department web page.)
This is what you should know:
Five wells were sampled on March 12th, and two more are to be sampled shortly. Of the five wells sampled:
1. Pumphouse #1 Well #1’s test result showed a detected level of PFOS of 3.39 ng/L (ppt). There was no level of PFOS detected on December 11, 2024.
2. Pumphouse #1 Well #2’s test result showed a detected level of PFOS of 3.67 ng/L (ppt), as compared to the December 11th reported level of 2.21 ng/L (ppt).
3. Additionally, the test result for Pumphouse #1 Well #2 showed a detected level of PFOA of 2.06 ng/L (ppt). No trace of PFOA had ever been detected in Woodstock’s water previously.
While these numbers may not be meaningful to you, it’s important to understand that of all chemical contaminants, not just from the class of “forever chemicals” (PFAS) but of ALL chemical contaminants, ONLY PFOS and PFOA have been designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as having NO safe level in drinking water. That’s how toxic they are, and the combination of the two that is now present certainly deserves an immediate and transparent response from the Woodstock Town Board as to their plans for ongoing communication, source tracing (including the Shady dump) and potential remediation efforts.
Woodstockers United for Change will continue to update information as it becomes available, and will also continue to advocate to Woodstock’s leaders for safe drinking water. You can sign the petition we’d already been circulating at change.org/find-the-pfos.
Alan M. Weber
for Woodstockers United for Change
Leak repairs can offset electric bills at the water plant
On a rainy mid-March Sunday a few weeks ago, a water main break surfaced at one of New Paltz’s busiest Main Street intersections at North and South Chestnut. Our DPW team came rushing in on their day off and repaired the buried pipe to restore municipal water service.
We have included replacing this section that runs up Main Street in previous grant applications but have been unsuccessful, so far, securing an award. Small leaks in old pipes may go unnoticed for years before becoming big enough to surface.
Since the repair was made in mid March, we have seen a production decrease at the water plant by over 100,000 gallons per day. The daily average for 30 days prior to the repair was 889,000 per day. The daily average improved to 769,235 gallons per day after SUNY New Paltz returned from spring break on March 21st through April 6th.
The village has budgeted spending $2.607 million in our water fund for FY 2025-26. Our water plant produced an average of 258 million gallons per year for the last three years through 2024. This means it costs about one penny to produce one gallon of water. The penny pays for everything including plant operations, staffing, electricity, insurance, water purchased from the NYC DEP and capital projects to update the conveyance system and filtration plant.
In 2019, we invested $5.5 million at the water plant into a state-of-the-art filtration system, replacing the former basic system that was in use for approximately 30 years. It has been noteworthy witnessing how much more electricity the new system uses (thank you Yvonne Posey and village staff for the data collection).
The new system does a better job filtering raw water we source from our reservoirs and the NYC DEP’s Catskill Aqueduct, but the new system also uses 2.5 times more electricity than the old system. More consumption of electricity plus Central Hudson’s recent rate increases have been significant drivers increasing water fund costs by over 30% to 1 penny per gallon.
• 2015 to 2018 filtration plant averaged 132,370 KWH annually
• 2021 to 2024 filtration plant averaged 330,540 KWH annually
* even with less water produced from 2021 to 2024
When a 100,000 gallon per day leak is repaired, that can save our water fund significantly. For one year, a non-revenue leak this size could cost $365,000, which would be 14% of the $2.607 million water fund budget.
Before I took office in 2014, non-revenue water represented 46% of the water New Paltz’s plant produced. Averaged for the last three years through 2024, that number has improved dramatically to 24.7%. We accomplished this primarily by focusing on leaks within the village’s system. We also made sure the Town of New Paltz water districts and SUNY New Paltz were metering their water correctly by helping both secure funding for new meters from NYC DEP.
Mayor Tim Rogers
New Paltz
Do they align with your values?
My mother always reminded my sisters and me that “birds of a feather flock together.”
So if you’re a supporter of the Saugerties Republican Committee, it’s time to decide if their actions align with your values.
The Saugerties Republican Committee filed a complaint that the Saugerties school unions improperly used school email accounts to distribute an announcement from Indivisible Saugerties about an upcoming protest.
I sent that information via the school superintendent to be shared with the union reps who have every right to communicate timely information to their members. This letter does not address the Republican’s issue about which emails were used.
My direct issue with the Republican Committee centers on the outrageousness of the committee posting my personal email address to the school superintendent on their FB page and on the “Friendly” Saugerties page along with the emails of several school employees.
One of their supporters, James Bishop of West Saugerties, then made the heinous and deviant suggestion that all these email addresses be posted to porn hub. (I’m wondering how much time Bishop spends on the site since his suggestion “came so quickly” to him, pun intended.)
I am filing a formal complaint about Bishop’s posting to the Saugerties Police Department and the Ulster County District Attorney because I am threatened by this suggestion. My complaint includes the Saugerties Republican Committee since they are complicit.
While the Saugerties Republicans sowed hate and divisiveness, Indivisible Saugerties held a peaceful rally.
We had several hundred of our community members who protested the ludicrous cuts to Veterans services, the 911 health benefits, education, health care, public service, Medicare and Medicaid, among others. It was only the nationwide outrage which forced the administration to restore the 911 health care benefits.
We will continue to rally against the fascists, hate and fear mongers who want to destroy America. We will continue to be patriotic in serving our democracy and rally regularly as our fellow citizens are doing nationwide. We will fight against the efforts to harm working class people.
Meanwhile, read the posts on the Republican Committee and the Friendly Saugerties pages and see if they align with your values. If they do, so be it. Just know those comments were not disavowed and therefore they define your own character.
Jo Galante Cicale
Saugerties
Love knot unveiling
You are invited to the unveiling of the new love knots in Saugerties and Woodstock (details below). Whether you are a tourist or a local, chances are you have taken a picture with the life-size red love knot. For those who don’t know, I crafted those pieces in 2011-12, with the idea of “tying the knot of friendship between Woodstock and Saugerties.”
With over a decade in the elements, these wooden sculptures have decayed beyond repair. After a year-long process of arranging and fundraising, these two sculptures have now been recast in fiberglass, to allow them to last forever — fitting, as the foundation of the love knot sculpture is the infinity sign. Many thanks to the Town of Saugerties, the many individuals who donated, Bob Siracusano of Sawyer Motors and the generous Jerry H.
Each sculpture is designed to send you to the other village. Now that we have a mold, it is possible to make more love knots and it has long been my goal to make a love knot to tie the knot of friendship between every township in Ulster County. See you for the unveiling on Friday April 11 at 3:45 p.m. in Saugerties at the corner of Main and Market, and Sunday April 13 at 4:30 p.m. in Woodstock at 23 Mill Hill Road (in front of Mirabai). For additional information visit https://sites.google.com/view/love-knot/.
Ze’ev Willy Neumann
Saugerties
A vote for Tim Rogers
As headlines out of Washington continue to attest to the fiscal irresponsibility and administrative incompetence of the current federal (non)leadership, it is some comfort to know that closer to home we enjoy good government and highly responsible leadership. Village mayor Tim Rogers has shown remarkable fiscal management, holding village taxes flat for years on end, and he has a record of efficient, purposeful administration. He has shown outstanding commitment to large infrastructure projects — many of them sorely needed for a long time — and has shown an admirably wonky capacity for working with state agencies (and bureaucracies) to get things done in our community. He has encouraged smart growth, while attending to the equally important project of preserving what is distinctive about our community.
His regular letters to this newspaper, also posted on village social media channels, demonstrate his enthusiasm for the work he does, his transparency and his fairness. As the prospect of village dissolution looms, he has put his hat in the ring for the town supervisor position. I urge registered Democrats to do as I will in the June 24 primary election and cast a vote for Mayor Rogers.
Thomas Olsen
New Paltz
A new verse to an old song
Thanks to Linda Geary, Michael Hartner, Deb Clinton and Roberta Clements for organizing
the “Hands Off!” March which was attended by 300-400 people in Gardiner!
The last song I played with Pete Seeger was Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.”
In honor of the march, I wrote a new verse:
|
First it’s a Million
And then a Billion
Then the Reptilian
Goes for a Trillion
But you know what’s Funny
Even with all that Money
This Land Was Made for You and Me
Feel free to use it without need of attribution 😉
Tim Hunter
Gardiner
The more dangerous illusion
As part of the Democratic Get Out the Vote, I spent a day during the run-up to the fall elections knocking on the doors of registered Democrats in the Hamlet of Highland. The resident of one house, a RDINO — a registered Democrat in name only — really, really wanted to talk. He wanted to own a lib and with a lowercase-p pugnacity kept beckoning me back into conversation.
He led with his trump card: “If a woman has the right to control her body, why can’t I refuse to take a vaccine?” I had never been asked this question, but the answer bubbled to consciousness, and from there to my lips, after only a moment’s thought. “Because my family is less safe when you’re not vaccinated.” To his credit, I saw in the tiny adjustment of his head and eyes, and a brief silence, that my reply had caused a moment of non-comfort-zone thinking.
He was game for the fight, so he moved on to the myth that the diseases we’re vaccinated against are not that bad, with the implication that we’re better off with “natural immunity.” I explained that when I was a junior in college (in those pre-vaccine days), one of my roommates contracted mumps and had to lie in bed for two weeks lest the infection spread to his testicles, rendering him sterile. I saw his eyes widen. No one had ever suggested that to him.
He was also living the lie about vaccines and autism. I explained that most vaccines in the US do not have the ethylmercury-based preservative thimerosal, a development made more possible through the use of preloaded, single-use syringes, among other things, including the use of alternative compounds. People can die from spoiled batches of vaccine; preservatives inhibit bacterial growth and keep vaccines from spoiling. Thimerosal has been studied for decades and has been shown to be without harm. Methylmercury, from industrial pollution, is a far more dangerous and quite prevalent neurotoxin.
This otherwise estimable man, someone I could easily live next door to, is infected by what Elon Musk might call the Fox Mind Virus, for which, sadly, there is no vaccine. We just have to live through it and, ironically, hope that our societal immune system eventually gains natural immunity through Project 2025/DOGE antibodies.
Trump’s new head of the Environmental Protection Administration, Lee Zeldin, has proclaimed that the EPA’s new mission is to “lower the cost of buying a car, heating a home and running a business.” To this end, the EPA is rolling back 31 climate, air, and water pollution regulations, including one that restricts mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. The EPA’s mission no longer includes the word environmental, by the way. It’s now the Environmental Predation Administration.
People like my new friend in Highland are fired up because of miniscule amounts of an ethylmercury-based preservative in vaccines, and are perfectly happy to maximize the spread of methylmercury through our air and water to save smokestack costs for coal-fired oligarchs. His fear of vaccines is an illusion. His belief that the Trump regime will act on behalf of him and his family is, sadly, the more dangerous illusion.
William Weinstein
New Paltz
Defending my honor
I am impressed that here in Ulster County (Olivebridge to be exact) we might have either a psychic or a psychotherapist who in an April 2, 2025 letter to the editor has diagnosed me as not being honest, being blind, needing to “have the honesty to be open,” as well as needing to “take an honest look if I want to wake up to the truth.” Of course his finale: “I say honest as I am guessing that you already know all I have pointed out” proves that he is a mind reader as well!
My wise father once told me, “Never get into a pissing contest with a jackass,” and so I will abide by his advice and end my letter here.
Susan Puretz
Saugerties
Henry DuBois
I drive Henry DuBois Drive every day, and it reminds me of old Mr. Henry DuBois himself — he lived next to my grandparents on Grove and John streets. The road now bearing his name is supposed to be a convenient lifeline past the tangle of Route 299 to reach 32 North and 208 South.
This road tries to be everything — a Swiss Army knife that can’t fully unfold. It’s a bypass for hurried drivers, a ribbon of sidewalk for slow strollers and a slipstream for racing bicycles. But who, I wonder, paused long enough to imagine how all these threads would actually weave together? Driving my pickup from Millrock onto narrow Henry DuBois Drive, it’s such a shape turn; it’s always a gamble.
From a recent drive on Henry DuBois is a scene imprinted in my memory — an elderly woman, skin folded gently with age, holding tight to her tiny dog’s leash, oblivious to danger as she carefully stepped along the path. Then, slicing down the hill like arrows loosed too fast to call back, four male bikers flew past the obstacles meant to slow them, trying to stop them from using the uncertified bike trail. Their helmets lowered, bodies angled sharp and dressed as if chasing some invisible prize, their speed. What if she had stepped left? What if the dog darted? Steel and flesh are not forgiving friends. One slip — one tiny miscalculation — and the soft rhythm of the morning could have shattered into something tragic and irreversible.
Bike speed signs shouting caution would border on having wisdom.
Politicians, I guess this road is yours as much as ours. Your task is challenging, I’ll give you that. You can’t make everyone happy. God knows we humans resist laws that rein us in. But isn’t your first job to guard our lives? Protect us from each other? From ourselves? Sure, someone always grumbles. It’s as inevitable as weather, but it beats the hell out of silence after something irreversible happens.
Tomorrow, I’ll turn onto Henry DuBois again, my fingers gripping tighter than necessary. I’ll watch, wonder and hope — but hoping without action is like closing your eyes at the wheel, trusting luck over good sense.
Larry Winters
New Paltz
What autocracy looks like
I spent time in South Korea during the military dictatorship of Chun Doo Hwan. It is astounding how little I knew of the realities on the ground before I made arrangements with both my universities. Ignorance was enforced by the state-run media there.
The Blue House issued a daily official list of the “things that did not happen.”
I was not prepared to see executions beside the road. Once with a shot to the head of a soldier in uniform and another in the back of a man who wanted to cross the border. I was not prepared to witness people on fire. I saw that several times.
One of the most frightening moments took place on a city bus. Soldiers bearing short machine guns boarded and demanded to see our papers. A young college student was dragged off the bus kicking and screaming for help. He was likely tortured and killed.
At the time there was a midnight curfew. I often heard tanks in the street and gunfire. This was ostensibly all about stopping North Korean infiltrators. In reality it was about keeping the fear level high in order to exercise maximum control.
The military was everywhere and quite intimidating.
There were monthly air raid drills to reinforce the lie that the people needed a military dictator to keep them safe.
One of the most treasured memories was sitting on the steps of Sejong Cultural Center on the day the tide turned against the dictator (I had to dodge the troops to make my escape). It was a beautiful thing and the culmination of many years of struggle.
If you think these things can’t happen here, you are wrong.
Mauriac Cunningham
Saugerties
What would mother say?
Former vice president Mike Pence’s policy advocacy organization came out against president Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day,” arguing his tariff plans “are essentially a tax on American consumers and businesses.”
Mike Pence says: “The Trump Tariff” is the largest peacetime tax hike in U.S. history. These destructive “Tariffs” are nearly ten times the size of those imposed during the Trump-Pence administration, and will cost American families [poor and middle class people] plenty over the year. Maybe as much as $3,500.
It will give to the rich, and extort American businesses to establish cronyism and oligarchy.
Even Mike Pence knows — when you’ve lost Mike Pence, how far from the herd have you strayed? Then again, I think Trump lost Pence a little over four years ago, on January 6. Maybe you hadn’t heard the noose.
I have no love for Pence, but I’m thankful he’s found his voice. We could use a lot more Republicans coming to their senses.
Bottom-line: Hefty tariffs usually lead to a recession. When they don’t, it’s because they lead to a depression.
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
Attention Woodstockers
We’re in danger of losing one of the towns’ best restaurants, Sushi Medo. It’s been a long cold winter, but if we want to continue to have Grade-A sushi and a staff with a great attitude, we need to populate this wonderful restaurant. See you at Medo.
John Sebastian
Woodstock
We’re saved
Looks like Supervisor McKenna, who is allegedly not running for public office in Woodstock, will not be running for the Ulster County Legislature, representing Woodstock, because it looks like he did not get enough signatures on the Republican Party’s petition to be put on the November ballot. A shout out to our Republican party neighbors
Howard Harris
Woodstock
Biblical clues
From the fast developing tipping points of climate change, to the specter of horrific genocidal events in the Middle East, to the threat of uncontrollable super, AI merged with quantum computers taking over, to the rise of authoritarian regimes around the world and the demise of democracies, to the state developing weaponized viruses, to the saber rattling of nuclear nations all contribute to the doomsday clock being the closest that it has ever been at “89 seconds” to doomsday (https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/2025-statement/).
So with all that in mind, it is not a stretch to say we may be living in the last days foretold about in the prophesies of the Bible? In those dark and tumultuous days, the prophesies describe a charismatic leader, the Bible calls the “antichrist” among other names, who will come on the scene and attempt to fix the world’s problems. He will be noted as a person who will have a “mouth speaking great things” [Dan. 7:8 KJV] and “utter proud words” [Rev. 13:5-6 NIV]. He will be a pathological liar who will “cast truth to the ground” and be “prospered in everything” [Dan. 8-12 NIV]. He will be a “man of lawlessness” [2 Thes. 2-3 NIV]. “He will cause deceit to prosper and he will consider himself to be superior” [Dan. 8:25 NIV]. He will be a “vile person” [Dan. 11:21 KJV] and “do as he pleases” [Dan. 11:36 NIV], evidently without any repercussions, as “no one will be able to stand against him” [Dan. 11:16 NIV]. He “shall work deceitfully” [Dan. 11:23 KJV]. He is also referred to as the “little horn” [Dan.7:8 NIV] “that looked more imposing than others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully” [Dan. 7:20 NIV]. His name in Hebrew is “Abaddon (the destroyer)” [Rev. 9:11NIV]. A-bad-don, the little horn (trump-et) that will focus on greatness. Any eerie similarities with Donald J. Trump to the biblical antichrist apocalyptic figure, prophesied to come and rule in the latter days with an iron fist, is purely coincidental, or is it?
Steve Romine
Woodstock
Earth Day
In Saugerties, we have in our midst a jewel, a special and unique place. This piece of land has been left alone since the farming ended around 1940. This property was never developed in the modern sense. Eight-hundred green acres with no blacktop, no impermeable surface over an aquifer that holds lots of pure and clean water! At Winston Farm, there is a carbon sequestration process that takes place naturally every day and removes greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. For free! We all need nature, peace, relaxation and contemplation.
Tourists do not come here to experience more cars and more houses and more businesses and be more entertained! 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! They are dreaming and talking about 800 condo’s, 200+ more houses and a 5000-seat theatre. Imagine the amount of parking spaces all those cars will need! The blacktop that will need to be poured. All the plants, trees, creatures will be covered up, no life under blacktop. No more home for little creatures.
We need housing that is affordable for teachers, nurses, associates and housekeepers. The very people who will find jobs there! Will those people be able to live there too? Do we need 1000 units of luxury housing? Imagine all that land that the Hudson Valley Mall sits on in Kingston was also at some point beautiful wild nature, maybe farmland. Forty years ago, some developers had the great idea to build a mall, a place to create jobs and to generate new economies. It only took 40 years and the place is depressing. That land is currently occupied by a depressing and empty mall that is now turning into a healthcare facility. I am thinking about the gigantic parking lot in front of Home Depot in Kingston. It has the most breathtakingly gorgeous views! And it is always 80% empty! Why can’t we build 800 single-unit condo’s there for the Hudson Valley? It has even much nicer views then Winston Farm, and there is already blacktop on the earth there. Each time I park there, especially in the late afternoon, I cannot but marvel at how unbelievably beautiful that land is and the view is, every day a beautiful view!
Think about it, we are now talking about turning very precious wild land into another economic development, another giant piece of parking lot … Why? After bulldozing old trees and covering up rich nutritious beautiful soil, it is difficult and costly to get that back.
Edith Bolt
Saugerties
Not what I expected
Overheard on the bus: “Fascism is a lot less fun than I expected.”
Sparrow
Phoenicia
You can’t tariff a weekend
In times of financial turmoil, maintaining personal stability is crucial. Here are three rules to help you stay sane: Avoid financial news to reduce anxiety, focus on what you enjoy to stay positive and refrain from checking your portfolio to prevent panic-driven decisions. President Trump’s recent “Liberation Day” announcement introduced the most significant tariff hike since 1968, affecting nearly every country and global citizen. The administration aims to address unfair trade deals (strongly agree), national security concerns (agree with clear limits) and bring jobs back to the US (with low unemployment, seems extremely weak). Best-case scenario: Quick negotiations improve trade terms and facilitate a stock market recovery. Worst-case scenario: Permanent tariffs lead to a severe global recession, forcing the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates aggressively multiple times.
Before the tariff announcement, we advised clients to take profits from high-flying equities and invest in asset-backed fixed income. Remember the long-term benefits of investing, how much better off you are in real-life terms than you were a few years ago and cherish the reason behind the disciplined approach. For me, it was spending time this past weekend at my two sons’ little league opening-day baseball games. I encourage you to tune out the noise as well. After all, no one can slap a tariff on your weekend.
About me: I began my professional career at Goldman Sachs & Co., successfully navigating private wealth clients through the 2008-2009 financial crisis. I am now a fiduciary-only, independent financial advisor and planner with Magnus Financial Group, based in New York City.
Michael Tanney
New York City
Laugh At Me
if I call the new-
fallen leaves after
a steady rain—
velvet
and the first
fallen snow that
blankets trash cans
ash heaps and all—
velvet
laugh at me if I
call your callused
palms and less than
perfect cuticles—
velvet
Patrick Hammer, Jr.
Saugerties
Pass the New York Health Act!
We have a violent healthcare system in New York. It’s easy to forget that. When you’ve spent your entire life existing alongside an institution, it’s hard to view it as anything other than natural. But when these deaths at the hands of delayed care and crushing medical deaths are easily preventable, the violence of our for-profit healthcare system is not a passive fact of life. It’s a choice.
The New York Health Act (NYHA) would replace our current system of privatized healthcare with a single-payer system. This includes universal coverage, ensuring all New York State residents have access to healthcare, full stop. Additionally, by providing preventative care, the NYHA would ensure many people don’t get to dangerous levels of illness before contacting a doctor. But what about the costs? Well, not only would the NYHA benefit families and small businesses by eliminating high insurance premiums and other out-of-pocket costs, it would save New York money too. A single-payer system would reduce overall healthcare costs by eliminating administrative inefficiencies and negotiating better rates for services and medications, reducing costs for the government and hospitals.
The violence of our current healthcare system is a choice; one we make every day when we wake up in the morning. So support the NYHA, contact your legislators, and participate in advocacy efforts. Violence is a choice, but so is change.
Declan McConnell
New Paltz
Ode to the sounds of spring
It feels so good to shake off the cold and feel the warmth of the sun again. But it is the sounds of spring that warms me the most. The sounds of the woodpeckers carving out a new home, the robins singing PE-ter, PE-ter and blue jays squawking out their warnings of my coming. But most of all, it’s hearing the roar of the species motorist cyclists from Butterville Road/Route 299 all the way past the hairpin turn on Route 44/55. It can be heard for nearly five whole minutes. And during the migratory season up from the south (on mostly weekends), it can almost seem like a continuous thundering of unmuffled controlled explosions. Hears to spring!
David Held
New Paltz
The last days of democracy
The Last Days of Democracy Trump and his unelected gang of billionaire thieves have moved much faster than anyone expected. Or maybe it’s the glacial pace of the opposition, old white men who have been so thoroughly corrupted by corporate money that they seem paralyzed.
Who is to blame for the current madman in the White House? Both major parties are, since they are designed to benefit the very rich. Is there any way out? Now that Trump is threatening the nation’s federal judges, one more safety switch is being turned off. And there aren’t many safeguards left. Not only does Trump control the US military and the border patrol, but he has a right-wing civilian militia that is armed to the teeth. All he needs to do is point out his political enemies and his death squads may just kill them. Those who are apprehended and charged with murder would all be pardoned by our runaway tyrant.
Do you think you are watching some Third World dictatorship put in place by the CIA? No, the enormity of our military power has created a world of perpetual war. Even our closest allies will be looking for ways to protect themselves from our threats of invasion.
The best outcome may be a long shot. Trump may get so enamored with his fame and dominance, that he makes terrible mistakes both on the battlefield and off. Once Trump shows signs of deranged thinking, why the billionaires will sacrifice him and put someone else in his place.
Fred Nagel
Rhinebeck
New Woodstock youth center will help attract families
I recently attended an information session for the proposed youth and senior center project in Woodstock. I wholeheartedly support the project, and applaud the Youth Center Task Force for their painstaking efforts to produce a compelling plan. This project is exactly the kind of investment Woodstock needs — one that honors those who live here now while building a future that welcomes new residents, especially families. Woodstock is at a crossroads. The population is aging, with an increasing percentage of second homeowners and an economy reliant on tourism. If we want the town to stay vibrant, we need to attract a next generation of families who will put down roots.
The youth center project, which includes athletic facility upgrades, will very much appeal to this next generation, many of whom are NYC transplants actively weighing Woodstock against Catskill, Kingston and other upstate towns. And, importantly, the project also gives seniors a dedicated space that supports connection, wellness and activity.
At the information session, the main concern raised by opponents was additional taxes. I appreciate that additional taxes can be burdensome for some; for those who truly can’t afford it, there are multiple programs that provide tax relief. And for those who can afford it, it will be a minimal increase that will create enormous value for the community.
As Hurley residents who live just over the line from Woodstock, our family would absolutely utilize the improved facilities. And while we don’t pay Woodstock taxes, we would gladly contribute to the private fundraising effort that is part of the project plan. I hope Woodstock moves forward with this vision. It’s not just about some new buildings — it’s about continuing to make Woodstock a place that families want to move to — and stay in.
Daniel Souweine
Glenford
From the cradle to the grave
This letter is in regard to the New York Health Act. This is legislation that would take care of all New York citizens’ healthcare from the cradle to the grave. Your choice or doctors, no co-pays, no profit being made off your healthcare, specialists, dental, hearing, vision and get this, long-term care. Yes, that would mean a payroll tax. It will save you money in the short and long runs.
To learn more about the New York health campaign’s website, go to nyhcampaigm.org. With almost everyone’s healthcare in question due to all the chaos we are experiencing, this act is on the state level. It has been proven over and over that it will save you money. Please take this opportunity to contact your state senator and state assemblyperson and find out if they are co-sponsors and also what are they doing to promote it. To find out who those people are for your districts, go to nyassembly.gov or nysenate.gov. Let’s hope this becomes a reality in the near future.
Alex Passas
New Paltz
The Earth Day fair is coming to New Paltz on April 26
Earth Day is coming — and with it the 22nd Earth Day fair on Saturday, April 26, at the Reformed Church in New Paltz. Come for free, family friendly, fun activities, great live music and healthy food. Sample favorite activities from last year, like the nature walk and a tour of UCAT’s electric bus (little kids love it) and new features, like County Waste’s touch-a-truck and the climate anxiety booth (the Doctor Is In). And all the while, learn about community solar, composting, electric vehicles, preventing plastic pollution and more. Don’t miss the flags of all nations on Huguenot Street at this zero-waste event!
Enjoy the Earth Day fair on Saturday, April 26, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Reformed Church of New Paltz, 92 Huguenot Street. The fair is sponsored by New Paltz Interfaith Earth Action, the Caring for Creation Committee and the New Paltz Climate Action Coalition.
Miriam Varian
Gardiner
Join the family! 
