The views and opinions expressed in our letters section are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Hudson Valley One. You can submit a letter to the editor here.
Awaiting return of sanity to NYS
I read with great sadness, but not surprise, about the Saugerties Town Board opting out of the cannabis industry. I commend Supervisor Costello and the other Town Board member who voted in support of cannabis shops. Sadly, the naysayers are listening to the wrong voices. The ignorant negativity coming from the Saugerties police chief and others, who (to quote Solazzo in The Godfather), “pensi all’antica.” Your thinking is antiquated.
Everywhere I see the destruction caused by legal alcohol, bars and drunk drivers. Every day the police blotter has multiple disasters caused by the alcohol culture. I’ve yet to see cannabis cause those problems on any level. Domestic abuse cases are also mainly caused by alcohol abusers, too!
For eons, tens of thousands if not millions of people have benefited greatly from that God-given flowering herb – medically, emotionally and spiritually. There is a wealth of real knowledge out there that I hope former Senator Metzger and the rest of the New York State Cannabis Board will access, and I am offering myself as a liaison to some of those resources. Billions of dollars are being made by some of the genius entrepreneurs of the black market, and have been for decades. As Bob Dylan so aptly said, “To live outside the law, you must be honest.”
The cannabis subculture has helped folks thrive under difficult conditions, and the Cannabis Board needs that expertise. New York State needs to stop listening to fear and ignorance and move quickly to allow cannabis to reach the masses in every way possible. It is a healer, natural and safe. I myself am 16 years post-liver transplant, and my miraculous recovery is partly due to cannabis, edible and otherwise.
On a side note, every person I know who has been to legal dispensaries elsewhere spends a lot of money in the restaurants, gas stations and shops of Great Barrington and other civilized communities. Progressive communities like Ulster, New Paltz and Woodstock are poised to reap huge financial benefits as soon as the dispensaries are opened.
Please don’t let the “nattering nabobs of negativity” rule the day. Help people; don’t hurt people.
Leon “Butch” Dener
(50+ years of productive cannabis experience)
New Paltz
OSD plows ahead despite COVID surge
Active COVID cases in Ulster County and in the Onteora School District (OSD) have never been higher. The county graph is more of a vertical line than a curve. And yet for Onteora interim superintendent Marystephanie Corsones, it’s business as usual. Deaf to the many parents who have pleaded for a temporary remote or hybrid option, Corsones only went remote from January 12 to 14, “based on staffing limitations and being able to maintain the safest learning environment for students.” Sadly, I doubt student safety has anything to do with Corsones’ decisionmaking, as we are shifting right back to in-person instruction after the holiday weekend, despite county COVID cases continuing to skyrocket, with 1,266 more cases reported today than when OSD temporarily shifted just three days ago.
In today’s letter to parents, Corsones says, “We continue to monitor the data to support our decisions with the goal of providing the safest and most robust learning environment for our students.” I wonder what data she’s monitoring, as we’re now looking at 7,000 active cases countywide and half-empty classrooms, as so many students are in quarantine. The students who do attend are often monitored by substitute teachers with no grasp on the course material (teachers, too, are out with COVID and/or in quarantine).
I understand the value of in-person school, but for families who can’t risk sending their children to school at the very height of this wave, accommodations should be made for an equally robust learning modality for limited at-home instruction.
Brett Barry
Onteora parent
Bird feeder
The obesity epidemic has finally hit parakeets.
Sparrow
Phoenicia
Bah humbug
From HV1: “For more than 80 years, jolly ol’ Saint Nick has made a grand entrance, different each year, to the delight of children and adults of all ages. The Chamber of Commerce & Arts posted a 5:30 arrival time, having received that information from the Christmas Eve Committee. Instead, he showed up at around 5:10 [disappointing the many children and their parents who expected a later arrival].” It got me wondering as to who played Santa Claus and if he showed up so early because he had another job he had to get to.
Howard Harris
Woodstock
An idea for the Colony
I wanted to make a suggestion regarding the outdoor music issue at the Colony. Any sound coming from a typical musician’s amplifier or sound system is going to travel surprisingly far outdoors. Volume levels for just 50 people will likely be heard for miles by many who don’t care to hear it.
If you go into a restaurant with canned music, they don’t have one or two large speakers on one side of the room. If they did, it would always be too loud for many. They have several smaller satellite speakers positioned around the room, so everyone can hear it, but the overall level in the room is reasonable. I suggest the Colony have a bunch of these smaller satellite speakers surrounding the audience, all facing inward. I suspect everyone would be able to hear very well, while limiting how far the music is carrying off-premises, IMHO.
Mark Rust
Gardiner
Clarification on Town “corruption”
Steve Romine’s 1/12 letter offered a review of the process of public engagement in the Town’s hiring of a consultant on 5G issues. Nevertheless, here’s my key point: that government hiring of a contractor should not be influenced by a private contribution. This is not about 5G at all; it is about sound government. Again, hypothetically, could a resident representing a hotel development corporation bankroll the Town’s hiring of experts for its current review of short-term housing?
Nadia Steinzor
Willow
The lyin’ king
Here is the OSS psychological profile of Hitler and it describes his use of the Big Lie: His primary rules were never allowing the public to cool off, never admit a fault or wrong, never concede that there may be some good in your enemy, never leave room for alternatives, never accept blame, concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong. People will believe a “Big Lie” sooner than a little one, and if you repeat it frequently enough, people will sooner or later believe it.
Perfectly terrifying, because the above profile mirrors Trump’s political behavior and could be printed on the front page of every newspaper, and it would not stop anything. Yeah, the parallel is uncanny as Trump uses Hitler’s fascist playbook.
Did you know that Donald Trump used to keep a volume of Hitler’s speeches titled My New Order in a cabinet near his bedside? Sounds improbable, considering his repulsion for reading. But yes, according to a 1990 Vanity Fair interview, his ex-wife Ivana Trump said that her husband did such a thing.
Also, Donald Trump, while serving as president, once praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler (“Well, Hitler did a lot of good things”) during a conversation with then White House chief of staff general John Kelly during a 2018 official European trip commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first World War ending. The retired Marine Corps general reminded the president and described how the rise of Hitler afterwards led into the “Second World War and all of Hitler’s atrocities.”
It’s been a year (January 6, 2021) since that pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol. It was such a tragic day in our history. Trump was an architect of this orchestrated coup attempt. Domestic terrorists attacked our seat of government with the purpose to stop a constitutional process. He lost a national election and then wanted his reactionary mob to try and “stop a peaceful transfer of power.” His “Big Lie,” a repetitive, imagined and clearly unsubstantiated fraud claim that Biden was not legitimately elected, and that the election was stolen from him, fueled his constituency of nationalistic ready-made insurrectionists.
This is what the death of democracy looks like folks. Not with a bang, but with complete cynicism for all institutions, based upon formulated untruths. It is hard to fathom those millions of our fellow Americans who still believe the outrageous lies that Trump and his top accomplices keep spewing. It’s a cult mentality. These folks aren’t very good at recognizing false idols and false prophets, are they?
The insurrection was the culmination of over four years of lies and bullying and chaos. He is responsible for our divisions now. Only on Planet Trump would gaslighting soar to such a level: The rest of us saw the photos, the video and are aware of the truth. Our lying eyes witnessed a violent horde of Trump thugs. They say it themselves, in the courtrooms now when on trial.
Not coincidentally, most of these people rely on Fox and other far-right broadcasters to project their (mis)information, much of which are purposely constructed lies. Also, people are being intentionally radicalized by right-wing disinformation outlets like the Internet.
As for Trump’s subservient GOP, just about all elected Republican congresspeople have retracted their strong denunciation and damnation of what Trump did on that dreadful January day; we hear crickets from their side now. It was about the time the 1/6 congressional investigation committee was being selected that this new GOP went full-blown spin with Trumpian lies. Suddenly, it was a patriots’ rally, the police inside were the enemy and the so-called “heroes inside” being demonized were now the “real” patriots for freedom.
And yes, they’re currently waging a cold civil war behind the scenes. It is all based on his “Big Lie.” They are building the infrastructure to subvert an election – to make it possible to overturn results or keep Democrats from claiming electoral votes; they’re also shuttering polling locations in Blue areas and primarily Black areas. All to curb voting or to choose their own winners regardless of the outcome. Their fealty to Trumpism, his “Big Lie” and in general, a variety of propaganda will allow them to kill democracy in America. What a nightmare. If we lose our democratic process for elections, we will never get it back.
Do we really give a damn about not giving up on our country? Donald Trump broke the law when he plotted to overthrow the United States government and install himself as America’s first king. He failed miserably, but he’ll try again. This problem is bigger than one man. Now, in real time, Trump is solidifying support amid the dire warnings about the state of our democracy. This should concern us all very much. A lie is a lie, even if one repeats it ad nauseam! America is so fractured between truth and lies. We are at a crisis point right now.
Trump is the worst thing, other than war, that has ever happened to our country. It is with the ballot box that “We the People” can push back and show power. Collectively, we must hold tight to the rule of law in defending our democracy and in having fair elections – so, vote Blue in all elections leading up to and including 2024 like your life depended on it. You either stand with the United States or you stand with the terrorists and this neo-authoritarian Republican political party. If they ever get full control, look out! They have zero fidelity to democracy. This is your choice, America. Choose wisely.
If not, then just get some popcorn to watch the slow-moving train wreck that will be this country – or as some believe, the coming back of the Dark Ages – as it unfolds.
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
Ped/bike master plan for Kingston
Do you walk, ride a bike or take a bus in Kingston? Or have reasons that prevent you? Whatever the case, you have an opportunity to make your voice heard as the City of Kingston is developing a Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan (which will also include public transit). When complete, this plan will guide the City as it develops policies and seeks funding for projects.
You can participate in several ways. The City’s Engage Kingston website (https://engagekingston.com/pedestrian-bicycle-master-plan) has an online survey and details on a crowdsourcing app that you can download and use to record issues at specific places in the City. Last, there will be a public webinar on Tuesday, January 18 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Details are at the Engage Kingston/Pedestrian-Bicycle Master Plan webpage.
Tom Polk
Kingston
Winston Farm catastrophe
I drive past the Winston Farm property almost every day from my home on the Esopus Creek in Saugerties to Woodstock and beyond. Every time I pass it, I smile, thinking how beautiful and immense it is and how lucky we are to live with this gem in the mountains. The thought of this treasure being turned into an amusement park, and a water park and an amphitheater, with the possibility of hundreds of apartments and private residences, should alarm anyone who lives here.
Yes, we need planned, thoughtful development. Yes, we need more good jobs and housing stock. My own house has appreciated over $200,00 in less than three years since I bought it. The house I bought in the early ‘80s for $60,000 on Carelis Road in Blue Mountain was recently listed for well over $300,000, and that house is well under 1,000 square feet. That’s insanity, and a testimonial to the need for more affordable houses and rental units.
Imagine the traffic nightmare every time there is a concert at the amphitheater seating thousands, adding to the congestion of folks traveling to the water park, the amusement park, and just those thousands of people going to their homes and apartments. On a busy summer weekend now, you may have to wait to get onto Route 212 from the Thruway exits. Now add the possibility of the addition of thousands of cars making their way on Route 212 to anywhere.
I hope the people on the Planning Board and all those responsible for growth and development in Saugerties will give a long, hard look at what Saugerties really needs and how this mega-proposal will destroy our way of life and the town we love. Smart, planned development: yes. Overdevelopment and greed: absolutely not! Please, not in our town.
Eric Glass
Saugerties
Mere lip service
Recently, POTUS Biden addressed the nation to persuade them that his proposed voting legislation should be passed in the Senate, even if it meant changing the Senate filibuster rules that he and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, once, passionately supported. Although Mr. Biden claimed to be the presidential candidate best able to bring unity and healing to a divided America, during his speech the president stated that it was clear that those who support Democrat Party election reform laws were similar to the iconic civil rights figures MLK, Jr., John Lewis and Abraham Lincoln. while those who opposed it were like segregationists/racists Bull Connor, George Wallace and Confederate president Jefferson Davis. (It seems that in speaking of unity and healing during his campaign and in his inaugural address, POTUS Biden was merely paying lip service to those noble goals.)
With this in view, POTUS Biden plans on singing the following song (based upon Queen’s “We Are the Champions”), titled “You Are All Racists,” to the resisting lawmakers (and the citizens they represent) during his State of the Union speech in March. In the spirit of the song, speaker Nancy Pelosi will reenact her tearing of former president Trump’s State of the Union speech behind the back of a lifelike Donald Trump wax figure while POTUS Biden, senator Chuck Schumer and Vice President Harris sing the song, written especially for this occasion, by Georgia governor-in-exile Tracey Abrams. Ms. Abrams, who never conceded she lost her election to the current governor of Georgia, was unable to attend POTUS Biden’s speech – which supported the election reform legislation she has promoted – due to a “scheduling conflict.”
(Note: Speaking of “lip service,” this song is dedicated to Tom Cherwin, who – despite his constant vitriolic railing against Donald Trump and his supporters in the New Paltz Times over the years – wrote the seemingly conciliatory poem “A New Year,” printed last week in Feedback. Mr. Cherwin’s poem included the words “differences serve only to deepen us…to diversify us to weave of us all a coat of many colors.” Nice words, Tom: I hope your “coat of many colors” includes those who disagree with you.)
You’ve shared your views
Line upon line
And we disagree
Most of the time
But we won’t be debating
Nor let new arguments live
We’ll just call you all racists
For there’s no fair ideas to shar
That we have to give
(chorus)
You are all racists our friends
And you’ll keep on hating till the end
You are all racists, Jefferson Davis racists
Our ideas are competing so we’ll
Keep repeating this
Till the end
We’ve spoken truth
You’ve spoken yours
We never listened
‘Cos we know that you’re wrong
So just hear us
Do what we say
If you don’t, we promise
In coming days
We’ll make you pay
(And we will just go on and on, and on, and on)
(chorus)
You are all racists our friends
And you’ll keep on hating till the end
You are all racists, George Wallace racists
Our ideas are competing so we’ll
Keep repeating this
Till the end
We’ve said all we can
So don’t write or call
We hate your regressive views
And everything about them
We hope they’ll fall
Please don’t send us any roses
Don’t sing the blues
Why don’t you just go away or
Support our voting law
‘Cos we’re not gonna lose
(chorus 2X)
You are all racists our friends
And you’ll keep on hating till the end
You are all racists, Bull Connor racists
Our ideas are competing so we’ll
Keep repeating this
Till the end
George Civile
Gardiner
Zits!
No, not that wonderful cartoon! Mother Earth has always had a bad case of zits. You probably call them volcanoes, and it is likely you think they are occasionally still happening in faraway places. You be wrong, earthling!
So what, you say? “They are not in my backyard so they are not my problem”.
The problem is this: America does have very active volcanoes, and we are only alive today, but maybe not tomorrow, because we have the World’s biggest volcano ready to blow right in the middle of our country, and when it blows, we are all toast (dead). We call it Yellowstone. Yup, that wonderful National Park is the biggest bomb on Earth. It is on schedule to blow any century now, give or take a millennium or two.
But that is a true existential risk that we cannot control. Mother Nature alone is calling that shot. In fact, she calls all the shots when it comes to that, except one — an asteroid collision.
For example, right now she is disfiguring the face of our planet with about one thousand active, gas and heat spewing, mountain building, human killing, ice melting volcanos.
The largest block of ice on Earth sits right over four big, 2000 degree stove-top active volcanoes: Antarctica.
Iceland is a volcano, and it’s biggest glacier has seven active volcanoes boiling it away from underneath.
Encircling the Pacific is ‘The Ring of Fire’, which is the deadly name we give to hundreds of mostly underwater burners heating up the ocean and spewing all manner of pollutants into the water and the air.
What to do? For over four billion years this molten core planet we evolved on has been doing this without interruption and is very likely to continue long after humans are gone.
You are not causing global warming, but some of us are making a giant trash heap of Paradise. That we can and should fix! The original Earth Day focused on that, and I, for one, think climate change is just a distraction. Live big, but please clean up after yourself. You cannot buy ‘garbage credits’ like Al Gore and Bill Gates pretend to buy carbon credits to offset their massive carbon footprints.
Paul Nathe
New Paltz
Real election integrity
I am responding to Megan Ferguson and Lyn DelliQuadri who are, apparently, not interested in a sound, reliable and ethical voting system.
A true bipartisan common-sense proposal was made in 2005 called the Carter-Baker Commission on federal election reform which required voter photo ID to combat widespread absentee voting whose voter files contained ineligible, duplicate, factional and deceased voters. The Carter in this bipartisan measure was former Democratic President Jimmy Carter. To no one’s surprise, just last year, Carter did a complete 180 and condemned his own 2005 measure. So much for consistency.
And the COVID measures introduced shortly before the 2020 election simply poured gasoline onto the fires of increased potential for fraud involving gross unnecessary and inappropriate overreach. “Ballot harvesting” and mailing ballots to addresses where people no longer live are more easy invitations for fraud. If kept in place, these new measures can unfavorably tip the scales in any future close elections, adversely affecting either party.
Biden’s strong suggestions that requiring voter photo ID is tantamount to returning people to slavery is as empty headed as Kamala Harris’s recent ludicrous comparison of Pearl Harbor and 9-11-01 to the “great insurrection” of January 6th, last year. “Voter suppression” is a figment of Biden’s imagination and is clearly a pandering fear mongering scare tactic propagandized upon all our brothers and sisters of color.
The reality is that, in 46 of 47 democratic European countries, voter ID’s are mandatory government issued photo ID’s. The 47th country, the UK, has partial photo ID mandates and seems to be heading toward full usage. The U.S. is, obviously, a glaring outlier in the real world of democracy. Yet, Biden continues with his rhetoric using his party’s extremely worn out clichés regarding voter photo ID’s as “an attempt to suppress and subvert the right to vote,” “an assault on our democracy,” “an assault on liberty” and “an assault on who we are as Americans.”
Many of these European democracies don’t even allow absentee voting due to their significant histories of fraud. Those that allow absentee voting require the voter to show up in person with their voter photo ID in order to pick up their ballot.
To put a further quash on this “voter suppression” nonsense, Mexico recently introduced strict reforms, including voter photo ID among other measures, and their voter participation rose from 59% to 68%. Absentee voting is prohibited. The understandable attitude, after the reforms, was that Mexicans finally believed that their vote really counted instead of being cancelled by all the prep-reform fraudulent voting.
So, as Biden and his Democrats continue to assert that the requirement of voter photo ID and other strict voting requirements that would guarantee foolproof election integrity as being “un-democratic,” then I guess they are saying that the 47 European democracies are, also, “un-democratic.”
If the alleged “suppressed voters” of any color and from any neighborhood can find their way to their local tobacco shop, liquor store, grocery store, or bar, they certainly can find their way to get their voter photo ID and to get to their local polling place.
So, I ask Megan and Lyn, do you want a President who is truly interested in a fair and legitimate voting system free of fraud, or a President who is only pretending to be interested?
John N. Butz
Modena
Join the family! 
