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John be nimble, John be quick
A rose by any other name is… Who was John Synan? He was a lit fuse for a combustible fuel called freedom. John was a touchstone where I could smell the freedom on his breath. It swirled ‘round his core’s distinctiveness. This made him “straight up and down with it,” if you know what I mean.
“Well, as real life goes,” he would not be neutered by societal sameness. John would no longer ride the rails of rants, which bore false witness. As it chugged along from one generation to another, John was not going to be a passenger of the postwar pabulum of “namelessness.” It is going to end here. And it did, when coming to his new home of Woodstock way back when.
He was kickstarting a magical picture which the logical mind can’t explain
He broke from the clutches
Of cockamamie Pavlovian fear and alarm
Where old clichés sullied
Invisible pirouettes coupled with imaginary curlicues did abound and abide within him, and we all were aware of his unspoken yet obvious mission:
“To invoke this joyful spirit or mélange of mirth, mystified mojo, Huxleyan hallelujah, oohs and aahs and an unshakable rapid-fire drumming from our collective heartbeat, we must first set a tempo, allowing all who are present to feel the dance forever.”
With John, you could always drink in the Woodstock experience. He played a tuneful of what do you want me to do, to do for you, to see you through?
“Now dance merrily toward the star’s twinkle that’ll welcome every new day that shines before us.”
His early-morning inner song would softly be, and then, it would crescendo with wind-chime playfulness. This was all part of his bucolic musings that knew no refusing; he’d whisper in the wind, walk into splintered sunlight. And “jus’ easy” came into play – his “National” Anthem in which he pledged:
It’s a beautiful morning, ah
Think I’ll stay outside for a while
And just smile
Each bird keeps singing his own song
So long
I’ve got to be on my way now
No fun just hanging ‘round
I got to cover ground, and how
You can’t keep me down
Whatta mighty fine day
It’s all okay, I jus’ gotta say, “It’s more than okay”
Now I’m on my way
‘Cause it’s a beautiful morning
All said while simultaneously keeping a foot firmly planted on terra incognita, where dreams are dreamed.
And always through his everyday actions, he felt personal uplift and exuded a planetary wellbeing for everyone on his path. “Be a catalyst that will ignite ‘good times with total merriment and plenty of genuine laughter.’ Help each other realize ‘a safe morrow’ and emphasize the essential positive quality of human beings. Show a ‘big smile!’”
His unconditional love for beautifying the town and his work ethic was something to marvel at. Rain or shine, John could literally “sweep you off your feet.” In winter, he’d shovel everywhere; extreme attention to detail always paid off. Truth be told, he knew how to “come clean,” didn’t he?
“Love” is the dominating word here and the common thread which keeps us attached. Our feelings (collectively and individually) toward John tie us all together. Jus’ remember that this is an organic thing which grows, sings, dances, farts and guffaws on many different levels. We love and want to be loved. “We are a community that allows our heartbeat to dance joyfully as it energizes our spirit.” John would want us to energize our spirit. Plus, we can share this wonderment: the toe-tapping excitement of commonality and the development of strong bonds. That’s what Jogger taught me.
With a heartfelt “peacefulness always” mantra to ring true for John, our love must “abound without limits or restraint.” We want to see things as “we are” and not feel resigned to see things as “they are,” so please “cozy up with warm wishes and serve up good cheer” to all in your sphere. I believe John would have lauded the above.
John has now crossed over a threshold to a realm of starry heights ‘n’ has walked through a door into a proverbial province applauding egad and oh-my-gosh-outta-sights; it’s a timeless place where he’ll find peacefulness and a deeper sense of the next stage.
Finally and most importantly, let’s imbibe John’s characteristic spirit or ethos and whatever else he brought to us, and not dwell on or even begin to understand the universality of the “W-H-Y.”
So, together as a family, let’s string all of John’s pearls. And acknowledge, “Today I am selfless.” We all should feel honored to have him in our life and in our heart. Thank you again, Dear jiggety-Jogger, for the lessons learned.
His Untangled Angel Hair
What hue see
Colored Jackie’s everyday perceptions;
It’s what “he” was bound t’be.
But it was our John’s strength/richness
Of the colors at his exceptional core
That more than determined
His “true paisley” t’all.
And that, my Woodstockian friends,
Will last with us forevermore.
* Paisley refers to a specific type of pattern characterized by curved teardrop shapes known as boteh or buto. Buto is the Persian word for “flower.”
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
Winston Farm developers mail two divisive mailers targeting out-of-towners
The two recent mailers sent to Saugerties residents by the three Winston Farm developers are both shocking and sad. The attack pieces label those concerned about the scope of the massive project as “out-of-towners out for a quick buck.”
Clearly, the only parties interested in a quick buck are the developers themselves who are anxiously promoting their vision of hundreds of homes, an amphitheater, manufacturing and much more on top of the pristine aquifer centered in Winston Farm.
Non-profit groups such as Catskill Mountainkeeper, Beautiful Saugerties, Woodstock Land Conservancy, Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson and others, comprising thousands of local residents, have zero economic interest in whatever Winston Farm ultimately becomes and only are focused on the environmental impacts of the development. Very reasonable concerns given the recent drought emergencies in both Saugerties and Kingston this past summer.
Labeling those expressing concerns about the plans for the site as “out-of-towners” out for a “quick buck” is insulting to the thousands of people in Saugerties who opted to make this town their permanent home. Apparently, the developers believe that “out-of-towners” money is welcome but their voice is not.
I wonder if the “out-of-towners” in Saugerties might begin to reconsider living here as a result of this overt hostility by the town’s “leading citizens” and further, what the bigger picture impact will be on tourism here if the town develops a reputation for being hostile to people moving and visiting here?”
Andrew Cowan
Saugerties
Peace on Earth
Please contact our elected representatives (President Biden and Antony Blinken, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, Rep. Pat Ryan) to openly and forcefully support a ceasefire in Ukraine from December 25 to at least January 12. Urge our leaders to demand that the U.N. construct a forum/panel/framework of discussion that includes Ukraine and Russia. Others involved in the conflict, spiritual leaders (Ukrainian and Russian nonviolence groups have indicated the participation of Pope Francis/Vatican and Archbishop Kirill as critical; I also suggest reps. from Buddhist, Islamic and Judaic traditions) and reps. from the Southern Hemisphere. If there could be a ceasefire during WW1 and we can think/dream about it now, it can be made to happen. Is there the will to move toward peace, rebuilding and caring for humanity here and in other warring parts of the world? Could the U.S. and the other eight nuclear nations also sign the TPNW (Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons)? Can we genuinely care for Creation? Now is the time to develop a global mental construct which only accepts and lives by the strength of mutual respect. Where can it begin? With each of us as we try to pass this vision to our children and grandchildren. I wish you joy and peace to share!
Terence Lover
Woodstock
Winston Farm development is not an “us-vs.-them” issue
The mailers going around and Josh Sommers’ letter of December 7 create a false, unfortunate and dangerous narrative.
Many of the community members and residents who have expressed concerns about the development project are indeed just that: community members, residents and “locals.” Some have lived in Saugerties for 70+ years. Some less so, but that doesn’t matter. We all breathe the same air and (hope to) drink the same water. This fear-tactic and divisive rhetoric that this is an “us-vs.-them” issue is simply bad politics and untrue.
If this is truly to be a “local project,” can the developers guarantee the owners and operators of all of the businesses be “local”? No they can’t. That’s an impossibility. Winston Farm will deeply become an “outsiders” territory.
And Josh’s first paragraph is complete nonsense and should be called out. He writes: “The Winston Farm proposal does not call for blacktopping 840 acres. It does not call for clear cutting every tree. It does not mean Saugerties will run out of drinking water or that it will be unsafe.” Nobody has suggested the property will be covered in blacktop, nobody has suggested every tree will be clear-cut and Josh has no clue what could happen with the drinking water.
If you want to learn the facts about this project, please visist https://www.beautifulsaugerties.com/.
Danny Melnick
Saugerties
Transformative Development
Another Winston Farm mailer came the other day calling for support of their proposed transformative project without any (even they take pains to point out) specific or concrete plan. How can any rational person sign a blank check, no matter how trustworthy the payee may be, if they can’t tell you what the check is for? Even with best intentions stated, increasing job opportunities for example, there may well be unwanted consequences without specific study. To wit: throughout Saugerties you can see an abundance of ‘help wanted’ signs indicating businesses are experiencing trouble filling jobs that already exist. If this project adds more pressure to that demand, might it make it even more difficult for existing businesses to secure, or even retain, the workforce they have or need to survive… will they fall prey to the “success” of the Winston Farm project? Further, does the promise of employment draw even more people from out of town, competing with locals and putting more upward pressure on services and housing — at a time with the already inflated “market priced” housing that many locals can’t afford. What is the plan to provide the promised “affordable” housing that would benefit these workers and young families?
Wouldn’t it be better to bring a specific plan to the table, with clear consideration of the whole dynamic of our town, for people to evaluate, and then ask for our support? Four generations of my family currently live in Saugerties. We would love to see Saugerties grow in a way that allows our families — young and old — to prosper here.
Let’s see the plans of these venerable gentlemen with an open mind and review the science that supports the sustainability of their proposals. How about taking a less divisive approach by working together through the SEQRA process towards the goal of getting the transformative development Saugerties deserves.
Virginia Luppino
Saugerties
Shop small
Small cars (e.g., the MINI Cooper) are cute, like small dogs.
Sparrow
Phoenicia
Here’s pointing at you, kid!
Anyone who has ever watched an NBA game has seen a player, after scoring a basket directly from a teammate’s pass, point to the passer to acknowledge his contribution to the play – in effect saying I scored the basket, but I really couldn’t have done it without your pass. While considering this, I thought that such acknowledgments should not be limited to the NBA. With this in view, I determined that I was going to acknowledge people who have enriched my life by using the “NBA point.”
The first person I “pointed” at was my wife. Of course, her response was a quizzical look that demanded an explanation. After describing the NBA practice, I told her of my love and expressed my appreciation for her as a marriage partner. She thought it was cute and pointed right back at me. With this in view, imagine the good will and spirit of cooperation that could be engendered among co-workers or local business owners and their customers “pointing” at each other with the NBA point and all it implies in mind!
In closing, whether used to acknowledge a collaborative effort, promote good business relationships or merely to express appreciation for someone who has enriched one’s life, the “NBA point,” like Elton John’s “Sad Songs,” can say so much. Moreover, in this present time of political turmoil, acrimony and partisanship, I would love to see Democrats, Republicans, Independents and those who have ever felt “the Bern” NBA point at each other whenever they have the opportunity to do so. This gesture, if done in humility, may not heal the divisions in our land, but it would be a step in the right direction.
Husbands, don’t just give flowers to show your love and appreciation to your wives; use the NBA point as a means to tell them how you feel. And wives, you’ve got two pointing fingers that it wouldn’t hurt to use once in a while to show appreciation for your partners! Parents and children: It’s never too early or late to begin using the NBA point as a gesture of love, appreciation or even reconciliation towards each other. Finally, it is always appropriate to use the NBA point when someone has thrown you a pass that leads directly to a basket.
(Note to reader: This letter is dedicated to Neil Jarmel and Rebecca B. Wilk, because they have been the inspiration for what I consider the best of my song parodies, and for this I’m grateful. With all of the above in view, I’m respectfully sending an “NBA point” at this very moment, through this letter, to all HV1’s Feedback readers, but especially to Neil and Rebecca!)
George Civile
Gardiner
Capital planning, naming trucks contest
Capital planning
Our administration maintains a list of our 23 taxpayer-owned pieces of heavy equipment and trucks, ranked by when we believe replacements should be made. We monitor the age and condition of our largest pieces to anticipate future capital expenditures. The Village’s outside risk management consultant has reported that our fleet is in better-than-expected shape because our Department of Public Works staff uses an “unusual degree of care” maintaining vehicles.
Five of our 14 diesel vehicles/equipment have been replaced since 2016. We have done this without raising taxes.
At last night’s Village Board meeting, we approved the request from our DPW to enter into an agreement to order/purchase a 2024 Western Star plow/salt truck with a hook lift system body for $312,298. Its estimated build date is January 2024, and we will not begin paying until FY ‘23-‘24 or ‘24-‘25. This truck will replace our well-worn 24-year-old 1998 Chevy dump truck, whose parts have become limited or unavailable.
We are especially excited to replace this ‘98 Chevy with an updated lower-emissions truck. Our five recent replacements were all lower-emissions equipment. We have tried to secure grant assistance via the EPA Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program, but have yet to be successful, so all our upgrades have been funded with local taxpayer funding
Naming trucks contest
Clearly our community is filled with creatives who enjoy wordplay, so we felt it made sense to try to harness some of that spirit by hosting our own truck-naming contest like the Minnesota DOT’s: www.dot.state.mn.us/nameasnowplow.
The Village of New Paltz has nine DPW staff who plow snow, and they each use a different truck on their respective routes. We would like to name each of these plow trucks. To see their pictures, visit www.villageofnewpaltz.org/capital-planning-naming-trucks-contest.
• Please feel free to make suggestions on this thread or via e-mail to: comments@villageofnewpaltz.org.
• Submissions are limited to no more than 30 characters (including letters and spaces).
• Any submissions that include hatefulness or inappropriate language will be deleted.
• Naming trucks is meant to be fun and lighthearted, so please be thoughtful and considerate when submitting.
• Submission deadline Friday 12/31/22, 11:59 p.m.
Contest winners from Minnesota (for inspiration): Betty Whiteout, Ctrl Salt Delete, The Big Leplowski, Plowasaurus Rex, Scoop Dogg, Blizzard of Oz, No More Mr. Ice Guy, Edward Blizzardhands, Plowy McPlowFace, “Ope, Just Gonna Plow Right Past Ya,” Duck Duck Orange Truck, Plow Bunyan, Snowbi Wan Kenobi, F. Salt Fitzgerald, Darth Blader, The Truck Formerly Known as Plow.
Mayor Tim Rogers
New Paltz
HomeShare Woodstock receives $35K ARP funds
HomeShare Woodstock is pleased to announce the receipt of $35,000 in American Rescue Plan funds for the calendar year 2023, allocated from the Town Board of Woodstock. The allocation of the American Rescue Plan Funds will help to underwrite the second year of the HomeShare Woodstock program and enable efforts to provide increased outreach, to present more educational programming and to provide ongoing support to the home-sharing matches.
Woodstock Town supervisor Bill McKenna notes, “ARP funding was created in part to help underserved populations with the struggles of the pandemic. As the 2018 Town of Woodstock Comprehensive Plan points out, housing is the number-one issue facing many in our community. I cannot think of more appropriate projects and programs to spend these funds on than those dealing with this housing crisis. I look forward to working with Family to help ease the burden for our neighbors in need.”
HomeShare Woodstock is a new initiative of Family of Woodstock. “This financial support for our second full year of operation makes a tremendous difference,” commented Susan Goldman, who is the volunteer coordinator for the project. “We do a lot with our skilled and very dedicated team of volunteers, but to be successful those volunteer efforts need to be backed up with a skilled and steady administrator. Funds will pay for our part-time director, Janice La Motta, who manages the flow of our work, arranges for all of the background checks and does a great job getting the word out about home-sharing. As a new idea in this area, educating people about the benefits of home-sharing is a huge part of our work. We hope this vote of confidence by our Town Board will help us gain additional funding for our project expenses.”
HomeShare Woodstock is a home-sharing program that uses existing resources to address the need for affordable housing in our community. The program matches home-providers, with a room in their home, an accessory dwelling above a garage or a studio/cottage that is not connected to the house, and home-seekers, who, in most cases, gain reduced rent through a task exchange. Exchanges can include house- or yardwork, pet care, transportation, security and companionship. Home-providers and home-seekers are carefully vetted through a thorough intake process that interviews applicants, conducts background, credit and reference checks and that provides ongoing support once a match is made. There is no fee for this service and the program serves home-providers within a ten-mile radius of Woodstock, including the Towns of Saugerties, Phoenicia, Hurley, West Hurley, Shokan and Boiceville. Home-seekers can come from anywhere, with preference given to those who work, volunteer or have lived in Woodstock.
There are over 70 home-sharing programs throughout the United States. HomeShare Woodstock is the first of its kind in the New York State region. The program helps people to remain in their homes and to age in place and provides for the home-seeker housing that is affordable and that values their skills. Home-sharing offers the proven benefits of living with others that include increased peace of mind, better health, feelings of safety and security, less anxiety and greater happiness.
HomeShare Woodstock connects homeowners and home-seekers to create affordable, satisfying housing opportunities, allowing people to continue to call Woodstock their home. For more information, or to request an application, please e-mail homesharewoodstock@familyofwoodstockinc.org or call (845) 679-2485.
Janice La Motta
Woodstock
Old geezer
Elder, Grandpa, or old geezer are names I imagine on young people’s minds when they look at me or read what I write today. Words I never thought I’d live long enough to have to navigate. I can hear you snickering that I should be grateful I can complain about this.
True, but society is paying for communication moving at the speed of light. I’d like to use the metaphor, “Today’s young are going so fast it’s too late to even see me in their rearview mirror.” Why? Because folks fall in love online, purchase cars online, buy food online and destroy the social integrity of each other, all online. We mistakenly value being online as important as a high white blood cell count in our bodies.
As a result of our screentime, much of how we view our world is two-dimensional. I grew up in a 3-D world, needing to navigate things like depth of field in an actual field. Now, as an elder, my reflexes are slowing, and the 20 words a minute I accomplished in typing class in 1966 are lagging. I live in a world where my fingertips have become more critical than my arms and legs. When I am online, it’s like I moved to a country that speaks a language created by electronic engineers. For example, motherboards and search engines are new metaphors replacing animals and nature used in literature for thousands of years.
Making decisions to do almost anything can now be made in seconds. My cast-iron fry pan broke; in a few minutes, I placed an Amazon order, and within 24 hours, the new one was on my doorstep. Unfortunately, it was the wrong size. The Internet makes spending money and getting information fast, but it also spreads misinformation worldwide in seconds. In case you haven’t noticed, instant misinformation and distraction are political commodities that slow down knowing vitally essential facts to make decisions. All forms of media are used today to dispense facts and propagate confusion. Not knowing the truth is more beneficial to power than knowing the truth.
Democracy never was well-anchored in truth, and history has shown that the attempt at making laws to keep humanity alive has succumbed to making capital instead. Attorneys have been sawing away the sparse underpinnings of our forefathers’ Constitution for years. They started with handsaws and now are using chainsaws. Never have the poor indeed received enough support from the wealthy. Religion, at times, has at least made rather vain attempts, at least professing compassion and kindness to those in need, until politics thoroughly contaminated all of them. How many deaths caused over history lay on the altars of our religious institutions?
Sorry to have gone off-course, but there is less and less time to find a safe harbor and lower our anchors before the storm comes full-force. My anchor sits upon the ship’s gunwales, and I need help pushing it overboard.
Without time for reflection upon accumulated experience, wisdom will not occur, maturity cannot manifest and speed and money are becoming our new gods.
Larry Winters
New Paltz
Saugerties residents have concerns, not out-of-towners
I was deeply disappointed to recently receive a flyer in my Saugerties mailbox regarding Winston Farm calling those asking questions “out-of-towners desperately seeking headlines and donations.” As someone who has real concerns about this development and the implications for Saugerties, I find this not only divisive, but also misleading and misinformed.
My home is in Saugerties. My husband and I intentionally chose this Town and the Hudson Valley to raise our three young daughters. December 15 will be our ten-year anniversary of finding our home in Saugerties. It is disheartening to be called an “out-of-towner” by those who have been here longer, when we have put so much into choosing this location and being in this community.
As for Winston Farm, I want to live gracefully for years to come at the gateway to the Catskills. I am concerned that developing 840 acres of pristine land will change the face of beautiful Saugerties forever. At this point, I am a strong voice opposing this development as proposed, and the rezoning which opens the door to so much more and has implications for our community for generations to come. I, and many others like me, are not “out-of-towners” with an agenda. Period. We are residents with our home here in Saugerties.
Further, Catskill Mountainkeeper, with two offices in Ulster County, is a reputable and incredible organization working to protect our beautiful natural resources here in the Catskill region and across New York State. Thanks to Catskill Mountainkeeper, Saugerties effectively fought the rampant illegal dumping that was happening in our Town just a few years ago and stopped toxic chemicals from coming up from New York City and being dumped in our community. We didn’t call them “out-of-towners” then. We welcomed their voice, expertise and support as local advocates for protecting people, our water and our environment. They are not “out-of-town” opponents. They are a critical voice in Ulster County and Saugerties.
The 840 acres that comprise the proposed Winston Farm development will have the following impacts, as listed by the developers in their Environmental Impact Statement:
Clearcutting of 296 acres of trees to make way for a subdivision of 150+ lots with a minimum of 1/4 acre per lot; 30+ nonresidential structures; seven years of construction to be built in a 100-year floodplain; noise and traffic increases; filling in an acre of the Beaverkill Stream; creating 200 acres of monoculture lawns treated with herbicides and pesticides, which will impact the quality of the surface and groundwater; the use of 500,000 gallons of water per day from an aquifer that has not yet been characterized for its safe withdraw amounts; discharging 500,000 gallons of wastewater into the Beaverkill Stream; and 200+ acres of impervious surfaces (roads, roofs and pools). The Saugerties Groundwater Protection Plan calls for only ten percent of the entire property to be impervious surfaces – in other words, a maximum of 84 acres. These are facts, directly from the form the developer completed and published on their website.
The developers’ report forgets to also mention the dozens of rare, threatened and endangered species (the short-eared owl) who will lose their habitats, and they misquote the amount of wetlands on the property by 100 acres. Is this the kind of development Saugerties needs in a time of increased flooding and increased water restrictions during droughts? At a time of climate crisis and species collapse? How is this a smart development plan? Residents of Saugerties have a right and a responsibility to future generations to ask these important questions.
A robust study is needed, per state law, to study the environmental impacts of such a massive project and to consider options with less impact. The developers’ proposal for that study was inadequate, and thankfully Mountainkeeper provided scientific input on the scope of study that is needed. We hope our Town government will insist on the studies the community deserves to protect its water, forests and other resources.
John Mullens, Tony Montano and Randy Richers are generous and strong members of our Saugerties community. I have been privileged to get to know them a bit over the past year. However, they are proposing huge changes to our community and the environment, which pose real concerns for residents whose lives will be greatly impacted. Community debate and conversation is essential for a thriving Town and country. Our ability as residents of Saugerties to respectfully voice concerns and support, have a rigorous debate and discussion and determine a viable path forward that protects our Town and our future is a critical part of this process. Saugerties will be stronger for it. But demeaning and disrespectful mudslinging, such as this flyer and a recent letter sent from the Winston Farm developers’ hired PR representative, Josh Sommers, whose track record includes Woodbury Commons, Legoland and casinos, will only create more division, less understanding and greater conflict. What kind of Town do we want to be?
Nejla Liias
Saugerties
More politicalspeak
From Hudson Valley One regarding the effort to clean up the Church Road property: “I’m the one that got it to court. I’m the one that got the convictions. I’m the one that set up the capital [fund] and I’m the one that went looking for the funding.” Ask former councilman Lorin Rose or Woodstock Environmental Committee member Erin Moran or former Planning Board chair Paul Shultis, Jr. if they know what precipitated the “I’m.”
Howard Harris
Woodstock
A message to Jogger John
Dear John,
Thank you for gracing my life for these past many years and for all the times I bumped into you in the streets of Woodstock. Although our encounters were mostly brief and few words spoken, I was always left feeling uplifted and healed. Thank you for always being your quintessential utterly unique self, for seeing who I was on a deeper level and for your wisdom, dedication to living a higher truth, enthusiasm, freshness and innocence.
Although the thought that you will not again be seen in the streets of Woodstock feels like a distortion of reality, I am sure some part of you will remain here. Now that you have left this denser world, may you know great peace, beauty and transcendence. I will not forget you. To this day, I follow the Himalayan salt protocol recommended in the book you told me about (Water & Salt by Barbara Hendel and Peter Ferreira, 2003). Thank you for your love.
With love and appreciation from Delia.
Delia Price
Woodstock
NY Birds & Bees Protection Act
Bees need us. They are being killed by neurotoxins called neonicotinoids (neonics for short). Just one neonic-treated corn seed has enough active ingredients to kill 250,000 bees. When neonics in treated corn and soybean seeds became more toxic, bee die-off increased. As with mercury and lead, there are no known safe levels for these chemicals, and they are in our soil, water and increasingly in us. They sterilize the soil and cannot be removed from water.
We need bees. Loss of bees means less food, more expensive food and fewer choices. Farmers have recently cut back on apple, cherry and blueberry crops due to an insufficient number of bees to pollinate.
The New York Birds and Bees Protection Act (A7429A/S699D) would eliminate 80 to 90 percent of these neonics that are killing pollinators. It does allow continued use to combat the woolly adelgid and other invasive species, and it allows a farmer who couldn’t access untreated seeds to use it.
Quebec and Ontario phased out most neonic-treated crop seeds; Maine and New Jersey banned neonics in gardens. This past July, France banned pesticide use in all private and public areas. The good news is that New York State passed the act with bipartisan support in both state houses – but not in the same year, as required.
Bees need us. Please call our state legislators to support a renewed New York Birds and Bees Protection Act during the 2023 session. Remember, this Act protects us too!
Depending on your district, this means calling either Michelle Hinchey (845) 331-3810 and Sarahana Shrestha (845) 658-0274 or Mike Martucci (518) 455-2400 and Brian Miller (845) 895-1080.
Doris Chorny
Wallkill
More transparency from Elon Musk
Elon Musk continues to uncover and release more indisputable facts and truths regarding how the old Twitter cesspool used to operate.
The first correct step Musk took to cleanse this diseased entity was to fire the top four most senior “leaders” of Twitter who were responsible for the faux policies and guidance leading to the manipulation and control of what all Americans would and would not be able to read. What we would see was the “manufactured truth” created by inconsistent and changing guidelines, depending on which conservative writer was speaking and the topic being addressed.
In Musk’s most recent revelations, we see a renowned medical and economic expert and professor at Stanford University, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, as well as several prominent conservative investigators and reporters who were all methodically shadow-banned, censored or canceled, and all for presenting accurate information that was never vetted one way or the other by biased liberal/Democratic and their lemming “news outlets” at CNN, MSNBC et al. Everything that these people were saying turned out to be true, but they were silenced by Big Tech at the behest of Comrades Biden and Fauci, as well as the entire current parroting administration.
Mark Levin was just one of several key conservatives silenced by the old Twitter bias and, possibly, Facebook as well. Contrary to what some Democrats/liberals would accept, Mark Levin would make mincemeat out of any of the comedian pundits from CNN, MSNBC et al in a one-on-one debate/discussion about anything!
Almost from Day One, Dr. Bhattacharya contradicted the “experts” on the vulnerability of kids to COVID. He questioned the efficacy of the extent and length to which Fauci had us all married to our mask(s). He also warned that the extensive and unnecessary lockdowns would do significant damage to our kids, especially the regression they would experience with their learning skills and academic achievements. And, with the serious potential for psychological damage as well, he even talked about a possible uptick in suicides. He turned out to be quite accurate on all of his concerns. However, since it boldly challenged the “powers that be” to look at things a bit differently, it was much easier for the administration to simply give Big Tech its blessing for the nefarious and corrupt anti-democracy actions of shadow-banning, censorship and cancellation of these “different” voices, especially since they were coming from their “enemy,” conservatives.
Musk did say that he thinks the corruption and collusion by old Twitter was hidden from its president, Jack Dorsey. I have a hard time swallowing Musk’s naïveté in his statement. How could any CEO of any company be totally in the dark when it comes to something this serious going on right under his/her own nose? For this assertion to be accurate, he/she would not only have to have fallen asleep at the switch, but, much more likely, would have to have been in a full coma. How is it possible that Dorsey never watched or listened to any news from any source which, clearly, would have shown severe bias in favor of liberals/Democrats, both from his own company and any other Big Tech Biden administration puppets?
At least Facebook/Meta’s Zuckerberg was not as deceptive and dishonest as Dorsey was in pretending that he didn’t know what was going on. However, Zuckerberg’s explanations of what was going on was extremely weak and lame, as he tried to explain why he fell hook, line and sinker for the FBI’s “warning” about the “Russian disinformation” that would be coming Zuckerberg’s way.
We’ll all stay tuned, as I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of the transparent truths hidden by the biased kingdom of the old Twitter zoo, although many liberals/Democrats wished that they didn’t have to face any more truths being uncovered by Musk, as it would embarrass them and their “stellar” administration.
John N. Butz
Modena
“Pseudoscience” debate
I asked a local SUNY archaeology professor if he has any interest in debating Graham Hancock about his Netflix series Ancient Apocalypse and he said “no, I don’t. Show me one artifact.”
So, I showed him three and he said “don’t email me anymore.” This really tells you all you need to know.
This is a professor who teaches a course about “Pseudoscience” yet doesn’t seem to have the courage to stand by his convictions in a public, academic debate. If he’s not willing to debate his stance, then it must be due to a very weak position. It’s not enough to have the courage of your convictions, you must also have the courage to have your convictions challenged.
Glenn Kreisberg
Woodstock
The media never dwells on the negatives of our war making
Twenty years of war has cost the United States trillions of dollars, thousands of its young men and women and the almost universal condemnation from the rest of the world. Afghanistan and Iraq are in ruins, joining Vietnam and Korea as victims of our military prowess and quest for world domination since World War II.
Perhaps these calamities visited on Third World countries will help us dig deeper into our own national psyche, starting with the myth of good intentions. For each invasion of foreign lands, the American people were offered noble reasons for the carnage. For Korea and Vietnam we were told that our country was fighting for freedom from Communism. For Afghanistan, it was freedom for women. For Iraq it was to punish a dictator who was “killing his own people.” Of course, we also understood that the latter two invasions were in retribution for 9/11, a moral judgment that most American citizens accepted. Paying back these Islamist countries also became part of the honorable intentions that most citizens believed in.
To preserve this mythology, other aspects of our system need to be obscured. Like the staggering profits of our weapons makers. No matter who ultimately wins these wars or how many innocents get obliterated, the military industrial complex always comes out on top. We are told that wars break out and that we must spend our national treasure defending ourselves and doing good in the world. We never conceive that it goes the other way around. That the weapons makers sit in the Pentagon strategizing how they can make billions starting new wars, and then our media comes up with the lies to make it all palatable.
Perhaps the war in Ukraine will be an end to all wars. A nuclear exchange with Russia would terminate most life on earth. But our media never dwells on the negatives of our war making. Perhaps we will go marching off to that nuclear winter with all our patriotic righteousness still intact.
Fred Nagel
Rhinebeck
Drought? What drought?
New Paltz Mayor Rogers reported in last week’s paper that the village, after a ten-year search, was able to find a site for a new well to help the growing water needs of the village. Other sites met with various NIMBY forces. His team did a great job — 132 gpm means I’ll be able to fill my hot tub in three minutes this spring.
Our village and town have the same history of poor sewage treatment results as almost every sewer district in the state. In my opinion, treating sewage adequately 95% of the time is failure.
New Paltz added a wonderful retirement center, Woodland Pond, and many new college dorm rooms, but did not expand the sewage plant.
That simply should not be allowed.
And each celebrated growth business and new home will need more water, yet the records show that we have a long, harsh drought coming. We need to plan ahead. No water will really be not fun.
Paul Nathe
New Paltz
Join the family! 
