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.
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Hudson Valley One welcomes letters from its readers. Letters should be fewer than 300 words and submitted by noon on Monday. Our policy is to print as many letters to the editor as possible. As with all print publications, available space is determined by ads sold. If there is insufficient space in a given issue, letters will be approved based on established content standards. Points of View will also run at our discretion.
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The Purple Heart, the Open Heart and the Shadow Heart
George Washington gave out the first semblance of the Purple Heart; it was meant to be a badge of merit. From there, each evolution of the Purple Heart became more inclusive.
I’m suggesting it is time to advance our current understanding of the Purple Heart to include the growing awareness of the aftereffects of war beyond the physical wounds of war. These unrecognized categories of war’s aftereffects I choose to call ghost wounds, such as Post Traumatic Stress suffered by combat and non-combat soldiers. Civilian family members are also wounded by witnessing loved ones returning from war. Almost every family in America has at least a relative who has, at some point, been at war and returned home with the consequences of war. Their ancestor has affected their lives even though they may not have met.
To commemorate and honor these often unseen sacrifices, I propose the introduction of an “Open Heart” medal. This medal, distinct from the Purple Heart but connected to it symbolically, would be awarded to each veteran’s family. It would serve as a tangible reminder of the sacrifices made by their ancestors and provide a connection to their heritage. Additionally, this medal could be passed down through generations as an anchor to remind future children of their family’s roots and the impact of war on their lineage.
Today, some soldiers have pressed the buttons of weapons of destruction and fly planes that drop devastation and go unacknowledged for the ethical burdens they must carry. Moral and psychological wounds have been ignored for far too long. I call these unrecognized wounds “Shadow Hearts” that get lost in the ocean of the internet.
Let us not allow the stories of our war-affected relatives to fade away in the face of technological advancements. By recognizing war’s profound impact on every American family, we acknowledge our responsibility to honor their sacrifices and pass down the lessons they have taught us about the actual cost of war that we all live with.
Larry Winters
New Paltz
Keep Woodstock moving forward
My March 1, 2023, letter to the editor noted: ”From what I have seen so far, the 2023 race for Woodstock town positions will be characterized by mudslinging, name calling, and negative campaigning. When people want to win in the worst way, that is sometimes their approach, yes, the worst way.”
Unfortunately, my prediction has proven accurate. As HV1 prints letters to the editor and quotes from our opponents and their supporters in this election, Supervisor McKenna and I are often targets of mudslinging and misrepresentation. In some cases, the person speaking has not done their homework to know the full truth, and in other cases the person speaking knows the truth, but has a personal agenda, for example, wanting to win the election, that motivates them to purposefully mislead others with statements that are not accurate representations of the truth.
Supervisor McKenna and I have worked together for more than eight years. He knows a lot about how this town works. He is open to input on how this town can work better, creating numerous committees and incorporating their input and recommendations. He makes the best decisions that he believes can legally and realistically be made for the Town of Woodstock, works hard and implements those decisions.
I also work hard for Woodstock. People have thanked me for making a positive difference in many initiatives where I have been a participant or had a leadership role. I make decisions based on what is best for Woodstock and proceed accordingly.
Hopefully, the people of Woodstock will decide in the June 27, 2023, primary election to re-elect Supervisor McKenna and me, and to elect Anula Courtis, another hard worker with the right ideals and a positive “can-do” approach. I ask for your vote so we can keep Woodstock moving forward.
Laura Ricci
Woodstock Town Council Member Candidate
Put on your muck boots
McKenna wrote: “I opted to suspend my campaign because of the negative personal attacks [translation: people were disagreeing with me, and I am not used to that]. That said, my name is still on the ballot and if the people feel I work hard for Woodstock and wish me to continue, I will gladly do so. I am hosting a little gathering. This is NOT a fundraiser, just an opportunity for folks to hear my thoughts on Woodstock’s future. I am not looking for money, letters to the editor, or public displays of support, but, if you are willing, I would appreciate you encouraging your friends and neighbors to vote for Laura, Anula, and myself [translation: this way, if I lose the election, my ego would not hurt because I didn’t really campaign].”
Howard Harris
Woodstock
Communication is key in Hurley
Anyone living in Hurley for any length of time will remember when communication from our town government was minimal or non-existent. With supervisor Melinda McKnight’s initiative to dramatically expand communication to the community, we see the benefits of increased service to residents.
The modern Town of Hurley website provides an easy way to keep up to date on government and cultural events in Hurley. Those who have signed up for email notices are getting even more valuable and timely information. It was a wise decision of the town board to establish a professional communications position, and we are fortunate to have public information officer Jeremy Schiffres helping us stay informed. It’s very encouraging that the town’s online presence and information flow is expanding and growing. (Full disclosure: I was chair of the Hurley Communications Committee that recommended a new website host and the hiring of a communications professional.)
The next task for Hurley is to modernize the town clerk’s office and here again Hurley is fortunate. Annie Reed is running for town clerk in the June 27 Democratic primary. She is currently the deputy clerk and is the endorsed Democratic candidate. She is also endorsed by the retiring town clerk, Judy Mahon. Annie has a clear-eyed understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the current operation and the necessary skills to manage improvements.
Hurley Democrats can continue building Hurley’s future by choosing true blue candidates in the June primary. I urge you to support endorsed Democrats Melinda McKnight, Peter Humphries, Gregory Simpson and Annie Reed on Tuesday June 27 or by early voting from June 17th to the 25th.
Tobe Carey
Glenford
Continuing the momentum with the New York HEAT Act
With the passing of the All Electric Building Act, New York has just taken an important first step toward making our clean climate future a reality, but we must continue the momentum. As a constituent in Michelle Hinchey’s district, I’ve been impressed with her determination to continue advocating for the energy reforms we need. She’s a co-sponsor of the New York HEAT Act and now is the time to get this bill over the finish line.
It’s time to silence the fossil fuel funded naysayers who are casting doubt on the affordability of this plan. The New York HEAT Act has been designed with affordability in mind and will help keep costs down for New Yorkers while accelerating our energy transition away from fossil fuels. For low- and middle-income families, NY HEAT would also put a price cap on electricity bills, limited to paying no more than 6% of their income. This will mean saving an average of $75 a month.
NY HEAT also clears a path for utilities to build renewable thermal energy networks instead of replacing and expanding the gas network, bringing thousands of new clean, green energy jobs with it. It’s time to stop subsidizing fossil fuel infrastructure and the continued expansion of the gas system that is moving New York further away from our climate goals.
As the Legislature continues its post-budget session, it’s important for Senator Hinchey to continue advocating for the NY HEAT Act so we can continue to move towards the affordable clean energy future we all want.
Andrew Moss
Ruby
Two important plastics bills, Part 2
This is the second part of my letter from May 4/11. While in Albany to speak with Sarahana Shrestha and Michelle Hinchey about the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Act (S4246/A5322) and the Better Bottle Bill (S237/A6353), I was shocked to hear the reason why Senator Hinchey does not support these bills. The reason her spokesperson told us was because some small distilleries were concerned about having to put new labels on their already bottled hard liquor. To me that seemed like such a trivial reason, in light of the enormous changes these bills would bring about for our state, the revenue it would bring, the reduction of litter all over the state, the increase in recyclability of plastics and the revenue for poor people.
We all came out there, not for ourselves, or for our businesses — we came out for the health of our environment and to protect nature! Business always gets heard and politicians want to protect business interests. I can no longer ignore what is happening with plastics producing garbage! No one is denying the overflow of plastics on earth. This is a bipartisan issue. To me it is immoral to not act on behalf of our fellow creatures here on earth, our soil and our air, our water and our own health.
It truly was insulting to hear the short-sighted reason why she won’t support these bills. Especially considering that businesses, like these distilleries, will get time to change their way of production and there will be a way to work around these issues. Luckily, Rep. Shrestha does support the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Act, and I am grateful to her for that. But I am still waiting for her to also put her name to the bigger Better Bottle Bill.
Edith Bolt
Saugerties
Pride March & Festival: Sunday, June 4
Please save the date for the Hudson Valley Pride Coalition March and Festival: Sunday, June 4 in New Paltz. The March will step-off at noon at the New Paltz Middle School, followed by a festival in Hasbrouck Park until 5 p.m.
This year’s event is building on the work from the previous two years since the HV LGBTQ Center in Kingston dropped the event without notice during the height of the COVID-19 crisis, leaving me our local LGBTQIA+ community with a mere ten days to organize an entire festival from scratch: thus the Hudson Valley Pride Coalition was born! The best part is there’s room for everyone at this planning table.
The still-growing Hudson Valley Pride Coalition consists of various local organizations, community groups, government entities, elected officials and individuals. If you or your organization wants to join the coalition, please fill out this form: www.outloudhudsonvalley.com/parade. RSVP for the march, or sign-up to volunteer, using the same form.
Out Loud Hudson Valley, a local organization created and run by New Paltz’s own Jimmy Prada, has stepped-up as the point-of-contact for the festival component this year. Interested vendors and performers can sign-up using this form: outloudhudsonvalley.com/vendors.
With LGBTQ+ rights under attack, and trans life in particular in imminent danger on the national level, it’s more imperative than ever we come together this Pride Month — what better place to do so than where same-sex marriage was first catapulted into the spotlight and history was made?
Mark your calendars, and join us in any capacity you can, on Sunday June 4 in New Paltz.
Alex(andria) Wojcik, Deputy Mayor
Village of New Paltz
Got dysphoria?
A couple of friends of mine years ago couldn’t relate to the name that their parents gave them at birth. So Ruben became Samuel and Nancy became Gillian. In today’s world, all of a sudden, many young people are claiming that they can’t relate to the ‘body’ they were born into and complain of ‘gender dysphoria.’ We used to call it the self-consciousness and awkwardness of youth. Nowadays, young people have been convinced to take toxic drugs to inhibit puberty and some are going radical by having their genitals cut off and having their breasts cut off. This would arguably be classified as mutilation of one’s body. Boys want to be girls and girls want to be boys. As if Mother Nature makes mistakes. And why is this suddenly a growing fad?
If we are to believe the enlightened sages through the millennia who have taught truth seekers that “we are NOT our physical body, we are conscious spirits dwelling temporarily in these bodies. And this consciousness is neither male nor female.” In other words, our true self is not about gender.
To end my letter on a sad note: the drugs given to children to block puberty are known to have toxic lasting effects on bone density and brain development. The removal of genitals often causes irreversible problems ‘going to the bathroom,’ severe depression and an increasing rate of suicide. No surprise with any of these “side effects” since gender reassignment is perhaps the most unnatural thing one can do to one’s body. It’s like slapping Mother Nature in the face — and that never ends well.
Donzello Berelli
New Paltz
An alternative to No Mow May
I tried to join in to help the bees. As a GD Go Gooder, as my father would sometimes exclaim, the results were tiny. My first and second crops of dandelions both went to seed before I saw even one bee. Wasps excluded; they were probing for homesites daily. If wasps are really beneficial, I know they would love me to open a couple of windows!
Instead, let’s plant more bee food plants. Wild roses and I are living with the same RESPECT America has for Russia and China. MAD … Mutual Assured Destruction. Most Americans have benefitted from trade with China. Look, the little labels are fricken everywhere, though increasingly I prefer to see Vietnam, and as long as they have us to protect them from Mao’s boys, they will not need their own nukes.
Paul Nathe
New Paltz
Invitation to housing conversation
Housing that is affordable is a critical need for Woodstockers who work, live, create and want to age in our town. How do we get there in ways that reflect our community values? The Town of Woodstock Housing Committee has recommended a range of solutions, small and larger, that have worked in similar towns around the country. One key element is what our zoning code provides.
The Housing Committee invites Woodstockers to “Creating Housing for All in Harmony with the Environment” on May 30, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at the Mescal Hornbeck Community Center on Rock City Road. We will focus on the major changes proposed for our zoning code that we hope will support the development of the housing we need. The evening will be part presentation and part discussion and questions.
Woodstock’s zoning code was written in the 1980’s. Much has changed both in our community and in the concepts of sensible planning since that time. We have a Comprehensive Plan, passed in 2018, and New York State requires that our zoning code reflect the goals of that plan. The town is considering zoning revisions specific to housing at this time. The proposed revised law has been developed over the past 18 months by a task force of volunteers from various housing related committees and boards, supported by a seasoned land use professional. It is now in its, hopefully, final review stage.
Zoning is about what can be built, where and for whom. It is the guide for decisions by homeowners, builders and our town’s building department, planning board and zoning board of appeals. It protects our open spaces in the context of our built environment. We hope you will come learn about the proposed revisions and share your ideas and questions on May 30. You can RSVP (that will be helpful to us) or send questions to housing@woodstockny.org.
Susan Goldman, Co-chair
Katherine Tegen, Co-chair
Deborah DeWan
Howard Kagan
Urana Kinlen
Laura Warren
Town of Woodstock Housing Committee
Terrific financial report by Hurley Supervisor McKnight
Those who stayed until the end of the May 16 Hurley Town Board meeting were treated to the most complete financial report I have seen in more than 20 years of attending Hurley’s meetings. Supervisor Melinda McKnight presented a power-point that was filled with details and showed clearly how well she has managed our finances for Hurley taxpayers.
To see the report simply go to the Hurley website and read it for yourself. You’ll enjoy the graphs and the dollar totals covering ten years from 2012-2022 as presented to the public. You can see the detailed pdf file report here: townofhurley.org/home/pages/town-hurley-financial-report-2012-2022.
This kind of detailed transparency from someone who knows how to properly manage budgets is just what Hurley deserves going forward. Check it out for yourself to see why Democrats in Hurley need to vote for Supervisor McKnight and the endorsed Democratic candidates, Peter Humphries, Gregory Simpson and Annie Reed on Tuesday, June 27. Early voting for the Hurley Democratic primary runs from June 17 to June 25.
Tobe Carey
Glenford
On Memorial Day: Richard Quinn, imagined
There is a young man who grew up in the house I now live in. I see him with his brother and sister, walking up the road to meet the school bus on Glasco Turnpike. I see him doing cannonballs in the pool out back, playing catch with his father in the field next to the house, being measured with a ruler held against the basement doorway and the lintel being marked to record his growth. I didn’t know him. I don’t know his face, but I feel his presence.
We are the same age, which helps. He and I were ignorant of and surprised by the same things, were both shadowed by our parents’ memories of the depression and the war and had to deal with the confusions of the same open and intolerant times, but he more than I, since he grew up assuming his rather strange town was normal. It was normal and everyday for him to go down roads past easels set up to catch views of Overlook, to sit with a friend’s brother drinking Cokes behind the bar of a café filled with music and musicians and strange-smelling smoke, and to see one of the same musicians, having awoken in the late afternoon in the house across the road, staring at the trees and drinking from a bottle.
It had to have been troubling for him to have been looked at askance by the young people with far more hair than he had, camped out on the Village Green. For it was also normal for him to return every evening to his home built like the Tyrolean chalets his dad remembered from his own youth in the War, and to have his basement filled with skis destined for the slopes of Hunter and Belleayre, at which his dad had the rental concessions. I would guess his dad seemed never to have left his own youthful world entirely behind, the icy slopes and red-cheeked Italian girls, the camaraderie and sacrifice, the pride in belonging to a country that had saved the world.
That could not have been entirely the view of young Woodstock in the 60s. As in high schools everywhere, divides had to have been opening with the past, and among the students with each other, and when Richard received his draft notice, in a town filled with anti-war songs, I can only imagine how it seemed a harbinger of scorn as well as danger. And it was not only scorn that he feared, but the evil that his town sensed in pulling a gun’s trigger out there, an unrighteous act in an unrighteous cause.
I don’t know how one so young figured it out, but he found a way of standing square with it all, or as square as one can be amidst terror and death and jungle rot. Richard Quinn served as a medic. He immersed himself in the very worst of war, covered in blood running out onto the jungle floor, and in his own deep anxiety and stress he reconciled his father’s world with that of his neighbors: he lost himself in meeting others’ needs.
Yes, there is a young man who grew up in the house I now live in. For he remains here, and he remains young, only his body and his consciousness not having survived that painful place. As I look out at the field and woods of his boyhood, I feel him inside myself, and I hope to be partially as good.
Norman Corenthal
Woodstock
Make an impact on plastic pollution
We have a great opportunity in New York to make a significant impact on plastic pollution by passing the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act in both the Senate and Assembly (A.6353A/S.4246).
These bills will reduce the amount of wasteful packaging in NY by 50% over 12 years, and eliminate 12 hazardous and toxic chemicals currently permitted in packaging. These toxic chemicals include PFAS lead, cadmium, formaldehyde and halogenated flame retardants.
The bills also include provisions for taxpayer relief, environmental justice, infrastructure for reuse and refilling and coverage for the costs of management and enforcement of the program. There is strong oversight and accountability.
For far too long, the burden of disposing plastic — most of which is not recyclable and continues to pollute the environment — has been on taxpayers and municipalities. The companies that have developed, profited from, and turned plastic into a ubiquitous packaging material hold scarcely any responsibility for its disposal, the cost of which lies with the taxpayer. What cannot be recycled (94-95% in the United States) is landfilled, burned, or littered, polluting our country and wreaking havoc on the environment. Now is the time to make the polluters accountable.
Another progressive bill to help New York’s environment is the Bigger Better Bottle Bill (A.6353/S.237). The current bottle bill is over 40 years old and no longer provides the incentive to return bottles that it was designed to do. The new bill will increase the deposit to ten cents, as well as expand the types of containers included such as sports drinks, iced tea lemonade, wine and liquor.
The New York legislative session ends on June 8. There is still time to contact Senator Michelle Hinchey and Assemblywoman Sarahana Shrestha (or whoever your state representatives are) and tell them to support these bills.
Wendy Rudder
New Paltz
Melanie’s misleading assertions
In her letter of May 17, Melanie Chletcos uses the phrase “killed Americans (plural)” in referring to the January 6 riot. As I mentioned last week to Meyer Rothberg, only ONE person was killed on that day — an unarmed military veteran who was entering a window and not threatening or confronting the rogue DC cop who shot her in cold blood.
Like Neil Jarmel, Melanie obviously has a major problem with Trump’s personality but, most likely, NOT with his record financial and unemployment accomplishments. And, like Neil, Melanie loves hyperbole — exaggeration for effect.
The pandemic of mental illness to which Melanie refers is, in reality, associated with nearly all shootings and is a direct product of severe mental health issues coupled with poor policies and treatment plans, as well as probable HIPAA related legal impediments in acquiring mental health records of anyone applying for gun permits. The mental state of a shooter has nothing to do with Trump “normalizing” hate, racism, quackery, falsehood and fraud (whatever those last three extremely vague words mean). If you want to look at clear evidence of hatred, racism and division, you need to look no further than Joe Biden.
Also, I think EVERYONE, regardless of party affiliation, should have a problem with Trump’s poor choices in his PERSONAL life regarding his womanizing. However, it has nothing to do with “modern women having the right to bodily autonomy where consent is not given” — an obvious reference to rape. As stated in prior letters, pregnancy and abortion due to rape only accounts for 1% of abortions with 2 1/2% associated with incest and saving the life of the mother. The other 96 1/2% of abortions result from poor family planning, failing to use protection, immoral values, being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol and one night hook ups. No matter what the cause of pregnancy, there is no excuse for the willful destruction of human life and using abortion as the last ditch method of birth control, especially knowing that there are so many couples looking to adopt.
Finally, as to which country we’d all like to live in, if anyone is not happy with the US, they are always free to relocate to a country they think is better and freer than the US.
John N. Butz
Modena
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 offers significant benefits
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) offers significant benefits to personal and business pocketbooks, personal and public health and the national economy. The act has incentives for households (both owners and renters) and small businesses to greatly reduce, even end, dependence on burning polluting fossil fuels for heating, cooling and transportation. This can be done by making almost everything electric and getting the juice from low or no-carbon sources like wind and solar with central or distributed battery storage.
Benefits available in 2023 include:
• For lower and moderate-income households, point-of-sale discounts up to $8000 for a heat pump or $1750 for a heat pump water heater
• Tax credits of 30% (no cap) available to all households regardless of income for home rooftop solar, home battery storage, or geothermal heat pump
• $7500 for EV purchase
• Tax credits of 30% (cap of $2000/year) available to all households regardless of income for home heat pump space heating/cooling, heat pump water heater
The IRA budgets $369 billion total, some of which is earmarked for the rebates. Rebates will be first-come first-served with some allocated to environmental justice communities; so, everyone interested in rebates should start looking now. Appliance dealers and installers should get ready to clue in customers. A good place to check out the opportunities is the website of the nonprofit Rewire America rewiringamerica.org/. There you can open their digital guide and download GO ELECTRIC (now).
The IRA’s potential impact came as news to me, via a course from The Climate Reality Project that impelled me to spread the word so that everyone in the Mid-Hudson Valley starts asking contractors, appliance stores and vehicle dealers how to use it to save money long-term and decrease, throughout our atmosphere, air pollution from fossil fuel combustion and transportation.
Stephen Shafer
Saugerties
On second thought
I would not have bothered to respond to John Butz’s last letter where he claims NOT to be defending any of the January 6 insurrectionists as he goes on to defend them and then to attack an officer who needed to shoot one of them as she and others were trying to break into a room where members of Congress were endangered by this murderous mob, but for that he made reference to “Soros-backed Democratic DAs.” It has been generally thought, and specifically addressed by the Anti Defamation League, that invoking Soros’s name in such criticism is thinly veiled anti-Semitism.
Meyer Rothberg
Saugerties
Hello Gardiner
I am writing to you as a candidate for Gardiner town supervisor. So much of politics today is just too adversarial, by nature. I guess it is understandable in a way, as it is “vote for them or you”, but …
It offends my higher sensibilities, so instead tearing down my opponent, I would like to state what I stand FOR.
1. Save the Ridge — Stop illegal developments.
2. Stop the cell tower — move off the Ridge and away from neighborhoods and the highway department.
3. Consider a moratorium on new developments.
I have a vision of a Gardiner where the town government is:
• Open, accessible, transparent, responsive and collaborative.
• Where public comment and ideas are actively welcomed at town meetings.
• Always looking out for your interests and our environment instead of corporate interests.
• A volunteer corps where we all pitch in together to help those who could use a hand.
• Where public comment is an integral and valued part of meetings, rather than relegated to the end in a “privilege of the floor.” I would place it at the beginning of meetings, as other municipalities do. I mean really, “the floor” belongs to the people, and speech is a right not a privilege, right?
• I would organize a Good for Gardiner Committee that would recognize and acknowledge the heroes who give so much back to Gardiner. My first suggested recipient would be Michelle Mosher for a Lifetime of Service Award.
• For too long, there has been a divide between the public and those elected to represent them. I intend to try to bridge that chasm, and reflect the sacred words of Abraham Lincoln: A Town Government “Of the People, By the People, For the People.”
Thanks for reading! Check out Tim4Gardiner.com for updates and if you would like to be a part of positive change in Gardiner.
Early Voting is June 18-25 with polling places in New Paltz and Shawangunk, and the primary election is June 27.
Tim Hunter
Gardiner
Phooey
Lights. Camera. Fiction. Shame on CNN for giving Trump 70 minutes of airtime and a platform to spew venom and lies. Congratulations, you put on a shitshow. Why amplify an angry and an extreme reactionary voice? It’s sickening!
CNN failed to do its job as the fourth estate. This once real news network “jumped the shark” by giving that loathsome degenerate a stage without filters and failing to fact check him, or to genuinely expose his bullshit. You don’t give a known liar and defamer an unedited megaphone. This was nothing more than entertainment and a reality TV presentation. Way to hold a Trump rally filled with Trump supporters! CNN should be ashamed of itself. Knowing he would lie repeatedly, knowing he would once again defame E. Jean Carroll and knowing he would steamroll over the moderator, knowing he would spew political pornography to a national audience with impunity.
Trump is and will always be a predator, traitor and terrorist. How unfortunate that there are people who listen to multiple years of his lying and still defend this dirt-bag. Zero credibility and yet his base gave two-thumbs up to his comments. Sometimes it was sandwiched between laughter. Trump brags he’s a sexual abuser and the MAGAt crowd applauds. His supporters don’t care about the truth, honor, decency or our democracy. Hands down, any evolved human knows how awful Trump is, but his audience may be now seen as worse.
I can see the MAGAt crowd lining up to offer their own daughters at the altar of Trump. They have no regard for rape, sexual abuse, insurrection, fraud, thievery or traitorous behavior if you don’t try to regulate their AR-15s.
CNN was feeding the beast. Have they become Trump fluffers? CNN helped get him elected in 2016. Are they now hoping for 2024? It looked like they were putting their thumb on the scale, a slippery slope for sure. Trading the health of our nation for ratings is unconscionable. CNN’s town hall was like a Trump campaign donation. Are they now supporting the habitual lying fascist, wannabe dictator? CNN, go stand next to Fox.
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
Stupid is as stupid does
Elon Musk has a kind of stupidity that only occurs once in a generation.
Sparrow
Phoenicia
Teen mental health: Alarming national trends
May is Mental Health Month. The Maya Gold Foundation’s mission is to empower youth to access their inner wisdom and realize their dreams. One of the standing committees is the “Mental Health Committee.” The committee is comprised of teens from the nonprofit’s Youth Action Team, board members and community volunteers. During May, we have committed to raise awareness of mental health issues. The following letter to the editor is the second of a series of four that we are submitting during Mental Health Month. If you are curious about the Maya Gold Foundation, or would like to get involved, please fill out the contact form on our website: mayagoldfoundation.org. In addition, we encourage you to download from our website a useful Parent and Teen Toolkit (bit.ly/pttoolkit) and follow us on social media. We hope you find this series helpful.
On February 13, the Centers for Disease Control issued an alarming new report on our nation’s teens (bit.ly/teendata2023). The report is a subset of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which covers youth health trends from 2011 to 2021, and includes five broad categories of data analysis: Sexual behavior, substance use, experiencing violence, new and emerging national trends, and of most importance for us at the Maya Gold Foundation, mental health and suicide. These data present a call to action for those of us that work with or care about our youth. Between 2011 and 2021, the percentage of youth who “experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness,” who “seriously considered attempting suicide, made a suicide plan and attempted suicide” and who were “injured in a suicide attempt,” all rose. Most disturbing, in 2021, 42% of high school students “felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks in a row that they stopped doing their usual activities.” Females suffered these feelings at a rate of almost double their male peers, and LGBQT+ students had the highest rate of all youth, with 69% reporting this persistent hopelessness and sadness. These data are ignored at our own peril.
Persistent sadness and hopelessness often leads to risky behaviors such as increased number of sexual partners, unprotected sex, drug and alcohol use and ultimately suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. The report does not identify causation, but we do know that there are many protective factors that we can offer our teens to help them in these challenging times. These include strong community support for youth in the form of programming and facilities, funding for youth centers and youth events and access to free and low cost mental health services. We know that in New Paltz, high school students are very fortunate to have access to mental health services in school through the Astor Program. This helps to both reduce stigma and make supports accessible to teens who could not otherwise receive services. We encourage those in all surrounding school districts to support increasing these services, adding similar services at local middle schools and making teen mental health a priority in all schools and community. So much depends on it.
Raamina Chowdhury, New Paltz
Elise Gold, New Paltz
Stella Keskey, New Paltz
Jacki Murray, Cornwall
Terri Murray, Cornwall
Marni Pasch, Woodstock
Mathew Swerdloff, New Paltz
Profound, proposed zoning changes to Woodstock’s housing
I wrote previously of the proposed changes that would alter the zoning code for housing throughout Woodstock. I am against allowing two accessory dwelling units (ADU’s) on all single-family properties without review. As I stated earlier, I believe that some zoning codes protect residents and the quality of life in a community. We need proposed changes to properties to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Otherwise, we run the risk of Woodstock becoming another cookie cutter, urbanized community.
How and when did the Housing Oversight Task Force (HOTF) come into existence and why has their recent work been secretive without much public knowledge or input? Perhaps the secrecy is because the task force doesn’t want you to know that three or four unit dwellings, perhaps even eight unit structures would be allowed on a lot near you if the proposed changes become law.
Under the guise of “affordable housing,” drastic changes have been proposed to our zoning code, such as these monstrous structures that I mentioned above. The one question that no one on the task force seems able to answer is, “where is the guaranteed affordable housing?” There is no guarantee. Taking away our present zoning protections, however, will guarantee a field day for developers who will be more than happy to invade our village, urbanize it, and destroy our quality of life.
If we need affordable housing, define how much is needed, choose a proper site — perhaps an already existing building, renovate to accommodate housing, and do it in an environmentally friendly way. Erecting huge structures throughout Woodstock is deleterious to the environment and to the town.
Lisa Jobson
Lake Hill
All that glitters is not gold
We are living in perilous times for many reasons and one of those reasons is the development of glittering artificial intelligence (AI). AI technology is moving very fast now and is developing its own upgrades and many of its developers are now calling for a “six-month halt” to try to get a handle on it as it now poses a “profound risk to society and humanity” (npr.org/2023/03/29/1166896809/tech-leaders-urge-a-pause-in-the-out-of-control-artificial-intelligence-race).
The digitization of everything gives AI its information source and the Internet of Things (IoT) gives it its reach and control of everything that has a RFID microchip and sensor, which will be everything sold. 5G high band is a pillar in the IoT network that on the surface provides conveniences like never before, but what comes with that is the loss of autonomy and privacy. Bank accounts can be instantly shut down, like what happened to the truckers in Canada for protesting, or anyone who made more than a $25 contribution to their cause. AI poses a real threat to the fundamentals of a democracy.
AI is being used by the military and of course nothing can go wrong there with an out-of-control AI system, right, with it currently making “strategic decisions” and operating “warfare systems” (sdi.ai/blog/the-most-useful-military-applications-of-ai/).
Elon Musk has been warning there is a chance that AI technology “goes wrong and destroys humanity.” AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton has declared that the emerging AI technology poses a more “urgent threat than climate change” (reuters.com/technology/ai-pioneer-says-its-threat-world-may-be-more-urgent-than-climate-change-2023-05-05/). How long will we let our society be navigated by the technocrats who are now admitting we are in possible grave danger with an uncontrollable AI system?
Steve Romine
Woodstock
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