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Women in Black vigil
On Saturday, January 6, nearly 40 people came out in cold conditions and a prediction of a snowstorm to join New Paltz Women in Black for Peace and Justice at their weekly vigil to support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. This was the 14th Saturday vigil held since October 7th. However, for numerous years prior to that, monthly protests were held supporting a free Palestine.
Joining the vigil this week was Amy Trompetter, a puppeteer and community organizer, who came with her impressive puppets and signs which attracted a lot of attention to the corner. There was a great deal of support from passing cars that honked to show agreement with the vigil.
On October 7, Hamas brutally attacked an entertainment event in Israel near the border of Gaza. Over 1,300 Israelis were killed and over 230 hostages taken. After that event, Israel attacked Gaza. The death toll in Gaza has risen to almost 23,000 amid Israel’s war on Palestine with almost 70% being women and children. In what Israel says is its mission to destroy Hamas, millions of Gazans have been forcibly displaced from their homes, with the civilian infrastructure attacked and destroyed, a possible war crime. South Africa has launched a case at the United Nations’ top court alleging that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide.
New Paltz Women in Black will continue to stand in front of the library each Saturday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. We are calling for a permanent ceasefire and an end to the Israeli cutoff of food, water, fuel and medicine. Many Gazans are in dire need of these necessities in order to prevent mass starvation and death by injuries and disease. A ceasefire would allow once again for the exchange of political prisoners and hostages to occur. We also call on the Biden government to stop by-passing Congress to get funds to expedite arms sales to Israel. A recent 147.5 million deal focused on Israel buying military equipment to be used in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. This is a conflict in which a considerable majority of Americans support a ceasefire.
Women in Black stand against all forms of racism and prejudice including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. We believe that all life is valuable and that all should be entitled to live together with equal justice and opportunity.
Linda Abbott
on behalf of New Paltz Women in Black
Why the Article 78
Gordon Wemp, the chair of the ZBA, took it upon himself to refuse the application, submitted by the Eighmeys, which requested an interpretation of whether the building permit for remediation of fill violation was valid. There was no motion or resolution made, nor a vote taken, by the members of the ZBA. As I have previously written, and as Wemp disagreed with, the ZBA should have accepted the application and then made a determination. As it turns out, according to a recent court decision, the “town code does in fact provide the ZBA jurisdiction to review issuance of the permit in question.”
Howard Harris
Woodstock
Town and village of New Paltz as a single unit of government
We have proposed that the Town Council and Village Board members meet jointly on Wednesday, January 24 to discuss whether we should pursue fully integrating our local governments.
Please see one-pager details for “Proposal: Coterminous Town-Village” at https://www.villageofnewpaltz.org/mayor-and-board-of-trustees/ under “Resources.”
We have the opportunity to develop a truly forward looking plan for our community that includes planning as it relates to zoning and design review, the management of finite resources like housing, water, sewer and parking; as well as unified hazard mitigation protocols.
A coterminous town-village can be created in several ways. The most democratic way for New Paltz would be for both the existing village and town governing boards to vote on whether to endorse a joint consolidation agreement followed by public hearings and then a referendum where all registered voters in New Paltz could participate.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions before or after this initial meeting on Wednesday, January 24 at 7 p.m. in the former fire station meeting room at Plattekill Avenue.
Mayor Tim Rogers
New Paltz
Oral fixations
Imagine all the politicians,
not lying though their teeth.
Sam Kilgore
New Paltz
Merely an oversight?
If three horrible events took place, but most people only protested about one specific event, then what would that mean?
Currently, there is a horrible war going on between Russia and the Ukraine. One day, about two years ago, the Russian people woke up to hear that Putin declared war on Ukraine. Why? Because he felt like it. There was no rational reason. Or maybe Putin didn’t like it because the people of Ukraine appeared to be happy as a budding democracy? We’ll never really know. But what we do know is that nearly a million people, Ukrainians and Russians combined, have died in the war. Millions of lives have been destroyed on both sides. And for what?
A few years ago Bashar El Asad, the dictator of Syria, declared war on many of his own people, who were not happy with the way the government was treating them. Half a million Syrian citizens were killed and possibly as many as two million or more Syrians were forced to leave their country to protect their families from the horribly oppressive conditions.
Recently, after Israel was viciously attacked by Hamas terrorists, who butchered over 1200 innocent Jewish Israelis on October 7, the Israeli Defense Forces fought back to defend their people and their country. Over 20,000 innocent Palestinian people have been killed over the last two months, as the Israeli forces are relentlessly working to destroy the ability of the Hamas terrorists so they will never again have the military ability to repeat such a massacre of Jewish people. Innocent lives are always lost in every war and on both sides. That is truly a very sad fact. Everybody loses in war, regardless of anything having to do with right or wrong.
The lives of the Israelis, as well as the Palestinians, the Syrians, the Russians and the Ukrainians are all suffering greatly because of these conflicts. There is no question about this.
But please explain to me why around the world there are such angry protests about what is happening in Israel, yet there currently are no major protests at all about the horrible atrocities from the Russian war on Ukraine, or the war on the people in Syria by their own Syrian government. The wars in Ukraine and Syria have killed about 100 times the number of people currently who have died in the Israeli war. Yet, no loud and angry protests. What do you think about that?
Humanitarians around the world should be angrily protesting all these wars, as well as protesting about the unfortunate horrific effects on all the people involved. But they are not. Why not? Can you explain this?
Should we call this merely an oversight by good people around the world? Or maybe we should just call it what it is; the systematic and methodical oppression of Jewish people. Better known over the centuries as Anti-Semitism!
Marty Klein
Kingston
New Paltz protest
So, I went down, again, to see the regular Saturday pro-Palestinian/pro-Hamas protest on Main street and I brought an old (1974) shirt that had an Israeli flag to support Israel’s right to exist and to somewhat counter the large numbers who were advocating for a “Free Palestine ”and an immediate ceasefire. I just could not allow for the Free Palestine and River to Sea mentality to stand alone representing New Paltz.
As someone who believes the Palestinians deserve a truly free state and am appalled by the deaths from both sides and the suffering of children in Gaza, I was hoping for some discussion. I am appalled by IDF and Israel’s wanton disregard for innocent lives as I am by Hamas wanton disregard for the lives of Gazans!
Hamas could surrender and give up the hundreds of kidnapped to end the war they started.
Hamas did start this war deliberately without regard for the consequences and obviously wanting the Israeli reaction! There is no debate possible on that!
I anticipated some blowback but also wanted to hear from the protesters and perhaps dialogue and discuss the issues. Well, I was somewhat surprised at the unwillingness of most there to discuss the issues regarding Hamas and Palestinian/Israeli history.
The belief that the October 7 slaughters were understandable, based on past Palestinian suffering, seemed a prevalent view and any attempt to discuss the real history of the conflict, as well as the definition of terms like Genocide, Apartheid, Colonialism, Zionism or even the evil that is Islamic fundamentalism was met with reactionary horror!
It was sad and clearly an indicator that, similar to the MAGA Trumpists and their either uninformed or narrow beliefs, some of these protestors were locked in to their own agenda and unwilling to discuss anything contrary to their views. There are Jews who have a narrow scope also!
Some of these protesters holding their signs up may truly be driven by a desire for peace and the cessation of hostilities but others are so far gone into their distorted history of Israel and of the sad reality of the Palestinians history that they are lost to conversation or discussion.
It was a pleasure to talk to a man, a Quaker, who was willing to listen and exchange views and feelings.
It is truly frightening to have so many people protesting in cities and colleges, especially college students, young people and minorities who do not have an understanding of the beliefs of Islamic fundamentalists like Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, Taliban. Boko Haram, etc. That they do not know that Hamas does not care (and they said as much) about deaths because the dead are Martyrs, in paradise!
That is why Hamas never built bomb shelters for their people. That’s why they fire missiles near schools and hospitals, that is why they didn’t open their safe tunnels for civilians to hide in and why they stopped a north to south movement of Gazans. That is why they attacked and animalistically slaughtered innocents knowing it would drive Israel to attack in full force. That is why they do not want peace and never sought peace. That’s why they kill any Gazan who advocates for Peace. That is why they train children to kill and hate, etc., etc. Unfortunately, there can never be peace with Hamas no matter what these delusional protestors mistakenly believe!
I also believe a change of Israeli government is needed because they are so far right and racist to be a blockade on future peace talks! This war is a horror started deliberately by Hamas, without the slightest regard for its own people! Giving a needed ceasefire would be like giving the Nazis and Hitler a break in the bombing because of the suffering of the German people.
War is hell!
Nazis are and were evil and like Hamas they raised genuine fanatics. Hamas and other Sharia extremist followers who see everyone else all as non-believers and infidels are a world problem!
These Islamists extremists, including Hamas, are death cults who truly welcome the deaths of fellow Muslims and infidels and do not hesitate to promote a delusionary martyrdom! There is no capability of peace with these types of fanatics and even some of the well-intentioned peace-loving protesters, supporting Hamas, should at least understand that simple true fact! Very sad!
Ron Stonitsch
New Paltz
Just say no to the HOTF zoning boondoggle
The utterly over-massive zoning changes proposed by the group known as HOTF would open up Woodstock to becoming a dense expensive neighborhood like Greenwich Village (or even hilly Yonkers) is!
They propose to give away the essence of Woodstock — its open spaces, its stands of beautiful forests, its pristine water supplies, its multi-century historic ambience for the false promise of genuine affordable housing — housing able to be afforded by those who work, say, for downtown businesses or for the town government. HOTF will never supply genuine and permanent affordable housing. It’s a hoax.
What these self-obsessed zealots of HOTF are doing is an attempted bludgeoning of a great and beautiful, historical town. Shame on these false promulgators who threaten the essence of the Woodstock we cherish and love!
Just say no to the HOTF zoning boondoggle!
Ed Sanders
Woodstock
Woodstock National
We see you changed your name to Zena Development LLC and then closed on the pristine forest, lands and the private road Eastwoods Drive where you intend to build your development, in spite of significant opposition.
However, missing from your deed is the easement language that protects the residents of Eastwoods Drive. Specifically, the language that you did not carry over reads: “The above-described premises known as Eastwoods Drive, are subject to the use by adjacent land owners for ingress and egress and any necessary utilities over and upon said private road. These Easements are more particularly described in Liber 2801, Page 315.” This language appeared in the deed when Walrus 68 LLC purchased certain lands and the two road parcels known as Eastwoods Drive in Instrument 2015-6251. It appeared then at the end of the description for the road parcels but was omitted from your description of same in your deed, instrument #2023-13654. Please correct the deed and put the easement back in.
Tana O’Sullivan
Woodstock
Parking is not an innocuous issue
Parking is not an innocuous issue. For me, when someone parks at the edge of my driveway curb and someone parks across the narrow street from me, entering the street or entering the driveway or exit is challenging, especially if backing in or out. So what if a school bus and a UPS truck can’t get by each other when the road is filled with vehicles parked for the restaurant on Main Street and the several houses on the street with student housing? UPS, US mail, Amazon and FedX parade daily down our street, negotiating garbage and fuel trucks. Did I mention the homeowners?
I understand that livelihoods are made by those who rent to students and those who have small parking lots for their restaurant customers. I am asking our village decision-makers to consider safety as the priority. Several children live on our street, some senior citizens still live on our street, including me, young drivers live on our street and walkers and dog walkers walk our street. There is no one whose life is not less valuable than a parking spot. As I write this, out my window, I see someone parked in the wrong direction; yesterday, on the other side of the street, someone parked in the wrong direction. They put themselves and others’ lives at risk when pulling out. It’s not unusual to see vehicles going between 30 and 40 mph to reach the bypass of Henry W. DuBois Road or Main Street.
I suggest village leadership consider either widening the roadway, making the street one-way or having an alternate-side-of-the-street parking. This decision will require saying no to those who may lose out, whose customers have to walk further, or whose tenants are not allowed to have cars without off-the-street parking. I just remembered that the law that did not allow cars to park on the street when it snowed so it could be removed seems to have been changed. This law should be examined and, if changed, brought back and enforced because snow amplifies all the issues above.
Larry Winters
New Paltz
LLC project affecting local ecology
Our family has been working very hard to create an environment that is ecological. We are composting, refraining from pesticides, planting and encouraging native plants. There is a wetland in back of our property and woods as well as open spaces. A huge array of birds call this home and we notice more insects by the year. Though we live in a semi suburban neighborhood, we notice at least 30 different species of animals that roam here.
Thus, we were very discouraged to hear of the nearby LLC project which would certainly overwhelm our attempts to provide a better environment for wildlife. We would like to add our vote of no confidence to the outcry that has arisen against proceeding with this massive redistribution of land use.
Robert and Barbara Callahan
Woodstock
Earthly horror show
The Netanyahu administration is undeterred in slaughtering innocent civilians (30,676) and children (12,040) en masse, yet the non-Muslim international community of governments, including the US, does nothing to stop it! The exception is South Africa, supported by a 57 Muslim nation bloc (OIC), they are the only ones stepping up to the plate to level charges in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against hell-bent Israel. In South Africa’s favor is the fact that the genocide happening in Gaza is the most well-documented case of genocide in world history, and that half of Gaza’s two million people are now on the brink of death from starvation due to Israel’s heartless actions depriving innocent civilians food and water.
Then there is Israel being recognized as the top experts in the world on security, who train police and military from many countries including the US. Therefore, the incompetent argument, used to explain 911, that didn’t fool me then, does not fool me now as an explanation of how Israel let the Hamas invasion succeed on October 7 , and its curious delayed opposition. Hopefully, it won’t fool the ICJ investigation either. For just as the US wanted the “War on Terror” as an excuse to dismantle unfriendly foreign governments and get control of their oil and natural resources, Israel wanted an excuse to make Gaza uninhabitable and Palestinians driven out, to realize their Zionist wet-dream. Of course in that process, Israel getting control of the one trillion cubic feet of natural gas in reserves 20 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza that was discovered in 2000 and 2007(https://iacenter.org/2023/11/15/behind-israels-end-game-for-gaza-theft-of-offshore-gas-reserves/) is just coincidental, or not. These two governments are joined at the hip and deeply embedded in the evil military-industrial-complex President Eisenhower warned us about. They will do anything to achieve their goals of power and control as evidenced by their willful-brutal-slaughter of thousands of innocent children, whether it be in Vietnam, Iraq or Gaza. Sleazy war-criminal Henry Kissinger lives to be 100, evil prospers and the good die young! The only consolation for me in this earthly horror show is that I know these psychopathic child-killers, and all those complicit, will have to face the “Final Judgement” to come at the end of the age, prophesied in the Bible, along with the rest of us. On that point, traditional Jews, Muslims and Christians agree.
Steve Romine
Woodstock
The swearing in and the swearing
Perhaps you have not heard about the unforeseen drama that accompanied the swearing in of newly elected Town of Gardiner officials last Tuesday morning at the town hall. The room was packed, folks milling about with their coffee and donuts. Promptly at 9:30, Supervisor Majestic began the proceedings with a wry comment expressing hope that “all of you will also attend the town board meeting later tonight,” and introduced Congressman Pat Ryan to conduct the oath. All hell broke loose.
About 15 unfamiliar attendees stood up and began chanting, “Not one more Israeli weapons dime, shame, shame, shame, Free Palestine!” Two demonstrators rushed to the front of the room and unfurled a huge banner reading, “Free Palestine” in front of Congressman Ryan. Having been dogged by similar actions at numerous recent public appearances by critics of his recent public statements on the Israel/Gaza issue, Pat held steady, almost beatifically unperturbed at the podium while a melee exploded. Everyone was on their feet, yelling something. “Lock the doors! … Free Palestine! … Call the cops! … Not one more dime!”
A fierce GDC woman tried and failed to rip the banner away, then gave up and sort of unfurled herself with outspread arms to block it, and was then herself obliterated by a second huge banner, the Palestinian flag, creating a visual vertical layer cake of opinions.
I remained seated, an old hippie sipping cold coffee and my other hand raised in a fist of support — for free speech, robust democracy, memories of the Freedom Riders and the Vietnam 70’s and yes, indeed, for Palestine. That’s when Ms. Majestic, scurrying past me toward the scrum, hissed: “YOU should leave TOO, fist in the air!” A Democrat-ish leader, smugly oblivious to what democracy actually, often, is: messy, rude, inconvenient, deeply felt and occasionally disruptive in that arc toward justice.
“YOU should leave…” Not in the America or the town we love. But perhaps “we” is overly expansive, because no one who understands what we have here could believe or say that. To do so is downright un-American. The demonstrators were peacefully escorted out. The swearing-in proceeded.
Every night, settling in for sleep, and every morning waking up to another day, I am confident there will be no missile, no gunman, no bloodshed, no muzzling of unthreatening speech or gesture where we are blessed to live and I ache at our unearned privilege. It requires gratitude, respect and protection.
Janet Kern
Gardiner
Expert texpert, Part 1
Steve Romine is the persistent critic of those who refuse to trust “his” experts and claims their opposition to his “Israel is guilty of genocide” mantra is based on propaganda. I suppose there are experts that would testify that “O.J. didn’t do it!” There are even Orthodox Jews in Israel who are convinced that the existing State of Israel is an abomination because they believe only their expected Messiah can restore the Biblical and therefore, true, Israel. Mr. Romine’s list of experts is impressive including even the Holocaust Museum but as John Lennon wrote: “Experts texperts.” Indeed, I could gather a list of experts that deny Israel is committing genocide in the way they are conducting the war even according to Steve’s stated definitions. (See Time Magazine November 13, 2023: “Is what’s happening in Gaza Genocide? The experts weigh in” and “five reasons the events in Gaza are not Genocide” by the American Jewish Committee November 17, 2023 and “Understanding Hamas’ Genocidal Ideology” by Georgetown University’s Bruce Hoffman a terrorist expert: The Atlantic 10/10/2023). With all this in view, the fact remains that Israel is a nation today and from its inception its enemies have tried to destroy it by war and acts of terrorism without regard for civilian casualties. This hostility has led to increasingly severe reactions on the part of Israel who knows that even those who have made peace with her have done so only out of necessity. Indeed, the major reason Egypt and Jordan recognized the present Jewish State is because all attempts to drive it “from the river to the sea” resulted in military defeats which gave Israel more land and power. It should be noted that King Abdullah I of Jordan and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt were assassinated for their actions as a warning to anyone tempted to act outside the traditional view that “Israel has no right to exist.”
Speaking of experts, Robert Spencer wrote, “The Palestine Delusion: The “Catastrophic History of the Middle East Peace Process.” I recommend Mr. Romine read it if he hasn’t or a review of it like David Pryce-Jones’ titled “State of Play” from The New Criterion. In the review, Jones cites Spencer’s forceful point regarding “land for peace” negotiations: “the bargain always fails to materialize because land is tangible, a real asset, whereas peace is abstract, a matter of promises that might or might not be kept.” This is illustrated by Golda Meir’s response to the demand by Arabs after the 1973 Yom Kippur war that Israel must return to the 1967 boundaries as part of peace negotiations. Meir responded that it would be foolish for Israel to accept that such a concession on their part would bring peace since Israel’s enemies treacherously attacked Israel on their holiest day when they already held land secured by the 1967 borders. For this reason, Meir rejected the assurances that returning to them would guarantee protection from future attacks by Israel’s enemies. Moreover, this is the same reason that some experts doubt that even a Palestinian State would result in peace in the Middle East. And because Hamas deliberately targets civilians and fights from within its own Palestinian population and Israel’s government is unmatched in its efforts to prevent civilian casualties, according to (expert) Col. Richard Kemp CBE (commander of the Order of the British Empire); Steve is guilty of the very propaganda of which he, falsely, accuses others when he claims Israel is committing “genocide.”
George Civile
Gardiner
Ryan rhymes with Zion
Our rep in Ulster Mister Ryan,
Fights to help Israel rebuild Zion,
As Gazans flee from their bombs,
Others are killed for their homes,
Ryan claims to want peace, but he’s lyin’.
Pigeon Boy
New Paltz
Wreaths Across America-New Paltz, thank you
On behalf of the Wreaths Across America organization, the New Paltz Rural Cemetery, the Brannen van den Berg VFW Post 8645, the VFW Auxiliary to Post 8645 and our family of volunteers and supporters, we want to thank you for your support of the mission to remember the fallen, honor those that serve and their families and teach the next generation the value of freedom.
On December 16, 2023, National Wreaths Across America Day, over 1020 wreaths were placed to honor and remember all veterans laid to rest at the New Paltz Rural Cemetery and the Ulster County Veteran’s Cemetery on Plains Rd in New Paltz.
With each of the sponsored veterans’ wreaths placed on December 16 an American hero’s name was spoken out loud so they would not be forgotten.
We express our tremendous gratitude to each and every one who made this possible by sponsoring wreaths and volunteering to honor our veterans on December 16.
Thank you to Lowe’s in Highland for joining Wreaths Across America as a sponsorship group supporting the New Paltz Rural Cemetery. With your support, along with the support of the following businesses, we were able to remember every veteran laid to rest in the cemetery for our fifth year in a row.
Business sponsors: Rycor HVAC (HOP Energy), Copeland-Hammerl Funeral Home, Beck’s Hardware, Colliers Engineering Foundation, Kingston Lodge #10F & A.M., Lemon Squeeze, Mountain Brauhaus, Mootz Construction, High Falls VFW Post 686, New Paltz VFW Post 8645, New Paltz Rural Cemetery Association, PDQ Printing, St. Joseph’s Church, Dietz Tree Service, Tops Market, Ulster Savings Bank, Snug Harbor, Devine Insurance, Jar’d, Dedrick’s Pharmacy, Law offices of Robert Rich, Jim DeMaio State Farm Insurance, New Paltz Lyceum Cinema, Village Pizza, Main St. Bistro, New Paltz fire and rescue, Wallkill View, Meadowscent and Apple Green Golf.
Thank you to the ceremony participants: New Paltz Fire Department, Ulster County Sheriff’s Color Guard, New Paltz Police Department, SUNY New Paltz Police Department and Ulster County Law Enforcement Honor Guard.
Thank you to Crystal Miller for representing Gold Star families with a ceremonial wreath.
Thank you the scouts from The Rip Van Winkle Scouts Troop 272 and The Heart of the Hudson Scout Troops 60142, 60135 and 60093. Ethan Greger, Samuel James, John Reynolds, Thao Salamone, Veronica O’Sullivan, Melanie Herring, Victoria Bunora, Ivy Bunora, Gia Ottaviano, Molly Darcy, Taryn Commins and Melissa Adashko-Rein.
These young scouts honored the seven branches of the armed forces and POW/MIA by placing the ceremonial wreaths on the Veteran’s Memorial.
Thank you to Ulster County Veterans Services agency director Mark Cozzupoli for emceeing the ceremony, as well as our speakers, Congressman Pat Ryan and Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger, Father Salvatore Cordaro, St. Joseph’s Church for offering a prayer and to Andrew Mironchik, commander of the Brannen van den Berg VFW Post 8645.
Thank you to Chris Marx and the New Paltz highway department for all your help with clean up each year.
And last but not least, we want to acknowledge and give many thanks to John Liquori, superintendent of the New Paltz Rural Cemetery, along with employees Clifford Campbell and Glenn DeHardt. They go above and beyond in taking care of all the details leading up to, during and after Wreath Day!
As an added treat, Chris Nadareski, liaison for Rip Van Winkle Scouts and DEP representative released a rehabilitated Red Tail Hawk during the ceremony in honor of all Veterans.
Our mission continues as we look to 2024.
The Wreaths Across America matching campaign is happening now through January 16, 2024. WAA headquarters will match all wreaths sponsored through a registered WAA sponsorship group for placement on this year’s National Wreaths Across America Day — Saturday, December 14, 2024! Our direct link is www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/NY0270.
Ron Mironchik
Kathy Mironchik
Cindy Dates
Tara Dates
Wreaths Across America location coordinators
Ah, good, I got that. * Whew! *
The truth is out there — silly! Everybody knows it was so Scarlett O’Hara wouldn’t ever be hungry again. Lincoln hinted at an end to slavery before 1863, when he said he didn’t see how the nation would endure half slave and half free and that a house divided against itself could not stand.
To clearly understand Nikki Haley’s shameful answer to the voter’s question, “What caused the Civil War?”, one must only consider the Republican Party’s ongoing and ostensible efforts to subdue minority — mostly black Democratic — votes by removing election machines, manipulating early-ballot voting, and redrawing districts to increase Republican candidate election chances.
Given that Nikki Haley is a former governor of South Carolina, the first state to secede and start the Civil War over slavery and related economic issues and the inability to continue compromising over slave/non-slave status in new states, it’s not surprising she avoided the topic. The racist ‘Lost Cause’ is still alive and well in deep-red South Carolina, and Republicans used that issue to take control over the solid south after LBJ passed the Civil Rights Act and promoted racial integration in the south. Haley knows this and was purposely avoidant. The entire now Trump MAGA Republican is all-in on white racial superiority; that includes Nikki Haley.
Haley knowingly shunned the correct answer, “Slavery,” in favor of playing the G.O.P.’s “anti-big [federal] government” and “individual rights” cards. What made Haley’s answer wrong (and despicable) was her clear use of the word “individual” to connote “white Southerner individualism” — specifically, the pre-Civil War white southerner’s “states’ rights” entitlement to own African Americans as an “economic necessity” — as a bolster to commerce. The “states’ rights” argument is only used by racists.
Republicans can’t make the simple statement that they aren’t responsible for the antebellum crimes committed by southerners, because they feel guilty knowing they would continue those crimes if they could. Those feelings of guilt are evident in their anti-WOKE and anti-CRT hysteria, trying to prevent awareness of factual historical education to whitewash those crimes. Conservative claims of control of the personal medical decisions of half the country proves they still believe they can own people. To correctly state that racism pervades the 21st century Republican platform is an understatement — and rightful condemnation of that platform.
Republicans are ideologically the modern-day spawn of the Confederate secessionist south. The GOP is largely a southern party. These folks fought for and were ready to die to preserve an evil system. Republicans poll strongly in favor of Israel’s war crimes in Gaza. Those folks haven’t changed in 160 years.
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
Beyond the forecast
Sky, once baby-blue,
now pregnant with heavy snow,
blankets us all night.
Crow Hammer
Saugerties
Hitting a high note
Saugerties Sings has hit a high note with its first season now under our belt! I didn’t know what to expect when I publicized this new venture and it was with much anxiety that I waited at the Trinity Episcopal Church where we would meet for the first time. People came! And, we sang!
I am grateful to our chorus director Phyllis Clark who has uplifted our efforts to bring singers together for the joy of singing. I thank our local media for publicity which brought more and more people each week. Thanks are also owed to Lighthouse TV and Michael Campbell, Saugerties volunteer town criers! Thanks also to the many supporters who posted on social media. And, thanks to the church whose space suits us very well.
We had our first public performance at the Friends of the Saugerties Library Festival of Trees. Visitors to that event joined in our caroling proving that music brings us all together.
Saugerties Sings will soon resume meeting at Trinity Episcopal Church, Route 9W in Saugerties, at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. Please contact me at fiddlestitchtoday@gmail.com for info or to join the mailing list. Everyone is welcome to participate in Saugerties Sings and no prior singing experience is needed.
Gerri Ryan
Saugerties
Democrats are destroying democracy
Are the Democrats serious? They are running Joe Biden’s campaign on democracy when his justice department is doing everything to remove his opposition from the presidential ballot. Congressman Pat Ryan should know better. He knows that if he was prevented from running for Congress, that would be anti-democracy.
Let’s talk about the lack of democracy in New York State. A majority of New Yorkers do not want electric cars and do not want to ban gas stoves and furnaces. However, the Democrat majority in Albany are holding on to the climate change false science of the globalists to shove electric cars down our throats. Also, the Democrat majority in Albany is holding on to Sanctuary City rules which encourage Joe Biden to keep the southern border open to migrant invasion of our state and cities against the popular will. The Democrats are truly the ones destroying our democracy.
Ralph Mitchell
Kingston
Déjà vu all over again
Once again, the 387 acres of land in the Town of Hurley, formerly known as the Hidden Forest subdivision, off Route 209 and adjacent to where the rail trail goes into the woods, is for sale on the MLS. It’s being marketed as a property “well suited for residential development.” But, the property has a history that is not being disclosed.
The Hidden Forest subdivision was proposed in 2006 and went before the Town of Hurley Planning Board. As part of their due diligence under SEQRA, the land developer paid to have an archeological survey conducted by Landmark Archaeology of Albany New York. Dozens of archaeological sites were recorded on the survey, and thousands of artifacts were recovered and catalogued in the state CRISP cultural resource archive. No formal report was ever written however, because the developer would have had to pay for that and they went away and withdrew their proposal after the significant cultural resources were discovered.
Now, fast forward 16 years to 2022. The property was put back on the market, and another buyer made an offer that went to contract but never closed, after the developer withdrew their offer for some unknown reason and the listing expired.
The land in question is owned by a prominent family of Hurley for many generations, and is now once again on the market, for residential development.
According to records at the New York State Museum in Albany, the former Hidden Valley subdivision property in Hurley, NY has the highest concentration of archaeological sites located in the Town of Hurley, with more than 50% of identified sites located on that property. That simply can’t be ignored by those selling or those buying that land.
I understand that property owners want to receive the maximum value for their property, however, one would think it’s the responsibility of the realtor agent and broker to disclose pre-existing encumbrances on a property they’re listing, or is it literally “buyer beware?”
Maybe there can be a “win-win” outcome here, where the property can be developed, but with an awareness, respect and sensitivity to protect the important cultural resources present.
Glenn Kreisberg
West Hurley
The peace carrot
As Marty Klein insightfully suggested last week, everyone needs to start thinking outside the box if there is going to be even the slightest chance of a permanent peace solution involving the current situation between Israel and Palestine. This new thinking is obviously necessary because other “peace accords” of the past all eventually failed.
The extremely challenging task will be how and where Palestinians have any chance of living while becoming a free and democratic society and having its own government. To achieve this, there would have to be no participation, involvement, or influence by Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and any other anti-Semitic groups or countries. How could this ever happen when the feckless and spineless Biden administration fails to do its part as it continues to twiddle their thumbs, to this day, by not enacting and enforcing the most restrictive sanctions possible on Iran who is the chief engineer and financial support of all the anti-Israeli and anti-American terrorism in the world?
It is obvious that Hamas intimidates and controls the Palestinian people while intentionally endangering their lives by setting up headquarters in hospitals, schools, refugee camps, etc., all while using the Palestinian civilians as human shields.
Finishing on another topic, Steve Romine cites many experts who suddenly have a “better” definition of genocide than the original and real definition which I’ve previously outlined in past letters. Steve’s “experts” have taken it upon themselves to embellish and reconstruct the meaning of genocide so that it supports their cease fire agenda. Never mind that Israel agreed to a few short cease fires to allow aid to reach Palestinians. And, never mind that the IDF gave multiple evacuation warnings to Palestinians before pursuing Hamas. This hardly describes intentional genocide on the part of the IDF.
Just as Hitler was NOT defending his country from any enemy attacks when he intentionally and solely targeted only Jews for their extermination, the IDF was defending its country from enemy attack while not intentionally and solely pursuing the extermination of Palestinians. Hamas’s only mission was the extermination of Jews, a la Hitler. Hitler and Hamas are examples of real genocide.
John N. Butz
Modena
Expect the best
Two negative numbers (e.g. -5 and -3) multiplied together make a positive number; doesn’t that give you hope?
Sparrow
Phoenicia
A few thoughts
First, a thank you to Fred Nagel for his informative letters.
A few thoughts:
“An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.”
“Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Israel stealing Palestinian land. Israelis chopping down Palestinian olive trees. Israelis demolishing Palestinian houses. Israelis delaying Palestinians entrance to Israel for no good reason.
“No justice, no peace.” U.N. Resolution 242 passed unanimously. “United Nations resolution 242 is a UN Security Council resolution adopted in the wake of the Six-Day War (1967) 123. It called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from ‘territories occupied in the recent conflict’ and affirmed the right of every state in the region ‘to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries’ 1. Resolution 242 is one of the most widely affirmed resolutions on the Arab–Israeli conflict and formed the basis for later negotiations between the parties4. “What if Israel had accepted this resolution in 1967? How many Palestinians and how many Israelis over the years would not have died from murder by one or the other side?
Andi Weiss Bartczak
Gardiner
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