For those who are interested, at the all class reunion held last week there was a mini-basketball reunion where we took a vote for the best basketball team of all time at Ellenville High School. First place, with 11 votes, was Ray Younger's 12-8 1974 team. Second place, with 6 votes, was Ed Ware's 18-2 1980 team and third place, with 5 votes, was Nate Shorter's 18-3 1967 team. If you think another team should have won then you should have been there and voted. Be there or be square. It was just for fun after all so calm down.

Lee Augustine
Wawarsing

In honor of Honey Bee Day (Aug. 16), we should honor pollinators critical for two-thirds of our food crops by urging President Obama and federal agencies to enact meaningful and rapid protections for bees.

In the next few months, the president's new pollinator task force — led by EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture — will release a plan of action for addressing the massive bee declines threatening food and farmers. One of the most critical steps they can take is to ban the use of pesticides called neonicotinoids, a driving force in this crisis. Scientists around the globe are calling for immediate regulatory action to restrict these pesticides to stop what some are calling a second "Silent Spring."

It's time for our leaders to listen. President Obama and his administration must act now to ban these pesticides to protect our environment and economy.

Mark Bernard
Kingston

We are announcing our opposition to the proposed Sterling Forest Resort in the Town of Tuxedo in Orange County, a project that would threaten the scenic beauty and the integrity of the Appalachian Trail corridor through the 22,000-acre Sterling Forest State Park. The resort is billed as a world-class destination with an estimated 6.9 million annual visitors, a casino, ski area, 1,000 hotel rooms and a 7,000 car multi-story parking garage. The project would be built by Genting Americas, an affiliate of the Malaysia-based Genting Group. Genting has applied for permission to construct one of the new casinos in New York allowed by recent legislation but intended for low income, high unemployment communities, not for a state and federal park.

The proposed site of Sterling Forest Resort is in the center of the northern section of the state park, which was protected after years of litigation. The park, which features a 6-mile section of the 2,185-mile long Appalachian Trail, was created through a strong collaboration between the National Park Service, the states of New York and New Jersey, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission and private conservation and trail organizations including the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference and the ATC. Approximately $55 million was contributed toward the purchase and protection of Sterling Forest by the federal government, the two states and the private sector.

The magnitude of the proposed casino resort development would inevitably have a devastating impact on the immense value of the public investment to date to protect Sterling Forest. Distinct ecologic communities, unparalleled outdoor recreation opportunities, and a magnificent scenic landscape are afforded to visitors of Sterling Forest. These values are the essence of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and projects of this magnitude are incongruous with the scenic and culturally significant experience that the trail provides to its visitors.

Preliminary viewshed impact assessments indicate the resort would likely be visible from one or more places on the Appalachian Trail above Sterling Forest. In addition to these impacts, the area is a critical habitat for nesting and migratory birds and is a nationally recognized Important Bird Area. The proposed resort site is also in an area critical to the regional water supply.

The ATC has formally requested the potential visual and noise impacts on the Appalachian Trail as well as the potential natural and cultural resource damages, be carefully evaluated according to the State Environmental Quality Review.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy believes that the Tuxedo site is clearly the wrong location for a casino resort. Sterling Forest is one of the most treasured natural and cultural resources in the eastern United States, and we should keep it that way.

Ron Tipton, Executive Director,
Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Before the recent Olympics, I liked President Vladimir Putin as an effective leader, bringing Russia out of mediocrity since the fall of USSR. His popularity in Russia is astronomical, almost twice that of President Obama in America.

He proved beyond doubt that he is a despot and not a democratic leader, muzzling his way into a third term by strong arming the Russian parliament. He has annulled all democratic institutions, eviscerating the opposition, free press and judiciary, covering himself in the Russian Orthodox Church.

Putin is a dangerous psychopath with no remorse or responsibility for shooting down a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine, never done by any civilized nation. He has fanned nationalists across Ukraine and Russia, claiming that the Ukrainian government is full of fascists and Jews rising against Mother Russia. His problem is that he believes that he is infallible and, hence, not accountable. He forgets that he is not a two-bit despot from a Third World country, but a world leader with lots of responsibility and accountability. His leadership is such a contrast to President Obama, who is trying his best to preserve peace in the world — extricating from two wars, staying out of Libya, Egypt, Syria and Ukraine, to name a few — instead of fanning hatred, nationalism and divisiveness, not expected from a world leader.

Is this the resurrection of a cold war between superpowers? I doubt it. These events will deprive Russia a seat at the table of world super economic powerhouses to elevate the standard of living for ordinary Russians.

Hopefully, Russians will realize this peril and vote Putin out of office in the next democratic election.

Thomas Koshy
Kingston

Will Israel ever be able to completely oppress and subjugate the Palestinian people? Missiles haven't done it, nor has torturing thousands in prison camps. Now we are seeing the river of blood approach, the no-hands-barred slaughter of hundreds and, soon, thousands of Palestinian civilians. And still they refuse to be subservient, despite being walled off in squalid ghettos.

There is another group of people, however, that has been much easier to bring it to its knees. All it took was a lot of money to get the U.S. Congress to vote unanimously for the invasion of Gaza. Apparently any revulsion at the slaughter of hundreds of women and children couldn't match the fear of being out of favor with the Israeli lobby.

Of course, our nation's Congress has a long history of being for sale to the highest bidder. Would our representatives ever vote against Big Oil, Wall Street, the insurance industry or Big Pharma? Standing up for what is fair always comes out last with these corporate sycophants. Why shouldn't Israel dictate our foreign policy?

America has spent over $3 trillion on disastrous wars in the Middle East. It has impoverished the middle class, while sending America's young to die for cleverly crafted lies. Many of the neocons who sold these wars to a subservient Congress have been Zionist fanatics with deep ties to the apartheid state of Israel.

We pay a terrible price for Israel's complete control of our Congress. We the people have been betrayed.

Fred Nagel
Rhinebeck

Reading letters questioning Israel's actions in the war with Hamas taking place in the Gaza strip, I'd remind the writers that the actions of Hamas, a terrorist organization whose charter calls for the destruction of Israel and the killing of Jews everywhere, are not new.

The Nazis, like Hamas, placed military installations in civilian areas and complained about the resulting deaths of civilians especially women and children. Like the Nazis, Hamas is willing to sacrifices any number of innocents to achieve their goals.

When Israel left Gaza, it turned over commercial greenhouses to the Palestinians, who chose to burn them rather then use them to improve the lives of their people. Can you imagine how many schools, hospitals and apartments could have been built with the construction material and man hours used to construct at least 33 tunnels, whose only purpose was launch terrorist attacks on civilians?

I would also like to know how many rocket attacks and kidnapping and killing of teenagers should Israel be required to take before retaliation is acceptable?

John Habersberger
New Paltz