Serving the Towns of Wawarsing, Crawford, Mamakating, Rochester and Shawangunk, and everything in between
(none)   
SJ FB page   

Gutter Gutter
Letters

Believes It Is Giuliani Who Is Unpatriotic

According to Webster, patriotism is love of and devotion to one's country; a patriot is a person who loves, supports and defends his country, and colonialism is a policy by which a nation maintains or extends its control over foreign dependencies.

According to the first two definitions, when Giuliani said "I do not believe that the president loves America," he definitely accused Obama of being unpatriotic (not loving his country). According to the last definition, when Giuliani accused Obama of believing in "anti-colonialism," Giuliani was saying that anti-colonialism is bad and therefore Giuliani must believe colonialism is good (one country controlling another).

The United States fought a war — an anti-colonial war, the Revolutionary War — to obtain our freedom, led by the original founding fathers and American patriots like George Washington. No country's citizens want to live under the boot of another country nor should they.

The unmistakable conclusion is that Giuliani (who called our President "unpatriotic") favors colonialism and it is he who is "unpatriotic."

It was "a horrible thing to say."

Lee Augustine
Wawarsing


Why We Are Boycotting School Testing...

My husband and I have been on the fence about state testing of public school students. Last year, our daughter did very well. So, we asked ourselves, "why should we have her refuse to take them?"

Because, as it turns out, the tests do nothing for her educationally. They are used to assess her teacher. Our daughter's scores will not go on her transcript, she will not take them with her when applying to colleges, and they are not used for her report card. These tests are damaging our children's education: They will spend up to six weeks preparing, along with nine days of test-taking.

The state tests have narrowed the curriculum. Teachers have to focus on English language arts and math. There is significantly less time for science, social studies, art, music and athletics, and less time for creative learning and critical thinking. Imagine the stress on teachers to get their kids to perform well.

Special education students suffer the most. They take the same tests, but their learning styles and rates of learning are not taken into account.

Our school district students still will be taking standardized tests throughout the year. These are tests that help teachers monitor students' growth.

Teachers are asked to sign a gag order. They can't speak about the state test questions or raise any concerns about their validity. Many teachers across the state have begun to refuse to sign this gag order, including some of our own Onteora teachers.

Up to 50 percent of some Long Island school districts are refusing the tests. Many parents in New Paltz have refused the tests. This movement is growing.

I hope you can join me in supporting refusal of the tests. Like the Facebook page Onteora Refuses the Tests for updated information and news on the state tests and local forums.

Anna Millenson
Woodstock


Consumer Beware Of False Herbal Medicines

New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman accused four major retailers (GNC, Target, Walmart and Walgreens) of selling fraudulent and potentially dangerous herbal supplements and demanded that they be removed from their shelves. They claim 80 percent tested did not contain any of the herbs on the labels. They also claimed that they were not purely the ingredient advertised and contained cheap fillers that could be dangerous to those with allergies. First, let me say that herbal medicine has been practiced successfully for thousands of years and is the primary source of medicine for those living outside the United States.

Secondly, the pharmaceutical industry does not provide pure products as they also include those types of fillers. I am on my fourth thyroid medication due to allergic reactions to the fillers in prescription meds, that are not listed, nor do pharmacists have that information.

The FDA has fast track programs to approve new drugs before being fully tested allowing for potentially dangerous products on the market. The FDA claims that herbal supplements are not subjected to the rigorous evaluation that prescription drugs do; however, currently 106,000 people die a year from prescription medications let alone the serious side effects. Herbs do not cause serious side effects or possible death.

At question is the DNA testing used in this instance since the processing used during the manufacturing, going from leaf to tablet or capsule, removes or damages DNA. It is the wrong test for herbal supplements. Tests such as chromatography or microscopy are needed.

Luckily, United Natural Products Alliance is purchasing large quantities of the same supplements cited by Schneiderman and submitting the bottles unopened to 5 or 6 certified botanical labs for analyses.

I find it interesting that the five herbs in question (echinachea, St. John's wort, valerian, garlic, ginko-biloba) in my experience are some of the most effective herbs used for wellness. I also agree with Steve Mister, that "this is a self serving publicity stunt under the guise of protecting public health." The pharmaceutical industry is a huge lobby group. At times pharmaceutical companies use incentives (money) to influence medical practitioners' decision making processes.

So it is buyer beware, not only of your choice of herbal supplements, but also your use of pharmaceuticals and your doctor's advice to do so.

I suggest that you continue using your herbal medicines. Try to get them closer to home from herbalists like myself and other local herbalists who grow their own and forage plant medicines. Or take classes to learn to forage and make your own herbal medicine.

Also consider that even though a particular herb is suggested to have health benefits, by taking a highly processed supplement, rather than a locally grown or pure plant liquid extract, you are not getting what you think you are.

Barbara Fornal
Accord


Hein's Rail Trail Ideal Is Visionary!

Thanks to visionary Ulster County Executive Mike Hein, the county has become a leader in New York. We've seen notable achievements in four areas that affect the quality of our lives: environment, infrastructure, social responsibility and fiscal responsibility.

Another aspect of his vision may come to count for more than any of the above. The idea of a rail trail connecting Ulster county within itself — and beyond itself to Dutchess, Sullivan and other counties — offers countless benefits. Many of us will drive less; many will be healthier thanks to readily available exercise; children can ride their bikes safely; companies are more likely to relocate to an area enhanced by rail trails.

If life seems to be ever faster paced, and technology seems to require that we spend more and more of our time in a cyberworld, what does the future hold? If it's an intensification of the same, think what an impact Hein's rail trail vision will have when realized — the open skies above and the fresh air, the chance to wander in nature at our own pace, the means to explore quiet corners of our beautiful terrain. The list could be endless.

A fully realized rail trail will transform normal daily life for us and for our descendants beyond what we can imagine at present.

The Rev. Susan Auchincloss,
Priest Associate
Trinity Episcopal Church
Saugerties


Hein Right To Veto Parete's Propane Plan?

Kudos to County Executive Mike Hein for vetoing Ulster County Legislature Resolution 314A. This resolution called for the allocation of $25,000 for a pilot program to retrofit five transport vans from the Sheriff's Office to run on liquid petroleum gas (liquid propane). This poorly-thought-out plan was seen as a step towards the utilization of alternative fuels for county vehicles and the development of a green fleet policy. The resolution was not supported by the Legislature's Environmental Committee and was opposed by a dozen environmental groups. As one speaker said, this was a "Trojan horse" that simply perpetuated the use of fossil fuels derived from fracking, rather than seeking true alternatives.

The environmental agenda put forth from Hein's office is a policy that will begin the process of converting county vehicles. The proposal includes 12 new plug-in electric car charging stations, with all newly purchased sedans being hybrid plug-in electric vehicles. In addition the entire UCAT bus fleet will be converted to a biodiesel fuel mix.

Creating a total conversion to green vehicles is a long-term project that requires a step-wise, cost-effective approach that considers all options.

Thanks again to Hein for pointing us in the right direction.

Mike Harkavy
Saugerties


Stop Squabbling & Fight ISIS!

Our politicians who were elected to represent and protect us look like a bunch of squabbling school kids. ISIS and its leaders must surely be having a good laugh at our attempts to stop it in its tracks. The most important issue on the minds of politicians right now should be our national security. Everything else can be dealt with after. The United States and the world are on borrowed time right now.

Hitler was left to reign far too long before World War II, and we know the carnage he created. ISIS will make Hitler look like a very ordinary soldier if it is not stopped.

Please politicians of all parties, stop trying to make the opposition look bad for your own ego. Unite for this cause as our free world is at stake.

Pat Keane
New Windsor


The Time To Protect Small Farms Is Now!

State funding to protect family farms has been slashed 52 percent since the Great Recession in 2008. This means that family farmers often have no choice but to sell their land to developers who transition local farms into urban sprawl — shopping malls, McMansions and parking lots.

When these state funds are slashed, we all lose.

The American Farmland Trust (AFT) is leading a ground game to advocate in your state so the governor and state legislatures don't slash our family farms.

One example of our work in action is the urgent campaign we spearheaded in 2014 for Maryland. Maryland has the third highest rate of farmland loss in the country — losing nearly 20,000 acres of farmland a year to hungry developers. Maryland's proposed 2014 budget cut funding for farmland protection in half by $23 million dollars. In response, we mobilized grassroots support to urge state legislators to restore full funding for family farms in the budget before it goes before the governor.

But our work is never done. Now, we are right back in the same fight for family farmers in the 2015 budget process. With your help we can secure long-term security for family farmers nationwide.

Can we — and the family farmers who count on us — count on you? If you believe in the No Farms No Food message, and that every state should step up to the plate to protect land and keep farmers farming, stand with us. The future of our nation's precious farms, open spaces and priceless resources depends on it.

Jim Baird, Mid-Atlantic Director
American Farmland Trust



Gutter Gutter






Gutter