Children have been one third of the casualties in the Israeli war against the Gazans. I'm not even certain that this can be called a war. I've heard media-talk about Israel being charged with war crimes for its behavior.
I doubt that any reader knows any Gazans personally. There aren't too many of them in the world. This makes it difficult to imagine their faces or feel their hurts. They're pretty much in the same place the Jews used to occupy, that is, being people without a country. I think this contributed to making the Jews transparent victims in the eyes of the world during the slaughters of the last century...which wasn't very long ago.
I wonder what it's like for generals planning military action that includes a civilian population? Are the number of available hospitals, doctors and cemeteries taken into consideration when estimating the injured, the dead and their burials? I heard on public radio that the Israelis were bombing the graveyards in Gaza. This might be a strategy that allows the cemeteries to be reused so that newly-dead can be buried there. I don't think the coffins of children take up as much room as the coffins of adults. Maybe you can get three children into the same grave that an adult would inhabit.
I overheard one of my neighbors talking in public the other day. She was telling a friend of mine that in light of the horrors of this war, that maybe Israel shouldn't exist. I told her to keep it to herself. After-all, I said, the country was created after WWII to be a refuge for persecuted people and has a perfect right to exist. I was shocked nonetheless. I didn't think any gentile would dare say something like that within earshot of a Jew.
It's been over 60 years now that Israel has been tussling with its neighbors. I'm sorry that it's come to this. I remember Jews in New York City when I was a boy. They would deal with any subject and try to remain compassionate, charitable and wise. Perhaps if the Israelis would allow foreign journalists into Gaza we'd get a clearer picture of the war and a better understanding of why it's necessary to kill civilians in such a big proportion to the number of fighters. To be honest, I don't think the Israelis are Jewish, at least not like American Jews.
Bart Friedman
Saugerties
CURING CANCER
Imagine someone you loved was dying of cancer and has been told to get their things in order, there is nothing that can be done. Now also imagine that you know of a medicine that you can provide yourself. One that might just cure this loved one of yours. The only problem is that medicine is illegal. Would you still go through with it?
This is what is happening in America every day. Right here in Ulster County! Hurley residents Joe Barton and Jay Debberman were arrested and are facing serious jail and fines for doing just that. Providing someone they care about something that is helping him. And it was working! The terminal cancerous tumor in his throat is shrinking.
The medicine is marijuana. It is a concentrated tincture that is taken orally. This is nothing short of a medical miracle. One that our government has known about since 1974, when they did studies on THC and cancer. The studies over the last several years have also been encouraging and back up this anecdotal evidence.
All of this sounds to good to be true? I thought so as well and have been researching and learning about marijuana as a medicine for cancer. Not just something that helps one deal with the treatment. But a substance that shrinks and kills cancerous tumors! A list of research, studies and stories can be found at: http://nynorml.org/news.html and a great story that inspired all of this called Run From The Cure can be found at: http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/5169.html
Please do some research and find this out for yourselves. Does marijuana cause cancer? Nope, but it might just cure it!
Robert Robinson
Kingston
FRESH KILLS ON THE JOWLS
It looks as though Woodstock has made history once again. This time it has nothing to do with rock and roll and no, we haven't thought of a way to impeach Bush yet. This unprecedented moment was formulated and stewed in the cauldron of our own local legislature: The Woodstock Town Board. Three council members unceremoniously dumped four members of volunteer boards so they could seat a couple of their buddies. Four in one swoop! Never happened before. It looks like an early spring cleaning is underway for some political paybacks.
You may recall that two members of the ethics board had been dismissed, in a way that apparently violated the town's own law by Wenk, Collins and Simonson, over a legal technicality that could have seen a much more benign resolution. Instead of following advice of counsel and without any fanfare, a comrade of theirs who had lost a bid for election on the local Democratic committee along with Wenk and Collins, was chosen to replace one of the ethics board members who had beaten them for that very same Democratic committee seat. Then, mysteriously, they dumped a third volunteer from the ethics board who had a very positive track record of volunteerism. No reason, just a tepid resolution amounting to a "thanks, and don't let the door hit you on the way out." Lovely.
With the kill fresh on their jowls, they then dumped the long time chair of the Woodstock Environmental Commission in favor of another defeated Democratic Committee hopeful and local gadfly who had given the council members lots of airtime on his flyblown public access show. Please. Could this gang of Simonson, Wenk and Collins be any more transparent? They finally find their nerve and this is how they decide to use their self proclaimed majority vote?
They chose not to negotiate for an educational channel in a timely manner, not to pursue cell phone service in the western district, not to find a solution for a town hall, not to enact a wellhead or wetland protection law, not to finally "green" our municipal fleet or not to follow up the countless unfulfilled campaign promises. No, after a full year of holding court, the gang that can't shoot straight decides to finally give some political paybacks. Good going guys. Thanks for taking care of business.
Gordon Wemp
Woodstock
THE CAUSE
Regarding Jeff Moran's not appointing Jay Wenk as Deputy Supervisor, Jay suspects that Jeff has "political Motives." I don't speak for our supervisor nor have I discussed this with him but perhaps Jeff just doesn't think that Jay is qualified to hold that position and is a disruptive rather than a productive member of the board. The town board certainly is not functioning as a unit and gets bogged down in discussions and issues that don't have anything to do with solving the real crucial problems of our town. No disrespect to Jay as a person or craftsman but he is most often the cause of the dysfunction.
Richard Fusco
Woodstock
PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
As someone who frequently joins MECR [Middle East Crisis Response) vigils, attends their educational presentations, and is a member of their mailing list/e-group, I was at first angered by the flurry of anti-MECR letters Woodstock Times published. Could it be true that members of my own community would revile us for exercising our right to protest?
Next I was perplexed. How is it that people who advocate violence can feel so much antipathy toward those who advocate peace? How can anyone believe that lethal weapons are acceptable but words should be condemned?
Then I was saddened. Surely these letter writers have not been reading the reports from newspapers and on-line news sites from other countries around the world, since how could anybody who was informed believe that the slaughter in Gaza (a tiny place, geographically much smaller than Ulster County) should continue? And I was horrified. How can ordinary - and ordinarily decent - folk think that the bombing of hospitals, schools and refugee camps, the deprivation of access to food, water and medicine, the sealing off of borders, and so on are logical steps toward peace? How can they hear the stories such as the one on NPR about the wounded children weeping and huddled around their dead mothers, see the photographs of the bloody, mutilated bodies of women, children, and grandparents, read the physicians' reports about receiving bags full of body parts, and conclude that the current policies of the Israel government - and the U.S. support for and funding of same - are justified, rational, productive, let alone necessary?
I feel ashamed. Because in the end, senseless condemnation shouldn't matter. Whatever the policies of the Israeli and U.S. governments, the peace movements in both countries - particularly in Israel itself - are strong: many in Israel risk their lives and livelihood and personal freedom for the possibility of peace. How can those of us who risk only the approbation of our neighbors (and perhaps surveillance) keep silent?
I try to maintain hope. I remember someone I recently read about, the Israeli peace advocate David Shulman - the founder of Ta'ayush, a group of Israelis and Palestinians who work for nonviolent solutions to ending the occupation and moving toward peace. (To those who called him traitorous, naive at best, Shulman acknowledged that there is "darkness" on both sides of the conflict, but declared that his concern must be with the darkness on his side.) I think, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could have such a group - of Jews, Muslims, Christians, other faiths, of believers and non-believers - who could form a Ta'ayush in our own community! A group whose members would work for an end to U.S. complicity in the violence in the Middle East. Who would ensure that full information and the voices from all sides of the conflict could reach the public. Who would pledge not to be silenced. Who would not be afraid to "speak truth to power."
Then I remember, ah but we do have such a group, and it is called MECR. Try to listen.
Mary MacArthur
West Hurley
HEALTH CARE FOR ALL A TAX BREAK, TOO
A Universal Health Care program could potentially reduce taxes by up to one third. We're talking about all taxes: Town, county, state, federal and property taxes!
Talk about an economic stimulus plan. But Obama will need his sharpest scalpel for this because it requires cutting health insurance companies out of the equation.
Imagine businesses large and small, school systems, and all levels of government not having to budget in outrageous health care premium costs! Sure, without high premiums, families and individuals get a break, but more importantly, lowered property taxes could help homeowners keep their homes and create more affordable housing for renters.
Businesses could stop being in the business of health care and get down to keeping employees and going green. Schools could spend more money on programs for students while maintaining smaller budgets. Physician groups, like Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), support health care reform and want to get back to the healing of patients instead of fighting insurance companies.
While costs of providing health care climbed 20 percent over a six-year period (2000-2006), health insurance premiums skyrocketed 87 percent during the same period. (Source: Employer Health benefits, 2006 Annual Survey, Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research & Education Trust, September 2006.)
Over the last 9 years, soaring premiums outpaced workers' earnings and overall inflation. The average worker now contributes about $3,354 per year for family health insurance while his employer contributes an additional $9,325 on top of that. (Source same as above)
As a nation, we already pay for the health care of those who need it the most while health insurance companies cover those who need it the least. So while insurance companies might deny those with pre-conditions, and fight or simply refuse coverage when people get seriously ill, taxpayers continue to foot high premiums for teachers, administrators, civil service workers and other government employees. Taxpayers also foot the bill for our veterans and military, our elderly, children in state heath care programs, those with disabilities, prisoners, and emergency response and care workers.
But the real kicker is, on top of all that, we pay the insurance companies again when they manage Medicare plans like prescription drug benefit plans for the elderly.
Where is all that money going? Not to hospitals in the red, and not to nurses working double shifts on skeleton crews. Instead, for every $1 trillion the government spends on healthcare about $400 billion goes into health insurance company coffers.
Humana, a health insurance provider, more than doubled its profits in 2007. Big enrollments in Humana's Medicare plans helped the company's revenue grow a whopping 54 percent, to $5.66 billion from the previous year. (Source: New York Times, Bloomberg Report, February 2007.)
Universal Health Care could be not only stimulating for the economy, but the foundation of real tax reform.
JoAnn Chamberlain
Woodstock
BENCH CRAFT
Most of you are aware that the anniversary of the death of our foremost peace activist, Jane VanDeBogart, is approaching - February 16. Kevin Cahill obtained a grant for a memorial bench to be placed on the Village Green and a committee was formed by Jeff Moran to seek ideas and designs. Since Jane was also a creative person who sewed fabulous art quilts, sang in the Bard chorus, practiced origami and so on, we think it only right that the wonderful craftspeople of Woodstock be given the opportunity to create the piece that will remind all who visit - and sit - on the Green to honor her indefatigable energy and concerns for human rights.
Its placement on the Green, subject to the extremes of weather and public use, requires that the design and materials be appropriate to this project. It is hoped that installation will take place during the spring. We are prepared to be overwhelmed by responses; the deadline for submissions is February 15. Your drawings and materials description should be mailed to 2401 Glasco Turnpike, Woodstock 12498. Call 679-2551 for any clarification.
Judith W. Chase for the committee
Woodstock
IT'S IN THE NUMBERS
The critics of the peace demonstrations at the Village Green are, of course, entitled to their opinion. They can characterize the group as "motley" and "Israel haters." They can claim that they need to get their history straight, that they are dupes falling for propaganda from "those who can gain from this heartbreaking conflict," that they are assisting Holocaust deniers. But this does not change the fact that the "kill ratio" is 1,300 to 13. These numbers speak for themselves.
Bill Campion
Mt. Tremper
TIME OF THE HEART
It's that time of year for one of Phoenicia's favorite new traditions! Come one, come all, to convivial Valentine-making sessions at the Phoenicia Library on Thursday, January 22, Monday January 26, and Thursday January 29, from 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m. All ages are welcome to gather 'round a table full of cards, stickers, ribbons and other embellishments to create unique Valentines. Each participant gets to keep one Valentine. The rest will be offered at the library and several local businesses to help raise money for the library. A donation of $1 is suggested. Stop by Debra Joe's, Key Bank, Margaret's Deli, Morne Imports, the Nest Egg, the Phoenicia Market, the Phoenicia Pharmacy, Phoenicia Wine & Liquors, Tender Land Home, and Ulster Savings Bank to choose among these beautiful collectible Valentines. All proceeds will help fund such Library projects as sending discarded books to soldiers overseas. Happy Valentine's Day!
Holly George-Warren,
Phoenicia Library Board
Phoenicia
TRAVEL GUIDE CONTINUES The new Board of the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and Arts has decided to not publish the 2009 edition of the yearly Guide to Woodstock previously distributed for the past eight years.
We are the team who has put this publication together the past four years and feel that it is important to publish a comprehensive commemorative 40th anniversary issue celebrating the 1969 Festival of Music & Arts. 1969 was a notable Woodstock scene with artists, musicians and creative people responsible for the festival happening. We want to create an inclusive publication to distribute widely, showing Woodstock's unique makeup. Support from the community will make this a collector's item that we plan to publish in May of this year. Join us in putting the best face of Woodstock to the outside world! If you are interested in participating in this project, call 845-679-5495.
Pat Horner
Larry Lawrence
Woodstock
THE INSANITY OF NATIONS
I applaud Steve Joseph's letter concerning Israel and Gaza. Instead of arguing about the accuracy of occupation dates, why don't we examine the insanity in the year 2009 of so-called democratic governments and countries sending their armies to slaughter human beings? To see the pictures of men, women and children, and the hundreds, and now over a thousand, killed, maimed and crippled for life, is heart-wrenching. This will do nothing but increase hatred. How can we not hear the voices of Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., the Dalai Lama and others? We need leaders with a vision of peace and understanding who, when attacked, can skillfully and humanely negotiate lifesaving solutions. It is possible. Loss of life should not be countered with more hatred and killing. We, as human beings, should have the intelligence to rise above this hatred and meet its challenge with intelligent and powerful solutions.
Jesse Reimer
Woodstock
CABLE ACCESS PETITION
Despite the fact that Time Warner earns huge profits on the cable business in Woodstock, many people living in outlying areas of the town are deprived access to cable services due to the cost of the investment of installing the cable line in these areas.
An ad-hoc committee has been formed to petition Time Warner to provide cable access services uniformly so that all residents of Woodstock can have access to cable services including high-speed Internet access, cable television, and cable telephone service.
We are collecting a list of residents, who are not able to access cable services and are interested in subscribing to cable service if it would be available to them. There are residents on Hutchin Hill Road, Mink Hollow Road, Silver Hollow Road and West Saugerties Road that we know are not able to obtain service.
There may be other residents of Woodstock who are not on these roads but also may not have access to cable service and we are interested in hearing from them as well. If you are in an underserved area, please let us know and contact your neighbors and let them know we need them in this project.
Anyone who resides in Woodstock and cannot access cable service, please contact us as soon as possible if you are interested in joining us in this petition. Please e-mail, call or fax us. We will need your name, address, and telephone number. If you can provide an e-mail address or fax number, we will be better able to keep you informed on our progress.
We can meet with you to obtain your signature on the petition or we can mail, fax or e-mail a form for you to sign. Call 679-6019 or email Shady-Bearsville@live.com.
Linda Dubilier
John Crowley
Peter Schoenberger
Jim Dougherty
Woodstock
CROSSFIRE NATION
What if one day, Americans woke up to find the government had changed our flag from the stars and stripes to a large cross? From then on, the United States would be a Christian nation, with rights and privileges only for those believing in Jesus Christ.
Any Christian immigrating to the U.S. would be automatically made a citizen and non-Christians would be encouraged to leave. If they didn't, they would be gathered up and put into large prison camps, surrounded by huge concrete walls, and patrolled by Christian troops. There would be hundreds of checkpoints even in these camps where non-Christians would have to wait to show their identity cards. There would be separate roads and different colored license plates, depending on whether you were Christian or not.
Non-Christian homes would be bulldozed to make way for new Christian "settlements," gradually shrinking the land available for those of the wrong faith. Leaders of non-Christian groups would routinely be labeled terrorists, and our government would start firing missiles into their homes, often killing whole families.
The Christian church would be transformed into a political arm of the government, using historical persecution of Christians to justify the ethnic cleansing of other faiths. Any criticism of America would be labeled anti-Christian.
The rest of the world would soon condemn America as an apartheid state, holding massive rallies against us. And Christians in other countries would face rising prejudice simply because America had become a pariah nation.
Fred Nagel
Rhinebeck
RESPECT LEASH LAWS
Woodstock Times' January 15 issue carried a sad story about a dog that had gotten off his leash and tried to take down a young deer innocently grazing on private property, and in an attempt to protect the deer, the property owner shot and accidentally killed the dog. This story brought back disturbing memories of a similar nature.
It was a beautiful summer afternoon over ten years ago when our family cat was killed practically in our own back yard by two dogs whose owner we later learned, had repeatedly ignored pleas to keep them adequately fenced in. It seemed our cat was not the sole victim of this wandering duo.
What was most disturbing at the time was that the laws protecting animals and people are not strongly enforced and the punishment did not seem punitive enough. A small fine and reimbursement for vet bills was almost an insult. The owner threw up his hands and professed, what else could he do, they kept getting out. I guess one has to do whatever it takes to ensure that others rights are not at risk where animals are involved.
To be clear, I also love dogs and understand their desire to run free as well as their natural instinct to chase other animals. But that is why leash laws need to be observed. They protect us and our pets. I am very sorry for that loss that Rocco's owner is now experiencing. Losing a family member is very painful.
Francine Hollander
Woodstock
MESCAL'S MESSAGE
You all know that Woodstock lacks affordable housing. Needs it especially so that the folks who work here can also live here with their families. Actually the community needs some young families. We need affordable housing, not the kind of housing that can only be afforded by those who have made it.
We know that building of any kind and anywhere is going to create noise, and inconvenience to those near the construction site for a period of time. Most of us have lived where houses were being built. How else could it be done? We know that RUPCO is dependable and can be trusted to see that the integrity of the land will be preserved.
We also know that when anything new is proposed there will be those who oppose. It seems to be a part of some people's nature. We need to point out to these folks that some of the finest things in our community were bitterly opposed by some. If these opponents had had their way there would be God knows what instead of the houses in the Bearsville Flats, no housing up the hill behind the Post Office for elderly and handicapped, and (did you know it?) no Bradley Meadows shopping Center "because the ground there was too wet and unstable."
We have been deprived of things we should have had because of vociferous and spurious objections but I won't try to explain that. Anyway let us encourage the development of what will be a really fine for Woodstock if the plans go through.
Mescal Hornbeck
Woodstock
OUR NEW POTUS BARACK OBAMA May we now refer to him as our Dual Heritiage President and drop the labels. We are one. Yes we can.
Lanee' Barra
Woodstock
INAUGURATION DAY
Tuesday morning - my eyes opened at 7:10 a.m. just as the pink light of the rising sun spread over the otherwise white and blue landscape that I'd been waking to since the snow covered my field. The crescent moon was still directly overhead and it was still. The only movement was of the birds, sitting on their branches and fluttering their wings, as if in anticipation of taking off into a gentle sky, to soar above all that will soon to be left behind us. It's clear to me, that they are saying "This is the Day."
It was so still that I could feel the tightness in my chest release, and I wondered if it was my heart, unclenching for the first time in eight years. "My country, tis of thee, sweet land of liberty..." - liberty to once again speak freely of what I believe without fear of being tracked down and punished for daring to speak my truth.
The good in my countrymen and women's hearts can from this day on be released, and we can once again work together for our higher aspirations - to revere our precious Mother Earth and protect her, without fear of retribution from those who see her only as a money pit to be dug dry and lifeless. We can now follow in our new leader's footsteps and leave most of our differences behind, while we rebuild our country together. Despite the full recognition that the coming months and years will present hardships that even my generation has yet to see, I welcome them, because although they may demand more of me, I will face them with my family, friends, and neighbors as we share our common goals that aspire to goodness instead of selfishness.
Once again, or maybe for the first time, we can truly understand what was meant when the brilliant founders of our country said: "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator (whoever he, she or it is) with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
So, friends and neighbors, let's take joy in the task at hand. I can't think of a better community in which to pursue this goal.
Jill Paperno
Glenford
I CALL ON JEFF MORAN TO STOP WASTE AND LOWER THE TAXES
Dear Mr. Moran: Let me start by my attendance at a local Christmas party. The big room was packed with people, but at age 52 I was the youngest person there. It looked more like a nursing home festivity than Xmas party and I soon began to wonder when the next Bingo game will start. Woodstock is aging, young people are disappearing because they cannot afford to pay the high property taxes. Is this what we want?
Home prices dropped down dramatically and yet school and property taxes went up. Unbelievable! Why do we need Woodstock Elementary school teachers who get paid well in excess of $100,000 a year? When this town set out to rebuild the Town Hall for an exorbitant two million dollars, I wrote a letter protesting and I also protested the way the vote in favor of renovation had been conducted. It was ill advertised and I believe illegal. Then the so-called architect for the project was given $150,000 to draw the plans and soon the project was scrapped. That $150,000 was our money and we should get it back. Waste is everywhere in Woodstock and I could go on for pages describing it. Mr. Moran, I call upon you to make a change for the better in this town!
Taxpayers are struggling to pay their taxes - we can no longer afford to reimburse town employees 55 cents a mile for use of their private cars. We cannot afford the salary increases that were voted when everyone is losing their jobs. You must review the 2009 budget line by line and make cuts. I call upon you to show leadership - set the example that the town government actually cares about its people. Act so that the taxpayers cease to equate the term "public service" with "public exploitation."
Give us something back for our money and stop wasting it. Find the way to make a secession from Onteora School District which is the biggest money pit. Without Woodstock money that giant will crumble down like Goliath and we will all dance on its grave. If you do not succeed I will be after you in the next election, I will run against you and I will win. Remember that I am the Golem of Prague and I will work for nothing to make the change.
Jan Halaska
Lake Hill
MORAL BANKRUPTCY
In last week's Times there appeared letters justifying Israel's attack on Gaza by Meyer Rothberg, Joan and Sanford Krotonberg, Jay Cohen and Walter Brighton. The common logic of these letters is Zionism, which identifies the true destiny of Jews as the formation and defense of the Jewish State of Israel in historic Palestine. Since this project demands racist aggression, Zionism becomes a morally and intellectually bankrupt effort to defend the indefensible.
Meanwhile, the state of Israel grows more barbaric, now brutally revealed in the attack on Gaza. After its beating at the hands of Hizbullah in 2006, the Israeli power structure vowed "Never Again!" and decided to ratchet up its aggression for the next episode, using the overwhelming fire-power donated by its patron, our own United States, as well as the shield of impunity provided by AIPAC's control over the government and official media. The victim was to be the arch-enemy, Hamas, and the idea was to avoid having one's soldiers chewed up by guerrilla street-fighters. This required the exercise of massive overkill. Thus the impressive 100 to 1 death rate (with about half of Israeli casualties from friendly fire).
But thus also the awful unfolding of history. For years, critics have observed resemblances between Israeli aggression and that of the Third Reich, only to be shouted down by fierce accusations of anti-Semitism. But in Gaza, the IDF has unmistakingly morphed into the Wehrmacht, and the Palestinians, into Nazism's Jewish victims. If you doubt us (and have a strong stomach) look at the images on
The real proof of this connection is in the streets, as world-wide protest surges against "the only democracy in the Middle East." Most remarkably, Jews are breaking with Zionism and coming out against the Jewish State with unprecedented militancy. Did you know that Jews - sometimes alone, sometimes with Arabs and others - have in recent days occupied Israeli Consulates in Toronto, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston? Have you seen Sir Gerald Kaufman, British MP, on You Tube, recalling in Parliament his Orthodox background and Zionist upbringing, identifying the Nazi character of modern Israel, and demanding an arms embargo against it?
The (not so) honorable Ehud Olmert observed in 2007 that should the "Two-State" process fail, the people of the United States would finally tire of Israel, remove its shield of impunity, and install a "South African solution." And then, Olmert added, "Israel is finished." Well, the two-state process lies in ruins thanks to the aggression necessary to maintain the racial purity of Israel. The next step is up to us.
Joel Kovel, Willow; Fred Nagel, Rhinebeck; Gail Miller, Woodstock; Tarak Kauff, Woodstock
CAROLINE FOR SENATE
Does the U.S Senate really need another professional politician slug who has slimed through the N.Y. Democratic political machine?
Why not try a new person with some breeding, character, and intelligence who is independently wealthy and cannot be bought by special interest groups? Caroline Kennedy would be a breath of fresh air in the U. S. Senate.
H. Clark Bell, former N.Y.S. Assemblyman
Woodstock
IN ISRAEL'S DEFENSE
In a recent letter to Woodstock Times, Phil Sullivan interprets the "laws of war" as requiring "that retaliation acts against enemy civilians do not exceed the damage to a nation's civilians by the enemy." In actuality, no war has ever been fought like that, and, for that matter, could not be. Who would evaluate what counts as damage, and who would do the counting? A more serious issue is his implicit assumption that Israel sought to retaliate against civilians. Tragically, Palestinian civilians were killed and injured, but, unlike Hamas's terrorist goals in firing rockets and missiles indiscriminately into Israel, the Israel Defense Forces sought to minimize civilian casualties, even at grave risk to themselves.
Given Hamas's shameful practice of using mosques, schools and homes to store weapons and as places of refuge, as well as by their even more insidious, well-documented practice of firing guns and mortars from within, or adjacent to, such structures, it was impossible to prevent harm to the civilian population. One would think that Mr. Sullivan's rules of war would forbid hiding among the civilian population and using them as human shields, but he makes no mention of it. Nor does he address the cause of the war: the more than 6,000 rockets and mortars fired into Israeli population centers since Israel voluntarily exited Gaza in 2005.
Moreover, neither Mr. Sullivan nor Ms. Jane Toby, in her letter preceding his, in which she tells us her "thoughts [are] with the children of Gaza," have a single word to say about the deaths of Israelis and the psychological damage to children who have had to endure years of cowering in bomb shelters and worrying about being killed or maimed. Apparently, Ms. Toby is unable to find any relevance in "the deep moral teachings" she claims to "learn about in Torah studies at the Woodstock Jewish Congregation" to the plight of Jewish victims.
The tendency to demonize Israel is not new. Much of it is based on sheer ignorance, as in Mr. Sullivan's claim that Israel grabbed parts of Palestine in the late 1940s and early '50s and ejected its population. Putting aside the Jews' immemorial connection with the land of Palestine, Israel's right to exist and the right of Jews to settle, not just in Israel proper, but in the West Bank and in Gaza, which are part of the Palestinian Mandate of the League of Nations - the precursor of the United Nations - is absolutely legal under international law.
Israel, like any other country, has a right - indeed, an obligation - to defend its citizens. If Hamas refuses to honor the cease fire initiated by Israel and if it continues to import increasingly more powerful weapons, as unfortunately it has sworn to do, the battle will resume. But it will not be Israel's fault, and the onus for civilian casualties in Gaza will rest squarely on the shoulders of the Hamas terrorists.
Rowan Dordick
Saugerties
SOUND BITE VS. SUBSTANCE
The fact that folks are searching for a catch-phrase in President Obama's speech misses the point. The speech was meant to be heard in its entirety, to be absorbed.
Catch-phrases have been the propriety of the many who have not listened to substance. Let's remember how dire our circumstances are and adhere to the idea of substance.
Chip Brill
Bearsville
RUPCO letters
SHOULD OR SHOULDN'T? In response to Arthur DiNapoli MD, PHD, letter...Arthur, since being diagnosed with systemic sarcoidosis and being totally disabled, housing was a real problem...especially after ending my 30-year marraige in divorce. Social Security being my only income was a scary way to live. Fortunately, I live in Woodstock Meadows, a subsidized complex, that I waited three years for an apartment. So, I imagine there is a genuine need for housing here in Woodstock. But If I thought another animal was going to give his life for an apartment, I'd have to agree - there is a better way. I'm with you...it shouldn't be built.
Thomas J. Bourke, RN, BS,
NClin Woodstock
12 UNITS FOR ARTISTS
RUPCO recognizes that artists are the shapers and interpreters of cultural values - tradition-bearers, idea generators, change agents, and social entrepreneurs. We value the contributions of artists as an important component of the independent workforce, which generates economic benefits for artists themselves and also for the communities in which they live. RUPCO is committed to the development of innovative affordable housing opportunities to support artistic expression and enterprise, and to promote inclusiveness and diversity as a key opportunity in the stewardship of artists' communities. We believe that housing for artists is an essential strategy to enhance and preserve community character, to the advancement of culture and the acceleration of innovation and achievement.
For Woodstock, the legendary "colony of the arts," RUPCO has proposed Woodstock Commons - a community of clustered, village scale development of mixed housing types proposed for a 28 acre undeveloped infill site known as Bradley Meadows. The site, served by municipal water and sewer, is located steps away from the shopping district and galleries found in the hamlet of Woodstock. Woodstock Commons will provide a range of new housing choices for Woodstock, including 20 units of rental housing for seniors and 33 rental units for working families - a total of 53 units of green, mixed tenure, intergenerational housing.
Here is some important news for Woodstock artists: Modifications to the federal Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) adopted in August 2008 will now permit RUPCO to establish a preference for a percentage of these new energy efficient homes to be reserved for artists. Specifically, these modifications to HERA help to clarify "the public use test" and explicitly allow tax credit developments to establish tenancy preferences for persons who are involved in artistic or literary activities. The most immediate beneficial impact of these new regulations will be that as many as 12 of the 53 homes at Woodstock Commons may be reserved for people engaged in artistic or literary efforts.
In Woodstock, many have suggested that a truly livable community is a place where people value and support the contributions of artists. RUPCO is proud to bring this opportunity to improve the quality of life for artists in Woodstock through affordable housing, and hopes that local investment in the arts will strengthen the local creative economy.
Guy Thomas Kempe, RUPCO
Kingston
SOME TRUTHS ABOUT RUPCO'S HOUSING In last week's RUPCO article, RUPCO said, "They pointed out according to projections by the traffic engineers, the amount of traffic will remain low, even on Playhouse Lane."
What they left out is what that projection was. Their DEIS says a projected 530 vehicle trips will go in and out of the entrance on Playhouse Lane. That's every day. If that kind of traffic was going past your house, would you say that was low?
Also, in the article, it said, "The RUPCO officials noted that instead of seeking any Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) plan, they were going to pay taxes like any other property owners in town, in accordance with New York State law."
What they left out is what the law actually says. The law says their taxes will be based on their rental income, so if their rents are low, their taxes will be low. Their own DEIS says the total increase for both Woodstock town taxes and school taxes would be almost 3 percent more in taxes. Do you want to pay more taxes?
As for property values in the neighborhood, RUPCO once again is missing the point. It's not that affordable housing will affect housing values; it's the traffic and community character that will affect the values. The appeal of the Playhouse Lane and surrounding roads are that they are quiet, infrequently traveled, with beautiful woods and wildlife habitat to look at and respect. If you were considering moving to the Playhouse Lane neighborhood as it is today vs. a neighborhood projected to be under construction for 18 months - dusty, noisy, full of lights 24 hours a day, full of traffic 24 hours a day, would you buy there? Doesn't that affect the values?
For these reasons and more, the Planning Board should say no to this project. Demand a better solution. Voice your concerns. Write to the Planning Board at planning@woodstockny.org.
Speak up at the Public Hearing Feb. 5 at 7 pm at the Community Center.
For more information, please visit www.woodstocksage.com
Iris York
Woodstock
WELCOME CHANGE
Among all of the arguments by those who oppose the Woodstock Commons project, one of the most curious is the claim that there is a singular "town character" that must be kept intact. Town character is not static, nor should it be defined by one group of people. And sometimes it needs to be reshaped to fit new realities.
It wasn't that long ago when many Woodstock residents were employed in small industries and forestry. When the Village and hamlets along Rt. 212 had grocery stores, which served as community gathering spots and sold products everyone needed and could afford. When local families lived here for generations. When you could walk in the woods without constantly stumbling upon yet another house, yet another fence and "no trespassing" sign.
Those characteristics are diminished now, replaced in part by a Woodstock where 65 percent of all properties are second homes. This "vacation community" trend elevates property values and rents, making it hard for many people (even some who work in town) to live here. Businesses are increasingly dependent on the summer and weekend population surge. And construction of single-family homes always seems acceptable - even when they are very large, located in forests and on mountains, diminish scenic views, and bring many new roads and driveways that fragment wildlife habitat.
RUPCO has opened a door for Woodstock to shift the town character yet again. This time we can make the choice to accommodate residents who are diverse in age, income, and livelihood, and who can actually afford to live here full-time. Importantly, we can take part in the kind of development - dense and energy-efficient, in the village center, with a small footprint and adherence to top green building standards - that towns everywhere are clamoring for and that the nation sorely needs.
We'll likely never return to the Woodstock of my childhood, and I certainly sympathize with the sense of loss experienced by the residents who live near the Woodstock Commons site. Yet current economic and environmental challenges demand that the town be willing to change. By welcoming the Woodstock Commons project and its future residents, we have the chance to help Woodstock be a more positive and vibrant place to live for a long time to come.
Nadia Steinzor
Willow
HANGING IN THE BALANCE
The issue of whether to construct Woodstock Commons is a question of balance. I appreciate the disruption that the people who live closest to the proposed project may face during the construction phase. I understand that they invested in their properties with a certain expectation of what the neighborhood would be like, and that it is about to change (though anyone who buys property next to privately owned land faces that risk).
But those disruptions are far outweighed by problems that affect the community as a whole, including the inflation in housing costs facing Woodstock's renters. The 2007 Ulster County Housing Survey shows a Woodstock vacancy rate of 3.5 percent. This matters because, according to the survey authors: "Housing professionals recognize a vacancy rate of 5 percent as an indicator of an optimally functioning rental housing market. A lower than average vacancy rate restricts tenant choice and mobility and gives landlords significant pricing power." That's borne out by the statistics: Ulster County has a 1.8 percent vacancy rate, and rents for 1-bedroom apartments increased an average of 40 percent from 1997-2007; inflation during the same period increased only 29 percent.
Of course, landlords deserve to make a profit. But we need to ask ourselves: do we want to live in a town that gives them inordinate power to price working people out of the rental market? The answer is yes if the town says no to the Woodstock Commons project.
The response from project opponents is that Woodstock Commons won't solve Woodstock's affordable housing problem because it would be open to people from across the state (a stipulation required by the project's funding sources). But they have not produced evidence that Woodstock Commons actually will draw people from all over New York. On the contrary, it's logical that people don't move across the state just for affordable apartments - they get affordable apartments in places where they have jobs, families, and friends. In other words, nearly everyone who will live in Woodstock Commons is already here or will come here because of their connections to Woodstock, just as many current residents have.
SAGE's solution to the lack of affordable housing is (according to its website) the construction of "newly constructed or refurbished houses [that] could be done over a 5-10 year period so as not to impact the town all at once." And a letter writer last week noted that 53 units was "just too big a project...Our town cannot accommodate such a large and immediate infusion of new residents."
Cannot or will not? If the last 10 years are a guide, rents are set to rise another 40 percent by 2018. Working families do not have 10 years to wait for Woodstock to build affordable housing in smaller units - especially if every time the town tries a new project, neighbors mount opposition based on self-interest.
I agree that the Woodstock Commons decision comes down to whether we can retain the character of our town. But character is more than how a place looks and feels. It's also about how a town treats hard-working people who don't have the good fortune to be able to purchase property here or afford current market-rate rents. Our character is indeed in the balance.
Steve Yoder
Willow
IN RESPONSE TO SUSAN GOLDMAN
Nothing galls me more than the condescending attitude of someone living in their ivory tower on umpteen acres of mountaintop passing judgment on us townsfolk. Susan Goldman told us how "lucky" we are to have escaped for so long the traffic and other atrocities that RUPCO will bring to our community. Her husband personally told me "what do you expect when you live in town?" Well, I sure don't expect my quality of life to be destroyed!
The fact is we bought our home here almost 30 years ago so that our children had a safe and lovely area to grow up in, a home close to their elementary school and walking distance to town where I was working. We were so happy it was also across from wetlands that were supposed to be forever wild where they could learn to appreciate undisturbed nature. It was owned by Howard St. John who toward the end of his life wanted to donate it in its entirety to the town. Unfortunately, he died before the town acted on it and his heirs saw only dollar signs.
Do you, Susan Goldman, consider yourself "lucky" to have escaped the cell towers, dried up wells, and hunting accidents for so long? Don't expect sympathy from us if that happens. After all what do you expect living on a mountain top?
Somewhere along the line in your misguided efforts to "give back" you lost your perspective. Open your eyes to the consequences of your actions. People are being hurt!
Paula Miller
Woodstock
RUPCO REALITIES
Responding to letters last week..."What does it mean for Woodstockers if we don't welcome Woodstock Commons?"
It means that we want a real solution. Are we being threatened that this is it? Our only chance for affordable housing? Act now or it's gone? RUPCO supporters would like us to think so.
"A reduction from 81 units to 53 is a major change."
In any negotiation, room is always allowed. You start high, you go back and forth, you arrive at a median. No doubt RUPCO had several stages at the ready. Somewhere around 53 units is probably what they had in mind from the beginning. This is not a major change; this is us being manipulated.
"There will be more car traffic but not as much as you think."
The engineer estimates 28 trips in the morning, 42 in the afternoon? From 126 parking spaces? Over a 24-hour period? Even RUPCO admitted it would be 530 trips on a daily basis. Going directly onto 212. All day long.
"Outsiders moving in have always been a fear of SAGE members."
Just SAGE members? It should be a concern of every Woodstocker who needs affordable housing. It's a lottery. It's open to "the people of New York State" who qualify - all of New York State. And that's because our Affordable Housing Committee, instead of handling the task themselves, handed it over to RUPCO, and RUPCO has to open it to all the people of New York State. Very altruistic but what percentage of those 53 units will go to the Woodstockers that the Affordable Housing Committee was supposed to create housing for? That's what happens when you hand a problem off to a development company that has their own agenda.
"Does Woodstock need senior and work force housing?"
Absolutely. Is Woodstock going to get it with Woodstock Commons? Maybe a small percentage might, but the rest goes to other people from all over New York State. How does this solve Woodstock's affordable housing problem?
Judith Emilie
Woodstock
COME TOGETHER, RIGHT NOW, OVER WOODSTOCK COMMONS
Today while watching the coverage of the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the pre-Inauguration coverage of President Barack Obama, it heartened me to hear people reverberate a message of unification, of caring for each other and of taking up the task of community service, one quote by someone paraphrasing MLK summarized it for me perfectly; "Once we recognize the fact that we are one, we will not tolerate indifference toward anyone..."
As a Case Manager at RUPCO, people come to me every day for financial assistance. They are the working poor, they work in our restaurants, our public schools, they care for our elderly, our sick and disabled, they have families. No matter how many hours they work at their minimum wage positions, they cannot afford to live in the very communities they serve. Many are senior citizens. It's a shame. They call each day seeking affordable housing and it is my job to tell them: There is none.
I would also like to dispute Mr. Miller's letter of January 12, (RUPCO Debacle"), as he made many untrue statements, but to the one criticism echoed in all of the letters opposing Woodstock Commons last week, "It will damage pristine wetlands that should not be touched or encroached on," I say this: I lived next door to the so-called "pristine wetland." I would venture to say that many who call it that have never even walked it. I did, daily with my dog for the year and a half that I lived there. It was strewn with trash, plastic bottles and debris, plastic tarps clogged streams and I often stumbled upon feces from the humans who had the misfortune of having no choice but to live there.
A conservationist and avid nature lover myself, I asked many questions before siding with the plan for Woodstock Commons and all of my concerns were aptly addressed in the DEIS report. The report states that the condition of the wetlands today is mostly poor. But more to the point, the concerns over whether wetlands will be damaged by Woodstock Commons is fully addressed in the DEIS report and posted on the RUPCO website. There is also a hard copy at the Library and Town Hall, yours for the reading. It clearly states, "Woodstock Commons poses no threat to wildlife, any endangered or threatened species. No loss or impairment to the function and benefits of wetlands will occur at Bradley Meadows." For more detailed information and for any naysayer, I suggest you take the time to read the report before you falsely condemn.
I have heard for years now about plans to utilize existing buildings. In terms of whether RUPCO'S proposed project could be "more Woodstock," the Commons model is communal. Remember that term from the good old 60's? It turns out it is more practical, economically feasible, with less impact on the environment if community members can share resources like, public space, gardens, services, and be better served by point of residence public transportation, etc. With our service providers already stretched thin, do we really need to "scatter" additional residents? The location of Woodstock Commons is perfect for people who will rely on Public transportation, or who need to walk to town for goods and services. With 20 units set aside for seniors, I would surmise that many residents would not own cars.
Lastly, I was sickened by the ad placed by Sage, I won't even address the "lottery" analogy as not to give it credence. But people should know that as part of the plan, tenants will have the opportunity to buy out RUPCO. We are a not for profit with a good history of renovating and building affordable housing, I don't know of any of my clients who have "lots of money in the bank." The most heinous thing slipped into that ad was, "Demand a Woodstock solution to a Woodstock problem." In my work with the disadvantaged I have heard that tone many times and what it really means is, let's make sure we get to choose "the right people" to live in our town. I'm glad for one it's finally out in the open - SAGE's concern for the environment is thinly veiled racism.
In the spirit of looking after those with a marginal voice, I beg for your faith in the fact that Woodstock Commons could work for the benefit of us all and for your support (or at least your informed opinions) at the upcoming public hearing on February 5.
Carol Buskey, Program Services Case Manager, RUPCO
Woodstock
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