The River Reporter Online - Letters to the Editor

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The River Reporter welcomes letters on all subjects from its readers. They must be signed and include the correspondent's phone number. The correspondent's name and town will appear at the bottom of each letter; titles and affiliations will not, unless the correspondent is writing on behalf of a group.

Letters are printed as they are received, or at the discretion of the editor, and without correction to grammar or spelling. It is requested they be limited to 500 words; correspondents may be asked to cut longer letters. Deadline is 1:00 p.m. on Monday.

Kudos to Lumberland for the great job they did at Litterpluck on May 6th. A well-organized group of Lions and environmental members divided the town roads, marked off maps, and handed out orange hats and vests. Hot dogs and soda were served to make a festive occasion out of a very tedious job. By 12 noon the town roads were spotless. Let's hope it stays that way.

Many thanks to the residents, groups, clubs and highway department of Lumberland for such a special job and to the Lions and Environmental Council for sponsoring and organizing such a successful cleanup.

As the Village of Monticello Mayor, I have been directed by a resolution of the Village Board of May 1, 2000 to request that you look into the circumstances surrounding the April 14, 2000 agreement between Park Place Entertainment Corp. and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.

This agreement seems at this time to have torpedoed the chances for the timely development of a casino on the site of the Monticello Racetrack located in the Village of Monticello.

Just recently the Department of the Interior had approved the application for a St. Regis Mohawk Casino on 29 acres next to the Monticello Raceway site located in the Village of Monticello and the village was anticipating a positive decision by Governor Pataki.

The application before the Bureau of Indian Affairs has been proceeding since approximately 1996. Now it seems that the entire project may be derailed.

A $12,000,000,000 lawsuit bas been initiated by members of the tribe alleging among other things that Park Place Entertainment Corporation and its president Arthur Goldberg engaged in a course of conduct in which they fraudulently misrepresented to the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council the nature and effect of entering into an agreement giving to Park Place exclusive gaming rights with the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe. There has also been commenced a Supreme Court action in Nassau County by President R.C. Regis Management Company against the same people also alleging similar conduct. Recent newspaper articles seem to indicate that Park Place Entertainment Corporation's real intention is not to build but to block any casino in Sullivan County.

The residents of Monticello and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe have worked cooperatively for years providing needed information and developing appropriate traffic and environmental remedies. The village looks forward to significant job opportunities for its residents and a substantial revenue stream for local government.

The village is calling upon the Attorney General to examine the issues involved so as to protect the residents of the Village of Monticello, Town of Thompson, County of Sullivan and State of New York.

After having so generously laid out the welcome mat for a 6,000,000-pound gorilla, it is sad and a little ludicrous to see the Mayor of Monticello, the county legislative leader and the town supervisor acting as though they were still in charge. They can't back the new casino deal. Ho Hum.

It's as laughable as was the spectacle of the Thompson Supervisor responding to The Cappelli Organization's unilateral decision to stop paying for water for The Concord by lecturing, "That's the way we do things around l here."

The predatory gambling industry, with its virtually limitless resources and atrophied sense of fairness and decency is now clearly in charge.

All that stands between them and total control of the area is the Constitution of The State of New York which our governor seems determined to scuttle.

I am writing this letter as a follow-up to our meeting on Friday, April 28, 2000, at the Town of Thompson Town Hall.

You are all well aware of the fact that I have been one of the most outspoken supporters of your efforts to establish a gaming casino at the site of the Monticello Raceway, located in the Village of Monticello, Town of Thompson and County of Sullivan. I have been in constant touch with the governor of the State of New York, as well as numerous other local, state and federal officials in an effort to expedite the procedure involved in this project.

I cannot over-emphasize the fact that my continued support to have your Tribe operate a gaming casino here in Sullivan County is predicated upon all of the time, effort and money expended to have that casino located at the Monticello Raceway. The recent approval of your application to locate a casino at the Monticello Raceway site by the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, brings that proposal extremely close to final approval. Any change in the proposed site would cause delays for three or four years, with no guaranty of approval.

I strongly oppose any type of action that would attempt to change the site of the proposed casino. My constituents want a casino now, not promises of something that may happen some time in the distant future. It is obvious that you will receive no local support for any attempts by you to change the location of the proposed casino. This is especially true since the Federal Government has already approved the Monticello Raceway site.

The best interests of your Tribe, as well the residents of Sullivan County, would be served by your reconsidering your recent agreement with Park Place Entertainment. I suggest that you take such action which is necessary to allow you to live up to your exisiting commitments to your proposed Monticello Raceway Casino.

You may be assured of my continued cooperation in making the Monticello Raceway Casino a reality.

Sullivan West proms will take place the weekend of May 12. Help keep our students safe.

I've just learned that St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church in Narrowsburg has again been desecrated.

The statue of Jesus Christ had a bow placed in one hand, a hunting knife in the other and arrows strapped across the back. The statue of Saint Francis had a gun strapped to the hand holding the crucifix.

I assume the person committing these hate crimes is mentally ill and unable to control his behavior. Perpetrators of hate crimes are impotent. Their feelings of power come from sharing the cowardly deeds with others.

I believe one or more persons know the identity of the perpetrator. Why are you silent? Is it because you don't want to make waves? If so, the choice you have made is to accept religious desecration rather than experience social discomfort. Are you silent because the perpetrator is a "friend" or relative? If so, get him help. Are you silent because it is not your church that has been desecrated and therefore, you are safe? History tells us different.

If none of the above means anything to you, think of all the tourist dollars that will be lost when Narrowsburg becomes Sullivan County's showcase of hate crime.

Here we are, in the quiet little hamlet of Narrowsburg where we so often hear "nothing ever happens here"!

Well, as many of you have read in "Letters to the Editor" column, a few weeks ago a very serious and upsetting situation took place at St. Francis Xavier Church. Our religious statues were desecrated with mustaches glued to the faces of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and our patron saint, St. Francis Xavier.

However, the culprit(s) was not satisfied and obviously didn't think (?) this Catholic bashing was sufficient and so, once again, this past Tuesday night (May 2nd), this evil thinking character, was at work once again!

Regardless of the fact that we are in the second week of Easter, which should be a very joyous time for all Christians, again our statues at St. Francis Xavier Church have been vandalized in the most sickening and degrading manner anyone could ever imagine.

On Good Friday, we are reminded that Jesus was crucified and crowned with thorns as he was mocked and ridiculed. Our Sacred Heart of Jesus statue was "crowned" with Indian feathers and a hunting knife taped to his hand.

This is but one of the dreadful offenses that were committed by the person or persons as they trespassed on private property as this "hate crime" was carried out.

It seems obvious that the sole purpose is to desecrate these very beautiful and valuable sacred statues which we revere and respect so much . . . . . And so we are sending you this following message:

At every Mass, we are praying for you that God will forgive you for the shame you have brought to our community.

By now everyone in Narrowsburg is aware of the second incident of vandalism at St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church. Such activity was once unheard of in this community. But such actions are encouraged when they are classified as humorous by those in authority such as N.C.S. art teacher Steve Layman. It is easy to understand why egg throwing at downtown buildings and cars and now desecration of religious statues is becoming consistent and unchallenged in Narrowsburg.

Who else besides Father Thomas Jones and church members is offended by the vandalism? Have parents challenged or investigated the activities of young people who arrive home in the a.m. hours? Have school officials considered suspension of Mr. Layman who, by his insensitive remarks in The River Reporter, has minimized the impact of these acts and allegedly set a bad judgment example for students while surveying this latest mindless, unchristian like act.

Town residents must take this matter seriously and get involved in a positive resolution or next time it may be your church, business or home that is attacked. Start asking questions. Don't assume these are the acts of children. Unless these incidents are stopped we can look forward to an increase in both the frequency and severity of this type of vandalism. There are plenty of copy cats and bigots out there waiting.

Even if Mr. Layman has set a bad example or a church is involved, it does not mean that others in a position of leadership must stand by while the town begins to choke on its reputation. But then all it takes is for the good folks to do nothing, which seems to be the way we are now heading.

I was very saddened to read a letter in The River Reporter recently that expressed hostility and intolerance toward one of America's greatest resources, her immigrants. The contributions to America by inventors, innovators, businessmen, statesmen, patriots, humanitarians and artists all of whom were born in another country and probably spoke with an accent we would consider "foreign," are so numerous that space would not permit me to list them. There is nothing I see in our current group of recent immigrants that would lead me to believe that these newcomers will not be contributing to the growth and development of our country in a similar manner.

Perhaps we should all pause and consider that the movement of humans about our planet has always been fluid. Every group lived somewhere else before adverse circumstances forced them to move on to find a better life. Current immigration patterns in the world merely reflect today's version of this phenomenon. Our country was built by and for immigrants. Our society is far richer for the influences and contributions of our never-ending influx of immigrant peoples.

We have nations with boundaries and immigration laws to try to maintain the orderly movement of those from areas of impossible conditions to areas of new possibility. We are fortunate in this country to live in a land that people still want to move to. It serves us ill to disparage those who have recently arrived to these shores and shows no honor to our ancestors who worked so hard that we might now enjoy the bounteous fruits of their labor. We are all the same species. We are all related. And in the final analysis we are all just citizens of the planet Earth.

I read with dismay at Mariano Vidal's description of the return of Elian Gonzalez to his father as a "break-in." He talks of obvious pride of his Cuban heritage and that is good. But to side with the Miami relatives is to put himself on the side of lawlessness. Their tenuous claim to Elian ended when his father came to the U.S. period.

They kept that little boy parading in front of cameras and showered him with enough toys and trips to bend even a more mature mind than that of six-year-old. They used him as their meal ticket, collecting $200 and more per day from the good folks of little Havana.

Here are some questions for Mr. Vidal: With whom do you think that child belongs? Did other small children in Little Havana, the kids of struggling immigrants, suffer any trauma when they saw Elian with the toys and puppies and rabbits and trips to Disneyland that are normally unavailable to them? What was Lazaro's job? He never seemed to work. How would you have reunited Elian and his father when the Miami relatives would not turn him over? Continue to negotiate? Please!

What was the fisherman, Donato Dalrymple, doing in that house holding that boy in a closet at 5:00 in the morning? Are you comfortable with that? And what about Marisleysis' strange remark that Janet Reno could never understand what is was like to be a mother, as if she herself was Elian's natural mother?

Why does it seem like the Cubans in Miami would go back to Cuba in a flash if Castro was to fall from power? Would you buy a used car from Lazaro?

In the March 21 edition of the Sullivan County Democrat, Arthur Norden of Callicoon indicated his outrage in a counterpoint editorial over the fact that it was being belatedly disclosed that the state, "would only fund about 70 percent of the construction of a new 9-12 facility, which is now projected to cost 60 percent more than the merger proposal had anticipated."

Arthur Norden also stated that he regretted serving on a DVCS sponsored committee that acted as a vehicle for the dissemination of erroneous state aid information.

Arthur Norden is now running for a Sullivan West school board seat in the May 16 election.

It takes a big man to publicly admit he was wrong about the issues last year. In view of Arthur Norden's partial conversion, I am publicly endorsing and supporting his election to the Sullivan West School Board this year.

To date, no other Sullivan West school board candidate has shown any concern about taxpayer issues or the pending financial crisis the under-funded newly consolidated Sullivan West Central School District will face in the near future.

I'd like to introduce myself to the residents of the Sullivan West District that may not know me. My name is Tim Lanese and I am running for a seat on the school board. I previously served three years in the Jeffersonville-Youngsville District and was re-elected to a second term before the merger was passed. I am running for the school board because I still want to make a difference in my children's education. I want to be more active in the decisions that affect their future and mine. It's a tough world out there and there are tough choices to make. We need to prepare our youth for that world. We need to start by making sure they have the proper tools to make those tough choices. We need to teach them how to work with others and to accept the changes that are necessary to grow. We need to communicate with them and with each other. I'd like to see better communication between the school and the community. I'd like to keep you involved in those decisions.

I'm asking you to give me the opportunity to help shape the future of our new school district and to be part of that decision making. Please come out on May 16 and exercise your right to vote. Be a part of the process.

The Beach Lake Volunteer Fire Company is again engaged in its annual fund drive. Our April mailing has already been responded to by some of our concerned public. To this quick response, we say, "Thank you." A response to our first mailing saves the department the cost of a second mailing sent to those that did not respond to the first mailing. This fund drive activity is necessary to supplement the local funds received which are necessary to replace parts and supplies used, damaged or those that have become outdated or are required to be replaced to adhere to federal and state regulations. Though we do receive some municipal support, it is not enough to cover all the costs necessary to maintain a volunteer fire company that our community's citizens must rely upon on a daily basis. It is to our communities, peoples and businesses that we volunteers call upon annually to help us help them. You need us to answer your call of help and we need you to be able to respond to that call. It is the hope of all our volunteers that you should never ever need to call upon us for help; but if we are called, then help give us the means to answer your call of help with your contribution(s) now-before the fact and not after, when it may be too late. And again as always, a huge thank you to all of you who have supported your local fire departments and their volunteers in the past and present. Please mail your donation today to save us postage and printing costs for a second mailing request.

Volunteers are a must-commodity of a volunteer fire fighting force. A volunteer engine company is only effective if there are men and women volunteers to man and maintain the equipment. Please, if you are fit and of conscience to serve your community and fellow man, consider becoming a volunteer fireman. There is a need for other areas of operational assistance. Please inquiry. In most cases, there is no thanks, but the high of doing good is a great feeling. Ask our regulars.

We also extend our gratitude to our local newspapers that have made this announcement available to you.

Relating to the unending, deliberately politically motivated polls with the same sleazy crowd whose questioned tactics that have made a mockery of the political ethics:

Old-fashioned morality never seemed to bother them. With the mass media, the cynical instruments of a rotten government by a few, esp. by a small group or class, distorted everything they touched.

Always remember that liberalism is a mask for complete control of any individual's independence.

With too many of the public communicative mediums always standing by Slick Willy and even now Hillary more so, who will always make sure that they get the country wastefully involved in foreign policies to draw somewhat the people's attention from their ever present self-inflicted predicaments with their con-artists to ever inhabit the White House?

And to wonder. Why the supposedly concerned populace is submitting with a dullness of mind to the inferior imitations perpetrated by Hillary with a never-ending pattern of mealy-mouthed behavior in her campaign that is artificially assumed to impress too many air-heads with the misinformed with her seated firmly centralized business power brokers and the left-wing liberal pols entrenched in the Big Apple with their... supportive majority of minorities.

Hillary should withdraw from the Senate race or be forcibly retired for the good order of our country, so that we can hopefully return to some form of decency and moderation which surely has been neglected unreasonably for too long.

As a Veteran of WWII, I never look forward to being insulted by reading all the garbage that occurs in most of today's news. And it galls me that the X-Generation seems to blame our generation for their shortcomings with their liberal revisionists.