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.

Thank you for your contribution of two six-month subscriptions to The River Reporter. You graciously made our Damascus Penny Social a great success enabling us to support our Community Center.

I have been reading with interest in The River Reporter the articles concerning the emergence of West Nile Virus in both Pike and Sullivan counties. Having a residence in Brooklyn, as well as Lackawaxen, I have had more than a casual interest in the WNV since last summer. As you know Mayor Guiliani has adopted a radical spray program in the city and my alarm at the wanton spraying of dangerous pesticides on the city caused me to become active in an effort to stop this dangerous practice. In the course of this effort I have learned certain facts that I think all residents of the Upper-Delaware and Catskill regions should consider before they permit the local authorities to start up a spraying campaign similar to that used in NYC.

1) WNV is not a dangerous or deadly disease. It is difficult to contract and produces only mild, cold-like systems in an overwhelming majority of the cases of those who do get it. While true that seven persons in the greater NYC area were reported to have died last summer (out of a population of some 30 million), these unfortunate few were all undergoing chemotherapy or using immuno-suppressants because of bypass surgery and so were at risk to any infection, viral or not, due to their compromised immune systems. Based on statistics WNV is safer than aspirin, any vaccine, driving a car, using an airbag or showering. Statistically, the NYPD (America's most restrained police force according to Giuliani) is far more deadly for New York residents than WNV.

2) Healthy mosquitoes cannot contract the West Nile Virus from birds. Only diseased or genetically damaged mosquitoes can contract the virus. Spraying the mosquitoes doesn't result in a 100 percent kill rate. A rather large percentage will escape to breed offspring that will be pesticide resistant and worse yet, be genetically damaged so that they can become new carriers of the disease. Spraying increases the number of mosquitoes that can carry the virus. Studies done in Florida where there is a much more severe mosquito problem, found a 1500 percent increase in mosquitoes after spraying, virtually all of whom were now pesticide-resistant.

3) All pesticides now being used are designed to be used only in a very limited and local way. Used as a blanket effort to control mosquitoes they are dangerous to the environment and present possible dire long term health consequences to any exposed creature, human or not. Our lakes and streams, fields and woods are too important to us to pollute in such a manner for such a reason.

Like Lyme disease, which is a far more serious disease, West Nile Fever will just have to be dealt with in our area hospitals and doctor's offices. There is just no safe way to eliminate the mosquitoes or the birds that the mosquitoes get the virus from (any more than there is a way to eliminate all the deer or the Lyme disease ticks that get the disease from the deer). Let's not panic over the West Nile Virus.

Our Lord in heaven wishes for us to show compassion and forgiveness towards our fellow man, along with kindness and love. Ask yourself if your letter reflects what God wishes for us. I will not judge you as you have judged others. What I will do is pray for your soul and ask God to forgive you of your sins.

Sullivan County promptly and courteously made available to me the note that Ira Cohen sent to the Concord on 9/28/95. Cohen's note states, " . . . this is to confirm that the County of Sullivan will cooperate with you in securing a payment plan which will provide for the deferred payment of delinquent taxes . . . This will permit (the Concord) to pay the delinquent taxes . . .over a period of four years . . ." This note was the subject of acrimonious conflict as well as of extended news coverage in '95 and '96.

Cohen did not, in his last letter, mention any of the foregoing but rather, simply stated that he had "explained the program to (the Concord)" and that they "chose not to participate." As though that was an honest or accurate representation of his involvement.

Cohen's letter of 9/28/95 self-evidently supports my original statement that Cohen "was the prime mover in granting . . .(the Concord) . . . an extension (roundly criticized at the time) on its financial obligations to the county." That the extension Cohen granted the Concord did not seem to come to fruition (as, for example, the raise that the legislature granted itself did not come to fruition) does not make the granting of it less of a fact. And who knows what other advantage the Concord was able to derive from the letter?

My half-decade-old recollection, then, is objectively confirmed by Cohen's letter as accurate and responsible-in clear contrast to the crafty misinformation volunteered by Mr. Cohen. How you wish to characterize Mr. Cohen's statements is up to each of you. What you cannot reasonably call them is honest.

Many who may not have particularly noticed my initial mention of Cohen's actions will certainly be aware of them now thanks to his ill-considered comments. These comments are yet other examples of Cohen's now legendary and questionable judgment that the legislative majority continues to ignore at our collective peril.