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.

It just occurred to me as I watched another series of reports of layoffs, downsizing, reduction in force, “reorganizing” in the United States and around the world. The largest corporate entity in the world (the United States government) doesn’t seem to be letting go of any one, reducing any salaries, making itself more efficient or doing anything economical. I guess they have enough of our tax money to just keep growing.

Apparently, the people “we” send to Washington, cease to represent us when they get there, and become functionaries of the tyrannical government that extorts the produce of our hard work for their benefit.

As Rusty MacKechnie so stated in his letter, my husband, Al Eisen, is not a stupid man. However, of MacKechnie’s entire diatribe against “loaded weapons,” that’s the only point we agree on.

Unlike MacKechnie, my husband is quite well versed on the firearms issue, and knowledgeable about all the recent research on the subject. MacKechnie ought to ask why the rash of school shootings in the last decade has occurred. My husband would tell him that, in 1991, George Bush (Sr.) signed a law banning guns on school grounds—in effect, erecting a billboard for all to see announcing: “Criminal Safe-Zone.” Indeed, this is backed up by the recent research of Drs. John Lott and William Landes, which has confirmed the practical consequences of so-called “gun-free” school zones.

When my husband was a youngster in school, members of the student rifle team routinely brought guns onto school grounds. So did kids who went hunting after classes, and their teachers. The “ready availability” of guns (at least through legal channels) was far greater then, yet there were no Columbines in those days.

Why, one may ask, in today’s political climate, are Israeli schools so safe? It is because adults on school grounds in Israel routinely carry fully automatic firearms. Oh, horrors—live ammunition and real guns in close proximity to children!

A candidate in Sullivan District #9 fought the placement of a mental health program several blocks away from her now defunct business, claiming that disabled people on Broadway were “not conducive to tourism” (Times Herald Record, 11-30-1994). Other unflattering remarks around the same time, concerning recipients of counseling services, were equally unfair.

Ms. Croissant now seeks a place on the body that oversees community mental health services. Have her attitudes become more compassionate?

A person displaying the intolerance that this candidate has shown may not be fit to hold public office in a community as diverse as ours.

The Times Herald Record seems clearly selective in reporting news about casino gambling.

For example, Assemblyman Jake Gunther, casino gambling’s leading political advocate in the area, recently and unambiguously asked, at a public gathering (re: Kohl’s warehouse with Governor Pataki in attendance), “Do we really need gambling?”

The Record, however, reported Jake’s remarkable question only by noting that the sole person to mention gambling at the gathering was Jake Gunther.

This seems painfully comparable to The Record’s earlier editorial in which Sullivan County legislative leader Pomeroy was quoted (in reference to plans for a performing arts center) as having said, “It is something we can control,” rather than quoting what Pomeroy actually said, which was, “It is something we can control, not like a casino.”

It would seem that The Record’s unfortunate editorial stance concerning gambling has compromised reportorial as well as editorial objectivity on this issue-and it is but a tiny specimen of the feculence we may anticipate should casinos arrive.

As you know, the Catskills’ IDEA is to sponsor an extensive after-school program (KidsAct After School). We received the second largest grant in New York State and currently have approximately 280 students (some with behavioral issues as well as typically developing) enrolled in five schools in Sullivan County. Due to the effectiveness of our program, we’ve been requested to expand the program to other school districts.

Our impact on the children, schools, parents, and the community can only be achieved through the extensive training that we provide our staff. Recently, Judith Maier, Commissioner of Health and Family Services and Robert Kuhn, Deputy Commissioner of Health and Family Services took time out of their busy schedules to provide our staff with up to date information about Child Abuse and Maltreatment. Their presentation and information had a significant impact on the staff, who is still discussing the issues in anticipation of the beginning of our program.

We want to offer our thanks to Ms. Maier and Mr. Kuhn for their enthusiastic collaboration and would like to express our appreciation to the County Legislatures for extending the resources of Health and Family Services, to build the most vital element in our county - families and schools.

Our county jails do not have the programs, knowledge, abilities, to distinguish the difference between the dysfunctional minds from the emotionally impaired.

Because of poor reporting by our “free” news media, we’ll never determine the gap between the “scorn” from the “born” out of wedlock now rapidly reproducing themselves throughout our counties, nation and countries throughout the world.

My d.o.b. is 4/24/30 and when I go to Heaven I shall “Blow the Whistle” on those responsible for this crap!

A little known bill (S.5612/A.9247) which was passed by State legislators this year should give concern to parents of young children across the state. The measure would change the definition of “fireworks” and “dangerous fireworks” to allow the sale of several novelty devices, including sparklers.

Sparklers, often viewed as harmless, burn at approximately 1800 degrees Fahrenheit—a temperature nearly hot enough to melt gold and certainly cause third degree burns. When twirled in the air, a lit sparkling rod can come into contact with clothing, quickly igniting the fabric. Additionally, sparklers contain magnesium hydroxide, an alkali that can cause chemical injuries to the eye and result in partial or total loss of vision.

The dangers of sparklers have been well documented. Depending on the study cited, sparklers account for 7 to 17 percent of all fireworks-related injuries. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that sparklers are the second highest cause of fireworks eye injuries requiring a trip to the emergency room.

Because the bill does not include age restrictions, even a five-year-old child would be allowed to independently purchase sparklers, without parental supervision or knowledge. Legalizing the purchase and use of sparklers will serve only to increase the already unacceptably high number of children who needlessly suffer permanent and debilitating physical injuries. The NYS Ophthalmological Society (eye physicians and surgeons) has urged Governor Pataki to veto the bill when it is delivered to him for action. We hope that readers will do the same.