To the editor:

When I read your article about Regina Campbell in the January 9 edition of The River Reporter, I said to my wife that I knew that Regina was a wonderful educator fourteen years ago. I enjoyed your coverage of her so very much.

I was fortunate to take her college course in creative writing. It was a wonderful experience! In my fifties and a ‘senior citizen’ to most of the class, Regina knitted us together with her wonderful teaching expertise. She made learning fun. Because of her, I went on to write more poetry and short stories. In fact, one was recently published this past Christmas in The Sunday Visitor.

Thanks, Regina! You took writing and learning to a new level for me. You truly are an exceptional educator.

John J. Dorney
Shohola, PA

To the editor:

Each year, the late State budget is an embarrassment to New York State taxpayers. For more than a decade, the Senate has passed various bills to reform the state’s budget process. Most recently, the Senate voted on January 14, 2003 on Senate Bills 1 and 2 to reform the budget process.

These Senate bills fix the budget process by shifting the start of the state fiscal year to May 1, requiring early submission on the Governor’s Budget and public submission of agency budget requests, giving the State Comptroller the authority to determine how much is available to spend, and imposing a default budget, as a back-up, to ensure a spending plan is in place by the deadline.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that the Senate has repeatedly passed budget reform legislation, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver refuses to bring the Senate legislation up for a vote. Worse, he refuses to offer an alternative.

The Senate can constitutionally take no stronger action than pass budget reform legislation. The Assembly can constitutionally take no weaker action than to remain silent.

Late budgets affect taxpayers, school districts, important community groups, and local governments. The Senate has adopted reform measures—it is time for the Assembly to act.

Senator John J. Bonacic
42nd Senatorial District

To the editor:

The days of the Feast of the Nativity came and went. We exchanged our greetings on these days and our hearts were full of joy and happiness. Many of us were generous in supporting those in need, deprived, deserted and sick. After all, celebrating Christmas is most appropriate time to give unto others.

Let us, however, remember that those others, who experience some difficulties and struggle to survive in their daily lives, need our support. You can find them almost in every community. Therefore, if you are able to help them, be sympathetic, open your heart and be compassionate.

Bohdan Kandiuk
Glen Spey, NY

To the editor:

Last Saturday morning, as I got off the bus in front of our nation’s capitol building, I heard chants of peace from the huge crowd gathered (estimated at possibly 200,000, as reported on CNN). So moved was I at being a part of my first-ever peace rally that I barely could voice any words. Later that same evening, as I boarded the same bus to return to Honesdale, again I barely could speak—then from being hoarse due to all-day participation in the singing and marching.

The day’s events included two hours of speeches by such noteworthy persons as movie star Jessica Lange and former attorney general Ramsey Clark, as well as a Vietnam vet in a wheel chair, paralyzed by a combat injury from that war.

Marchers came not only from Honesdale—a mere five-hour drive—but even a few from Canada. The Midwest appeared heavily represented, with people holding placards from Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan—even from Duluth, Minnesota—which, being from Minnesota, I can say would be at least a 25-hour drive. These people, young and old, seemingly from all walks of life, chanted, “This is democracy in action!” Truly it was.

Everyone that I saw behaved very respectfully, yet their voices and posters carried strong messages: “Start seeing Iraqi children,” “No blood for Iraqi oil,” “What if Iraq’s main export were broccoli?” or “Greedy people are the real axis of evil.” Controversial, yes, yet thought-provoking—and in that sense, the protestors provided a great public service. Too much media attention has focused on the administration’s war plans and not enough on how the public views those plans.

Very few bystanders challenged the marchers. I witnessed perhaps a dozen or two, in front of one business, who carried their own signs that questioned the wisdom of a peace march. I wondered: Would 200,000 citizens who support our going to war with Iraq travel all the way to Washington, D.C. and demonstrate their support in a similar way? I doubt it.

May the global efforts at peace awaken this administration to some of the important issues expressed, so that President Bush and his staff might more carefully consider their own motives and the deep implications of war. As one protestor said, “Remember Vietnam.” Worldwide, the scars left by war can run deep. Iraqi civilians linger in the many problems from the last gulf war—destroyed infrastructure, severe sanitation and loss of water supplies, to name a few.

No doubt Saddam Hussein is worthy of his negative reputation. Yet, let us work first on nonviolent methods of dealing with him—such as U.N.-sponsored negotiations, meetings with other Arab leaders, continuing with the inspections, providing Iraqi citizens with essential aid, and removal of existing sanctions that are so harmful to Iraqi people rather than to Hussein—replacing them with sanctions focused exclusively on products of war. Perhaps then we will avoid breeding further violence, and instead provide the world a model of how to resolve the conflict.

Dick Gregory, a civil rights activist, used to say, “Exercise your moral force. Rally behind morality to solve every major problem facing America today. Right has got to move in and wrong has got to move out.”

John Miller
Honesdale, PA

To the editor:

I chuckle everyday at some of the comments made by the people of the peace movement. They are so predictable in what they say: “It’s all about the oil. President Bush wants war. He wants our soldiers to die in battle. He wants to kill the allegedly innocent Iraqi people. All of them. If President Bush can’t find a reason for war, he will make one up.” And on and on and on. Do you peace people really believe that? I mean really? Really? Come on.

These people are clearly blinded by their 60s left wing radical views. It really seems to me that most of the peace people lack the ability to think for themselves and to understand the consequences of the actions of tyrants like Saddam Hussein. Of course to most people in the peace movement, people like Saddam are just misunderstood angels, and President Bush is the real tyrant.

How dare the United States try to spread freedom around the world and to impose democracy on oppressed people? How dare the United States try to make the world a safer place for all the people of the world? If the peace people don’t want the United States to do that, then maybe the U.S. shouldn’t feed the world, clothe the world, supply the world with technology, medically treat the world, and send U.S. taxpayers money around the world. Sounds good to me.

The liberals talk about the Presidents “march towards war.” Well, it’s clear to me and all thinking Americans that it is Saddam Hussein that is marching towards war. He is the one that is defying the left’s beloved United Nations. President Bush is just demanding that the U.N. grow a backbone in place of the yellow stripe down their back and enforce their own resolutions.

Would you liberals be happier if we left Saddam alone, and allowed him to develop nuclear weapons (like President Clinton allowed North Korea to do) and to then control all of the oil in the Middle East under the threat of a nuclear attack? Not only would Saddam then control the market price of oil around the world, he would then control the economy of the entire world, including the United States.(Of course that may be the liberals’ plan so they could blame Saddam’s economy on President Bush instead of their own policies.)

But, maybe the liberals and members of “the fledgling peace movement” are right. If you really want to accomplish something, make a difference, and show people that you care then we should all put a ribbon on our chest, put a march together, hold hands and sing Kum Bah Yah. That really gets things accomplished.

Thanks for the daily chuckle. Yuk yuk.

Van Fuller
Cochecton, NY

To the editor:

I’d prefer to address this letter directly to whomever it was that left the note on my windshield last Saturday which read: “Thanks for the support, Saddam and Osama.” Since I don’t know who you are, a letter to the editor will have to suffice.

I guess dozens of cars lined up at the Callicoon Creek Park, on what was so far the coldest day of the year, must have tipped you off that something was happening. Just to fill you in, we were four buses full of people from Sullivan County, NY and Wayne County, PA joining hundreds of thousands of others in our nation’s capital to protest our government’s policy of waging war with Iraq.

It would be great if we could get together to talk about our opinions on this issue but, if for some reason we don’t, let me take this opportunity to clear up what may be a misconception.

I do not support murderous tyrants like Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin-Laden or, for that matter, anyone with little regard for innocent lives. What I do support is an effort at negotiation between nations, between leaders, between you and me.

War is not the answer. Let’s talk.

The coffee and donuts are on me.

Zeke Boyle
Callicoon, NY

To the editor:

Solely some points of view of a pre-war veteran of WWII. Consider this written work as statements of belief expressed in an unbiased outlook as a non-partisan of any political classified together party.

When relating in this done instant to the fiasco where we intentionally utilized scantily lively forces in Afghanistan where the Pakistani were sort of gently urged to submit to cleaning up our dirty dishes in order to appease somewhat our really concerned public on their anticipating the numerous casualties on capturing/or Asama Bin Laden.

So Bush, one made self-important by his self-imposed power, used the Afghanistan issue as a convenient sidetrack to really concentrate on Iraq now. The intended victim of Israel and the U.S. from the start of their misleading and deceptive main goal in the Middle East.

And it should be obvious to anyone with an ounce of any sense that we find ourselves living during the most dangerous moment of our nation. With Bush’s regime still pounding the drums with great emotional intensity for a new war against Iraq, his big-time political assistants are promising us a not clearly outlined, shadowy, long-projected war.

Since 1948 when the Israeli’s wrenched the lands from the Palestinians with U.S. support, the oddest international merger was formed with an extreme nationalism to be marked by a warlike foreign policy.

Remember—the Palestinians cannot feel free when exploited and under the control of any occupying forces. To my recall “only those are fit to live who are not afraid to die for their freedom.”

Reverting to the dubbed peace deal in 2000: Covered over by Israel with no attentions of adhering completely to the conditions subscribed to and promised; negating the Palestinians outlook towards any further relaxations of their strained relations—with Sharon’s regime strategically avoiding the policies of restraint as set up by the United Nations.

With the Israelis and their supporters in this country continually prodding Bush to make sure that we get involved militarily and wastefully with Iraq is/if won with the blood of our best-trained young.

An absurd real life situation and the whole thing is useless. All this confusion will do is to substitute one sort of dictator for another. Why should we pursue the sole role as a world policeman? And how long are we to be obligated to continue policing the world by supporting other countries in their self-disruptive foreign affairs when we still have our own moral, spiritual and domestic affairs to resolve. All of which have been neglected for too long.

Chas.J.Sidlowski
Beach Lake, PA
P.S. Bush and his clinging cohorts are now up the creek without any paddles trying to exert minded solutions towards North Korea and Venezuela.

To the editor:

The shocking disclosure at the January 7, 2003 school board meeting that the Sullivan West at Delaware Valley campus is now extensively contaminated with noxious mold raises important questions about the long-term health and safety of the faculty, students and staff.

During this past summer, the media carried extensive stories about homes being deemed uninhabitable by public health authorities because of the presence of mold. Realtors tell me that mold contamination has become as serious a public health issue as asbestos and many states now require full disclosure about such problems before real estate deals are closed because of the dangers involved.

Mold contamination can cause severe respiratory problems and even death when the spores become airborne as they inevitably do. Superintendent Michael Johndrow and others admitted at this school board meeting that it may be necessary to hire a decontamination firm for perhaps $100,000 to get a grip on a problem that has grown so large that it cannot be handled by the custodial staff.

Even then, there are no guarantees that the mold will not return and spread further, now that it has gained an extensive foothold in the building.

What caused this problem? Since 1999, many of us have been aware that the roof, which had been installed as part of a million dollar DVC bond issue, was leaking. But with competing demands from the rest of the merged district, necessary maintenance on the Delaware Valley building fell through the cracks.

What would have been a relatively minor repair item in a still-independent district three and a half years ago appears to have been ignored until recently thus confirming the worst fears of many Delaware Valley residents as to where they stand in the financial food chain of the merged district (the bottom).

Water from the expanding leaks in the roof has now infiltrated the walls of the building, increasing humidity levels and creating a perfect environment for mold to flourish.

When I questioned the Sullivan West school board in public session, most of the members indicated that they had no previous knowledge of the mold situation prior to the January 7 meeting.

Superintendent Michael Johndrow claims he was only made aware of the extent of the problem the day before the meeting.

Yet, it was also disclosed at the January 7 meeting that the custodial staff had been washing down areas contaminated with visible mold using disinfectant for some time and one of the custodians had even complained about going home reeking from disinfectant. Do you detect a contradiction here? I certainly do.

This serious new environmental issue, which was preventable, raises major questions once again about the effectiveness of the Sullivan West administration.

It is time for Sullivan West Superintendent Michael Johndrow to go.

Noel van Swol
Long Eddy, NY