To the editor:

I seldom write letters to newspapers, however, I feel that the citizens of the Town of Highland should take notice of their town parks, recently completed under the Sullivan Renaissance Beautification Initiative. The proliferation of signs in front of, around, and, actually, in the parks is in poor taste, offensive and smacks of arrogance at the least.

Specifically, the political signs have been allowed to remain in the background of the Eldred Park at the full knowledge of the Supervisor Allan Schadt and the Democratic Town Committee. It is acknowledged that a previous array of signs of all political parties used these sites before the park’s conception and completion, however, these perks, although not owned now by the Town of Highland, are, in fact, leased from private individuals by the town, and are legally town property. This now changes the concept. Municipal Town Law does not allow the posting of any political signs on town properties.

The political signs erected in the Berryville Park were removed after my conversation with the town supervisor, who agreed legally and aesthetically the parks should not be degraded or optically polluted. It is now a week later and the Eldred Park is still surrounded by signs for local and county Democratic candidates. All other parties respected the sanctity of the parks and removed their signs.

I personally donated to make these parks possible and many people did the physical work, made donations or helped in their own way to improve the center of town locations and are proud of their fine accomplishments. The parks are nicely maintained, trimmed, and often allow tourists and the residents the opportunity to sit, have lunch or just take in the changing seasons. Allowing the political process, for 30 days of signs, to interrupt this is unacceptable. Formally, I would not have considered the next option, but it may be time to put a stop to all political signage on state, county and town right-of-ways, businesses and private residences, including my own. The only thing I am asking is please stay away from the few good things the people of Highland are proud of—their parks.

Hopefully all objectionable political signs at the Eldred location will be removed by the time this letter is printed. If not, the candidates who allow this to continue, the committe members who show indifference, and town officials who have been notified at the beginning of sign season should take stock of the double standard they are projecting. I would be pleased if, and appreciative if, this issue never rears it head again and reason and pride prevail.

Vern Kopf, Chairman,

Town of Highland Republican Party

Eldred, NY

To the editor:

Do you have doubts about where our country is going right now? Does the reasoning behind the Iraqi War leave you scratching your head? Do you feel uneasy about where your tax dollars are going?

We at Wayne Peace are also concerned about these questions. We are your friends and neighbors. We are local citizens, who, just like you, want better answers than we currently get.

We are continuing a series of educational programs. On Friday, October 24, at 5:30 p.m. at the Grace Episcopal Church in Honesdale, we will be showing “Inside the Pentagon,” an interview by Bill Moyers with Pentagon analyst Chuck Spinney.

As the son of an Air Force colonel and a career Air Force officer himself, Spinney is hardly soft on defense. He has spent decades evaluating Pentagon spending and gives a revealing look into what Dwight Eisenhower called the military-industrial complex. Spinney now adds congressional to that mix, saying that congress is “so tied in to the Pentagon and the defense contractor base that essentially oversight has been displaced by what some of us call overlook.”

Come and learn more about how our government spends our money. That’s on Friday, October 24, 5:30 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church.

Andrea Henley Heyn

Abrahamsville, PA

To the editor:

There’s always someone out there who wants to mess with a proven winner. Like the way the Feds messed with The Bell Telephone System years ago leaving us with a potpourri of wannabees each less efficient than Ma. Like Coke and Pepsi who mess with their great original flavors and ask us to drink vanilla or crystal versions when we prefer the proven winner taste. Why is it then that proven winners appeal to most of us but are distasteful or not important to some of us?

Freedom of speech is a proven winner. We Americans really like it and it’s been around for a long time now. I’m wondering why it’s come under attack recently by someone in Mt. Pocono.

Sometimes it’s the self-important public servants who become hypnotized by the sound of their own voices and mesmerized by the depth and perceptiveness of everything they think, say and do. Those are the times they’re apt to dive headfirst into a sticky morass of their own creation.

Borough Councilman Francis O’Boyle, an official in Mt. Pocono Township, located in the same Pennsylvania that was home to the First Continental Congress and Ben Franklin, a free-speech publisher and patriot of some renown, apparently feels it’s his responsibility as a public servant to trample upon the civil rights of one Mr. D’Amato, a resident of these United States of America who has something to say. Borough Councilman O’Boyle finds that something not to his liking—specifically, regarding a sign Mr. D’Amato wants to put up on his property: The last couple words is what’s the problem. I don’t think it’s right to put a sign up like that and say those things. A heady thing, this public servant business.

I suggest that certain of our public servants do more serving and less ego-tripping, grandstanding, rights-abrogating and Constitution-bashing. After all, the public part stems from republic, which is something all civil servants should remember. If they start seeing themselves as something greater than the whole or more important than the beliefs and tenets upon which it was founded, I’d suspect the citizenry will get mighty upset. Free speech doesn’t need messing with.

Robert Wasserman

Milanville, PA

To the editor:

Politics can be a very funny business. This is especially so as I watch the saga of the Sullivan County Democratic Legislators desperately trying to reinvent themselves by hiring a public relations firm. Apparently they feel strongly that the voters will forget their misdeeds and focus on their new agenda. But as the November election creeps closer, let’s not be deceived by the new face they’re trying to put on and let’s not forget the $9,000 raise that Chris Cunningham wanted to give himself. And the Steve Lungen salary fiasco that Kathy LaBuda orchestrated. And Jonathan Rouis’ complete lack of participation and his refusal to chair the very important financial management committee. Let’s not forget!

June E. Bartol

Monticello, NY

To the editor:

I am writing to alert parents about a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, H.R. 3120, the Right-to-Know School Nutrition Act, which affects their children’s health. It is a bill which I believe all parents should contact our U.S. Representatives about. In my case, and for many of you reading this, that is Rep. Don Sherwood.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently lifted the prohibition on the use of irradiated meat for the National School Lunch and National School Breakfast programs. Irradiation is a very controversial technology. I do not believe that enough research has been conducted to evaluate the health effects of consuming large quantities of irradiated food. I would not knowingly purchase irradiated food in the grocery store, and would not want it given to children at school lunch either.

While the USDA has encouraged school districts to provide information to parents and students on irradiation, there is no requirement for them to do so. In addition, there are no labeling requirements currently in effect that would distinguish irradiated from non-irradiated meals in schools. H.R. 3120 would correct those problems. It would give parents the opportunity to make an informed choice on what their children eat in school.

Our children should be kept from this national experiment. They and parents must be informed!

This is the way to show our patriotism—by becoming involved in our government’s actions. I urge you to call, or e-mail your representative and ask him to co-sponsor this important piece of legislation and work for its enactment. To find your U.S. Representative or Senator, you can use the internet and the address www.house.gov for Representatives, or www.senate.gov for the Senate. It will ask for your zip code, give you that information and allow you to send an e-mail.

Or, if you know your U.S. Representatives (Don Sherwood) or Senators (Specter and Santorum in PA) you can call 800/839-5276 and ask for their office to leave a message with their polite staff members. This is just one issue of many that we have a responsibility to voice our opinions on as patriots, i.e. citizens who participate in their government.

Susan Miller

Honesdale, PA

To the editor:

I am noticing a lot of articles in our local newspapers expressing discontent with the secretiveness and inaction in regard to our present Sullivan County Legislature. I would like to echo that myself and urge all of us to install a new legislature on November 4 which will be sensitive to our citizen’s real needs.

Examples: 1. Do we the residents of this pristine place to live really want casino gambling? I have not heard of any resident of this county being asked this. 2. Should the landfill be expanded at the aesthetic and perhaps health expense of the people living around it? Why not an alternative site at an isolated place in the county? I don’t hear our legislators debating this one. 3. I don’t hear our legislators coming up with a comprehensive plan for the growth that is coming our way. Are we going to turn into sprawl and get more low paying jobs in our county or is there going to a plan that allows growth and at the same time preserves or betters the quality of life here in Sullivan County? 

The seven-to-two advantage the Republicans have in this legislature doesn’t seem to allow for taking action on the really important needs of us in the county. In Districts 7 and 8, we have two incumbents who changed from elected Democrats to Republicans and shifted the balance of power for their own personal gains. They should be replaced by Mr. Steingart and Mr. Hiatt, respectively. As a matter of fact, let’s vote Democratic on November 4 in all the legislative districts to make sure that there is a Democratic majority in the new county legislature come next year.

Thanks for your time and consideration. 

Tim Shera

Liberty

To the editor:

Having examined copies of recent letters exchanged by the Mohawks and our legislature on the topic of casino impact costs, two things seem clear to me.

First, the new Mohawk chiefs seem to have been thoughtless and peremptory in their first letter. They then graciously acknowledged and explained this in a prompt follow-up letter and apologized in a friendly and apparently sincere manner. 

Secondly, in response to these letters, Leni Binder, Legislative Chair, responded, on behalf of the legislature one reasonably presumes, with a letter of her own. Binder didn’t repay the Mohawk’s courteous acknowledgement in a way that might encourage a mutually productive dialog with people we still don’t know enough about. Instead, she ignored this golden opportunity and heavy-handedly and aggressively wagged a finger in their faces, virtually insuring that the Mohawks would be offended, that a confrontational climate would continue and that the Mohawks would remain distant. 

Binder’s insensitive letter sounded like it was written by a cross between an overly controlling, self-satisfied schoolmarm and some hungry attorney more excited by the prospect of unnecessary confrontation than in the best interests of his client. Most of us have experienced such wasteful provocation before and neither we, nor the Mohawks, need more of it.

So now, on the eve of elections, Sullivan’s legislature seems determined, once again, to demonstrate, in a disconcertingly ham-fisted way, that we can’t afford to keep them. They are virtually begging rational voters to dump them. So let’s take them up on it. Sure, they’re experienced. But experienced blunderers are not exactly an asset.

Lee Karr

Forestburgh, NY

To the editor:

As the volunteer chair for Disaster Action Team of the Wayne Pike Chapter of the American Red Cross, it is my privilege to work with many dedicated volunteers. October 5-11 was National Fire Prevention Week, making it an appropriate time to publicly express my appreciation for those volunteers who assist with local disaster response.

Many people don’t realize that when the local fire department responds to a home fire, the Red Cross also answers the call. Our unsung heroes are on call 24-hours a day, seven days a week, often leaving behind friends, loved ones and warm beds in the middle of the night to meet with those affected by disaster.

Last year, the Wayne Pike Chapter assisted 53 individuals who were personally affected by a disaster. This response would not have been possible without the compassion and dedication of our volunteers.

Bob Puma

Volunteer Disaster Action Team Chair

Honesdale, PA