The rights of the people

To the editor:

In Fritz Mayer’s story “Clinton and Schumer quiet on NYRI power lines,” in the June 1 issue of The River Reporter, Stephen Blow, a lawyer with the New York Public Service Commission (NYPSC), was quoted as saying of the widespread public opposition to NYRI’s power line proposal, “I know of no major project of this type that has been stopped by public opposition.”

For the benefit of the readership of The River Reporter and also for Blow’s information, I would like to point out the following (also previously reported in these pages): just two months ago, the Public Service Commission (PSC) of Maryland rejected a proposal from Alleghany Power (also a privately held company) to construct a high-voltage line through Urbana, MD.

The application was rejected on several grounds, including the extent of opposition from residents and local and state government agencies and the impact of the lines on the area’s view-shed. But the salient aspect of the Maryland PSC decision, with regard to Blow’s comments, was articulated by PSC hearing examiner Dennis Sober:

“Clearly the county has the right and the duty to decide how development will be allowed to impact the growth and character of the region.” (The Washington Times, May 10, 2006.)

NYRI has filed with the New York PSC. It is now tasked with holding hearings in order to determine whether the project is justifiable. I call upon the New York PSC and Stephen Blow personally to follow the good example of our neighbors to the south.

Clearly, public opposition has stopped major projects of this type. Clearly, public opposition, when it is strong, should stop major projects of this type. Because, clearly, the public has the right and the duty to decide how development will be allowed to affect the growth and the character of the region.

The website www.stopnyri.com has more information on how you can make your voice heard on this matter.

My friend Gloria

To the editor:

Recently the press and “animal-rights” activists have taken it upon themselves to criticize Gloria Smith, the person whose tragic house fire in Lake Huntington, NY left animals homeless or dead. They should be informed of some truths about Gloria Smith.

I volunteer at a church thrift store in Jeffersonville, where Gloria has been a faithful customer for years, purchasing vast quantities of bedding and blankets for her charges. She also selects pictures and decorations to spruce up her cellar—the abode of her cats.

I have been to her home several times to light her cellar’s propane heater. In fact, I was there with a friend to relight her heater the Friday prior to the fire because, as she said, “It’s cold and damp, and I want the cats warm.” Incidentally, did you know that she knows the names of all her family? These abandoned animals are Gloria’s extended family. She hires people to help her clean, feed and care for her minions.

Shortly after the fire, I stopped by to see whether or not she needed anything. She met me and was weeping over the loss, especially one of her cats who had been with her for 13 years.

Perhaps the thing that is needed in the world is fewer “animal-rights” activists and more Gloria Smiths.

Weekend vets in Sullivan County

To the editor:

I cannot believe that we have no weekend, after-hours veterinary or animal emergency facility in Sullivan County.

I rescued a feral cat in distress this past weekend, a beautiful young cat who had stillborns inside of her and a stillborn stuck in her birth canal. I had to rush her to the emergency animal hospital in Middletown and agreed to a tremendous bill for her surgery. If there had been a local vet available, or a decent SPCA with a doctor on staff for that matter, I might have not been charged so much for her care. It is a shame that in this day and age this sort of facility is not available. I cannot keep the cat, and after spending all this money on her, I am looking for a good home. I am planning to write to the local councilman with this complaint and others should join me.

If anyone is interested in providing a good home for the cat or possibly making a contribution to help me pay for her medical bills, please email me at pmressa@aol.com.

Michele Ressa

[Editor’s note: Our research indicates that veterinary care is available in Sullivan County on the weekend, but is difficult to get at night during the week. Dr. Steve Agoston at the Bethel Animal Clinic has weekend hours. The Jeffersonville Animal Hospital, Abundance of Care Hospital in Monticello and Barbara Bodolosky in Ferndale are open on Saturday mornings and take turns with emergency calls for each other’s patients for the balance of the weekend. However, according to Dr. Schwalb of the Jeffersonville Animal Hospital, after 9:00 p.m. on any day of the week, emergency calls are generally referred to Middletown because they, unlike the facilities here, have the capacity to watch very sick animals constantly throughout the night.]

Yes, they are in pain

To the editor:

In “Foie Gras targeted again by animal rights group” (The River Reporter, June 15), Fritz Mayer asks, “Are the ducks really in pain?”

As a seasoned registered nurse (for the past 25 years), who has inserted tubes far gentler than the ones used at these establishments, I can tell you that any tube inserted into the esophagus is uncomfortable and distressing (even to humans, to whom you can explain your rationale for having to do it), no matter how much lubrication one applies and no matter how gentle one is. The videos I have seen of rigid tubes being violently shoved down the esophagi of terrified ducks and geese show that the birds experience a huge amount of stress and discomfort—all for a frivolous, unnecessary product.

But it’s not about only about the animals. With 12.5 grams of saturated fat per ounce, this product is unhealthy for human consumption. In addition, the waste produced by this type of operation is greatly contributing to the destruction of the planet. I praise California and Chicago for taking the lead in banning foie gras. I am confident that other states will follow.

Let’s not squander bottom releases

To the editor:

In regard to Craig Findley’s letter complaining about Delaware River releases, I believe he is all wet. Mr. Findley complains that the City of New York has not been using a bottom release during the current period when the reservoirs are spilling. He also states that the New York State Department of Environmental Protection has left the issue of spillage to the New York City Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

According to Steve Lorence of the DEC, this is not so. The DEC has, in the recent spillage period, been releasing small amounts of bottom releases. Massive bottom releases have not been called for because temperatures throughout the system have been just fine for the trout. There is a limit to the water that can be released in any given year, a total “thermal bank” from which individual releases are drawn. The DEC is cautious about asking for massive bottom releases when they are not needed, because the instant the spillage stops the thermal bank is charged for any continuing bottom release that occurs.

Why is it that the Friends of the Upper Delaware River always seem to be, in the words of a former Vice President of the United States, nothing more than “nattering nabobs of negativism?”