Not a party animal

To the editor:

“The Democrats put him in and put him out also.” Thelma McIver-Long, Town of Liberty Democratic chairperson, as quoted in the Times-Herald Record of November 17.

There is a general understanding that we are a bipartisan nation. However, at a local, municipal level, for any group to oust an incumbent based solely on bipartisan politics, without looking at any issue, is simply political narcissism. Not withstanding the capability of the supervisor-elect, I wonder if the people who have patted themselves on the back for their coup gave any thought to the paths taken by Frank DeMayo, the numerous groups he worked with, committees he served on, opening Liberty’s government up to the people, and his many accomplishments. Frank’s decision to become an Independent was a reflection of his desire to work for the public good, rather than to be a political puppet.

Obviously, Ms. MacIver and the Democratic Party are more concerned with having their party in office than how the Town of Liberty is managed. The above quote summarizes why Frank DeMayo and Lynn Killian chose to leave the Democratic Party. I intend to follow suit, and I urge others to do the same. It only takes a trip to your local post office to fill out a card.

Open letter to Ben Johnson

To the editor:

As a private citizen I have to express my deep concerns about events surrounding the recent election for town board.

I only know what I’ve read in the newspapers, but possible allegations of voting improprieties and even the slightest possibility that some our most vulnerable citizens were exploited for political ends is deeply troubling.

Your public response, that such comments are merely partisan “mud-slinging” does not address the real and grave concerns of our citizens.

I strongly urge you and members of your board to address this matter in a frank and honest manner and to deal with serious inquiries quickly and with as much transparency as possible. If left to fester, this controversy will not be forgotten, but will result instead in widespread cynicism and mistrust. And that’s a toxic residue we can ill afford.

I write this letter as a private citizen without affiliation with any particular candidate or political organization. I do not claim to speak on the behalf of the zoning board of appeals, of which I am a member, or any of its other members. But I must remind you that those of us who serve the town in an unelected capacity lend our names and reputation to that service. I have been proud of my association with the Tusten town government. I’d like to keep it that way.

It wasn’t fair game

To the editor:

I read with dismay about the shooting of a rare albino bear cub in the outdoors section of your November 29 issue. The bear cub weighed 47 pounds. I ask: is this really necessary? What kind of hunter needs to shoot a 47-pound bear? Another hunter inadvertently shot a cub that was between a mother’s leg. He then shot the mother as well, only to find another two bear cubs. In the end, three bear cubs and the mother was killed. Are there not laws against this “unawareness”?

Come on guys. Be fair and aware.

A sad waste

To the editor:

I read in The River Reporter about a baby bear killed. What a waste. Not just a baby, a rare baby. In New York, the hunter would be fined, unlike in Pennsylvania. I’m not anti hunter. But anyone that would shoot such a rare specimen is no hunter at all.

75th anniversary of Ukrainian genocide

To the editor:

In November 2007, the worldwide Ukrainian community began a year-long commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the largest famine of the 20th century, the 1932 to 1933 famine in Ukraine (otherwise known as the “Holodomor.) Between seven and 10 million Ukrainians perished during this horrific tragedy.

This famine was instituted by Stalin to force the Ukrainian villages to accept communism. He tried to destroy the independent and conservative large farm owners, “the kulaks,” as well as the self-sufficient peasants, through forced collectivization, the dismantling of private land ownership and the establishment of

controlled, state-owned collective farms.

Both land and livestock were confiscated and liquidated, and ruthless grain procurement quotas were assigned. The people, however, remained determined to return to their pre-Soviet farming lifestyle. Some refused to work, leaving the crops un-harvested. In response, Stalin increased mandatory quotas of foodstuffs to be shipped out to the Soviet Union. The intelligentsia and religious leaders were either shot or deported to prison camps. Starvation ensued.

In November 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.562, a bill introduced to allow the government of Ukraine to donate a memorial in Washington, DC honoring the victims of the Ukrainian famine of 1932-33. Rep. Sander Levin (D-Royal Oak) introduced the bill and spoke on the House floor in its support:

“The memorial authorized by this legislation will not only honor the memory of the millions that lost their lives, but serve as a tangible reminder to all of us that we must work together to prevent such tragedies in the future.” The goal is for the memorial to be completed by the conclusion of the 75th anniversary of the famine-genocide in 2008.

Awareness of this famine-genocide should not be limited to the Ukrainian community. The innocent victims deserve a place in history and in our memories!

The dream

To the editor:

The other day, as I heard the news that the Iraq war is going to cost $1 trillion, last 10 years and kill one million people, I was numbed and drifted into a dream.

The dream took me back seven years to Al Gore’s inaugural address. He was announcing an Energy Independence Program. He said it would cost $1 trillion and take 10 years. About a quarter of the money would go to available, truly renewable energy sources such as wind turbines and solar panels. Another quarter would go to developing new renewable energy sources like tidal and geothermal power. Another quarter would go to developing and manufacturing super-efficient electric and biofuel vehicles, high-speed trains and things like fuel cells. The last quarter would go towards making our economy and lifestyles more energy-efficient in a thousand ways. The money would come from phased-in taxes on carbon-based fuels.

The magic of dreams fast-forwarded me to 2009. The highways are buzzing with electric and biofuel vehicles. High-speed trains have halved airline traffic on routes they serve. Huge wind farms have developed, especially in a corridor from Texas to the Dakotas. Indian tribes have found a new source of income and jobs. Farmers share in the revenue and grow annual no-cultivation crops for biofuels. On the coasts, strange machines that capture wave and tidal power are beginning to appear. Wind turbines are common and solar panels are everywhere. Local communities, often with great difficulty, are deciding on placement and revenue sharing. There are many new factories and jobs are plentiful. There have been revolutions in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, but people seem more interested in a Boston sports teams. My dream drifted away as Dennis Kucinich began his Inaugural address.