 |
 |
|
|||||
|
Letters To The Editor
Tradition To The Editor: Tradition……Garden City is Tradition. When the Mayor finishes the two year term and steps down and away, it makes room for new Trustees with a fresh perspective and new ideas. This has worked well for over a hundred years. Let us keep Tradition in Garden City!!! James F. Dooley St. Paul’s To The Editor: Maybe it's just me, but I can't see how Mayor Miller's most recent inspiration moves the St. Paul's issue closer to closure. She was just as enthusiastic about her last epiphany, (the library gambit,) and we know what our taxpayers thought of that. We seem to be in a mode now, where one or more trustees come up with an idea; they try to reach agreement among themselves; usually offset in a tie, and then, retire the initiative with a smidgen of acrimony. Sometimes, they try to find out what the taxpayers think. Because of the system, each of the ideas has a constituency of 4, (even with the mayor's double tie-breaker vote.) We should note here that, after interminable exposure to this dithering, several thousand of our taxpayers have opined that no profitable alternative is achievable, and that the building should be demolished, and, some publicly beneficial use be made of the property. I think we owe ourselves some concept of an end game here. (9 of my 15 grandchildren have been born since this all began.) Why don't we say that at the end of the 15th year, or after flushing away one million dollars of taxpayer money on suits, consultants and so on, whichever comes first, we call it quits, and bite the bullet. I may have great grandchildren by then. In her last column referring to this matter, Meg Norris referred to our Trustees as our "leaders." I guess I'm naive, but I thought they were supposed to be our representatives. Frank Kiernan Shocked To The Editor: I was shocked when I read about the resolutions regarding St Paul’s, enacted at the recent board of trustees meeting. After years of discussion, polling, letter writing, advertising, and elections - a new proposal appears, and becomes enacted, with little discussion or public discourse. It does not seem right. “The community has also grappled with the issue. Earlier this year, a public opinion survey funded by the four property owners’ associations revealed that 40 percent of Garden City residents support the private use of St. Paul’s Main Building. Demolition is favored by 25 percent of residents and 15 percent favor using the building for a library/community center. Approximately 10 percent of respondents made additional suggestions, the majority of which concerned building a recreation center. Smaller percentages of residents favored basic stabilization or “threshold” use of the building” GC NEWS 9/17/04 65% of residents of the village voted for either private use or demolishment of the building. Apparently, the majority of homeowners do not want to bear the expense of developing/restoring and maintaining such a large building. Is this fact going to change? Are you going to be able to propose something that the homeowners in the village will support? If not, you have done nothing but delay the inevitable and squandered our tax dollars in the process. If those who support this action want to have a successful outcome, they have to put their money where their mouth is now. The great gold coast mansions on the north shore are preserved as they are because of generous endowments from the families that lived there. Those of us who support this action must be willing to create an endowment for St Paul’s so the building is preserved not only to be a 10 acre statue, but rather put it to use in a meaningful way. Philip Gullo Insulting Printed By Request Dear Dr. Leitman: First let me congratulate you on the wonderful, uplifting Middle School winter concerts at the High School. Beautiful music had been chosen for the children to sing and play. What were they trying to prove at the Hemlock show? It was so sad. Evidently “Christmas” is a dirty word and must be used only when absolutely necessary. December 25th is a national holiday, a day celebrated by most of the civilized world - on every calendar the date is called Christmas. It was bad enough that our littlest school children, the ones most starry-eyed abut Christmas, had to sing about a hippopotamus when there are so many great Christmas songs for them to learn. At least they were able to sing about Chanukah without being made to change the name of the feast. Changing the words to “We wish you a Merry Christmas” was downright insulting. The only reason I am writing you about this is because I was told that a call to the Hemlock principal elicited the response, “Only four people called to complain which indicates that everyone else was happy with the show.” Joan Hobbs Tolerance To The Editor: The current debate over Christmas celebrations in public schools seems irreconcilable because it confuses inclusiveness with intrusiveness. Americans of good will do respect the rights of others to celebrate their traditions, and believe that our diversity makes us strong. But we also respect each others’ rights to celebrate in their own way. Recent global events give testament that our world would be enriched and relieved if we all could better understand and appreciate the different virtues of other religions and cultures. But this does not mean that each segment of our diverse society must be represented at the rituals of the others. To do so not only dilutes the message of individual cultures, but also creates resentments among them. The reason so many Christians are angry about the exclusion of traditional Christmas songs at Christmas concerts is not that they are suddenly intolerant. It is that they do not receive the same tolerance from others. Isn’t The Golden Rule a reciprocal arrangement? The most recent egregious case at Locust School where non-Christian religious and cultural songs were included, and traditional Christmas carols specifically excluded merely sparked an outburst that was brewing beneath the surface for some time. This anger has been exacerbated because we have not reached this point through any discernable fair process, but through the unannounced dictum of some unknown, unelected bureaucrats/administrators who feel empowered to impose their personal views of inclusiveness on a majority that has celebrated its religious tradition for nearly two thousand years. We have moved from respect for the rights of our minorities to the tyranny of a sub-minority. Is singing beautiful classical music about a message of peace and love really so oppressive to most non-Christians? Christmas is celebrated on December 25, so there are 364 other days on which to celebrate other major religious and cultural traditions. The realities are that Hanukkah is not one of the major Jewish religious occasions, and that most blacks are Christians. If we really want to respect and learn from our diversity, perhaps a more effective approach would be to set aside different dates to celebrate the traditions of different cultures and religions, and to provide truly meaningful forums to learn from each other. This would certainly be preferable to the current situation that a writer to the NY Times said “makes everyone feel lousy.” One can debate or deny that the motive behind these trends is to de-Christianize Christmas. But no one can question that this has been their effect. Tom Riengold, a Jewish father of two, said in the NY Times, that banning Christmas carols in public schools is “worse than silly, it’s a great disservice to music education.” But this is really about more than just which songs our kids sing at school. The greater loss for our kids and our world is that we are losing the message that Jesus was born to deliver: “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.” Robert J. Foxen Jr. Imposed Views To The Editor: We need to ask our educators and school district why once again the “perceived” problem of putting Christ in Christmas has reared its ugly head. It seems that during this holiday season there is an element that feels the need to impose their views on the majority of not only Garden City residents but on the United States in general. I don’t think that this reflects the feelings of the people living in this great country of ours. I believe it is nothing more than a select few who have grabbed the ear of the media that has brought so much un-necessary attention to a subject that has never been a problem in the past. If they feel so threatened by Christmas please let us all know why. It couldn’t possibly be what it stands for, or could it? Christmas was taught to be a celebration of the birth of someone who put Himself last before us all. Jesus, whether you believe that He is the Son of God, or as some religions recognize Him as a prophet, doesn’t really matter. What matters is the message that He spread. Few will doubt that He was a man who taught peace and tolerance for all no matter what religion they are or where they were born or what race they belong to, and as Christians we live our lives that way to this day. America, a country that was built on these beliefs, the ones that can be found in the old and New Testament’s has always been a very generous, forgiving, and welcoming safe haven for the oppressed and down trodden of the world. Our country has welcomed the customs and religions of all those who come to here, so much so that after more than 229 years people still want to live the American dream. The very tolerance that we have shared with those who have, and are still arriving to this very day on our shores is now not being shown to us. We all are being forced some times softly, and other times overtly, to change the way we celebrate this time of year. Those of us who will have the hardest time with that are our children. I have a child who sang in the wonderful winter festival at the Locust school just before Christmas a few weeks ago. In the weeks leading up to that event, my daughter would bring home schoolwork on a daily basis that included many different aspects of the” holiday season”. I remember how excited she was to show me how to play a game with a dreidel, and how Kwanzaa was a celebration of family. It was nice to see that even though most of the students in her class were Christian the teachers took the time to teach them about other peoples beliefs. I was so proud of all the children when they got on the stage and began to sing the many different songs, but what really surprised me was the new rendition of “We wish you a Merry Christmas “. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why someone felt the need to jump on the band wagon and change the words around there by effectually sterilizing what is nothing more that a beautiful song that helps many celebrate a season that includes all and excludes none! I think I speak for many when I say that children are taught at home and in church to be respectful and tolerant to all no matter who they may be or whom they believe in. I am now put in a position to try and explain why it’s okay to sing certain songs but not others. I think we all need to let the school know that we applaud the hard work and the many hours of dedication that are put into presenting such an important event, but please don’t allow the dissenters force changes on us all just because they can, or just to make a point. I know that we are all better than that! I hope all of you had a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. James J. DuPont (A copy of this letter has been sent to Dr. Stephen Leitman, Superintendent of the Garden City School District; and Mrs. Bliss, Assistant Principal Locust School) Merry Christmas To The Editor: Christmas is over and I was thinking about what a great Christmas it has been for my family and I.With all the hardships that our BRAVE men and women are enduring every day as they fight for our freedom and our GREAT country, I just wanted to say THANK YOU to them and their families. As I write this letter, I remember sitting in our kitchen table on Christmas morning after my children opened up their presents and scanned through the GC News, when I read a letter addressed to the editor about how Merry Christmas was changed to Happy Holidays. My 5 year old son was singing at the Locust School CHRISTMAS program, and I remember at the end of the show the children were singing the final song of we wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS after they already sang a song for Kwanza and a song for Hanukkah. What I and all the parents who were sitting near me heard was HAPPY HOLIDAYS. That was absolutely Ridiculous! And Why? All the parents including myself, looked at each other and questioned, what happened to MERRY CHRISTMAS? I am in agreement with letting everyones celebration be included at this time of year, BUT to purposely change the words of Merry Christmas was just Wrong. Particularly in a town with a large majority of Christians in it. I only hoped they you are as offended as I am, and let your voice be heard. I wanted to thank those of you who have already written to the Editor in regards to MERRY CHRISTMAS, because that is what motivated me to write this letter. The last point I want to make is for everyone keep OUR Troops in your thoughts and prayers while the defend our FREEDOM. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, James Burke Thank You To The Editor: At long last the much needed traffic light on Franklin Avenue at the corner of Fourth Street is installed and working. We are confident that this traffic safety device will keep our residents, especially our children, as well as everyone who uses our roads much safer. The St. Joseph School Board wishes to publically thank Mayor Miller, Mr. Robert Mangan and the Garden City Village Trustees, Mr. Peter Gerbasi, Nassau County Commissioner of Public Works, County Executive Thomas Suozzi, Senator Kemp Hannon and his administrative staff, Mr. Marcus Wilhelm, Chief Executive Officer of Bookspan and his staff for working together to complete this very important project. This was truly a collababritive effort involving several layers of government and private industry. Without the cooperation and good will of everyone involved, the trafic signal would not have been approved and installed. We are truly grateful that this project is complete and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts on behalf of our children and all the St. Joseph School Families. Sincerely, The St. Joseph School Board Mrs. Marie Murphy, President Mr. John Reynolds, Vice President Mrs. Dorry Tompsett, Secretary Mrs. Catherine McGuire Mrs. Susan Munn Mr. Andre Palmer Mr. Jim Proce Mr. Brian Shea Mrs. Marybeth Tully
|
      |
||||
