Those of us who live in and around the Village of Bloomingburg are concerned about the changes that are taking place. We have heard rumors, innuendo and gossip, and read the news about what has happened in other communities where Hasidim have settled. All that being said, there is absolutely no excuse for actions that have taken place in the village that equate to hate-mongering, bullying and terrorism.

The windows in the downtown properties that are being renovated where a cafe and a pediatric office will be have been deliberately shattered at least five times in the last two months.

Last Friday, during a demonstration in the village against the vandalism by concerned citizens who held signs that read "STOP THE HATE," a man and women who are frequent protesters of the housing development stood across the street holding signs with baiting phrases such as "Welcome to Lammville" and "No Shtetl in Bloomingburg."

A "gentleman" who drove by shouted out his truck window "F— the Jews!" When suggested to the woman that her signs incited such a comment, she replied, "go f— yourself!" I was amongst the demonstrators; I heard and saw it all.

Whether there was anything illegal about the permits, approvals, etc., to build the development is something for our legal system to decide. In the meantime, we cannot tolerate the kind of hate speech that leads to violence and destruction. Shattering windows and other acts of terrorism are expressions of hatred and evil, and nothing good will come from it.

Janet M. Kass
Bloomingburg

How can the state park at Minnewaska put in pesticides to stop an infestation of leeches? Isn't a natural park supposed to look for a natural solution? The ph level in the lake has changed. This may be due to the fires in the drainage area neutralizing the soil and runoff. Perhaps other environmental factors. If leeches can now live in the lake, so can fish, which feed on the leeches. Brook trout would do well. If you went to warmwater species, perch, sunfish and bass. The fishery could be custom made. This would naturally take care of the leeches and provide parkgoers with another form of recreation. Beaver Dam Lake in Washingtonville is going to be drained. The fish from this lake can be put in Lake Minnewaska when the draining occurs. Pretty cheap stocking. The park needed to control the leeches for the Fourth weekend, so they used pesticides, but a long-term environmental solution would be to put fish in.

John Grzibowski
Wallkill

Living near the beautiful Hudson River, it has been possible to feel immune to the destruction caused by the oil/gas industry as it exploits every bit of fossil fuel left in the earth no matter how extreme and dangerous.

No longer.

Now millions of gallons of fracked Bakkan oil, and soon Tar Sands crude, are a time bomb moving right through our Ulster County towns and on the Hudson River. "Bomb trains" and barges and the planned Pilgrim Pipeline all put our homes, businesses and lives at tremendous risk.

In the last two years, four derailments in New York were amazingly lucky. Many other states have experienced massive fire bombs, spills, and evacuations up to 10 miles. We cannot assume our luck will continue.

Exactly one year ago, 47 people burned to death and much of the town of Lac Megantic, Quebec, was destroyed. A quote from a recent edition of the Montreal Gazette: "Everyone you talk to knows someone who has moved away, unable to bear the weight of memory. At least one firefighter on duty that night has since taken his own life."

This Sunday, July 6, from 4 to 6 p.m., near the Saugerties village train crossing, on Route 212 between Price Chopper and the Thruway, we joined a nationwide vigil (stopthetrains.org) to stop those monster 100-car trains running twice a day at high speeds through our county.

Tell Gov. Cuomo and President Obama to subsidize sustainable energy, not local and planetary destruction. Come out on Sunday. Add your voice.

Joan Walker-Wasylyk
Saugerties

On the morning of June 28, I noticed a cat in my yard that was barely moving. There were flies swarming all over her. She had either been hit by a car or was very sick. She needed medical attention.

I called the SPCA several times but couldn't get through to anyone, and I just left a message. I then called the Kingston police, and a female officer responded almost immediately. She called the dog warden from her police car, but he was unavailable because it was the weekend. So was the person who fills in for him. The police officer suggested I take the cat to the emergency clinic on Morton Boulevard in Ulster. However, I don't have a car.

By now, several hours had passed. I finally reached a live person named Rachel at the SPCA. When I described the situation to her, she told me the SPCA doesn't euthanize and therefore couldn't help me. She gave me the number of an organization called Project Cat.

A Project Cat volunteer responded to my call, picked up the cat and had her humanely put to sleep.

I find it hard to believe that the SPCA refused to help a cat that was suffering.

Susan N. Fortner
Kingston

The definition of the word conundrum is something that is puzzling or confusing.

Here are six conundrums of socialism in the United States of America:

1. America is capitalist and greedy, yet half of the population is subsidized.

2. Half of the population is subsidized, yet they think they are victims.

3. They think they are victims, yet their representatives run the government.

4. Their representatives run the government, yet the poor keep getting poorer.

5. The poor keep getting poorer, yet they have things that people in other countries only dream about.

6. They have things that people in other countries only dream about, yet they want America to be more like those other countries.

That, my friends, pretty much sums up the USA in the 21st century. Makes you wonder who is doing the math. Furthermore, these three thoughts tell you a lot about the direction of our current government and cultural environment:

1. We are advised to not judge all Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge all gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works.

2. Seems we constantly hear about how Social Security is going to run out of money. How come we never hear about welfare or food stamps running out of money? What's interesting is the first group worked for their money, but the second didn't.

3. Why are we cutting benefits for our veterans, giving no pay raises to our military and cutting our Army to a level lower than before World War II but not stopping the payments or benefits to illegal aliens?

Am I the only one missing something?

Jerry Couse
Elizaville

Here is an idea that is making the rounds on the Internet. All veterans, all branches should be allowed to go to any hospital near their local residence for medical, dental and eye care. From Saugerties, the veterans have to go over 80 miles round-trip to be seen in the VA hospital. This is a long drive for most people who do not feel well, and even worse for a disabled older veteran.

The local VA clinics send veterans to the VA hospital for almost anything other than a minor ailment. Then they have to wait for weeks, sometimes months to have medical tests done, followed by another long amount of time before there is a doctor at the hospital to see them. In that wasted time, sick veterans could go from being ill to having an untreatable complication.

I have read the Veterans Choice Act of 2014. It is moving in the right direction, but only helps veterans who live more than 40 miles away from a medical facility of the department, including a community-based outpatient clinic, that is closest to the residence of the veteran. We have outpatient clinics, but that is where, at times, the veteran gets slowed down! There are some doctors who do not speak very good English, and many veterans cannot cope with a doctor who looks and sounds like the same race of people he went to war to fight, the same people he had seen kill his close friends. He is now informed that he must get an appointment with the VA hospital. The circus never seems to end.

So I feel more should be done. Can't our local hospitals join forces with the VA and come up with a plan to cover veterans who need help? I am sure Medicare would be one insurance also covering in a good plan. Under certain circumstances there are times when a veteran can go to a local hospital, and the VA will cover the cost. I have no idea if this has ever happened in our area.

Barbara Terwilliger Ambrosano
Saugerties

Ellenville Regional Hospital is pleased to announce that seven of its employees have graduated over the past few weeks! Graduating with high school diplomas are Ryan Razek, Rondout Valley High School graduate, and Vama Patel, Ellenville High School graduate. Both Ryan and Vama work in the Patient Registration Department and will be attending college in the fall.

Three hospital Emergency Department Techs/Nursing Assistants have graduated with their Associates Degree in Nursing, including Virginia Bassinette (Excelsior College), Paul Einfeldt (SUNY Ulster) and Dina Kravtsov (SUNY Ulster). In addition, Eileen Gallagher, Clinic Specialty Services Coordinator, has graduated with her Associates in Biology degree from SUNY Orange.

Daniel Tucker, also a Patient Registrar, graduated from SUNY Binghamton with a Bachelor's Degree in Math, with a focus in Actuary Science.

The hospital is proud of the educational accomplishments of its staff and continues to encourage our staff to accomplish their career goals by accommodating work schedules and providing monetary support to its employees who wish to further their education.

Debbie Briggs, VP
Ellenville Regional Hospital

This is for those people that are damaging the storefronts in Bloomingburg. You are making the residents of Bloomingburg look bad for the actions of a few.

It isn't affecting those people that own the buildings but in actuality hurting all those people living in the area because taxes will go up as well as insurance. Two wrongs have never made one right yet.

Fight for what you want the right way, not the wrong way, and make yourselves look good instead of making yourselves look bad.

Stephanie Jansen
Pine Bush

The Ellenville/Wawarsing Fourth of July Committee would like to thank all of the hardy souls that marched in the parade or watched from the streets of Ellenville during the deluge on Friday. It just goes to show that our community and the folks in the surrounding area really know how to celebrate the Birthday of America. Only a couple of units failed to show up to participate and the crowds, though a little smaller than normal, were enthusiastic and full of energy. The Rivers Edge Band provided great entertainment before and again after the parade and the afternoon cleared beautifully in time for one of the best fireworks shows in years. The Hunt Memorial Building looked grand with all the restored doors and windows and the facade wrapped in Old Glory. We especially wanted to praise many of the folks that watched the fireworks on Airport Road. When our airport manager, Al Perry, went to clean up the usual mess the next morning he found that several good Samaritans had bagged much of the trash after the fireworks and had lined up the sealed bags along the road. Once again thank you to everyone that participated or cheered them on, not even a hurricane can keep a good town down! See you all again next year — on the Fourth of July!

Steve Bradley and the entire
Fourth of July Committee