LETTER from MAUREEN DILL Why do we treat sick people so poorly? Recently, a friend and former colleague was diagnosed with cancer and subsequently hospitalized on Florida’s West Coast. Her initial surgical procedure was radical and she underwent many rounds of chemotherapy. She reached out to me by phone from her hospital bed two weeks ago to say she was anxious to obtain a second opinion regarding her condition and prognosis. Her physician and “hospitalist” were repeatedly rude and abrupt,…
Online home of The Freeman's Journal and Hometown Oneonta
Advertisement
Letters To The Editor - Page 90
LETTER from DOUGLAS GEERTGENS Writer explains ‘what schools should teach’ In a previous essay, I asked; Why Do We Have Schools? Parents and other family members took on the major responsibility for teaching children whatever it was they thought they should know. As in much of the animal kingdom, the adults play a very important role in teaching their young what they need to know to survive. We are born and eventually we die. Those who best learn how to…
LETTER from PAUL CONWAY Cooperstown’s Critical Race Theory debate is a missed opportunity to editorialize The question of whether AllOtsego should publish any editorial opinions was raised, weeks ago, on these pages. The importance of timely editorial opinions for readers who are often ill-informed or baffled by complex issues was obvious after the recent, very controversial, Cooperstown Board of Education meeting. Many attended or subsequently read about that meeting. The issue was whether “Critical Race Theory” should be taught in…
LETTER from JOSH SIMPSON Series could do more to review racial issues Our community is fortunate to have the Friends of the Village Library to organize important conversations and events like the “Looking in the Mirror” program. I have attended a few of the series including racism in education and in healthcare and had come to expect a decent program when tuning in. On Feb. 10, I listened to The Cooperstown Reflects on Racism and Law Enforcement Series with my…
LETTER from DOUGLAS GEERTGENS We should remember the purpose of schools, stick to the mission they represent Often when we ask ourselves a question, it brings up another question. You might ask, “what is a school?” Merriam-Webster offers that it is; “an organization that provides instruction: such as … an institution for the teaching of children.” Okay, so why do we have these institutions known as schools? For as long as there have been humans, there has been the need…
LETTER from MICHAEL STEIN Critical race theory isn’t being taught in K-12 schools; debate is a distraction Protestations to the contrary notwithstanding, no one is advocating teaching critical race theory at CCS or any other K-12 school for that matter. Discrimination and prejudice based upon race and class is a documented feature of American history. They say that those who ignore history are bound to repeat it. Our country can ill afford to repeat the sins of our past, so…
LETTER from JASON HEWLETT Writer regrets 2019 letter On June 26, 2019, Hometown Oneonta published an opinion letter that I wrote with the intention of honoring and defending a local sect most people know as “The Twelve Tribes.” I want to apologize to everyone who read that letter, especially in Oneonta, for misrepresenting those people. Since I used to visit them on and off for many years, I know from firsthand experience that they claim a monopoly on “the body…
Zoning laws exist for a reason To ALL Cooperstown Villages Residents regarding the 10 Chestnut Street project: Zoning laws are to protect one’s investment and quality of life in a community. When zoning laws are allowed to be exceeded with “special permits,” it weakens the law. The 10 Chestnut Street project is zoned residential and historical. Does this project qualify for the quaint small town atmosphere that residents and visitors from around the world expect? The project exceeds the zoning…
Life Sketches Whistling with my fingers, thinking of songs By TERRY BERKSON • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com These days, much more than ever, there seems to be music playing in the background of almost every dramatic television program. Years ago an experimental show called Cop Rock was aired for a while. It blended the drama with musical numbers. The songs were about what was happening in the story. I thought it was a great idea but at that time it didn’t…
New York must address rural EMS issues before a crisis occurs The League of Women Voters of the Cooperstown Area joins the New York State Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association, Inc. in supporting state legislation that would create a task force to study the unique problems facing ambulance services in rural areas of New York State and to propose long-term solutions for them. The League believes that every resident should have access to a basic level of quality healthcare, including…
