Letters to the editor for November 16, 2005
Nailed it. Doesn’t appear to be edited at all either, easy to compare as I posted the original here. Still, they probably could have picked a better topic than “Desecration all around.” I just hope it raises a little awareness amongst the Warwick folk who still give a damn about their home town.
I’m sure all of us think the same way, not enough of us obviously say it, or there’d still be some scenic back roads sans cookie-cutter barns.
Nearly pissed my pants when I saw this one…
The sign says…STOP!
This has got to be one of the funniest videos I’ve seen in a long time…
For the past few years I’ve enjoyed the self-checkout technology at the supermarket which allows me to buy and bag my purchase in significantly less time than any pimple-faced brat could. It amazes me how there are always people who do not know how to keep something simple, or when to give up. Out of 3 available self-checks, #1 had a woman who couldn’t figure out how to purchase some vegetables, repeatedly ignoring the voice and screen prompts so she could get huffy with the clerk. #2 had another woman who for some reason had trouble paying with her credit/debit card, so she had repeatedly canceled and re-processed her order. #3 had a guy with at least 60 items in his cart plus a rug-rat. I stuck to line #3 and waited the 5 minutes or so it took the gentleman to process his purchase. It took me all of 30 seconds to process mine, all the while lines 1 and 2 were still held up by a pair of morons who should have learned their lesson and just went to the normal checkout. There are much better things to get stressed over.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely, so Lord Acton warned. The words hold undeniably true in many facets of our society, none so obvious as the music industry. I was forced into an uncontrollable fit of joy earlier today when I read that Sony BMG has suspended the use of their short-sighted solution to music piracy. This is what obviously happens when management ignores the resident geeks… as there had to be at least one voice of reason ignored who saw the dangers of attempting something this sneaky in the Internet age. In a failed attempt to prohibit music piracy, Sony BMG released several albums with a new form of copy protection. which would prohibit the playback and reproduction of protected content. The mistake Sony made was using software called a “Rootkit” to hide it. Just as easily as the modifications made by the Rootkit hid the software, it also opened up the door to hide viruses. Big fucking mistake. They’re now subject to several lawsuits, I can only imagine how much damage has already been done to the computers of innocent music fans. If the music industry wants to put a dent in piracy, try lowering the fucking price already.
Back before the War started, France and Germany took the Socialist high ground and opposed the war. While France opposed it on the basis that ties to Iraq’s weapons programs as well as the eventual oil-for-food scam would be discovered… Germany just joined up because their Chancellor was a moron.
Now with attacks all over Europe, it’s become obvious to anyone with a brain that appeasement doesn’t work. Spain backed out and was attacked, France opposed us and is now pioneering the grilled Brie sandwich as a majority of their Muslim population burns the country down. I guess after 60+ years they needed one more reminder of just how well appeasement works.
Well here is to the hope that Germany’s new leaders have some common sense and decide to take the fight to the real infidels…radical Islam.
It’s stories like this which truly warm my heart…
Granny’s Got a Gun … and Uses It
Still, I hope the guy doesn’t try to sue her for it. Nothing surprises me these days.
The new energy bill has had some significant portions cut out due to Republican dissent and filibuster threats from the Left. Originally in the bill was drilling off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, and ANWR. Opponents speak praises of Hybrid technology and other alternatives, well get me a hybrid that costs $3K less on average than a standard model without Government involvement and we’ll talk. I’m a little tired of my party constantly dropping to their knees and blowing any chance to push our agenda through. What the fuck are you so scared of? Don’t you get that this is why the Left keeps losing? Keep your promises, stay true to your ideas, and hold your fucking ground when challenged by nothing more than defeatism. So, 25 Republicans threatened to vote no, publish their names so that come Primary time they’re replaced by some actual Conservatives. The Right is a little too comfortable and it’s hurting the cause. Now we’re expected to believe a dime a gallon is a windfall profit worthy of a new tax on oil companies while Federal, State, and Local tack on $.62 per gallon. Since when has taxing a corporation ever saved a consumer money?
Every once and awhile I’ll feel the need to make my point heard in the local news rags. As such, I revised my original post, and made my point in the 200 words or less delegated to posts by Republicans *smirk*. Here is what I just sent off to the Warwick Advertiser and the Times Herald Record.
Last Sunday I took a walk into Memorial park and discovered the greatest memorial ever to Warwick, NY. It lacks the grandeur of the 9/11 or veterans memorial, so it is easy to miss. Walk to the rear of the park where the driveway ends, and read the dedication… “No Trespassing. Violators Will Be Prosecuted.”
Look to the left and see the graveyard of an abandoned playground with swing-less swing sets.
Look to the right and see Homestead Village, over-crowded with people, stop signs, and 25mph speed limits that are ignored every day. Look straight ahead, and see a weather-worn memorial to Warwick firefighters lost in the first World Wars.
Look beyond the neglected memorial and see the future of Warwick, one more up and coming townhouse development. Just don’t walk past the sign! I am sick of seeing farmland and forest paved every day to welcome new neighbors while the old ones are taxed into dereliction. Preservation elsewhere doesn’t justify desecration everywhere. Years from now when the taxes are too high, the town is too crowded, and the decision makers who sold our community off to the highest bidder are gone… where will you be?
Last Sunday I took a walk through Veterans Memorial Park on Forester Avenue in Warwick, NY. While the most obvious memorials identify the park, like the Veterans memorial, or the 9/11 memorial… Or label one of the athletic fields… The most significant memorial lies at the end of the driveway, at the rear of the park, a memorial to the town I grew up in, which like the people recognized by the other memorials in the park…is long gone.
To see this memorial, you need to walk or drive to the rear of the park, where you will be greeted by a sign which states “No Trespassing. Violators Will Be Prosecuted.” Most memorials have a plaque, a dedication. This sign is the dedication and perfectly describes the memorial.
I call the memorial “Welcome to Warwick. No Trespassing. Violators Will Be Prosecuted.”
On the left of this memorial is a graveyard. No bodies lie here, only the memories of those who enjoyed the privilege of being raised in old Warwick. This graveyard is a barren field of swing-less swing sets, and neglected rides buried beneath thousands of rotting leaves.
On the right of this memorial is the present… A crowded development of townhouses with 25mph signs and a stop sign at every turn. The lowered speed limits and additional stop-signs accomplish nothing, as they can be ignored. They’re merely symbolic, a classic example of how Warwick failed to efficiently predict and manage the growth it is experiencing.
10 feet behind the sign, in this forbidden zone prohibited access only by the presence of the No Trespassing sign is another memorial. Not a grand memorial like the one at the entrance to the park. Not even a modern memorial like the 9/11 memorial which lies between the driveway and the stream. This memorial is ugly and dirty. It is history and it has been neglected. Forgotten and supplanted by a No Trespassing sign, that memorial is just one small piece of what used to be Warwick. It’s nothing more than a water fountain with a plaque recognizing the sacrifice of Warwick firefighters lost in World War 1 and 2… yet it is worthy of prosecution to walk up and read the plaque.
20 feet behind the sign is the future, yet another brand new development of townhouses… parks… a new Warwick amongst new Warwick with aged designs and niche names for the roads and homes.
In one place we have the past, present, and future of Warwick all combined in a single memorial.
Give it another 20 years, when all the open space is gone, the town is too crowded, and the taxes are too high… When all those who made the decision to cash in and sell out have moved on… and the exodus begins, there will still be a Warwick, but it will only be a name.
Not a home.
Welcome to Warwick.
No Trespassing.
Violators Will Be Prosecuted.
