Editor:

I just received a letter from a friend in Europe. There many predict we, the US, will be an autocracy within 3 to 4 years.

Ben Franklin said we are “A democracy, if you can keep it.” Democracy is a finely turned and balanced endeavor you have to work at. Government created the foundation allowing people to cooperate and  flourish. King George did not permit that. Under him government was all about his maintaining power and accumulating wealth for him and his powerful friends. His whims were law.

Therefore what I write does not address MAGA – his intellectual heirs and the true RINOs of today’s world. They love Trump so much they are willing to get in bed with racists, convicted criminals, disbarred lawyers and all manner of people who do not care to put the common good first.

On this day, the Fourth, we celebrate our founders, the men and women who lost their lives for us, Democrats and Republicans who talk to each other and make sure bad apples, no matter their label, are weeded out.

We celebrate those who remember that free speech and new ideas can not be regulated out of existence as that diminishes us all and stifles the never-ending search for truth and personal advancement.

Right now there are some who, like King George, do not put honor and inalienable rights first as did our forefathers. They stand in the way of our celebration of free speech, freedom of religion, the Ninth Amendment protecting unenumerated but fundamental human rights.

Our rights expand by what the Declaration calls “the laws of nature” as society grows and advances. (Justice Thomas just wrote we need to reconsider and ban contraception. SCOTUS is about to consider a case in which gerrymandered legislatures can regulate and overturn the popular vote.)

For the rest of us today we celebrate our legacy which includes recognizing the traps we have avoided which have brought other democracies down. We celebrate a country where the central government promotes learning and all manner of things to ensure a person can advance as far as talent, hard work and desire allow.

We celebrate that we do not have kings and potentates. That we protect the rights of minorities in our huge melting pot. We still hope we can again celebrate the Rule of Law which until 1984 politicians did not meddle in when it came to Federal Court appointments – looking only to intellectual qualifications.

Today is a day to honor all the hard work needed to maintain the careful balance of interests (and the compassion King  George did not have) needed to make our country work and to pledge to honor that history.

Today real Republicans and Democrats need to re-up on the importance of keeping honorable company and voting for upright leaders. Just as you tell your kids that bad kids will drag them down, politicians that put power before answers are a constant danger. Look at convictions and disbarred lawyers to figure out who was in bed with them – easy pickings with no distracting fake drama that way.

The Fourth of July is a day to rediscover the grace and balance on which our freedom rests. It is a day to remember that easy political answers are often little more than  dangerous propaganda. To pledge to do better.

The Fourth is a day to celebrate how far honorable and selfless people have brought us. We recommit to listening to honorable and expert voices lest we wither into the ashes of history.  In the midst of any and all assaults on our institutions it is a day to pledge to protect them and stop those who would destroy them.

Happy Fourth.  Most of us want to “keep it” – democratic government by humble, well intended and honorable citizens.

Vote for freedom and not personality and power. Prove my friend wrong. Meanwhile celebrate the Fourth while you can.

Conrad Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

I am a candidate running for re-election for the Town of Murray Republican Committee for election District 6 along with Adam Moore.

I still live by the motto, spoken by a past president, I wrote in a letter to the editor 4 years ago, talking about Americans. “We will never give up, we will never give in, we will never, ever back down, and we will never, ever surrender-because we are Americans and our hearts bleed Red, White, and Blue.”

It has been a difficult time in our world, state, and town in the last two to four years. We have not given up, backed down, or surrendered. Being on the committee is not easy. Working with others that have differing opinions has been a learning experience. But also understanding everyone has something to bring to the table has been vital.

Adam Moore and I live in our voting district. District 6 residents need to be represented by someone who lives here in their district. Adam and I are willing to serve and represent the residents of our district.

Other than representing District 6 on the Republican Committee, I have no other political, financial, or professional ties to the town’s government. I would like to continue to be a voice for my neighbors reflecting Republican core values and represent them fairly, honestly and openly while serving on our Republican Committee.

Sincerely,

Kellie Gregoire

Murray

Editor:

Heart-wrenching, newspaper ads, placed by formerly enslaved people, searched for loved ones in the decades after 1860. Ads cited enslaver “owner” name… location… last seen place… daughter… son…sister… brother… sold to…sold again to… sold again to…I can be reached at….

Families had been torn apart by domestic slave trade in America. Freed people wanted to see their family again before they died. Runaways who changed names to avoid slave catchers added challenges. The ads were persistently hopeful, unique and compelling. Villa Nova University has devotedly collected over 3,500 ads, digitized and produced a new genealogy tool for tracing family history “LAST SEEN: Finding Family After Slavery,” available free online.

Authentic ads are a window into the deep pain, within the freedom gained. Juneteenth National Independence Day, also called Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, now a federal holiday. Most federal employees receive a day off. 24 states, including NY, legally recognize Juneteenth as a public holiday and state workers have a paid day off. Communities in Erie County have been called out, criticized on local news for not recognizing this day. Following criticism, the Town of Tonawanda put together an impromptu commemorative event. Juneteenth celebration should resonate in new ways for Buffalonians after the recent white supremacist massacre.

Slavery continued in Texas after the Civil War when all slaves had been freed. 2.5 years later federal troops marched into Texas and freed the slaves. Texas has celebrated healing by recognizing Juneteenth since 1980. A National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth is planned to be open for Juneteenth in 2024.

Town offices where I live and Niagara County offices were open on the holiday. Did your town recognize the significance of the holiday? I urge reconsideration of Juneteenth in 2023. It’s the decent thing to do.

Carol Nochajski

Wilson

Editor:

My name is Anthony J. Peone and I am on the ballot in the June 28th Republican Primary seeking re-election on the Murray Republican Committee in Election District 2.

I have been a resident of the Town of Murray or Village of Holley for 22 years and strongly believe in what the Republican Party should represent. Less government and lower taxes. Supporting free enterprise and our right to keep and bear arms to insure our right to free speech.

We are facing a critical time for the people in our Town, State and Nation. When Republicans can’t resolve their differences guess who wins? The very people responsible for our current state of affairs.

I have seen a little too much bickering at our Republican Committee and Town Board of late and would like to see this end. If you re-elect me to the Murray Republican Committee, I will not vote to endorse the people I believe are responsible for our current state of affairs.

I humbly ask for your vote in the June 28th Republican Primary.

Sincerely,

Anthony J. Peone

Holley

Editor:

This coming Tuesday is the election for the Republican committee members. Kellie Gregoire and I are running for re-election in District 6 for the Town of Murray.

We do have competition from outside of District 6 trying to unseat us from the committee. I believe that the best people to represent you are the ones who live in your district.

We have your best interest in mind and take our responsibility to choose the best political candidates to represent you seriously.

Raising a family and running a small farm in Murray has inspired me to run for the committee so I can have a say in who I believe will best represent me, my family and yours. Building good government will in turn help us build good community.

Our town is on a strong path forward and I would like you to help us keep it going in that direction. Please get out and vote on June 28th for Adam Moore and Kellie Gregoire and help us keep Murray strong.

Adam Moore

Holley

Editor:

The House Committee investigating the January 6th insurrection is providing detailed fact-based evidence, under oath, that our democracy — your vote — was threatened by the actions of the previous administration and Republican leaders.

Under oath, Presidential aide after Presidential aide, are testifying how the former President undertook extra-legal measures (that is illegal measures) to overturn the will of the voters and establish himself as the ruler.

Under oath, the former President’s inner circle are telling the story of how lies promulgated by Republican leaders created an atmosphere for the insurrection. Under oath, the former President’s aides are testifying how they tried to overthrow our democracy and how Republican leaders acquiesced.

Under oath Republican legal scholar, retired Judge J. Michael Luttig, told the Committee that the former president and his allies are a “clear and present danger” to U.S. democracy. Our democracy is threatened by Republican leaders; that is a serious threat. Please take that threat seriously.

Where are those Republicans who will stand up for the rule of law? Where are those Republicans willing to tell the truth? Where are those Republicans willing to stand up for our democracy? Our democracy — your vote — is at risk.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

The Jan 6th images are lasting. “BS”, “Nuts”, “Crazy”, “Ignorant” all words coming from the lips of this nation’s most notable conservatives with impeccable expertise and credentials.

Believing in the “Big Steal” is now  sad, even laughable, folklore. Our election officials knew all along how to run fair elections.

Each day we learn of one, two, three Trump allies who asked for pardons. (Asking for a pardon as you know means admitting guilt because accepting one is an admission of guilt.)  Congressmen, lawyers, officials of every stripe it turns out were included. (The problem with granting them pardons was how to write the pardon without implicating the President; MAGA rallies now talk about re-electing Trump to pardon them once and for all.)

A problem that remains will be those who clamored “Hang Mike Pence” with a gallows prepared outside. They need to be treated as terrorists. (Congratulations to the writer from Lyndonville for not following their phalanxes into the Capital as planned.)

A problem that remains will be the new laws in some states that allow governors to set aside the popular vote. That and making voting harder for the elderly and minorities will require huge turnout efforts. Considerable effort to put the Republic over power will be required.

The power grab will continue and  the average Joe will have to choose between helping others angle for power and simply being laughing stocks who do not wise up about who and what are on their side.

Fortunately the resolution to these conundrums is to cross party lines and vote for politicians who will cross party lines.

The Jan 6th Committee more surely than ever points out that gridlock is a culprit. MAGA is at most more of the same and at worse “a clear and present danger” to the Republic as arch conservative Judge Luttig put it.

Pictures and patriotic conservatives are making the point.

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health) and Orleans County administration would like to thank Mr. Capurso for his recent Letter to the Editor.

In response to his concerns around vaccination rates in Orleans County, GO Health has been at the forefront of delivering vaccines along with providing data and education to residents throughout the pandemic. Initiatives and focus areas in regards to vaccination have included, but are not limited to:

• Easy access to appointments on the GOHealthNY.org website;
• Ongoing multi-media promotion including local media providers and social media;
• Collaboration and communication with local healthcare providers around vaccine access;
• Providing pop-up clinics which included events, businesses and schools throughout the county;
• Regional promotion and advertising with the Finger Lakes region which included direct mailings to residents in lower vaccination zip codes and television advertisements;
• Weekly vaccination opportunities at the health department; and
• Providing outreach to seasonal farmworkers and in-home vaccinations to those who are homebound.

In Mr. Capurso’s letter, he compared the Polio vaccine efforts to the Covid-19 vaccination efforts. Somewhere in time, the definition of what a vaccination does has changed. With the polio vaccine, the oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) prevented the individual from being infected with the virus and thus the spread of polio declined over time.

The majority of Covid-19 vaccines do not use a live virus. It is common that a vaccinated person for Covid-19 becomes infected with the Covid-19 virus and spreads the virus.  Per the CDC, Covid-19 vaccines available in the United States are effective at protecting people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized and even dying.

Per the CDC, Orleans County has 82.1% of the population 65 and over fully vaccinated. As we know, this is the segment of the population who is most vulnerable if infected with the Covid-19 virus.

We believe we know how to serve our residents in an effective way that to help protect our most vulnerable residents. We believe we are able to effectively serve our residents without being incentivized by the federal government.

Thank you for this opportunity to exchange information in the public square.

John C. Welch, Jr. – Chief Administrative Officer

Lynne M. Johnson – Chairman of Orleans County Legislature

Editor:

One of the highlights of my 9 ½ year tenure as a member of the Board of Education for the Holley Central School District was attending the annual Orleans County Academic Excellence Awards Dinner at the end of a school year.

Originally this dinner recognized the Top 10 graduates from the five component school districts in the county – Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville, Albion and Medina.

Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina still remain as a collective group for the county while Albion now hosts its own separate academic awards celebration. I applaud Orleans County and the school Districts for their continued efforts to maintain this now 36-year tradition of recognizing the culmination of 12 years of hard work and diligence of these outstanding students.

When people question what our future will look like I would simply point to these students and say: “It’s in good hands.”

David R. Griggs

Clarendon

Editor:

Why is Orleans County’s Covid-19 two-vaccination rate of 54.29% one of the lowest in the entire United States? Only Alabama (51%), Arkansas (54%), and Idaho (54%) are worse.

I think the Orleans County Health Department could be doing more to educate people and get them vaccinated.

On July 6, 2021, President Biden said, “Now we need to go community by community, neighborhood and oft times door to door – literally knocking on doors to help the remaining people.” This Covid education program was endorsed by Anthony Fauci of Health and Human Services and the CDC in Atlanta.

Since August 2021, 17 states have adopted this program and gone door to door. Among them are Idaho, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Vermont, Colorado, Oregon, Tennessee, and Montana.

The CDC will also provide money to any local jurisdiction to pay for the door to door campaign.  The program is called the “ELC-Enhancing Detection, Expansion and Immunization CoAg Covid-19 Funding Supplementals.” With a little effort the County Health Department could have its share of the $1.9 billion set aside for counties like Orleans to help them go door to door.

When polio was a serious problem in the 1940s and ’50s, March of Dimes volunteers in Orleans County went door to door teaching people how to prevent it and encouraging them to get their children vaccinated.

I ask the County Administrator, the head of the Health Department and the Chairwoman of the County Legislature why Orleans County has not asked for the ELC money and more importantly, why a door to door campaign has not be implemented?

A reasonable way to respond to this letter, would be via this online newspaper.

Jack Capurso, Albion High School Class of 1960

Ashburn, Va.