Editor:

Ha Ha Ha! Silly Democrats condemning Trump for behavior that would be an enhancement on any Democrats resume. Hypocrites!

The Party that embraces one of the most corrupt, unlikable, nasty, user, liar candidates in my lifetime. The party, its candidates, and voters that welcome with open arms: deviancy, abortion, infanticide, illegal immigration, open boarders, globalism, multiculturalism, terrorism, destructive economic policy, destructive education policy, promote dependency, environmental insanity, vile political correctness, lawlessness, rioting, looting, violence against the police, socialism, communism, judicial activists, violation of our constitution, male feminization, and every other thing that has dragged this country down to the pits that it is at now should take a good look in the mirror. The monster that you see is pure evil. You!

Mr. Trump’s locker room comments are made by men and women all the time in private. Men and woman fantasizing, worshiping about celebrities, it’s part of the culture that you and your media allies helped to create. Sport stars, Rock stars or the hot-looking guy or dolly at work. That kind of talk and action is alive and well, privately.

Have you not heard a woman say, “He can put his shoes under my bed anytime?” Women objectify just as much as men do, especially the celebrity. So get over it like you have for both Bill and Hillary Clinton – America’s highest deviant crime family. Trump 2016.

Paul Lauricella

Lyndonville

Editor:

The 8 Democratic county chairs of New York’s 27th Congressional District unite to denounce Donald Trump’s demonstrated sexist and vulgar attitudes towards women and Rep. Chris Collins’ continued support of Trump’s candidacy in the face of blatant proof that Trump’s attitudes are demeaning and derogatory towards 51% of this country and this district.

While Republican leaders and elected officials throughout the nation are abandoning Trump in droves, Chris Collins has asserted, “There is no change in my support of Mr. Trump as our nominee.”

To be clear, Mr. Trump bragged about repeatedly committing sexual assault without consequence because he was a “star.” That Collins did not join his colleagues who have concluded that Trump is unfit and unqualified to be president casts grave doubt on Collins’ judgment and ability to represent all of the voters, especially the women, of the 27th District.

We hope that the many people offended by Mr. Collins’ lack of spine in standing up to his party’s nominee will join us in supporting Diana Kastenbaum for Congress.

Jeremy Zellner, Erie County Democratic Chair

Nick Forster, Niagara County Democratic Chair

Jeanne Crane, Orleans County Democratic Chair

Michael Plitt, Genesee County Democratic Chair

Cynthia Appleton, Wyoming County Democratic Chair

Judith Hunter, Livingston County Democratic Chair

Jamie Romeo, Monroe County Democratic Chair

John Hurley, Ontario County Democratic Chair

Editor:

What makes Donald Trump’s 2005 comments so despicable is not that they are lewd but they are admission of a crime.

He is describing sexual assault, plain and simple. If the statue of limitations has not passed he should be arrested and charged for this transgression.

David Newman

Brockport

Editor:

I write this letter to you and your readers because I am sickened by the comments that have been made by Donald Trump regarding women. They have also been reinforced by his surrogates who continue to defend him and his misogynistic old boys’ club. Even my opponent, Rep. Chris Collins (R), stands by his man.

There is a particular type of ugliness when women are made fun of, degraded and dismissed. However, we shouldn’t be surprised because we’ve seen it before throughout Donald Trump’s campaign. What is most disturbing though is the merry band of men and women who support him and echo his words. Some may not say it out loud, but their very support of him speaks volumes.

He crossed the line years ago when he accused President Obama of not being a U.S. citizen. He crossed the line when he called Mexican immigrants rapists and murderers. He crossed the line when he mocked a disabled reporter. He crossed the line when he said John McCain was not a hero and that POWs were not heroes because they allowed themselves to be captured. He crossed the line when he disparaged a Gold Star family.

And yet, his defenders tried to tell us how we misinterpreted or misread his statements. We waited patiently for the press and media to question him, call him out on his bigotry and prejudices, but the lies kept coming and his surrogates kept getting their sound bites.

Now the attack is on all women – our daughters, our mothers, our grandmothers. Finally people are getting angry and saying they have crossed the line for the last time. But have they? Mr. Collins has not. In spite of the now growing list of Republicans saying they cannot support a President who says such things, Mr. Collins has said “there is no change in my support of Mr. Trump as our nominee”.

This latest degradation of women should offend everyone, even Chris Collins, and it is amongst a long list of abusive behavior. I am a Mom who has a daughter. My instinct is to immediately try and shield her from these horrible comments, just as my mother would have done for me and my grandmother before her. I ask myself, “who brought this man up?” Who raises these people to hate women so?

Mr. Trump and Mr. Collins, women are 51% of the population and we vote. We are married to men who respect their wives, their mothers, their daughters and they vote. We have sons and daughters whom we have brought up to be fair, open, non-prejudiced, wonderful human beings who want a better world without bullies, bigots and misogynists and they vote too.

The time has come for all the voters in NY27 to take a long, hard and unbiased look at the candidates and when you cast your vote I hope you take into consideration the kind of country you want to leave to your children. It has to be about issues, but it must also be about a person’s character as well. We should all keep in mind the words of Billy Graham, “when wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”

Diana Kastenbaum

Batavia

(Kastenbaum is the Democratic-endorsed candidate for Congress against incumbent Chris Collins for the 27th District.)

Editor:

In regards to Mr. Watt’s letter that was posted on Oct. 3rd. There are several things I would like to address.

Only Mr. Simon and Mr. Riggi, on the Town of Yates board, have made it known they are against the Lighthouse Wind project in our Town. Mr. Simon and Mr. Riggi do not represent ALL residents of the Town of Yates. They only speak on behalf of SOS and the residents against the project. They really don’t care about the people who have signed a lease and numerous other residents who are for the project and what it can do for the growth of our town.

This is a way to revitalize our Town. This project will help all residents. I truly believe that the Town Board would find a way to reduce our taxes with the monies that the Town and School stand to receive when this project becomes a reality.

As I am a former elected Town Board councilwoman, I know the pressure that the remaining three board members are under. I commend them for their patience in getting all the facts and willingness to work with all of the residents of the Town of Yates. I am confident in them to remain open-minded until Lighthouse Wind releases a final application, because only at that time will we have ALL of the project details necessary to make a fact based decision.

Many of the residents, who have signed leases, are farmers. The taxes on tillable farm land is outrageous. Farmers are some the smartest people I know. They would not put their farm land in jeopardy if they stood a chance of losing thousands of acres, as SOS has often stated.

Mr. Watt would like to know if all leases will receive the same amount of money. My answer to that is this. It is not his or anyone else’s business. I really don’t care what my neighbors receive. That is not my business. If they get more than me, that’s great. I am not a greedy person, as SOS has called us, because we chose to sign. I have not been told I cannot talk about my lease. Whether I do or not is my choice and my business.

As far as Mr. Watt’s question about suing your neighbor. He should be asking board member Mr. Riggi. He can tell you how it is done. The previous board members approved a met tower to be erected on my property. On June 22, 2015, I was issued the building permit. On July 6, 2015, Mr. Riggi, President of SOS, did not like the decision made by the board and sued me and the Town of Yates. Absurd.

Mr. Watt commented, “We don’t know what we don’t know.” Taylor Quarles and other representatives from Apex have invited persons to stop by their office in Barker to ask their questions and to talk about the Lighthouse project. Apparently Mr. Watt has not taken advantage of the invitation, because he doesn’t know the answers to his questions, many of which I have seen answered by Lighthouse Wind publicly. Furthermore, any remaining questions he has will surely be answered in the final application, if only he can be patient.

From the majority of the letters in the Orleans Hub, against Lighthouse Wind, the residents who are against the project, do not want answers to their questions. Are they afraid of getting facts, or do they choose to believe false statements from the opposition?

I have two questions for the Town of Yates residents: Are you satisfied the way the Town of Yates is today, on the road to becoming a ghost town? Personally, I am not. Why don’t you want to see improvements in our town that Lighthouse Wind Project cans bring us? Seems like a no-brainier to me and to other residents that know this project will help our Town grow.

Donna Bane

Town of Yates

Editor:

The vice presidential debate laid bare a grave reality in America today – a reality described so well by Mother Teresa in February 1997 at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC attended by President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton.

“What is taking place in America,” Mother Teresa said, “is a war against the child. And if we accept that the mother can kill her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? Any country that accepts abortion, is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants.”

In 2003, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act came before the US Senate, and then Senator Hillary Clinton defended the gruesome late-term procedure, opposed by a majority of Americans. In the procedure, a fully formed unborn baby is delivered from its mother, feet first, with only the head remaining inside the birth canal. The abortionist then punctures the child in the back of the neck with a pair of sharp scissors, and then sucks out the baby’s brain to collapse the skull and deliver the dead baby.

In 2015, all but one US Senate Democrat voted to defeat a bill that would have de-funded the Planned Parenthood abortion business after it was caught in a series of undercover videos selling aborted baby body parts.

In 2015, the US House approved the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. The measure would have ensured that any child who lives through an abortion be given the same medical care as any other child born alive. When the legislation came before the current Congress for a vote, all 243 Republicans present, and only five Democrats, voted for the bill. 177 Democrats voted against providing basic medical care to babies who were already born.

Historical facts are powerful things: Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party do not recognize the right of the unborn baby to live. They support a business that sells aborted baby parts. They support the murder of the baby if born alive after an abortion. Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party support infanticide.

Mother Teresa got it right when she said, “The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child – a direct killing of the innocent child – murder by the mother herself…. How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love…”

A woman with a child in her womb needs our support and our compassion and, most importantly, our love.

Love them both – the mom and the baby – for as Saint Paul tells us, “Love never fails.”

Jim and Paula Simon

Lyndonville

Editor:

Tim Kaine’s performance in last night’s Vice-Presidential debate was disappointing. Though he was much stronger on content, he otherwise was as rude and almost as goofy as Trump was in the first Presidential debate. Of course, Trump lacks substance as well.

But if likeability counts for anything, Mike Pence was the winner based on his more reserved and dignified style. Just as with the Kennedy-Nixon Presidential debate in 1960, one VP hopeful was strong on style and likeability (Pence, like Kennedy); the other was stronger on substance (Kaine, like Nixon).

The problem for Republicans is that Pence is not at the top of their ticket. Trump is not only rude and obnoxious by most reasonable standards, but his knowledge of all but a handful of issues facing the country is superficial.

Sincerely yours,

Gary Kent

Albion

Editor:

The recent charges brought concerning pay-for-play business throughout the State of New York is very troubling. We all would hope our government is honest and trustworthy and working for the good of all citizens. Any project that involves millions or even billions of dollars should be suspect. The man who sits closest to our governor, according to The Buffalo News, has been charged involving this crime.

Our area is involved with a large wind farm project. Both the Federal and State governments and millions of tax dollars are involved in the process of determining if this project will move forward and where. One of the major problems with this project to start with is that HOME RULE has been tossed out the window. That is being done regardless the fact that our State Constitution gives the HOME RULE protection to local towns and villages to determine how its land should be used. Both towns of Somerset and Yates as well as many other local government agencies have rejected the Apex wind farm and yet the project moves forward. That should get everyone’s attention.

The governor has set up a very ambitious goal for wind farms by 2030 and they are all going to be set up west of Albany, to keep the lights on in Albany and New York City. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. All local jurisdictions west of Albany better be ready. How did Apex get the right to pursue this project in the towns of Yates and Somerset? Was it a State or Federal government bid project?

The developers like Apex are supposed to be transparent. Apex was seeking lease holders for close to a year before they notified the Town of Yates that this project was going on. When they saw that the folks were against this project they hired union workers to attend a town meeting to give the appearance that many people were for this project. Apex has had meetings involving both State and Federal authorities but local Town authorities were not invited or allowed to attend. Local authorities requested but were not informed, on what the topics or purpose of these meeting.

Has Apex been transparent with lease landowners? Are all landowners receiving the same amount of income? Do contracts contain an escalator clause or profit clause? Why are lease holders forbidden from discussing terms with other potential land owners?

If this and other similar projects are so important why not take the property needed under eminent domain and remove the lease holder from liability? Can neighbors sue the lease holder for the nuisance they cause? If the project goes forward and fails, who takes down the towers?

We don’t know what we don’t know. The land can never be returned to what it was, but does big government care? We will see the answer down the road.

Ray Watt

Town of Yates

Editor:

I attended the Town Board Hearing on Local Law #2 and have been reading the letters on the Hub with comments on both sides of the issues.  As with every issue, there are those for and those against, and both sides need to be heard in order to come to a solution to the problem.

As the former Town Clerk of Shelby, I didn’t always agree with all of the decisions made. I think this is one time that the Town Board had very good intentions in presenting the Local Law #2 for the Overlay.

I sincerely believe that it wasn’t the Board’s intention to upset or infringe on the rights of the farmers in attendance, who expressed their concern about the far reaching regulations of government.  I understand the concerns of these farmers and would suggest that perhaps they schedule a meeting with the Town Board and try to achieve some type of understanding about the Overlay.

Mr. Zeliff had the most genuine concerns I heard and should talk to the Board about a possible adjustment.  The Town Board, in their attempt to protect the wildlife refuge, and their residents in close proximity to the proposed quarry, have inadvertently upset other residents who feel the Overlay oversteps boundaries. It’s the age old rule of thumb that you just can’t make everyone happy, and it’s a difficult decision to decide which group you make happy and which group you anger. I do not envy the Town Board with their decision – it isn’t an easy one.

Basically, the meeting was to discuss the Overlay Law. However, we all know the elephant in the room was the stone quarry. Those of us who will be affected directly by the proposed quarry do not wish to have our  country area disturbed with what the quarry would bring. We are also concerned with the damage it could do to the wildlife refuge. Living so close to Swallow Hollow, I have taken my children and now my grandchildren to walk the path and to enjoy nature. I fear that down the line that will disappear with the allowance of the quarry to move forward.

It is certainly confusing to me how the DEC refused to let the Town of Shelby dig water lines alongside the road near the wildlife refuge until a certain point in the calendar year because it would disturb the ground owls, and yet they turn around and say that blasting all year long will not be detrimental to the refuge habitat. I have to agree that the DEC failed to protect the Wildlife Refuge and I can only wonder … why?

Mr. Mahar said that they are working with the STAMP project and the Refuge people to manage the concerns in regards to the effect the quarry would have on them. They say they will pump water in to replace water that is drained out by the quarry. Will it be good clean water for the wildlife to drink….or water filled with residue from the quarry?

They say they have a seismograph meter to keep blasting so it won’t affect STAMP, but what happens when a worker is careless and the blast doesn’t meet standards of what is allowed…whoops!

Many of you talked about government regulations overstepping –

and I agree, they often do – but so do big businesses like this one.  I would like to see proof in writing of these agreements with the STAMP project and the Wildlife Refuge. Words are easily spoken – written proof would have been better.

What is really sad is the friends and neighbors that are now enemies.  Our children grew up and went to school together – we attended gatherings together – and now we’re battling.

I am especially saddened because before my husband, Jim, passed away, he sold the bulk of our farm land to the Zelazny family. Jim said he knew he wasn’t going to be around to protect his family but knew the Zelazny family had always been farmers and wouldn’t let anything other than farming in this area. He thought they would never sell for commercial business or development to come to the area and disturb the countryside we grew up in. Jim was a great person who trusted everyone – it seems this time his trust was misplaced.

I hope the farmers concerned will take a moment to talk to the Board.  I understand how you feel, and I can only hope you understand how those of us in the Fletcher Chapel area feel and have some compassion for us also.

And, to the Town Board, I hope you take time to talk with the residents concerned about the overlay and can make some adjustments that show you are acting in good faith for all the residents in the Town of Shelby.  The decision you have is not an easy one and it needs all the input you can get and still accomplish the goal.

Gerry Zinkievich

Fletcher Chapel Road

Shelby

Editor:

The primary election on Sept. 13 for the Town of Murray’s Republican District #4 Representative is much more significant than my winning the top spot. To me it confirms the absolute power of the voter. It restores faith in the American political system.

When voters turn out in great numbers, politicians sit up straight and realize it’s the voter who has the final say. Please don’t take for granted what was accomplished by your turning out in such great numbers and voting for your candidate. Town of Murray District 4 had the highest voter turnout in Genesee, Wyoming and Orleans counties on the day.

I am humbled to have been the top “vote getter” in this election. Your courage and confidence has propelled me into the political arena with great expectation. I promise to do my best for you as your Representative.

As Representative to the Republican Party for our district we should be in touch with one another, after all it’s your voice I carry upstream at this most fundamental level of government.  Please know I am always available to listen to and carry on your message.

Most importantly I wish to extend my most sincere appreciation to all of you who supported me throughout this most spirited primary. Those who took the time to alter their schedules to vote, those who stopped by the road to encourage me, advise me, invite me into your homes embracing me and not wavering in the face of adversity instilled in me the will to work for our community.

Please, let us not forget those 52 people who came to vote but were turned away at the polls. Their efforts were not in vain but added remarkably to the tenor of the election. Their voice was not silenced but heard just as clear as the others and they too deserve a great big thank you for their patriotic effort.

If we all give a little we can accomplish a lot!

Best to all,

Joseph Sidonio

Murray

Editor:

As a 16-year-old, I watched the Kennedy-Nixon debate in 1960, televised in black and white. Even at that time, I was taking a keen interest in foreign affairs, stimulated, in part, by a classmate’s escape from East Germany (GDR) in the fifties. The Cuban Revolution added to that fascination.

The next day when I went to school I could not believe that the consensus was that Kennedy had “won” the debate. I later discovered that polls indicated those who watched on television tended to take that view, while those who listened on the radio felt Nixon had won.  On the radio, you were able to concentrate on content, rather than being distracted by personal appearance, body language, sweating, suit color, make up and tan.  What a joke.

I was 16 and had watched it on television. Mom was a Democrat and Dad was a Republican. I am proud to say that, to me, there was absolutely no doubt that Nixon had been more substantive, used fewer generalities and generally had a greater command of the facts. But Kennedy won the all-important packaging competition.

In tomorrow’s debate, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will be all dolled/duded up and a lot of attention will have been made to the colors each wears. Though body language, including facial expressions, will still be factors, personal appearance likely will not. Trump will come in as one experienced in business and entertainment, the author of “The Art of the Deal”.  Clinton will come in as an experienced/ career politician and the author of “It Takes a Village”.

She will come in as a life-long Democrat. He will come in as one who has changed party affiliation numerous times. She will appear as one who has been cheated on more than once. He will take the stage as one who has done the cheating many times.

The “bar” for candidate Trump will likely be very low.  Can he be serious, respectful, and civil while sounding as if he knows what he is talking about without a teleprompter? For Clinton, the question will be whether, or not, she can get viewer-listeners to acknowledge that she is not her husband or Barack Obama and that a woman should be judged by the exact same standard as men. This has been successfully accomplished in 61 other countries.  Whether it can be here is another question.

Clinton will have to accurately portray herself as far superior to Trump to be considered the “winner”.  As Tom Toles noted in a Buffalo News cartoon last Sunday, her “defect” was discovered in her medical evaluation when her doctor checked the box next to “female”.

Though finding someone who will admit it is nearly impossible, for far too many people, that may be her most glaring flaw.

Sincerely yours,

Gary Kent

Albion

Editor:

With the election season heating up, people are already starting to think about next year’s local elections.

Recently, I have had several people (Democrats and Republicans) reach out to me, urging me to run for the County Legislature again. I want to be clear: I will not be running for any elected office next year.

Due to other personal commitments, I would not be able to give the voters and residents what they deserve—my undivided attention and dedication.

With this being said, I encourage more people to run for office next year. Democrats—it is an uphill battle, but it’s possible. Take a chance! Republicans—step up to challenge the incumbents and endorsed candidates in primaries!

What I would like to see the most is more women running for county offices. Women make up over 50 percent of our population in Orleans County, yet only one legislator is a woman—Legislator Lynne Johnson.

Women, please step up and run, with or without party backing! Also, with all due respect to other elected officials—I think it would be nice to have a “Chairwoman” of the County Legislature, after having a “Chairman” for so many years.

Sincerely,

James White

Gaines

As a lover of music I was thrilled to find out that Ronan Tynan would be performing in the area. Those who were lucky enough to catch a music legend were not disappointed, it was an incredibly moving evening of music and stories in a beautiful venue.

Thanks to The Orleans Renaissance Group for making the event happen and proving Orleans County residents proudly support the performing arts.

All the best,

Thom Jennings

Albion

Editor:

I am a resident and taxpayer in Shelby and have been farming in this town since 1947.  After my sons, Ed and Jim, graduated from Medina High School we began farming as a family and still do today.

I oppose the Shelby Town Board trying to enact New Local Law No. 2 of 2016. The Town Board has not disclosed the basis for creating the law other than the supervisor telling the newspaper “the town doesn’t want a quarry so close to the refuge.” That’s not a strong basis to pass a law that imposes so many restrictions on landowners. Yet, the Department of Environmental Conservation and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service are certainly aware of the advantages and benefits the quarry will have on critical habitat in the refuge.

Did the town consult any credentialed, unbiased experts about wildlife or the refuge in order to develop LL2? Because the town did not actively participate with any experts in the SEQR process and the town did not offer any expert witness testimony at the issues conference in April, it’s hard to believe they would have contacted a wildlife or environmental expert in order to come up with a sound basis for LL2.

Will the parcels in the “Wildlife Refuge Overlay Protection District” be exempt from all taxes, like the refuge? They most certainly should be if those of us who own parcels in that district will lose control of our land. That would put more of a burden on landowners outside the overlay district to pay more in taxes.

My family has been called greedy farmers for pursuing the quarry project with Frontier Stone. We farmers are not greedy. We feed all the people here and throughout the world. And all these years, we have supported the wildlife that roamed our land, welcomed them on our property and provided them with a consistent source of food to survive – hay, corn and wheat. We never put up fences or barriers or signs to keep them out.  And our tax dollars have supported the town. Farmers all over Shelby contribute thousands and thousands of tax dollars every year to the town and school.

Mother Nature has been here a whole lot longer than we have. She can take better care of herself after the human race has annihilated itself with drugs, shootings, stabbings, war and fast-food drive thrus. Second to Mother Nature, we farmers are pretty good stewards of the land and we would not support anything going on our land that would annihilate it.

Local Law No. 2 will negatively impact many farmers, sportsmen, developers and other future businesses. This overlay district is not what is best for the town and community. Vote down LL2 in its entirety.

Chester Zelazny

Shelby

Editor:

We have a few landowners in Orleans County that are trying to block what other landowners can do with their property. These landowners have friends on the Shelby Town Board who have aligned with them.

New York State didn’t think that these landowners’ views out their back doors, or the possible devaluation of their land, were grounds for refusing to issue a permit for a quarry.

The next thing these landowners and The Shelby Town Board tried to say was that the quarry would hurt the wildlife on the Iroquois Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is in Genesee and Orleans counties.

Some of the evidence the Town Board presented to the DEC was from a local wildlife rehabilitator. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and an Administrative Law Judge appointed by the DEC ruled “no issues exist for adjudication.

This decision was made after a very prestigious firm of environmentalists and scientists presented a study that refuted what our local rehabilitator presented.

After the DEC ruled against the Shelby Town Board, they are now trying, with the LL2 law, to stop the quarry. To this goal they are trying to limit what the landowners who own thousands of acres of land that borders the “refuge can do with their land. They are trying, with this “overlay district”, to make it seem that they are trying to help the “refuge” protect the wildlife.

If the State or Federal Government felt they needed an “overlay district” they would have bought or used their eminent domain law to establish an “overlay district”.  This LL2 law is just another way the Shelby Town Board is trying to dictate what taxpayers can do with their land.

The Board doesn’t care if this law is detrimental to landowners and will stop future businesses and jobs from coming into the Town of Shelby.

They don’t care if future businesses and jobs would lessen the high tax burden that we are currently paying. They don’t care about the cost of lawsuits that I’m sure will follow.

I’d like to know just how many thousands of our tax dollars the Town of Shelby has already spent to stop this quarry and set up this “overlay district”.

Isn’t it funny that the taxpayers that own land in the “overlay district” are paying the costs of limiting what they can do with their land?

I hope the voters in the next election for the Shelby Town Board members reflects what the voters think about what the current board members are trying to do.

David Schrader

Shelby