Editor:

Rumor has it that the Irish were disliked because they were red-haired, Catholic, and worked hard. The Chinese followed Gautama Siddhartha and Kung Fu-tse, among their other “faults.” Italians revered a Pope and often had dark hair. Mexicans lived in what is now the United States before the Pilgrims landed in 1620.

Without native-Americans and these—and other—ethnic groups the United States might not be the fascinating and great country that it is today. We might never have had an Erie Canal or a transcontinental railroad. The sandstone churches of Albion, Holley, and elsewhere may never have been built. For that matter, Orleans County might not have an agricultural economy were it not for the migrant farm workers who came here from Africa via the old Confederacy and what was once part of Mexico.

My grandparents came from Austria after World War I when having a German surname and an accent to go with it often worked against you. So, the Kantuschers changed their name to something English sounding.

Immigrants are exceptional people when you think about it. They are but a tiny minority of every nation they come from. They are the ones who would not tolerate deplorable conditions and wanted something better for themselves and their children. They believed in themselves and were hoping their abilities and willingness to work their tails off would allow them to succeed in a place which often was not that welcoming.

My thinking is that if you dislike living in an extraordinary country whose immigrant origins and ancestry helped make it what it is, in my opinion, maybe you should ask yourself how great a fit you are for the USA.

Sincerely yours,

Gary F. Kent

Albion

Editor:

Recently, Assemblyman Steve Hawley voiced his opposition to a 2-plus billion dollar aid package. I posted this on Facebook and immediately an onslaught of replies came forward, claiming racism was at work.

For the sake of clarity, can we keep the word racism out of this narrative. This has become one of the most overused and abused words – becoming the catchall for any opinion that strays from the liberal agenda.

The safety of our citizens and country should be our number one concern as the border crisis continues to pose atrocities for the immigrants coming over. Let’s begin by looking at the many unaccompanied minors being dumped off.

This week I happened to witness a horrifying image of two small children being dropped off over the wall. Many people do not realize that two-thirds of the migrants are being abducted, robbed, extorted and tortured.

The Administration doesn’t want that to be in the limelight, but that’s what’s happening. The southern border is now permeable, which means an open invitation to the cartels with drugs, gun smuggling and human trafficking. There is no compassion here to anyone when these catastrophes prevail.

It is insane to bombard our country with surges such as this, when we are facing calamities of our own. High unemployment, the opioid crisis, and crime are at all-time highs. Did anyone in the powers to be think there may be a better way to bring migrants in; so their influx would run parallel to when a better fiscal outlook in America took place? I don’t think so.

It appears to me, the surge is the fault of poor planning.  Who is suffering? Everyone. There is no singling out here of various racial groups who are culturally different or their achievement level. No one is looking down on these people who hope for a better tomorrow. But when one group is prioritized over another, then racism is in its glory.

Our present fiscal scene is problematic and until that clears up, someone with an ounce of sanity needs to take a long hard look at the truth.

Mary Mager

Fairport, a former Albion resident

Editor:

It has been a year of reflection for each of us as individuals as we have negotiated a year impacted by Covid-19. Reflection and discernment have also been required of the many organizations in our Orleans County community that serve our citizens.

In some respects, it has been an exhausting year but we, Supportive Care of Orleans (formerly known as Hospice of Orleans, Inc.), have emerged stronger in many ways.  We have developed new tools, relied on our strengths and investigated ways we can improve and increase services to the community. With this in mind, the Supportive Care of Orleans Board of Directors will be sharing regular updates over the next few months to reminisce about our history, honor our present, and celebrate an exciting future.

PAST

In 1988, a small group of Orleans County residents, notable among them, Mary Janet Sahukar and Mary Anne Fischer, identified a need in the community to provide support and services to persons diagnosed with a life-limiting illness.

Desiring to provide hope, love and peace to people with terminal illness, People Promoting Hospice was born in 1989. A few years later when the organization became certified by the NYS Department of Health, the name changed to Hospice of Orleans, Inc.

Initially, the many, varied services were primarily provided in the patients’ homes until the Martin-Linsin Residence was opened in December 2012.  The Residence, only one of twelve free standing hospice residence facilities in New York State, can be home to eight patients.

PRESENT

This past several years have seen a significant increase in the number of people seeking services from Hospice. With services offered along a continuum of care from the Transitions Program to Supportive Care to Hospice, the Board of Directors made the bold and exciting decision to rebrand Hospice of Orleans to more accurately reflect the wide range of programs offered.

Now known as Supportive Care of Orleans, our goals are to serve a minimum of 16 patients in their homes or other community locations and eight patients in the Martin-Linsin Residence. To ensure the organization provides exceptional care to our patients, we currently employ 40 full-time, part-time, and per diem employees and contracted medical professionals and administrative staff.

As we continue to grow, we have been challenged to recruit registered nurses to provide care to our patients.  To help meet this need we have established a relationship with Rochester Regional Health – Lifetime Care Hospice who is currently providing SCO with several outstanding clinical staff.

FUTURE

The Covid pandemic has posed many challenges to SCO and health care providers throughout the country. With a shortage of available clinical staff, SCO has been challenged to fully expand our programs and the number of patients served at the rate we feel would fully benefit the community.

The Board of Directors is looking toward the successes of Rochester Regional Health – Lifetime Care Hospice to potentially expand our relationship with this top-notch organization. We believe that an expanded partnership may assist SCO with fully meeting our goals of increased patient care and additional programs for the Orleans County community. We are exploring the possibility of further leveraging Rochester Regional’s training programs, their expertise in Palliative care, and their network of specialists.

As you may be aware, we are also in the process of hiring a new CEO / Hospice Administrator. The organization will be welcoming Elisa Chambrey to the Supportive Care of Orleans team.  She is the current Executive Director for The Highlands at Pittsford.  We have been fortunate to have the exceptional leadership of Kellie Spychalski for the past four years.

Kellie, and her husband Ron, are making a move to Arizona to be closer to their youngest son and enjoy the opportunities the warm weather and sunshine offer. The Board of Directors extends our heartfelt gratitude to Kellie for all she has done for the organization and the community. The Board and staff wish Kellie and her family the best of luck as they embark on this new journey.

The Board of Directors would like to publicly thank our staff for shepherding us through this very difficult year. Their dedication, professionalism, and care of our patients is unsurpassed.  We intend to keep the community informed of our progress as we invite our more than 150 volunteers back into the organization once our medical director, Dr. Bill Wnuk, feels that it is safe and prudent to do so.

The Board would also like to thank our community partners, volunteers and generous donors for the ongoing support of Supportive Care of Orleans.

For more information about the many services offered by Supportive Care of Orleans, community members, physicians, clergy, and others should contact the office at 585-589-0809 or visit the website at www.supportivecareorleans.org.

Respectfully,

Board of Directors – Supportive Care of Orleans

Editor:

I was enjoying a typical Friday morning with my coffee and ritualistic routine: the stock page, weather, Drudge, followed by the morning news and a quick catching-up on local events.  Then it started.

A worrisome uneasiness followed by a growing sense of dread, palpitations, fatigue, libido crash, lethargy – culminating in a frightening inability to focus, wild paranoia and finally … the worst case of the shakes in years!

Already out of control, my symptoms quickly escalated to utter & absolute panic, nausea, respiratory distress and a feeling I was on the edge of passing out.

I mean, what the heck is going on here, what could be causing this??? Reefer madness? A possible overdose of pot-laced baked goods? Police custody?  Nope. Just another fringe opine in the Hub from “Mr. Chairman” bashing what will soon be perfectly good law-abiding stoners.

I thought conservatives believe that more freedom is a good thing? So much for the party of less government, personal liberty and personal responsibility.

I guess when it comes to conservatives it just depends on exactly who’s getting that freedom.

Or not.

Tom Graham

Rochester

Albion High School ’78

Editor:

I am trying to understand Matt Ballard’s point of view in his last letter. Election laws were unconstitutionally changed during the 2020 elections.

States are passing legislation to restore election integrity removed during the pandemic. So now it is racist to have some security in the election process. Please read the bill before casting someone as a racist.

Mr. Ballard is involved in higher education. Is this the type of guidance you want to receive from an educator?

Ed Urbanik

Lyndonville

Editor:

The only reason cannabis is a gateway drug is because it’s illegal. Giving people a safe option to buy cannabis from a dispensary will decrease black market activity.

This will lead to less people progressing to harder drugs.  I’ve seen it, I’ve lived it and will say cannabis is extremely effective at keeping people off opiates.

If Republicans want to tackle the opiate crisis, they should look toward cannabis as a tool for harm reduction.

States that have implemented medical marijuana laws have seen a 5.88% lower rate of opioid prescribing, and when they implemented recreational marijuana laws, there was a 6.38% reduction in opiate prescribing. Used in combination with opioid pain medications, marijuana can lower opioid side-effects, cravings and withdrawal severity as well as enhance the analgesic effects of opioids, thereby allowing for lower doses and less risk of overdose.

I don’t believe government should legislate morality when it comes to what adults choose to do with their own bodies.

Greg McCarthy

Medina

Editor:

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” is a quote often attributed to George Santayana, among others.

It has become a rallying cry of the right as conservatives across the country push back against the removal of Confederate statues throughout the South. They believe that these monuments are a true testament to “heritage, not hate” and provide a necessary historical perspective since “you can’t change history just because you don’t like it.”

With the recent passing of SB 202 in Georgia, conservatives are doing just that – changing history because they do not like it. Built upon the fallacy that the 2020 election was riddled with widespread voter fraud, the GOP in Georgia ensured that the next Donald Trump can find the necessary number of votes to maintain conservative control of the political field. This law is the truest demonstration of repeating the past.

History textbooks are littered with the “Lost Cause” narrative constructed in the wake of the Civil War. The heinous violence and exhaustive oppression carried out during Reconstruction is something that remains absent from grade-school curricula. Instead, we are repeatedly fed lies about carpetbaggers and opportunistic Northerners who traveled south to carry out further disruption of southern life after an unjust war. Little information is covered that describes widespread militant violence carried about by the Ku Klux Klan, the refusal of Southern governments to seat duly elected African American representatives, and ongoing efforts to subvert the 14th Amendment by imprisoning Blacks for trumped up crimes.

All of this brought to mind the popular narrative around Rufus Brown Bullock, an Albion native and one-time governor of Georgia. An opportunistic Northerner who travelled south before the Civil War, he accepted a commission as a Lieutenant Colonel with the Confederacy in addition to owning slaves for a brief period of time during the War. At the conclusion of hostilities, he pursued politics in an effort to further his financial interests with post-war railroad and telegraph infrastructure projects.

Locally, Bullock is lauded for his efforts to support racial equality in post-war Georgia. After all, when the “Original 33” Black members of the Georgia General Assembly were expelled in 1868, Bullock led the charge to reinstate federal military control in Georgia. Amidst rampant violence carried out by paramilitary organizations like the Ku Klux Klan, he pleaded for assistance from President Grant. Instead, the federal government was too preoccupied with the systematic destruction of Native Americans in the west to end lynching in the South.

What is often removed from this story is that Bullock was a longstanding proponent of convict leasing. Legislation outlawing vagrancy targeted previously enslaved Blacks who had no home or land of their own, placing them in prisons, and skirting the 14th Amendment. Those convicts were leased to private entities for pennies on the dollar and their slave labor used on railroad projects. Bullock understood that this reduced the cost incurred by the state to house prisoners and furthered financial interests in the development of railroads throughout Georgia. Despite his actions aimed at ensuring racial equality, under the surface his actions were no different from Southern politicians interested in continuing slavery at any cost.

Many right-leaning American voters are agreeable to the modern equivalent to literacy tests and poll taxes – i.e. voter ID laws. Pulling up an example of a 19th century literacy test shows that few would be able to answer such deliberately confusing questions. White voters had the added benefit of grandfather clauses to avoid the likelihood that they would be denied the right to participate in elections.

Political analysts have equated SB 202 to modern day Jim Crow legislation aimed at suppressing non-white voters. In truth, Georgia’s GOP is digging deep into a bag of old tricks. Our democracy is under threat once again and we must remain vigilant to ensure that the past does not, once again, repeat itself.

Matt Ballard

Statesville, NC (formerly Clarendon, NY)

Editor:

Citizens of Barre do not want turbines. Oligarchy does. Oligarchies are not popular but are powerful in local government.

Peons who will not receive money for turbines are being forced to swallow desires of the elite. Once again, more Town of Barre time is spent bending over then meeting actual wanted citizens’ needs.

Since farmers pay less property taxes than other residents, perhaps others payers can get results that are useful.

Kris Welles

Barre

Editor:

The Orleans County Conservative Party opposes the legalization of marijuana. This will not end well for the people of our state.

There will be an increase of minor participation. There will be a significant human cost. All the failed hypocritical flip-flopper Governor Cuomo and far left wing State Legislature see is dollar signs to feed their out-of-control spending practices and green tyranny.

The strains of pot today are super strong and can make people very paranoid, even cause mental damage. If cooked and ingested in improper doses can cause an overdose and loss of control of breathing and consciousness, maybe even behind the wheel.

It lowers the fertility and sperm count in males. It lowers ambition. There will be a significant rise in black market sales to evade taxes and for fear of being known as a pot consumer. This will lead to more people progressing to use harder drugs with a high cost to society in crime and the death of loved ones destroying families to the core left to cope.

For every tax dollar the state gets it loses 10 in society, according to SAM-smart approaches to marijuana. The cost to treat the future addictions will be more than they will take in. The idea that the mindless progressive government of NY is going into the drug dealing business ought to scare reasonable people to the core. What could possibly go wrong?

The DA and local law enforcement are right about this one. Thank you Republican state representatives for voting against this. Drugs and alcohol are no good and one is better off not ever using them.

Paul Lauricella

Orleans County Conservative Party Chairman

Editor:

On behalf of the entire Board of Directors of the Orleans County Economic Development Agency, we wish our former director, Jim Whipple, best of luck as he enters a new phase of his life called “retirement”!

Our entire county is indebted to Jim for his hard work and innovative thinking in bringing economic development to the forefront of our county’s initiatives. Jim’s ability to solve complex issues with creative solutions has been the driving engine behind the success in attracting new business to our area as well supporting our existing county businesses.

In addition, his support for the hard work of the agency staff (Gabrielle Barone and Diane Blanchard) has contributed to their ability to successfully meet the goals of supporting all businesses in our county.

We often say that Jim has put Orleans County on the map when it comes to attracting economic opportunities for the region and, for that, we all are deeply appreciative of his efforts.

Best wishes Jim and thanks for all you have done for us!

Paul Hendel

Chairman of Board of Directors

Orleans County Economic Development Agency

Editor:

It is alarming to witness the electrical grid collapse that occurred recently in Texas due to extreme, but not unprecedented weather conditions. Bad energy policy and short sightedness and lack of leadership led to this.

Our most energy rich state could not supply reliable, uninterrupted power to its citizens when it was needed most. All forms of energy – natural gas, coal, wind and solar – fell victim to the cold. Residents were subjected to third-world conditions as they attempted to cope with this disaster. Many lives were lost.

Maintaining and improving reliable forms of energy were neglected and gave way to investing in hopelessly unreliable forms. Texas has the most installed industrial wind capacity in the country and this investment was clearly misguided. Warren Buffet has proposed a very practical solution, i.e. back up with natural gas fired power plants.

This is a wakeup call to climate activists and their extreme, emotional, politically motivated devotion to “renewables” and their war on all forms of fossil fuels. Our future is being gambled on the fickleness of the weather and continued heavy government subsidies. More of the same is not a solution.

According to Governor Cuomo, “New York leads the way” with heavy promotion of industrial solar and wind projects while at the same time sacrificing home rule and the reliability of our electrical grid. The 70 by 30 goal stipulated in the State Community Benefit Act is an unrealistic political goal. Where is the science that backs this objective?

Making matters worse, the current New York State budget negotiations include RPTL 575b that will strip local taxing authority for renewable energy projects and give it to Albany Bureaucrats. The assault on the citizens of New York State and their freedom continues unabated by big government in conjunction with big business.

The future holds more “Texas Tragedies” unless politics takes a back seat to science. As an example, carbon dioxide is an integral part of a scientific process that supports life and should not be viewed as harmful.

Green growing organisms ingest carbon dioxide, sequester the carbon and spew out oxygen to the atmosphere. An activity that destroys grasslands, wetlands and forests is counterproductive to “saving our planet.” Witness the tens of thousands of acres being impacted by Industrial solar and wind projects.

The Nature Conservancy has done much scientific research on this subject and this research should be heeded. Other approaches to cleaning up our planet such as conservation of resources, use of clean burning natural gas, sustainable forestry practices, and carbon capture, must be in our energy mix to insure its cleanliness and reliability.

Further, the Climate Change Movements’ collateral damage is immeasurable. In the process of “saving the planet” industries are being disrupted and destroyed involving tens of thousands of jobs.

The petroleum and automotive industries are excellent example of this carnage. Where is organized labor when we face such a frightful disruption in the labor market? E-cars anyone? Without government subsidies there is no market for them. Further where will the funds come from to repair our transportation infrastructure when all the expensive, subsidized e-cars pay no fuel tax?

Climate Activism is leading us to an economic and social catastrophe. The” Texas Tragedy” is an excellent example of where we are headed. Solar and wind power are not a solution. A policy that includes a mix of our most reliable forms of energy must prevail. Our grandchildren deserve no less.

James C Hoffman

Somerset

Editor:

Congressman Chris Jacobs, in letters to constituents, stated his opposition to H.R. 1 was partially due to it not helping restore faith in fair elections.

“Unfortunately, this legislation would not improve elections or help restore public trust in the election process,” Mr. Jacobs wrote. If Mr. Jacobs was interested in restoring trust in our elections he would admit his part in creating that mistrust. On Jan. 6th Mr. Jacobs objected to certifying Joe Biden’s election because he objected to a different state certifying their election. Playing to the mythology, (the big lie), that the election was fraudulent. Even former President Trump’s lawyer Sidney Powell, recently stated in court that: “No reasonable person would conclude that the statements [made about election fraud] were truly statements of fact.”

It is a politically motivated lie, by Mr. Jacobs, that another state’s election was fraudulent that creates mistrust. It is politically motivated lies over prolonged time that has created mistrust in elections and government.

It’s interesting to note that in other objections to H.R. 1 by Mr. Jacobs, such as causing delays in voting, limit voter verification, or violate First Amendment rights have all been declared either misleading or false by fact checking organizations like FactCheck, PolitiFact and Newsweek Fact Checkers.

The Buffalo News in its Jan. 7th editorial wrote: “So, in addition to being chicken-hearted, Jacobs is also a liar.”

It is painfully obvious that Mr. Jacobs is not being honest with his constituents and he is not representing his district. He is instead using politically motivated lies to destroy faith in government.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

Leigh and I have been on a grief journey since June 1, 2019, the day our son Mark passed from a substance use overdose. There have been times when we were angry, sad, frustrated, and depressed – sometimes separately, sometimes all at once.

There are so many others who have shared this experience, and too many who are, and sadly will. This madness of the opioid epidemic has to stop!

Orleans Recovery – Hope Begins Here, Suite 190, 243 South Main Street in Albion, offers Missing Angels, a program to help those coping with grief from substance use passing. Orleans Recovery offers this program as an outreach to the citizens of Orleans County, Genesee County, Western Monroe County, and Eastern Niagara County in Western New York.

Leigh and I are happy to do this, to be A Voice For Mark, in this continuing struggle.

Missing Angels meets twice a month, once in an online meeting, and then in-person. We welcome any and all who have gone through this horrible experience of living with, and losing, a loved one who has suffered with, and died from a substance use disorder.

Please contact Orleans Recovery, 585-210-8750, or email orleansrecoveryhope@gmail.com for details on where and when we hold the meetings.

You are not alone in your grief.

Sincerely,

Chuck & Leigh Kinsey

Clarendon

Editor:

Medina Police Chief Chad Kenward is quoted in the Orleans Hub on March 30, 2021 saying, “marijuana can have lethal fentanyl mixed in” and “people will still buy it on the street.”

I’d like to ask the Police Chief what good came from alcohol prohibition, job security?

“The drug war has never done anything good. It cost a lot of money, it was an excuse to violate the civil liberties of a lot of Americans, and it challenges the notion that people get to make their private choices. Even when there’s risk involved, government is not meant to protect us from ourselves, government is meant to protect our liberties. When people have the right to make their own decisions, they should be responsible for all the actions they take. The drug war is a typical example of how the government is intending to make people better and once they do that they are getting into the business of removing personal liberty.” – Ron Paul

Prohibition doesn’t work.

Greg McCarthy

Medina

Editor:

It’s funny how things come in unrelated streaks. I just wrote you about the unclassified intelligence assessment detailing how Russia has been feeding ultra conservative commentators and politicians’ talking points and misinformation since 2014. I think it reflects on our society which feeds on sensationalism.

Now, Sidney Powell, one of Trump’s attorneys, is defending a defamation suit regarding her claims that the election results were not accurate. Her responding papers said “no reasonable person would believe her.” She is saying no harm, no foul. What I claimed was over the top and  no one was supposed to believe her or the President!

Similarly  Trucker Carlson’s attorney said: “The ‘general tenor’ of the show should then inform a viewer that [Carlson] is not ‘stating actual facts’ about the topics he discusses and is instead engaging in ‘exaggeration’ and ‘non-literal commentary.’” His lawyers are saying all should know he is lying and no one was supposed to believe him. After all he makes his money by being outrageous.

Powell has an additional problem because she told courts the same frivolous claims. Therefore she will be subject to fines.

Carlson has a different problem. Lou Dobbs was simply taken off the air when he was sued for the same lies. Therefore Carlson will go unless Fox figures it will make more by keeping him on the air serve up an outrageous side show. Paying millions for lawsuits involving his lies would be a cost in their entertainment business.

Getting in bed with Russia is bad – so bad they have to defend themselves by saying NO reasonably intelligent person should believe them. But, it’s fair to ask, “Was any Republican laughing?” I think not.

Of course Congress has exempted itself and Trump from such suits so they will just keep on gaslighting us. Shame. So much harm. It’s just what political entertainment shows want. And it’s exactly what our enemies want.

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion