Letters to the Editor
Posted March 30, 2006
Myspace and the 'accepted norms'
To the Editor:
The recent series of MV Times articles on Myspace.com and the resulting responses certainly caused many in our community to think, and as The Times editorial of March 23 clearly stated, that thought process is a good thing. It also generated a lengthy discussion at the March 22 All-Island School Committee (AISC) meeting, where many expressed strong feelings and asked that I draft a statement on their behalf.
The MV Times articles did raise important questions, and we applaud them for their efforts; however, many on the AISC were disappointed that the accepted norms of our close-knit Island community might have been breached - breached by the unnecessary use of easily identifiable pictures, many of a somewhat prurient nature; breached as well by the relatively easy way our youth were used inappropriately through the process. We very much would like our community to celebrate its young people and their successes and be somewhat more respectful and understanding when they act as children and youth, making missteps like we did when we were young.
Educators and school committee members believe that we as a school system have a special responsibility to ensure the safety of our students. As a result, as tech director Woody Filley so clearly indicated, we have tried to build firewalls and filters into the computers and Internet connections available in the schools and teach students about the positive and negative aspects of technology. Working with the editors of the MV Times, the community at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School is in the process of organizing a parent forum for later this spring to give parents an opportunity to discuss these difficult issues.
It is my hope that a positive outcome of this experience will be a better understanding of the Internet, a stronger bond between teens and their parents, a more circumspect press, and an even more supportive community focused upon celebrating the wonderful things our young people do every day.
James H. Weiss, EdD
Superintendent of Schools
Journalism lesson
To the Editor:
I'm a Vineyard native living off-Island, but I love to stay abreast of hometown news via The Times online. I just want to add my voice to the group of people disturbed by Nis Kildegaard's article about Myspace. I'm not sure I have anything to say that hasn't been so eloquently said before (especially by the students writing in the High School View - bravo to them for responding with such restraint and clarity to an issue so close to home), but I feel compelled to write, nonetheless, and express my disappointment in The Times and Mr. Kildegaard.
I could hardly make it through the whole article, such was my discomfort at the writer's blatant disregard for the privacy of the people he quoted, and his clear lack of understanding of his subject matter. How dare he insinuate himself into the worlds of these teens and then turn around and expose them as he did?
If Mr. Kildegaard really cared about Island teens, there are many, many ways that he could get involved in supporting them and encouraging them in their endeavors, instead of fashioning himself an investigating reporter at their expense. Come to think of it, at this point I guess the students of MVRHS, with their balanced and articulate responses to his article, are probably teaching Mr. Kildegaard a thing or two about journalism. I hope the lesson sticks.
Courtney Greene
Natick
An invitation
To the Editor:
In an effort to get my "squatty body" back into a semblance of shape, I've recently decided to take a walk around the Island, a little bit every day. (Since President Bush announced the other night at his press conference that his Iraq fiasco might extend beyond his presidency, maybe I'd better get in shape in case the Marines need to bring me out of retirement!) Actually, I'll be walking around the Island twice because I park my car, walk for about a half hour, turn around and walk back to the car. Each day will total about three miles at a fairly leisurely pace with the occasional detour into Land Bank properties as I go by. I welcome company from anyone who might look at circumnavigating the Island as something that might be fun and physically helpful. Call me at 508-627-8189, and I'll tell you where I'll be the next morning.
I plan to walk every day at 9 am, except Sunday. If you see a gray-haired guy dressed in jeans, leather jacket, and goofy white walking shoes, give me a wave. Hopefully, I'll be progressively less chunky and significantly more svelte as time goes by.
Glenn Carpenter
Edgartown
A place to dance
To the Editor:
I was so sorry to hear that the Atlantic Connection was closing and becoming a game room. I understand the business reasons the owners had for the change, but for anyone who has teenagers or teenage visitors in the summer knows, the Teen Night that the AC sponsored twice a week during the summer was a huge deal.
Teen Night gave teenagers, trapped in the evening with parents or other adults, a safe fun way of interacting and letting off steam with their peers. My daughter and her friends who are too young to drink, and too bored to do nothing but the movies after dinner would start getting dressed after the beach and showers and look forward to dancing it up at the AC. I have not broken the news to her as to the AC's demise as I am hoping that some smart business people will recognize the potential market and offer an alternative by summer.
Generally speaking, as the mother of four daughters, I have found that teenage boys are the major consumers at game rooms. None of my girls was ever interested in spending an evening in a game room. I am happy for the new owners that they feel that this is an underserved market, but perhaps the new owners of Outerland at the old Hot Tin Roof can offer something for the teens who just want to interact with friends and dance. There are lots of resident and visitor families who will miss Teen Night! I hope that by summer, someone comes up with an equivalent.
Tricia Patrikios
Fairfield, Conn. and Edgartown
Growth costs
To the Editor:
We would like to correct an old misperception that has recently surfaced again - the belief that conservation land is somehow responsible for increasing the property taxes that homeowners pay.
Eight years ago a study was done of this issue in West Tisbury, using specific West Tisbury land use and tax data. In the years since that study was completed, the percentage of conserved land in West Tisbury has changed very little, yet taxes have risen explosively. What has really caused this increase in the tax burden?
The West Tisbury study determined that for every dollar of tax revenue paid by farm, forest, and open land, the cost of town services for that land was only 33 cents. Market rate housing, however, costs West Tisbury $1.32 for every dollar it pays in taxes - in other words, it drains tax revenues by requiring community services in excess of what it pays. This figure includes both seasonal and year-round houses. The year-round houses actually cost the town nearly $1.92 per dollar paid.
These are not unusual findings - studies of dozens of New England towns, using their own numbers, have produced similar findings. A dynamic and growing community is in many ways a good thing, but it comes at a price in cost of local government services.
West Tisbury's population growth has in recent decades been among the fastest in the entire state. During the last 10 years (1995-2005), when conservation in the town moved at a slow pace, the year-round population increased by a whopping 45 percent.
Interestingly, over those same 10 years the town's staff has increased substantially and its capital budget has approximately doubled. Major capital projects have included the new public safety building, highway and road construction, and school building costs. Towns do not build projects such as these to service conservation land.
Leah J. Smith
Chairman
Conservation Partnership of Martha's Vineyard
The members of the Conservation Partnership are the Vineyard Conservation Society, Sheriff's Meadow Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, the Trustees of Reservations, and the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank.
They'll agree
To the Editor:
This letter was sent to Tim Walsh, chief executive officer, Martha's Vineyard Hospital.
I would like to inform you of the March 7 vote of the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank's Oak Bluffs advisory board. I felt the hospital should have the option of relocating its facility. The question before the board was: Would this board be willing to start the process to turn land over to the hospital so they can relocate? The motion passed 3-1 with two members abstaining. Voting in favor: Richard Coutinho, Ann Margetson, and Tom Zinno; not in favor: John Campbell; abstaining: Robert Hammett and Liz Durkee.
Included with this letter is a copy of the Land Bank enabling act, Section 4.d. which states that the land bank commission shall have the power and authority to dispose of all or any part of its interests in any parcel of land, or change the use of such parcel, but only with the approval of the town advisory board of the town or towns in which such parcel is located and with the approval of the secretary of environmental affairs and subject to the provisions of Article XCV11 of the Articles of Amendment to the Constitution of the Commonwealth, to the extent applicable.
Approval of the Oak Bluffs advisory board has been given.
Richard F. Coutinho
Oak Bluffs
Not so great a leap
To the Editor:
Last week's article about the budget of the Martha's Vineyard Commission seems to have an error. It says that the FY2007 payroll costs represent a 53% increase over the FY2005 costs. In fact, the two-year increase is 17%, or 8.5% per year. As explained in the article, this includes not only a cost of living increase, but also the last two years of a three-year program to bring the MVC salaries more closely in line with those of other Island entities and those of other Massachusetts regional planning agencies. Also, the article did not mention that the overall increase in annual assessments to the towns for the coming year has been kept to 2.5 percent.
Mark London
Executive Director
Martha's Vineyard Commission
Restore the ponds
To the Editor:
The upcoming town meeting offers each of us the opportunity to support preservation of our Island's "blue jewels" - the ponds and estuaries of Martha's Vineyard. Friends of Sengekontacket Inc. joins with the Martha's Vineyard Water Alliance, the shellfish constable and the conservation commission in the town of Oak Bluffs to urge voters to vote yes on the proposed non-binding referendum on water quality, on the town warrant this April 11.
As reported recently in the study of Sengekontacket and the Lagoon by Dave Grunden, Oak Bluffs shellfish constable, human waste is a primary culprit of excess nitrogen in our ponds. We can each take individual responsibility by voting in favor of the referendum and commit to the restoration of our ponds by the Massachusetts Estuaries Project.
Terry Appenzellar
For the directors
Friends of Sengekontacket Inc.
Dark Ages
To the Editor:
I do not anticipate the forthcoming brutal and uncalculated slaughter of our sharks during the Monster Shark Tournament in July.
Are we still living in the Dark Ages where one must prove his manhood by the hunting and savage killing off of another species? Our magnificent creatures of the ocean help balance the nature of our earth. Why can't they be left alone to do what they normally do, swim, care for their families, and make "baby sharks."
Only real men would look toward "compassion" for these beautiful creatures that want nothing more than to live in peace and to be left alone by man.
S. Matthews
Vineyard Haven
Changing the world
To the Editor:
Back in November 2005, four men from the U.K., U.S., and Canada from the Christian Peacemaker Team were captured by a militant group in Iraq. The Peacemaker Team, based in Chicago and Toronto has long operated in the world's troubled regions, in Iraq for the past three years, in Gaza and the West Bank for the past decade. It is still active in Colombia. They are not missionaries. Their group describes its work as "truth telling." They aim to find out what everyday life is like for ordinary Iraqis, hear their stories
In the words of Tom Fox, a Quaker from Virginia and one of the Peacemaker Team: "We members are aware of the many risks both Iraqis and internationals currently face. However we are convinced that at this time that the risks, while significant, do not outweigh our purpose in remaining.
"Many Iraqi friends and human rights workers have welcomed us as a non-violent, independent presence. During the previous year they asked us to tell their stories, since they could not easily be heard, nor could most flee to a safer country. We need to preserve what is human in all of us and so offer glimpses of hope in a dark time."
Since November 2005, the four members of the Christian Peacemakers Team were imprisoned. Recently a picture was shown of three of the team, then later a news release (March 12, 2006) tells us that Tom Fox, American peace activist, had been tortured by his captors before being shot multiple times in the head and dumped on a trash heap next to a railway line in western Baghdad (New York Times). He was dressed in a grey tracksuit and stuffed in a large plastic bag. Fox had been bound at the wrists and ankles.
We remember his words "We forgive those who consider us their enemies," he said on Oct. 7, 2004.
"Therefore any penalty should be in the spirit of restorative justice, rather than in the form of violent retribution."
A friend and colleague of Fox said that in death Fox has shown that "one or two people, or a small group, who show courage, can change the world."
I am a former member and one of the founders of Langley Hill Friends Meeting in McLean, Virginia and met Tom Fox long ago, and I have followed his experience in Iraq. I am now a full member in the Martha's Vineyard Friends Meeting which meets at the Hillside Community building in Vineyard Haven.
Jane L. Brown
Oak Bluffs
Protesters are
patriots too
To the Editor:
I am responding to the comments made by the veteran who held his flag across the street from the peace rally.
As a veteran peace activist, I am saddened and frustrated by the climate created in our country by President George Bush. It is assumed that those of us waging peace are not patriotic. The truth is quite the opposite. I love my country; it is our current policies I disagree with.
The Bush administration invaded a country without just cause and has lied to us for many years about many things. As a leader, George Bush has not earned my trust, so I exercise my right of free speech.
I would like to remind those who denigrate protesters that we would not be a free country without the original protesters who threw tea into Boston harbor.
Susan Desmarais
Oak Bluffs
A matter of definition
To the Editor:
The Bush administration faces the question: "Is there a civil war in Iraq?"
Their response boils down to: "That depends on what your definition of 'is' is".
How ironic.
Tom Hodgson
West Tisbury
End this war
To the Editor:
So John H. Bunker Sr. believes in "Peace through superior firepower." Well, we've got superior firepower in Iraq, and what it's brought is 75,000 to 100,000 Iraqi dead, over 2,000 American soldiers killed and many more thousands wounded, a growing insurgency and the beginnings of civil war. I don't call that peace. It's time to end this war.
Steve Levine
Chilmark
Prices rising
To the Editor:
Never mind worrying about the high price of a bottle of wine or beer in a restaurant if the town ever licenses them. Think about what a glass of water at home will cost if the water department gets approval for its proposed new salaries.
Mary H. Snyder
Vineyard Haven
All mixed up
To the Editor:
When it comes to homeland security, America has its priorities all mixed up.
A security guard with a sniffing dog was posted last Friday at the Woods Hole ferry dock. This at a time when only five percent of the incoming cargo at US ports is thoroughly checked for bombs.
President Bush, since 9/11, has declared that we are waging a war on terrorism. He has issued water pistols.
William R. Meyer
Edgartown
What do they want?
To the Editor:
The signs at Five Corners read, "End the War!" Don't our soldiers want an end to the war as much as those at Five Corners? Don't we all want an end to the conflict as much as the insurgents want to prolong it?
What will happen if the U.S. presence unilaterally disengages? Will the incipient civil war develop into a full-blown civil war? Is this what those at Five Corners desire?
Jim Osborn
Vineyard Haven
Word from up north
To the Editor:
Island life is so much like Bartlett, on the side of Mt. Washington. Check out Bartlett. Not much employment up here in North Country. It's so much fun up here in the Flynn cabin.
Oh no, black bear on my front porch right now. He seems hungry.
See you at The Bite in Menemsha this summer, where I work.
Michael J. Flynn
Bartlett, N.H.
Similarities
To the Editor:
Peace through superior firepower is working as well in Iraq as it did in Vietnam. I'm just thankful I'm not writing this in Vietnamese. It looks more difficult than English.
Erik Albert
Oak Bluffs
If we truly love peace
To the Editor:
Of course, the Martha's Vineyard Peace Council had to protest. After all, their man lost the election and both houses of Congress are filled with Republicans that were voted in by the people. What other choices do the liberals have?
Saddam Hussein was a genocidal maniac who executed entire families that he thought were politically opposed to him. Surrounding Baghdad, the mass graves of 300,000 men, women and children stand in testament to this butcher of human life. But throughout all his purges of the 1990s I never saw a single protester from the M.V. Peace Council on Five Comers.
After Saddam broke the armistice by kicking out the United Nations inspectors and former President Clinton did nothing, I never saw the M.V. Peace Council anywhere. In fact, by their letters to this paper, it's clear they've got everything backwards. In case they don't know it, the United Nations, the United States and Iraq all agreed that it would be Saddam's responsibility to account for the whereabouts of the weapons of mass destruction. These peace protestors all think it was President Bush's responsibility to account for the weapons of mass destruction.
Several years ago, Chris Fried and I spoke together on opposite sides of this issue on WMVY, and at that time I said that President Bush would find Saddam in a hole in the ground somewhere and would bring him to face justice. (I said the same thing in a letter in this column that caused Peter Simon to give me the invitation to WMVY.) Thanks to the president and our military forces in Iraq, the world will now see justice instead of genocide.
Saddam's sons each raped young girls and women and would have their fathers and brothers executed if they dared to complain about it. In Afghanistan, women would be whipped in the streets if they attempted to hold a job or leave their husbands, but thanks to the president the Taliban is out and democracy is just starting to take hold. Did you ever see the M.V. Peace Council protesting the treatment of women in Afghanistan? Today the insurgents are deadly in Baghdad and the Sunni triangle just west of Baghdad, but in the rest of Iraq the economy is booming.
Whether or not the good people of the M.V. Peace Council realize it or not, people like them are genocide enablers. If everyone was like them, Saddam would be in, still carrying out his genocidal purges, and President Bush would be out. Thank God it's the other way around. God bless those souls who without any plans showed up on the other side of Five Comers with flags and support for our soldiers and their mission. Of course, the largess of the American people is not unlimited, and all of us can hardly wait until our young men and women can return from Iraq with their work complete. But for now, this new democracy is facing a military minority insurgency combined with foreign fighters. If we truly love peace we'll have to work a little longer for the Iraqi forces to be able to defend themselves and their country.
Mark S. Alexander
Vineyard Haven
Too long to wait
To the Editor:
I commend John H. Bunker Sr. for his well-written letter on his lonely stance at the peace vigil. However, I believe he was on the wrong side of the street. I respectfully disagree with several of his assertions.
1. Pulling out of Iraq would "abandon the very people we have liberated." Withdrawing our troops would allow the Iraqis to run their country.
2. "These people want us dead or at the very least, under their control." I believe they want us out of their country.
3. To stay free, we must, "carry a big stick (and) use it." The failure of the coalition of the willing proved the march to war was a diplomatic disaster.
4. "Peace through superior firepower," is a violent view of the world. Superior weaponry hasn't won the peace in Iraq.
5. "There have been those who would claim the moral high ground by chanting for peace." I prefer the moral high ground to the gutter of war.
Mr. Bush chose to go to war, yet now says it's up to his successor to bring the troops home. We've been in Iraq three years. The Bush administration has three more years in office. I think that's too long to wait for peace.
Thomas Dresser
Oak Bluffs
Pool setback a mistake
To the Editor:
At the upcoming town of Oak Bluffs annual town meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 11, it is pointed out to the voters that Article 17 (To see if the Town will vote to amend the Oak Bluffs Zoning By-law Section 4.4 Accessory Uses In The R1, R2 And R3 Districts by adding a new pool...etc., etc.) item 4.4.5.2 Conditions: "2. No portion of the pool is located within twenty (20) feet of any property boundary line;"
This portion of the zoning by-law does not seem appropriate in the circumstance, and the town voters should vote for a change in this portion of the proposed new zoning from a 20-foot setback to a case-by-case review for the following reasons:
1) Most town of Oak Bluffs properties, while possibly large enough for private pools, are too small to gratuitously apply a 20-foot setback. A case-by-case review seems more reasonable.
2) Modern swimming pools may in fact include such designs that are, for example, as small as 8' by 15' and include motors providing a current for swimming for exercise or physical therapy. This size pool (and at times, larger ones), while able to fit onto a property may be denied a permit due to the artificial setback requirement.
3) It is becoming apparent that the high cost of living indicates that many able to spend the majority of the time in Oak Bluffs are (or are becoming) senior citizens for whom, as a result of parking, noise or other inconvenience, public beaches become less of an option for health and recreation use.
4) Recognizing the wisdom of setbacks generally, it does not seem reasonable to apply a single town-wide standard to what should ostensibly be made on a case-by-case basis.
It is recommended that Oak Bluffs voters should support an updated Zoning by-law that would accommodate for private pools on a case-by-case basis - but not one so generic as to specific footage. Thank you.
Skip Finley and Ron Mechur
Oak Bluffs
In his time of need
To the Editor:
Recently I had the misfortune to need emergency abdominal surgery. I went to our emergency room for another unrelated reason. Dr. Zack (ER doctor on duty) quickly found what my real problem was and called for a surgical team. In the wee hours of the morning I was wheeled into the operating room. It was very comforting to see two old friends on the team: Donna and Jamie.
Many thanks to all the wonderful staff at our hospital: ER, Lab, X-Ray, Nurses, Housekeeping, Maintenance and Dietary. I particularly want to thank Dr. MacArthur and his OR team. We are truly fortunate to have all these great people to care for us in time of need.
Stan Mercer
Chilmark
