Letters to the Editor
Posted May 31, 2007
Not lies, facts
To the Editor:
I am writing to refute Marc Hanover's quote as directly attributed to him in your May 24 article, "State transportation official backs SSA bill." In particular, Mr. Hanover, again, misstates four key facts.
One, according to public statements by the Barnstable member of the SSA, Robert O'Brien, the Island Home "will never see Hyannis Harbor." Due to the size of the vessel and the amount of available draft, this is currently a physical impossibility.
Two, the initial estimate for building the Island Home, as presented by the SSA and reported in the Vineyard Gazette on Aug. 17, 2004, was $22 to $25 million.
Three, according to engine room log books, the Islander used 680 gallons of fuel per day, while the new Island Home uses 1,300 gallons per day, while currently operating below rated speed to conserve fuel. This is more fuel usage, not less.
Fourth, licensed chief engineers - all Massachusetts Maritime Academy or Calhoun School of Engineering graduates - have received no briefing or training on the 9/11 required, Coast Guard approved, SSA security plan, despite repeated requests by the staff to be trained and SSA assurances to provide this training.
These are facts; not lies. I respectfully suggest Mr. Hanover refrain from personal attacks until he truly understands the facts. It is of deep concern that Mr. Hanover, a member of the SSA, is so misinformed.
William J. Campbell
Representative
Marine Engineers
Beneficial Association
Shocked at
selectman's attitude
To the Editor:
I was shocked to read of Kerry Scott's comment about Joe Alosso, suggesting that he forged a personal note from the Mass. Ethics Commission investigator. I immediately visited her at her office, where she assured me that she did not make that comment. I thought it strange that she refused to call Mr. Alosso and disassociate herself from the report.
I called the MV Times, and Nelson Sigelman assured me that they stand by their story, as written by Aubrey Gibavic.
I think that Ms. Scott's (and Mr. Revere's) behavior is disgusting and reprehensible. She has impugned the integrity of an Oak Bluffs department head, and I believe she has forfeited her right to be the chairman of the board of selectmen.
I call on the board of selectmen to remove her from the chairmanship, and if she has a shred of self-respect, she should tender her resignation before being asked for it.
It is time for the town of Oak Bluffs to repudiate the dirty politics that was so prevalent in past years, and to give us the decent leadership we deserve.
Robert A. Iadicicco
Oak Bluffs
Without reason
or truth
To the Editor:
How sad to see the chairman of the board of selectmen be nasty and petty publicly because the decision handed down from the ethics commission on Joe Alosso wasn't to her liking. She has publicly bad-mouthed and criticized Mr. Alosso for many years. Mind you, she is not the only one, but she headed up the posse as soon as she was voted into office. Now, after two years of being under the microscope by not only the ethics commission but townspeople as well, Mr. Alosso has been exonerated. I expected Ms. Scott to be a little more gracious and accept the determination of the ethics commission and move on.
No. That didn't happen - Ms. Scott's true colors came out and accused Mr. Alosso of forgery. It is a good thing Ms. Scott has a forum such as the political arena to voice her nasty opinions - otherwise someone so ungracious and nasty may never be heard.
As far as Jonathan Revere's involvement and comments - hmmm - he has always been a negative person and judged many guilty without reason or proof. No change there.
Sari Budrow
East Falmouth
Thank you
To the Editor:
To the people who helped with our 10-year anniversary of living in our home on Franklin Street, we thank you for your donations and help.To Blair Cote from Stop & Shop, Jon Averill from Cash and Carry, Hinckley's donation of picnic table, Jon Kinzel's beautiful gardening, Ben Thornberry for serving drinks; Alison Burger from Chilmark Chocolates, Wendy Lopez Mata for prepping, Sarah Levesque for shopping and prepping, Jane Keenan for cake, tables and chairs, Phillip Levesque for grilling all the food.
Thanks again.
Martha Keenan, Robb Gale, Greg Marshall
Franklin Street
Vineyard Haven
Matter of decency
To the Editor:
I'm finding it harder to pick up the M.V. Times these days. It seems unable to draw a line for decency.
Example: This past year has seen weekly ads by a group called Friends of Family Planning. Their quirky, large-type messages such as "We all screw up" are continually pushing the limit. We owe our young people standards that will help them grow to be responsible, moral citizens.
And another item that calls for redress: Webster, among others, long ago formalized the meaning of the word "marriage" as a union of man and woman. Actually the Bible beat him to it. So, for the sake of honesty, homosexual persons ought not to be allowed to usurp that term - notwithstanding what the legislature says.
It would be like me calling myself "doctor" because I'm a tree surgeon. It denigrates the term in each case.
Wm. McNulty
Edgartown
No home address
To the Editor:
Regarding the update on E. Forbes Smiley, about restitution: Reporting on the update of the case - journalism. What are you going to do?
Reporting the home address - personal, irresponsible and unnecessary.
Mary Ambulos
Chilmark
Do-over
To the Editor:
As a struggling writer, I bask in the glow of finally getting published, with a Letter to the Editor in the May 24 edition of the MV Times. Somehow, however, a key paragraph of my essay was either edited out or simply omitted through error. This kind of makes me wonder if Rupert Murdoch hasn't acquired the MV Times, in another corporate takeover along with the Wall Street Journal.
The editing of a key paragraph would matter little to me personally, unless of course its absence detracted from the main substance of the piece. Regarding the "Dim political prospects" of the next presidential election, and the consistent foibles and faux pas of the current president, my attempt to focus on the endemic and systemic greater problem was lost in translation, no, make that omitted almost entirely.
In exercising, I suppose, literary license and an assumed editorial heavy hand, the flavor and essence of my commentary was changed dramatically. While sometimes guilty of an overabundance of language in writing, I wish to restate my viewpoint of the American body politic and my assertion that it is much less the problem of a singular demagogue/marionette with the title of President of the United States. Very simply, I wished to re-focus the perception that the troubles we are currently facing in America are not of one man's or woman's making, not this current president, not the next elected one. The point I was trying to make is that America is suffering from a systemic disease, a pervasive and perverse bastardization of substance and integrity.
The gist of my previously submitted text was this. The endemic problem of the American body politic is that an adoring, naive American public is force fed, mainly via television (but also in radio and print), a steady diet of such noteworthy fare as "American Idol," "Let's Make a Deal," "I Want to be a Millionaire," "The Simple Life," "Flava of Love," "MTV Cribs" and so much more, to distract us from the fact that this country is in an unpopular war, undertaken on false information, pretense, and lies. It comforts me little when I am asked to root for either Rosie O'Donnell or Donald Trump in the next meaningful debate on ethics.
What it boils down to, again, is a systemic plague, requiring a complete makeover, not a simple, singular presidential election.
Gregory Bochow
Cuttyhunk and Mt. Vernon, N.Y.
Take the bus
To the Editor:
This is a patriotic time of year with Memorial Day, D-Day, and the 4th of July. So, it's the perfect time to make the Island a little freer. July 1, 2007 is the day we are going to Lambert's Cove Beach. Bring your kids, grandparents, friends and good attitude. Meet at the Tisbury Park and Ride to catch the bus to the beach. 508-221-8695 for more details. The time has come to end beach apartheid.
Erik Albert
Oak Bluffs
Consumer info
outlet needed
To the Editor:
Not that long ago I had dinner in a rather fancy restaurant in Boston. While reading the menu I had the most bizarre experience, feeling that the prices seemed not only reasonable, but a tad inexpensive. It's not that hard to figure out why.
Now that Vineyarders are being encouraged to "live local," but we already know that our local living costs are shockingly high, what are we supposed to do?
As if on cue, in response to a report on the shocking costs of Island living, a newspaper opinion piece reminds Islanders to celebrate the heroic volunteers and organizations dedicated to serving and helping so many in need on our Island. These heroes are the good news in a dire story. And, oh yes, please don't forget to donate. Even the Martha's Vineyard Commission is soliciting now for their efforts to develop The Island Plan.
These appeals, I imagine, go out to people who are not too negatively impacted by the shockingly high living costs. As prices rise, more middle and lower income people realize, forget local, it's time to leave. The many trips to Home Depot, Cosco, and Staples cannot keep Islanders from moving away.
For those who so far are able to remain local, it would seem to follow that we could sure use a good, investigative consumer reporter on this Island. Why isn't there an easily accessible source where consumers can find reliable, comparative information on where to get the best (and nicest) bang for their buck on-Island? Why don't we have a system of Islanders rating and comparing our Island businesses and services, beyond word of mouth?
For instance, is there an electrician who will do small jobs at a fair price - and actually show up when he says he will? Where is the best place to buy food, staples, and over the counter or prescription medicines? What's the best way to heat our homes? Is there a place to buy affordable school clothes? Who has the best end of season sales? Where do we get our cars fixed properly and reasonably?
We do have a few "Best of the Vineyard" signs in some windows around town, and two glossy Vineyard magazines, which do talk about Island art, crafts, and architecture, but the magazines are largely slick advertisements for trophy bathrooms, stonework, swimming pools, and kitchens.
We also have the supplements to our newspapers, which offer information about gardening, food, or weddings, but really, again, the supplements are mostly filled with ads for landscapers, tent companies, restaurants and caterers. Newspapers and magazines are businesses too, and I am sure businesses are very happy to know that 75 percent of surveyed MV Times readers say they frequently purchase products seen advertised in the paper.
Supporting our farmers, fishermen, and friends is one thing. So is supply and demand. It's reasonable that certain products and services should be higher than mainland prices. Many businesses don't hike consumer costs beyond what is necessary to stay in business and prosper. But then there are those who take full advantage and charge prices to whatever the traffic will bear. We all know that greed often plays a very big role in why Island prices are so high.
I'm sure most of us have had the experience of getting a product, job, or service done on the Island, after first finding someone only too willing to overcharge us. Unfortunately, we've also found times when we didn't find the lesser price for what we needed until it was too late. I once asked a realtor to do a job, which she said would cost me $650. I luckily consulted with another realtor who did the same job for free. Don't Islanders want to know the names of the businesses of both realtors? Aren't Islanders entitled to know?
A widely available Vineyard consumer report, newspaper column, or consumer-run web site would encourage better service and more uniform prices. It might even encourage more self-sufficiency. A reliable consumer resource would allow more people to shop locally, keeping more Vineyard dollars on the Vineyard. Island consumers absolutely should have easy access to updated, reliable, unbiased information about which businesses and services are most consumer friendly, or at least, most community friendly. I would think the majority of the business community would welcome this idea as well. If such a thing existed, I'd buy a subscription to a Vineyard Consumers Report and consider it money well spent.
Jacqueline Mendez-Diez
Chilmark
The Lenny we know
To the Editor:
This is the Lenny Jason we know: Last winter, one day Ted went out our drive for the mail and fell. A car stopped and the man ran in, helped him up, made sure he was all right, got our mail, and got him back in the house, with a phone number on a slip of paper in order to call him when needed. This is the Lenny Jason we know.
Polly M. Meinelt
Chilmark
Thanks to Hospice
To the Editor:
I want to thank Hospice for their supporting our family when my dad, Dennis Sylvia, was dying. Thank you to all those who showed love to my dad and for your continued support through cards and prayers for our family during this time of grief. A special thank-you for your support toward my grandparents, Buddy and Gloria Sylvia.
Peace and blessings to all of you.
Jon Sylvia (Ortiz)
Vineyard Haven
Easy passage
To the Editor:
I just wanted to say thank you to the Steamship Authority. A few months ago, I got a call from my dad that my mother was in the intensive care unit at a Boston hospital and that I should come as quickly as possible. Thanks to the kindness of the crew that day at the ferry, I was on my way within the hour. My dad was both relieved to see me and surprised, because it was so soon after he called. He too felt very grateful. A few days later, when my mom was more alert, I told her the story of how helpful everyone had been and she also wanted to extend her thanks. Fortunately, my mom is all recovered and riding the ferry for herself again these days, to visit me. It meant so much in the time of crisis to be able to have such an easy passage, even on a busy Sunday. Thanks especially to Richard and all who helped that day.
Emily Sims and Family
Vineyard Haven
Thanks, VTA
To the Editor:
This letter was sent to Lauren Thomas, Vineyard Transit Authority.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for allowing our advanced placement tests to take place in the VTA conference room. The location has proven to be ideal for our students and proctor. The space is always bright, clean, and welcoming. The students are very appreciative of your generosity and we hope this has not been an inconvenience to you or your staff.
Peg Regan
Principal
Martha's Vineyard Regional High School
Thanks to everyone
from Habitat
To the Editor:
Last Friday evening, Habitat for Humanity of Martha's Vineyard held its fifth annual More Than Art Auction and Dinner at the Harbor View Hotel. I would like to thank everyone who was involved in making the evening such a wonderful success. Notably, I would like to thank our underwriter, Rana DiOrio, our sponsors, the 158 attendees for bidding well, the artists and business donors for contributing a fantastic mix of items, the volunteers for giving their time and energy, auctioneer Bob Glover for guaranteeing each piece was sold to the highest bidder, and Jennifer Tareila and the staff of the Harbor View Hotel for their continued hospitality. I would also like to give special thanks to our board of directors and our volunteer committee: co-chairs Hope MacLeod and Doug Ruskin, Holly Alaimo, Paula Catanese, Salli Hart, Chris Rasmussen, and Kira Law Sullivan.
With all of your support, we were able to exceed our $25,000 goal. The generosity of the community shown on Friday night will make our fifth house here on the Island a reality for another Island family.
Thank you.
Julie Willett
Executive Director
Memorial Day thanks
To the Editor:
I would like to thank all the police and fire personnel who participated in our Memorial Day ceremonies. Thanks also to all the scouts for their active participation, especially Noah Moreis and Marissa Kaeka, who raised the flag, and Edgartown Fireman Morgan Hauck, who sang the Star Spangled Banner. A special thank-you to our guest speaker, Richard Earley, National Services Officer at the Veterans Administration regional office in Providence.
We are grateful to all the veterans who proudly attended the ceremonies. Thank you to Theresa Baptiste and Lil Colligan for feeding us all after the parade.
None of this would be possible without the organizational skills of my parade marshals, Past Commanders Ed Colligan and Jo Ann Murphy.
Kevan Nichols
Commander
American Legion Post 257
