Letters to the editor: 7-25-24

A heartfelt appreciation for Railroad Days

As the Railroad Days festivities come to an end, I would like to express my most sincere and heartfelt appreciation to those who played such a significant role in its success this year. Railroad Days has been a nostalgic memory for so many generations, creating an atmosphere of fun and excitement that now spans 60 years. The planning phase for this two-week celebration is ongoing, creating a 12- month cycle of concepts, designs, contracting, and overall execution. The end result of this selfless and tireless effort creates an opportunity for both North Canaan residents and our neighbors from the north, south, east, and west to all enjoy the many offerings that our town is known for.

I would like to personally thank the Chairperson of the North Canaan Events Committee (NCEC), Jennifer Crane, as well as all of the dedicated members of the NCEC, for their unwavering commitment to creating and hosting such a memorable event.
“We must also give praise and thanks to all of our incredible local first responders, non-profit organizations, volunteers, town crew members, and businesses; who collectively give so much of their time and financial assistance to ensure that this renowned tradition remains a summer staple for years to come.”

Finally, to our quests and patrons who descended onto North Canaan over the past two weeks, we are truly grateful that you chose to spend your time with us, creating memories that will undoubtedly last a lifetime. We’re makin’ it happen here! We will all continue to work together to ensure that our name remains synonymous with constant enjoyment, infectious laughter, great food, quality shops, and a safe and bucolic community.

Fondly,

Brian M. Ohler

First Selectman

Town of North Canaan

What about AI and our forefathers?

I was nine when some curious promoters wondered aloud who was the best heavyweight fighter ever. Muhammad Ali or Rocky Marciano. It was 1969, Marciano and Ali were both undefeated. And in the end, speculation prevailed.

After much analysis, along with a computer’s algorithmic punch, the fight took place on Jan. 20, 1970. Ali was 27 and Marciano was 46 but that didn’t matter much because they never actually fought. The kicker was there was still a winner — actually two.
Salvador Dali died in 1989, when he was 84. But go visit the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida and you can hear, watch and talk to him. And he will answer you. Achieved through artificial intelligence after a lengthy, technical process, it is as if he is real. He is here. He is now.

Watch the promo videos. It’s pretty amazing stuff. Ask him why his clocks are melting? Why all the faces? What’s with that mustache?

And then I thought how about this: We get a couple guys together — let’s say Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Franklin, and Hancock for starters. AI resurrects them, a la Dali, and then we ask a few questions. We surely know enough about them all. Not only do we know what their positions on issues were but how they, themselves, acted with the future of our country in mind. Not just the moment.

Americans live in the moment at the expense of the future and a suggestion that some communication with our forefathers needs serious consideration. If only consideration. AI is here now and we have endeavored to chronicle the past. If we put these Americans together, they may offer us some collective answers to the questions we ask and who knows, we might find a winner — maybe two.

Andrew E. Schwartz

Salisbury

Hypocrisy and opportunism

I’m finding it ironic that letter writers in these and other pages accuse the liberal left of antisemitism while many voices from the right insist on calling America a “Christian” nation.

It’s also interesting that supposedly pro-semitic Republican party members seem loath to actually vote for Jewish candidates when elections come around.

Every one of the 10 Jewish Senators in the 118th U.S. Congress except Bernie Sanders, an independent, is a Democrat; where are all the Republican Jewish nominees for these seats? The House is similar, with 25 Jewish Democrats and only 2 Jewish Republicans.

Governorships and mayoralties follow suit. When American universities, country clubs, and employers for decades routinely discriminated against Jewish enrollment/membership/hiring, wasn’t it conservatives who locked the doors and progressives who opened them? Aren’t the antisemitic tropes, conspiracy theories, and libels on QAnon and its apers associated with the Right, not the Left? And isn’t it disingenuously opportunistic for Republicans to wave the flag of pro-Jewishness only when it’s convenient to their agenda? Just asking.

Robert Buccino

Salisbury

The court got it wrong on Chevron rule

In his July 18 letter to the Editor, Joe Agli states the USSC got it right on overruling the Chevron precedent. His argument misstates the law under Chevron.

He asserts that administrative rulings that he does not like can now be challenged in Court, implying that this could not be done before. Administrative rulings could always be challenged in Court and frequently were.

All Chevron did was to give deference to the expertise of administrative agencies in interpreting their enabling statutes. The recent case eliminates such deference.

The consequence of this ruling will it make more likely that administrative law will vary in the various Circuit Courts of Appeals. Courts will reasonably insist that all cases arising in their circuit follow their established precedent.

The problem is that no one knows in which circuit a case will wind up. Further, unless laws start being written with the length and breadth and specificity of regulations, you will have judges tasked with setting very complicated and nuanced standards in areas such as public health, securities trading, airline regulation, climate science, labor relations, and consumer safety.

Under the National Labor Relations Act, with which I am most familiar, a case decided by the NLRB may go to the circuit where the action arose, the circuit where the party resides or does business, or the D.C. Circuit.

Most parties are law abiding and wish to conform their actions to established precedent. But what precedent to follow?

The overruling of Chevron will make a hodgepodge of different interpretations that will encourage more litigation and demand more action by the Supreme Court to sort it out. This may be good for lawyers, but surely not for small employers and unions that are not in a position to expend great resources on litigation.

Members of administrative agencies are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The decisions of the agencies generally reflect the values of the incumbent President. That was a workable system. Overruling Chevron will be seen, I believe, as costly and unworkable.

Daniel Silverman,

Former Regional Director

National Labor Relations Board

Falls Village

Beware Project 2025

MAGA Republicans have hatched a plot against America called Project 2025. It describes itself as “the conservative movement’s unified effort to be ready for the next conservative administration to govern at 12 noon, January 20, 2025.” It’s the 922-page brainchild of the far-right Heritage Foundation and 100+ allied groups. Two-thirds of its authors and editors served in the Trump administration. Trump falsely denies any connection to Project 2025, but, in fact, he has long supported its extremist goals, proclaiming at a 2022 Heritage event: “This is a great group and they’re going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do … when the American people give us a colossal mandate to save America.”

Regardless of Trump’s disavowals, Project 2025 expresses the agenda of his conservative political base, so voters need to know whether Republican candidates agree with it. In our 5th Congressional District, Trump supporter George Logan, running against Democrat Jahana Hayes, must tell us where he stands. His silence to date is unacceptable.

A single letter cannot address all the damage Project 2025 would do, but here are a few of its most harmful plans:

—Allow the President to fire 50,000 federal civil servants and replace them with unqualified political loyalists. Heritage’s allies are already working on hit lists of federal employees not 100% loyal to Trump.

—Demolish the Justice Department’s independence, enabling the President to prosecute political opponents and obstruct any prosecution of his allies.

—Eviscerate the fight against climate change by killing clean energy subsidies and “dismantl[ing]” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Weather Service.

—Severely restrict access to abortion by revoking FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone and prosecuting anyone who sends abortion pills by mail.

—Ban certain forms of contraception, cut back insurance coverage for contraception and defund Planned Parenthood. It also calls for “deleting” from all federal laws and actions such terms as “reproductive health” and “reproductive rights.”

—Delete from all federal laws and actions the terms “sexual orientation and gender identity …, gender, gender equality [and] gender equity.” It also insists on a “biblically based” definition of marriage and family.

Mr. Logan, please tell us now which of Project 2025’s plans you support, and why.

Pamela Jarvis

Sharon