Letters to the Editor - The Lakeville Journal - 11-9-23

Questioning cell equipment on Sharon church steeple

Did you know Cellco/Verizon is aggressively working to install cell equipment (7 panel-type antennas and 6 remote radio heads) in the landmark steeple of the Sharon Congregational Church at 10 Main Street? I bet not — because the only addresses notified were a few homes that abut the church property line. Please note, they only received the letter on Friday, Oct. 20 ahead of the Sharon Historic District Commission meeting on Monday, Oct. 23. It seems the Church has been planning this for quite some time. 

I’m a very concerned grandmother — and former Sharon resident of 25 years. This proposed cell tower in the existing steeple will be about 66 feet from my 11-month old granddaughter’s second floor bedroom window, not the recommended distance of 1300 feet from any home. 

Please, residents of Sharon, we need to address this proposal from Cellco/Verizon before it is too late. The Sharon Historic District Commission has approved the proposal with a few aesthetic conditions such as, moving the back up generator back and the type of fencing. Next, it will be going before the Planning & Zoning Commission. Be sure to check the town hall for the agenda. The next meeting is on Nov. 8 but we are not sure if the proposal will be addressed in this meeting. 

It is frightening that this can happen in the historic district, literally across from the Sharon Hotchkiss Library and the Sharon Historical Society & Museum. Just because “one can not see it,” what makes the antennas safe for our overall quality of life and health? Please, let’s try to move the location for another cell tower to a more remote location where it belongs — away from our homes. 

Naomi Couture

Millerton

formerly Sharon

The courts will decide

Litigation proceeds (currently in Colorado and Minnesota) about whether Donald J. Trump is prohibited by the Constitution from serving as President. The Supreme Court will in all probability decide the issue on appeal. As this litigation proceeds and is reported in the press, we should remember some basic facts.

1. Section 3 of Amendment XIV to the Constitution is clear:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. (Emphasis added)

2. The prohibition under Section 3 against holding any office is automatic (“ No person shall ...”) without requiring conviction of any crime. The results of current criminal prosecutions of Donald J. Trump are not relevant to the question of disqualification or qualification under the Constitution. Other automatic criteria under the Constitution are place of birth, age, and residence.

3. A triggering event of disqualification is to “have engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the Constitution. The language is not “engaged in an insurrection or a rebellion.”

In short, whether January 6 by itself was or was not an insurrection or rebellion does not determine disqualification under Section 3. A course of conduct over a period of time that constitutes insurrection or rebellion against the Constitution triggers disqualification, even a course of conduct that occurred before January 6, or that continues to the present, or both.

4. In the second impeachment of Donald J. Trump, the House of Representatives voted 232 to 197 to indict Trump for “Incitement of Insurrection,” and the Senate voted “Guilty” by a vote of 57 to 43. While the Senate vote fell short of the two-thirds necessary to convict in a Senate impeachment trial, Congress has determined by a majority vote of both the House of Representatives and the Senate that Donald J. Trump engaged in insurrection.

5. Congress has not acted to remove the disability of Donald J. Trump.

6. Thus, while Congress has determined that Donald J. Trump engaged in insurrection, it has not removed the automatic disqualification of Section 3.

It will be interesting to see if the courts recognize the basic facts and enforce the Constitution.

G. A. Mudge

Sharon

Cornwall Parks & Rec thanks for Halloween celebration

Cornwall enjoyed a beautiful Halloween celebration this year, and what a lovely event our Parks and Recreation people created. In the Town Hall, tricksters were invited to a very long table loaded with hot stews, soups, and excellent varieties of chili provided by locals. You could take a small cup sized sample of many, and vote for your favorite, or help yourself to a full bowl of your top pick.

Many thanks to all the volunteers who made this happen, and to the many tailgate treaters who decorated their cars, and served up the sugar.

Karl Saliter

Cornwall

Praise for storytelling article

I would like to praise Maud Doyle and the Lakeville Journal for the “Schaghticoke storytelling to celebrate Sukkot” article (Oct 19).  How poignant that the cross-cultural sharing and timeless lessons that the article so beautifully described occurred the same day as the eruption of the appalling violence in Palestine.

David Colbert

Cornwall Bridge