Letter to the Editor - January 03 2013

Disagrees with Code of Ethics plan

I attended the Salisbury Code of Ethics (COE) workshop for town officials on Dec. 15, 2012. Selectman Mark Lauretano’s presentation was excellent. Many good questions were raised and most answered by Mark. However, I do not support the passage of the code as presented.

First, I do not believe that either of our two political parties should have the sole right in nominating commission members. Any citizen of Salisbury has the constitutional right to serve as an elected or appointed official irrespective of their political affiliation and no one should need to have a party endorsement.

Secondly, I do not believe any town board should have subpoena powers when it comes to matters unrelated to a criminal nature. Mark very clearly explained that the COE Commission would deal only with matters “greater than trivial but less than criminal.” The Constitution protects all citizens, including town employees and town officials, from unreasonable search and seizure of their persons, houses, papers and effects. If and when a situation arises that an ethics violation is of the extent that a subpoena is needed that violation should be handled by authorities (police and courts) that have the statutory and constitutional knowledge to do so. Our town attorney, commissioners, selectmen and the town would be placing themselves in a very vulnerable position if given subpoena powers.

Dean Hammond
Lakeville

Many made Christmas party a success

On behalf of the officers and trustees of the Kent Historical Society, I would like to thank everyone who once again made our annual Christmas party at the Swift House such a great success. Our two rooms were packed to overflowing with old friends and new faces. Many people brought their favorite homemade goodies to share, and the Fife ’n Drum restaurant and J.P. Giffords each donated beautifully presented platters of tasty treats. Their generosity is much appreciated. Other guests volunteered to tend the bar, pass the food and clean up at the end of the evening.

And speaking strictly for myself, I would like to give a huge thank you to all my hard working board members who knocked themselves out to make the Swift House sparkle and glow and to help you all feel welcome and well fed. They are a truly remarkable group.

Margaret Smith
Executive Director
Kent Historical Society
Kent

Responsible gun owners should not be punished

After viewing the opinion pages of the final 2012 edition, I entertained the thought of writing a rebuttal opinion. Further reflection caused me to discard the notion. All of the opinion pieces called for further punishing law-abiding firearm owners. There was lip service to the cause celebre of “mental health issues,” along the lines of “government study.” An opinion piece would waste my time; I have been having this discussion since the late ’70s.

The general gist was to ban some semiautomatic rifles because of cosmetic features,and the fact that they fire “high power cartridges.” No, not a ban on the Saint Hunting Rifle, even though the Saint functions the same way, one shot with every pull of the trigger, and the gases produced remove the spent casing and cycle the action to load a fresh cartridge. It’s been that way since John Moses Browning patented the mechanism in the late 1800s. No, these rifles have “barrel shrouds,” “adjustable stocks,” and other cosmetic features. But, the trough feeders and their minions in the “media” have lied and call them assault weapons. Education will not work on these people. As a philosopher is fond of saying, “You can’t fix stupid.”

Regarding the “high power cartridge,” it is so anemic it is illegal for hunting. Yet, the plastic stock rifle is perfect for hunting. I do not own one, but I can see its advantages over my traditional wood stock rifles. Rain? Snow? Dropped? Water? Plastic stocks take the lickin’ and keep on tickin’. Wood? Not so much.

The point glossed over in this issue, is that these events are rare. If one were to believe the hoplophobic, the country would be akin to Chicago, where murder is so common, they rarely make the front page. However, as Rahm Emanuel once said, “Never let a crisis go to waste.” The hoplophobes have learned this lesson well, even to the point of tarring me and millions of others with the brush of criminal actions. Earl Brecher even calls for outlawing reloading of cartridges. Is he aware of some threat that no one else is aware of? Law-abiding citizens are not the problem.

Paul Bartomioli
Falls Village

Dairy products part  of a healthy diet

As a registered dietitian who works to educate the community about nutrition using science-based information, I am concerned that the article published on Dec. 20 titled “Men should watch their milk and cheese intake” contains misleading information regarding milk and the risk for prostate cancer. The article fails to mention that there has been a considerable amount of research on this topic with no conclusive link between dairy and prostate cancer. The article also neglects to educate readers about the many health benefits that milk and milk products provide.

The dairy food group is a substantial contributor of many nutrients in the U.S. diet that are important for good health, including calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and riboflavin. Government and public health organizations encourage daily consumption of dairy foods such as low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt and reduced-fat cheese to support an overall healthy diet, which promotes good health and helps prevent disease.

According to American Cancer Society’s (ACS) current nutrition and physical activity guidelines, “The best advice to reduce the risk of prostate cancer is to eat at least 2.5 cups of a wide variety of vegetables and fruits each day, be physically active, and achieve a healthy weight.” It may also be prudent to limit calcium supplementation and to not exceed the recommended intake levels of calcium via foods and beverages. However, as calcium and dairy intake may decrease the risk of colorectal cancer, the ACS does not make specific recommendations regarding calcium and dairy food intake for overall cancer prevention.

The study discussed in the article comes from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), which is an animal rights organization that promotes a strict vegan diet and consists of very few physicians. The group is not a credible source of nutrition information. When it comes to nutrition, people should listen to health and nutrition professionals, such as registered dietitians or their family physician.

Nutrition science is continually evolving, and it can create confusion when there are conflicting reports. That’s why it’s important to look at the big picture and consider the entire body of scientific research on this topic. In this case, what’s important for people to realize is that the study discussed in the article is an observational study, which can only suggest potential relationships, not determine cause-and-effect conclusions.

Amanda Aldred, RD, SNS
School Nutrition Specialist
New England Dairy & Food Council
Naugatuck

Generosity is appreciated

Sharon families once again enjoyed the amazing holiday bounty of gifts and food. We can’t thank you enough, and we can’t list all of you here (you know who you are!), but we’d like especially to mention Troop B, NASCAR Dave, Scouts, churches, the Taghannuck Grange bakers, Woman’s Clubbers, the Community Foundation of Northwest Connecticut, many kind individuals and the great Housatonic Valley Regional High School team of the FFA.

Bravo to you all for your generosity and kindness.

Happy New Year!

Ella Clark
Social Service Agent
Sharon