Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

Letters to the Editor May 19

Don’t wear fur, real or not

Using animal fur in clothing industries is pretty popular. Some coats are designed the way they are to broadcast the beautiful fur that the owner is wearing, while others are hidden, like lining a boot or mitten.

Either way, the real question is, should a person wear fur at all? Or is the fake option a great alternative to the real thing?

Wearing fur at all, whether it be fake or real, is wrong. Even though animals are not being killed in the process of making these synthetic furs, it still promotes the idea that wearing fur is fashionable and OK. If a person is wearing a beautiful leopard fur coat or a fake one made to look like Bengal tiger, other people will see it. This may make them want to wear it, too.

Some people, especially rich or famous people, think that wearing fur produces a better status for them. It makes them feel important and fancy, which is what many celebrities want.

Plus, the idea of fake fur is not as glamorous or desirable as real fur is. The consumers of fake fur obviously like the look of fur, and maybe will like the real fur better, causing them to want real fur clothing. The idea of fake fur is considered tacky to some people today, so buying real fur will be preferred. Fake fur is trying to look like real fur, so it is still promoting the idea of killing animals for clothing.

Slaughtering an animal simply to provide a luxury is unethical and shouldn’t be tolerated.

Taylor Dowd

Eighth Grade

Salisbury Central School

Salisbury
 

 

The failure of good intentions

Al Ginouves’ declaration of pride in being a liberal, social progressive would be commendable but for many historical facts that liberal/progressives do not want students and the general public to know. Those facts are why history is corrupted and marginalized in schools across the nation.

Progressive is such a nice word. That is why socialists and communists in the 19th century adopted it as their “alias” to con people. Lenin dubbed the gullible as “useful idiots” during the 20th century.

Progressivism represents the path to socialism and ultimately communism by using incremental gains to achieve the goal instead of violent revolution. It’s like boiling a frog by putting it in a pot of cold water and turning up the heat bit-by-bit so the frog is gradually immobilized and unable to save itself in the end.

Progressivism is the history of racist, fascist President Woodrow Wilson, unions discriminating against minorities, union thuggery terrorizing independent workers at home and in the workplace by threatening, beating and on occasion killing them. We see the same behavior today with Service Employees International Union, Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now and our president inciting these groups to terrorize families of American International Group employees in their homes.

Progressivism is the development of euthanasia for the old, infirm and otherwise “undesirable” people — Margaret Sanger and Planned Parenthood’s favorite targets for abortion being African-Americans.

Under the guise of good intentions, progressivism promotes expansion of corrupt and incompetent government programs to enslave the population through confiscation of personal property and money, dependency and the mantra of the collective “general welfare” so that eventually every aspect of our lives will be controlled by dictatorial bureaucrats.

It knows no law but whatever works at any given moment in time — the end justifies the means. It has no respect for the value or rights of individuals, which is amusing in light of the educational system’s obsession for building supposed self-esteem in our children while teaching them contempt for their parents, ancestors, government, religion, history and culture. How convoluted is that?

Progressivism is President Obama’s merry band of buddies, the communists George Soros, Van Jones, Valerie Jarrett, Cass Sunstein, Bill Ayers, et al.

Fascistic socialism, communism and progressivism are responsible for more imprisonment, torture, deaths by starvation and murderous slaughter than any other ideologies or religions in history.

Bill Ayers has publicly stated millions of Americans will need to be re-educated in camps, and of those, 25 million will need to be executed because they cannot be re-educated. No doubt I will be on that execution list, and I am proud of it.

For those interested in learning more about this subject, begin by reading former communist David Horowitz’s autobiography, “Radical Son, Mark Levin’s “Liberty and Tyranny,” F.A. Hayek’s “The Road to Serfdom,” Daniel Hannan’s “The New Road to Serfdom” and “The Black Book of Communism,” by Harvard College.

Kathy Lauretano

Lakeville

 

Skoal

If you have good health, then congratulations!
For as we age we have medical tribulations.
The problems are many — too many to state,
But here are a few to which you may relate.
I’d rather be called an “Indian giver”
Than have a case of cirrhosis of the liver.
Or read a book about Horatio Alger
Than have to endure the pain of neuralgia.
Hair loss, they say, can be cured by Rogaine,
But nothing can cure a headache (migraine).
One thing more unpleasant than erectile dysfunction
Would be to watch reruns of “Petticoat Junction.”
I’d rather listen to rap music all day
Than have an asthma attack or fever from hay.
And if you have a bad pain in the back,
It’s better than having a heart attack.
Long ago I had a case of appendicitis.
It was more fun than my knee arthritis.
The body’s frailties make quite a list.
I’ve noted a few, but there are many I’ve missed.
So, given a choice of being poor or wealthy,
I think we’d all pass — we’d rather be healthy.

Corporal Doggerel (Carl Williams)

Salisbury
 

 

May is Military Appreciation Month

Congress designated May as National Military Appreciation Month (NMAM). For more than 230 years men and women have taken an oath to defend the Constitution and guarantee our freedom. When they take that oath, not only are they making a commitment and perhaps the ultimate sacrifice, but their families are making a commitment and sacrifice.

The very special days of appreciation and thanks in the month of May are: Loyalty Day, May 1; Military Spouse Appreciation Day, May 6; VE Day, May 8; Armed Forces Day, May 21; and Memorial Day, May 30. Although some of these have passed, we can still take a moment and say thanks or show our gratitude.

The American Legion Auxiliary Post 178 encourages you to fly the flag; send care packages to a soldier through USOCARES or through your local VFW post or American Legion post; shake the hand of someone in uniform; hire a veteran; visit a veteran; ask your elected officials at all levels to recognize the military; correspond with the troops.

Marie Barnum

Salisbury

Latest News

Jam leaves Sharon, prepares for Salisbury opening

Jam Food Shop’s future home at 19 Main St. in Salisbury. The shop ended service in Sharon on Oct. 3, but an opening date for the new location has yet to be set.

Patrick Stachniak

SALISBURY — Jam Food Shop has officially closed its Sharon location, with its much-anticipated standalone store still under renovation in Salisbury.

Jam Food Shop, previously operating out of the Sharon Farm Market, is in the middle of renovating its new location at 19 Main St. Construction crews are renovating the former Neo Restaurant and Bar space as locals await the deli’s opening.

Keep ReadingShow less

Dinner with the dog

Dinner with the dog
Georgie, enjoying a late-summer “pup cup” on the porch at Grassland Dessert Cafe in Lakeville.
Natalia Zukerman

Dog owners know the dilemma: You’re out for the day with your four-legged sidekick when hunger strikes. Fortunately, a number of area restaurants, cafés and breweries welcome dogs, mostly at outdoor tables. Policies and outdoor seating can change with the season, so calling ahead is always a good idea.

The White Hart and Provisions in Salisbury is particularly pet-friendly. The inn welcomes pets on request, and its front porch and sprawling lawn make inviting places to settle in with a canine companion. They even welcome well-behaved patrons — bipedal and quadruped alike — in the cozy dining area.

Keep ReadingShow less

A day in the life of a rescue dog

A day in the life of a rescue dog

Marsala is eager to go home with you.

Jennifer Almquist

“It’s unbelievable that this sweet, loving boy hasn’t found his home yet,” said Tiffany Lemelin, shelter manager of The Little Guild, whose mission is to rescue, love and heal homeless cats and dogs. She smiled at the small dog wagging his tail. “This is one of the most deserving dogs you could ever meet, with so much love to give.”

Marsala is an energetic, 1-year-old, 45-pound black Labrador mix waiting to be adopted. He arrived March 25 as a stray named “Chicken” from Toccoa, Georgia.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

A second chance in Wingdale

A second chance in Wingdale

Sampson, a playful and independent blind hound mix, explores the rescue’s large yard.

L. Tomaino

Meade Canine Rescue and Sanctuary is not the average rescue. Situated on a quiet dirt road on 8 acres in Wingdale, the dogs living there are, for the most part, uncaged, roaming the yard, sleeping in the house, resting in the shade of a tree or lounging in the open van that often takes them for rides.

“We go on lots of adventures,” said the rescue’s founder, Charlotte Meade.

Keep ReadingShow less
The bear necessities of living in bear country

A bear outside Cornwall Consolidated School in West Cornwall.

D.H. Callahan
Take down bird feeders when bears are active. Secure garbage cans left outside, and never leave pet food or trash on porches, screened-in or otherwise.

This here is bear country. In fact, Connecticut has an unusually high rate of bear home entries compared with neighboring states. So far this year, the state has documented more than 60 home entries, and bears have been spotted in all 169 towns and cities.

Bears are also part of life in neighboring Dutchess County. But don’t worry. It’s not as bad as it sounds.

Keep ReadingShow less

When your pet needs help after hours

When your pet needs help after hours

Newtown Veterinary Specialists

Provided

Anyone who has ever had a dog swallow something it shouldn’t, a cat suddenly struggle to breathe or a pet get hurt late at night knows how quickly panic can set in. In our corner of the world, there’s an added complication: emergency veterinary care may mean getting in the car and driving some distance.

That makes it worth knowing your options before you need them — and knowing the difference between a local veterinary practice that can handle an urgent case and a fully staffed, 24-hour emergency hospital.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.