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Letters to the Press – February, 2013

By on February 6, 2013

We already have some of the toughest gun laws on the books, the only people it affects are those who follow the laws. The only thing I see this doing is turning the law-abiding people into criminals.

The true criminals with long history of gun crimes are still going to walk before the ink on their arrest paperwork is dry.

Allan Caporuscio via Facebook

Valid points made by both sides here but I am glad that in NY they are at least addressing gun control. Is this legislature the perfect answer NO but at least it is a start. I am sure I am not in the minority when I commend Gov. Cuomo and the NY legislators for taking action.

Lorraine Sventora via Facebook

$8.75 is unlivable in New York. Minimum wage should be what the average NYS Senator makes per hour!

@GetCollegeEven via Twitter

Your latest “Off The Reservation” column, “Grand Old Pogrom,” evokes so many thoughts it’s difficult to know where to start. My first inclination is to respond to some of the vague associations and misinformation that you have so vehemently and passionately espoused in your article, but honestly I am fatigued by this entire level of discourse. You have left journalism and climbed into the ring of those you despise.

What has been lost in the public discussion is any level of courtesy, accuracy or civility. For example, you fail to mention Douglas Coe’s associations with Hillary Clinton, Al Gore and Jimmy Carter. You vaguely link the GOP to Hitler and, of course, the tiresome marriage of the GOP to the evil rich people out there. You complain about Republican propaganda, and then you practice it out with a sledgehammer in your article.

I love this paper, and this will by no means dissuade me from reading it in the future. Your job is to elevate the level of discourse into something of meaning and substance. People on the left and the right have valid and substantive points. Please, sir, I beg you to promote civility, accuracy and further meaningful discussion. You cheapen the value of your paper when you practice the very same nonsense you despise.

T. Chilton, Islip via email

New website comes up *very* nicely on my Android cell phone, well done!

@metaAnnilie via Twitter

Thank you for your article. Perhaps it will enlighten those who don’t already understand how business is conducted in Washington. I find it absolutely fascinating that the party that aligns itself the closest with Christ is the same party that misrepresents His teachings at just about every turn. I’m not a biblical expert but the Bible I read has some pretty basic tenets:

  • Peace (Republicans started two wars based on fabrications.) I thought I read something about lying as well.
  • Serve the poor (Republicans fight to destroy unions, cut healthcare and social security, and cut funding to education, yet fight tooth and nail to protect tax cuts for the super wealthy.)
  • Jesus served the poor and the marginalized in society.
  • He threw the money lenders out of the temple.
  • He healed the sick. These people where His PRIORITIES, not the wealthy and well-connected. A camel through the eye of a needle, indeed!
  • People are so easily mislead. Repeat a sound bite long enough and it becomes gospel. Thanks to good people like you my sanity remains restored. (Most days!)

Patrick Connelly, Oceanside via email

Atomic Warfare

In its recent article “Atomic Warfare” (Jan. 2), The Long Island Press presents a sensational and  inaccurate portrayal of both the condition of the former Sylvania Electronic site in Hicksville as well as Verizon’s efforts to address contamination that was discovered at this site since the beginning of the work in 2000. The story was written without any effort to contact Verizon for comment or balance.

The article’s assertion that “there is a secret in Hicksville” is false.  The operations that took place in the 1950s and ’60s by Sylvania have been well documented. Prior to the commencement of  the investigation and the remedial work and during the investigations and remedial work on the site a number of public meetings were held and written fact sheets providing updates were provided.  In fact, information about the investigation and remedial efforts to date has been placed in the Hicksville Public Library. In addition, these meetings, as well as other activities relating to the site, have been widely reported in the press.

The article fails to mention that the New York State Department of Public Health AND the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, as well as other federal and local agencies, have reviewed the environmental data relating to the site, and none has found the site to present a health hazard. Similarly, many of these agencies have overseen the remedial efforts performed by Verizon, which have gone well beyond legal requirements to assure the safety of the community.

Verizon has acted responsibly in response to the discovery of contamination at the site. Sylvania operated the site exclusively for the benefit of and under the close supervision of the federal government. The contract for that work stipulated that the Federal Government, and not Sylvania, was to be responsible for any resulting contamination. Nonetheless, many decades later, Verizon stepped up to the plate and began to address the contamination until the federal government took responsibility to remediate the site.

Any future articles by the Long Island Press about this property should be based on complete and thorough investigations into the facts, so there is a correct and accurate record of what has been an ongoing open and transparent process.

John Bonomo
Verizon, Director-Media Relations

via snail mail

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