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Unfairness can befall us tomorrow

JAMESTOWN — Let’s pick up where we left off 60 weeks ago when we first considered ultimately successful efforts to save Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church in Jamestown from closure. ≤ ≤ ≤ The Diocese of Buffalo has tough, unenviable decisions to make in addressing issues that Catholics aren’t alone in facing, such as attendance, finances, and clergy-shortages. Then there are the claims particularly—though not solely—impacting Catholics. For such claims, New York state government legislatively, temporarily extended the expired statute of limitations. No one ...

Backtracking before going forward

Well it’s the end of another year but for me it’s not time to make resolutions but a time to look back on the previous year and wonder what the new year will bring. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is Catholic while pro-choice, has told the legislature that she will be signing the bill to allow medically assisted death in the state. It makes me wonder if she has forgotten that the Catholic Church holds an unequivocal position that both abortion and assisted death are morally unacceptable because they constitute the direct and intentional killing of innocent human life, which is a gift ...

The lake freezes before Christmas

We have lived on Chautauqua Lake now for over 30 years and have very seldom seen the lake, as it now is, iced-over before Christmas. It may have happened once or twice before, but then, I think, it was only partially frozen. The snowfall this year has also been significant, i.e. the kind of snow you usually see in January or February. At last count, the Village of Mayville had recorded 58.9 inches of snow. We have already seen, in December, a few ice fishermen on the lake—a scene that usually takes place in mid to late January. Winter is upon us! The other day an eagle landed out ...

Politics can’t halt evolution, nature

First they came for the Trans kids, And I am speaking up because I know how this poem ends. The Trump administration is saying “There are only two sexes, male and female.” To ensure that young people do not try to change their gender while they are developing, the administration is threatening to withhold Medicare and Medicaid money to any hospital that provides that care to minors. This ensures that even in states where it’s legal gender affirming care for adolescents can’t happen in a hospital. If a boy wanted to have surplus breast tissue removed to look more like a ...

Industry needs a diverse energy strategy

Editor, OBSERVER: For manufacturers across New York, abundant and reliable energy is not a luxury or a choice. Around the clock power, 365 days a year, drives daily operations, keeps us competitive and allows us to grow our workforce and continue investing in communities. This is why we strongly support an all-of-the-above approach to energy policy—one that embraces natural gas, nuclear energy, emerging clean technologies, and above all, the core principles of affordability and reliability. This approach is critical now more than ever. New York’s energy systems are facing ...

Heroic recognition during a season of giving

The month of December throughout our nation’s history has been a very active time for our military. We all know about the Day That Lives in Infamy, when the Japanese, unprovoked, attacked the islands of Hawaii decimating the Pacific Fleet of our Navy. We know about the siege of Bastogne in the European theater of WWII that lasted many days and showed the true tenacity of the American soldier, holding off overwhelming German forces in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge. During the Korean War, Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Davis against a superior Force led his Marine Battalion ...