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Peaceful voices don’t need to riot

On Oct. 18, I participated in the “No Kings Rally” in Fredonia. On returning home I was subjected to scorn and derision, which was to me nothing but water off a duck’s back. Meantime the President’s followers are accusing those who disagree with him of being afflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome. TDS is an imaginary disorder invented by President Trump’s followers because they refuse to admit there may be some reason and logic for objections to the President’s policies and actions. Let us look at the crowd in Fredonia. There were 500 or 600 patriots peacefully ...

Comparing Mamdani and Musk

A member of my family suggested that it might be timely to write an article about these two polar opposites whose names have recently been in the news. “Diversity” has become a bad name for some, but the juxtaposition of these two men between what is called “democratic socialism” and “capitalism” would seem to meet that definition. To be honest, by way of full disclosure, in discussing a comparison of Mamdani and Musk—I must acknowledge that I own no Tesla Stock, but I do have two grandchildren living in New York who supported the newly elected Mayor of New ...

‘No Kings’ sends important message

I am responding to the letter in paper on the No Kings march and rally held in two locations in our county. He completely missed the message of the movement. Instead he focused on some who used profanity, the words Nazi or dictator in their signs. He completely ignored the speeches made, the songs sung and the unity of almost 800 people in Fredonia and an additional 400 in Jamestown who say “No Kings.” He also seemed to have no idea why anyone would come to the rally wearing an inflatable costume. I will attempt to explain some of this to him and other readers who may hold ...

For better, and often worse, our words keep evolving

That “words have consequences” is not a new idea, but it has gathered momentum of late. Maybe a better way of looking at it is to say that words are organic. They evolve, like a living thing, and affect and are affected by the environment in which they operate. Their meaning changes with usage, and it almost seems they want to gain attention by shedding plain denotation in pursuit of more colorful connotation. Sometimes the growth is poetic – a kind of metamorphosis. Lately, however, the mutations of many words in the geopolitical sphere have become worrisome. For example, the ...

Gifts of care: Helping our neighbors at holidays

A government shutdown temporarily suspended crucial benefits like SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) and HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program). While these benefits are now resuming, the disruption has created hardship and uncertainty for thousands in Chautauqua County and shown just how fragile food security can be. A recent emergency meeting of the Chautauqua County Legislature revealed sobering numbers: 22,000 Chautauqua County residents rely on SNAP benefits, and 4,367 of SNAP recipients in the county are over age 60. These figures tell a story of a community still ...

Grip of socialism tightens in state, U.S.

Can socialism be democratic? Given the dismal history of their ideology, modern socialists are desperate to rebrand themselves as “democratic” to insulate themselves from their own history. But common sense should tell us that “Democratic Socialism” is a contradiction in terms. People who formerly identified as Marxist, Communist, Progressive, or just plain Socialist now claim the moniker “Democratic socialist,” as if that makes any difference. Communists in Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea all claimed to be Democratic Socialists. Communist East Germany was ...