October 17, 2002

To: Letters to the Editor: The NY Times

Can Education Be saved In America?

The problem of how to preserve the future of education in America can be solved by any community. It must first start with the firm belief and iron clad will to make definitive changes. Currently in Westchester County almost all of our communities are paying between $12,000 and $16,000 per student per year. How does one determine that number? Just divide the number of students into the yearly school budget. In other words to educate a school population of 5000 over 12 years, at $16,000 per student, will cost a community approximately $1 billion. Are we getting our money’s worth? Most would say no. Is the fault of the teachers, the administrators, the students, the parents or the curriculum? In most cases each element of the educational equation is at fault. My suggestion is that at this pace our system will go bankrupt long before any solution is found. So basically we are saddled with a very inefficient and expensive day care system.

Therefore what is the solution? I will try to elaborate in a very general way of how our communities can save the schools, improve education and bring forth a better citizen through the process.

a)      Our first step: sell off the local schools from grades K-8 to a private entity called the town/city Academy. The sale of the buildings and property could be to a private company and those proceeds could be a well-needed windfall to the town/city. Or, the buildings and property could be sold to a semi-private entity not unlike urban renewal for a nominal fee. Under that scenario, if the Academy failed completely, the buildings and property could revert to the town/city. The new entity would have total authority over management and personnel. Assuming the local schools have a student population of 6000 students, costing $16,000 per student, the 4000 students in the Academy primary school would represent a cost of $64,000,000 in expenses. The town/city would use the money from the sale, to guarantee the Academy the tuition for 4000 students, whether they attend or not .By paying the Academy $10,000 per student or $40,000,000 in tuition the city would immediately save $24,000,000. The Academy would also have to pay real estate taxes to the town/city. The town/city could use that money in ways it deems appropriate

b)      For example; lower property taxes or modernize the high school. If students leave for other competing private schools, the town/city would give the parents a voucher for their use in that other private or competing school. In fact, the city could give $5,000 vouchers for every student who leaves the system. If after five years the school population continues to decline, because the Academy is not competitive, lower the guarantee from 4000 students to a newly negotiated level. If the school population increases because of natural population growth, the siphoning affect of the vouchers, for use at those other private or parochial schools, could work to maintain the school population at a constant figure. Or if the whole lower grades eventually disappear into the private sector because of a voucher system, the town/city would lower its costs from the current $64,000,000 amount to $20,000,000 or the cost of subsidizing 4000 students at $5,000 per student. Any students needing additional funds for tuition would be granted monies from a trust fund created from the proceeds earned from the sale of the buildings and property. Also needy students could have scholarship benefits from the considerable savings from a much smaller educational budget.

c)      If the Academy does succeed, by raising student test scores, improving graduation rates, and other academic standards, the Academy could reward its teachers on a merit basis through funds generated by property tax relief, awarded by the town/city.

d)      On the public high school level, grades 9 through 12, many classes should be consolidated into large lecture halls. (Positions could be eliminated by attrition, buyouts or the elimination of certain subjects.) Teaching assistants from graduate schools would be recruited from the local college programs and paid a per diem fee ($100) and awarded credits towards degree completion. These graduate assistants would take attendance, monitor exams, run labs, monitor study halls and lunch rooms, and mark papers. Higher salaries would be provided for the remaining merit-based teachers. Teachers would be paid to teach, not do non-teaching activities. In fact, teachers could teach more with the elimination of their previous responsibilities.

e)      In the high school many courses could be eliminated and or consolidated. As for example, all students not wishing to take advanced physics or chemistry could take an advanced general science course, not unlike what is offered in college. That course would combine the basic elements of biology, chemistry and physics. Only advanced students would take higher-level courses in physics and chemistry. The same consolidations could apply in the mathematics field. It is obvious that only an elite small percentage of all the students take advanced physics, chemistry, of calculus. One could qualify for those advance courses through a combination of recommendation and aptitude testing.

f)        In regards to language study, I would recommend that ESL in the Academy   should be eliminated or that Spanish should be mandatory course for all students. In other words we must eliminate all the societal pitfalls of a two-language culture or except the inevitability of a large percentage of our population speaking Spanish, and therefore prepare all non-Hispanics to learn that language. Any other language study is of marginal importance for most Americans. Most would agree that a vast and overwhelming percentage of all high school and liberal arts college students have no use or memory of their language studies in their post educational lives. In fact the second language of the whole world is English and that trend is continuing.

g)      I would stress courses in history, citizenship, law, English, and practical living. Practical living could encompass anything from understanding how to operate a checking account to insurance, to operating a car safely, to investing, or running a home or a small business, or understanding health care. I would also emphasize physical fitness. Every student should have to pass rigorous physical fitness requirements to graduate. A more physically fit population is a healthier one and less costly to society.

h)      One of the benefits of large lecture classrooms would be for the use of satellite based audio-visual and closed circuit television broadcasts. As businesses constantly use live television feeds for conference calls. Schools systems could by package lectures series from the top teachers in America. It would certainly be worthwhile to pay thousands for the best teaching program in America as opposed to paying scores of thousands for average or below average teaching.

i)        What happens to students who cannot compete or function in the conventional academic public school environment? The answer is to provide a vocational alternative in the same way that BOCES provides.

The money saved by privatizing the lower grades could be applied to a stronger high school educational environment. The average student coming back to the public high school would be better ethically prepared from either a private or parochial school’s emphasis on values. Also the town/city could provide its public high school with the most advanced audio/visual satellite based equipment. Every student could have a fully loaded up-to-date computer system.

There is an erroneous assumption that this types of school system will not provide for the dysfunctional, the uninterested, the physically challenged or any other special needs child. I believe that with the vast savings, the small percentage of special needs children would easily be absorbed into the newer cost structure. Also the state government would be saving large amounts of money that used to go to individual districts. This money could go directly to special needs individuals. In regards to the dysfunctional and or disruptive child, the state would also have extra funds to provide for their care. Frankly disruptive students should not be tolerated, should be trained in areas that do not bore them and should not bring the system down to its lowest common denominator. Also by becoming much more efficient schools systems there will be other ancillary savings.

For example:

a)      Less administrators

b)      Less classrooms to maintain and service

c)      A simpler curriculum to maintain

These are some of the ways that dramatic change can alter and reverse the direction of our bloated moribund system. No one can say that every change has to be made. But for sure all that I have proposed could be instituted gradually.

In other words the system needs to change or our students will continue to be victims of an inadequate, expensive and antiquated institution. We need better value for our tax dollars. We need a better-prepared citizenry. We need a more relevant curriculum and we need change.

p.s. This is by no means a panacea, but it is a new perspective. At this present time the alliance of real estate, politicians and unions have stultified education, hamstrung funding and created an uneven playing field for most of the under-funded districts in are area of the country.  rjg

The Yankees vs the Red Sox

A One-Sided Hundred-Year Rivalry

By

Richard J. Garfunkel

October 2003

I have been doing some research regarding the Yankees and the Bosox. Here are my preliminary findings:

a) The Yankees and the Bosox have been in the same league or division for 101 years-

b) The league was 8 teams from 1903 to 1960, 10 teams until 1968, and then 6 teams and now less.

c) From 1903 to 1919 the pre NY Ruthian Era, the Red Sox finished ahead of the Highlander-Yankees 12 out of 16 times. The Sox won 6 pennants, two seconds and finished last only once in those 16 years.

d) In that same period the Yanks never won a pennant, finished 2nd 3 times and finished last twice.

e) After the acquisition of Babe Ruth, conditions rapidly changed. In the period from 1920 thru 1934 (15 years) the Yanks finished ahead of the Sox all 15 times, winning 7 flags to zero for the Sox. The Yanks also had 4 seconds, and no lasts. The Sox never finished second and had nine last place finishes. In fact from 1922 to 1930, a period of nine years they finished last 8 times and next to last once. They finished last 6 years in a row and after that ignominious stretch, they finished in 6th place in 1931 and then fell to last again in 1932. So out of those 15 years they 11 times in last or 7th! This ended the Ruthian Era!

f) From 1935 to 1945 (the Bronx Bomber era) and the end of the war- a period of 11 years, the Yanks again were ahead of the Sox all 11 years, with 7 pennants and one second. The Sox improved a bit with the spending of their new owner Tom Yawkey and the emergence of Ted Williams in 1939. They finished 2nd four times, 11 games back in 1938, 17 games back in 1939, 17 games back in 1941, and 10 games back in 1942.

g) In the last stretch of the remarkable Yankee dynasty from 1946 to 1964 they finished ahead of the Sox 17 out of 19 years. Only in 1946 and 1948 when the Sox won pennants were the Yanks behind the Sox in 3rd place. Over those 19 years, the Yanks won 15 pennants and one 2nd, never finishing below 3rd. The Sox on the other hand won twice and finished one time second (1949) by 1 game, the closest AL race between them since 1904 when the Yanks were second by 3 games. (Jack Chesbro won 41 games for the Highlanders that year, still the record).

h) Over that that Dynastic stretch from 1920 to 1964, the Yanks out paced the Sox in their division 44 out of 46 years!

1) The Dynasty took a tumble from 1965 thru 1975, a period of 11 years. The Yanks were only able to beat out the Sox in 2 out of those 11 years. They had no pennants and finished 2nd twice and last once. The Sox had 2 pennants and also two-second place finishes. In 1967 the Red Sox pennant year the Yanks finished 20 games behind. In 1975 the Sox next pennant winning year the Yanks were 12 games behind!

j) In the next era, that was revived under the numerous reigns of Billy Martin, Bob Lemon and others, 1976 to 1993, a period of 18 years, the Yanks finished ahead of the Sox 11 years and had 4 pennants or division flags. The Sox were ahead of the Yanks in 7 of those years with 1 flag! In 1977 and 1978 the Sox finished close, being only 3 and one game behind. In 1986 the Yanks finished 5 games behind the Sox.

k) In the latest era 1994- to 2003, a period of ten years the Yanks have outpaced the Sox in 9 of those years, winning 8 flags to one for the Sox.

l) Overall the Yankees have finished ahead of the Sox 71 times out of the 101 years played. In fact over those 100 years there have been few real pennant races!

m) Over those 101 years the Yanks have won 100+ games 15 times, the Sox three times. In that same period the Yanks have won over 90 games another 35 times. Therefore over 100 years they have won over 90+ games 50 times! The Sox have won over 90+ games another 18 times. The have won over 90+ games 21 times in 101 years.

n) From 1919 (1918 was a short season because of WWI) to 1942, the Sox did not win at least 90 games, a period of 23 straight years. From 1907 to 1917 the Yanks never won over 90 games, a period of 11 years. From 1951 thru 1966, a period of 16 years, the Sox again did not win 90 games.

o) From 1980 thru this year, a period of 24 years, the Sox have won over 90 games 4 times. The Yanks in that same period have won over 90+ games 14 times.

p) Greatest yearly differentials:

                                  1912 Boston 105 wins Yanks 50

                                  1915 Boston  101 wins Yanks 69

                                  1923 Yanks     98 wins Sox   61

                                  1926 Yanks     91 wins Sox   46

                                  1927 Yanks   110 wins Sox   51

                                  1930 Yanks     86 wins Sox   52

                                  1932 Yanks   107 wins Sox   43

                                  1943 Yanks    98 wins Sox   68

                                  1954 Yanks  103 wins Sox   69

                                  1960 Yanks    97 wins Sox   65

                                  1961 Yanks   109 wins Sox   76

Most Wins in a season: 1998 Yanks  114 1912 Sox  105

                                    1927 Yanks  110 1946 Sox  104 

                                    1961 Yanks  109 1915 Sox  101

                                    1932 Yanks  107

                                    1963 Yanks  104

                                    1942 Yanks  103

                                    1954 Yanks  103

                                    1980 Yanks  103

                                    2002 Yanks  103

Most years over 100 losses- Yanks twice 1908-103, and 1912-102

                           Sox   Seven: 1932-111, 1926-107, 1906-105, 1925-105, 1927-103, 1930-102, 1965-100                  

Thoughts on the Italian Campaign and General Mark Clark

June 4, 2004

Mark Clark was the 5th Army Commander in Italy. He was heroic, smart, well liked and a favorite of Ike's and Jewish. The Italy campaign had very little strategic importance except to tie up more German Divisions. But the 5th Army faced smiling Field Marshall Albert Kesselring, who was a good general. They did miss “breakout” opportunities, but in reality they were effectively held up at Mount Casino. There, numerous armies attempted to circumvent the ancient abbey to no avail. Even when medium bombers destroyed it it became more of a problem.

The allies were lucky that they were able to hold on to Normandy so easily and get a great deal of material ashore. Normandy could have been a logistic nightmare. The storms that wrecked the Mulberries could have happened a few days earlier. So, on one hand they benefited from the lousy rough Channel weather, but on the other hand they lost their artificial harbors. The Germans never committed all of their heavy resources for months. They still thought that Patton's phony army group in East Anglia would come across to Pas d'Calais. But of course Monty was overrated and a pompous ass, and the securing of St. Lo, Cherbourg and the surrounding areas took hard fighting. The allies were especially unprepared for the hedgerows. But American innovation at the company level was excellent. Eventually the engineers retrofitted the tanks with huge metal beach obstacles attached to their fronts. These scoop-like claws enabled the tanks to cut huge gaps in the hedgerows allowing the infantry to flood through. Finally with a coordinated armor, infantry and air offensive the allies were able to break the back of the German defenses. During one of the massive bombing runs, many of our troops were killed by friendly fire including General Leslie Groves.

All in all Patton was the most effective of all of our generals. He used his men and equipment effectively, and pushed his subordinates. Patton was an anti-Semite and hated Clark. He blamed the “New York Jews” for getting Clark his Italian command. But the fate of most of the Jews was in the hands of the east. The Russians finally broke through and sealed Germany's fate. Could we have made greater progress in the initial days after June 6th? Probably the biggest mistake was Bradley's slowness in closing the Falaise Gap. He could have probably captured the whole German Army with a little luck. So if there was a big mistake it was with that lost opportunity.

You may be right about “risk taking”, but I rather doubt that we could have moved up our timetable any faster. Certainly we took risks in the Market-Garden “A Bridge to Far” episode and we got badly burned.

In the case of the Pacific, the Pelelieu Operation was a classic disaster. The blame falls squarely on the shoulders of Nimitz, who in the joint conference with FDR and MacArthur, insisted on moving into the Palaus to protect the Philipino flank. It was unnecessary, bloody and a complete waste!  rjg

“The Yankees Win! The Yankees Win!’

John Sterling, Yankee announcer at 11:30 pm –

        July 1,  2004

Last Thursday night, July 1^st, was quite memorable for Yankee fans of all ages. Not only did the Bombers dispose of their century old archrivals from New England, the Boston Red Sox, but also they swept the series. The Red Sox, once known as the Beaneaters, had been drifting further and further back in the Eastern Division race, making this series critical to their pennant hopes. Of course the Red Sox started fast, and earlier in the season they had taken six out of seven from the slow starting powerless Bronx Bombers while establishing a 4½ game lead. But as this month ended, the Red Sox found themselves suffering from a “June Swoon” malaise. But in baseball, like life, hope springs eternal, and after losing the first two games in the Bronx, they trotted out their flaky, but fearsome, ace Pedro Martinez to the mound. With the quixotic Martinez facing the Yankee rookie Brad (Admiral) Halsey, who was making his 3^rd start of his nascent career, things looked good for the Bosox.

Of course baseball doesn’t follow a predetermined script and the Yanks opened up a 3-0 lead on the back of two massive homeruns by fill-in first baseman Tony Clarke and all-star catcher Jorge Posada. They were cruising along with the “Admiral” into the fifth inning, when like life itself, things started to change. Eventually with a hit here and a large homerun by former Manhattan resident Many Ramirez the scored became tied.3-3. The game went into extra innings, with both sides sparring back and forth with frustrating parries. They both experienced the frustration of loading the bases only to be thwarted by great defense. Finally with two on and two out in the top of twelfth and the runners on the move, the great Derek Jeter ran for a slicing hump back floating liner that was heading for the 3^rd base foul line. Jeter, who has made a career of tracking down these tricky and dangerous floaters ran at full steam, caught the ball, and headed right for the stands. Facing the consequence of running into the concrete wall or flying over it, Jeter chose the latter. It seemed like something out of Superman with the “Captain” taking off with the momentum of a runaway locomotive and landing on top of a flock of people, their food and souvenirs, and the unforgiving metal seats. Of course even though two runs were saved, the hushed standing room crowd of 55,000 plus held its collective breath as we all waited for Jeter to be lifted back into sight. When, after what it seemed like an eternity, the wounded Jeter emerged bloodied but unbowed, the crowd roared its love and approval that the “Captain” had survived his short flight into immortality. He walked off the field under his own steam but with some assistance, obviously bruised but not broken.

After a few moments, the game resumed with the Yanks again loading the bases in the bottom of the twelfth. But to no avail, they could not score. When they took the field in the 13^th inning they had a makeshift lineup in the field. With Jeter gone, and different pinch-hitters used, the Yanks had to improvise at a few positions in the field. Down to two pitchers, the Yanks were forced to use journeyman Tanyon Sturtze on the mound to open the inning. Facing Yankee nemesis Manny Ramirez, the fearsome slugger late of George Washington High School, (where my mother graduated in 1925), Sturtze served up a “gopher ball” that flew over the center field wall.  Suddenly it was 4-3 and the Red Sox had hope once again. It seemed like Jeter’s catch and resulting injury would be all for naught. The rest of the inning went quietly and the Yanks, with their backs against the wall, faced the bottom of the inning and their last “licks.”

The bottom of the 13^th did not start well for the shaken Yanks. The first two batters went up and down with nary a whisper. But, as it often happens in baseball, lightning struck in the late evening hours in Bronx County. Ruben Sierra singled, and then the platooned second sacker Miguel Cairo, who killed the Yanks in the last World.Series strode to the plate. After fouling off pitch after pitch, Cairo went with the pitch and drilled a line drive to right center that scored Sierra with tying run. With the huge crowd rocking and the game 4 hours and 19 minutes old, pinch hitter John Flaherty, the seldom-used back up catcher hit a ball over the shallow fielding Manny Ramirez’s head. The fans went crazy, the run came in, the Yanks won again, and the bench ran to the mound with an eruption of uncontrolled joy! Wow, what it means to be young, rich and a Yankee!

Of course there have many great and memorable games in the long and illustrious history of the Yankees. From the early days of Ruthian greatness in the 1920’s through the Bronx Bombers days of Gehrig and DiMaggio of the 1930s and 40s, to the Stengel-Houk eras of the 1950s and 60s, to the tempestuous days of Billy Martin and the Bronx Zoo, and to the current Torre Dynasty, the Yanks have always delivered excitement and success. I myself have seen thousands of Yankee games from the early 1950’s to today. Back in 1961 I had the pleasure of being at the Stadium, with 67,000 others on September 1^st, a Friday night, when the Yanks and Tigers came into the Bronx tied for first. The game was scoreless until Moose Skowron singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth giving the Yanks and Whitey Ford the victory. The Yanks went on to win 109 games, Maris hit number 61 and the Yanks won the Series over the Reds. Maybe game seven of the 1960 World Series with its ups and downs, and its final score of 10-9, resulting in the improbable Pirate victory, could be seen as one of baseball’s most exciting games. Of course great performances like Don Larsen’s Perfect pitching in the 5^th game of the 1956 World Series, or Reggie’s 3 homeruns do not make all-time great games. I was lucky to be at the stadium for Reggie’s home runs, and also for Bobby Murcer’s and Tom Tresh’s three homeruns performances. I watched on television the great pitching performances of Dave Righetti, Jim Abbott, David Welles and David Cone. Of course, talking about excitement in my time, Mickey Mantle hit 177 homeruns from the 7^th to the 11^th inning.  Great performances are the exclamation points that make baseball the great game that it is and will always be.

Again the setting was great. Each Yankee-Red Sox contest is another contribution to one of sport’s great rivalries, and again there was another sell-out in the Bronx. So the scene was set, the players came out for this latest chapter in this century-old saga, and the fans were enraptured by the ebb and flow of a great game. Hurrah for baseball! 

The Journal News

February 6, 2003

To the Editor:

On February 6th, today you printed a letter, …Editorial excuses Israeli crimes from one Heather Gibbons. I decry her one-sided hate filled anti-Semitic diatribe. Israel is a democracy, recognizing the rights of all religions and races. It is a multicultural society that has welcomed and nurtured diversity. Has the writer forgotten the Ethiopian and Yemeni rescues and airlifts? Israel accepted the 1947 partition, wherein she was relegated to 17% of the original mandate that included both sides of the West Bank and Trans-Jordan. The Arabs rejected that partition and launched the 1948 war. Since that war infiltrating Arab brigands have murdered and terrorized countless numbers. From 1948 to 1967 the Kingdom of Jordan controlled the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where was statehood and independence for the so-called Palestinians? By the way the name Palestinian was the name for the Jews that lived in that section of the Middle East from Roman times until 1948. Even when the Barak Plan for statehood was offered to the Arafat government, they rejected it with this current wave of mindless brutal terrorism. No state can long endure attacks on its sovereignty. The Arabs rejected statehood for the West Bank because the price of that statehood would be a defacto and dejure recognition of Israel. They never really want to recognize Israel because it would have meant they really lost the 1948 war!

November 15, 2002

The Journal News 

 The Free Ride President

Now that the election is over and the voice of the people having been heard, what have we been left with? We are left with a President who wants to make his tax-give-away to billionaires permanent. We are left with the shambles of Enron, and his buddies and supporters from the company facing civil and criminal litigation. We are left with Al Qaeda and the illusive Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants blowing up Bali. We are left with a drifting listless economy, federal deficits climbing and states and cities reeling under massive budgetary shortfalls and debt. We are left with 53 millions of our population without health insurance. We are left with the highest unemployment since the first President Bush. We are left with the nation’s equity markets suffering its greatest losses in decades and the President’s former SEC chief dumped amidst election night clamor. Meanwhile on the eve of our new adventure in Iraq, where is the national debate on the “end game” consequences of our expected next “bloodless victory?” When are these problems going to be addressed by our “toothless” over-paid “talking heads” of our media? The press has given our teflon leader a free ride he doesn’t deserve and I think the public deserves better.

Richard J. Garfunkel

Statement to the Town Board

June 9, 2004 Meeting

East Rumbrook Park

Submitted by

Richard J. Garfunkel

My name is Richard J. Garfunkel; I am a resident of Tarrytown, NY. I am a member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, which serves as an advisory board that works to assist the Parks and Recreation Department. We meet once a month and our advisory board considers problems that range from budgets, to evaluating needs assessments, park-naming policy and oversight regarding the condition of the parks. I also serve, at the pleasure of the Supervisor as a deputy town supervisor regarding his liaison program, and I have been personally working on the creation of a beautification foundation for the Town of Greenburgh and the establishment of a task force on alternate sources for energy.

With regards to statements about the condition of Travis Hill Park, made at our last Town Hall meeting, on May 26, 2004, I was asked by Supervisor Paul Feiner to make a personal inspection and report on the condition of that park. With the knowledge of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Chairperson, Mr. Howard Kaplan, I drove to the park the next day, I personally toured the park on my own and with the assistance of two senior Park’s department staff.

In deference to statements made about the condition of the park; vis-à-vis, the fields, the trees, the bathrooms, the utility building, the benches, the grills, the tennis and basketball courts, the water fountains, the walkways, the garbage pick-up, and the lighting, I determined visually the following;

a)      The grass and ball field was cut and maintained well on a ten-day rotation.

b)      The basketball and tennis courts were in excellent shape along with its fencing, there was a slight bit of bicycle marks on the basketball court, and there was graffiti on the hand-ball court wall. I was informed that the wall would be re-painted.

c)      The toilets were working and they will be sanitized and the walls will be touched up. They were adjusted to come into compliance with ADA regulations.

d)      There are six park benches, and four are of a new plastic composite that are clean. The other two park benches are of wood and will be eventually replaced under normal rotation.

e)      The outdoor grills are typical of open park grills.

f)        The fountains are shut off in the winter and are being turned on. One was in the process of being repaired.

g)      There was no garbage or litter and the parks are cleaned on a regular schedule.

h)      New lighting was put in on a walk path adjacent to the courts.

i)        The trees have grown in, to buffer the neighborhood, after the removal of diseased hemlocks.

Overall I found the park in excellent shape and maintained quite well. Every park, including this one, always needs some improvements, and I do take note regarding the condition of the outdoor grills, and the bathrooms. The Chairperson of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board invited individuals to attend the monthly meeting of the Advisory Board at the Multi-Purpose Building at Veteran’s Park. At that meeting I presented my report, which is available to the public and the Town Board. Because of time considerations, the report was not analyzed or approved by the Board before my report. I had submitted my report to the Park Commissioner, Mr. Gerry Byrne’s office on the 28^th of May, last Friday. Mr. Byrne was out of town at that time and we did not speak about the report before the meeting.

At the meeting, Ms. Thelma Washington, who was a critic of the park’s condition attended, made her comments, and was engaged in questioning by Advisory Board members, including myself. As a consequence of those interchanges, both the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Advisory Board placed perspectives on the table for review.

In conclusion, as a member of the Advisory Board, I have full confidence that the both the Department and the Board will examine closely criticisms made about the park. But I certainly believe that with regards to spending and maintenance of this and every other park, no prejudice, or favoritism has influenced the policy or direction of either the Department or the Board.

Response to Bill Bernstein’s remark’s about Fahrenheit 9/11!

June 30, 2004

RJ Garfunkel

Nobody is selecting Moore to be Secretary of State. I am astounded how bitter and closed minded you have become. No one said the Reserves or Guard were anything but legitimate choices. But, frankly most people including myself could not get into the Guard. Kerry did volunteer; neither you nor anyone can take that away from him. Neither you nor anyone have the right to second-guess his decorations. They weren't given to him because he was rich or a potential politician. Whether his medals or any medals are truly more deserved for his actions, above all of the lost and unrecorded actions by forgotten unrecognized heroes, is irrelevant.  Whether you like Kerry or not, he did serve with distinction in the service and in the Congress. He was reelected many times. I notice that Massachusetts has had and currently has a Republican governor. Therefore people there will vote for the man, over party at times. As you know, more of America has become home to one-party regions. Whose fault is that? With regards to qualifications for the Presidency, we have gone down that path before. GW Bush was no more qualified then Al Gore and he received a lot less votes. Qualifications aside, Kerry went through the primary vetting process and will be nominated, no more no less. If you are happy as a hard-line conservative, with George Bush and his cronies representing your interests, so be it. I am not out to change your mind, only to express my views. I have always respected your intellect and decency, but if you wish to coddle up to the people who support the Bin Ladens and the Saudis, then I am sorry. I assume that you feel that the Saudis represent stability and a constant oil flow to the west, and therefore have to be protected in perpetuity. My friend when one lies down with dogs, they often arise with fleas. I, like every one else, would love to have the “pipeline” open indefinitely without any accompanying baggage. But there is baggage, in the same way that it existed in Iran. Our unconditional support for the Shah resulted in the Iran that we have today. Maybe if we would have insisted that he democratize a bit more, have a bit less corruption and had shared the spoils more equally, the people would not have turned to the Mullahs.

So it is nice to have self-interest, but the support of a failed policy to sustain self-interest, usually winds up disastrously.

Keep an open mind. Know that I am much more of a middle-roader than you think. Also understand, it is the war on terror that counts and the “money pit” that Iraq has become, could have been handled much better.  rjg 

Alabama Judge and the 10 Commandments, a Response

2003

 I sure hope that you do not believe that the removal of Alabama's Chief Judge was symbolic of the problems inherent in America today, or a hypocritical reaction to a “patriot's” valiant effort to bring reason, justice and good habits back into the lives of the people who visit his former courthouse? Judge Roy Brown, all political prejudices aside, is a dope. His actions, subsequent protest, failure to obey an order, and conduct reflect moronic and, in my opinion myopic and foolish judgment. Whether “In G-d We Trust” and the block of granite with the 10 Commandments is comparable or incomparable is totally irrelevant. We have many small and large inconsistencies rife throughout our society. Why anyone, in his/her right mind, would sacrifice his career, livelihood, and future, for an issue that is not even debated or even cared about by 95% of the “well-meaning” people of the right or the left astounds me. In most cases his act alone should disqualify himself from any further activities that involve the use of “judgment.” We have recognized grudgingly or not grudgingly over the centuries that we do not believe in the “state establishment of religion, or its support.” Religion, in this country, has intelligently evolved from our non-religious deist-type founders, to be a “private” pursuit, not encumbered or fettered by the state.

Personally, I believe in G-d, and I consider myself a G-d-fearing person. I do not believe that the 10 Commandments are a horrible document or even a controversial set of guidelines for our or any society's laws to be based upon. But it is clear that he flaunted the “Establishment Clause”, it is clear that there has been rulings supporting the “Establishment Clause” forever and it is clear that he fought the wrong battle at the wrong time for the wrong reasons.

If his reasoning is that “bringing G-D, the 10 Commandments or any other Judeo-Christian teachings into a more prominent place in our secular society or government will make a positive difference,” I believe that he is really on a fool's journey. My sense is that America has immense problems that cannot even be addressed by added “state” encouragement of spirituality. Though in my heart I wish people were more willing to follow the “golden rule” and all that it entails and implies.

In regards to America, I can say with complete conviction and belief, that the scandal regarding pedophiliac abuse that the Church has condoned, covered-up and paid hush money in the millions to silence, has dwarfed any of the church/state arguments that have come along. On top of that, our corporate culture of greed, avarice and profligacy has done more to corrupt America than any loss of church going or religious icons could accomplish.  Putting symbolic representations of religious commandment in public places may seem like an intelligent step towards reminding society of its eventual reward for misconduct. But all in all, when a great historical institution of moral rectitude engages in consummate hypocrisy involving our most vulnerable citizens, then we, as a society must really start to worry about moving backwards towards the old European model of state and religious marriage.

I do not attempt to know the answers of why in our society, where there is still very heavy church/synagogue attendance, in comparison with the rest of the western world, that our murder, rape, felony, embezzlement, stock and accounting manipulation, price-fixing, and child abuse rates are so much more higher.

All in all, the Judge is out of a job, out of a career and still a dope!

       Recent Electoral History

     April, 2004

Thanks for the insightful piece. It does sum up quite well many of the realities hidden by the fog of war, the re-shaping of history and motive, and the fuzzy lines of imitative and responsibility created by the change in administrations. My views, of course, are somewhat tainted regarding George W. Bush and his whole existence. I find him an illegitimate president, who has taken his non-mandate to extremes, and has failed miserably in many areas, domestic and foreign. But, all in all, with that prejudice behind me, I do believe that the Clinton people were limited by his problems emanating from his social indiscretions. Unfortunately the excuse that most politicians' familial situations have been less than orderly does not help Clinton. Clinton was Clinton, and with all his baggage he was still well liked by many. He could have beaten GWB II with a drumstick in 2000, and now in 2004. But all of that is irrelevant. What is most relevant is that because of the impeachment circus promulgated by zealous Clinton haters, as Asa Hutchinson from Arkansas, now a Bush acolyte, as for an example, Clinton was hamstrung and basically crippled. The past is prologue, and without Clinton's foolishness, that sorry episode may have been dodged. But Clinton did lose his large majorities that he enjoyed when he was first elected. (The Senate 57-43 and the House 258-176 in 1992. By 1998 the Democrats had lost over his six years 47 House seats and 12 Senate seats and their majorities had turned to a minority position of 45-55 in the Senate and 211-223-1 in the House.) More or less Clinton's mid-term losses in 1994 were attributed to problems with his health care imitative, Hillary Clinton's controversial image and other missteps. But by 1998 and beyond, like all other two-term presidents, Clinton suffered from a case of political impotence. I have compared all of the two term presidencies from Woodrow Wilson to Clinton (included with that group; Nixon-Ford, FDR's 4th with Truman, and JFK with LBJ) and in the 6th year of those 8-year administrations, all suffered politically. They were either disliked (Truman, LBJ, Ford), sick and ignored (Wilson, Eisenhower) or seemingly out of energy (FDR 1938, Reagan). Clinton was well liked by his supporters but the GOP Congress and the demonization from the impeachment weakened his final years. When he did react with force against Al Quieda, he was accused of attempting to deflect public attention away from his own political problems. I am not trying to whitewash Bill Clinton, whom I personally like. I admired his centrist policies and I agreed with his approach to domestic issues. But in a parallel to FDR's famous Fala speech to the Teamsters in 1944, “The Republican fiction writers inside and outside of Congress…” these GOP fiction writers were out to ruin Clinton, even if they ruined the country. Clinton beat an ineffectual bumbler in George Bush I, who was out of touch with reality. Bush was an appointed flack, who had jumped from a failed Congressional career in Texas, to short stops as the RNC Chair, ambassador to China, CIA Head and finally the appointed VP and chief funeral attendee for 8 years under the great communicator. Now we have the return of Freddy Krueger with little Georgie Bush II, the moron, reformed drunk, womanizer, and rich playboy who ruined the Texas Rangers, but ran away with millions. His claim to fame was being the head executioner of mental defectives as governor of Texas and having a fraudulent record of school achievement. But, of course, money talks and when his primary run in 2000 was being challenged by John McCain, he had the big guns from Enron pump in millions to skewer the senator from Arizona. But, of course, he claimed he never knew Ken Lay and his Enron brigands who later ruined thousands, and crippled an industry. So here we are with terrorists ganging up all over the globe to attack the West, a morass in Iraq and Afghanistan, record deficits and oil prices here in the States and a clown in the White House, who has alienated most of our traditional allies, and is more concerned with the banning of stem cell research than global warming. Here is a guy who talks help for small businesses but has created inheritance tax give-always for billionaires. All in all, his record is sorry. But what is most disturbing is his shameless draping of the bloody flag of 9/11 around his election campaign. Hopefully it will become his political shroud.