By mizzmuffet justice doesn't EVER have to do with guilt or innocence. ONLY with who gets to stay in power. do you think our government gives a rats behind about those guys in cuba? in iraq? about any of us? if you do, you are terribly naive. i was, until i had to experience it for myself. i thought we had a bill of rights, a constitution, that protects us. the declaration of independence. all of it. now i know better.
Response from Douglas Cunningham [ADMINISTRATOR]
well, i don't think it's all over.
yes, it's imperfect. but no, i don't think it's over.
doug
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By Mitch Hinton Good morning Doug, I read it was pretty Georgeous ;) out this past weekend in the Hudson Valley,yer,huh? You're touted as a Conservative columnist by the paper. What definitions of Conservative do you characterize yourself with? I can read all the labels touted from babbling readers, but I prefer to go to the source.
Response from Douglas Cunningham [ADMINISTRATOR]
re, conservative, i would say i tend to be a classic conservative, and would agree, for instance, with most of the positions of ronald reagan.
there is, i suppose, a streak of populism, or something, as in my view on electrical deregulation, which i'm vehemently against.
i think government should be smaller, do less, cost less and regulate less.
doug
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By bminerly Do you have a position on the proposed mushroom plant in Mamakating, and the conflict that has been going on between the approving boards and opponents?
Response from Douglas Cunningham [ADMINISTRATOR]
i've not taken a position on it. just in general, i think that mamakating has proceeded down a dangerous path. sullivan county, and mamakating, desperately need some decent jobs. the route 209 corridor is the eminently logical place for such development. some number of the decisions on this are being made by people who have no such concerns about jobs and don't have to worry personally about it.
we cannot close off all land to development and still have an economy.
the one argument that makes sense to me is the water one, and whether the watershed can support it.
doug
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By mizzmuffet put them on trial? there is no fair trial here. there is no justice. we do not care about guilt or innocence...only who gets to stay in power, both at the federal, and local level. change is slow? no, its happening relatively fast, and we are losing our rights and liberties every day at a faster pace, all in the name of fear.
Response from Douglas Cunningham [ADMINISTRATOR]
well, i would not put things as starkly as you. and yes, justice doesn't always go with guilt or innocence.
the pace of change in the world is quickening, yes. i was thinking more of the pace of change in government, as in changing its leaders or having some other impact.
doug
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By boris854 So, About Masada and the Rail transfer station, Is it true the rail transfer will not be at the masada site, but rather on the other end of town?
Response from Douglas Cunningham [ADMINISTRATOR]
re, transfer, i don't think it's clear where that will be. there are several possibilities. pretty much anywhere where these tracks can be accessed would have to be on the list. i also hear possibly the other side of dolson, not the masada side.
i don't think the site alone is the only issue. the safety of the tracks and how the trucks get to the site are also issues.
doug
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By mizzmuffet i find it disturbing that any faction of government has so much power, or any individual has so much power, i think our government has run amuck, and there is no justice, not in our foreign affairs, not in our local affairs. its sickening.
Response from Douglas Cunningham [ADMINISTRATOR]
re, power, lungen's power pretty much begins and ends in the law enforcement community.
re, our government, we have many governments, and many of them have run amuck.
and yes, this is disturbing. but sometimes change is slow. not many things happen overnight.
doug
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By bminerly Your mention of the Geneva Convention below sparks my interest. If you were able to set the agenda for dealing with the prisoners at Guantanamo, what would you do?
Response from Douglas Cunningham [ADMINISTRATOR]
we should put them on trial or repatriate them. there may, i suppose, be some limited number, genuine terrorists, we should hang onto. i don't see any great point in releasing terrorists.
but i think we've gone beyond efficacy and beyond a reasoned approach.
doug
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By mizzmuffet oh sorry, you answered, i guess it just takes a few minutes
Response from Douglas Cunningham [ADMINISTRATOR]
sometimes there are multiple questions. and sometimes i have to think.
doug
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By mizzmuffet ok, i guess you didn't like my question.
Response from Douglas Cunningham [ADMINISTRATOR]
which one? dc
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By mizzmuffet i think the treatment of our own people here in our own country is more of an issue, personally
Response from Douglas Cunningham [ADMINISTRATOR]
re, our own people, well, there is that. katrina would be a debacle.
\
but to close the loop on the prisoners, and i've written previously about this, we should adhere to the geneva conventions. we should not have turned one of saddam's prisons into some kind of building for martyrs agains the united states.
doug
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By mizzmuffet well, ok then, i have an issue, at some time, the paper wrote an article about the most powerful people in the hudson valley, the sullivan co DA was listed, i find this disturbing, as the power should be with the people not an individual, and do you think he TRULY represents us? or himself?
Response from Douglas Cunningham [ADMINISTRATOR]
hi,
the powerful list is a bit of a subjective thing. it's not scientific. it's our best guess at that moment.
i've known the sullivan da, steve lungen, for some time. i think we could safely say he represents the people of sullivan, and takes that representation seriously.
for all practical purposes, he's pretty much the chief law enforcement official in the county. if there's a serious crime, he's running the investigation personally. are there drawbacks to that? sure there are.
but to the question of, will criminals in sullivan be caught, prosecuted and put away? they will. lungen just doesn't quit, and i think sullivan residents have probably been well-served by it.
doug
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By bminerly There were a couple of letters printed in today's Record scolding Al Gore for speaking critically of abuses against prisoners being held by our armed forces. What is your opinion on Gore's comments, and the responses printed in the Record today?
Response from Douglas Cunningham [ADMINISTRATOR]
al gore is free to speak about the government, including the abuses or improper treatment of prisoners.
if i recall, he made these comments initially in saudi arabia, which i thought odd.
of gore and his running mate, i'd put more credibility in lieberman's views than gore.
doug
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By mizzmuffet what is the topic?
Response from Douglas Cunningham [ADMINISTRATOR]
it's open. trash is a big thing now in middletown, the trash trains concept. but i'm not wedded to one topic. if you have general queries about the paper, or something about another of my columns, that's ok too.
dc
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By mizzmuffet hello? am i here?
Response from Douglas Cunningham [ADMINISTRATOR]
yes, you're here. a query, perhaps?
doug
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