Today, we published a rather unusual perspective. The byline is mine and Herb Pinder’s who is the head of the Editorial Board. We wanted to examine a recent occurance here. We published a letter that was misinterpreted by some readers, and we wanted to figure out why. The letter, some callers insisted, was an anti-Semitic screed, and we were too insensitive, lazy, callous and/or stupid to realize it, we were told. Now, I have had days where I have been engaged in long discussions with people telling me our board is biased one way or the other on any number of things, and I’m usually told we are pro or con some issue on the same day.

But this was something different. People wanted to respond to a letter they believed said one thing when it appeared to say another. We needed to speak to the original letter-writer.

I called. I even called at home from my own phone (since I was unsuccessful reaching him during the day) so I obviously wasn’t particularly worried about the allegations of anti-Semitism. The letter-writer was appalled that someone read his letter that way. He was very clearly upset, and if he was angry, I wouldn’t blame him. It is a terrible thing to be accused of an “ism” when such feelings are nowhere in your heart.

While it was important to publish the perspective, and it added to the community conversation (our goal) to address the real threat of anti-Semitism during times of economic strife, I will always regret that this letter writer had to  hear how other people had so misinterpreted his true intentions.

Anti-Semitism is real. This letter-writer and his letter had nothing to do with anti-Semitism.

I had to ask him, though. And he told me that in clear emphatic terms. I believe his sincerity.

One of the forum posters (Aidan) said this:

I feel compassion for Mr. Rowton … I’m sure his head is spinning over these observations which border on allegations. To me, his passion was centered on forces that brought us to this economic calamity and how it has all impacted his vision of the country. And that is an opinion that has every right to be respected.

Manmade troubles — from swelling unemployment to growing foreclosure rescue scams to the senseless slaughter in Binghamton — catch our attention and our concerns. Now we are met with the devastation of a natural disaster: An earthquake that struck mountainous central Italy claimed more than 150 lives, and left tens of thousands homeless.
The world once again turns into a small place as all eyes turn to Abruzzo.
The early morning quake shook people awake as far away as Rome. (here’s coverage from the International Herald Tribune.) A high-rise university dormitory collapsed one level down to the next. Medieval structures that withstood centuries of disasters, both human-made and natural, were rendered dangerously fragile by the quake, which was estimated to measure 6.3 magnitude on the Richter scale.
Seismic activity is relatively common in Italy, but this quake, in this region, was particularly devastating. Centuries-old stone structures are especially vulnerable in quakes, and many crumbled in the historically rich region, according to various reports.
“I woke up hearing what sounded like a bomb,” L’Aquila resident Angela Palumbo, 87, told the Washington Post. “We managed to escape with things falling all around us. Everything was shaking, furniture falling. I don’t remember ever seeing anything like this in my life.”
People around the world hope, and wait, and pray, as rescue efforts continue.

Yesterday, my boss (the head of the Editorial Board and community conversations editor, Herb Pinder) came over to Rockland for a meeting. He saw the opportunity to meet more Rocklanders, so he took it. Always great for Rockland.

Except, of course, the meeting ended before noon, and he was headed back across the bridge. Yes, it happened. I received a voicemail from him (turned off the cell for the meeting, forgot to turn it back on) that said: I’m stuck on your bridge. OK, that’s not a direct quote. There were other words, too. But you get the jist.

First, my bridge? Huh. Second, who here is surprised? The busier the morning, the more likely something like yesterday’s debris spill (story here) will occur, it seems.

I really like when edit board members come to Rockland so I can show off the county. With the work on the redecking project starting up again (we write about it here) though, maybe we’ll wait a while. The Thruway Authority’s plan to add asphalt ramps to transition the ride over two-and-a-half-inch metal plates needs a fighting chance to work. Recall the traffic headaches in spring and summer when one-and-a-half-inch plates were used. The Thurway Authority doesn’t need any added bad karma.

And yes, I called back Herb and left this message: “Welcome to Rockland!”