It seems like people from northern Otsego County and southern Herkimer County live in different worlds.

A reader recently wrote a letter about not destroying the landscape from the point of view of an Otsego County resident looking at Herkimer County.

As a resident of Herkimer County, what I remember when I look at the landscape is how good the fruit from the Van Horne orchard was before it went out of business.

I remember the friends that moved away years ago from farms that now sit idle. I remember the dairy farm families that held down second jobs because the price of milk just didn’t cut it.

I look at the landscape and see what it took to maintain it. Farmer income hasn’t gotten any better. So, I think when the windmills come they are going to be beautiful.

They are going to provide much needed revenue to the farms where they stand, making life a bit better for my farmer neighbors.

The towns of Stark and Warren are each going to get over $300,000 a year which will help plow and maintain our roads, making the landscape experience even better for Otsego residents when wandering through our area.

They are going to provide over 50,000 homes with "green" energy, which probably is just a drop in the bucket in the fight against global warming, but it is definitely something.

Considering the 15 miles of rolling hills and vegetation between Cooperstown and the windmill project, I doubt the windmills will be visible to the celebrities, golfers, power boaters or any of the 70,000 Cooperstown Hall of Fame crowd.

I don’t remember any such people mentioned in the "Leatherstocking Tales" nor the historic fact that wind power was harnessed in New York in the 1600s, but if the windmills do happen to be visible, people just might think of Cooperstown as a "Green" town.

Pete Puskarenko

Jordanville, N.Y.

Family enjoyed visit

To Everyone in Cooperstown:

GREAT JOB!

We came up from Baltimore, seven of us including our 77- and 85-year-old aunts. And we had a once in a lifetime experience taking in the town on Saturday and the induction ceremony on Sunday. Planning ahead, we decided to stay north of the village in Rome, and although we had to park one-half mile from the yellow lot, the trolley and bus transportation were wonderful.

How you handled so many people was incredible. And at the field, the water, sun block and roaming medical teams were wonderful. So too the sound system and jumbotron.

You guys did good. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The Kruse Family

Baltimore, Md.

Better judgment should be used

One of our members, a Mr. David Butler, has asked for our help in a matter concerning an incident involving the local mayor lowering the flag to half-staff after the death of a friend.

We seek to support our fellow patriots, especially when they are in the right.

I assume that your elected officials swear to uphold the laws of the U.S.A., the state of New York as well as local ordinances.

As it should be common knowledge to any public official that only the President of the United States and/or the Governor may decree that the flag be lowered, one is led to assume that this act was one of willful civil disobedience.

Or, possibly, simply political arrogance.

I fail to see, frankly, how violating the law shows respect for any deceased citizen.

These laws were put into effect to protect the flag from misuse and disrespect. Would your community lower the flag for the passing of the town drunk? What if the town drunk was a highly decorated war hero? Such actions, on either end of the scale, only seek to bring disrespect upon our great flag.

Better judgment form elected officials should be expected.

Our Order conducts excellent school demonstrations on the care and respect of the Flag. Maybe Mayor Carol Waller would like us to put one on at City Hall.

John A. Logan

Military Order of the Purple Heart

National Americanism Officer

Santa Rosa, Ca.

Obama a

true leader

I think it’s worth noting, and this gets left out often, that Sen. Barak Obama has held elected office for longer than either Sen. Clinton or former Senator Edwards; he was just a state Senator for much of that time.

As a state Senator, he worked more closely with the people and their day-to-day problems. He also taught constitutional law and worked as a community organizer to help those who were disenfranchised.

Who better than a professor of constitutional law to restore Habeas Corpus and our rights to not be spied on without a warrant.

He has championed open government, ethics reform, and campaign finance reform throughout his whole public life, and was made the point man on ethics in the Senate in his first year. And he is the only candidate to have the foresight to be against the war from the beginning.

Now, you tell me who really has better experience for leading this

country? I think the answer is clear ...

Bryan Barash

Selden, N.Y.

Small tax

may be answer

Just a thought. Why not charge a small village tax on each Hall of Fame admission.

At say 50 cents and upward of 200,000 plus visits per year this could raise $100,000 plus for the Village to help with expenses incurred and this small tax should not deter anyone from visiting the Hall.

Bruno Scavo

Oneonta

Seeking local input

I grew up in Cooperstown and I graduated from CCS in 1975.

I am interested in celebrating my 50th birthday in November by running around Otsego Lake. I’d like to hear from people that have done this before.

Please contact me at shall57@mac.com

Steve Hall

Austin, Texas