June 15, 2006
Honorable Councilman Wayne Hunt
Cohocton Town Board
Cohocton, NY 14826
Re: Friend to Friend
Dear Wayne:
I have watched, with pain in my heart, as this issue of whether a wind turbine farm is a good idea for the Town of Cohocton has emerged and taken on a life. The pain comes from watching you as a man that I respect; suffer public embarrassment when what you thought to be a good thing is being revealed to you as not what you thought it was.
Wayne, you are a very knowledgeable man in your industry. I have come to the local hardware with my questions of how to fix this or that with my home repair issues and you have in your gentle kind fatherly way, always guided me well with your advice. I have grown to admire you as I have watched you serve your community with exuberance and energetic commitment.
After I was enlightened in January of this year to the fact that the wind turbines might be a reality to Cohocton, I set out to look at what was really the story behind this new industry. Because you publicly had given your support to this, when I started researching, it was with the full knowledge you were behind it and therefore I was comfortable in my spirit that there was probably good reason for your positive stance on the issue. It did not take long for me though to reach a point of conflict in my soul. After looking at the data from both sides, I could not understand why you were so adamant that this was a good thing. Although the data offered to support these turbines in a community setting such as ours, was on the surface somewhat appealing, a more careful look quickly revealed that a deception was well under way to accomplish the enrichment of corporations at the expense of poor communities and basic property rights.
I have revealed this deception in public, hoping that the information would be received by all and that our community would come together in defense of our way of life without the intrusion of these turbines. Many have received this information from me and others and opposition is growing daily to these turbines intruding our way of life. What pains me is to watch men like you who have previously given your support to this project, reject the truth of the unbiased data and continue forward even in light of the fact that a large part of what you previously have hung your hat on has been exposed as not true.
Wayne, this boils down to character. Character shows well in a man when he is faced with the truth that he was wrong and is willing to publicly admit his error, change direction and let go of error.
You seem not to be willing to take this path, but have instead chosen to defend your position with denial. When faced with the facts that these turbines do make too much noise for residential settings, upset the natural rhythm of quietness at night when people need to rest, are scheduled to be too close to neighboring landowners homes, infringe on neighboring landowners rights, do devalue real property that is close to these turbines, the entire plan is a well crafted scam for enriching corporations at the expense of small communities, and the fact that the scope of the entire project does not fit into the declared Comprehensive Plan for our Town, your response is unsupported denial.
Wayne this boils down to ego. I am asking you to be the man I think you are. Admit that you have erred and change course. You will be well received for your courage to admit you were wrong if you do. If you insist on pressing forward with this issue, you will be exposed to humiliation and the community will reject you as a foolish man. I am asking you as a friend to take the higher road.
Should you choose not to, I am challenging you to a public debate on the following points:
1. The economics benefits to our Town from this plan
2. Corporate profit ratios
3. The truth as to whether this is really "green" energy
4. Liability exposure and Cohocton's preparedness
5. Emergency response preparedness
6. Health Effects of Wind Turbines
7. Findings of European Countries that have experienced this industry for over 30 years
8. Appropriate setbacks
9. Better alternative plans
There are three choices before you:
1. Accept my request as a friend of yours to have the courage to change direction
2. Accept my challenge to a public debate
3. Do nothing and continue your path of denial
My number is in the phone book; please call me with your answer.
Respectfully,
Robert C. Strasburg II
No comments:
Post a Comment