Dear Editor:
I represent a group of outraged citizens in Astoria Queens. We recently formed a non-profit organization The Astoria Neighborhood Coalition.We were alerted to the fact that forming a Civic Association may help us in our fight against a problem that is facing our community and probably facing yours as well. In Astoria over the past 6 months there have been the construction of about 15 Cellular Base Station Antennas on residential buildings. These antennas are microwave antennas and according to many scientists, they may have potential health effects such as Leukemia, Infertility, Cancer and ALS especially in children. (Recently the NYC Board of Ed rejected putting these antennas on school buildings citing health and safety concerns.) Many experts in the telecommunications field would have us believe otherwise.

The antennas were put up by T-mobile with a lease agreement with Nathan Katz Realty. Nathan Katz is a residential landlord here in Queens with over 300 buildings borough-wide. The City of New York and the State for that matter have no policy in place to track, monitor or regulate these antennas. The antennas were put up with no notification to the community board, the residents or representatives in our area. We have over 2000 petition signatures protesting these antennas and the manner they are circumventing the community board process. I am sure that in your community the same is happening. This is being done all over the city. Recently we have been finding a large amount of birds of many species dead below the antennas.

We have been in contact with our local reps Peter Vallone, Michael Gianaris and Carolyn Maloney but we feel we must take this matter into our own hands. When we confronted TMobile and asked them if they could guarantee the safety of these antennas, they said there has been insufficient evidence either way.

We are in need of assistance for information on how to set up a Civic Association.We would also like for you to take a look at your community residential and commercial buildings to see if this happening in your area.

Please read my letter to our local, state and federal officials. We are extremely angry that our representatives have failed to administer a policy regarding these sites and would like to link with you to make changes in our community and borough. Please do your own research into this matter and I'm sure you will agree that we need to do something about this problem.

Sincerely,
John Campos
Astoria

Dearest Mr. Holden,
As per our correspondence, thank you for helping to facilitate the replacement of the catch basin on the southwest corner of 75 Place and Eliot Avenue in Middle Village. The corner no longer floods in the way that it used to.

Veronica A. Parchin
Middle Village

Dear Editor,
We live on the south side of Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village, some call it Middle Village South and others call it Old Middle Village. I sometimes feel like South Elmhurst did when they were excluded from being part of Middle Village. I so much wish that we could be a part of the JPCA. Is there any way that the Juniper Civic Association could extend itself to include us over here? I understand that there is a chartered boundary of some sort that goes back a long time but things can and do change, I hope.

Your Civic is involved with quality of life issues and keeping Middle Village a great place to live.We really need your help and support over here. I admire your persistence and your willingness to get things done. It is truly commendable.

Just out of curiosity could you tell me what the boundary lines are?

Sincerely,
Name Withheld on request

To whom it may concern:
After seeing your March/April issue of the Juniper Berry, my children became very excited with page 16!

My son is Fred Marquardt the 4th. My four children would like a copy of the original picture of their Great-Grandfather’s florist business.

We were all born and raised in Middle Village and have fond memories.

Sincerely yours,
Ellen Marquardt
East Setauket

Dear Editor:
I thought years ago they “outlawed” dark tinting of the windows of cars, now nearly every car I see has windows so dark you cannot see if there is someone riding in them. It's dangerous and scary for two different reasons: someone could be pointing a gun at you from said car and you don't know or when you drive behind them you cannot see the traffic flow through the cars and it makes for nearly blind driving, especially since some cars I came across don't even have working brake lights.

When I brought this issue up several years ago at a COP 104 meeting, I was told that our cops had a “Tint-o-meter” that could measure how dark the windows are; if they are too dark they get a summons.

How many of these summonses has the 104 given out? My bet is zero. Sounds like easy money to me, just walk or drive around our streets and you will see many cars that are breaking this law.The other problem is that new cars are rolling out of showrooms with dark tint. Do car makers know or care that it is illegal in some states? Seems like another case where the manufacturers win out while communities, like ours, lose.

Tiffany Elliott
Middle Village

Dear Editor,
A few years ago I sat in a movie theater watching “Schindler's List,” asked myself, “Why didn't the Jews fight back?” Now I know why.

I sat in a movie theater, watching “Pearl Harbor” and asked myself, “Why weren't we prepared?” Now I know why.

Civilized people cannot fathom, much less predict, the actions of evil people.

On September 11, 2001 dozens of capable airplane passengers allowed themselves to be overpowered by a handful of poorly armed terrorists because they did not comprehend the depth of hatred that motivated their captors.

On September 11, 2001 thousands of innocent people were murdered because too many Americans naively reject the reality that some nations are dedicated to the dominance of others. Many political pundits, pacifists and media personnel want us to forget the carnage.They say we must focus on the bravery of the rescuers and ignore the cowardice of the killers.

They implore us to understand the motivation of the perpetrators. Major television stations have announced they will assist the healing process by not replaying devastating footage of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers.

I will not be manipulated.

I will not pretend to understand.

I will not forget.

I will not forget the liberal media who abused freedom of the press to kick our country when it was vulnerable and hurting.

I will not forget that CBS anchor Dan Rather preceded President Bush's address to the nation with the snide remark, “No matter how you feel about him, he is still our president.”

I will not forget that ABC TV anchor Peter Jennings (A Canadian believe it or not!) questioned President Bush's motives for not returning immediately to Washington, DC and commented, “We're all pretty skeptical and cynical about Washington.” And I will not forget that ABC's Mark Halperin warned if reporters weren't informed of every little detail of this war, they aren't “likely — nor should they be expected — to show deference.”

I will not isolate myself from my fellow Americans by pretending an attack on the USS Cole in Yemen was not an attack on the United States of America. I will not forget the Clinton administration equipped Islamic terrorists and their supporters with the world's most sophisticated telecommunications equipment and encryption technology, thereby compromising America's ability to trace terrorist radio, cell phone, land lines, faxes and modem communications.

I will not be appeased with pointless, quick retaliatory strikes like those perfected by the previous administration. I will not be comforted by “feel-good, do nothing” regulations like the silly “Have your bags been under your control?” question at the airport. I will not be influenced by so called,”antiwar demonstrators” who exploit the right of expression to chant anti-American obscenities. I will not forget the moral victory handed the North Vietnamese by American war protesters who reviled and spat upon the returning Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and Marines. I will not be softened by the wishful thinking of pacifists who chose reassurance over reality.

I will embrace the wise words of Prime Minister Tony Blair who told Labor Party conference, “They have no moral inhibition on the slaughter of the innocent. If they could have murdered not 7,000 but 70,000, does anyone doubt they would have done so and rejoiced in it?”

There is no compromise possible with such people, no meeting of minds, no point of understanding with such terror, just a choice: defeat it or be defeated by it.

And defeat it we must!

I will force myself to:
-hear the weeping
-feel the helplessness
-imagine the terror
-sense the panic
-smell the burning flesh
-experience the loss
-remember the hatred.
I sat in a movie theater, watching “Private Ryan” and asked myself, “Where did they find the courage?”

Now I know. We have no choice. Living without liberty is not living.

Ed Evans, MGySgt., USMC (Ret.)
Not as lean, Not as mean, But still a Marine.

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PO Box 790275 Middle Village, NY 11379
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