 Filth
Proliferates on the Campaign Trail
A Comment
Who is Anthony Melé
Robert Rhodes’ response
A Comment
With so much to lose and so little to run on, the opposition has
resorted to hatred and fear to try to counter the facts, reports,
legal documents, and science that appear on the Preserve Ramapo
website and in the party’s 10-Point Program to Save Ramapo. Their
mailing encourages religious people to hate others, to see them in
the same light as mass murderers. Reason, facts, and logic are
abandoned as they appeal to that which is most base in humans.
Assume what we tell you is true, the appeal reads—not, here are the
environmental reports, the testimony of scientific experts before
state committees, the spill reports from St. Lawrence’s own Sewer
District #1—no, it’s just you should hate these people, they hate
you.
Poisoning a person with arsenic is
criminal—poisoning a person with hatred is even more reprehensible
because that person will poison others, unlike the victim with the
toxic metal in only his system.
The message in the mailing includes
both hate speech, which should be prosecutable, and libel. The
antidote is simple and readily available—the truth.
There’s no doubt that the motivation of
this political mailing is about money and power. The irony is that
those who sent it probably see themselves as people of substance,
with power and wealth, people who likely assume others also see them
as substantial. Yet when it comes time to stand and defend those
things they believe are the very source of their own worth, they
cannot stand and say, "These are my words, listen to me." Instead
they hide behind anonymous paper pronouncements. These are small
men, small men who deserve no notice or attention. Nor should anyone
mistake them for religious men. They serve themselves only and
deserve to be left to their own pathetic company. They certainly are
not about to introduce themselves to the rest of us, or to those
receiving their pronouncements in the mail.
Who is Anthony Mele?
On the front side of the mailing, there’s a column title, "Who Is
Tony Melé?" Curiously, the most recent posting to Janet’s Blog on
the St. Lawrence election website is titled, "Who Is Anthony Melé?"–posted
24 hours after the libelous mailing arrived in the mailboxes. Both
are laced with innuendo, but Janet’s version is more presentable to
the general public. (Janet, by the way, is an employee of St.
Lawrence who proves her loyalty to a salary and/or her employer with
her blogging.)
For readers of either version of the
"Who is Anthony Melé," I have a short narrative that might answer a
few questions. Some say the true measure of a man is only clearly
visible at times of stress or danger.
 In
1979, Anthony Melé was 20 years old and stationed in Washington as a
member of the prestigious Presidential Guard Unit (The Old Guard–the
first American regiment founded in 1784).
The following events occurred on the
night of June 6, 1979, around 9:30 pm -- Hains Point, along the
Potomac River. Anthony explained in his own
words what happened that night and the following day.
"I was in East Potomac Park where many
of the monuments are located. I was with another Senior Sergeant
walking through the park, and there were folks listening to music
and others watching the speedboats in the river.
I noticed a commotion by the railings
on the river side of the park where four 18-foot speedboats were
racing alongside the retaining wall. There was a lot of noise with
people on the boats screaming out.
One of the boats had pulled along the
retaining wall to let off two young girls who obviously wanted to
get off because the racing was getting a little reckless in the
dark. One of the girls fell in the water between the boat and
retaining wall and sank beneath the surface of the murky water. Her
girlfriend was screaming for help and folks were running over to the
rail. We also ran over.
Her girlfriend was screaming, She’s in
the water! A crowd of over a dozen people were by now at the
railing. The girlfriend screamed again SHE’S IN THE WATER... When I
realized what she meant, I looked down and saw air bubbles as the
girl sank beneath the surface.
The other boats were still racing
causing more of the turbulence that had knocked the girl in the
water in the first place, as the nose of the boat had struck the
retaining wall. It was very dark and hard to see where she was now.
I kicked off my shoes, stepped up on the top railing, and dove into
the water clearing the speed boat by the wall.
I followed the bubble streams under the
water until I found her, we later estimated about 10 feet down, and
grabbed onto her arm. Panicked, air was escaping her mouth. I swam
beneath her, grabbed her waist, and kicked upward. I noticed she was
too heavy because her purse, strapped across her shoulder was full
of water. I managed to rip it from her, and once she was free of the
bag, we rose more quickly to the surface.
When we got to the surface, I looked
for the boat and a rescue float that might have been tossed out on
the water–but neither were there. The other boats were still racing
in that lane as we were out farther from the retaining wall at this
point.
When she began gasping for air and
panicking, she pulled me under causing me to swallow a lot of water.
We continued to struggle until I let her go and went under again,
coming back up for air behind her. I grabbed her and held her head
up so she could breathe, and I tried to calm her down. I was wary of
the speed boats passing by as it was too dark for them to see us and
the people screaming from the railing at them to warn them went
unheeded because those in the boats thought they cheering as they
raced by.
I pulled the girl to the retaining
wall. She was limp from exhaustion and vomiting the gasoline-tainted
water. I made it to the retaining wall, and used a fireman rescue
position putting her over my shoulder, and climbed the retaining
wall high enough for my friend to grab her and lift her to safety. I
was exhausted and rested on the wall for a few more moments and also
vomited up the gasoline-fouled water. My friend extended his hands
and helped pull me up.
The girl was attended to by bystanders,
and we just continued vomiting after that. We both swallowed a lot
of Potomac river water tainted with speedboat oil and gasoline. My
friend told me the boats had narrowly missed us three times because
the choppy water hid us from view. It was just luck that we were not
struck by them.
The next morning I was very, very sick.
I missed my first morning formation as a brand new buck sergeant,
and I was in big trouble with my top sergeant and was ordered to his
office.
I reported why I was unable to make it
to formation on time and he said:
"Mele, I been in this Army for 30
years. I killed men with my bare hands. See this scar on my face,
the men who did this are dead... you think you can lie to me boy?
You were out drinking celebrating them stripes that I am about to
take back from you."
I recounted the entire story. He just
said you may as well say good bye to those stripes. The company
commander was in the next office and asked Top what he thought about
my story. He said if it is true he better get to sick call and get a
tetanus shot. And he also said you better have that girl’s telephone
number, I want to call her. He sent another sergeant to my bunk
where I told him I had her telephone number.
By the time I got back from the medic,
after a few shots, my Commander had spoken to the girl's father who
wanted to thank me himself over the phone. He was a friend of the
Mayor of Washington, DC. His daughter had told him what happened and
that a soldier jumped in and saved her life, but she didn't know my
whole name or phone because I didn't have a phone of my own on base
at Fort Myer. Top Sergeant said Mele, you just saved your stripes,
you feel alright? I said yes, first sergeant. Then he said, good,
then called out for formation, the company formed, and he called me
out front, and said; "now drop and give me 100 push ups for missing
formation. None of my NCO's misses formation if he is still alive."
I did the100 push-ups in front of the whole company. He said to the
company: I would give him two hundred but he saved a life.
My Commander recommended me for the
Soldiers Medal (the highest peacetime award for heroism), and I
received the Army Commendation Medal, 1st Oak Leaf Cluster for
valor.
So, I almost drowned, was almost run
over by a few speedboats, got violently sick for two days, was
almost demoted, and knocked out 100 pushups in front of my entire
company for saving a woman from drowning. No good deed goes
unpunished."
It’s only a guess, but I’m pretty sure
there isn’t a person in that group that produced this week’s slander
mailing who would have jumped from that railing–-not when they
refuse to even step forward and admit to what they have written. And
for Janet, who also asked the question, Who Is Anthony Melé?, I will
email a copy of this story and see if she will post it on the boss’s
website. They do invite comments and answers. Somehow, I think the
odds are against it. I can send a copy of just the commendation of
valor if they don’t have space.
Robert Rhodes’ response
An Open Letter to the Ramapo
Community:
I am sure that many of you are talking about the current issues
that have an important bearing on the future of Ramapo.
First, is the Preserve Ramapo Party Anti-Semitic? Almost two
years ago Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz wrote an extended and wise essay in
the Monsey Advocate. He pointed out that Anti-Semitism is an
allegation that is easy to make, but impossible to disprove. Unless
one can open a window into one’s soul how can this accusation ever
be disproved?
Nevertheless, let us look at some relevant evidence:
Probably half of the members of Preserve Ramapo are Jewish, and
many of them are Orthodox, including at least one Orthodox Rabbi.
Are they Anti-Semites, or just self-hating Jews?
Then, we have the Village of Wesley Hills whose founders include
the "well known Anti-Semite" Robert Rhodes. Here I stand proudly on
our record. I was on the Board of Trustees of Wesley Hills for
twenty-two years and only left it when Karen and I moved across the
street from the village.
As more Orthodox Jews moved into our village we modified our laws
in order to accommodate this changing community. People of all
persuasions live together in peace and harmony, and we do not have
the bitter lawsuits that have divided other communities.
Look at our website,
www.PreserveRamapo.org,
you will not find any of the Anti-Semitism there that we are charged
with.
Ask those who have charged me in nameless mailings as being
either a self-hating Jew, or an Anti-Semite how they know this? Is
this just evil gossip? Where did their "information" come from?
Now we come to the question of growth. I know that at least one
family in Kaser has grown ever richer through their relationship
with our current Supervisor, Christopher St. Lawrence. Before every
election they go around accusing his opponents of Anti-Semitism and
they promise affordable housing; but instead they build expensive
condominiums which most of the families in the community cannot even
afford. They and their allies divide up homes into ever smaller
residences rented by the square foot; residences that are expensive
and illegal fire traps.
We do not want to throw people out of their homes. Preserve Ramapo
pledges that we will do everything possible to see that new housing
is affordable. We promise you that we will work with your community
leaders to make housing safe in Ramapo. We will not let the big
shots who support St. Lawrence get ever richer by buying single
family residences, and building apartment buildings that most people
cannot even afford.
We cannot allow uncontrolled building to continue. St. Lawrence
has created what is truly an environmental emergency in Ramapo. His
willingness to say yes to almost anything has turned residents
against residents. He has done more to destroy harmonious relations
within our community than anyone else.
First, he has approved of housing densities that are clearly not
sustainable with our existing infrastructure. Second, he has
consistently denied that anything he has approved has created any
significant environmental problems. Third, he has done almost
nothing to remediate the problems that his policies have created!
Several years ago I warned the Commission of Rockland Sewer
District #1 that its failure to deal with sewer overflows would lead
to a lawsuit against the sewer district by Upper Saddle River under
the Federal Clean Water Act. This lawsuit initiated by Upper Saddle
River, New Jersey is now moving ahead in Federal Court, and we, the
Ramapo taxpayers are footing the bill.
Did you know…The official reports by Rockland Sewer District #1
to the DEC conceded that we had almost 3.4 million gallons of sewage
overflows in just the first four months of this year? Yet, St.
Lawrence, who is a sewer commissioner and public spokesman for the
Rockland Sewer District #1, has continued to defend this system. Mr.
St. Lawrence has told us this system is an environmentally sound
"engineering marvel"!
Given the continued uncontrolled growth in Monsey we all face the
real possibility that Upper Saddle River will ask for an injunction
to prevent ALL building. If this injunction is granted, it will have
a truly devastating impact on our community.
The $50 million dollars that the engineering firm Sterns and
Wheler reports will be necessary just to correct the current sewer
crisis in Monsey is only a down payment on vastly larger costs a few
years down the road.
We may soon have chronic water shortages because of the
uncontrolled growth in population in all of Rockland County.
I am sure you all will agree that the traffic congestion in
Monsey has made the movement of emergency vehicles increasingly
problematic, and all the building being done on our narrow roads is
just making things worse.
Do these honest concerns prove I am a "notorious Anti-Semite"?
As you know, our signs reading "Stop the Building" have been
controversial. I would have preferred signs that read:
"Stop high density building
temporarily while we do an honest study of our
infrastructure and involve the whole community in a
search for solutions that are
sustainable--environmentally sound and fiscally
responsible."
Unfortunately, such billboards would have to be
rather large and hard to read while driving down our crowded
streets.
I hope you have gotten a glimpse of the real
situation here in Ramapo and can understand that a change is needed.
Please go out and vote on Tuesday November 6th. Please
vote to help preserve the future of Ramapo for us and our children,
and their children.
Sincerely,
Robert I. Rhodes, Ph.D.,
Chairman Preserve Ramapo
www.PreserveRamapo.org
PreserveRamapo@optonline.net
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