Here are a few things that caught my attention recently.

— I am not an expert on water treatment and water treatment plants, and I don’t even live in Fredonia. However, if I were a taxpayer and read the recent OBSERVER story on the Health department’s survey of the village’s water treatment system I would ask the group who are lobbying to have the village continue using the current system the following question. Why?

The report noted that the reservoir has not been dredged since it went online in 1938. According to the report it “…has lost a significant percentage of its volume” filled as it is with 50 thousand dump truck loads of silt. In addition, the most recent inspection classified the reservoir’s earthen dam as “unsound/fair.” These and other shortcomings in the system make it likely that Fredonia has more “boil water orders” in its future.

When my family moved to Silver Creek 45 years ago our water was nothing to write home about or even drink. At times it seemed only fit for fish. Eventually the village closed down its reservoir, had a water pipeline laid from the Erie County Water Authority treatment plant at Sturgeon Point and later replaced water lines throughout the village. Now we know that our water is clean and clear and water line breaks and boil water orders unlikely.

— I am getting tired of the proliferation of prescription medication ads on television. For me the most annoying line is “Do not take this drug if you are allergic to any of its ingredients.” They never tell us what the ingredients are, so how do we know if we are allergic to them.

The US and New Zealand are the only nations that allow drug advertising on television. A 2024 RAND study found that U.S. prices for all drugs both brand-name and generic were 2.78 times higher than prices in 33 other countries.  Brand-name drugs saw even larger price disparities, with U.S. prices at least 3.22 times higher than in those other countries.  Sounds like we American consumers are paying for those ads.

— I am concerned with what is happening on the Columbia University campus where Jewish students are being harassed by demonstrators or told by the administration not to attend classes they have already paid top dollar for out of fears for their safety.

During the recent invasion of the lobby of Trump Tower pro Hamas protestors were wearing red t-shirts on which were printed “Stop arming Israel” and “Not in our name.” Someone had to pay for those shirts like someone paid for the tents that were of the same design in last spring’s pro Hamas campus protests. Once again I sense the hand of billionaire George Soros and other elites

Antisemitism, like all forms of hatred, lies dormant and unseen in the darkest recesses of humanity, but sometimes boils to the surface, always with tragic results. This cannot be tolerated especially in a nation like ours. Those who encourage it or tolerate it must be called out.

I think that so many of our young people get caught up in these antisemitic protests because they reach college indoctrinated in DEI during their secondary education, well-schooled in moral relativism and with little understanding of history and certainly lacking in critical thinking skills.

— I am amused that former Governor Andrew Cuomo is joining former Congressman Michael Weiner and former Governor Eliot Spitzer in attempting to rekindle his political career by running for Mayor of New York City. I hope that when voters remember stories of his treatment of women and how he consigned several thousand senior citizens to death in nursing homes during COVID and then lied about the number of dead that he will lose. However, New York being New York he will likely be elected in spite of his peccadilloes.

— A recent article in the Buffalo News told of an eighth-grader who was suspended by the East Aurora School District after he expressed his belief, which is the official policy of the U.S. government, that there are only two genders, male and female.

Until 10 years ago, gender was defined in clear and universally accepted terms as A sex, male or female. Today progressive idealogues have discovered at least 7 genders that include male, female, intersex, trans, non-conforming, personal, and eunuch. Other progressive thinkers tell us that gender identity is not confined to a binary (girl/woman, boy/man), is not static and can change over time. 

Finally, In the Bible Genesis 1:27 states, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” That is proof enough for me that God created only two genders.

The East Aurora incident is another example of the fact that the progressive ideas of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, better known as DEI are still infecting our schools where anyone who does not parrot the party line will be dealt with harshly in a manner better suited to punishing a bully who beat a classmate severely.

That is what caught my attention this week. Happy spring!

Thomas Kirkpatrick Sr. is a Silver Creek resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com.