DAMNING WITH FAINT PRAISE

Yesterday's Elmira Independent carrys a Letter to the Editor from Dr. Henry Regier of Elmira. Henry is a friend and colleague for whom I have the highest respect. To this day I remain in awe as to how he could verbally skin alive assorted and sundry psuedo professionals and credentialed sellouts. While I would spend 60 seconds criticizing a technical report causing great offense, Henry was able to spend ten minutes tearing it down, blasting its' authors technical and moral abilities and then be thanked at the end of his assault. Henry's early retirement from the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee (CPAC) was a loss to myself, the community and honest, informed promotion of the natural environment.

The title given to Henry's Letter is "Damning with faint praise". Basically Henry is not pleased with what he sees as thinly veiled criticism of CPAC by Independent Editor Gail Martin. Gail referred to "...chasing rabbit trails that led nowhere..." to which metaphor Henry jumped all over. The overall theme of Gail's Editorial I found to be quite complimentary of CPAC and indeed I so posted a few days ago. Nevertheless I too spotted the same criticism of CPAC as Henry did. I view myself as a very strong supporter of this current CPAC primarily because they have convinced me that they are the real deal. Their hearts and minds are in the right place and their ever growing knowledge base is a plus.

There is a dichotomy I believe in my support of this CPAC but not the last one. I have posted here in great detail my damning with loud criticism of the old CPAC. I think that Gail Martin also has a dichotomy in her support of the old CPAC and her concern as to how they were dumped en masse by the new Woolwich Council in 2010. Therefore she still views this CPAC through darkened lenses. Here however is the good news. Unlike the Woolwich Observer Gail Martin and the Elmira Independent attend each and every public CPAC meeting. Despite whisperings in her ears from a couple of former CPAC members, still in the stomach churning throes of sour grapes; she is her own person. She may hear background whispers but she sees the CPAC members asking the hard questions and expressing their disbelief at some of the fairytales being sold by Chemtura and "...their hired guns and regulators.". Gail is a good reporter, editor and even more importantly person. This is not faint praise from me.