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L E T T E R S To the editor: It’s hard to tell anymore what Moncure ChatfieldTaylor’s and David Wiley’s issue is with the Great Harbor Yacht Club. I thought that the issue was the preservation of the big Grey Lady Marine Boat Barn. I attended some of the HDC meetings where several abutters and members of the community lamented the loss of that building. I have worked in the boat buildings on my boat over the last several years, and while I do not share the view that there is anything truly worth saving, at least I understood the concern. I have read with interest the statements made by the GHYC that they would be willing to in fact reuse the big boat barn and re-adapt it for use on the non-water side of the yacht club property. Doesn’t this make all those people (or at least most of them) stop opposing the GHYC project? The other concern that seems to be repeatedly made by the people that are appealing the GHYC approvals is that they want to make sure that it is a requirement that marine services continue to be provided on the GHYC property. I know that the principals of the project have always said that they will. But, are they really? This seems to be the big issue here, doesn’t it? So, I just went and asked Michael Allen, who runs Grey Lady Marine, and he confirmed to me that marine services will continue to be provided to the public in the GHYC plan. Grey Lady Marine has a binding agreement with the GHYC to use the property to do so. In fact, Michael Allen showed me a copy of the Special Permit Decision issued by the Nantucket Planning Board (dated August 9th, 2004) that seems to stipulate in Section 8.04 that “boat repair, launch and haul-out facilities be maintained on site. Services shall include but not be limited to travel lift and marine forklift operations.” I am stunned that Save Our Waterfront (SOW) would threaten to appeal the GHYC for years to come if they don’t give the marina to the town. If they want to make sure that marine service continues on site, isn’t the yacht club plan the only way to make sure that they do? Haven’t they already agreed to this? The other issue is that Mr. Chatfield-Taylor and Mr. Wiley have filed all these law suits against not only the yacht club but against the Town. Why have they filed them against the Town? Do they think that these Town employees (staff) and publicly elected officials do not know how to do their jobs? I don’t buy it. In any case, the taxpayers are paying all the legal fees for the 18 or so appeals that I understand are going to court soon. How much is this going to cost us? A lot. And what is the point of all the appeals? If it’s not saving the boat barns or preserving the marina then what is it? It’s clear to me that it’s not about “saving the waterfront.” It can’t really be about cable TV service, can it? It seems to me that the yacht club guys have their backs to the wall. After all, they filed a subdivision plan of the yacht club property for residential lots. The fact is, that if this doesn’t get resolved soon, the guys appealing the yacht club will be responsible for the death of Nantucket Harbor’s only waterfront marina. We fishermen depend on these services. If SOW wants to preserve the marina, I think they should be working with the yacht club, not against them. — Kirby Jones JUST GOOD SCIENCE To the editor: In Mr. Mittenthal’s tiresome letter last week, he resorts to citing some of the source material for the argument from design in an attempt to discredit me, but this is just another diversionary tactic on his part. I am unapologetic about paraphrasing some of the basic arguments of intelligent design in this exchange. My letters have not been submitted under the pretense of original research for a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology but rather to share some commonly held objections in the evolution debate. The arguments published by Philip Johnson, Michael Behe, William Dembski, Stephen Meyer, Dean Kenyon, Jonathan Wells and many other scientists are arguments which have been circulated in the field for years and should be heard and considered in this dialogue. Personal attacks are a smokescreen for someone without a substantive response to the question of how evolution is taught in our schools and do not address the matter in question. I’m not emulating or distancing myself from Christians or atheists in this debate based on what they believe, as Mr. Mittenthal asserts, but rather from anyone who interjects their philosophy into the science curriculum. He consistently misses this basic point. Mr. Mittenthal writes, “Individuals can take what they want from this debate and use it to confirm or reevaluate their beliefs” and “I must admit that I have never been in the position to reconcile what I have learned scientifically with a belief in God.” I commend him for making these honest statements and for acknowledging his lack of belief in God, a belief which he brings to this debate. My fundamental point has been to distinguish philosophic beliefs from science when teaching evolution and Mr. Mittenthal unwittingly concedes they are one and the same for him when he writes, “Furthermore, Mr. Parker’s claim that natural philosophy denies the existence of an intelligent designer is impossible because science cannot prove the absence of a designer.” Natural philosophy can and does make this claim because it is not constrained by science, it’s a belief system which by definition denies the supernatural. It’s only “impossible” to make this claim if you improperly equate natural philosophy with science. It’s true, science can make no statement about the existence of a designer but when your philosophy becomes your science, you are now teaching unscientific beliefs and this is the whole point of the evolution debate. Richard Dawkins, arguably the world’s most prominent Darwinist wrote that “Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist” which is a rare and stunning admission of the role philosophy plays in evolutionary science, but at least he’s honest. Mr. Mittenthal calls for an honest exchange of ideas but gives us his philosophy masquerading as science instead. I’m calling for a reevaluation of how evolution is taught by removing the current philosophical bias of evolutionary science when explaining issues such as the origin of life and the mechanism of speciation. Mutation and natural selection as the instrument of change above the level of species is merely a theory and a highly improbable one at that. We should be teaching the arguments for and against Darwinian evolution including the argument of Intelligent Design. That’s not religion, that’s just good science. — Matt Parker The following letter was originally set to Thomas Bresette, Director of the Nantucket Golf Club Children’s Charity Classic, and is reprinted here at the author’s request. ARTISTIC POSSIBILITIES Dear Mr. Bresette: On behalf of the Artists’ Association of Nantucket, I am writing to thank you and everyone associated with the NGC Children’s Charity Classic for its generous donation to our organization. The grant is being used for the benefit of Nantucket’s children of all ages. It allows us to offer year round preschool arts classes at reduced tuition rates. We collaborate with the Community Network for Children and offer classes for elementary and middle school-age children as well. Working with the S.T.A.R. program, we offer special art classes for mentally, physically and emotionally handicapped children. Silkscreen classes for high school students and ceramics for children of all ages are also made affordable by the grant. The costs of our art supplies, teachers’ wages, and the yearly Junior Artists Exhibition for all school age children are also underwritten by the grant. Free workshops for children and parents, such as the Valentine Printmaking Workshop, Halloween MaskMaking and Holiday Cards and Crafts would not be possible without this generous gift. Each year Nantucket Golf Club contributes significantly to the quality of life and culture of Nantucket’s children through the Children’s Charity Classic. The Artists’ Association of Nantucket is grateful for the opportunity to assist in carrying out this mission. Thank you. Sincerely, — Penny Scheerer, President, Artists’ Association of Nantucket EXTENDING HELPING HANDS To the editor: We wanted to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to all thos responsible in helping make the “Hands Across The Water” benefit concert on Oct. 22 at the Unitarian Church such a great success. That such a quality evening of entertainment and fundraising could be arranged is a true testament to the heart and soul of Nantucket. We raised just under $3,000 to aid the victims of Katrina in Shreveport, La. Thank you to everyone who donated their time and money too numerable to list, as well as The Chuck Colley Trio, Amy England, The Rolla Band, Ellen McIlwaine, and of course those who attended the concert. If you missed the show it can be seen on Plum TV, and shortly it will be aired on WUMB 91.7 FM. The need for help continues, please continue to help in any way you can by contacting Rev. Jennifer Brooks at the Unitarian Church at 228-7597. — Phil Austin — Ursula Austin — Sarah Oktay — Len Germinara The Talking Stick Ceilidh STEAMING AHEAD To the editor: So often one hears grumbling about our Steamship Authority. We at the Thrift Shop are happy to express our heartfelt gratitude to the SSA and especially the Nantucket office staff that helped us in delivering 60 large bags of women’s clothing to the Salvation Army on the mainland. The SSA could not have been more pleasant and helpful in arranging for a special baggage cart and transporting it to a waiting Salvation Army truck in Hyannis. Usually the Thrift Shop does not have such a volume of clothes left over at the end of the season, and in the past we have taken everything to the “Madaket Mall.” We thought that donating this volume of clothing to a charitable organization was much more in keeping with the overall mission of the Hospital Thrift Shop. We could not have done this without the cooperation and help of the Steamship Authority. Thank you again.
— Bobbie Giles, President, Hospital Thrift Shop |
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