Kids don't care about what's politically correct'

To the editor: I normally refrain from getting into what are often antagonistic situations, but although there have been an abundance of exceptionally well-written letters concerning Breakfast with Santa Claus, the overall principle behind this finally got to me. My wife and I are what we refer to as “old Warwick” in that she was born and brought up here and I arrived as a kid in the 1930s - which gives me something over 70 years as a resident. Not too many of us left. We both graduated from Warwick HS; our children all graduated here; and seven out of ten grandchildren are either attending or graduated from WHS. Our classmates were of every religion, creed, or color there was at that time. No problems whatsoever, and had a great time in every way, no matter what background was involved. Is it safe to say things have changed? Let’s not name the ways. What bothers me most is that many people who have moved here did so because of the beautiful town, our lovely Village, and a super educational system. Why is it, then, that so many feel that now that they’re here, things require changing? That suddenly we haven’t been doing things correctly? That their way is better? And my first question is (probably an age thing), if that’s the case, and we were doing such a lousy job, why did you move here to begin with? This latest Santa Claus fiasco is certainly a prime case in point. For centuries, Santa Claus has belonged to children of all ages, religions, creeds and colors and has no “religious and/or religious imagery” connotation whatsoever. I have to tell you, kids don’t care about what’s “politically correct,” or how the Constitution was written, or the difference (supposed) between Church and State. A great majority just want to see this big old guy in red, with his white beard and a hearty “HO, HO, HO” invite them up on his knee. All of a sudden we have someone who hasn’t even identified herself not only work to take this away from her own kids based on the above quote, but superimpose her personal agenda on all the kids. If the real problem here had any relationship with her own children, the opinion offered by many is obvious: Stay home, but leave Warwick’s traditions alone. Although, according to her letter to Dr. Greenhall, this “tradition” should never have been started to begin with. Really? Is it possible she’s right and all the rest of us have been wrong all these years? As mentioned in several letters, even if I agreed with this antagonistic split between Church and State, the PTA is not affiliated with the school other than as an outstanding force working for the overall welfare of our children and has done it very successfully for many years. Santa Claus has always been purely part of a happy holiday season to be celebrated any way you prefer. To further that, the PTA pays to use school facilities like any other outside organization does. So where’s the problem? This whole thing has become ridiculous. The justification for getting into all this was ludicrous, and a stretch at best. What’s the old saying about the tail wagging the dog? Maybe it’s time the dog took control again and helped take Warwick back to the days of cooperation and love thy neighbor, rather than antagonism based on rather questionable political interpretations - something this latest fiasco has certainly provoked. Too much to ask, I suppose, but maybe not too late? Think about it. One other interesting point that I haven’t seen brought up, and this is addressed to the editor of The Warwick Advertiser. The last sentence in the next to last paragraph of your “Guidelines for Effective Letters” very clearly states: “Letters must be signed with full name and contain a telephone number for verification purposes. Anonymous or unsigned letters will not be published.” Care to explain why this woman was given preferential treatment by your paper? Of all letters requiring a signature, this should have been at the top of the list. I toyed with a few cute names to use just to make my point, but decided plain old Ken Durland will suffice. Ken Durland Warwick