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History,
Buffed
To
the Editor:
The
review of a recent biography of Sir William Johnson [Books,
Nov. 10] has many flaws, surely reflecting the book under
review:
General Johnson’s British colonials and Indian allies did
not lose a “foray at Lac Saint Sacrament” but won the battle
of Lake George. Johnson’s contribution to the capture of Montreal
was trivial.
His last mistress was the Mohawk Molly Brant.
Sir William was not baronet of New York, but of Nova Scotia.
That Johnson’s skill at handling Indians derived from his
Irish background is a fantasy of the Irish biographer. Apart
from his neglect to acquire a gentlewoman wife, Johnson was
a typical member of the British upper class. Many of the most
effective British Indian agents were Scots and Germans. To
be sure, Johnson was a consummate politician; he could manage
a crowd more unruly than Indians—the Dutch of Albany.
Many of the New York state holdings of Johnson’s papers were
burned in 1911. Fortunately, most of them and many more are
printed in the 15 volumes of the New York State Library’s
“Papers of Sir William Johnson,” available at most libraries.
One of the editors, Milton Hamilton, wrote a plodding and
incomplete but accurate biography of Johnson, also readily
available.
B.
Bruce Briggs
Albany
I’ve
Got One
To
the Editor:
From
Rick Marshall’s story “Who Can Complain?” [Newsfront, Nov.
23] it seems that, using the Albany Police Department’s definition
of a complainant (according to APD spokesman Detective James
Miller), in the case of the late David Scaringe, there would
be no complaint.
It seems to be the intention of the APD to tighten the qualifications
as to who may file a complaint (against them). It is ludicrous
to allow a public body to eliminate witnesses from the class
of citizens who might file a complaint. Does a citizen, who
witnesses a police officer committing a “victimless crime,”
then have no standing to complain? What if the officer threatened
them? Does the officer’s knowledge that there is a witness
carry enough of an implicit threat that the witness might
file on those grounds? Would such a victim then have the burden
of proof to show that he/she was harmed, or how much? And
was thus actually a victim?
If I understood Miller, only a “victim” can complain, so there
can’t be a complainant if there are no survivors. That fails
to reassure me. They only have to decide to “Leave no complainants.”
Joe Stalin would have loved it.
Perhaps, if Jermaine Henderson learns of this policy, he will
be glad he got out of that police garage alive.
Steven
B. Tesser
Albany
A
Small Price
To
the Editor:
To
the good people of Albany and Metroland, please stop
now. I have read your review of Angelo’s 677 Prime Steak House
[Food, Nov. 10] and I deplore you all to stop with your criticisms.
A reader wrote recently [Letters, Nov. 3] complaining about
the price of the food. Yes it is expensive. No, he does not
need to eat there, though I do note that he went there at
someone else’s expense. I have lived in the area for two years
now and I have been waiting for a restaurant like this to
come along. I have eaten there several times and it is comparable
to the great steakhouses of America. No, I could not afford
to eat there very often, but it is good to have it in the
city as an alternative. The writer states that he could get
similar steaks elsewhere. Where is he going to go? The Colorado
Mine Co.? The Golden Corral? Something finally has opened
in Albany that is good for the city and its citizens. Do not
continue to denigrate it. The owner has attempted to open
a first-class establishment in a city that has died. It is
CPR for a dying downtown. He should be praised for his courage
and conviction to bring something good to the city. Hopefully
others will follow and re-create a city worthy of being a
state capital. If you don’t like it, keep it to yourself and
go stand in line at an Applebee’s or a Ruby Tuesday!
Brian
Steckel, M.D.
Albany
Corrections
In
“Election Round-up” (Trail Mix, Nov. 10), we erroneously stated
that Corey Ellis was the first person elected to the Albany
Common Council not on the Democratic line since 1929. In fact
he was the first person elected to the Common Council on the
ballot line of an established party other than Democrat. Mayor
Jerry Jennings was first elected to the Common Council as
an independent. Subsequently, he was elected as a Democrat.
In “Time for a Two-Party System” (Looking Up, Nov. 17), Mark
Dunlea was identified as the chair of the state Green Party.
He is no longer the chair, just an active member. He was Alice
Green’s campaign manager in her run for Albany mayor this
year.
Metroland
welcomes typed, double-spaced letters (computer printouts
OK), addressed to the editor. Or you may e-mail them to: metroland@metroland.net.
Metroland reserves the right to edit letters for length; 300
words is the preferred maximum. You must include your name,
address and day and evening telephone numbers. We will not
publish letters that cannot be verified, nor those that are
illegible, irresponsible or factually inaccurate.
Send
to:
Letters, Metroland, 4 Central Ave.,
4th Floor, Albany, NY 12210
or e-mail us at metroland@metroland.net.
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