BRING OUT YOUR TRASH !!!!

If you watched the most recent work session and public meeting held by Mineola's Board of Trustees (Wednesday, November 3rd) you probably caught the fireworks set off by Sal Cataldo.  Mr. Cataldo was upset by the Board's over sight in not mentioning Veteran's Day and the commemorative ceremonies that take place every year in the Village.

But in case you didn't catch the broadcast, it was quite the shouting match.  The mayor disputed Mr. Cataldo's allegation as did his toady, Larry Werther.  Even Paul Cusato got in on the act.

But Sal was absolutely correct.  The trustees spent most of their speaking time during the public session waxing rhapsodic over the recent Halloween party and the wonderful job the recreation staff did in planning it. (Wouldn't you LOVE that gig?)  They spent the rest of their time congratulating Jack Martins on his as-yet-unofficial election to state senate.

Yo!!!  PUCKER up those lips and KISS that butt!!!

You could hear the catch in Mr. Werther's throat as he went on about Jack's love for VOM.  Larry's eyes glistened with tears as he pictured, in his mind's eye, his own rear end ensconced in that cushy center chair on the dias.

But NO mention was made of Veteran's Day at the public meeting and the ONLY reference to November 11th was at the work session when Tom Rini reviewed the garbage collection schedule.  Since the Village is closed that day, trash collection will be impacted.  (November is a crazy month for garbage in Mineola what with Election Day, Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving.  Hard to keep track of those pails!!!)

So it's no wonder Mr. Cataldo was insulted.  And then the Mayor defended the gaff by telling Sal he missed the mention of Veteran's Day during the work session.  In other words, "Beh, Sal!  Ashspet!  After all, we're reworking the garbage pickup around youse guys.  What more do ya want?"

Now if you've been following the meetings or if you have lived in Mineola a while, you know Mr. Cataldo can be a bit quick tempered on occasion.  But he's a good man who served his country in Korea (aka The Forgotten War) and who has been active in the community for years.  And he continues to be active.  What's more, he's not one of those people who parks his ass on the sofa and bitches about what he doesn't like.  Cataldo gets up and talks publicly and subjects himself to ridicule by the many small-minded individuals in Mineola who don't have one quarter the coglioni that he does.  He was absolutely correct in his statement that if it wasn't for our past and present members of the military, we wouldn't enjoy the right to gather and voice our opinions at a public forum. Although in Mineola, your right to opine can be aborted on a whim.

And perhaps that's what really has Mr. Cataldo upset.  MNYT isn't in the business of psychoanalysis, but we think he's probably frustrated with the Fascist inclinations of this Board:  like discontinuing coverage of public meetings for six months because the mayor didn't like being called to task about the behavior of certain Village employees.  Or the requirement that folks now have to fill out a form stating what they want to talk about.  (Mayor Jack doesn't like being "ambushed.")  Or better yet - when certain requests to speak are denied outright by the Board - as happened just a few weeks ago.  For this, Mr. Cataldo and the many other veterans of Korea, Vietnam, Bataan, Gettysburg, Iraq, Argonne, Afghanistan and Bunker Hill sacrificed their lives, limbs, mental health, and time away from their families and the comforts of their homes.

Flag Raising - Mt. Suribachi

Think about that the next time you bring out your trash. . . .