Bethpage-Tribune_1986-05-15

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VOL. 21 NO. 5 Week of May 15 - May 21,1986 20 cents per copy
Ban Ballistic Knife
by Congressman Norman Lent
Last week, i cosponsored
legislation to outlaw a new
deadly weapon which poses
a serious threat to public
safety and to our law
enforcement officers. This
bill, HR 4711, would ban the
"ballistic knife," a newly
developed eapon which can
shoot razor sharp blades at a
distance of 30 feet and rip
through a policeman's bul­letproof
vest.
The ballistic knife was
developed for the Soviet
Army's special forces, and
has no legitimate use or pur­pose
in our society. This
kind of knife is not used by
hunters or sportsmen. It is
used to kill. What is most
frightening is that any crim­inal
can purchase the knife
through a mail order catalog
for only S79.95...no ques­tions
asked. The Manufac­turer
advertises the ballistic
knii'e as a secret weapon that
"kills swiftly and silently."
The abilitv to conceal this
weapon combined with its
capacity to penetrate a bul­letproof
vest has created a
great deal of concern in the
law enforcement commun­ity.
An officer who encoun­ters
a criminal carrying a
ballistic knife would assume
he or she was safe as long as
they kept their distance,
especially since the ballistic
knife looks no different than
an ordinary knife. But the
criminal would clearly have
the advantage, and in a split-second,
the police officer
could be killed or seriously
wounded.
As a result of the support
of Nassau County District
Attorney Denis Dillon and
our local law enforcement
community, legislation has
been introduced in the New
York State Legislature that
would make possession of
the ballistic knife a felony
under New York State law.
However, 1 believe Con­gress
must enact a law at the
She's On Our Team
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federal level to ban the bal­listic
knife from interstate
commerce. HR 47!1, which
I introduced with Rep.
Mario Biaggi (D-Bronx),
would do just that. In addi­tion,
it would impose a
mandatory five-year prison
sentence for any person
using the knife to commit a
crime.
(Continued on Page 8)
Office Building Plans Defeated
Stating that "the protection of our residential
communities is of extreme importance". Supervi­sor
Joseph Colby, in a letter dated iMay !3th, has
advised that the Town Board has voted to deny
theapplicationofM.M.F. Associates and Gerald
Desimone to construct an office building where
Bethpage Tennis is currently located.
The Central Civic Association, which spear­headed
the drive to defeat this application,
extends its to all its members, who attended the
Town Board meeting on March 25th and proved
that, yes, there is strength in unity! Special thanks
go to ur counsel, Mr. Richard J. Sanna, who
donated his time and talent in presenting our case
before the Town Board, and to Assemblyman
Frederick Parola, whose assistance and public
support of our position was invaluable.
The residents of Bethpage have always united
in times of crisis; indeed, the Central Civic Asso­ciation,
seven months "young" was formed in
response to a crisis.
The Central Civic Association will continue to
respond to the needs of our community —
whether in response to a problem, as a conduit of
information, or simply, as a community service
organization, helping to celebrate 50 years of
Bethpage history this September. Our last meet­ing
was held on Monday, May 12th; our next
meeting will be held in September.
Tiichers Retire
Hands Across
Shea Stadium
On Wednesday, May 28 the New York Mets will hold a
very special day at Shea Stadium. On that day the Mets will
reach out and touch their fellow New Yorkers who go to bed
hungry every night by teaming up with Western Beef
Supermarkets and John Gerald Jeweler for their Fourth
Annual Fod Drive, Mets' fans will bring cans of nutritious
food to the gates, where players' wives will be stationed to
collect the contributions.
It will be called Hands Across Shea Stadium Day in honor
of Hands Across America, the unprecedented, nationwide
event that calls for some 6 million Americans to join hands
from New York to California on Sunday, May 25, to fight
hunger and homelessness in the United States.
Throughout May, 1986 George Foster, holding a can of
food, will become a familiar sight to everyone watching
Mets' broadcasts. He will be a reminder that on Wednesday,
May 28 every fan, by contributing nutritious foodstuffs, can
add his voice to the growing number that cry out for the
elimination of hunger.
George Foster, the Mets' left fielder, feels that his teams
efforts during the last 3 years have developed move the
national fight against hunger to a new level. "For 3 years the
Mets have held food drives to heighten public consciousness
and to feed hungry New Yorkers. We feel our efforts have
helped to create the atmosphere that has made possible such
an incredible event as Hands Across America. We may be
seeing the beginning of the end of hunger in the United
States."
According to Sheila Foster, who has organized the Mets'
wives for the past 2 years, "The timing of this year's food
drive is peOriect. The fans at Shea are always terrific and I
wouldn't be surprised to see them holding hands around the
Stadium."
Borough Coalitions of Emergency Food Pantries will
help the wives collect the food, and will then distribute it
throughout the five boroughs to hungry New Yorkers.
On Wednesday, May 28 the New York Mets and their fans
will help strike out hunger in New York.
'! i:AMS U.S.A. is a nationaj organization dedicated to the
developnscnl ot youih socccs- in tlus country.
i here is a plan afoot lo send approximately 400 kids ages
14-17 on an international cornpciition journey to certain
designated countries for a european tour.
Shannon McNally, a 13 year old from Bethpage is the sole
representative from our hamlet. Shannon was selected, des­pite
the fact that she is the youngest child in the group, tor
her outstanding player abilities and line scholastic back­ground.
The tour will lake place sometime in early summer, but lor
secyrity reasons, there is no more to report at this time.
The Bethpage High
School Faculty is
pleased to announce
the retirements of 14 of
its colleagues on the
professional staff. They
are: Miriam August,
Business; Regina
Black, Foreign Lan­guage;
Vincent F.
DeJoy, Guidance; W.
Rodman Hartjen,
Social Studies; Basil
Karpiak, Business;
Fran McCall, Physical
E d u c a t i o n ; Fred
Meder, Social Studies;
Edward Mooney, Eng­lish;
Gloria Nelson,
English; Eelda Sarfaty,
Guidance; Michael
Stollcr, English; Bruce
Sweetland, Science;
Howard C. Vogts,
Physical Education.
There are also two
faculty retirees from
last year being feted:
Jane Hansen of Social
Studies and Edgar
Moore from Musical
Education.
Anyone wishing to
attend a Retirement
D i n n e r / D a n c e in
honor of these retirees,
please contact Mrs,
Rosalie Niemczyk at
Bethpage High School,
931-2900 ext. 228 or
Mr. EdCryer,ext. 315.
Governor Mario M. Cuomo accepts the American Auto­mobile
Association's 1986 Outstanding Service Award pres­ented
by AAA President James B. Creal at the group's
annual luncheon held recently in New York City, The Gov­ernor
received the award for his "Outstanding contributions
to the safety of the nation's motorists for enacting the first
state safety belt use law." During the past four years, the
number of people killed on New York State's highways has
dropped each year due to the State's tough DWI laws,
improved enforcement, increases in the drinking age, innov­ative
public education programs, and the firsl-in-the-«ation
mandatory seat belt law.