Letters to the Editor, Sept. 21

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Sept. 21

By:
Sympathies flow
across the ocean

To the editor:
   I write to you from London, where I have lived for the past year. My family and I moved here from Princeton, where we had lived for 12 years. I write to express our personal grief to the families in Princeton who are suffering and also to describe the flow of sympathies and condolences that streams from London to America.
   As in America, the people of Britain are sharing the grief and sorrow of friends, family, colleagues and fellow countrymen all devastated by the unspeakable horror of the attacks in Washington and New York. On the day of the attack, even before night had fallen, hundreds of people brought flowers to the grounds of the U.S. Embassy and to Grosvenor Square, the leafy green park upon which the embassy fronts.
   In response, the embassy established a tent to house some 30 condolence books, each filled with hundreds of blank pages, and to allow the public to place flowers and sympathy gifts on the park grounds.
   The embassy asked for volunteers to help staff the impromptu memorial. I went there to volunteer and take on the simple tasks of welcoming those who came and offering comfort if it was needed.
   It was a remarkable scene. Hundreds of Americans on vacation, not yet able to return home, came to be among other Americans — but so, too, came the people of Britain and, in fact, citizens of many nations by the thousands. They all came to offer their sympathies and to leave mementos of remembrance.
   The outpouring of support is staggering. Tens of thousands came with flowers in their hands and tears in their eyes. The came from early morning till night, leaving these offerings of the heart.
   One British woman came wrapped in an American flag. "It comforts me," she said. I thought how true that was; how much comfort the raising of the flag upon the rubble of the World Trade Center had brought to so many; how much hope and pride and dignity was embodied in the American flag; and at that moment, how on a gray, cold morning in London it brought solace to this saddened woman standing amid a sea of flowers left in grief.
   There, surrounded by penetrating sadness, I found the tenderness and compassion of a world community joined together by disaster but sustained by faith in the underlying strength and goodness that defines America.
   I join with my husband, Doug Henderson, and our children, Shane, Micaela, Tegan and Riley, in sympathy for the suffering of our friends and neighbors in Princeton.
Kerri Ratcliffe
London
United Kingdom
An open letter

to the King family
To the editor:
   On Wednesday, I attended the memorial service of your beloved husband and father, Andrew King. I did not know him but came to support Cece, his daughter, and pay homage to all who perished or are missing from the events of Sept. 11.
   May it give you comfort to know that the celebration of his life gave new meaning and perspective to mine. It was a reminder that during this difficult time, and always, life is to be celebrated, just as Andrew lived it. The minor details we fret are not important. What is important is to show God’s love to our family, and to all, through joy.
   Many mourn your loss, yet even for those who knew him not, he left behind a piece of his joy through the memories of him you shared with us.
Debbi Roldan
Foulet Drive
Princeton
Life will never

be the same for us
To the editor:
   On Tuesday, Sept. 11, after it happened, a cloud of soot and dust enveloped lower Manhattan. Another cloud has enveloped the souls of Americans. It is a cloud of tragedy. A cloud of questions. The cloud has obscured our vision of the future. Questions that were easy are now difficult: Where can we travel? Can our children walk home from school? Whom can we trust? Whom do we love? Whom do we hate? What do we do with our anger?
   These were always difficult questions, we just thought we knew the answers.
   The cloud of dust and soot seeped into every body part of those in lower Manhattan: the lungs, the mouth, the eyes, every pore. Our own cloud pervades our entire lives and affects everything: How we look at the sky, how we hear a song, and how we hug our friends, family and especially our children.
   I have heard people say "Life goes on" or "We will get over this." Perhaps, but "life" will never be the same for us.
Steve Resnick
Fleming Way
Princeton
Simplistic solution

misplaces the blame
To the editor:
   Thomas Corwin, in his letter of Sept. 18, draws a distinction between the bad Israeli regimes headed by "butchers like Ariel Sharon…" and good regimes headed by "decent men like Yitzak Rabin." Mr. Corwin ignores the fact that Israel is a democracy and that when the Israelis elect a regime promising strong measures to safeguard their safety, it is only after exhaustive efforts to negotiate differences with the Palestinians have proven futile.
   Mr. Corwin offers the simplistic solution that when American policy distinguishes between the good and bad Israeli regimes, "we will eventually see an end to terrorism." This misguided interpretation places the blame for terrorism on Israel when the true enemy of the terrorists is the influence of Western culture and political and economic systems.
   Osama bin Laden and his adherents must clap their hands with glee when they read the words of the Thomas Corwins, words that would foster divisions within my beloved America and thereby greatly weaken it.
Alvin Gordon
Woods Way
Princeton
Letter stirs up

old lies, half-truths
To the editor:
   Thomas Corwin’s diatribe against Israel (Sept. 18) is a rehash of the old lies and half-truths we have come to expect from Israel’s enemies. In the current environment, the outcome of taking him seriously may lead to a bad outcome for our entire nation.
   First, I would point out that Corwin fails to mention the tens of billions of dollars the United States has given to Arab nations in the area, nor the fact that Arafat and his oil-rich allies have purposely kept his people in poverty to advance their own political goals. Nor does Mr. Corwin recognize that Arafat must have been a coward or a liar when he turned down Barak’s generous peace offer out of fear of being assassinated by Islamic radicals.
   On a level much broader that the PLO-Israeli conflict, Mr. Corwin seems to feel our country’s support of Israel is the major reason Islamic terrorists struck the United States. On this point, he is simply uninformed. Anyone who has taken the time to study the Islamic jihad movement will come to the conclusion that selling Israel down the river will only encourage more terrorism here. That is because the Islamists wish to destroy us for our pursuit of things Western, such as gender equality and the empowerment of the individual. Israel is only a symbol (in their own back yard) of these common Western beliefs Islamist terrorists have chosen to try to stamp out worldwide.
   I bet the 19 hijackers who have probably not been enjoying themselves since finding that Paradise is a hotter place that they ever imagined had a brief upbeat moment when they read Mr. Corwin’s letter.
Nelson Obus
Russell Road
Princeton
Convoluted thinking

gives terrorists victory
To the editor:
   Mr. C. Thomas Corwin’s letter of Sept. 18 misses the point. Osama bin Laden’s issue isn’t with U.S.-Israeli policy, but the fact that the United States has ground troops in Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden believes the U.S. government, to protect our oil interests, is supporting a corrupt regime in Saudi Arabia, bin Laden’s former homeland.
   Mr. Corwin’s thinking that changing our relationship with Israel "will see an end to terrorism" is as logical as thinking that if Great Britain had given in to the Nazis 60 years ago, it would have stopped Hitler from eventually moving against the United States. Mr. Corwin’s convoluted thinking has given the terrorists one microscopic victory: Mr. Corwin.
Harrison Blackmon
Tennyson Drive
Plainsboro
We don’t honor dead

by sacrificing ideals
To the editor:
   The events of Sept. 11 were unspeakable in the degree of terror and destruction visited on New York City, Washington and on the United States of America. My heart is sad for the people who died, their dreams abruptly and unexpectedly cut short. I am sad for their families, friends and those who otherwise care about and rely on them. I am sad for those people who experienced the horror first-hand. I am sad for New Yorkers who have lost the very symbol of their thriving and vibrant metropolis and for Americans who have lost the sense that they live in a secure country.
   As a human being, I understand that our adversaries are also human beings. The destruction of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attack was misguided and evil. The terrorists feel justified in what they did because of political and religious convictions. They believe they act in their own best interests and that God is on their side. They believe that America is evil, has been a destructive force and so must be destroyed.
   In the context of these beliefs they have unleashed an unspeakable terror. With similar beliefs about terrorist groups, Americans are prepared to respond in kind. We are hurt, angry and afraid; however, our world is a small one now. Our interconnectedness as a human family sharing one planet has become impossible to deny, and so I am sad about the potential consequences of what seems to be America’s inevitable military retaliation.
   Responding to the evil that has befallen our great nation requires uncommon wisdom. It is unwise to amass our military to generally extirpate world terrorism. It is an impossible objective, which seems certain to end up costing Americans much more than we will gain from the price exacted.
   There are many disenfranchised and desperate voices on the world stage. The people turn to those who can give them hope and often it’s the despot who provides an alternative that seems desirable but is, ultimately, destructive. It is clear that we must not respond indignant with rage and hubris if the best interest of our great country is the priority. America will never be able to keep a sharp enough eye on our safety to prevent future terrorist acts, which we will surely invite if we tear through hostile countries which already require careful diplomatic dialogue for the maintenance of stable relationships.
   America is currently the world’s only superpower. It hardly makes sense to risk taking the entire planet into a conflagration because a terrorist group, not even a nation, managed to inflict terrible wounds upon us from which we most surely can recover. We, unfortunately, cannot regain the many lives lost. However, we do not honor the dead by sacrificing all that, as Americans, they so highly valued: a world and a country in which children might grow to fulfill the American ideal of freedom and democracy.
David B. Campbell
Hamilton Avenue
Princeton
Football team, fans

pitch in with donations
To the editor;
   On Friday evening, Sept. 14, as they met to honor the victims of the World Trade Center tragedy, the members of the Princeton High School football team discussed how they could help.
   They decided to donate much-needed concession-stand profits from the next day’s game.
   An announcement was made at the game, and the fans responded generously, not only with their concession patronage but with many donations as well. The winner of the 50/50 raffle also donated a portion of the winnings.
   All told, the team raised $338 for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. We are enormously proud of our boys, and commend them and their fans for their unselfish generosity at this time of great need.
Jody and Doug Pearce
Presidents
Carolyn and Garrett Brown
Vice Presidents
and all members of the
PHS Football Booster Club
Princeton
Mayor is proud

of his community
To the editor:
   Following is an open letter to West Windsor residents:
   
The abominable events of Sept. 11, 2001 have inflicted unspeakable pain on our nation and our loving, peaceful community. I want to extend a comforting embrace to all of you during these days of mourning. Our country needs our support and we now all need the support of one another. I have found tremendous solace in the community spirit that has risen from the ashes of tragedy. I am so proud to be an American and especially a West Windsor resident.
   The World Trade Center disaster has united West Windsor almost instantaneously through efforts to provide counseling, shelter and the comfort of helping hands. I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of concern that residents have demonstrated during this difficult time. I have personally received hundreds of phone calls and e-mail from residents offering food, supplies, blood donation and every kind of support imaginable.
   I am grateful for the generous donations from our community for an emergency supplies drive. We quickly received truckloads of necessities for the rescue workers in New York City. On Thursday, Sept. 13, hundreds of West Windsor and Plainsboro residents gathered at St. David the King Church for an interfaith service in memory of the missing and deceased. On Friday, Sept. 14, residents honored victims with candlelight vigils throughout the township.
   Within hours of the attack, approximately 30 community representatives met to develop community assistance programs. Public safety officers, school administrators, religious leaders and volunteers gathered to discuss how our town could support the friends and families of thousands of New York City commuters who live here. We prepared accommodations for children whose parents may not have arrived home that evening. Our police officers and rescue squad also awaited the arrival of weary commuters who arrived at Princeton Junction station that night in need of a sense of security.
   Unfortunately, our ordeal is not over. President Bush and his advisers will now make profound decisions that will affect our country and the world. I pray that West Windsor residents continue to show their strength through the type of mutual respect that makes our town so special.
   West Windsor is a microcosm of America: a place where thousands of people of diverse nationalities and religions call home. Diversity, and the identity that we all share as Americans, is the strength and beauty of West Windsor. Our continued respect for each other will reinforce the spirit of our community, even through one of our country’s most trying times. I ask that you continue to celebrate the many heritages of our residents and unite under the American flag.
   I thank each one of you for your overwhelming commitment to humanity. It is an honor to serve you as mayor of West Windsor Township.
Shing-Fu Hsueh
Bridgewater Drive
West Windsor
Vote of conscience

was courageous act
To the editor:
   I want to support U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-California). In good conscience, she could not vote to give congressional approval to a resolution authorizing President Bush to "use all necessary and appropriate force" against terrorism. She said she was reluctant to approve any force that could worsen the situation.
   The vote was 420-1. She felt so alone. But she was not alone. She spoke for me and for many other Americans. She spoke courageously for all the innocent victims a war would bring.
   We must find other ways than war to be strong in our world community, so that, as our loving God intends, there will be no more victims.
Mary Timberlake
John Street
Princeton
Don’t stop now,

let prayers continue
To the editor:
   Last Wednesday, I was walking down Nassau Street in Princeton to an evening meeting held regularly at the church I attend. I noticed that many other churches were holding special services at different times. The tragedy which befell our nation on Tuesday, Sept. 11, has been a wake-up call. And our nation is awakening with prayer. In homes and places of worship across the country and throughout the world, prayers have been offered, hymns and patriotic songs have been sung, the American flag proudly displayed and candles lit.
   The attack on the World Trade Center has been referred to as a "cowardly act" perpetrated by a few fanatics. But as the enormity of this crime becomes more apparent, I say it was a brazen act, diabolically conceived and executed with calculated cruelty. As citizens of a nation now at war against terrorism, we should not underestimate the enemy. People of good will of all faiths ought to be just as vigilant — committed to freedom, inclusiveness, order and peace — as those who have been deluded into thinking that evil is good.
   Keeping the prayerful focus is imperative and challenging as we begin to "get back to normal" — or some semblance thereof. "The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light" (Romans). Don’t stop now — let the prayers continue.
Mary Julia Kephart
Cameron Court
Princeton
Palestinian professor

offers words of condolence
To the editor:
   In this time of sorrow, I would like to share a message of compassion from Professor Nashat Al Aqtash, media chair of Birzeit University. My sister spent time with him, his faculty and his students in Palestine last summer and witnessed how hard they have worked towards a viable peace. In the aftermath of this horrible tragedy, I hope that all will find comfort in the sentiments expressed in this letter and not let misguided hate and misinformation fill that place where truth and understanding should reside.
   
Dear American Friends:
   We at Birzeit University were deeply shocked and grieved by the tragic events of Sept. 11. Many Palestinians have suffered the loss of loved ones and friends themselves and thus are able to feel deeply the reality of the grief and pain many Americans are experiencing right now.
   We as educators work under the difficult conditions of occupation and conflict but nevertheless do our utmost to keep human and democratic values alive in the hearts of our students who have little hope of procuring liberty and justice for themselves in their lifetimes. Please do not interpret images that may have been taken out of context as a marker of sentiments here.
We at the university and the Palestinian people as a whole were greatly saddened by the meaningless loss of human life and offer heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those who died and to all Americans. Let us hope that the guiding values of humanity prevail in this heartbreak world.
Michelle Bartelt
Green Avenue
Montgomery
Let’s get Old Glory

flying everywhere
To the editor:
   I am delighted at homeowners and business establishments proudly displaying the American flag.
   As I drive between Hightstown and Princeton Junction, I notice only two gas stations not displaying the flag — the Mobil stations on the Princeton-Hightstown Road at Southfield Road and at Alexander Road.
   Let’s get Old Glory flying everywhere.
Gerald Metzheiser
Fairway Drive
West Windsor
Terror is never

a legitimate tool
To the editor:
   Lay no blame. Accept no blame. These are the two precepts I have followed since the terrorist attack on the United States of Sept. 11.
   I lay no blame on Arabs or Moslems, whether they are Americans or in the Middle East. Full responsibility must be borne by the radical terrorists who call themselves Moslems.
   Nor am I willing to accept blame as a Jew and a supporter of Israel. The political differences between the political parties in Israel and among various American supporters of Israel are irrelevant. To imply otherwise is to accept that a grievance should turn to anger. Anger should turn to hatred, and opportunities for compromise are to be rejected with violence.
   Terror is never a legitimate tool in conflict resolution.
Robert Karp
South Harrison Street
Princeton
An eye for an eye

leaves everyone blind
To the editor:
   Through all the madness of the last week, it’s been gratifying watching people come together. Neighbors and co-workers ask one another how they and their families are with new sincerity. The heroism of rescue workers who continue to risk their lives for others is unmatched. The ground swell of patriotism is unlike that seen in this country since World War II, and it is amazing to witness.
   But as we wait for the dust to settle in lower Manhattan, and the mountains of rubble to be sifted through, let’s take this time to let our internal dust settle as well. Like the twin towers that once stood so mightily and powerfully on the horizon, all of our foundations have been shaken by the senseless tragedies that transpired. As we recover from the numbness, still stumbling to find our balance again, we need to go slowly.
   On Sept. 11, America and the world watched the horror unfold before our eyes, live via CNN. We collectively experienced many of the same emotions: shock and disbelief at the surrealistic scenes we were witnessing; deep sadness; fear and anger at the magnitude of the horror and the mass destruction of innocent lives. We felt personally attacked — as, indeed, we were as a nation — and many of us found our self-defense instincts operating in high gear just as if each of us were hit on the head from behind.
   Our sense of security was shaken to its core. Fear and anger are powerful emotions that create knee-jerk reactions, one being a need to cast blame for such an unimaginable and unexplainable event. We wanted to know what happened to our intelligence and security systems. How could they have allowed something like this to have happened? We long for answers in an effort to make some sense of such a senseless act. Who would do such a thing? Why?
   Perhaps it was retaliation for our bombings in Afghanistan when the embassies in Africa were bombed. Perhaps for the Gulf War. We may never know. All we continue to learn is that there are those with no regard for human life, not even their own.
   There are radical fanatics in every nationality, even our own. Did we ever think of killing all Americans because of what Timothy McVey did? Of course not. Violence breeds violence. There has to be an end. That’s what we’ve long been telling Israel and Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the PLO.
   Now is the time to practice what we preach. Now is the time for cool heads and sane minds, not hysterical reactions. Those who did this to us did not win anything. We are more united than ever and while we may never be the same, we will rebuild our buildings and our lives. But if we lower ourselves to their level and become our enemy, then they have won and we have all lost. An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.
Mirah Riben
Allison Court
Monmouth Junction
Let’s strive to protect

extraordinary community
To the editor:
   Articles in this paper and others have brought attention to the Berrien City community in West Windsor. This is as welcome as it is overdue.
   For the past few months, I’ve been wondering if people have taken leave of their senses. Here we are, debating the best way to move traffic in, out and through Berrien City when what we ought to be talking about is how best to preserve, protect and defend one of the most extraordinary neighborhoods in the region, if not the entire state.
   Look what we have here: a community ethnically diverse, like most of West Windsor — but, unlike so much of West Windsor, economically and generationally diverse as well. Berrien City is home to a wonderful mix of young people who found houses within their economic reach, older people who stayed for the convenience or the ambiance, some renters, some unconventional families, some single people — all of them living together in a neighborhood characterized by houses whose architectural styles are as mixed as the people who live in them. No other place of comparable size in West Windsor offers anything like this.
   And yet Berrien City is under threat — not just from the outrageous proposal to widen Alexander Road or take some halfway step that would do half the damage, but from an ongoing sense that the needs of this part of town ought to be submerged to other priorities. It started more than 20 years ago with the building of the Wallace Road parking lot when other options to get commuters to the station should have been explored more vigorously; it continued with over-construction on what used to be called the Hall’s Exxon lot — senior housing is a welcome addition, but the addition of an office building to the senior housing plan created the likelihood of a traffic hazard for the seniors and surrounding residents alike.
   There are many ways to weaken a neighborhood and one of them is to impose a hundred little nicks. At some point along the way the harm is done, and it’s no longer worth anyone’s while to go to the effort to preserve what existed before.
   Berrien City is not yet at that point — not by a long shot. But the trend lines are there. Reversing them calls for the active engagement not just of the people in the immediate neighborhood or the surrounding areas but for everyone in West Windsor who claims to value diversity, opportunity and community. The key step in the reversal effort may well be redefining the issue at hand. Let’s move from the debate over how to improve traffic flow from one side of West Windsor to the other to a discussion about how to safeguard a place that lies right at the center of town and is one of West Windsor’s greatest assets.
Ron Schurin
Springwood Drive
West Windsor
Join the struggle

to combat smoking
To the editor:
   Thanks for your rousing Sept. 11 editorial supporting the Princeton Regional Health Commission’s now-defunct anti-smoking ordinance, which was overturned by Judge Feinberg’s ruling that the issue was the "exclusive province of the New Jersey Legislature."
   Yours was a timely reminder to us all of the annoyance — and the health dangers — of secondhand smoke, not to mention the hazard to smokers themselves. Walk along any street in the two Princetons and you’ll see children 10 years old and up puffing away with abandon, oblivious to the hazards.
   An effective argument to warn them of the harmful consequences of smoking would be to ban smoking in public spaces and restaurants and bars, where workers are more exposed to secondhand smoke than the smokers themselves.
   The anti-smoke organizations such as New Jersey GASP (Group Against Smoking Pollution) need the support of everyone who wants to avoid secondhand smoke. I urge you to join New Jersey GASP by contacting Regina Carlson, President, 105 Mountain Avenue, Summit, NJ 07901, or call (908) 273-9368 or e-mail [email protected].
As a reminder, while the struggle is expensive, all contributions help.
Carl Faith and Molly Sullivan
Longview Drive
Princeton