LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Dec. 3
Princeton stands up to irrational biases
To the editor:
On behalf of the National Conference for Community and Justice, New Jersey Region, I wish to commend the mayor and council of the Borough of Princeton for their recent resolution in support of positive community inter-group relations.
Historically, Princeton has been a diverse community one in which people of many backgrounds have settled and called home and one in which the rights of all citizens have been respected, regardless of race, religion, ethnic heritage or immigration status. Princeton also consistently has been at the forefront of ensuring that all of its residents are included in that presumably all-encompassing word "community."
While the events of Sept. 11, 2001 have aroused irrational biases against many immigrants, Princeton has demonstrated particular sensitivity to its growing Latino population and has been proactive in its welcome. As the Latino community grows throughout New Jersey, Princeton made sure that its newest residents would feel as safe and "at home" in the borough as every other resident by developing and implementing community and law enforcement programs to combat bias and ethnic and racial profiling in any form and to develop trusting relationships.
With our mission of fighting bias, bigotry and racism in the state and nation, the members of the National Conference for Community and Justice, New Jersey Region and our Princeton Area Capital Chapter share the anger and pain expressed by the Princeton community in reacting to the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s apparently unwarranted and inappropriate use of force in serving warrants on several undocumented immigrants. Princeton’s citizens, council and police department have worked hard to establish a cooperative relationship, which is now strained. One can only hope that the success of the borough’s efforts to create respectful and trusting relationships was not totally erased by the recent events.
To their credit, the mayor and council sought to do more than complain to the Department of Homeland Security; the borough officials developed and presented constructive guidelines for the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to follow in conducting immigration enforcement actions, and have sent their recommendations to U.S. Sens. Lautenberg and Corzine and to U.S. Rep. Holt, among others, for consideration by the U.S. Congress.
It appears that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement could benefit tremendously from training by the Borough of Princeton and its police department, to learn how to respect the rights and humanity of every person within our nation’s borders. As a leading human relations organization in our state and nation, the National Conference for Community and Justice, New Jersey Region is similarly ready to assist.
Diane P. Schwartz
Executive Director
National Conference for Community and Justice
New Jersey Region
Church Street
New Brunswick
This letter was also signed by Princeton Area Capital Chapter board members Sheila Albert, Sunny Chandrahas, Paula Chow, T.J. Elliot, Peggy Hughes, Katherine Kish, Ram Kolluri, Sasa Olessi Montano and Allen Rowe.
Illegal immigration comes down to money
To the editor:
Illegal immigration is an issue that is becoming increasingly visible in the national news and, closer to home, in the Town Forum section of The Packet. My guess is that the controversy surrounding illegal immigration will soon become the major domestic issue dominating the news. It’s not going to go away, and the nation is gearing up to make some changes in how illegal immigration is handled.
You don’t need to be a profound thinker to conclude that money is the primary reason illegal immigrants come here. A few have other motives, but let’s face it the old greenback, the buck, is really the drawing card.
Well, I like money too. Unlike illegal immigrants, much of my money goes to property and income taxes. Some of that tax money winds up paying for the social and medical services consumed by illegal immigrants. Clearly, the amount is difficult to quantify, but equally clear is that the amount is considerable. All of this within the framework of a state government that’s broke.
Now, can anyone tell me what I get for the tax dollars I spend on social services for illegal immigrants? Am I unwittingly making a charitable contribution? If so, is it tax-deductible? Would it be naive for me to suggest that those who benefit from, or encourage, illegal immigration pay for these services? I refer specifically to employers and pro-immigration activists, and yes, to President Fox of Mexico, who openly supports illegal immigration. Why me?
Well, maybe I am naive.
Lloyd Gracey
Wright Place
West Windsor
Families thank the community
To the editor:
We would like to thank the Rev. Branscomb and the First Baptist Church, the YMCA and YWCA, Princeton Regional Schools, Princeton University, the Princeton police departments, Princeton Human Services and the numerous community members and friends for their kind, thoughtful support during our time of bereavement.
Thank you and God bless.
The Parker and Britain families
Lytle Street
Princeton
Delightful celebration at Dorothea’s House
To the editor:
On behalf of the Dorothea vanDyke McLane Association we wish to thank The Packet for the excellent Lifestyle article titled "Ninety years of pride" that appeared in the Oct. 1 issue.
We commend and applaud David Campbell for his fine reporting and extend our thankful appreciation to the fine photography of Frank Wojciechowski as well as editor Michael Redmond’s role in the story. We further appreciate your thoughtful decision in providing such a large quantity of The Packet for distribution at our 90th anniversary celebration. The story and newspaper were well received and warmly welcomed by all recipients.
We also would like to acknowledge the tasty food and wine donated by Mediterra Restaurant, Tuscan Hills for their exquisite decorations, and the entertaining music of Enrico Gramasei, Kristine Massari, Filomena Peloro and Gabriella Rea.
We also wish to express our appreciation for the door prizes donated by Mediterra Restaurant, Tuscan Hills, The Boheme Opera Company, Cri Co’ and Roma Bank. The lucky winners were awed by the quality of the donated door prizes.
Thank you to Princeton Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand, who read a proclamation from the Township Committee, and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, who read a proclamation adopted by the New Jersey Legislature.
The Dorothea vanDyke McLane Association gratefully extends its thanks to the committee for our 90th anniversary of the opening of Dorothea’s House, who individually and collectively extended themselves to provide for over 300 guests a delightful and entertaining day.
Anthony F. Cifelli
President
Dorothea vanDyke McLane Association
John Street
Princeton
Air pollution subsides, water problem persists
To the editor:
Thank you for the balanced reporting on 3M in Montgomery (The Packet, Nov. 26).
As an adviser to the Montgomery Environmental Commission, I’m pleased with the progress thus far on the 3M cleanup on the air pollution. However, let’s not take attention away from the continuing 3M pollution of the streams, particularly Cruser Brook.
While the dust particles in the air may be subsiding, the damage to Cruser Brook, and the surrounding environment, continues. Yes, on occasional days here and there you can see the bottom, but for the most part, such as today (Tuesday, Nov. 30), Cruser Brook is a grey-white-blue cloudy and murky color, with white bubbles floating on the thick surface.
From my daily monitoring of Cruser Brook, I would say that on four out of five days, this murky formulation persists and can only be attributed to 3M’s lack of process control. As you quoted me in the front-page article last week, Belle Mead should be a beautiful meadow, but the continuing pollution of Cruser Brook is a deadening force in what is otherwise a breathtakingly beautiful natural environment.
Erik Rockstrom
Garrison Court
Montgomery
Abandoned bikes, litter still problems
To the editor:
Upon returning to Princeton after three years away, two things struck me the most. The first was the immense amount of construction that had been accomplished and was under way, and the second was the number of bicycles that remained locked in the same places they had been since before the day I left.
Of course, I can’t prove that most of the 100 or so bicycles at the Dinky station were abandoned, along with several on Nassau Street and more on Olden Avenue and Prospect Street. But they have the same feel as the sacks of trash I found to still be in their places by Lake Carnegie and on the bike path between the Johnson Park School and Elm Road after more than three years, and which now I picked up and deposited in Dumpsters after realizing the futility of waiting for other means of removal.
I think that pointing this out, along with a way to remedy the abandoned bicycle problem, is to do the town a public service. To improve the situation should not be difficult. A paper notice could be printed, perhaps in the form of "Abandoned Bicycle Removal Project If this notice is not removed by the owner of this bicycle within thirty (30) days, the bicycle will be removed to the Princeton Borough Hall bicycle pound, where it may be claimed anytime within three years."
After attaching the notices, the officer in charge might return after 30 or more days, cut the locks, and take the bicycles to a shed built for the propose. The law need not be enforced over the summer months when students are away, but might be implemented during the fall and spring when bicycles should be in use if they are not abandoned.
I hope this advice finds a receptive audience, and I invite other haters of litter to join me in an ongoing river cleanup project aimed at Lake Carnegie and the Delaware & Raritan Canal. I am hoping to install skimmer ropes (ropes with floats) to catch the plastic bottles and aluminum cans that are regularly flushed into the canal and lake through the storm sewers. If these can be caught before they are distributed along the banks of the canal and lake, it will be an immeasurable improvement for all users of these vital recreation areas, especially canoers, scullers, fishermen, joggers, dog-walkers and nature lovers.
John DeGrazia
Spruce Street
Princeton
Send gift baskets to troops overseas
To the editor:
The holidays can be a very difficult time for our service men and women, thousands of whom will spend the holidays far away from their friends and families.
I recently attended a troop sendoff at the Trenton War Memorial, where many more of our New Jersey National Guard members headed overseas. These men and women are sacrificing so much for us, and now more than ever we need to show them how much we appreciate them.
Sensing the community’s desire to help, I offered my office this past summer as a clearinghouse for letters to our troops overseas. The response from people wanting to help and be engaged was overwhelming.
Because of that outpouring of support, we thought of sending baskets with morale boosters and things our soldiers need. The New Jersey National Guard’s Adjutant General, Glenn Reith, offered to take the baskets to troops overseas and we began collecting them at my office.
Sending gift baskets for our troops gives us an opportunity to let the men and women serving overseas know how grateful we are and that they’re in our thoughts this holiday season. It’s a great way for us as a community to show our commitment, appreciation and respect for our heroes overseas.
Civic organizations, schools, churches, businesses and caring individuals have brought in boxes of donated items, cards and letters. Children have started neighborhood collections. The good will of central New Jerseyans will remind our soldiers that they’re in our thoughts this holiday season.
We are continuing to collect items through the month of December. If you’d like to join us, the following list includes some suggestions by the New Jersey National Guard Family Assistance Center:
International pre-paid phone cards
Boxed holiday cards
Chewing gum
Toiletries
Deodorant
Razors
Books
Audio books
Hard candy
Pens
Playing cards
Sewing kits
Stationery
Puzzles
Items can be dropped off at my legislative office in Hamilton at 2239 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road. They will be hand-delivered by General Reith to our troops overseas.
Thank you for making this holiday a special one for our troops.
Bill Baroni
Assemblyman, 14th District
Whitehorse-Mercerville Road
Hamilton
At High School North, let there be lights
To the editor:
Everybody told Columbus the earth was flat. In West Windsor, everybody said residents are opposed to athletic field lights and community spirit. For 30 years, they said this.
Columbus wasn’t sure the earth was flat, so he decided to check it out. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North wasn’t sure it could fund lights, but some people decided to try it out.
The rest is history. Either the earth is flat or at some point in the future, a few brave Columbuses will see the light and there will be lights. Whether you are High School North or High School South, anyone can be a Columbus. Or one of those flat-earth people who lean on excuses as to why something cannot be done. There are still people sailing into the horizon and falling off the earth. But they try.
Remember: No is infinitely and definitely easier to say than yes because there are two letters in the word instead of three. The results, however, are markedly different.
Peter R. Weale
Fisher Place
West Windsor
Court should affirm democracy, not dictatorship
To the editor:
Oblivious to the health and welfare of people sickened by the highly controversial white-tailed deer-killing management methods dominating the landscape, Princeton Township still fails to be satiated. They continue to devour a smorgasbord of deer sniping, culling, netting, head-bolting and bow-and-arrow killing dished out on the New Jersey Fish and Game Council menu.
Armed with provisions for overriding state laws and regulations, granted by the barely-enacted Myers/Singer "community-based" deer killing law over four years ago, the township has teamed up with private, pro-killing, special-interest groups seizing control over personal freedoms.
Gloating over a court ruling (The Packet, Nov. 19) upholding a questionable, frivolous ordinance prejudiciously banning the feeding of deer by anyone, except authorized deer-killing agents and hunters feeding/baiting to kill, Deputy Mayor William Enslin is "delighted" with court victories won over challenges to various aspects of the deer-management program. People opposed to any part of brutal killing objectives merit honor, not joyful disparagement.
Condemning vulnerable residents to fines, arrest and stripping them of privacy and other rights on their own property, traps people under the same hideous net of lethal deer management. Other landowners, collaborating with the feeding/baiting forays, are discriminately rewarded by being exempt from penalties, at the expense of the civil liberties of their less fortunate neighbors.
It is senseless to vilify people not responsible for, and opposing endless cycles of killing deer, stimulating reproduction, and flooding towns with animals, sprawl notwithstanding. Even more unreasonable, is crafting a law to pin the blame for poor management and disgruntled neighbors on residents feeding half-tame deer.
Free-roaming white-tailed deer are doomed in the township, regardless of their eating habits. Even immuno-contracepted animals have been shot with two reportedly mutilated. Requests by an environmental advocacy group for special penalty safeguards protecting the integrity of the program, were denied.
Incidentally, a United Bow Hunters of New Jersey spokesman wrongfully discredited Princeton Township Animal Control Officer Mark Johnson’s remark implicating bow hunting as a cause. Poaching, regardless of type of weaponry, is always trespassing and criminal. According to circumstances, hunter/poacher behavior can be interchangeable, depending upon intent, with or without a license, pick-up truck or tree-stand. It is irresponsible for UBNJ to sweepingly excuse the culpability of unaccountable, overblown numbers of bow hunters.
Valid, legal arguments and expert testimony against a ban, including it having no effect on deer population growth, or any value or worth to related problems, are dismissed and further impede permanent solutions.
The essential task of overcoming a principle of "strong presumption in favor of the validity" of enacted municipal ordinances is compounded by municipal legislative prerogatives, as determined by the favorable court interpretation of this law.
Nobody is safe under the guise of the "common good" when subject to township officialdom forging extremist ordinances and possessing unbridled power to be the judge, jury and executioner.
Opinions of the court should affirm democracy, not dictatorship.
Margaret M. Andersen
Cherryville Road
Flemington

