LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Dec. 31
Tsunami victims need your help
To the editor:
This truly is the season for giving, not because of any holiday but rather because the people of the world are in dire need of it.
As many of your readers may have watched or read about, tidal waves caused by an earthquake under the ocean floor in Southeast Asia have caused devastation in 11 underdeveloped nations on Dec. 26. Every day the death toll has risen. About half of the deaths are children, ruining futures for families already living in or near poverty.
The United Nations Emergency Relief coordinator, Jan Egeland, said the economic loss for these poor nations is in the billions of dollars. While it is hard for us to imagine such staggering numbers, it is the stories below that gave me insight into how truly unfortunate the situation for victims of the tragedy is.
"There was a couple standing in the foyer just checking in when this thing just hit and that was it that was their holiday just wrecked straight away. There was one poor mother’s baby got pulled out of her arms they never found the baby; there was a father who couldn’t find his wife or son he ended up with broken ribs; and we finally found the mother but his son was never retrieved; and a lady in a wheelchair just couldn’t get away I think she got swept away." (From a tourist on his honeymoon in Thailand.)
"There were people holding onto trees and holding on for dear life really because you get caught up in that rush, you could get pushed into anything and everything, a piece of glass, I mean people were cut everywhere, cut across the face. Now I know why so many people died and it really was a period of survival." (From a British tourist in Thailand.)
"The whole town is full of her family, and we’ve heard this morning that the entire village has been swept into the ocean and there’s nothing but dead bodies. They can’t find anybody and she’s just … I don’t know what to bloody do." (From a British man married to an Indonesian woman who resided in this now nonexistent town.)
Look into your hearts and give to those who are truly unfortunate and suffering now. While you can donate money and it will be put toward a good cause, raising awareness so that others may provide is even more important.
I am personally donating $100 of money I was planning on paying for my tuition at Rutgers University. Please find the place in your hearts and mind.
New Jersey groups currently collecting supplies and donations: New Jersey Buddhist Vihara, (732) 821-9346 or www.helplanka.org; Hindu American Temple and Cultural Center of Marlboro, (732) 972-5552; and American Red Cross of Central New Jersey in West Windsor, (609) 951-8550 or www.redcross.org.
Miten Shah
Sand Hill Court
Jamesburg
Letter writer took the low road
To the editor:
With regard to the letter in the Dec. 28 issue "Brace for letters from Bambi backers," I am very much in agreement with the letter writer’s views. I believe the deer cull is necessary.
Yet, despite my agreement with the writer’s view, I found his letter to be disgraceful. Sadly, the tone of the letter was a microcosm of all that is wrong with the state of political and social discourse in our society today. Rather than simply disagreeing with the views and tactics of the individuals whom he called the "Bambi Taliban," the writer found it necessary to attack their personal character, ridicule them and call them names. Ironically, the writer implied that "Bambi backers" display an air of superiority while, at the same time, his own letter was bitterly condescending.
In spite of the "in-your-face" incivility we are forced to endure daily on cable television and talk radio, it is still OK to take the proverbial high road. One can respectfully disagree with somebody else’s views on a particular issue without having to resort to ugly name-calling and character attacks.
Scott Ross
Linden Lane
Princeton
Contract settlement a job well done
To the editor:
The early settlement of the teachers’ contract between the teachers’ union and the Princeton Board of Education is great news for our community.
Under the strong leadership of Rich Marasco, interim superintendent, and Anne Burns, president of the Board of Education, and the strong cooperation of the union leadership, to wit: Joanne Ryan, Jo Szabaga and Suzanne Thompson, who are co-presidents of the Princeton Regional Education Association, the parties were able to reach an agreement that is viable and solid for all concerned.
Once again, Rich Marasco comes to the rescue of the Princeton Regional school system, as he did in the past, with creativity, visionary efforts, aplomb and, above all, promoting the highest quality of service by any Princeton Regional superintendent.
It is a well-known fact that George Washington, our first president, saved the nation and helped create a country during the battles of Trenton and Princeton. Indeed, George Washington saved Princeton, and Rich Marasco saved Princeton a few years ago and came to the rescue once again. For this remarkable achievement, we are all indebted to this great superintendent of schools and most grateful to the Board of Education for bringing him back for the second time.
The new superintendent, Judith Wilson, will not be faced with deferred maintenance because she will find beautiful new buildings and outstanding physical plant during her tenure. She will have the full cooperation of the Princeton Regional Education Association and the Board of Education.
Congratulations to all those professionals who participated, in good faith, in bringing about the early contract settlement.
Jack Marrero
Cherry Hill Road
Princeton
Thanks for supporting a cherished tradition
To the editor:
As the holiday season comes to a close, The Arts Council wishes to give thanks to everyone who made the holiday a little brighter.
Thank you first to those who made its annual Candle-lit Christmas Eve Caroling possible. This cherished tradition, which originated more than 25 years ago, has been distinguishing the holiday season in Princeton ever since.
Thanks are due to the Nassau Inn and Palmer Square Management for providing Palmer Square as the setting; to Rip Pellaton, Princeton’s beloved town crier; to the Blawenburg Brass Band for setting the tone; and to McCaffrey’s Market, Hazel & Hannah’s Pawtisserie, Holsome Teas and Herbs and Sunflower House Vegetarian Restaurant for their generosity in sponsoring the Christmas Eve Caroling Songbook.
Without the wholehearted support of these businesses and individuals, the Arts Council would not be able to continue this unique community event year after year. For our part, it was thanks enough to see more than 400 singing and smiling carolers turn out for this year’s caroling, so thank you to those who attended and to those who attend Arts Council programs and events all year long.
Randi Lund
Events Coordinator
The Arts Council of Princeton

