For the Jan. 27 issue.
Residents give thanks for fire response
To the editor:
A heartfelt thanks to the North Hanover Township Police, Wrightstown, Pemberton Borough, Fort Dix, Chesterfield, Bordentown, Cookstown, Jacobstown, and New Egypt Fire companies, and Jacobstown First Aid Squad for their prompt response to the call of a fire at my home in Wagon Wheel Estates.
Also, special thanks to attorney Mark Melz, The Ladies Auxiliary of Cookstown VFW Post 6590, tenants of Wagon Wheel Estates, all friends and family members whom have shown their generosity in a time of need. Thank you all again and God bless.
Kenneth Reilly and family
North Hanover Township
‘Chicken Little’ approach does not work
To the editor:
President Bush is currently starting a tour of the U.S. with his entourage of "yes" men or women, whatever the case may be preaching a new version of his Chicken Little "the sky is falling" propaganda.
This time he is trying to convince the people that Social Security is on its last legs and needs a 10 trillion dollar face lift to survive. This is the president’s estimated cost and he is the one who presented a "low ball" estimate to insure the Medicare drug program passed Congress. Some experts have estimated the cost of his plan with be 20 to 30 trillion dollars.
I am not an expert on Social Security and the only thing I am sure of is that every month I am happy when I receive my check, however, there are many knowledgeable people who think the system can remain solvent with a few adjustments.
The president appears to think his Chicken Little propaganda worked so well in convincing Congress and the American people that Iraq had WMD and that our only hope of salvation was to declare war and invade Iraq. To date, this misadventure has cost the U.S. 1,350 killed in action, over 10,000 wounded and hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians and with, as yet, no light at the end of the tunnel you have what we used to call a colossal FUBB (Fouled Up Beyond Belief) situation. It should be noted that the final report by the WMD inspection team released on Jan. 12, 2005 confirmed that Iraq had no WMD nor did they have the capacity to manufacture them.
This Chicken Little approach appears to be a perfect example of the propaganda theory that "if the government tells a lie long enough and often enough the people will believe it is the truth."
In closing, I would like to quote and old adage which states, "Don’t start vast projects with half vast ideals." It appears that our president and his advisors are starting another vast project with no ideals at all
Rahn. O. Beeson
Columbus
Drink a toast to Thomas Paine
To the editor:
Jan. 29 marks the 268th birthday of "The Father of the American Revolution," Thomas Paine. The words he wrote and the deeds he performed contributed greatly to the founding of this county. In fact, without Paine, there probably would not have been a Declaration of Independence, which led to the full-scale war with England.
His brilliant book, "Common Sense" and his 13 "American Crisis" pamphlets, lit the way towards liberty. In his actions as a soldier, as a governmental secretary, and as an envoy to France, Paine put his life on the line, over and over again, to secure the eventual success of that revolutionary struggle. We honor Paine here in Bordentown with a life-size statue, one of only five in the whole world, at the end of Prince Street.
Paine’s contribution to world history is equally as great. His famous books, "Rights of Man" and "Age of Reason," have continuously been in print and have been translated into almost every language. These works speak to the need for people to find their birthright power to govern themselves, to cast off the chains of monarchial and religious tyranny, and to establish a society where all citizens are free.
Visit your public library and check out these famous books. Or, read one of the many biographies written about him. "English by birth, French by decree, and American by choice," Thomas Paine is, without a doubt, one of the greatest people about which you will ever learn.
Jim Downey
Bordentown City

