Letters to the Editor, July 12

Don’t let decisions be made by default
To the editor:

However the Planning Board feels about the future of the University Medical Center at Princeton, I am sure it does not want the decisions to be made by default.
   The hospital’s future will depend on several factors. It needs a certificate of need and concept approval from the state. Also required will be zoning changes by Princeton Borough and Princeton Township.
   If the hospital gets state approval to move, we will have the ability to create something new and exciting in the heart of Princeton a new focal point that will enhance our town and be of importance to its residents. Respectful of the concerns of neighbors, this is an opportunity for total community benefit. Hands will remain tied if the Planning Board does not request the zoning changes that will enable the Medical Center to work with prospective developers of the future of this key site.
   It is vital that the possibilities for this property not be lost by default. This is an opportunity to address Princeton’s future creatively. The Princeton Regional Planning Board, which holds the key to this future, must act responsibly and promptly by asking the municipalities to address necessary zoning changes.
Roz Denard
Jefferson Road
Princeton
Property reuse is key to hospital move
To the editor:

I recently retired as a trustee of the Princeton HealthCare System and I am vitally interested in the plan to relocate the hospital.
   The HealthCare System has presented concepts for the reuse of the Witherspoon Street property that respond to many of the wishes of the community and which:
    provide more than 250 residential units available not only to seniors but to the growing diverse population of Princeton;
    create almost an acre of new green space; and
    substantially reduce the volume of automobile and truck traffic in the area.
   The move of the hospital to a new location and its state-of-the-art modernization are critical to all of us who live in Princeton and its surrounding communities. The move will be expensive. Needless to say, the realization of an adequate return from the sale of the Witherspoon Street property is very important to the project.
   I hope the Planning Board will approve the conceptual plan advanced by the HealthCare System.
Charles C. Townsend Jr.
Constitution Hill East
Princeton
Give some thought before using gun
To the editor:

This is an open letter to the farmer who, on Friday, June 10, stood on the side of Village Road West in West Windsor and, using a shotgun, fired four shots into a group of geese, leaving two dead.
   Sir, I have two complaints regarding your actions:
   First, you discharged a firearm from alongside one of the busiest roads in the township. That, coupled with the fact your actions were potentially dangerous to passersby, is why I filed a complaint with the West Windsor police.
   Second, you did not have the decency to check to see if the birds you left behind were either dead or still alive and suffering.
   I know that as a farmer, you are afforded certain firearm privileges. I only ask that next time, you give a moment’s thought before reaching for your gun.
Ginger Phillips
Village Road West
West Windsor
Freedom deserves a direct look
To the editor:

Instinctively, almost every animal turns to face a challenge or threat before deciding whether to fight or run. By contrast, humans tend to look the other way and protect themselves with arms and hands placed between them and the threat, before facing the issue. Opportunists and those bent upon evil acts rely on this fact. If left unchallenged they will foster a society of those who will look the other way.
   Looking the other way until there is no other way; but options only exist for those who are willing to explore the horizon, examine the purpose and question the means. When abuse, fraud, tyranny or injustice has honest, hard-working people look the other way, freedom is lost.
   Leadership is a trait reserved for those who will not look the other way when confronted with injustice, prejudices or corruption.
   America is a unique nation that has historically chosen to stand and face the truth, address the threat and protect the innocent. The day we only look the other way is the day we stop being Americans.
   In honor and blessed assurance of what is great in this country, Americans this and every day are standing guard in local towns and distant lands in the eye of the storm. Facing corruption, terrorists, white-collar crime or ethnic hatred, America’s law enforcement, military forces, legal professionals and religious organizations are not looking the other way and neither should we.
   As citizens of this great nation, Americans must remain united in the freedoms we enjoy; protect and defend them for our children and support them wherever possible. July 4 is more than a date in time, it is the celebration of the freedoms we cherish, the spirit that unites us and the will to stand and not look the other way.
Victor Murray
Melvina Drive
Lawrence