Thanks for story
By: centraljersey.com
Thank you for shining a bright spotlight on the importance of organic farming with your July 29 article "Growing a Greener World to feature Honey Brook."
The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association is proud to host the Honey Brook Organic Farm on its 860-acre Reserve in Hopewell.
Over the past 20 years a portion of the Watershed Reserve has been leased to Honey Brook Organic Farm (formerly the Watershed Organic Farm) to showcase successful soil and water management practices and the viability of organic farming.
As central New Jersey’s first environmental group, the Watershed Association protects clean water and the environment across five counties and 26 towns through a combination of conservation, advocacy, science and education.
How we use our land has a big impact on the health and quality of our water.
Honey Brook Organic Farm’s successful operation provides countless educational opportunities for young and old alike.
We are proud to host Honey Brook Organic Farm and of the positive impact it has on our community as a sustainable model of conservation and responsible land management.
Jim Waltman Executive Director Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association
Bravo
To the editor:
On Friday night, July 30, I attended the production of "Mulan. Jr." at the Bordentown Performing Arts Center. What a delightful show. The performers were from the ages of 10 to 14.
This show was a culmination of five weeks work by area youth from CDA’s Jr. Musical Summer Theatre Camp. Congratulations to the director/technical director, Stacie Morano, and musical director, Kristen Dzuranin, along with the rest of the production staff.
On Aug. 13 there will be a production of "Jungle Book Kids" at 7 p.m. by the younger children, ages 5 to 9 from CDA’s two-week Kids Musical Theater Camp. Make it a family night and come out to see these aspiring young stars.
Marty Goodrich Bordentown
Book talk
To the editor:
I was aghast and disgusted at the report in today’s (Aug. 5) Register News that the Burlington County Library System, at the direction of Director Gail Sweet, has removed "Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology" from its collection.
I have been a BCLS patron for many years and also worked there as a library clerk for a time. I have always been proud of the depth and breadth of its collection, and the good services provided.
That Ms. Sweet bowed to a complaint from a single individual (who appears to be a member of a right-wing pressure group), and that Ms. Sweet made a unilateral decision to ban this book instead of following the library’s own policy on removal, is simply horrifying to those who decry book banning.
Using the library’s own system, I determined that the library has the following books in its collection:
"Portnoy’s Complaint" (Roth), wherein, among other sexually grotesque acts, the narrator makes love to his own family’s liver dinner.
"The Tropic of Cancer" ( Miller), which contains graphic sexual content.
"Naked Lunch" (Burroughs) which is arguably one of the most sexually graphic and scatological works in English.
"The Joy of Sex" (Comfort). If ,as Sweet said, it was the picture of two men apparently in flagrante which caused her to ban the book in question, perhaps she should take a look at "Joy" which contains multiple pictures of naked heterosexuals in happy coitus.
And finally and most egregiously, "Mein Kamf" (Hitler) No need to comment!
Given the above, the banning of the book in question smacks of rank homophobia. I call upon the library’s board to remedy this error in judgment on Ms. Sweet’s part, and restore the book to the shelves.
I call upon other citizens to add their voices to mine in protest until this is accomplished. Why should the banning of one book matter to us? Because it is a slippery slope which endangers our free society. And because homophobia has no place among people of good will.
Margaret Griffin Bordentown
Privatization opposed
To the editor:
As a Bordentown resident, I always read with interest the letters covering the issues of our Township Committee. However, one comment in the letter from Jim Cann in the Aug. 5, 2010 issue brought up a subject of concern to me, unrelated to the problems of the Township Committee. This would be the code enforcement official working for the township.
Our new governor is proposing privatizing several offices of state government, and this would include the code enforcement employees.
As the wife of a building inspector, of course this concerns me greatly. Mr. Cann brought up an excellent point. Code officials in our towns and cities all over the state generate revenue for their municipalities. Not so with most of the services we receive in our towns, which are paid for by our taxes.
With the housing market crisis and the downswing of the economy, many of these officials have already lost their jobs in the last year and a half, as well as taking pay cuts, freezes, part-time work and furlough days. I believe it is a serious mistake to privatize this group.
Many of the code officials have worked for several years in their respective municipalities. They know the people, the businesses, the types of construction that are common to the area.
I know that many of us groan at the idea of always having to buy permits for construction on our homes and businesses. But these men and women are here to protect us, and that permit assures they know about our projects, and can assure the job is done right.
Those permits also pay their salary and benefits. They keep us from unscrupulous contractors who try to get your money up front and then not show up again, or cut corners and create potential hazards.
Did you know that by state law we do not have to make final payment to the contractor until the job has passed final inspection by the official? They assure the architect plans are up to code.
My husband many times has told me how good he feels when a homeowner comes in with a set of plans they drew themselves, and he sits down with them and helps them redesign the plans so they are up to code.
Even reputable contractors appreciate these officials, as the Uniform Construction Code in N.J. is long, complicated and ever-changing.
Many don’t know that these men and women have to have years of construction experience, and then take several classes and past difficult tests to obtain the many licenses required for these jobs. Every year they must continue to take classes for a specified number of credits to keep their licenses current.
If this office is privatized, I don’t believe we will receive the same concern and care that these men and women give to their respective communities.
Many don’t realize that these men and women also show up for an emergency at our homes and businesses any time of the day our night to be sure the structure is safe to occupy.
I believe that these officials are an asset to our communities.
Although many of us are hard on these employees, my husband always is humbly grateful for a smile or thank you from someone – and that keeps him going and caring every day.
Please, take the time and contact your legislators and let them know you do not want to see the Code Enforcement Offices privatized.
I think we will all be happier and safer in the long run. Thank you.
Ann M. Cahill-Makowsky Bordentown,

