Letters

West Amwell

getting sprawl
To the editor:
   Will the sprawl that’s becoming evident in surrounding communities come to West Amwell?
   It doesn’t require much vision to see that it’s already begun. Can anything be done? Certainly.
   Most people understand that the millions of dollars given to Calton Homes to limit their development could have been saved if effective steps had been taken years ago by forward-looking people.
   Of course that’s easier said than done. Not many people have the combination of knowledge, vision, tenacity and know-how to grasp the conditions and then successfully resolve the problems before they get out of hand. You have to look down the road at least five or maybe 15 years, and that takes more than common sense.
   West Amwell is an extraordinary place with a vast potential to become ordinary. We have a special professional resource in Peter Buchsbaum, who can help us all tremendously.
   I hope the voters decide to use him.

Who’s in

what party?
To the editor:
   It seems that the race for Township Committee in West Amwell has a bit of an enigma.
   There are two candidates running, yet it appears that three parties are being represented.
   Frank Smith ran in the primary as a Republican, winning the party nomination and is now campaigning as the Republican candidate.
   Peter Buchsbaum ran in the primary and won the nomination as the Democratic candidate for Township Committee, yet in his campaign materials, he implies that he is an independent, making no reference to the Democratic party.
   Is this some kind of political play?

Frank Smith

‘reluctant’ candidate
To the editor:
   The election Nov. 7 is extremely important for West Amwell.
   The choice is between Peter Buchsbaum, a man who has shown an ongoing interest in his township and unselfishly worked on various committees throughout the years. He has shown vision and perseverance in bringing the Hewitt part project to its full potential.
   Peter and I have not always seen eye to eye, but I will testify to his integrity and intense desire to serve this community without a personal agenda.
   I believe his opponent, Frank Smith, is a reluctant candidate. I’m concerned that it will be difficult for Mr. Smith to act independently, given his close personal friendship with Committeewoman Nance Palladino.
   This township deserves a committee of three independent clear-thinking individuals with no personal allegiances to each other. I know we will have that combination with Mr. Buchsbaum.

Preserve thankful

for cleanup
To the editor:
   The trustees of Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve wish to thank you for your generosity in helping to restore the preserve after the devastation of Hurricane Floyd.
   We were inspired to see so many members and friends answering the call to restore this extraordinary place. With the restoration effort winding down, we can again begin to look ahead.
   As development and ‘progress’ march on around us, impacting our quality of life, it becomes imperative that we relate our messages of biodiversity, responsible land stewardship, the web of life and, of course, the preservation of wildflowers.
   With your help during our 2000 annual appeal, Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve will lead the way.
   In response to a growing public desire for quality information, which is targeted in our master plan, we will produce educational signs to be placed strategically throughout the preserve. Nature is filled with so many fascinating stories and mysteries, and the preserve allows us to tell the story in so many ways!
   As a partner in the Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve family, we believe you share many of the same earth-friendly values we hold so dear. Your generous gift toward this year’s annual appeal will help us to instill those ecological values, using the preserve as a unique and inspiring natural public classroom.
   Our dream is to educate people about the ecological and aesthetic value of embracing the regional landscape. Your support for educational signage is the lens that helps bring that dream into focus.

Give thanks

Veterans Day
To the editor:
   Nov. 11, America will honor the men and women who have served in the armed forces of the United States by observing Veterans Day.
   It is only fitting that we give pause on that day as a sign of appreciation for the contributions our veterans have made, often at great personal sacrifice, to uphold and defend freedom and democracy around the world.
   Despite the fact that we are now more secure in a post cold war environment, we need only to look at such events as the Oct. 12 attack on the U.S.S. Cole to be reminded of the constant dangers that confront our men and women in uniform.
   American Legion Posts throughout New Jersey will be participating in a variety of activities in honor of our nation’s veterans on Nov. 11. I encourage all of our their local citizens to attend their local event as a sign of appreciation and support for all veterans past and present.

Dog would win

favorable votes
To the editor:
   About 45 years ago a great flawed man made a speech about a dog, and it saved his political career.
   I consider myself a not so great flawed a man, and all I want to save is the reputation of my dog, Augie.
   Augie is a wonderful 9-year-old basset hound. Basset hounds have a very distinctive bark.
   If The Beacon took a poll in the neighborhood where he lives, I believe contrary to the supposition in Chit-Chat Oct. 12, Augie would win a majority of favorable votes from children and adults alike.
   However, I will admit that he would lose the cat vote. Therefore, I guess it’s fair to say that even Augie can’t please everyone.

Flea markets

have support
To the editor:
   The people of St. Andrews Church would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the folks who have supported our flea markets over the past year.
   The success of the flea markets can be measured in many ways. Although the intent of our markets was for raising funds, we have found that we have reaped many other benefits as well. The outpouring of donations has been wonderful.
   Oct. 21 marked the end of our flea markets for this year. We will begin accepting donations for the flea markets next year in March.
   Again, thank you for your support.

Women go against

‘basic nature’
To the editor:
   Do you ever wonder why you hear about so many teenage girls and young women being put on Prozac, an antidepressant drug, and are cutting themselves with razors today?
   Do you ever wonder why anorexia – an eating disorder where girls literally starve themselves until they are emaciated – and bulimia – an eating disorder where they binge eat, then throw up, to stay thin – are so prevalent?
   Wendy Shalit, a young New Yorker, has offered an explanation in "Return to Modesty," a new book, which is one of the most important books I ever read and one I recommend to any parent raising daughters as well as to those daughters themselves.
   She believes that the feminist revolution and the sexual revolution have been brutal to women, causing them to go against their basic natures in their quest to be "like men." For instance, while men appear to be able to participate in casual sex without dire, long-lasting emotional consequences, women are profoundly affected and damaged by it.
   As young women conform to what society expects of them (learned in explicit sex education classes at school, from amoral and immoral movies and TV and through popular women’s sex-laden magazines like Cosmopolitan and Glamour), which is to dress suggestively and "to have many men," they are absolutely miserable. Mutilating themselves, popping Prozacs and becoming anorexic or bulimic are all symptoms of their inner pain.
   Ironically, the feminist movement, which aspired to elevate women to a higher level, has instead brought them to a lower one. Men no longer respect and protect them as they once did. Now they sexually harass them, stalk them and date rape them.
   Shalit says young women don’t feel safe on the streets anymore. And the men don’t marry them! The main thing most women want in a relationship with a man is commitment, which appears to be very elusive nowadays.
   Shalit reports extreme pressure on young girls from middle school up to "rid" themselves of their virginity and become sexually experienced. She also reports the pressure guys put on their dates to have a sexual relationship, threatening to drop them if they won’t.
   A national study revealed that girls between the ages of 12 and 17 are worried about sex, and even 12- year-olds report feeling the pressure to have sex!
   In "Return to Modesty," Shalit places much of the blame on explicit, co-ed (no modesty there) sex education in the schools. Incredibly, her school started in the fourth grade but, thanks to parents with common sense who acted like parents and chose to opt their daughter out, she was spared the vulgar teasing the other girls took from the boys after class as well as the pressure to grow up too fast.
   Women have traditionally been the standard-setters in society. In the past, they’ve always had a civilizing effect upon men, using sexuality as leverage to get men to settle down and assume responsibility as protector and provider for the family unit. They inspired men to honor and respect them.
   Now that women have lowered the bar, everyone’s a loser. Women are being cheated of the love and commitment they crave and forced into a course that goes against their nature.
   Men are being encouraged to let their testosterone control them like animals instead of to behave with respect and honor toward women. And society is in trouble, with its foundation – marriage and family – compromised and jeopardized.
   Maybe this would be a good book for young men to read, too!

Buchsbaum helped

Long Branch City
To the editor:
   I am writing as mayor of the City of Long Branch to describe how helpful Peter Buchsbaum has been to our city’s award-winning planning and redevelopment efforts.
   Peter, who is running for Township Committee in West Amwell, played a key role in making sure our plans were properly adopted. He then worked with the Department of Environmental Protection to accomplish something that had never before occurred – the DEP actually agreed to use our plan to redevelop our waterfront as the basis for state coastal and environmental reviews.
   Because of the DEP approval, the city can control its own fate without the state second-guessing our local planning goals. This approach has become a model for other communities to use. It shows what he can do for a local government.
   Peter has also used his knowledge of state government to help with the funding of our city’s plans. In all these efforts, he has been much more than a lawyer to us. He has been a friend, advisor and advocate for the city, always thinking of new paths to help out people.
   I am grateful for the support he has given us. I am confident that if elected, he would provide to West Amwell the same excellent, dedicated and talented service that he has given to us as part of our redevelopment team.

Smith available

for day-to-day woes
To the editor:
   As the Republican candidate for West Amwell Township Committee I would like to respond to a letter in The Beacon last week from Peter Buchsbaum’s campaign chairperson.
   The letter promotes Mr. Buchsbaum as a land preservationist. In recent weeks, we have seen letters from sources outside of our community regarding Mr. Buchsbaum’s land preservation efforts on their behalf.
   We must not forget that as a lawyer it is his job to represent his client’s best interests. Since land use is his area of expertise, we must assume that he has occasion to represent developers and/or builders. So where are the testimonials from the developers he or his firm have represented and/or continue to represent in neighboring communities?
   I bring this up only because development in neighboring communities can have an adverse effect on West Amwell, especially if the development comes in the South Hunterdon Regional High School sending district.
   Another issue not directly related to the letter is Mr. Buchsbaum’s political affiliation. Many people that I have spoken with are under the impression that Mr. Buchsbaum is running as an Independent candidate, rather than a Democratic candidate.
   Apparently none of his literature mentions the Democratic party, and ironically, even the letter to The Beacon from his campaign chair makes no mention of their political affiliation.
   I trust this clears the record. I am a Republican, and Mr. Buchsbaum is a Democrat.
   I do not believe I require any third-party testimonials. I have been very verbal over the years in supporting the citizens of West Amwell. I have fought to keep your taxes down on all fronts by advocating the use of common sense when making decisions that affect the people of our community.
   Anyone can spend money; the challenge is to find a way to solve problems with innovative thinking and cooperation. My opponent is a single-issue candidate – land use, his area of expertise.
   I am an advocate of the people and am concerned with the daily struggles they encounter. Land use and preservation are important but only with respect to how they affect the citizens of the community as a whole.
   The big issues are important, but, let us be honest, they can be easily forgotten when you have a specific personal or neighborhood problem that requires action or assistance from township officials. These may include public safety issues, zoning enforcement, road problems or even a stray dog in your backyard. These may seem trivial overall but are very important when you are the individual with the problem.
   I will be here for the large issues and the small as well. I live and work in the community which will make me available to help you to resolve the day-to-day problems.
   I would appreciate your support Nov. 7.