Category: Independent Opinion
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Common sense, apology are needed from councilman
As usual, the Independent has accurately reported the facts. I am specifically referring to the article entitled "Panel Rescinds Censure, Approves New Ethics Law." The article indicated a Holmdel Township censure, now rescinded, was passed by a four-to-one vote because Terence Wall violated the township’s ethical standards by releasing confidential information regarding the former Nike…
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Officer should not be punished for answering call of duty
After reading all the articles in the different tabloids about the situation that exists in Middletown, I have to ask the question, "What is Police Chief John Pollinger’s priority?" As a taxpaying citizen of Middletown, I am appalled my family safety, as well as the safety of the community, would be jeopardized to satisfy a…
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Middletown ‘bashers’ should re-examine behavior
To all the Middletown teacher bashers who equate their teachers’ quest for respect with a betrayal of civic loyalty post-Sept. 11: are you just as upset with all the 8 mpg SUVs that cruise our highways feeding Middle Eastern coffers? To those who wonder if township youngsters will regain the "lost respect" for their teachers:…
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Guest Column
Bob Briant Sr. Holmdel construction crew turned fury into action on Sept. 11 Imagine a sunny, pleasant early fall morning, heading for work on the construction of an office tower on the Jersey City waterfront. Imagine glancing eastward across the Hudson River to the Manhattan skyline, the emerging sun burning brightly over the twin towers…
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Some unlikely staff predictions for 2002
Still unable to reach a settlement on a new contract after non-binding arbitration is thrown out by both sides, the Middletown Township Education Association and the Board of Education take a cue from the district’s elementary schoolchildren and decide to settle their problems through thumb wrestling. This follows another standoff in which the union refused…
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Chairman thanks firefighters for compassion
Since the tragedy of Sept. 11, Hazlet Township fire official John Beslanovitz (J.B.) and other members of the Hazlet Township Fire Department have been attending funerals and memorials for the fallen firefighters of the FDNY. They come back each time talking about the praises and thanks they receive from the families and brother firefighters for…
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It’s time for teachers to participate in today’s economy
I am writing to express my support for the Board of Education during the negotiations with the Middletown Township Education Association. It is time for the teachers of Middletown to participate in today’s economy and to carry out their civic duties. The economy has been in a recession for a long time. Unemployment rates are…
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Facts revealed by wife of imprisoned teacher (Editor’s note: This column was written during the Middletown teachers’ strike)
Facts revealed by wife of imprisoned teacher (Editor’s note: This column was written during the Middletown teachers’ strike) My husband is in jail. He is a good man who lives by the law, has helped to raise three wonderful sons and fought for this country’s freedom in Vietnam. He works full time and [holds] two…
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Middletown teachers union in need of new leadership
In a recent weekend issue of The New York Times, Diane Swaim, president of the teachers union for almost 20 years, gives herself credit for breaking laws in the great American tradition of civil disobedience. One has to question her qualifications to teach civics and social studies if she can equate the actions of our…
