A Thank You for a Vote of Confidence
To the Editor:
Thank you to all those who supported Sheriff Shaun Golden, Freeholder Deputy Director Serena DiMaso and myself through the many months of what turned out to be a very exciting and sometimes exhausting 2013 political campaign.
We are very grateful and extremely blessed to have had so many people come out and volunteer countless hours of their free time to support and join us in our efforts to make certain that the progress that has been made over the last three years continues.
As a direct result of the loyal support we received, we were afforded the ability to serve all the residents of Monmouth County for another three years. With that we would like to thank everyone involved because this is something we truly could not have achieved without the involvement from the multitude of residents.
Ultimately, we would like to recognize and thank each and every resident that took time out of their day to vote on Nov. 5 and take part in what truly is the greatest aspect of democracy. For the next three years we promise to continue to represent all 600,000 residents of our great county with the same resolve and dedication they have come to know and expect. Thank you for having the confidence and the faith in what we are doing for the betterment of Monmouth County.
As I said, we will continue our commitment to the businesses and the people who make up Monmouth County, and we will do so with the same energy and enthusiasm that we have demonstrated in the past.
Once again, we applaud your dedication and your support. We are proud and honored to be able to continue to serve the 600,000 residents who comprise all of Monmouth County, and we will strive to ensure that Monmouth County continues to be the greatest county in the State of New Jersey.
Thomas A. Arnone
Freeholder Director
Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders
Public Afforded ‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ Chance at Fort Hancock
To the Editor:
There are those very rare occasions when even the most extreme superlatives just aren’t enough. The opportunity now being made available to the public to participate in the historic restoration of Fort Hancock is just such an occasion.
It is simply an incomparable once-in-a-lifetime invitation. This is a chance to locate in a place that is at once in the heart of the New York metropolitan area – accessible to Manhattan by ferry – and surrounded by over 1,700 acres of National Park land. It is a chance to be part of an exclusive enclave of historic structures in the fifth most-visited National Park in the nation. It is a chance to create a custom home or headquarters with every modern amenity within one or more historic structures, while restoring them in the true national interest.
This is the rare opportunity to both derive a substantial individual benefit, and make an enduring public contribution. While the cost of restoration will be borne by the leaseholder, the terms will be generously modest, the infrastructural support guaranteed and the incalculable value of location within a National Historic Landmark will be a permanent asset that can only grow in value over time.
When looked at in the broader context of amenities and resources available in the surrounding Monmouth County communities, the value is even further enhanced. It is with a great sense of anticipation and optimism that I await what I am confident will be many outstanding proposals worthy of this unexcelled opportunity.
Lillian G. Burry
Monmonth County Freeholder
Member, Fort Hancock 21st Century Advisory Committee
The American Dream and the Legacy of JFK
To the Editor:
As senior citizens, my husband and I are products of what used to be known as the “American Dream:” hard work, hard choices, goal orientated.
As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination of JFK, I feel a profound sadness at the loss of hope, dignity and inspiration that JFK represented.
As a young person who lived through that era, it is hard to explain what it was like to have been there. The Civil Rights movement, the Peace Corps, the Space Program, the idea that a person should ask not what his country could do for him, but what he could do for his country. Many young people today have hardly even heard of JFK. He is as remote to them as Abraham Lincoln.
Kennedy was a man who made mistakes and took responsibility for them. He didn’t blame the Bay of Pigs on his advisors or Eisenhower for Vietnam. Like Harry Truman, the buck stopped with him.
I am saddened by the end of the “American Dream.” Now it’s more about what my country can do for me, than what I can do for myself.
People blame others for their poor choices and expect to be taken care of. Certainly a person in need should be given a hand up, no question. But emphasis should be on individual pride and dignity, and government control is not the answer.
These days it is somehow implied that if a person achieves success, he is a bad person. Those of us who have labored to achieve this “dream” are not bad people. We just want to continue to make our own choices.
Carol C. Quirk
Rumson
Butterfly, Dove Wedding Releases are Cruel
To the Editor:
Fall is a beautiful time for weddings, and I encourage soon-to-wed couples to make sure their special day is as lovely for animals as it is for them, by avoiding cruel butterfly and dove releases.
Butterflies are extremely delicate and sensitive, yet some companies sell them as party favors. They are stuffed into envelopes or tiny boxes, shipped long distances, and released into unsuitable environments far from their natural homes. Even if they manage to survive the traumatic journey, many butterflies die shortly after release. Those who live can spread disease to local insect populations and threaten biodiversity, and they have virtually no hope of resuming their natural migration patterns.
Doves, too, stand little chance of surviving after they are released at events. The birds used for these releases are usually white homing pigeons who will fly for days without eating or resting in an attempt to return to their homes. Many birds lose their way; fall prey to power lines, raptors, and other predators; or succumb to extreme weather conditions.
Weddings should be a celebration of love. For animal-friendly ideas, visit www.PETA.org and search for “vegan wedding.”
Lindsay Pollard-Post
The PETA Foundation
Norfolk, Va.
Two River Moment
A firefighter checks on a car stuck in a flood on Broad Street in Red Bank during the 1950s. The area near Peters Place was prone to flash flooding during intense rainstorms.
