June 29, 2009
Editor NJ Herald:
Extremism is life’s greatest enemy. It never matters what topic or situation we might choose. When we take on an idea and press it to the level of fanaticism, we become divorced from all reason and the checks and balances of living in a harmonious society vanish.
I was reminded of humanity’s natural capacity to accept and live with extremism after reading Darlene Scarince’s comments of June 11 in the Letters to the Editor section of the Herald. The subject was Catholic women in the priesthood. I realized how vehemently I opposed her position of keeping things as they are. I could not remember any biblical text where Christ required subservience of women, except with the marriage contract. And yet, even that interpretation of the original Greek is questionable.
On the front page of the same paper was a simpler article regarding an additional tax on liquor. How absurd. Why is it that liquor is always the bad guy to receive excessive taxation? Of course, no one will dare to say that it is a bad thing to do. But then the restaurant industry is saying that this will hurt their business. In this economy of failed businesses, do we want to contribute to small business failures? Just like the taxation on cigarettes, has that worked? When I go to my local convenience store, I see droves of people plop down their seven dollars to buy one package of cigarettes.
Someone, somewhere must begin to realize that extreme measures cannot correct and sanitize humanity. All we are doing is preying upon those who cannot help themselves. That to me is preying upon the disadvantaged. Is this something that we should do as a society? We cannot stop the immigration from Mexico? We cannot stop the traffic in drugs? We cannot sanitize society.
But education, on the other hand, does appear to make a difference. Maybe our government should focus on how we must perfect our approach to education instead of abusive matters against the people. Fear is the chief stimulator of extremists’ actions. After 9/11, fear allowed us to give up huge portions of our civil rights through emergency legislation. Our complacency and acceptance of these extremist measures has already taken our United States of America into a recognizable level of socialism. Is that where we want to go?
Now we are facing extremism in corporate bailouts. Is that what we need? If you were to consider that 10 years ago GM knew that they were in trouble with the big gas-guzzlers but did nothing, then should we give them new life? These are difficult financial times and yet the banking industry, because of free ticket legislation from your congressmen, is raping the low and middle income Americans, causing a level of monetary slavery. Should your congressmen fix this?
We do not have to go far to find governmental extremism. My dear Sparta is present and proud because of the possible $5 million a year income from the proposed electric power plant. Simply speaking, this is extremist greed thinking. This project presents a very great risk to everyone in Sparta. Most people are offering their concerns about the power line expansion and the enormous mess from the construction, but the greatest of all catastrophic effects upon our lives will be the sound. Every person who lives within a 15-mile radius (possibly farther) of these gigantic electric turbines, as big as a house, will be subjected to the subliminal hum from the motors, which will travel through the bedrock into your bedroom every night. The sound that these massive machines make will be your constant companion. The bedrock can act as an amplifier, which might even increase the sound and distance carrying capacity. It cannot only have to the potential to cause sleep deprivation, but it can also cause a significant harm to the real estate values of the entire region. Why do you think huge systems like this are found out in the middle of nowhere? It’s the noise, boys!
Checks and balances are important in order to avoid extreme results. Sparta’s history of misguidance proves the need for great caution. We did not follow the checks and balances when the 517 bypass was proposed. The sales job by our town management stated that we needed to make the bypass in order to reduce the traffic from the downtown area. That sounded great, but never happened. As we all know, once the bypass opened, it was like a magnet for every commuter west of Sparta to drive to Sparta for the fastest approach to Route 15. Now we have the biggest traffic nightmare in the county.
When someone tells you “this is the only way” or “the best deal ever,” please do yourself, your family and the future generations a favor and say “No!” Maybe there is another way. Maybe we don’t need it. Maybe the other guy is right. Maybe that’s a bit extreme. Maybe we should put a woman in charge.
Phillip Lid
Sparta
