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Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 17

Publication:
Asbury Park Pressi
Location:
Asbury Park, New Jersey
Issue Date:
Page:
17
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

A18 Asbury Park Press Thursday, April 27, 1995 How to contribute your view to these pages: YOUR VIEWS is a forum for readers. Letters must carry signature, full name and address and daytime telephone number for verification. Writers are limited to one letter per month. All letters are subject to condensation or rejection. Letters on local issues also appear in Wednesday's Community section.

WRITE TO US: Your Views, Asbury Park Press, 3601 Highway 66, P.O. Box 1550, Neptune, NJ. 07754-1551. FAX TO US: Phone 908-922-4818. Please sign your letter and mark "Attention: Opinion Page at the top.

I 3 I 1 1 I'M j. Lyle Kinmonth, Editor and Publisher 1895-1945 Wayne D. McMurray, Publisher 1945-55, Editor 1955-1974 Ernest W. Usi, Publisher 1955-1977, Editor-in-Chief 1974-1980 Jules L. Plangere Publisher 1977-1991 A ASBURYVRRK PRESS Established in 1879 as THE SHORE PRESS Volume 116, Number 100 Jules L.

Plangere Jr. CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD E. Donald Lass EDITOR AND PUBLISHER W. Raymond Ollwerther EXECUTIVE EDITOR Raymond J. Tuers, senior managing editor Frederick Kerr managing editornews Gary Schoening, Sunday editor Peter E.

Donoghue, deputy managing editor Jody Calendar, deputy managing editor Lawrence Benjamin, assistant managing editormetro Gary Deckelnick, assistant managing editorlegal affairs Harris G. Siegel, assistant managing editordesign Rick Makin, acting editorial page editor CHRISTIE Political diversity Third party in N.J. would enlarge the ring tary of State Lonna R. Hooks, who will decide Gov. Whitman had right stuff ow refreshing it is to see an upstart would-be political party fighting for recognition.

Of course, the New Jersey Conservative Party is a "would-be" party in only the nize deep underlying problems within the African-American com-iV munity that are the result of our en- slavement in this country prob-- lems that we haven't rectified yet or are not trying hard enough to tify. It's true that this type of behav- ior occurs in every segment of the population, but it seems to be domi- nant in the African American community. If Whitman were African-Ameri-i can, would these same so-called leaders still be opposed to her com-. ment? Probably, but for different! reasons. They would be opposed because her comment would be like airing our dirty laundry in public.

In-r-stead of denying our problems or making excuses for them, these "leaders" should be working with the people of our communities to, take the necessary steps (whatever they might be) to prevent this type of behavior from occurring. Eugene Grant LONG BRANCH-: 1 I am an African-American male and a police officer. In my 10 years on the street, I have become familiar with two informal rites of passage that will make many young African-American males appear as men in the eyes of their peers. One is being incarcerated: It doesn't matter tf it is a juvenile facility, a county jail or a state prison. The other one is fathering children.

And it doesn't matter if they take care of their children or not These two "rites of passage" give young African-American males status on the streets. So taking all of this into account there is really nothing wrong with what Gov. Whitman said. And I think that all the so-called African-American leaders who oppose her comment really know this also. The real problem is not with what was said, but who said it Gov.

Whitman (a white female), by commenting on this issue, means that the general public is starting to recog- Focus on ending irresponsibility Gov. Whitman, during an interview for a London newspaper, said that there is a game that young African-American males play called "jewels in the crown," where they try to sire as many children as possible out of wedlock. This caused an uproar among many of the so-called African-American leaders in the state. They said Whitman's comment was offensive and racially divisive, but they neglected to mention one very important fact The comment that Whitman made was very true. These so-called leaders also claim that they never heard of a game called "jewels in the crown" played by young men of the African-American community.

I never heard of it either, but I knew exactly what Whitman was referring to. And I'm sure they did also. whether to approve or reject the judges' recommendations. If the judges' rulings are upheld, the loss of the 10 candidates will make the New Jersey Conservative Party's drive to obtain official recognition harder. Such recognition would bring representation in debates and other public forums that would probably stimulate a fuller and more lively discussion of the issues.

In its three years of existence, the New Jersey Conservative Party has fielded candidates who like many other independent candidates have brought thoughtful views to the table, when given the opportunity to express them. Its founder, retired Coast Guard Capt Tom Blom-quist, regards the Republican and Democratic parties as Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum and believes both lock the average voter out of the decision-making process. Whether you agree with that assessment or not, adding the New Jersey Conservative Party to the usual mix certainly would liven things up. The Republican Party has every right to act in what it feels is its own best interest. And if the petitions of the candidates of the New Jersey Conservative Party are faulty, or if its representatives fail to show for hearings when required, as the judges ruled, and those findings are upheld, then the party must live with that decision.

But more than half a million votes cast for Perot for president in New Jersey in 1992 stand as testimony to the hunger among voters for something different than what Republicans and Democrats offer. The New Jersey Conservative Party, with the help of members of United We Stand America, which itself is considering founding a third party, has a chance to become the first officially recognized third party in the state since the current state Constitution took effect in 1948. The Conservatives would not only bring freshness to the process, but would offer an alternative for voters dissatisfied with the status quo. formal, official sense. To its followers, it is very real.

It is organized, holds meetings and fields candidates in elections. But it needs to draw 10 percent of the vote in the November Assembly elections in order to be officially sanctioned as a political party by the state. That designation would bring with it the right to draw for voting ballot position along with the Democrats and Republicans and have its own column on the ballot, with all the attendant advantages. The Republicans, however, don't want to see that happen. The New Jersey Conservative Party which filed petitions under the title NJ Conservative Party since only three words are allowed in slogans on the ballot was off to a promising start in securing the coveted official party designation.

It teamed up with supporters of United We Stand America, the activist organization spawned by Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot, to field 68 candidates for the Assembly in 35 of the state's 40 legislative districts. Obviously seeing "spoiler" written all over the Conservatives' effort, the Assembly Republican Majority, the fund-raising arm of the Republican State Committee, went to court to challenge the petitions of 10 Conservatives in five districts. Two more of the Conservative candidates are being challenged by an individual. Some say that the Conservatives, with their appeals for lower taxes and smaller government, would tend to draw votes away from Republican candidates rather than from Democrats.

The Republicans won the first round. Administrative law judges recommended throwing eight of the 10 Conservative candidates they challenged off the ballot. They also recommended tossing off the two candidates being challenged by the individual. Their cases now go to Secre ''t'': i i 'ft i'. Take along a daughter Girls can learn a lot watching the workplace oday many mothers and fathers will Dull their daughters away up in the morning.

He said he could get only one radio station, Radio Moscow. No other stations were available. Programs like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe were jammed. After some 500 years under the czars and some 70 years under Communism, the Russian people since August 1991, for the first time in their history, are now experiencing democracy and capitalism and they like it. Diane Elizabeth Noorigian WALL TOWNSHIP Wrong site for play area After attending the CAMM meeting (Citizens Against Meadowlands in Middle-town) on April 10 at Middletown South, I became disturbed over the facts concerning the Sunnyside Recreation proposal.

This recreation area is slated for the scenic Neu-berger Tract one of the last panoramic open spaces in Middletown Township. The first disturbing fact concerning this proposal is the potential for an overabundance of traffic in the areas of Lincroft, Oak Hill and even Red Bank. For example, this recreation complex is in a residential area, and as of now no traffic studies have been presented to the community. Another problem is that the team games are slated to finish as late as midnight This is an unacceptable time frame for floodlights to shine into the windows of the houses within these neighborhoods. In summary, having grown up on Ivy Hill Road in Middletown, I support and enjoy the Monmouth County Park System, and I feel it helps provide an essential part of the quality of life enjoyed by its citizens.

But I find a proposal of this magnitude in a residential area disturbing. I believe a complex of this size is unnecessary, and I am willing to fight for a reasonable compromise. Mike Spaeth ASSEMBLY CANDIDATE 13TH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP Slaves in N.J.? Food for thought I have been informed by friend of mine that if a worker works 8, 10 or 12 hours a it is solely up to the whether said employee gets a lunch, break or must eat their lunch on the- fly. Needless to say, I did not believe this to have any basis in fact I called the New Jersey Department of Labor, and was informed that indeed this is true; there is no law govern-, ing such breaks. While I am cognizant of the fact from my grade school days, that Lincoln freed the slaves, I was un-1 aware that the New Jersey politicians, by failing to enact legislation protecting workers from having to endure such health-affecting condi-c tions, continue to allow slavery tor exist in the state.

When are working people in New Jersey going to be afforded the ben-1( efit of laws that have been existence for decades in other states? That New Jersey is 100 years behind the times is fairly obvious. 1 Harold T.McGrath SHREWSBURY Fund lunches at local level If we can pay for the schools, books and teachers at the local level, why can we not pay for the school lunches? Why can't the states, counties and each according to its own perceived needs, assume responsibility for all the programs affected by the Per-, sonal Responsibility Act? One advantage would be that the A expense of the federal bureaucratic -effort would be saved. Another advantage would be that programs of giving and rehabilitation would be scaled to local standards. And finally, the programs would be paid for, in full, without borrowing. If the federal government is to dispense money for any purpose whatsoever, however worthy, it must borrow a portion of it with interest Robert A.

Cleaves LAKE WOOD. from their relatively carefree worlds so the girls can find out just what might await them when they grow up. A look inside the new Russia I'm a senior at Wall Township High School. Two classmates and I had an assignment to compare the U.S. system of human rights to those of the former Soviet Union.

A photo of the enormous plastic sculpture of Abraham Lincoln (Asbury Park Press, April 5), taken in Gorky Park, Moscow, served as a catalyst for this assignment What better person to interview for this task than my uncle. He had served in the U.S. Foreign Service in the American Embassy in Moscow from 1949 to 1951, when Stalinism was at its peak and he witnessed the Soviet tyranny firsthand. He visited Gorky Park in Moscow several times. An attractive park, it was a place for Soviet citizens to rest and relax, but there was no peace for them from the continual bombardment of Communist propaganda wherever they went In Gorky Park, Stalin got his message across by displaying huge portraits hung about 20 feet high of himself and his eight Politburo ruling members.

Stalin's photo was in the middle of the pack, all six feet high by three feet wide. Nine Big Brothers were looking down at you (Malenkov, Molotov, Khrushchev, Compare this with the Press photo showing workers in Gorky Park who will be putting up huge plastic sculptures of our great presidents Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt as part of a replica of Mount Rush-more in South Dakota. In the replica now going up in Gorky Park, Russian citizens will see for the first time sculptures of four great American presidents imbued with our American ideals of democracy, freedom, justice and opportunity for all the opposite of everything Stalin stood for. In the interview, my uncle said that he once asked a Soviet male who worked for the American Embassy in Moscow if he had a radio and what he heard on it when he got about the glass ceilings and horizontal career ladders their daughters might encounter as working women. Bringing the girls into the work place is a subtle way of demonstrating to them that they needn't be overwhelmed by any work experience.

It may take the girls some time before they realize the importance of such lessons. The girls probably come to the office more curious to find out what their parents do all day than to figure out how to crash through ceilings they cannot see. Lunching with their parents at noon, rather than with their peers, may impress them more than what their parents do or don't do. Maybe if they grow up talcing for granted the acceptance they experience in the work place today, glass ceilings might become just another floor beneath their feet Actually, most parents probably are counting on an exceptional workday for their daughters. They might expect their daughters to experience the kind of acceptance and collegial goodwill that will encourage them to envision limitless possibilities.

No one the girls encounter will be likely to discuss gender bias with them; how it affects their mothers' ability to fulfill their potential; or how it might have limited their grandmothers' choices in life. Yet, there would be no need to make a special event of bringing daughters into the work place if parents did not worry, if only a little, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio: What's worth it? knew exactly what they were doing. But there was no mistaking the president's anger and there is no room for partisan politics here. Taking human lives in the name of a political cause has been an unfortunate character flaw of mankind's since we started walking upright But what political cause is worth the murder of the true innocents among us our children? The explosion in Oklahoma City has jolted America back to reality. Maybe now more people fascinated by the OJ.

Simpson trial will recognize that some things matter more than Marcia Clark's new hairstyle. vil cowards, the president calls them. And he's right, up to a point The perpetrators of the Oklahoma City explo sion are evil almost beyond comprehension. But the cold-blooded killers are usually not cowards. The persons responsible for the horror of (the April 19) tragedy.

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