To The Editor:

I would like to thank the recent letter writer who complained about my letter criticizing of the Newtown Hook and Ladder’s boot drive on Main Street [sic] (“Boots, Birds’ Nests, and Flippers,” October 3).

The writing was classic Jonathan Swift, “A Modest Proposal.” Imagine anyone opposed to funding a volunteer emergency response team that risks its lives through underwater search and rescue operations to save the lives of others. Imagine anyone opposed to funding a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of Newtown’s open spaces and natural beauty. Or imagine someone criticizing the simple dropping of a few dollars in a flipper or a bird’s nest while stopped at a traffic light. Further imagine claiming the state can justly favor one organization over all others doing work just as important and as beneficial to the public as Newtown Hook and Ladder. Can you imagine all that? I can’t. A masterful work of parody, I hope.

Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue and the Newtown Forest Association are not in any “suspect” classes, but then neither is Newtown Hook and Ladder.

So, don’t be misled by the misinformation of those that espouse the above. Supporting our first responders, whether they respond to a drowning or an assault on the landscape, is right and good.

Support our democracy by voting for those who promote truth and justice for all, not just for the fire department

Glen Swanson

Sandy Hook