When The Military Comes To Town

To the Editor:

 What does it take to get the government stimulated enough to execute its dominance? Certainly it’s not starving children, homeless elders, or uneducated adults. We’ve seen little action taken to fix these problems, so what is it? Predictably enough, it is the status of the United States military.

Don’t misconstrue my loyalty: I fully support Homeland Security and being protected by the most intelligent military, but where is the line drawn? Hunger, disease, and poverty strike millions daily, yet the United States is relentlessly pursuing billions of dollars annually on preventable occupations and the military.

Now, Newtown — the classic picturesque New England town — is jumping on the bandwagon. The town that vowed to never allow fast food restaurants to ruin its idyllic image is considering a Regional Readiness Center for the United States Army. According to my instructor, “pawn shops and strip clubs” often follow military centers. Imagine Sandy Hook Center being known later as Sandy Hooker Center.

Newtown’s historic, pristine image may be ruined by a 300,000-square-foot facility acquiring 75 of Newtown’s purest acres. This eyesore may bring in some economic growth, but so will the new ice cream shops and restaurants that pop up indiscriminately.

Consider this: When you’re window shopping in Sandy Hook Center, what would you rather glance into, The Red Brick Tavern, or the Crazy Horse?

Jessica Palermo

45 Cedar Hill Road, Newtown                                February 6, 2006