To the Editor:

Discounting the 400+ signatures on the pro-library petition by saying it is a mere fraction of Old Lyme’s population is merely social conservatives taking a swipe at those who did sign it and trying to say that the majority of townsfolk wish to have the library censored. This is a continuation of what the right wing group Moms for Liberty is doing and also sounds like the parents in the late 1960s, who opposed school desegregation. I hear echoes of Gov. George Wallace in the words of those seeking to ban certain books.

A town library should be a place where every book should be available to everyone. If you do not like a certain book or magazine, simply do not read it! Instead of ranting about the book selection, perhaps consider that if your child is seeking knowledge at the [OL-]PGN Library, perhaps you have not provided the information your son or daughter needs to move along in life.

One supporter of book banning mentions sexual positions which may be harmful. Really? If that does not sound like a Puritan dog whistle, I don’t know what does. Does anyone really think that starting a public outcry about this will squelch a teenagers/tweens interest in trying something new?

The library has these books partly because they provide a clearer explanation of behaviors, which one can easily see on the internet. This allows better choices. All you have done is attracted greater interest towards reading said books and enthusiasm for attempting the acts, which might be illustrated. Conservatives never learn.

The staff at the [OL-]PGN library are a group of amazing women. The two, who are directly involved in the lives of children and teens, Julie and Nikki, are brilliant, kind and have the best intentions towards their young patrons. What they deserve from all of us is respect and from those protesting about certain books, an apology. The actions of those advocating censorship are the reason why many of us are repelled by conservatives.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Wilder,
Old Lyme.

To the Editor:

Last week-Old Lyme lost its statesman-in-residence, Lowell Weicker, who lived on Lyme Street near the Library Lane intersection; and even before that, in a cottage on Ball Lane, which must have barely contained his 6 foot, 6 inches.  I do not want to repeat his extensive list of accomplishments, which have already been noted in several tributes, but rather amplify one area, which has had a long impact on the nation’s health.

Senator Weicker played a prominent role in securing funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct clinical trials on HIV/AIDS at a time when it was sharply opposed by then President Reagan. He knew the importance of government involvement in disease research and increased appropriations for the NIH. He also sponsored the Protection and Advocacy for the Mentally Ill Act in 1985 and in 1988 introduced legislation that would become the Americans with Disabilities Act. He told the Courant that “my crowning achievement was I wrote most of the disabilities laws in the country.”

Many still only remember that as governor of the state with the largest deficit in the nation. he found it necessary to come to grips with and then overhaul CT’s tax laws. He has been described as “blunt”, “feisty”, and “larger than life”. I guess it’s a combination of all three.

In closing, my best to his family. I also want to recognize Claudia Weicker’s important development work as Chair of the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center.

Sincerely,

Thomas D. Gotowka,
Old Lyme.

To the Editor:

I took this photo (above) of the mixed use development to the Main Street in South Portland, Maine. This could be a blueprint for Halls Road if the Halls Road Improvements Committee (HRIC) zoning changes are adopted.

Halls Road is and will always be a service road not an area for residential development. Any development should be limited to service oriented business, examples being health care facilities, urgent care facility as well as businesses that support the highways.

We all agree that Halls Road in its current configuration is an eyesore but overreacting and approving the HRIC proposed changes to zoning regulations may make a bad situation worse.

Sincerely,

William Folland
Old Lyme.