(erielack) Re: East Orange comments

["J. McEachen" <jmcea_@_optonline.net>]

Well, I for one recognized the comment for the style of "NIMBY" it
exposes. Although the George Washington Bridge lower level was designed
for mass transit rail tracks, they were never built, indeed a six-lane
roadway was built down there, for precisely the same remark was made
from the 1930's through the 1950's. Bergen County suburbanites didn't
want mass transit bringing "NYC undesireables" out to steal and be back
in NYC before the victim realized anything was gone.

It is all in the context. When you've been around a while, you
immediately recognize the arguments, comments, and statements of
anti-transit forces - of any age. Some things never change, and this is
one of them. Here, the comment is made in jest to an audience that
should recognize a modern-day "NIMBY" pronouncement; however, in public
forums it is whispered dirtily to arouse the base fears of the
undecided. We should know this way of thinking and be prepared to
counter it. "All it takes for Evil to triumph is for enough good people
to do nothing!" 

Thanks, Tab, for (cryptically) forewarning us; we are now forearmed
(that is a takeoff on a saying we should all be familiar with, or don't
we all know what "cultural literacy" is?)
Joel McEachen

From: <Njricky2_@_aol.com>
To: <erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2002 2:40 AM
Subject: (erielack) Tab's East Orange Comments

> Well, that's a pretty ugly thing to say. I guess you don't know many
> different types of people and all of the people who made Erie, DLW and EL
> the success that it was. I have very low tolerance for that stuff of any 
> kind, regardless of who your words target. Not a very American way of 
> thinking.
> Rick

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