Dear Editor:
John Curran’s letter to the editor, October 15, 2001, claims that Bret Schundler used the World Trade Center attack for "political gain" because he offered constructive criticism of the State of New Jersey’s emergency response to the event. McGreevey also said what he would do as governor to improve the State’s ability to react to similar attacks in the future, but Mr. Curran took no offense. Perhaps he doesn’t know that McGreevey also called for improvements to the state’s emergency response plans. He probably didn’t know this fact because the New York Times, the Democratic Party’s Paper of Record, did not make a stink over McGreevey, they only faulted Schundler.
It is not inappropriate for a candidate for governor to say how he would improve things or do things differently if he was in charge. That’s what campaigns are for. In my view, it really smacks of political gain whenever someone uses September 11 as a way to stifle needed discussions of serious matters. With future threats on the horizon, now is not the time to be walking on eggshells for fear of offending the Mr. Currans of the world. We must have a debate on how we can better be prepared. Mr. Schundler was merely identifying problems related to September 11 and offering solutions. That’s what leaders do.
Lalia Moore