Likeness of Raritan Borough's WWII hero Sgt. John Basilone, mouinted on a truck of the Marconi Lodge in the Sept., 2011 parade. (Bergeron Image)

Paradoxically, however, it is anything but obvious that we sufficiently honor these heroes.  Mostly, it is the families and friends of those who have died or who have been wounded and disabled in our recent wartime engagements that are left to pick up the pieces and to justify their loss.

Except for the American troops on the front lines who are fighting in desolate places like Afghanistan, the rest of us seem to have become too detached, going about our lives as usual – no sacrifice is asked of us, and none is offered.

“Just keep signing the checks, and don’t ask questions,” the politicians in Washington seem to be intoning.

For months, if not years, I have not liked the twisted logic and the flawed political strategies which have caused too many of America’s best to have perished.

Wars should not be fought without just cause, rational objectives, and the will to win decisively.  Ignoring that concept just prolongs the time, the cost, and the misery on both sides.

Despite some of the self-serving rhetoric emanating from the White House and the halls of Congress, those principles have not been applied in Iraq.  Neither are they being implemented in Afghanistan.

In his column on Friday, Jay Jefferson Cooke’s concluding sentence was, “The cost of freedom is buried in the ground.”  That thought transfixed me and provided the impetus for this post.

Far too many American lives have been lost or shattered already.  It’s time to get the storyline straight.

Thanks for reading.  And, remember.

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Messrs. Beatty, Lerner and Krenetsky after the conclusion of tonight's board meeting. (Bergeron Image.)

In an interview at the conclusion of this evening’s BR-BOE meeting, Steve Beatty, President of the BREA disclosed that he and the Chief Negotiator, Joe Krenetsky have been in informal talks with board negotiators Evan Lerner and Jeff Brookner in a series of recent meetings which took place outside of the formal mediation process that is still in place, should talks break down once again.

From the spirit evident in the room this evening at the Wade Administration Building in Martinsville, though, it appears that both sides have grown exceedingly weary of the contract impasse which is now over a year old and growing.

Furthermore, pressure has been building for months on both the board and the union to settle:  Tonight’s board of education meeting was filled wall-to-wall with the red jerseys of respectful, yet forcefully-evident-by-their-presence teachers whose numbers spilled out into the corridors of the conference room.

Parents and teachers have also been making their views consistently felt by addressing members of the board during the public portion of their meetings.

Mr. Charles McMullin of Raritan, after admonishing the Board of Education to "press hard to resolve this festering condition." (Bergeron Image.)

Mr. Beatty volunteered tonight that he and Mr. Krenetsky met with board negotiators Evan Lerner and Jeff Brookner last week.  At that meeting, he said that Lerner asked for and obtained a formal confidentially agreement between the parties that binds them not to publicly discuss or to release any specifics concerning further contract discussions.

The objective, according to Beatty was to “Keep the discussion out of the public domain.”  He further indicated that “We met (again today) and that the meeting was productive.”  The purpose of that informal meeting according to Beatty was “to figure out where we were, where we are, and how to get (this impasse) solved.”

“I would say that we are definitely getting closer,” Beatty responded to a question about how near the two groups may be getting to a resolution.  He volunteered that the BREA is ready to do “whatever works” . . . and that “I’ll take whatever (I can) in terms of moving forward.”  He added his view that “(union) members have had an effect” on the outcome of the current negotiating situation.

Towards the end of this interview, Board President Evan Lerner approached Beatty, Audrey Levine (Bridgewater Patch) and me to jovially add that “Whatever he says, I agree with.”  In a more serious tone, Lerner added “It’s always about money . . . about what makes an acceptable contract that is acceptable to the public.”

Technically, Mr. Beatty confirmed that the negotiation process “is still in process of impasse,” and that formally, mediation remains in the fact-finding stage.  Nonetheless, he explained that there are no meetings currently scheduled with the fact-finder.

Whenever the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education is either close to an agreement or has definitively staked out a position that it feels confident will work, you can sense it in the room.  Although nothing is ever over until it’s over, there was that sense in the air tonight.

President Barack Obama meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai early this month, when Mr. Obama visited troops at Bagram Airfield.

The answer is coming more clearly into focus:  Not one more.

The Afghan war represents a conflict that was begun with justification.  But it has morphed into a struggle that is being prosecuted under a strategy that our leaders in Washington can no longer adequately explain.  Furthermore, it is being conducted under restrictive rules of engagement which unnecessarily place American lives in danger.

When American troops invaded Afghanistan in 2001, most of us supported the initial objective.  It was clear at the time:  Capture or terminate Osama bin Ladin and permanently neuter the threat of the Taliban.

Thanks to the protective umbrella cast over bin Ladin by Afghan’s neighbor and our other untrustworthy ally Pakistan, it took over 10 years to accomplish the first objective.  Achievement of the second is nowhere in sight.

On Sunday, President Barack Obama met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Chicago, making a glowing statement that “The Afghan War as we understand it is over.” The end will come, Obama insists, after our combat role is finished in 2014.

Our President’s expectations, among others, is that Karzai needs to cut a deal with the Taliban that will eventually bring a cessation to hostilities.  Mr. Obama also anticipates that, before the end of 2014, the American military will have succeeded in training an Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) that will ensure peace.  Then, he believes, we can bring the troops home.

It is a wishful fabrication that is doomed to fail.  Even now, American soldiers are being turned upon and murdered not by the Taliban, but by the very Afghan trainees that are being groomed to be a part of Afghanistan’s own army (ANSF).

Afghanistan, a fiercely tribal nation with a 70% illiteracy rate, has watched armies come and go for centuries. Furthermore, thanks to the current administration in Washington, the Taliban is now in possession of the withdrawal schedule for U.S. troops.

Karzai is an unreliable ally.  In a Time magazine blog, writer Tony Karon states that “The only thing keeping him in power over the past decade has been the presence of tens of thousands of Western troops.”

In his post, Karon quotes U.S. General John Allen, NATO commander in Afghanistan:  “I don’t want to, again, understate the challenge that we have ahead of us.  There’s no end of combat before the end of 2014. And, in fact, the Taliban will oppose the ANSF (Afghan National Security Forces) after 2014.”

Once more, I repeat the question:  Which American Soldier Will be Asked to Take the Last Bullet in Afghanistan?

And, I offer a final question:  For whom and for what reason?

Officials of the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association at the March 27, 2012 BR-BOE Meeting at the Wade Administration Buiilding in Martinsville. (Bergeron Image)

It is a watershed moment.  Not in recent memory can I recall that the BR-BOE has ever done this.  Nor has the BREA.  Although there have been press releases from both parties and informative interviews with the media, much of the information provided has been piecemeal and incomplete.

The Board’s current disclosure of its own view of the situation was released on May 10^th in the form of “Frequently Asked Questions”.  This document has opened up a new line of communication with the public that I hope will continue.

Up until this release, only the board and the union have been in the loop with full information.  Yet, it is the public that pays the bill.

In some ways, this release by the Board of Education’s Negotiating Team resembles that of a position paper.  I wonder who will blink first – the board or the union.

There is a great deal of other information and conditions contained in the board’s FAQ document posted on its website; but, in this blog post, I will confine my comments to the salary issue.  More to come later on.

A refresher:  The last three-year contract with the teachers’ union ended in June, 2011.  Teachers have been working with no contract ever since.

However, on June 30^th of last year, when the BREA had just come off that three-year agreement which provided for a 4.2%, 4.25%, and 4.35% increase, respectively, its members had benefited from a total increase of 12.8%.

Those wage increases occurred while other workers were suffering under layoffs, flat salaries, and wage/benefit concessions during a disastrous economic period that is generally acknowledged as the worst financial setback since The Great Depression.

Current Status:  According to the document released by the board, the BREA is asking for a three-year salary hike of 8.55%, or 2.85% for each of three years, including 2.85% retroactively for the current school year which ends on June 30^th, 2012. 

Board Member Jill Gladstone, taking in the comments of a speaker during the open portion of the March 27, 2012 board meeting in Martinsville. (Bergeron Image)

The BR-BOE is offering the teachers’ union a three-year wage hike of 5%; or 1%, 2%, and 2%, respectively over a three-year period.  The 1% is retroactive for the school year that is about to end.

Six-Year Summary:  My assessment below shows the results of analyzing these data holistically by combining the expired three-year contract with the next, proposed three-year wage agreement.  The outcome is a contiguous six-year view:

The Education Association’s Offer:  Should the BREA prevail with its request for a new three-year wage agreement of 8.55%, it will – in combination with the previous contract of 12.85% – have successfully negotiated a total six-year wage package of 21.35%.

The Board of Education’s Offer:  On the other hand, should the BR-BOE prevail in its offer of a new three-year wage agreement of 5%, it will – in combination with the previous contract of 12.8% -- have successfully negotiated a total six-year agreement of 17.8%.  Not such a bad deal.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the sunny days to come.

Kelly Hadfield, a 2nd grade teacher at the Van Holten Primary School reads from a prepared text at the April 10, 2012 BR-BOE meeting.

As promised in my blog post of May 1^st, I am presenting the full text of comments made by Kelly Hadfield, a second grade teacher at the Van Holten Primary School in Bridgewater.

She conveyed her thoughts to the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional Board of Education during one of the public comment periods afforded by the agenda that evening.  Also, as promised, they are being shown without commentary on my part.

Ms. Hadfield began as follows:

“I’m going to start off by saying I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was 7 years old.  I have not and will never regret my decision and choice to become a New Jersey public school teacher.

However, never once did I think a teacher would have to put up with so much insensitivity and disrespect from people who claim to have the children’s needs first.

I am going to give you a quick peek inside Van Holten School (however I’m sure what goes on at our school would be the same for any BR school).  You could drive up to the school parking lot at 7 am and there will be teachers there working on the upcoming day’s activities, inputting data, grading assessments, and creating differentiated activities for their students.

You could drive up at 6 pm and there would still be teachers there working on the following days activities, photocopying homework, tests, quizzes, inputting even more data, grading even more assessments and thinking up creative fun ways to get their students involved in the learning.

Board Members Daniel Petrozelli, Jeffrey Brookner, Lynne Hurley and Assistant Superintendent Cheryl Dyer listen to Kelly Hadfield's comments to the school board.

Preps are being used to the fullest and lunches are now being turned into work lunches.  We collaborate on our own time; we bring stacks of papers home.  We type out lesson plans; we document and reflect on happenings during the day.

We work hard every day to help our students become successful.  To make our students feel good about themselves and what they have accomplished.  To make them feel special and loved.

This year I have, and every other 2^nd grade teacher, have 24 second graders crammed into a room which can not comfortably fit them.  My students can no longer sit on the carpet together during morning meetings, a time where they get to work on team building and classroom respect.  We just can’t fit.

With the growing number of students in our classrooms, the number of students with needs also increase.  Individualized or small group instruction is essential in order to help students grasp the material being taught and to help them become more independent learners.

It now has become a juggling act, which has caused stress which can not be beneficial to a classroom environment.

However certain individuals or groups are making my teaching and the teaching of my fellow educators less and less effective.  You have spread us thin.  You are pulling us in so many different directions our heads are spinning.  You want us to do more, but don’t provide us with thorough training.  We are on our own.  We don’t get a thank you.

Evan Lerner and Patrick Breslin, Board President and Vice-President, respectively, listen intently to Kelly Hadfield's comments concerning her job as a teacher.

In the 6 years in this district I don’t believe I have seen one of you wandering our hallways during the school day.  Not one of you popping into our classrooms, asking us questions and being interested in all the great things that are going on in our schools.  In YOUR schools.  Not asking us how you can help.

The board needs to realize how extremely lucky you are to have schools filled with such intelligent, creative, dedicated and loving educators.

You need to start treating us with the respect we deserve.  You need to start becoming a part of the education process instead of making decisions and judgments from the sidelines.

I welcome you to take an hour and visit our schools, talk to the parents, talk to the teachers.  Open your mind up to the fact that we both want the same thing.  We want a district filled with independent, confident and most importantly happy students.

Thank you.”

Thanks for reading, and have a good weekend.  A reminder:  This is the weekend of the VNA Rummage sale in Far Hills.

(Click on any image for an enhanced view.)

Arvind Mathur offers his views on redistricting at the April 10, 2012 meeting of the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education. (Bergeron Image)

On April 10^th, I attended a meeting of the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education at which its members deliberated upon and adopted a plan for relieving overcrowding at the Adamsville Primary School.  The solution was to move certain students and programs to the Hamilton Primary School which, conversely, has been operating below capacity.

Board members and the school administration were quick to point out that they would carefully monitor this change to see how well it works out.  Should adjustments or another wider approach to redistricting become necessary, the administration and the board will address the situation at that time.  The board as a whole was not comfortable with making any district-wide redistricting changes now.

What struck me the most, however, was not so much the discussion and resolution of the agenda item described above, but a subsequent statement on another topic delivered with force and passion to the full BR-BOE by a young teacher during one of the two periods reserved for the public to address board members.

For those of you who don’t have the time or the inclination to be present at these meetings, you should know that lately, groups of teachers in varying numbers have been showing up at the Wade Administration Building in Martinsville.

Sporting red shirts as a sign of solidarity, they tend to sit together, hoping to influence the BR-BOE to come to an agreement with their union, the BREA (Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association).  Teachers have also demonstrated several times outside the same premises before the onset of mediation sessions.

The last three-year teachers’ contract expired on June 30^th, 2011.  Eventually, the BREA called for mediation sessions to begin after successive direct discussions between it and the BR-BOE resulted in no mutually acceptable resolution.

That situation persists to the present time, and mediation is now entering the fact-finding stage.  Clearly, to any observer, the board and the union seem to be dealing with entirely differing realities.

Morale within the teaching community in this school district is said to be at a low point.  Frustratingly enough, no objective evidence has been presented to support the extent or veracity of that claim.

However extensive or not low morale may be, the young teacher’s comments made on April 10^th to the full board seem to mirror that sentiment.  Consequently, in a following post, I will print her observations in their entirety, unedited (except for paragraph splits), unexpurgated, and without commentary.

You may form your own opinion.  Thanks for reading.

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The brilliance of a red azalea graces our front yard. (Bergeron Image.)

Long ago, when we moved to Bridgewater at a time when the main intersection in the center of Pluckemin had no traffic lights, and Washington Valley Road looking east was covered in a leafy canopy  right up to the Bridgewater line, I gave Priscille a small azalea bush nested in a small pot.

We enjoyed it in our home for a couple of weeks, until the time came to give it a permanent home, should we want to keep it alive.

I suggested planting it in the southwest corner of our home as a foundation planting.  It was just a tiny speck of a plant, not much more than ten inches high and perhaps eight inches across.

To my surprise, that brilliantly red azalea shrub took to its environment with great zeal.  Today it’s over a yard high and at least four feet across.

It’s quite amazing how well a plant will do when placed in fertile ground, permitted to have the sunshine bless it with life-giving rays, and encouraged with a little water and fertilizer now and then.

I must admit that I have not coddled that azalea.  Just checked on it intermittently and paid attention to what I thought its needs might be.

It’s a lot like human beings, don’t you think?  All most of them ask is to position themselves in the right place and to get a little help along their journey in life.

Sometimes, though, I think that some people want more help than nature intended.  Just like an azalea bush, no matter how much assistance and encouragement you might get, you still have to sink your own roots into the ground in order to blossom. 

No one else can do that for you.

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A small table in the vast collection of books at the Stone Ridge used book sale holds a few notable titles from the Shriver estate. (Bergeron Image)

Each year, the Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart conducts its annual used book sale, the proceeds of which are used to help its scholarship fund.  This year, we finally made it.

I love used book sales.  It’s one of the few settings in which a bookworm like me is able to browse while letting serendipity take over, because there is simply no way to know if a written treasure may pop up.

At Stone Ridge, thousands of books are arranged on tables set up in three large rooms, one of which appeared to be a gym.

When we arrived, my daughter Denise, Pris, and I split up to go our separate ways to begin our book-buying journeys – nobody wants to wait for me.  I simply take up too much time at any given table where I may zero in on a particular classification of titles that captures my attention!

I had already filled a cart to about two-thirds full, when Pris found me.  She pointed to a small table two rooms down.  Upon it rested the remnants of a collection of volumes from the former Potomac estate of Eunice and Sargent Shriver – deceased sister and brother-in-law of the late John F. Kennedy.

Our collective stash of "Stone Ridge" books stands ready to pack in the minivan. (Bergeron Image)

Interestingly enough, the title from one of those volumes was “The Right to be Wrong,” subtitled “Ending the Culture War Over Religion in America.”

As I read it, I’ll always wonder who made the numerous notations and underlining, yet never seemed to get past the first part of the book.

Ironic, isn’t it?  It was published not long ago – in 2005, and the culture war over religion seems to be picking up an even heavier head of steam just as Americans are entering into a presidential campaign.

 Click on any image for an enhanced view.

A star on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame." (Credit, Screenshot from Fox News)

Yet, a few remain.  Such is the case with Dick Clark, a giant in the entertainment industry who passed away today at the age of 82 from a massive heart attack, after being admitted to a hospital for what was described as an “outpatient procedure.”

Clark became a living legend with his signature TV blockbuster, American Bandstand – the one that I most remember from my youthful days.  He also was highly successful as the founder of Dick Clark Productions, a company that generated a score of popular TV hits.

He became one of the first positive factors for U.S. race relations within the entertainment world when – without fanfare – he welcomed minority entertainers and teenage dancers to American Bandstand.

As the flood of testimonials began to pour in today, those in showbiz who commented upon his life emphasized Dick Clark’s genuine charisma and the ease with which he made people feel comfortable.

Dick Clark – the world’s oldest teenager – was an icon of civility in the entertainment world – a trait that sorely needs rehabilitation in today’s public square.

The remembrance of his life as it is now being chronicled in most of the media outlets and blogs reminds me of a refreshing spring zephyr circulating among downbeat news stories.

The Israeli Prime Minister appeared on Greta Van Susteren's show, On The Record, March 7, 2012. (TV Screenshot by Dick Bergeron)

For a moment, I almost turned back – I’ll never get a lap lane today, I thought.  But the desire to get into the pool overcame any lingering doubts when a parking spot turned up.

Still, I wondered what activities were taking place that it should be so crowded.

It was a brisk spring morning – more on the cold side – when I walked from the car towards the main entrance.  Inside, I didn’t see a lot of people.  But, as I walked down the main corridor, a closed and windowed double door leading into one of the large rooms caught my attention.

Peering through the glass I viewed a room full of people listening to Governor Chris Christie.  Media types lined the back wall.

Should I go in or not?

Slowly and quietly opening one of the doors; making myself as inconspicuous as I could (everyone had their backs to me – only Christie and his security people were facing in my direction), I put down my gym bag and had the privilege of listening to the remainder of his informal briefing to Jewish leaders about his recent visit to Israel.

I only caught the last five minutes of his talk.  He spoke of his surprise at how so many people at the Wailing Wall recognized him that far away from home, and asked to have their picture taken by his side. He also mentioned that he had apprised Mitt Romney about his trip to The Middle East.

But perhaps the most trenchant point of the morning is what he uttered as part of his concluding statements when, comparing the Jewish nation to the United States, he succinctly encapsulated the relationship between our two nations.

“We can talk about The Middle East in general, but Israel is the only country (in the region) that shares the same core values that are the bedrock of this country.”

As usual, Christie does not mince his words.  On this one, he is spot on.

p.s. I had no difficulty in finding a lap lane!