Singling Out

The Monks

To the Editor:

We moved to Newtown almost two years ago and have since become deeply involved with the community and its charities. We find it to be a very friendly and welcoming town albeit a homogenous one. I was disturbed to read the article in last week’s Bee regarding the monastery on Boggs Hill Road [“Town Orders Cambodian Buddhist Society To Halt Events”]. Initially I thought it was satire, I even giggled a bit at its brilliance. Monks, the most peaceful people on earth, causing problems on Boggs Hill with their festivals. I then realized that this was no joke. I felt a sense of sadness that the community that I so love is seemingly singling out a group of people based on their religious beliefs in what appears to be a zoning issue, but may in fact be at best community unconsciousness and at worst religious discrimination.

I certainly understand that the area is not zoned for a large temple of any religious order, but beyond that the issues cited were parking, traffic, and permits: “23 cars were parked on the property” (I’ll add the ten-acre property.) I mean really, I probably had that many cars or more parked at my house on Bennetts Bridge Road one-acre property for my son’s second birthday party, which I’m sure was a more raucous affair than the Cambodian Buddhist monks celebration of the Cambodian New Year, and nobody complained. Are they not allowed a social gathering?

In addition, the argument cited in The Bee about the Buddhist’s cars causing congestion and problems on Boggs Hill further distressed me because I have been inconvenienced more times than I can count by the traffic congestion created by St Rose. Although St. Rose may be in a commercial area and according to the town, properly zoned, I do not think that Church Hill Road was intended to, nor has it been redesigned to, accommodate the megastructure now being built there or the traffic created by it. I am more than willing, and even happy, to be inconvenienced in order that our Catholic community may exercise its religious beliefs; I would only hope the same courtesy would be extended to our Buddhist community.

I think that as a community that prides itself on its welcoming small town character we should be greatly concerned by what has transpired with regard to the Buddhist monks on Boggs Hill. I would be thrilled to have five monks as my neighbors and perhaps we could all learn something from their benevolent beliefs.

Andrea Macaluso

13 Bennetts Bridge Road, Sandy Hook                       April 27, 2008