Bedford Minuteman
Wednesday, September 10, 2003

Letter: Do your part to send a message

Last spring, Bedford Town Meeting voted, essentially unanimously, that the selectmen "take initiatives to prevent expansion of Hanscom Civil Airport." To this end, I encourage all Bedford administrative and governing bodies to stop using FedEx.

Recently, both the Lexington School Committee and its Board of Selectmen voted that they would no longer use the shipper until FedEx agrees not to operate out of Hanscom. Lexington's ability to put concept into action is laudable. If Massport and FedEx are to understand our four towns' resolve against Hanscom expansion and the deleterious effect the addition of cargo operations will have, we need to put our money where our mouth is. Sending a message by refusing to do business with this company will have an impact, both on FedEx's decision and on other cargo carriers seeking to do business here. Hanscom is the second busiest airport in New England; we are already doing our share.

Ordinary Bedford citizens can have an impact on halting FedEx in its tracks by suggesting to the outdoor clothing catalog company LL Bean (based in Freeport, Maine) that it join the boycott of FedEx. Because LL Bean is such a strong supporter of national parks in general and of Acadia National park in particular, Leon Gorman, chairman, might be very interested in knowing about the plans FedEx has for contributing to the degradation of Minute Man National Historical Park.

I also urge local Bedford businesses to follow suit. Even if FedEx cargo service at Hanscom shaves a few minutes off of package delivery times, it comes at a steep cost to our towns, the Minute Man National Park, our commonwealth, and the nation. As good citizens, local corporations can also lead the way by just saying "No FedEx at Hanscom!"

Lori Eggert
Bonnievale Drive

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