The Great Swamp Wildlife Refuge, Morris County, New Jersey.

For 10,000 years the Swamp has been home to multitude of birds, mammals, fish and flora. In the late 1950s, the state and federal government wanted to eliminate the swampland to create major airport. Concerned citizens, some of them my neighbors or parents of my neighbors fought the plan. In 1960, 53 years ago next month, Congress enacted legislation that ended an plans for a a jetport and turned the swamp into a nationally protected natural wildlife refuge -- truly, the Great Swamp. It has grown to more than 7,000 acres -- 12 square miles. Parts of it lie across the street from my house.

Today, 52 years, 10 months and 29 days after the legislation was passed, the inept, shameful inaction of our current Congress has resulted in a shutdown of the government and the appearance for the second time in 17 years of this sign at a gate to the park. Perhaps it will take action by concerned citizens to get the wackos in the House of Representatives and their several accomplices in the Senate to be overcome by the votes of enough reasonable legislators to reopen the PEOPLES' GOVERNMENT.

The animals in the refuge will probably do just fine. The people inconvenienced by this locked gate will get over the inconvenience. However, an awful lot of folks, many who can ill afford any new hardships, will be seriously impacted and harmed by what this sign represents.