The Curmudgeon BY STEPHEN FORD Within the past decades, gadfly historians and plain old gossips have scandalized us all with lurid accounts of the private lives of some eminent persons. For instance, we know that FDR had a mistress while wife Eleanor traveled around the world. Ike was “engaged in a dalliance with his femme chauffeur during WW II, unbeknownst to Mamie. JFK’s extra-marital partner was also a mafia connection and brother Bobby’s paramour was Marilyn Monroe. No longer content with maiming “our secular saints, some authors have set their sights on the ec- clesiastic variety and, if you're going to malign a religious figure, don’t waste time on the less- important ones, go right to the top and start swinging. The above is my character- istically roundabout way of com- ment concerning ‘“The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail,” a book © published in Great Britain last week that claims Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene; had a child by - her; staged the crucifixion then fled Letters the Holy Land for Europe where his lineage continues today. Beside unleashing a horde of out- raged Christians understandably fuming over such sacrilege, the book’s fantastic premise has also encouraged a number of question- able historians to declare a number of other historic tragedies as staged events. You will be stunned beyond words to realize that, according to Ralph S. Leazy, former porn film producer turned author, the Water- gate scandal was all a hoax. In his just-released book, ‘‘Dis- honor Before Anything,”’ Mr. Leazy alleges Democratic headquarters were never broken into, Richard Nixon never bugged the White House and ‘Deep Throat” was actually a West Coast publicity agent hired by Nixon to deliberately launch a Senate investigation into the ehtics of his office. The shocking scenario goes like this: Though luxuriating in the raiments of power, President Nixon knew there was another individual in Washington vastly more capable than he was to steer this nation through those troubled times: Congressman Gerald R. Ford. Dear Editor: Living in Houston I rarely get a chance to travel back to Dallas, my "home. Educated at Gate of Heaven and Dallas High School I spent all of my pre-collegiate life in our com- munity. This past Christmas I did manage to be in Dallas. Walking home from church the Sunday after Christmas I watched as the snow fell through - large stately trees. I made a point of stopping by the back of the Hunt- sville Dam Reservoir and just stood © in awe. ; But it was not too long afterwards { . I saw another side of Dallas. My i uncle, who also lives in Dallas, had * take him to the police station, to report the crime. I took him and after filling out the necessary paperwork I spoke to the . policeman. He told about a huge in- Agrees with crease in crime in Dallas. He told of a lack of community support for the police. People did not care to help. I wondered if my home town was a community or just a place to live. Were there still neighborhoods or just people in the same develop- ment? Has Dallas lost the old- fashioned small town atmosphere? I think it has. But there is still hope. If Dallas is to return to the old fashioned way of caring, then it must do it the ‘‘old fashioned way.” That is to begin with prayer. Prayer still works and can work to start to rebuild Dallas. Pray for the town, its police-fire departments, our churches and even our town paper The Post, for your children. That's where to begin the change. Sincerely, Michael J. Cybulski . I read with interest the article ‘titled ‘Immunization is not for everyone’ and I couldn’t agree more. But I would like to add that ‘even though there are new regula- tions to start in August 1982 there is “included in law an exemption for immunization: It reads 23.84-(b) RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION. Children need not be immunized if the parent (or) guardian, or emancipated child objects, in writing, to the immunization on religious grounds, or on the basis of a strong moral or ethical conviction similar to a religious belief. Yours for Better Health, ALBERT R. KLEINJR. D.C. 1046 Memorial Highway Dallas, Pa. - Dear Teacher: ~ and I know why. I 2m not blaming “you, nor am I going to sue you or the “school. After all, that would be like * taking money from my right hand - pocket and putting it in the left. Besides, you are no more to * blame than I, although you should * know better since education is your _ field. (Isn't it strange that some "people are in fields, some in * professions, and some in careers? ~ Must be a form of snobbery since most of us talk about our jobs or our work. Excuse the digression, but since I can read I find a world of - subjects within each sentence and . this tends to make me appear con- “voluted (or wishy-washy, as my wife says). But back to why Johnny can’t read or write. You see, we have robbed him of his time. He is not ~ aware of this fact since time is a . rather nebulous thing, but we have, "nevertheless. And we have done so "in the most sophisticated and purely American way. Subliminally. The " method of course is the media. All ~ Johnny needs to know is condensed, packaged and digested for him in the form of a message, delivered ' electronically. © As the number of messages in- _ crease, the amount of information = absorbed has decreased, and so has ~ the quality. Most important is the * fact that Johnny has not one thing to + say about it. He is denied the right ~ to make any “input”. It all comes ~ from the top down. Johnny, you see, is no longer a © student, he is a consumer. That is © why he believes that “if it sells” it * must be the answer. After all, you teach him that Columbus dis- + covered America in 1492 because * you were taught that Columbus dis- covered America in 1492. But what _ if Johnny shouted ‘Prove it!”’ What ©, if Johnny asked you to prove every- ’ thing you tell him? The end result would be that Johnny would be taken aside, commended for his willingness to seek ‘‘truth’’, but asked to please stop creating chaos in the classroom with his demand- ing questions. Chaos, in your case, more than likely means disrupting the schedule, because, as ment- ioned earlier, education is now created in much the same manner as a meal at McDonald's, from corporate headquarters in Glen- dale, Ca., or whereever. (Somewhat Ca. just doesn’t mean the same as Calif. or California, does it?) So a crime has been committed against Johnny. Not only has his brain been drugged, but he has been enslaved by a totalitarian society. One of the tenets of a democratic society is that all citizens be allowed to think and express them- selves freely on any subject, so that society may continue to change and modify itself to meet unforeseen problems and opportunities. Where is the best and practically only place for this instrument of demo- cracy to develop if not in the schools? Since we both know it is not happening that way, we cannot say it is democratic, can we? So Johnny can’t read or write be- cause there are those of us who are influential as the head of important institutions who don’t like to" be proven wrong, who don’t like change because the change may mean I'll lose my job, or status in the political hierarchy. In short, we are threatened by the democratic process. Lost in this process of so-called education is the question of whose schools are they? Who were they designed for? They were designed for our Johnny but he is the last person with any say about them, or anything else. JOHN ALLEN A humble and unassuming man with his country’s best interests at heart, Nixon believed he should step aside and let Gerry assume the presidency as the congressman’s brilliant grasp of foreign affairs, domestic issues and public speaking clearly proved him to be the best man for the difficult job. The problem was that no president in the history of the nation had ever resigned that sacred post and Dick certainly did not want to be recorded in posterity as a quitter. Commiting himself to this noble sacrifice, Nixon set the wheels in motion for a massive cover story-- the Watergate scandal--knowing fully well it was staged but it would prompt a voracious press and an alarmed public to hound him out of office, thus opening the way for Gerry’s ascension to the Oval Office. But the Watergate expose is the iceberg of the tip. There is much, much more. For those furious over charges the founder of Christianity staged his demise, imagine the anger of atheist Moscow falsely accused of invading Afghanistan and Poland. Foreign correspondent Hedeshaw Sobaka reveals in his blockbuster book, ‘At Dawn, We Amalgamate,’’ that Afghan authorities approached the Kremlin with a fervant plea: “Please, we have lost control of our country. We beseech you, send 10 divisions of your army across our borders, kill any of our countrymen who offend you and while you're at it, shoot us, too, because we too dis- graced and don’t want to live.” Sobaka relates that with heavy hearts, the Soviet Politburo pain- fully debated their neighboring country’s request into the early hours. By the next morning, the Kremlin had reached a decision. “We have no interest whatsoever in seizing countries closer to the oil- rich nations,” announced Comrade Brezhnev. ‘But we will never be able to look into a mirror if we dis- regard Afghanistan’s pleas. The world will never understand this humanitarian gesture, so, we must fake an invasion.” Sobaka explicitly details the day after. when Soviet troops occupied Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital. Before a tall, bullet-pocked wall, Afghan leaders fell to their knees and begged before a reluctant Soviet firing squad: “If you have any love in your hearts, you will shoot us. And, you must make the international community believe you invaded this tiny, defenseless country so that no one knows how miserably inept we were in running our own affairs. We know you're taking a bum rap but remember, someone will probably write a book telling the world what really hap- pened here.” Two years later, the Kremlin was heartstruck by a similar request from one of its satellites. Political and union leaders in Poland traveled to Moscow on a dire mission. In his bestseller, “Losing Weight Through Deprivation,” Dr. Hardly Cares unravels the bloated tale of Polish laborers concerned about being overweight. To counteract their bounty, workers in Gdansk, Krakow and Warsaw implored leaders to remove meats; vegetables and any- thing digestible from super- markets. Furthermore, since dieting is only half the job of losing weight, they demanded authorities institute WHEN WILL THE POCTOR GET HERE 7 by Barry McWilliams Only Yesterday JUST AS S00N As WE CAN HIRE ONE... ONLY J.B Poodles 50 Years Ago - Jan. 22, 1932 Front page of the Post featured “Dallas Pictured In Past and Pre- sent”. Such landmarks as the Raub Hotel, Charles Gregory’s clothing store, and the muddy, rural road to Harveys Lake. First National Bank opened its doors. 40 Years Ago - Jan. 23, 1942 Air observers sighted 19 planes at their post in Lake Township. Fifty- six more men volunteered to help in this Daddow-Isaacs Air Raid Observation program. F. Roy Searfoss, Dallas carried off top honors in production compe- tition with other members of the Pennsylvania Co-operative Potato Growers’ Association at the State Farm Show in Harrisburg. Searfoss reported a yield of 571 bushels of potatoes. Engaged--Dana A. Pace to John Arthur Dungey. Married--Betty Lewis to G. Wesley Cave; Kathleen Jean Davis t o Walter Rau; Joan Blackman to Robert B. Harvey. Deaths--Boyd F. Cooper, Trucks- ville; Alfred Sidorek, Demunds Road. You could get-Smoked picnic hams, lean smoked bacon, chuck roast, hamburg or balogna, 25c¢ 1b.; stewing oysters 33c pt.; oranges 19¢ doz.; 24-1b. bag flour 83c; coffee 2 lb. 45c¢; toilet tissue 6 rolls 23c. 30 Years Ago - Jan. 25, 1952 Lady Baden-Powell, Chief Guide Guides and Girl Scouts spoke at the annual meeting of the Wyoming Valley Girl Scout Association. Lady Baden-Powell was instrumental in establishing scouting in England. A grey fox which attacked Mrs. Harold Dixon, East Dallas, was suffering from rabies according to the State Laboratory in Harrisburg. Mrs. Dixon, who killed the fox, has begun the Pasteur Treatment. Engaged--Eileen Knollin to Walter Puterbaugh; Ruth Deibert to Harold Hesser; Mary Tomascik to John J. Comer. Married--Aleatha Rosaire Jones to Robert F. Fahringer. Deaths--Oliver Saunders, Hunts- ville Road; Donald M. Williams, Loyalville native; George Z. Keller, Jr., Goss Manor. You could get--Long Island ducklings 39c 1b.; pork loin roasts 39c 1b. ; ground beef 65c¢ 1b.; shrimp 79c 1b. ; Florida oranges 2 doz. 49c; bananas 2 1b. 29¢; Swiss cheese 69¢ lb.; bread 14c per 1g. .0af; 12 oz. jar peanut butter 38c. 20 Years Ago - Jan. 25, 1962 Fred Hennebaul, Lehman wrestler injured in a meet several weeks ago, showed some progress this week. Thus far $2,905.66 has been raised to help Fred's parents with ‘hospital expenses. Commonwealth Telephone Company notified its patrons that be available shortly. Farm Equipment Dealer was elected to a five-year term as director of Luzerne County Agri- cu.tural Extension Association. Married--Sharon Spencer to John Wallace; Connie Wallo to Kenneth Robbins. Deaths--Mary Moss Dobson, New Goss Manor; Edmund Dana Sutliff, Ross Township. You could get--Pork loins 29¢ 1b. ; roasting chickens 39c 1b.; 1-1b. bag coffee 55c; eggs 59c¢ doz.; sharp cheddar cheese 65c¢ 1b.; temple oranges 35c doz.; iceberg lettuce 10c per lg. head. 10° Years Ago - Feb. 3, 1972 After 10 years of service on the Kingston Township Police Force Paul Sabol was appointed chief of police. Kingston Township residents turn out en masse to protest multiple housing rezoning of approximately 23 acres of land. Married--Kathryn Connolly to John Raymond Shaskas. Deaths--Roy Raymond Conger, Shrine View; Mary Hughes, former Dallas resident; Harry W. Nolf, former Back Mt. resident; Flossie Reigle, Fernbrook; Arthur Hun- singer, Noxen native; Corey Hoover, Outlet Road. You could get--Chickens 28c Ib.; turkeys 45c 1b.; potatoes 20-1b. bag 99c; instant coffee 10-o0z. jar 99c. § Ly some sort of physical exercise, such as standing in line all day for a loaf of bread. 2 thy But Polish leaders dragged their despite the proletarian’s need for no food. was apparent marginally democratic avenues were inef- fective, the unions took their case directly to Moscow and asked for military intervention. ‘We will accept nothing less than wholesale oppression,” quotes Dr. Cares in his tome. d The Soviets shuffled their feet but after a few days’ haranguing, were persuaded to intervene. The upshot of Dr. Care’s book is that there is no actual Soviet invasion of Poland. It has been staged to camouflage a nation’s sincere desire to frim down. Te Some of you may scoff at the it devastating revelation. So be it. Just remember, they laughed at Columbus when he insisted the world is round and some publisher somewhere will find an author who can prove it isn’t. Pam Johnson, well- known Homemakers School Home Economist, will be visiting the Back Mountain on Jan. 27. She = will be meeting with the staff of The Dallas Post and local merchants in order to make plans and advance preparations for the Homemakers School...Bringing Good Things to You in ’'82. These programs of food and appliance demon- strations are now con- ducted in over 300 locations in 48 states each year. Without a doubt, it is the largest homemaker- oriented promotion in North America. T hii'’s y ears Homemakers School is“ planned for April 29, at’ College Misericordia. This is a program you'll want to attend, so mark the date now and be = watching for more details. ) PAM JOHNSON Why don’t people discern the times today?...world-wide con- ditions are worse than ever...even before the first great flood on earth, when all on earth were swept away to die...Only Noah and his family survived...they had found favor in the eyes of God...So were Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed...This is the will of God against evil...The biblical phophecies are revealed, in reality throughout all the world...Man is unaware of God’s final plan, and the return to earth of Jesus Christ...Jesus said “Will I find faith on earth when I retur- n”...and no one knows the time...People live today with little concern of the approaching return of the Lord. » F. BUDD SCHOOLEY, M.D. An independent newspaper published each Wednesday by Pen- naprint Inc., from 61 Gerald Ave., Dallas, Pa. 18612. Entered as second class matter at the post office, Dallas, Pa., under theact of March 3, 1889. + J. Stephen Buckley, Publisher : Rick Shannon, Associate Publisher John Allen, Editor Charlot Denmon, News Editor & : Circulation * Sheila Hodges, Production Manager = Mark Moran, Photography - Subscription $12 per year in Pa., $14 out of state. Telephone (717) 675-5211, or 825-6868. . POSTMASTER: If undeliverable, send form 3579 to P.O. Box 366, Dallas, Pa. 18612. A i SR a ae EE | fo: Ts ®
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers