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
®