By EDWIN FEULNER
Special to The Dallas Post
I’m getting tired of South Africa. We all
know that the government of South Africa
is not a paradigm of virtue, and that
something must be done to end apartheid.
But from the way the news media covered
the subject, one would think South Africa is
the only place left on earth with a repres-
sive government, and it’s not by a long
shot.
Here, for example, are some stories that
are being given a short shrift in the
media’s mad rush to have the last word on
apartheid...
AFGHANISTAN — If you thought the
Soviets pulled out when we refused to send
our athletes to the Moscow Olympics,
you're wrong. Even with the Head Red’s
decision to recall 5,000 soldiers, there are
still about 150,000 Soviet troops in the war-
ravaged country. And what are the Soviets
up to? You can bet they’re not sitting on
their hands or plucking chickens. Instead,
they’ve been having fun with gas warfare,
attack helicopters, and bombs that look like
toys (designed to explode when Afghan kids
pick them up)...
ETHIOPIA — If you think a lot of blacks
are dying in South Africa, you ain’t seen
nothin’ yet. Take a look at the North
African Soviet client state of Ethiopia. The
regime of that country’s mass murderer
Mengistu Haile Mariam has managed to
starve hundreds of thousands of its people-
while food from international relief agen-
cies rots on the docks (starving rebellious
citizens is cheaper than shooting them).
But maybe that’s all right in the eyes of the
media; in Ethiopia, you see, blacks are
doing the killing, not whites...
IRAN — Once one of the more enlight-
ened countries in the Arab world, Iran is
currently involved in a bitter war with its
neighbor, Iraq. And in a brilliant flash of
military strategy, Iran’s ayatollahs have
perfected the use of children as mine
detectors and tank buffers...
CAMBODIA — Rumor has it that Cambo-
dian despot Pol Pot has given up his mass
murder. Small wonder. After killing untold
millions (some say as much as half the
population), there aren’t very many people
left in Cambodia to butcher...
NICARAGUA — Ronald Reagan has been
right all along. There IS a Communist on
our doorstep. And after meeting with his
spiritual leaders in Moscow, Cuba and
Libya, Daniel Ortega has moved into the
big time. He’s sent troops to visit his
We Americans are settling
for mediocrity more and
more every day.
How many times have you
bought a new jacket or shirt _ 1ODY
and the first time you put it Coleman
neighbors, shut down the only opposition
newspaper left in the country, persecuted
churchmen, and redistributed the wealth so
well that no one has anything.
THE SOVIET UNION — Yes, it’s true:
The Soviets don’t have discriminatory
apartheid laws. In the new Soviet Worker's
State, virtually EVERYBODY gets perse-
cuted and EVERYBODY likes it (or else).
It’s more fair that way. Well, ALMOST
everyone likes it. You can count the 17
million or more who died in the Gulags
between 1930 and 1953, and the millions who
are on permanent vacations in Siberia...
THE EASTERN BLOC COUNTRIES —
Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary,
Rumania, East Germany. No violations of
human rights here. Just ask the Ministers
of Propaganda. Okay, so maybe they did
kill a couple of priests, and jail a few
thousand dissidents, and stifle free speech,
and shut down a labor union or two. But it’s
nothing the Nazis didn’t do...
AND A HOST OF OTHERS — Libya,
North Korea, Red China, Vietnam, Laos,
Syria, Mozambique, Angola, Liberia and
Cuba.
So why aren’t these countries also in the
news? Why don’t our newspapers write
pious editorials denouncing these brutal
regimes? Why aren’t the protestors calling
for sanctions and disinvestment? The
answer is simple: the more it invites
criticism.
It is one of the supreme ironies of our
time that the countries that most deserve to
be vilified are the ones that get the least
press attention. Countries with relatively
free and open societies on the other hand
become victims of the media juggernaut
precisely because their flaws are there in
full view.
Reporters who feel the need to write on
South Africa simply take the next flight to
Johannesburg. Writing a story on Afghani-
stan, on the other hand, is a risky business
that involves crossing hundreds of miles of
mountains making it across a closed
border, and evading Soviet troops who have
orders to stop precisely the kind of thing we
are talking about.
No, South Africa is not the only repressive
state in the world. It’s not even the worst.
But it’s a convenient target; and that
seems to be good enough these days.
Isn’t it time for the U.S. media to give
equal time to all repressive regimes?
(Edwin Feulner is president of The Heri-
tage Foundation, a Washington-based
public policy research institute. His column
appears in The Dallas Post periodically.)
Beware of alcohol!
i, SE
Kevin BiHerbender and Sue
The fall season, with the chill in the air
that turns leaves to crimson and gold,
ates the mood for one of the most colorful
observances, Halloween.
“It is a time for fun and fantasy, not
tragedy,” said Matt Maththiesen, acting
direcgor of the state Health Department’s
Division of Emergency Health Services,
and he offers these suggestions for Hallow-
een safety for your little ghosts and goblins.
— Store-purchased costumes tend to be on
the thin side and don’t provide protection
from the elements. Warm underclothing
will help ward off colds and the flu.
— Many of the commercial costumes may
not be fireproof. Never allow children to
carry lighted candles. A flashlight fash-
ioned as a candle or lantern will give the
same effect without the danger.
— Each child should carry a flashlight
whether it is part of the costume or not. It
will let them see and be seen.
— Costumes should allow freedom of
about all of this is not the
button or match or bag or
car. It is the fact that our
present society doesn’t put a
high enough value on qual-
ity. We seem to settle for
movement, but not be too loose to cause
children to trip over them.
— Attach strips of reflective tape to
costumes so motorists can see them at.
night.
— Where possible, use makeup instead of
a mask. If a mask is a necessary part of
the costume, be sure it fits well so that eyes
line up with eye holes. And be sure the
holes are large enough.
— Go over the rules of safety before the
children go out.
— Adults should accompany small chil-
dren on their rounds of the neighborhood.
— Instruct the children not to eat any of
the goodies until they get home. There the
treats can be examined and parceled out in
amounts that will not make them sick.
“I would especially caution motorists to
be on the lookout for young trick or treaters
as Halloween approaches. Each year there
are accidents that could have been avoided
if the driver and the children were a little
more careful,”’ Matthiesen said.
on, a button pops off? How
about those matches that
don’t light, or the stamps
that don’t stick? Did you
ever go grocery shopping
and have the bottom of the
bag fall out?
We are living in a polyester
disposable - easily replaced.
Fabrics even come already
shrunken and wrinkled and
faded. We are spending our
hard-earned money for
“junk.”
Every year the new car
models come out loaded with
more and more plastic.
Imagine! Plastic in a vehicle
that takes us and our loved
ones from place to place at
60 miles an hour. No wonder
they fold up like accordions
on impact. Even the metal in
the car bodies crunches like
paper.
As consumers, our appetite
for new goods seems insatia-
ble. Perhaps the manufac-
turers need to produce at
such a frantic pace to satisfy
us, that they have given
quality control ‘‘Short
shrift.”
Perhaps, but I rather sus-
pect that the reason so many
of today’s products are
shoddy and don’t work as
they should, is that we con-
sumers accept this mediocr-
ity. Did you ever demand
from the manager of the
supermarket a replacement
for the jar of jelly that
smashed when the bag
broke? Did you ever get a
new book of stamps for the
ones that don’t stick? Did
you ever tell the car dealers
that you’ll pay a few
hundred more for real wood
and metal and leather in the
interior?
The thing that worries me
any old thing as long as the
price is right. If it breaks,
throw it away, and buy a
new one.
This attitude has carried
over to people aideas as
well. Accept mediocre per-
formance on the job. Pay the
least you can get away with
to the workers to get the job
done at the lowest cost and
highest profit. Give only as
much effort to your job as is
necessary. Never mind max-
imum performance. Let
quality be damned.
Ideas are also becoming
mediocre, ‘mush for the
masses.” Many of our teach-
ers are also ordinary. They
don’t make much money, so
they don’t really put forth
the effort they should.
(Toby Coleman, a Back
Mountain resident, is a col-
umnist for The Dallas Post.
Her column appears regu-
larly.)
DEAR EDITOR:
Bill Scranton has character-
ized himself as ‘‘pro-choice”’
on the issue of abortion in an
attempt to somehow portray
himself as a moderate on the
issue. However, this position
was good enough for him to
gain the endorsement by the
National Abortion Rights
Action League (NARAL),
one of the strongest pro-
abortion groups in the coun-
fry... ;
NARAL recognizes that a
pro-choice position is as good
and as effective as a hard-
core pro-abortion one
because it allows abortion-
on-demand to continue
unchallenged.
And, Bill Scranton recently
proved that he wants nothing
to interfere with the ‘‘so-
called right to abortion.”’ He,
along with other pro-abortion
groups across the state,
urged Governor Thornburg
to veto a measure designed
to tighten the law on teenage
drinking, because it had
“certificate of need’ legisla-
tion attached to it. The
requirement would have
made it mandatory that
abortion clinics, like all
other health care facilities,
prove their need before
opening or expanding.
Apparently Bill Scranton
can’t be serious about reduc-
ing the number of abortions
if he was willing to sacrifice
a bill to curb the grave
problem of teenage drinking
because abortion legislation
was a part of it.
MRS. HELEN GOHSLER
PRESIDENT, SCRANTON
CHAPTER
PENNSYLVANIANS
FOR HUMAN LIFE
DEAR EDITOR:
Thank you so much for the
wonderful article and press
coverage you gave to Quilt
Show ’86.
Over 2000 people attended
the show and over $3,600 was
raised for charity.
Thank you for making the
public aware of our Quilt
Show.
Many thanks.
AUDREY ANGELELLA
PENNA. QUILTERS
Here is a summary of impor-
tant events that occurred on
Capitol Hill last week from Rep.
Frank Coslett, 120th Legislative
District.
HEARING DELAYED - The
Select House Committee study-
ing the Capitol expansion
project postponed a scheduled
hearing this week. An attorney
for the Democrat-controlled
panel said that ground rules
could not be agreed to for the
appearance of a witness, Robert
Gentzel, a press aide in the
Attorney General's office. Rep.
Jeff Piccola, R-Dauphin, the
ranking Republican member of
the committee, said this devel-
opment proves that Democrats
on the committee are in total
disarray. ‘Rather than investi-
gating the construction of a
building, they are now trying to
determine what information
passed from one press secretary
to another,” he said. “It’s clear
now that the whole purpose of
the investigation is one of parti-
san politics.”
VICTIM’S RIGHTS - Gov.
Dick Thornburgh this week
DAVID F. CONNER
General Manager
DOTTY MARTIN
Executive Editor
signed into law a measure
which prevents an employer
from dismissing or penalizing
an employee for appearing in
court as a victim or witness of a
crime. Developed and sponsored
by Rep. Jon D:. Fox (R-Mont-
gomery), the bill is part of a
proposed package of legislation
designed to create an enforcea-
ble Victim’s Bill of Rights in
Pennsylvania. Under the new
law, which takes effect in
December, any attempt to
deprive a worker from his or
her job, seniority or benefits for
missing work due to a court
appearance will be treated as a
summary offense punishable by
a fine of up to $300 and or 90
days in jail. In addition, a fired
employee may sue for reinstate-
ment, recovery of lost wages
and benefit, and reimbursement
for legal fees. However, the
employer is not required to pay
the employee for time missed
on the job. “The participation of
victims and witnesses is essen-
By NANCY KOZEMCHAK
Library Correspondent
The Back Mountain Memorial
Library is featuring, in the dis-
play case, four American
Legion limited edition decanters
borrowed from Tom and Martha
Reese of Dallas. These are
exact replicas of the original
memorial statues of the four
wars our country was involved
in.
They include the ‘Doughboy’
from World War I dedicated
November 11, 1979; a Sailor
representing World War II dedi-
cated December 7, 1981; a Para-
trooper from the Korean War
dedicated on August 12, 1984;
and a Marine representing the
Vietnam War dedicated on June
9, 1985. Featured in the center
of the display are the American
flag and a Pennsylvania flag.
Tom and Martha attended the
Vietnam War dedication and
ordered the decanter which they
received on June 12, 1986.
November seemed the proper
month to display these decan-
ters with Election Day on
November 4th and Veterans
Day on November 11th. These
decanters make a very interest-
ing display and represent a lot
of our history. They will be at
the library until Nov. 19th.
The Book Club met at the
library recently with 18 mem-
bers attending. New books were
reviewed and the program was
presented by Marilyn Rudolph
and Nancy Kozemchak, librari-
ans. A film was shown titled,
“Wyeth Phenomenon’’ which
showed Andrew Wyeth’s paint-
ings emphasizing his great skill
as an illustrator, his feel for
realism and strength in portray-
ing traditional American sub-
jects. Many of his famous paint-
ings were shown from an
exhibit in New York City and
some paintings of his father’s
and also some of his sons were
included in the film. The film
showed many scenes of Mr.
Wyeth’s home in Chadds Ford.
The library has three lovely
books featuring the Wyeth
paintings. This program proved
to be very enjoyable with dis-
cussion following and refresh-
ments served by Benny Match-
ett and her committee.
A very special thank you to a
lovely young volunteer who
game many hours of her time to
the library during a four year
period. Heather Hand, daughter
of Joe and Sue Hand, spent
Thursday evenings at the
library and did many volunteer
tasks which we certainly did
appreciate.
Heather is quite interested in
the British Royal Family and is
well versed on many aspects of
their lives. Heather is a very
conscientious and faithful
worker and I’m glad she worked
Thursday nights; I was able to
get to know her and enjoy her
pleasant personality.
(Nancy Kozemchak is the
assistant librarian at the Back
Mountain Memorial Library.
Her column appears regularly.)
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