Editorial/opinion
Toe SDALLASC0ST
A Publication of Pennaprint, Inc.
DAVID F. CONNER
General Manager
DEBBY HIGGINS
Editor
Post letters
Off the top
This is what a newspaper IS
BY DEBBY HIGGINS
Post Editor
There has been a lot of publicity surrounding the existance of satanic
cults in the Back Mountain. Some of that publicly announced information
has been sketcy, third-hand, and inconclusive.
But plenty of rumors are based on facts and even though the idea of
devil worship may seem alien to many, the practice is as old as time
itself. This type of activity has been on the increase, nationwide, for the
last several years.
In light of this factual data, and based on requests by our readers, The
Dallas Post’s editorial staff decided to thoroughly investigate the situation
‘and to report the findings to our readers.
After two weeks of intensive investigation, The Dallas Post has
compiled a two-part series on the matter. The data that has been
uncovered may not be a revelation; but it was acquired through the most
professionally journalistic methods available.
Hours of interviews, phone calls, and personal tours, have formed the
basis on which a competent, experienced, and unbiased staff writer has
built an accurate, informative series of articles that present the issues
without editorial opinion. Whether or not the Back Mountain has a
potentially uncomfortable situation on its hands, is up to the reader to
decide.
Many issues that find their way to an editor’s desk or into the editor’s
mind are controversial and potentially hazardous to the reputation of a
newspaper.
The newsworthyness or saleability of the issue is oftentimes a catalyst
that may spur the person in charge to say ‘“‘go get it”’ to a reporter.
But plenty of ideas are explored and investigated by the editorial staff
simply because what may be uncovered will be of immense value to the
community at large. And the bottom line for this newspaper is to be a
community resourse that can be counted on to report the facts and
nothing but the facts. Once all the cards are on the table, the readership
can decide the pros and cons of the issues for itself.
We, at The Dallas Post, take our jobs very seriously. We weigh the
value of each news story by many criteria, not the least of which is the
ablility to get down to ‘‘the nitty gritty’”’ and find out and report the facts
as we have uncovered them. This concept is paramount at this
newspaper.
It’s quite true that newspapers report the news to sell papers but the
people who make up the staff at The Dallas Post have more at stake.
~ The entire staff of The Dallas Post each lives in one of the many
communities that make up the coverage territory of the publication. We
“have more than a journalistic interest in what goes in the Back Mountain.
This is our home, too, and we care.
We pledge ourselves to accurate, unbiased reporting that presents the
issues in the true style of professionally ethical journalism. There are no
followers of the “new journalism”
nothing more, with good, straight news reporting making up the keystone
of The Dallas Post.
style here. It’s “just the facts” and
Old-fashioned values-intergrity, fairness, and accuracy-are the watch-
words by which we write. Our readers can take that promise to the bank.
[It happened in Harrisburg
DEAR EDITOR:
As a former editor of The Dallas
Post, I find myself still interested
in Back Mountain residents and
what they're doing. It’s for that-
reason my attention was turned
last week to a porcelain-poured
Parisian doll that has been donated
to the Wyoming Valley Unit of the
American Cancer Society.
The fact that this particular
donation has been made is espe-
cially noteworthy since the doll was
donated by former Back Mountain
resident Veronica Farinola. Also
noteworthy is the doll’s name -
Allison Patricia - for the late Alli-
son Jones and her mother Patricia.
To people who do not know
Veronica or Pat and who never had
the opportunity to have known Alli-
son, such a donation may be seen
as a nice gesture but perhaps is not
looked upon as significant as it
should be.
Allison Jones passed away
recently - a victim of the disease
we all dread so. Veronica Farinola
has a daughter who has been bat-
tling cancer for a few years. And
Pat Jones will tell you how much
strength and hope Veronica gave
her on Allison’s bleakest days.
Allison Jones was a spunky little
red-headed girl - a young lady who
always had a smile on her face.
She beamed at the opportunity to
see Disneyworld and wouldn’t wash
the hand that held the telephone
when her idol Kirk Cameron from
television’s ‘Growing Pains’ called
her. Allison wouldn't give up - and
neither would her parents, Pat and
Rich.
But Allison was called away from
her parents, leaving a void in their
lives - a void that will never, ever
be filled. Veronica Farinola knows
this and, because of her determina-
tion to find a cure for cancer, the
porcelain Allison Patricia has been
donated to benefit the American
~ Cancer Society.
Because I have had the privilege
of knowing Veronica, Pat and Alli-
son, I urge residents of the Back
Mountain to make it a point to visit
the doll on display at the Wyoming
Valley Mall between April 15 and
17. I also urge them to take a $1
chance on the doll so that all of us
may be brought just one step closer
to stopping the dreaded disease.
Dotty Martin
Editor and Publisher
West Side Weekly
Kingston |
Fiegelman says...
Get out there and vote!
Motorists found guilty of driving
with the tires are subject to fines
which vary according to the date of
the violation. The fines are: April
16 to May 31, $35; June 1-30, $45;
and July 1 to October 31, $55.
April 19 is the date and Wilkes-
Barre the place for one of six
meetings the Department of Envi-
BY REP. CARMEL SIRIANNI
Special to The Post
The March winds brought the
April showers and now some spring
reminders from your state repre-
sentative.
Registered voters who will be
unable to vote at their regular
polling place on Primary Election
Day, April 26, should pick up an
application for an absentee ballot
either at the county courthouse or
at my district office at 28 Maple
Street, Montrose. The telephone
number is 278- 3374.
It’s important to act promptly
since April 19 is the last day that
applications may be received by
the courthouse. The deadline for
submitting the completed ballot to
the appropriate county election
board is April 22.
If you haven’t already, it’s time
to remove your studded snow tires.
It’s illegal to drive with studded
snow tires in Pennsylvania between
April 16 and October 31.
ronmental Resources (DER) has
slated to inform the public about
the recently enacted Low-Level
Radioactive Waste Disposal Act.
The meetings, to be conducted
throughout the state, are designed
to inform citizens, local govern-
ments and others about the opera-
tor selection process and facility
siting process and how they can be
involved. They are part of the plan
for siting a low-level radioactive
waste disposal in Pennsylvania as
required by federal law.
The Wilkes-Barre session will
begin at 7 p.m. in the Wilkes-Barre
Sheraton Crossgates, 20 Public
Square.
‘Jackson’s not the one
Before America trips over its
own feet for tickets to Jesse Jack-
son’s inauguration, we should
really consider who this man is,
where he has been, and where he
would take us as a nation. Jesse is
without a doubt dynamic individual
who seems to take an idealistic
view of our nation. That in itself
could be dangerous when you're
running for the highest office in the
land. He has ties to questionable
personalities, who given a chance
at his ear might not have the
United States best interest at heart.
In fact, several are open hate
mongers. Jesse has never held
public office. No matter how strong
a man he is, never having been
thrown to the political wolves will
certainly affect his presidential
clout. Jesse reminds me in some
ways of Ronald Reagan, a flag
waver who hopes .to stir the frus4
trations of the common man to his”
‘advantage. Whose flag Jesse waves
is also in question.
2000 people waited outside a
meeting hall in Sheboygan, Wiscon-
sin to hear Jesse speak. 20 years
ago many would have had George
Wallace bumper stickers. Some-
thing good and enlightening seems
afoot in America. We may finally
be ready to put aside our racial
and religious fears and pull
together for the common good.
Eight years of Reagan and his pals
may have stirred the drink. With-
out question I think it would be a
triumph for democracy and for all
walks of life to have a black in the
White House. Unfortunately, Jesse’s
not the right man.
Let’s start with Farrakhan and
the ‘“‘Hymie” remark. Not very
long ago, Jesse Jackson embraced
Louis Farrakhan, noted racist, and
called him a great man. This is
something like George McGovern
embracing George Wallace and
singing his praises. Unfortunately
for Louis, Hitler would have gra-
ciously escorted him to the gallows
had he lived in Nazi Germany. It
seems such hypocrisy for a black
man to use racism to achieve his
goals. Jesse, in the meantime,
called New York City, ‘‘Hymie-
town’. One wonders if there is
hidden racism in Jesse just waiting
to rear its ugly head should he
attain the White House. This is
something America should consider
while they’re singing, ‘‘Jesse,
Jesse’.
The only position as an adminis-
trator that Jesse ever held was as
head of the Chicago-based civil
rights organization Operation Push.
He was there for 12 years, in which
time PUSH went heavily into debt,
and has yet to explain what hap-
pened to $1.2 million in federal
grants. Is it possible that Mr. Jack-
son, so wrapped up in hisown rheto-
ric, would allow his administration
to become rife with cabinet corrup-
tion?
Jesse also says that it’s time for
the poor man to share in this
nation’s great wealth. Where have I
heard that before? Well, there are
two possibilities. Either the very
rich are suddenly going to open
their wallets for Jesse, oir the guy
working for 8.00 an hour with three
kids is going to foot the bill. Jesse
doesn’t tell you that. With Pat
Robertson as vice-president maybe
he could open a few more wallets.
Could you see that, Jesse and Pat
running the show...?
Jesse seems to be an opportunist,
although what politician isn’t? The
day after Martin Luther King was
shot he went on television wearing
a blood-stained shirt claiming that
he held the dying King in his arms.
Witnesses said that he was nowhere
near the scene of the fatal shooting.
Is he just anolther image-making
pretender to the White House
throne?
Jesse has also expressed an affin-
ity with Third World terrorism,
which for any leader of the ‘“‘most
powerful nation on Earth’ could be
a fatal mistake. His sympathy for
the likes of Castro and the PLO
weave a dangerous tapestry for the
future of democracy as we know it.
What this boils down to is that
before we go off on some Kennedy-
esque fantasy, we should consider
the facts along with the image and
populist theories. Jesse Jackson is
potentially a dangerous man in
America. What he says and what
he does are often at odds with each
other. This is not and should not be
a racial issue. I would like to think
that America is finally graduating
from its petty hates and lynch mob
days. What is at issue is that Jesse
Jackson does not have the qualifi-
cations to be the next president of
the United States. I hope that
voters in this country will not be
fooled by appearances again. See
you next week...
A note from the editor
Inside Pennsylvania
Rural PA facing tough issues
BY HOWARD J. GROSSMAN
Special to The Post
In recent years, much attention has been placed nationally on the plight
of the American farming community. This has been translated into issues
relating to the farm belt, the farm credit system, agricultural subsidies,
and a variety of other words and phrases which are meant to describe
rural problems and issues in the United States.
While rural America is under great strain, it by no means describes the -
troubled nature of rural and small town America. The latter is much
more than agricultural America. It consists of many small towns and
villages in Appalachia, the textile mills of North Carolina, the coal mines
of West Virginia, the iron range of Minnesota, the timberland of Oregon,
and the thousands and millions of Americans who face hard times if
many parts of the United States. In point of fact, agricultural jobs
represent only about 10 percent of all jobs in the rural part of the United
States.
In a recent report issued by the states’ office of the Appalachian
Regional Commission titled ‘Rural America; Current Realities, Issues for
the Future” the situation in rural America was characterized as follows:
“it is a picture of severe economic decline brought about by international
competition, lack of inadequately educated and trained work force, the
inadequacy of the physical infrastructure and other quality of life
amenities, and government policies which, often ignore the interest of
rural America and, at times, are adverse to the interest of rural
America’.
A major conclusion may be reached concerning rural America. There is
growing evidence that no rural development policy of any substance exists
in the United States. While the same characterization may be true ff 3
other parts of the nation, it is probably more so for rural America since
the absence of policy and even more importantly, the absence ‘of
significant programs of assistance has been with the nation for a long
time. ;
While various studies have been made and suggestions offered in
various years, they have become a meaningless set of words which dot
the landscape of the rural parts of the United States.
In the Back Mountain, changes have taken place to make this once
rural area become increasingly suburbanized. On the other hand, the
extent to which this trend continues depends upon the longevity of the
current development boom which is taking place across Northeastern
Pennsylvania. Much of the land area between Dallas and Tunkhannock is
still basically rural, yet there is a tendency for some of this area to be
categorized as rural non-farm rather than pure agricultural lands. As the
development pressure mount, the Lehman or Sweet Valley Area will
experience new growth, thus decreasing the rural nature of this part of
Luzerne County. The need for a rural development policy within
Northeastern Pennsylvania and Luzerne County is as severe as it is in they
nation as a whole.
The issue is most dramatically drawn when seen from the context of
where people live or where people would like to live. More and more,
there is a growing shift in American lifestyle so as to limit the
opportunities for young people to remain in rural America, and to
encourage the migration of these people to more urban settlements in the
nation. In the absence of a positive policy, this shift will cause a
continuing draft in the lifestyle habits of rural Americans. What are the
characteristics of American life? Some of these characteristics include the
following:
1. Of the 3100 counties in the nation, 78 percent are rural.
2. While 25 percent of the nation’s population lives in rural America,
only 20 percent of the jobs are there.
3. The economy of rural America is based primarily on non- agriculturg®
employment. For example, more than 60 percent of farm families’ incom iW
comes from non-agricultural sources.
4. More rural counties are manufacturing dependent than are agricul-
tural dependent.
5. In the most recent year, more than 1,000 of the 2,400 rural countigh)
reported unemployment in excess of 9 percent, while the national rate was
7 percent.
6. About 10 percent of all rural counties have had per capita incomes in
the lowest fifth of the income distribution continuously since 1950.
7. People are leaving rural areas at a rate of about 600,000 a year, a
rate that exceeds that of the high migration decades of the 1950's and the
1960's.
In a variety of categories such as education and training, healthcare,
distribution of earned income, physical infrastructure, (including transpor-
tation, water and sewer, and housing) rural America in this age of
competitiveness is not meeting the challenge to compete with urban and
suburban America. Most importantly, rural governments have seen their
tax base erode as their agricultural, mining, and manufacturing sectors
have gone into relative decline. It is these factors and others which haves
dictated the malaise which has settled over the rural sectors of the Unites
States.
The problem is such to demand amidicy of recognition and action. The
above mentioned report is being circulated to key public and private
sectors leaders throughout the nation. It requires the interest and
involvement of persons of all walks of life to cope with this dilemma. It
also involves a need to not forget the other kinds of pressures and
problems facing the nation such as the fiscal constraints in urban cities
and the growing awareness that suburban America may face conditions
which currently exist in urban America unless management strategies
and governmental policies are adjusted to enable all parts of the nation to
effectively relate to the problems of the 1990’s and the rapidly
approaching 21st Century. It is this element which needs to be examined
in the Back Mountain and other areas of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
and before 12 noon, Monday, for
articles, in order that we can give
our utmost in preparing The Dallas
Post. Space and time are ingredi-
ents that make up a newspaper and
we do our best. Your cooperation
will help us serve our communitiies
better.
The Dallas Post, your community
newspaper, looks forward to all
those very important activities that
make up a vital part of where we
live. But The Dallas Post asks that
requests for photo coverage and the
submission of articles for publica-
tion be submitted to our offices at
least 24 hours in advance for photos
The Post asks: “What do you plan
to do the 1st day of Trout Season?”
BETTY WALLACE
Betty Wallace
Waitress
Harveys Lake
“I’m gonna go shopping and
spend my husband’s pay check.”
FRANK KASTREVA
Frank Kastreva
Retired
Ashley
“I'm going to be fishing at Har-
veys lake, I'm only gonna catch
small trout cause my wife’s only
got a small frying pan.”
JOE YEAGER
Joe Yeager
Chimney contractor
Larksville
“I'm taking my granddaughter,
Jacqueline Yeager, fishing for the
1st time, she’s 3 years old.”
BETTY GREY
Betty Grey
Housewife
Harveys Lake
“I’m going down to Warden
Place to watch Jackie fish.”
GINNY KASTREVA
Ginny Kastreva
Homemaker
Ashley
“We're having our nephew and
his 7 year old son and my son and
granddaughter come over to fish
with Edward Kastreva from Capt.
Fast Eddie’s boat. Then we’ll have
a fish fry.”
LORAINE YEAGER
Loraine Yeager
Homemaker
Larksville
“Sitting at home waiting for the
guys to bring home the fish so I
can cook them.”
evra