ay ire = PY Be Be I "Dallas, PA Wednesday, October 26, 1988 \ ais 2 - Te in Nallaa Naas Nallaa ™a AAS. ~~ 4 The Dallas Post HABGAT ys SA) ee 1 Ly Ay YAR RNR TRY FLAN a Si Att A ted Tie SDALLASCR0ST ‘Does anyone care about this election? This week's issue of The Dallas Post contains three lettérs against Michael Dukakis’s candidacy from persons out of the area. We were hesitant about publishing these letters because they are not from local residents. But, this being a national campaign and there having been no letters from local folks, we felt an exception was appropriate. We are unhappy, though, that so little interest in the 1988 presidential election has been expressed here. And we haven't seen a lot more in other papers either. The Post will make its endorsements in the race next week. We will do that not because we think we have any special right to tell people how to vote, but because we have opinions to express, and the forum to do it in. We make that forum available to all readers so that differing opinions can be aired; opinions on which many others will draw as they prepare to exercise their constitutional right to vote in these elections. We firmly believe that an informed . public has the right and the duty to select its own governmental leaders. It has been a sad commentary on the state of the nation that so many people have commented that neither candidate merits their support. That is an unacceptable position in our republic. Each of us must choose from the candidates offered because if only the partisans vote, the nation’s leadership will come to represent only a small minority of the governed. Actually, our involvement ~ should not be limited to election day, it should start with the selection process that seems presently so unpopular. So please feel free to write and tell the community who you think should be the next President of the United States, and why. Our only qualifier is that we won't publish new charges or issues that can't be answered before the election. We hope to hear from you. Enjoy this Halloween - and be safe As a youngster, no day was more fun for us - or riskier - than Halloween. That was the one night a year we were able to go out on our own without adults hanging around. We recall the fun and the danger equally well. That is why it’s useful for adults and children to remember that the day will be more rewarding if reasonable precautions are exercised. And because October 31 is a Monday, it is likely that trick-or-treating will take place both Sunday and Monday, so caution is urged both days. Motorists should be particularly careful those two evenings. Not only might children be hard to see in their costumes, they are prone to being distracted by one another if they are in groups. And ~ the children’s vision may be blocked by their masks. Trick-or-treaters should exercise equal caution as they make their rounds. They should watch for cars that appear to be driving wn too fast or erratically, and they should have all treats checked by ~ an adult before eating them. With the proper precautions, we can all have a safe and happy Halloween. Attend the Dallas Halloween parade ~ One of the best ways for children and their parents to enjoy Halloween is to take part in the annual Halloween parade in Dallas. Sponsored by the Dallas Kiwanis, this event will offer plenty of enjoyment for everyone who attends. Each participant will receive a bag of treats, and prizes will be awarded in five categories of costume judging. Besides that, it will be great fun for all children to compare their costumes and practice their scariest Moves. The parade assembles at 12:00 Noon on Sunday, October 30 at the old Dallas Township School across route 309 from the Township police building. Costume judging will take place at 12:30 and the parade will start at 1:00. Music for the parade will "be provided by the Dallas Senior High School marching band. If it rains, the event will move indoors at the Dallas Elementary School on Hilderbrant Road. We'll be there and we hope to see you, too. Letters invited The Dallas Post encourages readers to share their opinions with the. ~ community by writing a letter to the editor. All letters for publication must be signed and include a telephone number so that we may verify their authenticity. We will not publish anonymous letters. Send letters to: The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas, PA 18612. Letters received by Noon on Monday may be included in that week's issue. Waterfall . Hikers at Ricketts Glen are treated to the sight of this; the first in a series of waterfalls in the park. (Photo by Charlotte Bartizek) Prison Citizens' Council thanks officials for their help Editor: Senator Lemmond and our repre- sentatives who work with the Citi- zens Advisory Committee for the State Correctional Institution at Dallas should be recognized. They have supported our Committee since its beginning. They have attended all regular meetings of the Citizens Advisory Committee and S.C.L.D. administration for the purpose of security improvements at the facil- ity. The Senator's office monitors all developments in the State budget having requested funds for current projects. In a combined effort the Senator and Representatives Jaro- lin, Hasay and Dieterrick drafted a letter requesting funds. This letter was forwarded to both the Governor and the Commissioner of Correc- tions. Representative Hasay constantly is in pursuit of these funds and at the same time is currently co-spon- soring a bill to create additional prison facilities statewide. Hasay is ~ concerned with the ever increasing number of prisoners within the system and desires to have State facilities keep up with the rising population. Along another line the bill includes early release and com- munity service provisions for non- violent offenders. When the going got tough on the recent S.C.I.LD. siren installation project it was Representative Jaro- lin that got the Dept. of General Services moving. Installations that were supposed to take months were accomplished in days with Jarolin's direction. : Within the community Senato Lemmond recently. directed PennDOT to conduct a traffic study on Chase Road. Thru the summer high speed traffic including large construction trucks caused concern for safety. The study concluded that - the 35 mph speed limit that exists on a part of Chase Road will be extended to Route 29. Hopefully this will reduce the number of vehicle “roll-overs” that occur in that stretch re, ~ I appreciate your cooperation in publishing this letter so that our community will know these men and their staffs are working for us. Pat Rusiloski Citizens Advisory Committee Resident Jackson Township Cites ACLU agenda to color Dukakis Editor: Since one of the major candi- dates for president, Michael Dukakis, is a"proud card-carrying member ofthe A.C.L.U.", areview of their positions on a number of is- sues is in order. These are outlined in A.C.L.U’s 576 page “Policy Guide™: 1) Drugs should not be prohib- ited by law. 2) Workfare is unconstitutional. 3) The Constitution mandates increased welfare spending. 4) There can be no military draft, even in wartime. 5) Abortion is a constitutional right. 6) Churches & synagogues should lose their tax-exempt status. 7) The First Amendment protects pornography. 8) Prostitution should be legal. 9) Homosexuals can be foster parents. I guess it's not really all that surprising that Michael Dukakis, who, as a young legislator, spon- sored bills to legalize abortion on demand is proud of this agenda. What's surprising is that anyone is supporting him. Kathy Judge Clarks Summit Quilters thank The Post for coverage dio, TV, private organizations, and Editor: On behalf of the Pennsylvania Quilters would like to thank you for the excellent photo and news cover- age you gave us for our recent quilt show at Penn State/Wilkes-Barre Campus. Your newspaper and others, ra- advertising media were very gener- ous in their help to make our efforts worthwhile. We would like to thank the public who came, numbering approximately 2,000. Margaret McClure Publicity Chairperson Says that Democrats have hidden agenda Editor: The Democratic party leadership, in what can best be described as “The Big Cover-Up” are trying to convince the American people that just because Michael Dukakis is a “proud card-carrying member” of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), it doesn't mean he sub- scribes to the liberal causes they support or would appoint liberal justices to the Supreme Court who do. But, a study of Dukakis’ court appointments as Governor of Mas- sachusetts says otherwise. Dukakis made two appointments to the Massachusetts Supreme Court—Paul Liakos and Ruth Abrams. Both are fervent adherents to the ACLU liberal social agenda, who are committed toimposing their values (or lack thereof) on the people of Massachusetts through judicial decree. A few examples prove the point. Liacos and Abrams believe that a mandatory 25 year sentence for major drug traffickers constitutes crueland unusual punishment, that abortion funding is required by the state constitution, and that child pornographers should be protected under the first Amendment right to free speech. Their liberal agenda also puts them in favor of gays in child custody cases and in opposi- tion to obscenity laws. Not surpris- ingly, both also supported Dukakis in the now-famous Pledge of Alle- giance case. : It is important to note that al- though Dukakis recently expressed disagreement with ACLU's efforts to shield child pornographers (child porn obviously doesn't sell well as a campaign issue), he somehow failed to mention that his two high court appointees, Liacos and Abrams, are in accord wit the ACLU on the issue. Charges that Dukakis Editor: Imagine the pain of a mother as she goes to identify the body of her child who has been brutally mur- dered. No one can erase that pain. It can only be eased slightly by know- ing that her child's killer has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Next, imagine the horror that same mother would experience if just ten years later, she met her child's killer while dining at a res- taurant. That scenario actually happened to Pam Allen, a resident of Massachusetts. Governor Mike Dukakis approved of the furlough program which let her child's killer walk the streets saying “I'm satis- fied we have the kind of furlough program we should have.” In Massachusetts, an average of one killer per day was released on furlough. Four hundred and twenty- eight inmates escaped while on unescourted furloughs, and many of these committed crimes includ- ing rape and murder again. Massa- chusetts is the only state in the nation to release on furlough, crimi- nals sentenced to life without pa- role. When the citizens of Lawrence, Massachusetts realized that killers were walking their streets, they began to alert the public by way of petition drives and hearings to gather support for a bill authored by two Democratic legislators, Herman and Giordano which would have banned furloughs for first-degree murder- ers. While the Massachusetts legis- One national columnist recently stated: “If the American people knew where Dukakis stood on the ACLU agenda, they would reject him in a landslide.” But why has it taken so long for the truth to come out? Because the Democratic leadership, aided by a very liberal national media, have deliberately tried to keep the truth from the American people. The plot, as it turns out, was conceived many months ago during the drafting of the Democratic plat- form. Rcognizing that liberalism harmed the Democratic ticket in 1984, the Democrats devised a plan—we won't change our posi- tions, we just won't talk about them. And so, instead of repeating their mistakes of ‘84, they wrote a very vague platform, and, as was ex- pected, the special interest groups went wild. But, not to worry said the Democratic leadership, we're still with you on abortion, gay rights, etc., we just don’t want the Ameri- can people to know it. And so began “The Big Cover-Up.” The plan was best summed up when a reporter for the Congres- sional Quarterly interviewed Rep. Peter Kostmayer of Pennsylvania, shortly after the platform was drafted. When asked how the Demo- cratic party planned to calm the special interest groups, Kostmayer, in a moment of unexplained candor responded:"We told them to shut up. Just shut up, gays, women, environmentalists. You'll get every- thing you want after the election, but just for the meantime shut up so that we can win.” The Democratic leadership obvi- - ously thinks they can fool the Ameri- can people. For the sake of all that is good and decent, I pray to God they're wrong. BA Denise Neary Clarks Summit is soft on criminals lature passed the bill, Governor Dukakis pocket vetoed it saying it “would have cut the heart out of efforts at inmate rehabilitation.” Outraged citizens collected signa- tures in order to have the furlough question placed on the November 1988 ballot. Three mother’s of vic- tims met Governor Dukakis person- ally and presented petitions to him whereupon Dukakis commented “I have signatures from prisoners too.” (The prisoners supported the fur- lough program.) Massachusetts citizens continued their petition drive until they col- lected 52,000 signatures, several hundred more than they needed to put the furlough question on the ballot. It was only after they col- lected these signatures that Dukakis dropped his opposition to the Her- man/Giordano bill. Soft on crime Dukakis wants to see convicts free walking the streets at night and decent citizens locked up in their homes out of fear. Dukakis not only lets murderers out on weekend passes, has released 53 murderers permanently by com- muting their life sentences after they had served as little as ten years in ow — a8: oe / [* \ x9 prison. » Anyone who wants to know more about the Massachusetts furlough program should watch the docu- mentary, Justice on Furlough by Fairmont Productions, Box 495 Alton, Illinois 62002. Susan Kardos Cirba Scranton, Pa. The Post asks: “What will you “be for Halloween and why?” Bobbie Jo Thompson, 5 Alice Zim, 7 Harveys Lake Harveys Lake “I want to be a queen so I can “I'm gonna be a cheerleader be- dress up real pretty.” cause it's fun to be a cheerleader.” Bradley Thompson, 3 Harveys Lake “A chicken, uncle buck buck, because that's what I call Uncle Bryan.” 3 Rob Van Gorder, 14 Loyalville ‘I'm gonna be Freddy Kruger because he was a real neat charac- ter on TV and hopefully I can scare a lot of people.” : Adam Hoover, 11 Trucksville “I want to be Wolfman because he’s very scary.” Melissa Sorber, 6 Lehman “A happy clown.”
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers