Ve, Sites IN RORY WV vv WV 1 A 1 SV dd SER aes EERE 5 | gE, ¥ Pied ORE A AT | | FOS a An) To bed pk JS {J WJ. { In Los Angeles, past is prologue By J.W. JOHNSON If any of the major polling or- ganizations had just a month ago asked Americans about what were the major issues facing this na- tion, the question of urban policy wouldn't have even made the list. That was before all hell broke loose in Los Angeles. We all now know why: white cops beat black traffic violator; jury finds white cops innocent; black citizens riot in protest; more than 50 die and more than $1 billion in damages result. That's the superficial answer, . but the real answers lie beneath centuries of ignorance and fear. And to put to rest this issue right . up front; there is absolutely no doubt that some black people in - Los Angeles used the Rodney King . verdict as an excuse to steal what they couldn't otherwise afford to - buy. And there are many bigots out there just waiting to parade before us the video taped obvious in ga pport for their already drawn =nclusions. These bigots ignore that if the situation were reversed, just as many white people would be out there looting as were black people, because looting isn't a function of one’s skin color; it's a - result of frustration meeting op- . portunity. But to dismiss the entire ques- tion of how this society, both . through its citizens interaction and ' governmental reaction, deals with r. racial questions, is the height of racial ignorance and white arro- ! gance. And other bigots heard this week have said the Los Angeles riots Buin have happened if “they ‘ had kept their place.” It wasn't as if] haven't heard the expression before. More's the pity. It's just that I hadn't heard it in a long time, the last time some 25 - years ago when my mother said it. She was wrong. As was the young man and his mother who said the following last week: “I don't have anything against them as long as they keep their place.” My mother said it out of the ignorance. @ hc young man said it out of ighorance and acquired hatred. You see, he's a Skinhead. I a¥ou've heard about these young “in who shave their heads, rally -around the flag, and practice ra- .cism. I met this young man as the son of someone I know in a neigh- boring county. He's quite sincere. And hearing that soft, tenor voice, coming from that choir boy face, it's hard to believe he's capable of “hating anyone. But he does. Blacks in particular. The roots of this ignorance go - deep. He acquired the water and sunshine to feed this hatred from “his parents. Those parents are now gy tent to publicly profess the self Se ception that the Skinheads are a group of young men who promote goodwill, help others and attend . rock concerts. : The Skinheads promote hatred. Pure and simple hatred of other human beings simply because of a - Sale includes Lane Weathermaster aa Outdoor °N{ Wicker Furniture UPHOLSTERY Select Now at Early-Bird Discounts up to Sale Ends Wed., June 3 as THE VENTURE COLLECTION 40%. Why settle for ordinary? Enjoy extraordinary Lane Upholstery Indoor/Outdoor Casual Furniture in our Venture Collection. property owned by the latter. difference in skin color. It starts with the “they”..."if they keep their place.” In order to have a ‘they’, you must first have an us, thus setting up the foundation of them against us. That ‘they’ is a different skin color only makes the target easier to point out and focus upon. That the skin color represents all that we are taught as children as being bad only makes the hatred easier to promote without asking why, i.e. : Darkness to a child equals fear. Black is dark. If you can't see it and identify it in the night then it’s to be feared. Mistrusted. Eventually hated. And now even more so tnat the United States governement in its infinite ignorance has attempted to legislate love of fellow humans through job quota systems and other forms of anti- discrimination...all of which are viewed by even tolerate whites as empirically unfair, for example: Shoal Creek Country Club. State of Alabama. Site of the 1990 Pro- fessional Golf Association's annual men's championship. The Shoal Creek episode began when areporter for a Birmingham, Alabama newspaper received an anonymous tip that a famousblack athlete had been denied member- ship at Shoal Creek. No one would talk to the re- porter. Enter Hall Thompson, founder of Shoal Creek, who not only would talk to the reporter, but spent quite some time saying, in summary, that his club, his private club, would not be pressured into ad- mitting blacks. As laudable as the Declaration of Independence declares that all human beings are created equal is regarded to be, we all know it just isn't true. This has nothing to do with skin color; it has to do with innate ability. Innate ability is, in fact, why certain groups tend to gather together...because they share innate abilities and, there- fore, are able to communicate, share, grow and live together pro- ductively. It is also true that persons of roughly equal innate abilities can be found in all racial groups, and that it is only through ignorance and fear that these people find themselves separated; indeed, segregated. . There is a third element: ou economic system. Our system, capitalism, is based first and fore- most on the idea of private owner- ship and control of property. Oth- erwise the system becomes vary- ing shades of socialism, ultimately resulting on the other end of the spectrum in communism where, theoretically, there is no private ownership of property. When you strip away all the rhetoric, all the hyperbole, and all the crass demagoguery on both sides, whatyou had at Shoal Creek was black and white members of society who wanted other persons with black skin to be permitted (and economically forced) to join ranks with persons with white skin to perform an activity on private Come! See Town & Country's Lane Upholstery Venture Collection of Wicker and Rattan in our Casual Furniture Galleries on our Lower Level! Add life, color, decorator pizazz to interiors, patio, porch, poolside, deck, and sunroom. Order now at substantial discounts for enjoyment this summer season, and for many seasons to come. Lane Grand Cayman Rattan as illustrated: Mfgrs. Suggested TOWN & COUNTRY Retail Price SALE PRICE Sofa $1,001 $599 Loveseat $936 $559 Chair $637 $379 Lamp Table $390 $229 = et : Cocktail Table $416 $249 Sooassee Closed Tuesday, June 2 for Inventory. Wilkes-Barre Scranton 823-0138 a VISA == Open Mon. & Thurs. 9:30 AM. to 9 P.M. Tues., Wed., Fri., Sat. 9:30 AM. to 5 P.M. Sundays by appointment only FURNITURE GALLERIES 253-257 South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre CREDIT TERMS AVAILABLE FURNISHINGS DECORATOR SERVICE COUNCIL The fact is that all humans being are more comfortable being with persons with whom they can communicate, share and produce. The fact is that Shoal Creek typified this nation’s gallant but blind attempt to ignore this reality. The fact is that Shoal Creek and its aftermath will likely become the ‘bussing for integration’ equiva- lent for the 90's; bussing failed and so will this attempt to force private club intergration. The fact is there are politicians and demagogues on both sides of the racial equality question who have exploited this issue. What Hall Thompson did was stand up for the rights of a private club to engage in free association. He stood up and said what most Americans, black and white, really feel. Racism, in all of its ugly forms, should and continues to be dealt with in all parts of our society. It should not be extended to the right of free association in a vain glori- ous attempt to legislate an artifi- cial equality. Artificial equality, as has been clearly demonstrated, for example, in job hiring quotes, produces real life mediocrity. Shoal Creek was an artificial issue. A much more real issue is unemployment of inner city black youths. A much more important issue is that the single greatest cause for the death of young black men in this country is the bullet; that nearly three out of four black babies are born into homes with only one parent; that 40 percent of black children live in poverty. And that, prior to last week, none of these issues were on the minds, much less the lips of our presidential candidates. Instead we have artificial issues like Shoal Creek. And while artifi- cial issues do serve to illustrate that this nation has a long way to go before achieving true human- ity, they also serve to provide fod- der for the worst kind of dema- goguery. The victim in all of this is the truth. Itis a truth that most blacks do not want to associate with whites and whites now cherish the right of free association cannot be changed by pandering to an artifi- cial issue. All of this speaks to there are, in fact, no supreme rights which should be granted to any group, individual or creed; there are only humanrights, that tokenism, being extended to whatever group is ‘politically correct’ any given week, will do nothing to preserve those human rights; it will only polarize the question. And if you believe that racism is practiced only elsewhere, it is alive and well herein northeastern Penn- sylvania. Just listen to the conversation around you. More to the point, just listen to what you tell your children. The solution begins with the children. If we want to achieve true racial harmony, we stop saying nigger and kyke and nip to our children. We instead tell them that, while all human beings are not created equal, all human beings are equally human. ey LOY Nb - Phones: 693-2357 FREE PARKING FREE DELIVERY HOME | The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, May 27, 1992 5 X a 2 5% RY /4 Gl hv) Pn VHD Speeding on Campground Hill protested | By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff Families living on Campground Hill approached the Dallas Town- ship supervisors at the supervi- sors'regular meeting Tuesday, May 19 to request that the township lower the speed limits on the road. Chief of Police Carl Miers ex- plained that the speed limit on any road that is not posted is auto- matically 55 mph., according to state law. Campground Hill has no posted speed limit. The supervisors agreed to have the township engineer do a study mine if a lowered speed limit is! of Campground Hill to help deter- f appropriate. A Dallas Borough protests higher water rates By GRACE R. DOVE If Dallas Water Company's pro- posed 98 percent water rate hike is approved by the Public Utility Commission, Dallas Borough could end up with a $1,305 quarterly According to Borough Manager Milt Lutsey, the borough's present quarterly water bill is $659.59. The fire hydrants cost $500.25 quarterly, with the balance being accounted for by the fire company, a rental apartment and boroug offices housed in the municipal building. | Lutsey added that several hundred people have taken letters objecting to Dallas Water com-| pany’s proposed rate increase. | Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing the rate hike.| JV LOISADRN ENE I BA BV DIS FREE SHOP-AT-HOME SERVICE FOR CUSTOM WINDOW TREATMENTS somegrmen pene # Best by Design z pr 100 PENNA. BLVD, WILKES-BARRE LO7:\ A OF. B51 ik 239 MARKET ST., SCRANTON "Catch A Class" At Keystone This Summer Classes Start June 8th To Register, call 1-800-824-2764, Ext. 6007 | LAY) CALL 961-2401 Summer Session | June 8 to July 10 General Biology | Anatomy & Physiology | General College Chemistry Speech Communications General Physics | Business Math General Organic Chemistry Introduction to Sociology Elementary Algebra Pre-Calculus Elementary Spanish | Written Communications Nutrition Principles of Economics | Freshman English | U.S. History | College Math | Geology General Psychology Art History Introduction to Business Marketing Microcomputing Western World Literature | Health DAY CLASSES Dimensions of Human Sexuality EVENING CLASSES Introduction to Accounting | (June 1 - July 10) Summer Session Il July 13 to August 14 Zoology Anatomy & Physiology II Inorganic & Analytical Chemistry Freshman English | General Physics lI The Family Microbiology Speech Communications Microcomputing Intermediate Algebra Calculus & Analytical Geometry General Psychology Energy & Environment Principles of Economics II Freshman English II U.S. History i Elementary Statistics Meteorology Child Psychology Principles of Management Preparatory Chemistry Introduction to Programming Western World Literature ll Introduction to Philosophy Introduction to Accounting ll (July 13 - Aug. 21)
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