A The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, July 1, 1992 5 | I (F pe HORIVERL Ts 5, ye OLSZEWSKI J (Re \ July 4 doesn’t mean might is right By J.W. JOHNSON Few dates in history have cast “so long a shadow as July 4, 2911776...even though the actual “signing of the Declaration of Inde- pendence took place July 3. ____\t was more than two centuries Vv {i&p/ that our founding fathers and mothers gathered in Philadelphia _ to pledge their lives, fortunes and ~, _ sacred honor to the fulfillment of a 5 . ‘dream—a dream unrivaled in "human history. ~~. © When those people gathered in "Philadelphia, the planet was gov- aa ~erned to a greater or lesser degree ".. by the tyranny of man over man. “ “Kings ruled with iron fists and _¢... hobnailed boots. Opportunity was “" ‘the special province of the rich. ‘,." ‘Those born poor stayed that way, “and none dared question the right- eg isness of the old order. io 9 adhose who gathered to the south _.... of here had a different vision. A . land of equal opportunity. A land Rei PISS overned, rather than the other ~~ way around. A land where the "people would rule. ., ... Today, that dream is in large _ part areality. We live in the great- "est, most free and most prosper- " ‘ous society on earth, or in the _ history of humankind. 7 It was once the custom for . "Americans to spend much of the ., holiday listening to a patriotic -oratory. Today, not many of us do that, although it would bode well for our future if a child were to hear , . at least once Daniel Webster's C '{ Bloquy about this nation from te play The Devil and Daniel Webster. At the same time, and through - the free flow of information and | ‘ideas, this nation must forever ', remain vigilant against the tyr- anny of ‘might is right’ and that the "* symbols of patriotism stand as . " ‘means unto themselves. "As such, the First Amendment . stands on its own merit as the ~ " single most important freedom we “have. All other freedoms stem from , , the right of free expression. “*7~ And contrary to the beliefs of “* ‘those who want to, for example, ~ ’ have a constitutional amendment ''“"fo prohibit burning of the U.S. flag, the flag should not be the subject of worship as an idol, but rather ~* ‘should be approached as a symbol “7 “which represents our heritage. He R Jpect for the flag cannot be leg- is¥ited, but can only come about by citizens’ understanding and ‘appreciating that heritage. “If the day comes when (citi- zens) refrain from desecrating it [oR the governors worked for LX only because of the law or some dimly remembered custom, it will have truly become an empty sym- bol,” former President Richard Nixon has said. Amen, ex-Mr. President! For me, the choice between the flag and the First Amendment is a clear one. The flag is a symbol of First Amendment principles. It would be a serious mistake to erode one of those principles in order to protect the symbol. To have a flag burning amend- ment would be sort of like the tail waving the dog. Likewise, there has been no great rash of flag burnings, and the is- sue certainly isn't of the magni- tude to warrant throwing the baby out with the bath water. In any event, our forbears were smart enough to make it difficult for us to mess with our basic char- ter. Any proposed amendment must first be approved by two- thirds of both the House of Repre- sentatives and the Senate. Then it must, be ratified by 38 state legis- latures. More to the point, such an amendment was defeated in the House of Representatives last year 254-117, or seven per cent short of the 66 per cent needed. And it's not likely that, even if such an amendment were to pass the House and Senate, it would then pass citizen muster, particu- larly when citizenis would come to realize that it would open the door to a further erosion of the individ- ual liberties found in the Bill of Rights. In short: leave the Bill of Rights alone. Thankfully the House has agreed. At the same time, what about this symbol, this flag of ours? There is cause to be concerned about not only it’s worship as an idol, but also about its idle worship, par- ticularly in the hands and minds of those who have no idea why its being waved? Freedom symbolized by the flag is not present in the hot dogs we will eat July 4, nor can it be found in our browning in the summer sun, nor in our watching sports on television, nor in our gazing sky- ward to see man-made glories which go bump in the night. Freedom is not a commodity for installment plan purchase, nor can it be found at summer auction or yard sales, and it can't even be inherited as a birthright. Freedom is not present in any manner simply because we wish it to be so. Freedom is not material. Itis an Newspaper office will be closed Friday, July 3 (BTES BN | Viv, The office of The Dallas Post will be closed all day Friday, July 3 in honor of the Independence Day holiday. Routine news items, and calendar listings should be received by 3:00 "p.m. Thursday. Late news items may be left in the mail slot at the front of the builiding, or dropped off Monday morning. The office will re-open Monday, July 6 at 8:30 a.m. ...| COPYING, COPYING, copvinG... Aoi HIGH VOLUME = HIGH SPEED Complete Copying ... Since 1972 | FULL COLOR 253) VERY LARGE SIZES Fast Service m Great Prices m Top Quality ih Design Systems Printing Sik 280 South River St + Wilkes-Barre + 822-3766 Mon — Fri 8-5:30¢ Sat9-1 idea which requires nurturing and affirmation through the free flow of information and ideas. It needs an informed, involved citizenry to grow and remain vibrant. Freedom thrives with us as people through expressions of sentiment and de- sire, and in us as a nation through the ideal that all humans are cre- ated with liberty and justice forall. - Those words remain just words in the mouths of those who are idol (or idle) flag wavers—just as the flags which were waved during the recent Flag Day, and which will be waved on the upcoming July 4 holiday—will remain just pieces or. cloth in the hands of those who wave them without knowing why. And I wonder where all the flags were prior to Flag Day, or will be after July 4? Conversely, do the constant flag wavers leave reason to believe that we have learned little from the past when our flag waving “in the dawn'’s early light” was the only reason needed to go to war And snuff out lives? Waving the flag is said to be symbolic of patriotism. it seems to. me that patriotism (call it loyalty) should not mean blind submis- sion to the flag or any other sym- bols. Independent thought, nur- tured by the free press flow of information and ideas, is the cor- nerstone of this country. Loyalty is not a down-with-somebody plac- ard written in haste to join the crowds on television, a knee-jerk reaction to often complicated is- sues. It also seems to me that loyalty (call it patriotism) means a dedica- tion and extension to others of the constitutional provisions of liberty and justice. Patriotism should mean more than the convenience of a bumper sticker flag. And finally, it seems that patri- otism-loyalty (call it citizenship) means taking the time to fully appreciate the responsibility of one’s actions, and not taking for granted that the force historically implied in flying the flag is all there is, or all there should be. Fly the flag, yes. But we ought to understand why. (Post photo/Ron Bartizek) New business and professional association seeks members With nearly 20 members already signed up, a new association for businesses and professionals is planning its first event, and work- ing on a membership drive. The newly-formed Back Moun- tain Business and Professional Association has been meeting to outline its purposes and direction. The steering committee for the organization has drawn up the following list of goals: e Provide a directory and map of all member businesses and serv- ices located in the Back Mountain, to be distributed throughout the region. * Provide a strong voice on is- sues that affect businesses in the Back Mountain. e Sponsor mixers for members to provide a setting for them to get Business name BUSINESS ASSOCIATION FORMS - Members of the steering committee of the newly-formed Back Mountain Business and Professional Association gathered recently to plan a membership drive. From left, Monty Evans, chairman; Elva Valentine; Bartt Slocum, treasurer; Nancy Eckert, Joseph Mooney. to know others in the community. Encourage members to do busi- ness with one another. e Coordinate special events and sales. » Work to see that students and parents at College Misericordia and Penn State Wilke-Barre are aware of the range of products and serv- ices that are available to them. The steering committee is as- sembling a mailing list of potential members who will be sent an application form. A one-year membership costs $75. All busi- ness and professional people in the Back Mountain are invited to join. A business card exchange and membership mixer is being planned for August 10 at the Pine Brook Inn. Members in good stand- Back Mountain Business and Professional Association P.O. Box 25, Dallas, PA 18612 APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP ing may attend at no charge, to | learn more about the group, and to join in planning for the future. Members of the steering com- | mittee are Fran Ochman, Tom Ochman Jewelry; Elva Valentine, Valentine's Jewelry; John Lloyd, Energy Converters; Joseph Mooney, Pine Brook Inn; Thomas and Melissa Quinn, Ye Olde Clock Shoppe; Ann Parkhurst, Bay Win- dow Shoppe; Nancy Eckert, Le- with and Freeman Real Estate; Jim Richardson, L.L. Richardson | Dodge; Ron Bartizek, The Dallas | Post; and Cathy Mugford and | JoAnn Campbell, Country Tradi- tions. Monty Evans is chairman of the organization; Bartt Slocum is treas- | urer. Address Phone Contact Person Title Description of business — ey Amateur Radio Operators “HAMS” operated from remote portable locations this past week- end. Hams from all over the United States and several other countries participated in field day. Locally, Amateur Radio Station WAS3YYC Bing Wolfe from Dallas, Please return this application with your check for $75 to BMBPA Br ae sm So — — ——— ————_—— iS SH Bing Wolfe makes contact around the nation operated in the contest from a field near his home. Even though Hams are licensed by the FCC to use a maximum of 1500 Watts output power, WA3YYC operated in the lower power 5 Watt battery power QRP class. Wolfe contacted stations from hme eee ee ad several states including North } Dakota, Idaho, California and Ari- | zona. 1 If you are interested in becom- ing an Amateur Radio Operator | contact: WA3YYC, Bing Wolfe, RR 4, Box 308B, Dallas, PA 18612. MORNING! Enjoy our Breakfast Specials while at Harveys Lake Drury's Deli & Restaurant Sunset, Harveys Lake Mon. - Fri.6 - 6 + Sat. & Sun. 6 - 3 Roberts Bros. 3-ring circus Fri., July 3 Shows at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. at Hanson's Amusement Park Campground Ricky Van Shelton plus Marty Stuart Thurs., July 9 Bud Light Amphitheater at Harveys Lake Quest Consulting Group Inc. BusINESS & MARKETING CONSULTANTS Open that new Business or turn the old one around! We can + will help you succeed. Call 639-5564 for a free consultation. Inquiries to: QCG, PO Box 403, Dallas, PA 18612 Tel/Fax 639-5564 ® Marketing ® Advertising ® Public Relations ® Desktop Publishing ® ® Sales Promotion ® Market Research ® Corporate Identity Programs © ® Financial Analysis ® Employee Motivation ® Data Processing © The local marketing services firm with the international touch! AB HS 639-2010 | Ef te TT ETP TT IR rar
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers