4 TheDallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, January 5, 1994 The Dallas Post Laws only part of solution to violence State Senator Charles Lemmond’s discussion with a Lake- Lehman High School class about violence in schools and society was instructive in the perceptions of violence identified by the students. Perhaps the greatest insight came from exchange students Anna Norburg, from Sweden, and Jolanda Bosma from the Netherlands. Both said that America’s televi- sion image is very violent, and each was surprised to find that we don’t swagger around with sixguns on our hips. It’s unlikely that European television broadcasts nearly the number of violent American shows that U.S. networks do, so the two students’ concept was formed from a limited exposure to our media. Imagine then, what our own children think life will be like when they grow up, after viewing endless hours of murder and mayhem on screen. Senator Lemmond was correct when he assigned some of the blame for American violence on the media and entertainment industries. He also was right to explain that making more laws often isn’t the best solution to a difficult problem. But it’s hard to escape the conclusion that things won't get better until we discipline ourselves more tightly. The quandary is how to do it in a society that takes such great pride in maintaining each individual's right to make his or her own rules for living. The irony is that many people defend the right to independ- ence with great vigor while decrying any attempt to require citizens to exercise their freedom responsibly. That, of course, is a formula for disaster, which unfortunately is the proper characterization for too many corners of our society. Publisher's notebook When no news really can be good news Youmay have noticed a preponderance of “good news” lately in The Dallas Post. Stories about Eagle Scout projects, student activities and someone building a model train layout were among those in recent issues. There are a few of reasons for the abundance of features. First, the holidays are a slow news time, both because not a lot is happening and because most people just don’t feel like kicking up a lot of dust during this season. We're among them, and given a choice between blowing a minor controversy out of proportion or expanding the number of feature stories, we choose the latter. Also, as a small newspaper with a limited but valuable staff, ‘we must juggle our need for news with their need for time off to be with their family and friends. Some papers address that problem by skipping the issue between Christmas and New Year's, which happens to provide about the lowest amount of sales revenue anyway. We think skipping a week would cheapen our value as a source of information, so we publish on a compressed schedule. After all, if we're to be taken seriously the other 51 weeks, we can’t simply disappear when we feel like it. Most important, we think articles about the good things people do are as valuable as the controversies. As the local news source for the Back Mountain, we take seriously our re- sponsibility to present a clear and objective view of local affairs, good and not so good. Writing about Eagle Scout candidate Aaron Getz'’s project to supply emergency crew members with a kit to protect them from exposure to disease shows readers of allages that young people do more than play video games and football. Articles on interesting school programs demonstrate that all the talk about the failures of schools and teachers isn't the whole story. Of course, we want to do more. As we begin The Post’s 105th publishing year, we are planning special coverage for 1994; projects that can help readers gain perspective on the towns they live in and the schools and institutions within them. If you have any ideas, we'd love to hear them. About the opinion pages The Dallas Post attempts to publish opinions on a variety of topics in many forms. Editorials, which are the opinion of the management of The Post, appear on the editorial page. Cartoons are the opinion of the cartoonist and columns are the opinion of the author. Neither necessarily reflects the viewpoint of The Post. ~~ Letters to the editor are welcome and will be published subject to the following guidelines. Letters must not exceed 500 words. Except in unusual circumstances, no writer may have more than one letter published during a 30 day period. Letters must be signed and include the writer's home town and a telephone number for verification. Names will be withheld only if there exists a clear threat to the writer. The Postretains the right to accept or reject any letter and to edit letters as necessary without distorting their meaning. In addition to letters to the editor, we welcome longer pieces that may be run as columns. The author or the subject's relevance to the Back Mountain will be our prime consideration when selecting material for publication. To submit an item fer publication, send it to: The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas, PA 18612, or bring it to our office: The Dallas Post Published Weekly by Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 Telephone: 717-675-5211 Ronald A. Bartizek Charlotte E. Bartizek Editor and Publisher Associate Publisher Peggy Young Grace R. Dove Advertising Acct. Exec. Reporter Paul Rismiller Olga Kostrobala Production Manager Classified/typesetting Jill Urbanas Office Manager MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION AND THE PENNSYLVANIA NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER'S ASSOCIATION XK) ERB wy RY ORR REE And 0) A. Case for conservation Planting trees to honor Vietnam war dead By ALENE N. CASE There are many ways in which people deal with troubles. Some people cry or scream or lash out at others. Some people hide away and nurse their wounds. Some people find peace in relationships with other people. Some lose themselves in their work. And then, there are people like Geoffrey Steiner. In1969, Geoffrey Steiner was discharged from the Marines af- ter having served in Vietnam. He studied biology and psychology in college, married, and tried to function as a regular member of American society. In 1974, post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caught up with him, ruined his marriage, and threatened his life. At that time, PTSD was not recog- nized as a specific ailment and was rarely adequately treated. Mr. Steiner worked through his prob- lems with various therapists and trained to provide therapy to other veterans who were having similar difficulties. By 1979, Mr. Steiner realized that the city was not where he belonged. He sold his duplex in Minneapolis and bought a 100 acre farm near the tiny town of Cushing MN. On Veterans’ Day in 1980, Geoff planted a tree on that farm in memory of his fallen comrades. Thus was born the idea of the Veterans National Liv- ing Memorial. One tree is planted there in honor of one soldier who died in the Vietnam War. : Mr. Steiner found that his dream was shared by many people, and, as his forest grew, so did the number of those willing to help. By the mid-80’s, he was gaining national recognition. Newsweek Reader's Digest, People and Ameri- can Forests were among the magazines that wrote about his work. He was invited to meet the President at the White House. The Memorial was about half finished. Trails wound through the acres of small trees so that visitors could have their spirits renewed by the sight of new growth. Perhaps you read about this unusual memorial and wondered, as I did, what had been happen- ing there in recent years. My curiosity finally prompted me to contact Mr. Steiner by phone. Unfortunately, there is a very good ' reason that we have not heard about him lately. Just as his dream was expanding to include facilities which would help home- less and disturbed veterans, Geoff came down with Lyme disease. Now, his main objective is to get well. But, Geoffrey Steiner has not been sitting idly by while he waits for his body to heal. He has planted 1,000 trees in each of the last four years. And this year he surpassed the 58,000 tree goal! In fact, he estimates that he now has 60,000 trees on his 100 acre plot. There are at least 60 differ- ent varieties planted there. Some of the pines are now more than 20 feet tall. Obviously, such a large forest will require on-going care. Some trees will die or become diseased and will need tobe replaced. Trails for hiking and cross-country skiing will need maintenance. Visitors will need a guide and someone to talk to. Someone will need to guard against illegal har- vesting. (Mr. Steiner has stipu- lated in his will the few circum- stances under which a tree can be cut.) Donations and volunteer help are always welcome. Mr. Steiner proudly states that the town of Cushing is not only the center of Minnesota but also of North America. If you find yourself in that vicinity on High- way 10, just ask for “The Tree Man” and most anyone will point you in the right direction. You will find a small forest and a man with a mission. If you cannot travel but would like to contribute, send your check to the Veterans Living Memorial, RR1, Box 396A, Cush- ing MN 56443. J W.J. Religion and By J.W. JOHNSON Everywhere you look, there's another article about, or another voice proclaiming the intellectual vigor of Stephen Carter's new book, The Culture of Disbelief. . This latest scholar cum popu- lar writer emerges from the per- spective that he is a professor of constitutional law at Yale Univer- sity. The book urges us, to rethink the role of religion in American law, politics and culture; indeed, and from Carter's point of view, to accept that, without renewed re- ligious influence in all three of these areas, the country cannot move forward intelligently and compassionately. Mr. Carter is wrong. In short, he says, “liberals have been shed- ding religious rhetoric like a use- less second skin.” Indeed, Mr. Carter, rhetoric, by definition, is a second skin, some- thing academicians like yourself seldom understand and, there- fore, engage in it with impunity, and never shedding it. Carter's premise is that the constititutional separation of church and state “originated in an effort to protect religion from the state, not the state from relig- ion.” That's circular thinking, Mr. Carter. You pose a desirable premise, and support it with an unprovable assertion. Even a casual glance at this century's theocracies (Iraq, for example) clearly demonstrates that you cannot protect religion from the state without removing the state legal decisions don't mix from religion. Conversely, that's the very premise behind not tax- ing churches, Mr. Carter. If you have the power to tax, you have the power to control. The role of religion in public affairs, according to that long ago observer of America, Alexis De Tocqueville, was to be “an inde- pendent moral voice”, sort of a referee between government and citizen. To pose a sports analogy...a referee (as in boxing) does not participate in the deciding of the issue; that's left to the judges. And in the case of public affairs, those judges are those whom we elect to Congress, appoint to the Judiciary, and most often, we defer to the most powerful judge of all— the court of public opinion. It is without question, as Car- ter asserts, that the moral foun- dation provided by our churches, and reinforced in our homes, is the social fabric’s most important thread. Witness the tatters of that fabric in all of our inner cit- ies, many suburbs, and in some rural areas...and compare that with 90 percent of Americans calling themselves by one relig- ious denomination or another, and only 30 percent of Americans actually attending and support- ing a church, and Carter's point is well taken. : But to assert that the state should insert itself into this de- bate through, for example, includ- ing parochial schools in voucher plans, is just plain wrong, and dangerous. And one does not have to be a liberal to believe this. One only has to believe that the right to independent belief, and the right to express the same, are our most important rights. What is perhaps must disturb- ing is that Carter asserts it is appropriate to lace public debate with religious motives and ration- ales when discussing issues of abortion, euthanasia and the teaching of evolution. To do so strikes at very heart of a separation of church and state. To apply religious motives and rationales is to, by definition, also be forced to embrace a particular motive or rationale in order to even express the ideal being sup- ported. And, unless you want a nation where religious war deter- mines public policy (been to Middle East lately?) to embrace a par- ticular value is then to deny an- other value. This is to invite the kind of senseless bloodshed which as been the hallmark of organized theology since history began re- cording such carnage. And finally, whatever self delu- sions we might have about our position on the food chain, we need the perspective thathuman- kind's chief contribution to the mystery called life (that's religion, folks) has been the causing of death...and whether it is a death of the body, or a slaying of the mind, in the larger sense and throughout history, we seem to put particular effort into this death if it is in witness of whatever the- ology is filling its wallet at the time. Amen. Q: Where do you find the most Back Mountain news each week? A: Only in The Dallas Post . doz.; cabbage 5¢ lb.; Supreme yesterday 60 Years Ago - Jan. 12, 1934 KINGSTON TWP NEEDS NEW JUNIOR HIGH : Plans to construct a new junior high school in Kingston Township was vigorously protested by tax- payers who charged the cost of the proposed building would burden taxpayers unfairly. Di- rectors argued that the increase in number of students demands additional rooms and that pres- ent buildings are inadequate. Itis planned to secure one third of the cost of the building from Public ° Works Administration as an out- right grant to the district. A long felt need for a public library in Dallas neared satisfac- tion this week as Calvin McHose, Only = i ~ — ad superintendent of Dallas Borough High School, with the authority of the school directors, prepared to expand the school library with public support and have it open two nights each week for the lend- ing of books. 50 Years Ago - Jan. 7, 1944 WARTIME NURSE RECRUITER VISITS BMT Mrs. Lowery, representing the | National Nursing Council for War Service and the U.S. Cadet Nurses Corps, will speak at College Mis- ericordia about the new grant plan which, under the U.S. Public Health Service, offers a free pro- fessional education to qualified students. Her visit is part of a Het ——— Le nation-wide endeavor to recruit 65,000 student nurses for war- time replacements caused by acute needs of the Army, Navy and civilian health agencies. Mr. and Mrs. William Nulton, Alderson, have been notified by the American Red Cross and War Department that their son Pfc. Clifford S. Nulton, 33, has been missing in action in the African theatre since November 26. 5 You could get- Center cut pork chops 37¢ Ib.; grade B eggs, 45¢ bread, 2 lvs., 17¢. 40 Years Ago - Jan. 8, 1954 COPS CRACK DOWN ON | TAVERN-KEEPERS With the dedication of the new Ross Township elementary school Saturday night, residents real- PR ~ izedadreamof many years'stand- ing. Prior to the onset of World a War II, a new school seemed a possibility, but the war years cancelled out the chances and the dream was laid regretfully aside. Lake Township and Lehman Township police officers, with public sentiment solidly behind them, laid down the law to tavern- keepers to observe legal closing hours and serving no liquor to | minors or the offenders would be arrested. Howell E. Reese, has been elected vice president of Kelly, Nason Inc., New York, it was an- nounced by John C. Kelly, presi- dent. Reese, former editor of The Dallas Post, joined Kelly, Nason Inc. advertising agency in 1940. Assigned to Nassau, Bahamas, he directed publicity for the agency's client Nassau Develop- ment Board for six years. 30 Years Ago - Jan. 9, 1964 MAJOR AREA FIRE CLAIMS FIVE LIVES The A. Harden Coon Jr. family, parents and three small children were suffocated before dawn on New Year's Day when fire of unde- termined origin, licking oxygen from the super-heated air, ex- ploded into a raging inferno, gen- erating heat so intense that stout steam radiators twisted and bent. Volunteers from every Back Mountain Fire company re- sponded. Kingston Township supervisors signed contracts Tuesday which signaled the beginning stages of the new township building. Part of the present structure will be torn down to make way for the erection of a new one, which is expected to get underway at the first break in weather probablyin March. Mrs. Lyndon B. (Ladybird) Johnson will appear at Wilkes College Gymnasium for the Wilkes College Convocation to be held January 11. She accepted the invitation tendered by Dr. Eugene S. Farley to share the platform | with Dr. Frank P. Graham, chair- man Area Development Admini- stration, Washington, D.C. 20 Years Ago - Jan. 10, 1974 BAD ROADS CAUSE MANY AREA MISHAPS Area police and road supervi- sors are in agreement that the state road department deserves no congratulations for their main- | tenance of Back Mountain secon- dary roads, thus far this winter. Mr. and Mrs. Alfred D. Bron- son, funeral directors, announced their retirement after more than! 44 years service as the Bronson « a] Funeral Home in Sweet Valley. ( ® a
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers