Vy UN ‘“ The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, June 8, 1994 5 John W, Johnson Recently, I heard on a radio talk show the subject of flag burn- 4 ~ing and the need for a congres- sional amendment to prohibit it. I then had to re-read Richard Nixon's latest and sixth book ‘recently. I was again struck that I would never have believed my- "self agreeing wholeheartedly with “the man, Not that Nixon is stupid; to the . contrary: if you read what he writes, you realize this is a bright man. The trouble with Nixon (and in finding agreement with him) is that you have to take too much time in judging whether or not ‘what he says is yet another self- serving and gratuitously unbal- ‘anced attempt to carve a favor- ‘able historical niche by creating a new history. (And regardless of how GOP political hacks are at- tempting to insinuate otherwise, "Whitewater doesn't even approach Watergate in its inherent threat to ‘republican democracy principles). Be that as it may...in his sixth book, In the Arena, Nixon mounts a brief but eloquent argument in countering those whowant torape ‘the First Amendment in a blatant ‘attempt to capture heated votes. Twice now in the recent past ‘the U.S. Supreme Court has ~ (correctly) struck down laws pro- hibiting burning of the United “States flag. This has flushed the ‘demagogues out of their respec- tive ditches to call for a constitu- “tional amendment prohibiting flag “burning. Nixon's position is much the same as the one I've held about the First Amendment itself: we do not need state nor federal laws to cocoon the First Amendment— laws subject to esoteric, political and single-issue interpretation; rather, we need to let the First Amendment stand on its own merit as the single most impor- tant freedom we have. All other A ban on burning the flag would trample other rights freedoms stem from the right of free expression. Nixon's point is that the flag should not be the subject of wor- ship as an idol, but rather should be approached as a symbol which represents our heritage. He be- lieves that respect for the flag cannot be legislated, but can only come about by citizens' under- standing and appreciating that heritage. “If the day comes when (citi- zens) refrain from desecrating it only because of the law or some dimly remembered custom, it will have truly become an empty symbol,” Nixon 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 issue certainly isn't of the magnitude to warrant throwing the baby out with the bath water. In anyevent, our forebears were smart enough to make it difficult for us to mess with our basic charter. Any proposed amend- ment must first be approved by two-thirds of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Then it must be ratified by 38 state legislatures. More to the point, each time such an amendment is proposed it is defeated...but by only seven votes the last time it was voted upon. However, it's not likely that, even if such an amendment were to pass the House and Senate, it would then pass citizen muster, particularly when citizens would come to realize that it would open the door to a further erosion of the individual liberties found in the Bill of Rights. In short: leave the Bill of Rights alone. Thankfully the House has consistently agreed. At the same time, what about this symbol, this flag of ours? There is" cause to be concerned about - not only its worship as an idol, but also about its idle wor- ship, particularly in the hands and minds of those who have no idea why its being waved? It was Abraham Lincoln who said: “This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of free- dom,. and that government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth.” And, of course, the symbols waving during this most perilous time for us as a nation were the American and Confederate flags. Uttered in 1863 by Lincoln in his now famous Gettysburg speech, we would do well to also remember that the freedom Lin- coln spoke about and which is symbolized by our flag, is not present in the hot dogs we will soon 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 skyward to see man-made glories which gobump in the night. Freedom is not a commodity for installment plan purchase, nor can it be found at summer auc- tion 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. It is an idea which requires nurturing and affirmation through the free flow of information and ideas. It needs an informed, involved citi- zenry to grow and remain vibrant. Freedom thrives with us as people through expressions of sentiment and desire, and in us as a nation through the ideal that all humans are created equal with liberty and justice for all. Those words remain just words in the mouthss of those who are idol (or idle) flag wavers—just as the flags which will be waved during Flag Day, and which will be waved on the upcoming July 4 holiday—will remain just pieces of cloth in the hands of those who wave them without knowing why. Ifthe flag is not found within us as citizens, then it cannot be found anywhere no matter how many of them are waving. Fly the flag, yes. But we ought to understand why. Library news Area service By NANCY KOZEMCHAK * The Back Mountain Memorial Library has received many re- quests for the library cookbook, “Chefs and Artists” because of the recent article in the Good House- keeping magazine featuring the regional cooking section. The total orders received to date are 23. The most recent requests came from Ray City, Georgia; Water- town, New York; Los Angeles, California; Conway, New Hamp- shire; Las Lunas, New Mexico, Des Moines, Iowa and Circleville, Ohio. The cookbook is still avail- able for sale at the information desk in the library for $12.95. The Dallas Lions Club has donated a check for $500 to the library for the purchase of large print books and audio visuals; which items help with the Lions special project; the care and pro- tection of the eyes. This donation is greatly appreciated. clubs buy books for library The Dallas Area Federated Womans Club has contributed a check for $500 to the library for the purchase of current books for the library collection. The dona- tions from the various organiza- tions in the Back Mountain help the library maintain the current collection of new titles; fiction, non-fiction and mysteries. These monies help with library funding. The summer reading program, “Reading Is A Magic Trip” begins on Monday, June 27. Children aged 4 through 12 are invited to come to the children's room be- tween 2 and 4 p.m. on that date and sign up for the program. The program was developed by the American Library Association with the support of McDonald's family restaurants. New books at the library: “The Chamber” byJohn Grisham takes place in 1967 in Greenville, Mis- sissippi, when known Klan mem- ber Sam Cayhall is accused of Sem Summer's cool. +. Science Discovery Program College Admission Workshop Academic programs Girls Basketball Camp Girls Field Hockey Camp Blue Knights Sports Camp Programs begin June 27 Join us for a terrific summer at Wyoming Seminary! Students entering grades 5-12 can study art, science, music, writing, video production and computing under the direction of our excellent faculty. Sports camps build super athletes. You can even live on campus: we have boarding programs for middle-and high-school students. And we’re conveniently located in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area. Register now — call 283-6066 — and you'll be ready for a great summer! DD) WYOMING SEMINARY 1844-1994 FoRrRTY FORT KINGSTON Wyoming Seminary does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin. bombing the law offices of Jewish civil rights activist Marvin Kra- mer, killing Kramer's two sons. Cayhall's first trial, with an all- white jury and a Klan rally out- side the courthouse ends in a hung jury; the retrial six months later has the same outcome. Twelve years later an ambitious district attorney in Greenville reopens the case. This time with a jury of eight whites and four blacks, Cayhall is convicted. He is transferred to the state peni- tentiary at Parchman to await execution on death row. In 1990 Adam Hall asks to work on the case. Why? “Remember Me" by Mary Hig- gins Clark is a rivoting tale of suspense revolving around a young mother's guilt. Menley Nichols has never stopped blam- The way it was A fine lamb, destined for the pasture or the cookpot, goes over the auction block in this photo from the 1955 Back Mountain Memorial Library auction. Library Auction Corner July 7-8-9-10 For 47 summers, the people of the Back Mountain have come together to donate their goods, services and time for the auction block of the Back Mountain Memorial Library. The life of the library is a year-to-year proposition, and the auction is crucial to its operation. Twenty-five percent of the annual budget comes from the auction. This year's 48th annual auction will be held July 7-10 at the library grounds on Huntsville Road in Dallas. Any and all donations of cash or saleable items can help assure continued service of the library to our communities. For more information, call the library at 675-1182. A sampler of items that will be on sale: Primitive jelly cupboard 3-foot, #2 sub, Minotti's Tiffany-style lamp Limoges 3, $20 gift certificates, Mr. Z's Market Washbow! and pitcher set BE El I ,— —Y—————————_—— Q | have an item to donate. Call me for details. : Q Here's a cash donation of $ to help the library. Back Mountain Memorial Library 96 Huntsville Road, Dallas PA 18612 | cail675-1182 if you have any questions. Donations are tax-deductible. i Mail or bring to: f One-fourth of the library's annual budget comes You can help. Your donation of an item or money : - from the auction. will help your library survive and prosper. I ' : : £ rrr i | J Here's my donation to the Back Mountain Memorial Library 5 I Name | Phone : I Address City/State Zip I | i : MS SU i. a a." —- —-—--— This message donated as a public service by The Dallas Post More local news and ads The Dallas Post ing herselffor the accidental death of her two-year-old son Bobby, even though she was blameless— her car had been struck by an oncoming train at arailroad cross- ing. 5 Th A $60 value. Just install the ADT Safewatch® Plus system and mention this coupon when you call. Present it at installation. One coupon per with any other offer. Original coupons only. Offer Expires 6/30/94 ©1994 ADT Security Systems installation. Valid on new systems only. Not valid VACATION TIME Is BURGLARY TIME. SUMMER SAVINGS $199 When you leave on summer vacation, there's enough to do without worrying about your home possessions while you're gone. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers