4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, February 22, 1995 The Dallas Post Keep up with Scouts, learn government A half-dozen Cub Scouts recently learned more about the actual workings of local government than most voting age citizens know. The youngsters, from Troop 281, attended the Feb. 13 meeting of the Dallas school board as one requirement on their way to advancing up the scouting ladder. This particu- lar meeting appeared to draw no one’s attention except the scouts and a handful of teachers. Municipal meetings attract an even smaller crowd, and it’s not unusual to find just the press there, along with persons who have a specific request or gripe for officials. This apathy doesn’t seem to square with the widely-reported disgust with government, assuming that feeling has some basis in individual experience. School systems in particular have been the target of much condemnation, but even there the interest has apparently run its course except among the most dedicated critics. And that has been the lesson of recent elections — both local and national — that critics are able to muster their forces far more effectively than supporters of existing policy and politicians. The Founding Fathers installed a system that works well only through an informed and active citizenry. When the majority of Americans haven't seen the inside of their local town hall, don’t know the names of their elected officials, and can’t be bothered to cast a ballot on election day, they are defaulting on their end of the bargain that has kept our democracy secure for over 200 years. : If you care about what happens in your town, state and nation, make the time to attend a township, borough or school board meeting. Get to know the people who represent you, not just on a point or two of dispute, but on their overall approach to public service. Single-issue voting is one of the great risks to the republic, and it has been a growing trend. Few people who develop a well-rounded understanding of their representatives are able to support or oppose them on the basis of one disagreement. While you're at it, investigate the issues that are most important to you, and don’t simply be a passive listener or viewer of other people’s opinions. As with many aspects of life, it takes consistent effort to maintain a thriving democracy, but it’s well worth it. We owe the attempt to those who came before and will come after us. Publisher's notebook Being a newspaper office, it’s understandable that we are inundated with mail. Still, the amount of it that is clearly of no interest to anyone'within 1,000 miles is remarkable, as is the number of duplicate mailings we receive. It's common to get four of the same packages on the same day, each addressed slightly differently than the other. Two of the worst offenders are companies that provide training seminars for everything from telephone manners to managing a Fortune 500 company. I guess the expense of wasted mailings is built into the cost of their programs. This makes me wonder if there isn't a great commercial opportunity for an enterprising person who could be paid to clean up mailing lists. With the explosion in printing costs, and growing postal rates, it should be worthwhile to develop a computer program that would seek out similar names and addresses and allow the user to pick and choose among them. This would save in many ways, from trees to postage to the time everyone wastes processing the duplicates. 000 Speaking of the mail we get, here are some guidelines for submitting material: e Ifthe item is about a specific event, try to get it too us at least two weeks in advance. Depending on the date, we may have a choice of a couple of issues in which to publish it. e If you submit a photo and want to get it back, you must tell us so. It can then be picked up at our office after it appears, or mailed to you if you supply a stamped, self-addressed enve- lope. We simply don't have room to store items we don't plan to use. * Most weeks, we get more items than can fit in the paper, so we must make choices about what gets in, and whether it will appear as a large or small item. We'd love to run everything, but are limited by how many pages can be supported by the advertising volume. e If you have an item that has no Back Mountain connection, the chances of it appearing are slim to none, and you would be better off saving the paper and postage to send it. e If there is a Back Mountain connection, make sure we know it by identifying people by their community of residence. We know a lot of people who live here, but not all of them. Do you agree? Disagree? Editorials are the opinion of the management of The Dallas Post. We welcome your opinion on contemporary issues in the form of letters to the editor. If you don't write, the community may never hear a contrasting point of view. Send letters to: The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas, PA 18612. Please include your name, address and a daytime phone number so that we may verify authenticity. We donot publish anonymous letters, but will consider withholding the name in exceptional circumstances. We reserve the right to edit for length and grammar. Daddo's Blacksmith Shop, Dallas. From a postcard loaned to The Dallas Post by Evelyn Staltz of West Pittston. She said they belonged to her grandmother, Mary Ann Ide, or her great-grandmother, Mrs. Thomas Sanderson, formerly of Fern Brook. One from the 5) books ° EE A bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives - not to men- tion one passed by the state house and an ordinance being consid- ered by Clarks Summit Borough Council - pretty much turns the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution into bird cage liner. I think that's a good idea. All these rights get in the way of an efficient society. I firmly be- lieve people's demands that their rights be observed and respected have gone a long way toward making us what we are today - a societyofdouts. ATA Of course, this is only the first step. There are numerous other individual rights that need to be gutted. For example, this freedom of speech trash. That was fine back in 1783, before everything that went through people's minds came out their mouths. But now, it's interpreted as meaning that the pronouncements of such promi- nent and well-paid imbeciles as Barbra Streisand or Spike Lee have some merit. It's given us Howard Stern, which in itself is grounds for repeal. The First Amendment should be changed, permitting the most intelligent of Americans - news- paper columnists, for example - to vote on public statements to determine if they're to be pro- tected or not. Those who utter The Dallas Post Published Weekly by Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 Telephone: 717-675-5211 Ronald A. Bartizek EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Charlotte E. Bartizek ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Grace R. Dove REPORTER Peggy Young ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC Paul Rismiller Olga Kostrobala PRODUCTION MANAGER CLASSIFIED/TYPESETTING Jill Urbanas OFFICE MANAGER MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION AND PENNSYLVANIA NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER'S ASSOCIATION VOTED 3rd BEST SMALL WEEKLY IN THE U.S., 1993 Cw As I was saying Jack Hilsher A radio and TV star for almost 40 years, and a man I never paid much attention to, Art Linkletter is in a class quite by himself, as I eventually discovered. Until I became a senior citizen, and inter- ested in senior things, | happened on his book “Old Age is Not For Sissies”. Otherwise he would have remained only a name to me. He deserves better. Much better. You could call Linkletter the “Pat Sajak of his generation” but there is much more to it than that. Sajak might have some of Lin- Kkletter's “on-the-air” presence, but the two are not really in the same class, although I like Sajak also. Have liked him ever since he said his show “Wheel of Fortune” was causing his brain cells to die and fall out. He said, “I can hear them hit the floor.” (We will not go into the matter of Vanna White at all. At this time.) The Linkletter brain cells are still very much intact, in spite of his having the longest-running show on the air, “People Are Funny.” His books, notably “Kids Say the Darndest Things” have made him an all-time best-selling The fewer pesky rights, the better inanities will have their tongues cut out. That ought to have a real effect on old Barbra's singing career. Of course, the provision of the First Amendment of freedom of the press is just fine. That amend- ment, you'llremember, states that members of the working press can do anything they want. Let's not tamper with what works. But let's exempt Connie Chung. All this talk about repealing or watering down the Second Amend- ment is just so much hot air, too. If we let the politicians take away our right to bear arms, we'll be forced to kill each otherwith clubs, knives and the petrified tongues of people like Barbra Streisand. It would set civilization back to the Stone Age. The Third Amendment, which says no soldier in time of peace should be quartered in any house without consent of the owner, should also be repealed. After all, that’s the way my ex-wife got rid of me. We can pass over the Fourth Amendment, now that our for- ward-thinking representatives have disemboweled it. But the Fifth Amendment, like those before it, has serious prob- lems. That clause gives people the right to due process. I have just one thing to say in my quest to have it repealed: O.J. I've just been told that the necessary three-fourths of the states, having read the cogent argument I presented, have voted unanimously to repeal the Fifth Amendment. Another blow struck for freedom. No need to thank me. Virtue is its own reward. The Sixth Amendment, guar- Art Linkletter: anteeing a speedy and public trial, should also be amended. Later, I'll submit my proposal for a new amendment, which I call the “Strap ‘em and Zap ‘em” clause. Amendment Seven calls for trial by jury. Look out the window at the people passing by. Would you like to entrust your well-being to these yahoos? Some of them couldn't be trusted to perform any action more thoughtful than changing the channel with a remote. Some of them are so bad, they are fit only for public office. I say bring back trial by fire. It would be at least as intellectually appealing, and entertaining to boot. The Eighth Amendment, pro- hibiting cruel and unusual pun- ishment, should be changed, too. After all, once a punishment is inflicted a half dozen times, it's no longer unusual, is it? The Ninth and Tenth Amend- ments give the people and the states any rights not reserved or prohibited by the Constitution. This has given us such blessings as state income and property taxes, speed traps, bribes to sports teams to switch states and, of course, responsive agencies such as PennDOT and the Public Utili- ties Commission. Obviously, the whole Bill of Rights should be scrapped. In fact, let's wipe out the entire Constitution while we're at it. What. we need is a benevolent dictator- ship. I say, let's put the newspaper columnists in charge. Out of a strict sense of public service, I'll volunteer for the first 30 or 40 years. It's the least I can do, and, as my boss will gladly tell you, that's what I always do. kids and cats will say the darndest things author. He was named Speaker of the Year, Grandfather of the Year, Chairman of many national weeks and was on several presidential advisory councils, in addition to being named Commissioner Gen- eral for the Brisbane Expo in '88, when Reagan made him an am- bassador. This should not turn into a book report - I don't want to make Nancy upset - but you soon-to-be retirees will enjoy “Old Age Is Not For Sissies” very much. Estab- lished retirees and even others, should enjoy it also, for besides good hard facts on things like finances, nutrition, travel, etc. it is packed with good stories about people and things familiar to you. I'll give you several examples. The first, my favorite, concerns the time when Art, in his fifties, met broadcaster Lowell Thomas, then 70, who started both Art and his wife skiing. It wasn't until later that Art found Thomas had double cataracts and could only see about 30 feet ahead. Thomas was married for more than 60 years; a few years after his wife died, he remarried. He was then in his 80s. During Thomas’ honeymoon around the world, Linkletter wired him in Hong Kong: “Lowell, I have great faith in your strength and virility, but a honeymoon like this could be fatal.” Thomas wired back, “If she’s got to go, she’s got to go.” The other story is for those readers who thought I hate cats, and who refused to read me any more. [ don't really hate them. I just feel they would be happier back in the jungle with all the other panthers, jaguars and ti- gers. Anyway, Linkletter was the first I read who plugged pets for sen- iors. He told of a lady whose husband had passed on, and a neighbor who helped her carry groceries in one day and stayed for coffee and the beginning of a fast friendship. The neighbor arrived another day - the widow's birthday - with a litter box, cans of food, a pint of milk, and a tabby kitten with white paws. It weighed about a pound and it was love at first sight. As a full-grown neu- tered cat that now weighs 17 pounds, his favorite place to sleep is in her lap. He eats only 9-Lives sliced veal and behaves like a spoiled king, as well he should - he is in com- plete control. He destroyed the widow's plants but she didn’t really mind. In fact, she thought it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen when he climbed her ficus tree and broke the trunk. She said he jumped three feet in the air when it snapped in two. Mittens and his mistress were made for each other. He eats regu- larly at 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Their favorite days are the sunny ones when they can enjoy a nap in the chair. in front of %.the window...together. End of story. Now. Would my readers who called me a cat-hater come back? Only yesterday 60 Years Ago - Mar. 1, 1935 GOVERNOR EARLE TO APPOINT NEW J.P. An appointment by Gov. George | i [ | Ml H. Earle to fill the office of Justice | of the Peace left vacant as a result of the death of Harry Anderson is expected to be made within the next week or two. Ira Cooke, who'’ was the first candidate to be sug- gested as the successor to Ander- son, is considered to have the best chance of appointment. The second annual dinner- dance held by Henry M. Laing Fire Co. of Dallas and its women's auxiliary at Irem Country Club last Friday night was one or the most successful and enjoyable affairs ever sponsored by the local organizations. You could get - Veal cutlets, 39¢ Ib.; hamburg, 2 lbs., 29¢; green beans, 3 Ibs., 25¢; grape- fruit, Ig. sz., 3/19¢; apples, 61bs.,- 25¢. : 50 Years Ago - Feb. 23, 1945 SLIDE IN SAND PIT KILLS ORANGE MAN Kingston Township School Board has granted permission for the use of the small grade school building at Shavertown for a Teen- Age Center, it was revealed Sun- - day at a meeting of interested i ad 4 @ " x) N [ 1 i ’ bi) T b Bi 8 | 3 5 MM y 1] citizens in Shavertown Hose W House. Mark Kunkle, highly respected resident of Orange, was killed almost instantly last Tuesday . when a sand slide in the Durland : West Wyoming poured pit, through the window of the power shovel he was operating, break- ing his neck and suffocating him. He was 57 years old. Mrs. George Bromfield, Terrace - St., Dallas, received word Tues- day that her brother M/Sgt. . Edward Davis, Wilkes-Barre, a prisoner of the Japanese since ii J BS the fall of Corregidor, has been *~ released by U.S. Forces. It is believed he is possibly in an evacu- ation hospital in Luzon. 40 Years Ago - Feb. 25, 1955 GIRLS GET LOWER CAR INSURANCE RATES Well, girls, the men have finally admitted it. set rates for the Farm Bureau Insurance Companies and think’ so. Beginning March 1, they'll give a 20-67% cut in rates to Pennsylvania women in the un- You're the better driver, according't6 the men who | ‘a | r « LE) i <1 3 ’ - der 25 group; but male drivers in“ the same age bracket will still pay bh the regular youthful drivers’ rate. The possibility of a merger"! between Teen-Age Baseball League and Little League to give greater strength to the overall * recreational program for boys in '* the Back Mountain area was dis- cussed by representatives of both groups at a meeting of Back" Mountain Teen-Age League at Town and Country Y.M.C.A. head- ~ quarters in Shavertown. In spite of recent newspaper publicity, infectious hepatitis in bh) the Back Mountain region has not reached epidemic proportions nor is there any need for undue alarm. 30 Years Ago - Feb. 25, 1965 FUND DRIVE WORKERS STEP UP EFFORTS With less than one week re- maining in the 1965 Greater Wilkes-Barre Industrial Fund | Campaign, countless numbers of volunteers are doubling their ef- forts to complete individual, group and firm pledges in an all-out effort to raise $1,500,000 to help - « - provide “more funds, for more - industry and more jobs, accord- ing to Paul Lauer, Shavertown, head of Back Mountain solicita- tions. In appreciation of the outstand- A ing service rendered by the King- ston Township Fire and Ambu- Yal A lance Association and Dallas Fire Association, the Dallas Junior Woman's Club has increased its contributions this year. 20 Years Ago - Feb. 27, 1975 NEW AREA JAYCEES GET CLUB CHARTER Saturday marked the begin- ning of a new Jaycee Chapter in the area when the Back Mountain Jaycees were presented their offi- cial charter. R. Spencer Martin, DAMA announced that PennDOT will lend the authority money to in- stall sewers in the Carverton Road area of Trucksville. Following approval of installation plans by both PennDOT and DAMA the sewers will be installed at a cost of approximately $82,000 rather than the same $154,000 estimated a EL ah aa i a a after the road has been completed. | Nine Lake-Lehman High School students will tour London next month. The educational tour will leave March 21 and return March 29. - 0 k § i]
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers