a A A Fe A Sem mts Somme a —— ~~ ca EA vl ™ sod pend AN dtd sided SE ~ dhe NS S = The Dallas Post = Dallas, PA ‘Wednesday, March 29, 1995 § il Jack Hilsher In only a few days the month of a Aprilushersitselfinto view, bring- Ad ing on its first day the custom of “April Fool”.. There are several versions of how this foolishness got started...the most likely one explains that it all began in the 19th century, in France under King Charles IX. ; New Year's Day, up to the year 1564 before the Georgian calen- dar, was celebrated on March 25, o the advent of spring. King Char- ‘W lie moved it back to January 1, but many of his subjects disagreed with the change. They continued . to exchange gifts and attend par- ties during the week ending April 1. Some citizens even ridiculed such conservatism by jokingly sending invitations to nonexist- ent parties and giving silly gifts as a joke. The jokes came to a head @ on April 1, each year, thus becom- ing a custom. It took another 200 years for that custom to reach England, but when itdid, it moved on to the New World. The parties and gifts had by then been re- placed by practical jokes and outlandish pronouncements. And Letters ® April Fool: the untold story so today in America, around countless office water coolers, an old French custom is celebrated as “April Fool's Day.” APRIL FOOL! This column is no exception. It's not about April Fool's Day at all. It's about the furor over a proposed local arena, and I had to trick you into reading more arena stuff. Itworked, didn’t it? But all kidding aside...read on...this particular stuff will be different, I guarantee. There will be two new perspec- tives. First, that of our sister city of Scranton. I know Scranton. In my bachelor days local restau- rants closed on Sundays so I ate in Scranton, where they stayed open. Scranton had cultural events while Wilkes-Barre was still learning what the word meant. Scranton supported (still does) a large and successful stamp and coin shop. Our little one is mostly baseball cards. They had the first mall, the first downtown revitali- zation, the first this, the first that. Sowhatdo you suppose Scran- ton thinks of us? . Do they call us “The Valley With a Heart?” Nope. They say we are the “Unconscious - Valley.” They go on to snicker and say “Nothing ever goes on there until there is a natural disaster and the government comes in to spend a billion dollars.” And who do you suppose would try to pick up the spilled state dollars if we kill the arena? (It won't happen, but if it did...) Scranton would have started dig- ging the foundation before the ink was even dry. And Scranton citi- zens would laugh themselves silly over our worries about an arena adding $5 to $11 per year to our taxes. Hell, they spend 10 times that every month on the state lottery. (And so do we! Or on cigarette taxes, or how about on Atlantic City?) Now a second perspective. The nay-saying rabble in the front row say senior citizens won't support an arena. Who sez? I've gone to the Meadowlands often and stopped only when the driving became a pain. A 20-minute drive toa local arena would be painless. I would go. I would supportit, and I am a senior. They say seniors won't support concerts. Who sez? I'd go to see Old Blue Eyes, and Tony Bennett, and Willie Nelson. And some big bands. Mr. Aten’s Big Band Soci- ety alone would fill two arenas. We'll all go. And we're seniors. I'd go to sport shows and watch them catch trophy bass. I'd go to stamp and coin shows, antique shows, state championship bas- ketball games, flower and garden shows, trade shows, ice shows, the Ringling Brothers circus, and yes, I'll even try hockey and risk getting hooked. I'll go. And I'm a senior. Come to think of it, there are enough of us to tip the scales in favor of an arena. If we get off our big rusty dusties we can end this foolishness. Vote YES to that referendum on May 16. (Let's have the last laugh for Scranton for a change.) : Remember, this is not April Fool! Make it a present to your- self, your family, and generations to come. Vote yes! Let's have an arena! The Post has more local news Do It For The Kids" Editor: Those of us planning to partici- pate in the Third Annual “Do It For The Kids" Walk-A-Thon on p Saturday, April 8, will be walking for hundreds of children with physical and mental disabilities who have been served by the Wyoming Valley Children’s Asso- ciation. The 3.1 mile walk, starting and ending at Kirby Park and winding through the streets of downtown Wilkes-Barre, is a major fund- raiser for the association as par- ticipants secure sponsors who ' support them financially in their efforts. I know the work being done by the Wyoming Valley Children's Association is beneficial to many families in our area. I've seen what can be done with children whose physical and mental capa- bilities are diminished for what- ever reason. I've seen how fami- lies can regain hope as they watch their child progress. I've seen 4 smiles on the faces of children ~ who never smiled before. As a first-hand observer of the efforts of those involved with the Wyoming Valley Children’s Asso- ciation, I have become a strong advocate for the kinds of pro- grams offered by the association. My five-year-old niece Kali has been involved with the teachers and therapists at the association ga since she was six weeks old. She is now a member of the pre-school program offered by the associa- tion and is expected for the first time, to cross the finish line of the walk on her own. The fact that Kali can do that is testimony to the work done by the associa- tion's staff members. I invite you to join me, Kali, her mother and hundreds of other people who believe in the pro- @ grams of the Wyoming Valley Children’s Association. Won'tyou please call the Children’s Asso- ciation at 829-2453 today and ask for your Walk-A-Thon bro- chure? Walk with us on April 8 and help us continue the work done by people who believe the strong- est in our most valuable asset - our children. Dotty Martin 1995 “Do It For The Kids” Walk-A-Thon Chairperson Dallas Borough street sweeping regs Dallas Borough Road Depart- ment has begun spring street sweeping. All residents are asked to cooperate by not parking on the Borough's roadways between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. until they see that their street has been cleaned. The Road Department will also collect bagged leaves for residents who are raking their yards and flower beds. Bagged leaves should be placed along the side of the roadway. All bags will be emptied and returned. John W. Johnson As this is being written, the Pennsylvania Senate is consider- ing a bill designed to strengthen the state's rape law. Under the current law, a woman must prove that she resisted to make certain of a rape conviction. Simply say- ing no is not enough under Penn- sylvania law. And that's the way it's been for a long time, until the issue was reexamined following a 1994 Supreme Court ruling which overturned a 1988 rape convic- tion because, and while the de- fendant repeatedly said no to the man, she did nothing beyond that. In January, the State Senate passed a bill that would create a new criminal offense called sex- ual assault. The law would cover cases lacking evidence of force, including situations in which victims submit to the advances in order to avoid serious injury or death. That such a law is necessary points to the incredibly ingrained idea that women in this country are mere chattel. Small wonder than that—and even as child abuse numbers soar here and nationwide—hidden in those numbers are equally shock- ing facts: As often as not, and often in concert with, or even before the child isabused, the child's mother family. Attitude adjustment, not a new law, will protect women is. And if not abused in the home, then in the society in general, i.e., in 1989 there were 2.96 forcible rapes in Pennsylvania per 1,000 population. Project that over the state's nearly 12 million persons and you can see that violence against women is more than just what the shock TV jerks talk about. ; Violence against women is so much a part of our societal no- menclature that, for example, in New York State last year, five men were charged with first-degree rape of a drunken woman in a small town bar. They were even- tually permitted to plead guilty to misdemeanor sexual conduct. Instead ofthe 25 years in prison which comes with first degree rape, they ‘each received $750 fines.....and walked. Sound far fetched.....read on. A Colorado woman was kid- napped and raped. She escaped from her attacker and stopped a passing motorist. The motorist was taking her to the police sta- tion when the rapist pulled along- side, shot the driver, kidnapped the woman again.....and murdered her. Juries across the country rou- tinely underpunish perpetrators of crimes against women, failing, for example, to see that a crime has even been committed when a woman is assaulted by her husband.....and if you're a rape victim, be prepared to undergo hell when you go to court. National numbers on rape convictions bear this out. Only 10 percent of reported rapes re- sult in a conviction....50 percent Four years ago I was privileged to run in a the most significant judicial election : “ever to be held in the history of Luzerne ; County when we elected an unprecedented 4 individuals as Judges to our Court of Common Pleas. In that election, the first that I had ever - participated in as a candidate, over . 21,000 men and women voted for my E candidacy! As a result I finished 5th - overall from among a field of 17 A candidates. hy This past month over 3500 registered voters signed my petitions for Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Luzerne u County. I want to take this opportunity to 4 thank everyone who participated in that ea process. Your early confidence in me is very much appreciated by me and my ro This May 16th the voters of Luzerne County will once again elect a new Judge to their court. With your Help, I will be that Judge! DEDICATED TO JUSTICE! Paid for by GIOVANNINI FOR JUDGE COMMITTEE ; <3 Vv of rapists get less than a year in jail....and 25 percent get only = probation. i The attitude about violence against women is as old as the relationship between men and women. Men are stronger than women. When the frustration of simple existence rears its head, ©. often the easiest and most con- = venient target is the woman stand- ing nearby. # As day to day survival issues have diminished and been re- placed by a relatively comfortable and safe living environment for most persons, the attitudes about + how to deal with frustration and other issues of power have not caught up...many men still be- |. lieve it is correct, proper, and appropriate and even necessary to hit “their women” . occasionally....toshow them who's boss, or to keep them in line, ] or....(fill in the blank). : i Aside from public education hs programs which point out that violence solves nothing, about all that can be done is for our legisla- * tures to address the question legally. And the State Legislature needs - to address the current archaic version of the rape law soon. Likewise, until we get serious about the continued abuse of [i women and children in this soci-* ~{ ety, then we will continue toread ; about children being dropped from buildings, and stuffed in garbage | cans, along with women being raped, all acts of violence against the weakest of us...that is, those who bear the future, and the fu- ture itself. Some future, huh? ¥ wy Di RY AG Ay “ RT TT a SR a mT
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers