8 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, October 9, 1996 5 g As Twas saying ¥ Jack Hilsher That great philosopher, Mr. Yogi Berra, once said, “Gee, it was deja ~ vu all over again,” thus introduc- B (Ghostwriter ing the subject of our lecture for the day - reincarnation, or the belief that humans live one life after another, and one’s death is only a pause in a succession of lives. Heavy stufl? Sure, but there are believers all over. And have by Paul Rismiller "Nothing, apparently, will cause such a great frenzy in the Wyo- ming Valley as the spectre of ' satanism rearing its ugly head. "‘1'{ Thus, we have the tragic double suicide of two 16 year old boys turned into an extended loop of Dana Carvey's Church Lady, "I don't know, could it possibly _. .be...SATAN!!" I don't know either, but it's not bloody likely. .. What I do know is the press coverage of the story has been __ nothing short of appalling. The bottom line seems to be better the "devil you don't know (the occult) “than the ones you do (drugs, de- pression, and teenage angst). At least in terms of ratings and circu- ~ lation. ~~ Shawn Zarcufsky and Stanley Szczupski were reportedly "dab- bling" in the occult, and may have been drinking, smoking pot, snifl- "ling white-out, and one of them, reportedly, may have been using ¢ heroin, at the time of their deaths. Rather than be concerned about ~the most glaring questions - what » were kids this age doing messing - with heroin, and what could cause twoyoung men to throw away their lives - the press dove head first into the satanism angle. The times haven't changed all that much. Teens, grappling with their identities in an increasingly complicated world, and at a stress- ful time of their lives, love to shock ~ their elders. My parents, for in- stance, weren't exactly overjoyed « when I started receiving commu- nist literature at home. The Times Leader published a photo ofa pentagram dangling from some girl's neck at a rally held at the courthouse. Why was she wear- ingit?Isshea practitionerofwicca? Is she part of a satanic cult? Anything is possible, but I'd bet . she wore it on this occasion for the same reason she bought it ...to , "freak the mundanes" as we called it back in my wasted youth. The reputed "signs" of occult involvement reported in the press were, to put it gently, absurd. .. For example, 1 was less than thrilled to see the Wizard Site, a .collectible card shop in Nanticoke, So, what did you do in your previous lifetimes? been. Egyptians believed in rein- carnation, and the Greeks tosome extent. Algonquin Indians, Aus- tralian Aborigines, and many Af- rican tribes include it in their beliefs. Among the Jews, Essenes and Pharisees accepted the idea and it continued to be popular among European Jews until medieval times. It is well known that rein- carnation was a common belief at the time of Jesus, and some say the fact that he did not speak against it indicates an acceptance. A more recent believer was Henry Ford. He said, “I adopted the theory of reincarnation when I was 26. Religion offered nothing to the point. Even work could not give me complete satisfaction. When 1 discovered reincar- nation...time was no longer lim- ited. 1 would like to communicate to others the calmness that the long view of life gives to us.” And Henry was far from alone among the famous. General George Patton was also a believer. So was the enormously wealthy J. Paul Getty. Three other names are mentioned which I don't be- lieve: Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman and Thoreau. Bul if you want rich and famous believers you need only look to our west coast. Hollywood is loaded with them, and what's more, they all recall their past lives, usually in great detail. Shirley MacLaine is their high priestess. She says, “I was definitely a prostitute in some life- "The Devil made me do it', or how not to cover a teen suicide featured on the front page of the Citizens’ Voice with the headline ‘Are local school children becom- ing Satanists?’ Maybe, but it sure as hell doesn't have anything to do with Wizard Site. My daughter Casandra was even less thrilled with the ear job she got from her Honeypot Gramma over her game, Wyvern. She had to have her mother bail her out and explain that the game was about dragons, dragon-slayers, and treasure...with nary a demon to be found. When my kids and I visited the store last Saturday, hearing a soft rock station on the shop's radio, I couldn't help tweaking Joe Skipkoski, the manager, 1 turned to him and asked "where's the devil bongo music?" He at least got a laugh out of it. "These people can't take ten min- utes to learn the game (Magic) be- fore they start categorizing it," he said. He also pointed out that the number one reason for teen suicide was loneliness. "How can a kid be lonely when he's playing cards with his friends?" he asked. Good question. An even better question is why shine the spotlight of negative publicity on an estab- lishment that's the closest thing Nanticoke has to a youth center? Adults always complain that kids hanging out on the street will getin trouble. If you'll pardon the ex- pression, the devil makes work for idle hands. Now how many parents will ban their kids from setting foot in the Wizard Site? How many kids will get into trouble because they're not allowed to take part in a harm- less hobby? How many entrepre- neurs will steer clear of opening similar establishments in other Wyoming Valley communities? While many of the CCG's fea- ture wizards and magic, werewolves and vampires, many others do not. Of the five games my children and I own and play, two have nothing at all to do with any aspect of the supernatural. These card games are good, clean fun, and they offer an opportunity for parents to stay involved in their children's lives. I guess my kids and I will have to visit the Site more often to make up for the damage done by the press. I was particularly unamused by the list of bands with supposedly satanic leanings that ran in the newspapers...Blue Oyster Cult, AC/DC, and KISS, for crying out (Ro) /~1 Tal gToTo) Visitation Days Mon., October 14 from 9 am to 3 pm Wed., October 16 from 7 mm to 9 pm Please call our Office of Admission to set up a time for your visit: (717) 283-6060 Two hours could change your children’s lives * Learn how at Wyoming Seminary " Lower School Visitation Days . Pre-kindersarten through eighth grade " As a parent, you want to provide the best _ for your children to ensure their promising . future. The decisions you make will be the - foundation of their entire lives. . Wyoming Seminary Lower School is invit- - ing prospective families to learn how their * children can prosper and grow with our " academic, arts and athletic programs. Join © us to visit classrooms, meet with teachers . and students, and see how a Wyoming + Seminary education can make a difference "in your children’s lives. 1.5 60 WYOMING FORTY FORT, PENNSYLVANIA 18704-4298 SEMINARY founded 1844 WY OMI NG AVENUE loud! I've only been to a half dozen | BOC concerts, and my kids know the words to "Godzilla" by heart. I've always liked AC/DC, and 1 consider KISS to be a. collision between Rock & Kabuki. While working on paste-up on a Monday night, an Ozzie Osbourne song came on the radio, and I had to ask Grace Dove whether I could be charged with corrupting the morals of a minor for listening to such trash in the presence of our intern, Joy. I was only half-joking. I could just hear what the local Inquisi- tors would say about my musical tastes. Bite the head off one bat and you're labeled for life, right Ozzie? Now that we're done beating the bushes for Beelzebub, back to one of those glaring questions I men- tioned before. A friend of mine is a nurse at Mercy Hospital in Nanticoke, and she tells me they average three heroin overdoses a week! There's been a lot of argument on various op-ed pages about whether my generation should fess up to drug experimentation when talking to our kids. “Tell them," Annette says, "or I'll be taking part in that conversation in the emergency room." time. It is no accident that I played all those hookers.” Shirl said her most tragic life was as a court jester during the reign of Louis XV, when the king decapitated her for “telling imper- tinent jokes. I watched my head rolling on the floor. It landed face up and a big lear came out of one eye.” Actor Glenn Ford recalled a previous life as a piano teacher in Scotland. He was also a cowboy, a British sailor in the 17th cen- tury and a Christian by the name of Flavius who was thrown to the lions in the coliseum. Actress Ann Miller visited Queen Hatshepsul's tomb, whom she recalled as her former sell, and said she “knew instinctively” the location of the queen's miss- ing body. It was recovered in the location she specified. Cher in a previous life was an advisor to an Egyptian king, and Susan Strassberg was another one thrown tolions. Sylvester Stallone had previous lives, and Loretta Lynn was a Cherokee princess, an Irish woman and a rural Ameri- can housewife. Those were rather dull lives compared to another one she later recalled as a maid in aKing George household (she was not sure which one) when she had an affair with the king. She said, “The king's best friend kept grabbing me be- hind the king's back. I was afraid to tell the king about it because they were such buddies.” pose” True, or not true? Doesn't a matter, for you will note all these | unbelievable recountings of past lives emanate from one place, the sunny state of California. Wherein also dwell the original flower chil- by dren. And L. Ron Hubbard with LE his Church of Scientology. And | other cults. Want wacky? Gowesl, man. ! But not to worry, for I can ex- | plain why this is so by simply reminding you of that wonderful old fable about the day when God picked up the United States by | the East Coast and shook il vio- lently. 2 And then everything that was loose rolled out to California and stayed there. \ . ’ More News, More Abs, More PHoTos. ReaD THE DALLAs Post EacH WEEK. | Dallas - Jack Williams American Car Care Centers, located at 40 Memorial Hwy. in Dallas, recently announced the addition of Jamey Smith to their Dallas customer service team. Jamey, formerly of Elston & Gould, brings with him Jack Williams Tire Welcomes Jamey Smith | over 18 years of tire and auto experience in the Back Mountain area. Jamey (above) invites all of his former Elston & Gould customers to experience “The Williams Way” today at Jack Williams American Car Care Centers in Dallas. * : v In 1994, the Anderson family came to the Back Mountain because it’s : a great place to raise a family Andrea Taroli, M.D. Fran McGlynn, C.R.N.P. John L. Carey, M.D. Now, in 1996, Mercy’s here to make it better. Family means having people around you who care. Mercy does it every day. Mercy Health System's commitment to improving community health is reflected in our compassionate nature, experience and state-of-the-art facilities. Now your family can enjoy the quality of Mercy care...right here at home. Join us Thursday, October 10th, 3pm-7pwm, to celebrate the Grand Opening of our newest Mercy Physicians Network office at 16 Church Street, Dallas. Bring the whole family to meet John L. Carey, M.D. (Internal Medicine), Andrea Taroli, M.D. (Pediatrician) and Fran McGlynn, C.R.N.P. (Women's Health Specialist). Enjoy refreshments and conversation, and take home a small token of our appreciation! Call (717)675-2077 for regular office hours or call (717)675-1617 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Taroli. % . / GUE ‘ | I) MERCY Physicians Network . « alt chs v4
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers