4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, January 26, 2000 EDITORIALS | Heros, heroines are all around us, if we'll look It's Super Bowl Week (pardon us for capitalizing the phrase, but the game seems to be the most important thing in the world . right now), a time when the spotlight shines on big men swathed in pads who we are told should be worshipped for their ability to fling a football 50 yards or to inflict pain on an opponent. At least one of them will be tagged a hero when the game is over, and in the context of the sport that may be an appropriate designation. There are other role models who are more meaningful for most of us, though, people who contribute to our communities in ways that are too easily overlooked. Although they are seldom seen on television or the cover of national magazines, they are critical components in Back Mountain life. That's why we feel privileged to write about them, and offer them as examples who can stimulate achievement, compassion and other qualities that are essential in modern society. ; Recent subjects include Elizabeth Faerber, a second grade teacher who was identified as a great inspiration by student teachers; Bill Metzger, a Lake-Lehman senior who is the first ° electric guitarist in two years to be accepted by the U.S. Marine Corps; a group of people from Gate of Heaven Church who traveled to Haiti to offer aid and comfort to the inhabitants of that impoverished island; and Mark Howell, Ph.D, a featured commentator on a televised special about his area of expertise, auto racing. They are a diverse group, and they only scratch the surface of individuals in our small community who have followed their dreams — or their consciences — to make a mark in the wider world. There are dozens more; people we rub shoulders with every week but don't think of as superstars only because we know them so well, and in that intimacy think there's nothing all that remarkable about them. But there is, and there can be about each of us, whether or not we ever see our name in lights. And when all is said and done, their contributions will have been far more valuable than a thousand tackles or passes. Publisher's notebook Ron Bartizek News mavens will appreciate broadcasts from the National Press Club that are heard on WVIA-FM 89.9 public radio from . 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on occasional weekdays. The shows follow a format in which a newsmaker speaks for about a half hour, then answers questions put to him or her by the audience of mostly reporters and editors. One surprising facet of the shows is that they begin and end on time — a somewhat unusual occurrence when news people are involved. Anyway, I was listening last week when the speaker was someone from the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Co., which must wage a continuous public relations battle just to keep its head above a flood of negative coverage and lawsuits. Given the stakes, the tobacco outfits always hire highly skilled spinmeisters, and this one — complete with a sophisticated British accent - certainly fit the mold, being always cordial but expressing no remorse for his employer's toxic product. At one point he was asked how he would handle questions about smoking from his young daughter. After the usual “It’s an adult activity” answer, he said he would ask her to “balance the risks and benefits of smoking” before deciding whether or not to light ~ up. The moderator wasn't quick enough on the uptake to pursue the obvious followup: Just what benefits does cigarette smoking offer, to anyone except the sellers of coffin nails. Since I couldn't be there to ask that question, I'll take it upon myself to look at both sides. : Risk/Benefit Analysis of Smoking Cigarettes Risks: : Inability to climb stairs at the arena or stadium. Blood you cough up stains the shirt you bought at Walmart. You could have bought the shirt at Lord & Taylor if you didn’t spend so much on cigarettes. Premature death. Only boy or girlfriends will be ones who think yellow teeth are glamorous. Benefits: You get lots of fresh air, since smoking isn’t allowed in most establishments. This can be a liability in winter. Feeling good because you contribute far more than your share to the public welfare through the taxes you pay. Won't be bothered by many people at parties, since smokers are shunned. Save money on entertainment, since you can’t climb stairs at the arena or stadium. Not premature death, just a miserable life. Making you feel at home in the Back Mountain The Dallas Post The Dallas Post Published Weekly By Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 570-675-5211 Ronald A. Bartizek PUBLISHER Charlotte E. Bartizek ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER OFFICE MANAGER Ken Brocious ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC Kasia McDonough : REPORTER Ruth Proietto PRODUCTION MANAGER Joanna Cease OFFICE/TYPIST/CLASSIFIEDS Saas 4 PRINTED WITH 0): EL hil SOY IN K - \ ni NEWSPAPER Old barn in snow, off Lower Demunds Rd., Dallas. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. LETTERS | We all have a stake in preserving region's open land Editor's note: The author sent this letter to the Back Mountain Regional Land Trust, and asked that it be printed in The Dallas Post so that it's message reaches the Back Mountain community. Editor, Today I found myself guilty of committing several acts of which, I realize, I should not be particu- larly proud. Nor will my inexcus- able and somewhat irrational acts of disobedience result in proving any sort of “important” or “civil” impact/outcome I so desire. Thus I write this letter to you, seeking your help. Yet, this afternoon, I proceeded to ignore the NO TRESPASSING: PRIVATE PROPERTY signs stapled to the trees (and the pen- alties that I may incur as a result) and ventured deeper into my “un- civilized” but “important” walk within the surrounding woods of the Huntsville Reservoir. And as I walked, I thought to myself of just what we, as civilized members of the Back Mountain community, hold as impor tant. Ownership. It seems to me that our community is not so much different than many other com- munities; we like to own things. We take great pride in owning things. We set goals, work, and strive to get things: food, clothes, education, wealth, success, cars, houses, land ... the list appears to be endless. But let's stop for a minute and take a closer look at one resource that appears to be increasingly finite. Land. Land seems, to me, to be the ultimate finite resource. Once we run out of land we cannot go out and acquire any more of it. What we have is what we have. This fact alone must prove to us that the private ownership of land must be a highly valued thing. For, if there is only so much of one thing, then we should be in a hurry to snatch it up, quick! However, this act of snatching things up, i.e. land, for ourselves and making these things our own may not be held as all that “im- portant” to the interests of the Back Mountain community, as a whole. It seems as though our increased value as to what is im- portant to us - ownership of wealth, success, personal prop- erty, etc. - we have neglected the terribly important values that come from the things we can and do share among each other. Land and all the wonderful and vital resources that come from open space is, what I believe to be, the ultimate commonality we all share as a community, together. As stated by Vincent J. Cotrone, Ex- tension Urban Forester, in regards to the Northeastern Pennsylvania Forest Landowners Conference to be held on March 4 at the PP&L East Mountain Business Center, “these forests are home to hun- dreds of wildlife species and thou- sands of plants. They protect frag- ile soils from erosion, purify wa- ters, and even improve air qual- ity. Healthy forests support biodiversity and provide recre- ational opportunities and scenic beauty... In order to sustain these forest and their benefits for future generations, landowners should realize the need to manage and protect this resource.” Thus, as civilized human be- ings living in a civilized commu- nity, we need to recognize that what we hold to be important, i.e. the private ownership of land, does not always benefit us - neither personally nor as a community. To be civilized, according to Webster's Dictionary, means “no longer in a savage or uncultured state.” Yet, I cannot think of any- thing so uncivilized or savage as the esteeming of private owner- ship of some things, such as land ownership, over the sharing, or having joint use of, its many re- wards. Why must we hoard in all of what is ours with fence posts ° and signs to ensure that others cannot and will not reap an ounce of its benefits - both now and for generations of the future. My favorite writer is Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau’s mas- terpiece, Walden, was written by the man in the 1900's while living alone on Walden Pond, in Con- cord, Massachusetts. There he was left alone with nature so to write about our harmony with the wild. I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if l could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. HDT Walden Just a couple of winters ago I cross country skied through freshly fallen snow into the same area I was today. Just as the shares of Walden Pond were to Henry David Thoreau, the Hunts- ville Reservoir is to me. Today, I again found myself following in the words of Thoreau himself, “the greater part of what my neighbors call good I believe in my soul to be bad, and if I repent of any thing, it is very likely to be my good behavior.” So, in this very place I have grown to love (it is a piece of who Iam), I ripped out the littering of orange property stakes and red marker flags sig- naling where this now beautiful and pristine landscape will soon be destroyed by a road and an unnecessary new house. I do re- alize that my acts of trespassing and so forth will not change the outcome of this area - the land will nevertheless be developed and houses built (we have already wit- nessed the recent erection of three ungodly built houses and a latge square building) in the surround- ing area. What I did was not ratio- nal nor will it prove to be effective. Treading upon this private prop- erty and tearing up these posts is not going to preserve these things that are truly important to all of us, as the Back Mountain com- munity. Still, I am proud of my childhood. I am proud of this area in which I have grown up. I am proud of what I have done today. These are just some of the rea- sons why I need to write this letter to you. ' I have just read copy of the November 19, 1999 Back Moun- tain Regional Land Trust letter written by Will Conyngham. It appears from reading this letter that the objectives of this organi- zation may closely resemble some of the sentiments (but with none of my actions) set forth in my letter. “You and your children are one of the reasons why we do what we do. We know the values that open space provide. We want to ensure that future generations (1) can experience glorious scenic viewsheds of Autumn foliage; (2) have quality watershed lands that empty into our water reservoirs; (3) can take aride into the country and appreciate farms as working landscapes, or even as primary sources of income because they are the ones who work the land.” I have also read the report of the Pennsylvania Economy League's “Changing Patterns of Population and Wealth As They Affect Land Use” as issued in November, 1999. To summarize, the Back Moun- tain area represents one of the primary areas of increasing wealth and population growth. While we should be very honored that our Back Mountain community is doing well economically and at- tracting more and more people who want to call the Back Moun- tain home, we must also be con- scientious about the issues of land space that come about as a result “of such changes. What would the Back Mountain be like if all its natural beauty were bulldozed away? In summary, I too, value the ownership of many things - one is a college education of which I am currently pursuing. Therefore, I haven't much more to donate to: the Back Mountain Regional Land Trust than $100 worth of accu- mulated Christmas money that would otherwise certainly go to- wards beer and pizza. The preser- vation of the Huntsville Reservoir is much, much more important than any acquired thing, to me. This is why I am sincerely hopeful that the Back Mountain Regional Land Trust will be able to assist me in my dreams of preserving the significance of the Huntsville Reservoir for future generations to come. And this is why I write to . you, the community that makes up the Back Mountain, in order that we begin to raise newfound awareness about issues dealing with land and environment pres- ervation and conservation - in this area in which we call our home. Matthew Lloyd Dallas EI - A I I Ra aE ml a i a SE a AT LEGISLATORS DIRECTORY Federal Officials Representative Paul E. Kanjorski (Democrat) Wilkes-Barre: 825-2200 Washington: (202) 225-6511 e-mail: paul.kanjorski@hr.house.gov # 400M, 7 N. Wilkes-Barre Blvd., Wilkes-Barre PA 18702 or 2353 Rayburn Building, Washington, DC 20515 Senator Arlen Specter (Republican) Wilkes-Barre: 826-6265 Washington: (202) 224-4254 e-mail: senator_specter@specter.senate.gov 116 South Main Street, Wilkes- Barre PA 18701 or 711 Hart Senate Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20510 Senator Rick Santorum (Republican) Scranton: 344-8799 Washington: (202) 224-6324 Fax: (202) 228-4991 e-mail: senator @ santorum.senate.gov 527 Linden St., Scranton, PA 18503 120 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 State Officials State Senator Charles D. Lemmond (Republican) (717) 675-3931 e-mail: smurphy @pasen.gov 22 Dallas Shopping Ctr., Memorial Hwy., Dallas PA 18612-1231 State Representative George Hasay : (Republican) 287-7505 or 542-7345 or 474- 2276 or 477-3752 144 North Mountain Boulevard, Mountaintop PA 18707 Hasay’s district encompasses: Harveys Lake, Lehman Township, Jackson Township, Lake Township, Franklin Township, Ross Township, and Dallas Township’s north voting district. State Representative Phyllis Mundy (Democrat) 283-9622 or 655-3375 Suite 113, 400 Third Avenue, Kingston PA 18704 Mundy’s district encompasses: Dallas Borough, Dallas Township except for the north voting district, and Kingston Township. (t
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