a a ay SN nm ea AP, ps PE SSERET 6 The Dallas Post EDITORIAL Friday, July 4, 2003 OUR OPINION Don’t miss the library auction — it’s fun and for the best of causes It is always a surprise and disappointment to talk with some- one who hasn’t attended the Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction. It’s easy to assume that after 56 years and countless volunteer hours, there wouldn’t be a person in the area who hasn’t been captivated by the charms of this annual event. Just in case you are one of those deprived souls, here are a few rea- sons why you should come to the 57th edition. of this remark- able community gathering. 1. You'll have a great time, even if you don’t buy a thing. The auction truly is “the social event of the year,” where you are “sure to see old friends and new acquaintances. If they're not raising their hands to bid they’ll be browsing the Odds and - Ends tent, the Book Booth or one of the other spots where all proceeds aid the library. Or perhaps they will be one of the dozens of volunteers who staff those attractions, help with the bidding or handle the money. 2. Children love it, too. There are games and storytelling for younger kids, and plenty of opportunity to hang out with pals for the older ones, in an environment that is secure but still af- fords some independence. Just say, “Meet me at the food booth at 10,” and you're set. 3. Speaking of food, it’s an auction tradition. The Rotary Food Booth serves up all the auction favorites along with some new treats each year, and vendors dispense your favorite indul- gences. Even better, the calories don’t count when they're con- sumed outdoors! 4. If you need or want anything for the home, cabin or garage, you're likely to find it at the auction. From prime an- tique furniture to a new weed whacker, just wait long enough and it will come over the block, and possibly at a bargain price. Don’t have the time or patience for the bidding process? Stop in at the Nearly Old tent for items that didn’t make the cut for the block and pick up decorating accessories that you can’t find in any mall store. Or check out the plant tent for outdoor needs. 5. Most important of all, you will be supporting the library, a truly Back Mountain institution that provides services used by more than 15,000 active borrowers. With cuts in state funding, a successful auction becomes more important than ever, as the auction profits provide a larger share of the budget. It sounds trite, but really, if you haven’t gone to the auction, you don’t know what you are missing. You could travel far and wide and never come across a community effort that so perfect- ly blends volunteer service, public good and personal pleasure. It’s an event that has earned the support of everyone in the Back Mountain, and that provides a most enjoyable setting for PUBLISHER'S NOTEBOOK These words are being written on a personal computer run- ning Microsoft Windows software, which makes the equip- ment indistinguishable from more than nine out of 10 other PCs. And if Microsoft has its way, the number of people using competitive software will be about the same as the roster of a basketball team. But no one seems to care, particularly not the government agen- cies that are supposed to guard against mo- nopolies. Younger readers may not know it, but there was a time when big business was re- garded with suspicion, and not just because it tried to influ- ence elections and policy. Believe it or not, there once was a school of thought that huge corporations — particularly ones that had few or no competitors — weren’t the most efficient producers of products and services. Nor was it accepted dog- ma that big companies were the most likely to advance tech- nology or create new products. Instead, many people had the outdated notion that, given the choice, humongous companies would opt to fatten their bottom lines rather than innovate. I'm sure glad that doesn’t happen any more! Even more bizarre, a Republican president was the greatest enemy of monopolies, and as a result we have more choices in gasoline stations than Esso and .. Esso. Now, rather than ex- pand the field, national leaders of both parties are more than happy to grab campaign cash, as they willfully ignore a con- centration of economic power that far exceeds anything John D. Rockefeller ever dreamed of. Anyway, back to Microsoft, a company that wants not only to dominate the operating system market, but tries its best to drive out competitors at every level. The result, as 90 percent of computer users know, is a bloated, slow, crash-prone pro- gram that is also a stealth private eye, sending back to head- quarters reports about users habits and preferences. Why, for all I know, Microsoft’s lawyers are preparing a defamation suit against me as these keys are stroked, in their ever-vigilant drive to protect the company’s name. And no one seems to care. RON BARTIZEK Letters welcome Letters to the editor are welcome and will be published. We also invite longer pieces that may run as columns. The au- thor or subject's relevance to the Back Mountain will be the prime consideration when selecting material for publication. Always include a daytime phone number for verification. Butterfly and lavendar. Photo by Jim Phillips. GUEST COLUMN A nation with a principled heart By M. David Stirling A French professor familiar with U.S.-French relations re- cently offered this perspective on the French mistrust of Presi- dent George W. Bush: “What is a little disconcerting for the French is an American presi- dent who seems to be princi- pled. The idea that politics should be based on principles is unimaginable because princi- ples lead to ideology, and ideol- ogy is dangerous.” This pseudo-sophisticated atti- tude on principle’s disconnect with politics — no doubt held by many world leaders — is shocking to most Americans. The notion that the making of public policy should be unrelat- ed to or devoid of principle is anathema to American political thought. In his epic work, “Democracy in America,” writ- ten in 1840, the young French traveler in America, Alexis de Tocqueville, depicted principle as the foundational rock upon which the early settlers of the colonies, and later, the found- ing fathers and mothers, built the new nation. Speaking of what he considered America’s highest principle — the free- dom of the people — de Toc- queville states: “In America, the principle of the sovereignty of the people is neither barren 70 Years Ago - July 7,1933 SEWAGE PLANT POSSIBLE WITH FEDERAL FUNDS Dallas is entitled to obtain fi- nancial aid for con- struction of a sewage plant under provisions contained under the National In- ONLY YESTERDAY Tre DALLAS POST TIMES*LEADER Cogsnunity Newspaper Group P.O. BOX 366, DALLA 18612 * 570-675-5211 dallaspost@leader.net Ronald Bartizek EDITOR/GENERAL MANAGER Kari L. Wachtel i ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC. BA Youngman Darlene E. Sorber Claudia Blank OFFICE MANAGER AD PRODUCTION MANAGER } dustrial Re- covery Act, which provides a gi- gantic fund of $3,300,000,000 for immediate use in behalf of industry and labor. The largest orders ever re- ceived by a local printing plant had just been completed by the job printing department of The Dallas Post. The finished order of 10,000 thirty page pictorial booklets contained more than a ton of coated enamel book pa- per and one half ton of cover paper. 60 Years Ago - July 2, 1943 2 TOWNSHIP ATHELTES ARE NOW FLYERS Two Dallas Township boys were among the hundreds grad- uated from the Army Air forces- Gulf Coast Training Center , with headquarters at Randolf Field, Texas. They will join the thousands of youths from all over America who are adding to the throbbing demands which is carrying warfare to the nor concealed, as it is with some other nations; it is recog- nized by the customs and pro- claimed by the laws; it spreads freely, and arrives without im- pediment at its most remote consequences.” It was principle that guided those inspired and courageous Americans who birthed our na- tion — demonstrated on count- less occasions, large and small, through their words and ac- tions. Some bear mention on this 227th anniversary of Amer- ica’s independence. e The young Massachusetts lawyer, John Adams, who, in 1770, despite much public scorn, defended the British sol- diers tried for killing five colonists in “the Boston Mas- sacre,” on the principled belief that “no man in a free country should be denied the right to counsel and a fair trial.” (See “John Adams,” by David Mc- Cullough.) e The Massachusetts rebels who, in 1774, staged the “Boston Tea Party” on the dem- ocratic principle that no free people should be compelled to pay a tax without a voice in its imposition — for which the King ordered British troops to close the port of Boston. e When the King dissolved Vir- ginia’s board of delegates after their outspoken opposition to Axis all over the globe. The boys names are: Frank Kamor and Frank Matukitis Fire caused by defective wiring seriously damaged two class- rooms and for a time threat- ened destruciton of Lake Town- ship High school. In addition to the two class rooms which were gutted there was ocnier- able damage from smoke to the walls of other rooms which will have to be redecorated. The first man from the Back Mountain region to hold a ma- jor county office in a score of years, Peter D. Clark, Republi- can chairman of the Sixth Leg- islative District, and president of Dallas Borough Council was named Luzerne County Trea- sure. 50 Years Ago - July 3, 1953 DR. CROMPTON TO REOPEN OFFICES Dr. and Mrs. Richard E. Cromp- ton, returned from Mineral ‘Wells, Texas, where he has been stationed for the past two years as head of the Obstetrical department at walters Air Force Base. Before returning to Trucksville, Dr. and Mrs. Crompton covered 7,000 miles touring the western part of the United States. Stanley Henning of Trucksville was made General Foreman of the Buffalo plant of Bethlehem Steel Company. Movies that played at Dallas Outdoor Theatre: “High Noon” with Gary Cooper, Thomas Mitchell, “Look Who's Laugh- his strangle-hold on Massachu- setts’ port city, Thomas Jeffer- son responded with a pamphlet challenging the principle of the King’s authority: “(A) free peo- ple (claim) their rights, as de- rived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate. . . . kings are the servants, not the proprietors of the people.” e When, in 1775, the King’s Virginia Governor burned the town of Norfolk, the fiery free- dom fighter, Patrick Henry, concluded his eloquent call for armed resistance with the his- toric words: “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.” The Declaration of Indepen- dence, drafted by 32-year-old Thomas Jefferson, was signed by the members of the Second Continental Congress on the evening of July 4, 1776. Its sec- ond sentence contains the im- mortal words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are en- dowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. . . Five hard years later, the Amer- ican War of Independence end- ed on a battlefield in Virginia, ing” with Fibber McGee and Molley Bergen; “The Greatest Show on Earth” with Betty Hutton, Charleston Heston. 40 Years Ago - July 3, 1963 LIGHTING SPARKS FIRE THAT DESTROYS HOME A bolt of lightning struck their home and Meadow View Chris- tian Book Store owned and op- erated by Rev. and Mrs. Rolland Updyke of Sweet Valley. The se- vere electrical storm swept through the area set the garage on fire and spreading flames de- stroyed the entire back section of the home. Some of the items you could get at Whitsell Bros. were: De- voe paint, $5.59 gal.; slider win- dow, $14.95’ wood screen door $8.30; screening, 6¢ a sq. ft. Harveys Lake Lions Little League team took the Bob Hor- lacher League pennant in a walkaway game, with Beau- mont, 21-3. It was the first time in five years that the Lakemen had won that honor. 30 Years Ago - July 5, 1973 EPA GIVESAUTHORITY ADDED SEWER FUNDS The Harveys Lake Municipal Authority had learned they would be receiving $2,376,070 from the Environmental Protec- tion Agency for construction of waste water treatment works- The announcement for ap- proval of funds was made by with the British surrender to General George Washington. Historian Joseph J. Ellis writes, “At the dawn of a new century, indeed, a new millennium, the United States is now the oldest enduring republic in world his- tory, with a set of political insti- tutions and traditions that have stood the test of time.” (“Founding Brothers, The Rev- olutionary Generation.”) After two centuries of often painful struggles, Americans can feel pride and gratitude to live in a nation with a princi- pled heart. Those countries that find America’s allegiance to principle disconcerting, or unsophisticated, or even dan- gerous, may well point to in- stances where she has fallen short, or occasionally, missed the mark altogether. But it can- not be said that America shrank from the challenge, or abandoned those in need, or stood silently by when circum- stances demanded commit- ment. On the 40th anniversary of the Allies’ Normandy inva- sion, President Ronald Reagan said: “We will always remem- ber, we will always be proud, we will always be prepared, so we may always be free.” M. David Stirling is vice presi- dent of Pacific Legal Founda- tion. U.S. rep. Daniel J. Flood. The three-day annual Lehman Horse Show was big success. Show officials report that the affair began with best opening night in the long-running vent’s history, and that the trend con- tinued throughout the show. The year’s program was dedi- cated to Lanceford Sutton and Lewis Ide for their years of service to the Lehman Volun- . teer Fire Company. Navy Constrction recruitJames E. Regan of Dallas, graduated from recruit training at the Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. 20 Years Ago - June 29, 1983 L-L BOARD MEMBERSGIV- EN SUPPORT A group of concerned taxpayers of the Lake-Lehman School Dis- trict met to voice their support of the school board and direc- tors in their efforts to provide quality education to the dis- trict. A petition was signed by 30 to 40 taxpayers at the meet- ing. Therese Young, a former Dallas resident, knitted a quilt and do- nated it to the Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction. The quilt is made of crazy patch- work blocks separate by deep maroon velour borders. Some items you could get at Daring’s Market: cooked salami Ib. $1.89; london broils Ib. $2.29; ground chuck Ib. $1.69; cantaloupe lg. size 79¢; mangos ea. 89¢. A : vw —
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers