6 The Dallas Post EDITORIAL Friday, August 15, 2003 OUR OPINION The cost of war hits home It has become easy to regard armed conflict as something that affects other people as we watch bombs fall and bullets fly from the comfort of a recliner. After all, wars are never fought on American soil and high-tech weaponry has allowed us to conduct vicious raids on opponents by remote control, thus safeguarding our troops. By and large there is some truth to that perception — war is far less costly in human terms for a modern force that can run its operations with the help of unmanned aircraft, night-vision goggles and stealth bombers. But that doesn’t mean this has become a free ride, and if you don’t believe that, just ask the families of the more than 150 Americans who have died in Iraq this year. Or ask the family of Christopher Ross, a Naval Reserve seabee who spent more than a month in a Texas hospital being treated for serious injuries suffered when an electrical panel he was servicing blew up literally in his face. He is among the wounded who the Pentagon prefers not to count when totaling the deaths and injuries associated with this or any war, non- combat casualties. But his injuries aren’t any less serious be- cause he was in a support position and the grief survivors feel when their loved one dies in an accident isn’t any less sharp than if they had been engaged in combat. If there is any redeeming value in these painful incidents, it is that those of us who are too young, old, infirm or principled to take part in war are reminded of its frightful cost, and that may make us be properly hesitant to commit our troops to bat- tle when the stakes don’t justify the loss of even one life. Straw for trees; a fair trade? Let’s say someone buys a piece of property. Not just any piece of property, but one that is heavily-forested, steeply- sloped and next to a park and stream. Then let’s say that per- son decides to take whatever value they can from the land by clearcutting decades-old hardwoods that not only look beauti- ful but also shield the stream and neighboring properties from runoff. And then, let’s say that someone is cited by a state agency for failing to take into account the damage to the stream, which is supposed to be protected under state statute. What do you think happens? Do local and state authorities come down hard with substantial charges and penalties? Is the landowner forced to remove sediment that has been washed into the stream by a massive rain storm? Are big fines as- sessed? The answer, sadly, is none of the above. Instead, the Luzerne County Conservation District delivers a lukewarm reprimand and asks politely that some grass seed and straw be put down where the handsome grove once stood. After all, as a district spokesperson explained in defending the abuser, “I wouldn't say it was willfully negligent.” Is that good enough for us? PUBLISHER’S NOTEBOOK ' I must not have read the story right. It said that Monsanto, the giant chemical company, was suing a small dairy in Maine because the label on the dairy’s milk reads, “Our farmers’ pledge; no artificial growth hormones.” That’s it — no questionable claims, no allegations, no dark implications — just a simple statement that their milk is free of the hormones that have become common at farms wanting to boost the output of their cows. It’s kind of like put- ting a can of octane booster in your car, I guess. But that simple statement of fact was B enough to ignite the suits in Monsanto’s cor- RON porate suites, and they are charging that the BARTIZEK labels disparage the use of the hormones, of which Monsanto is the only significant man- ufacturer. Now I'm just an old farm boy, but it seems that statement doesn’t disparage anything. It doesn’t read, “Free of alien ingre- dients, like the go juice from Monsanto,” or, “Monsanto chemi- cal milk we're not.” As the family-owned dairy’s president says, “We ought to have the right to let people know what is and is not in our milk.” This whole episode got me to thinking we should label the newspaper. Before you send in wisecracks about what’s not in The Dallas Post, here’s what I came up with: “Our reporter’s pledge; my anonymous sources really exist.” Could The New York Times sue us for defamation? “Our correpondents’ pledge; we're not making this up.” Weekly World News take note. “Our editor’s pledge; all the fair and balanced news that fits.” This will draw the ire of Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News, which claims to have a copyright on the phrase “fair and balanced” as it applies to news, even if it’s not true. Well, you know what, I'm with the farmer in Maine on this, and we have every right to make claims about our newspaper as long as they don’t dis- parage anyone else, even Fox. So, here it is: The Dallas Post is fair and balanced. That's fair and balanced in news, and if you don’t think The Dallas Post is fair and balanced then maybe you're not. Letters, columns and editorials Letters to the editor are welcome and will be published, subject to the following guidelines: e Letters should not exceed 500 words. ® Letters must be signed and include the writer's home town and a telephone number for verification. e Names will be withheld only if there exists a clear threat to the writer. ¢ The Post retains the right to accept or reject any letter, and to edit letters for grammar and spelling, as well as to eliminate any li- bel, slander or objectionable wording. Tie DALLAS POST TIMES*LEADER Cogaunity Newspaper Group P.O. BOX 366, DALLA 18612 » 570-675-5211 dallaspost@leader.net Ronald Bartizek EDITOR/GENERAL MANAGER Justin Wisnosk : ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC. En Youngsian Darlene E. Sorber Claudia Blank OFFICE MANAGER AD PRODUCTION MANAGER mE Fw Watching the world go by in Huntsville. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. oF 70 Years Ago - August 18, 1933 FAREWELL TO SISTER BOUND FOR HONDURAS Sister Mary Eleanor of the Sisters of Mercy, College Mis- ericordia, left for British Honduras, the mission- ary center in that dis- trict. Plans for the third ONLY YESTERDAY annual “Community Day” were made at a meeting of the Shavertown Fire Company. The event is held for the purpose of raising funds for the upkeep of the fire truck. Some of the items you could get at American Stores Co. were: bead, loaf 6¢; gelatine desserts, pkg., 7¢; loaf cakes, 15¢; brownie thins, Ib. 21¢ 60 Years Ago - August 20, 1943 THIEVES ENTER TITMAN’S STORE Thieves gained entrance to Titman’s Store through a cellar window and stole small quanti- ties of change amounting to $30 and dropped pennies and dimes on the floor in their hur- ry to get away. Other merchan- dise was also taken. An unidentified man who was dozing beside Toby’s Creek lost his balance and toppled seven feet down the creek bank, struck his head against a rock-and woke up. He was as- sisted by Mr. “Mac” McPherson who took him to Oliver’s Gas station, where he washed his injuries. No one has been appointed to fill any of the four vacancies created when four members of Dallas war Price and Rationing oard resigned at a stormy ses- sion with Joseph McNulty, su- pervisor of administration, for the Scranton District Office of Price Administration. 50 Years Ago - August 14, 1953 CITY DELIVERY OF MAIL. STARTS IN DALLAS City delivery of mail will start in Dallas but there will be plenty of persons who will still have to pick ;up their mail at the postoffice because they have been too indifferent to number their homes or install mail boxes. Postmaster Joseph Polacky, emphasized that all homes must be numbered and have mail boxes, otherwise the carriers will not leave mail. Back Mountain Town & Country YMCA toured New York City for two days with oth- er boys going on the Gypsy tour; While in New York they visited City Hall and met Sugar Ray Robinson. At Luzerne Motors, some of the used car and truck prices were: ‘52 Ford Victoria, $2,095; ‘50 Plymouth, $1,595; 1950 Ford 3/4 ton pickup, $795; 1946 Chev. Grain Body, $445. 40 Years Ago - August 15, 1963 LAKE-LEHMAN ADOPTS RULING ON BIBLE Lake-Lehman School Baord voted to follow the recommen- dation of the State Superinten- dent on Bible reading in their schools. Meditation and music will be observed in high school classrooms with Bible stories to be read to student in the ele- nentary grades. School for children of mi- grant workers employed in the harvest of crops in the Orange- Centermoreland-Falls area is being conducted at Orange Methodist Church. Children’s ages are from 2 to 14. All parties involved in the disputed real estate transfer tax from sale of Natona Mills in- cluding Dallas Borough and township will probably agee to a “case stated” to be presented to the Court of Common Pleas. 30 Years Ago - August 16, 1973 SCID WARNING SYSTEMS READY FOR ESCAPES A plan of action in case there is a prisoner escape at the State correctional Institution at Dal- las, has been implemented and is operational. An escape sig- nal, will be sounded simultane- ously from the local fire houses, and will consist of one 30-sec- ond blast. Dallas Township Board of Su- pervisors approved an increase in building permit fees. A fee of one percent of construction cost, will be charged for each permit issued by the township zoning officer, Leonard Kozick. Dr. Wallace F. Stettler, presi- dent of Wyoming Seminary, an- nounced the appointment of two new faculty members. They are Marilyn Jones who will assume a position in the art department and Charles Lull who will be with the math department. 20 Years Ago - August 10, 1983 ZALESKAS NAMED PRINCI- PAL John Zaleskas of Harveys Lake was selected as principal at Lake-Lehman High school which became vacant upon the death of former principal James Nicholas. ‘Wyoming Seminary soccer team departed from Wilkes- Barre to tour Europe where they will play eight tight games in three countries. The semi- nary membrs will stay in hotels and with families in the host countries during their visit. Robert Richardson of Dallas was graduated from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking. Richardson was among 450 bankers from across the coun- try to graduate from the oldest graduate banking school in the nation. Kingston Tax school tax bills at rebate until September 15 Kingston Township 2003 school tax bills were mailed July 15. If you are the owner of a home or property in Kingston Township and did not receive a tax bill, it is your responsibility to notify the tax collector at 696-3809. If you are a new owner of an established home and did not receive a tax bill, no- tify the tax collector so records can be changed accordingly. All payments must be postmarked on or before September 15 to be eligible for the rebate. Call 696-3809 with any questions. Q: Where do you find the most Back Mountain news each week? A: Only in The Dallas Post 4 New books added ® | at BMT Library The Back Mountain Memori- al Library, 96 Huntsville Road, Dallas, announces the addition of the following books to their collection: FICTION To the Evanovich Ghost Riders by Sharyn MC- Crumb Seizure by Robin Cook Cyanide Wells by Marcia Muller McNallys Dare by Lawrence Sanders J The Kite Runnerby Khaled Hosseini Lucca by Jens Christian Grondahl Fallen Idols by J.F. Freedman Due Preparations for the Plague by Janette Turner Hos- pital : Liars and Saints by Maile gg Meloy 4 Nines by Janet NON-FICTION The Kennedy Curse by Ed- ward Klein The Power of Full Engage- ment by Jim Loehr Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron Moneyball; the art of win- ning an unfair game by Michael Lewis The Essential 55 by Ron Clark : The Oxford New French Dic- tionary The Oxford Essential Guide to Egyptian Mythology BIOGRAPHY Autobiography of a Geisha by Sayo Masuda Kate Remembered by A. Scott Berg BOOKS ON CD Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix AUDIOTAPES Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling YOUNG ADULT Green Angel by Alice Hoff- man : The Canning Season by Polly Horvath Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares SPECIAL DONATIONS Emissary of Light by James F. Twyman donated by Mary Matochak L ) New memorial books at library Editor's Note: This list is reprinted from last week's issue due to typographical errors. Back Mountain Memorial Li- brary announces the addition of new memorial books. In Memory of Elizabeth Stocker, At Grandmas by Rhon- da Gowler Greene, presented by Ann Smith and Pat Sorber In Memory of Elizabeth Stocker, Farfallina and Marcel by Holly Keller, presented by Ann Smith and Pat Sorber In Memory of Julia Kvashay, Ah! Music by Aliki, presented by Mark and Kathy Millington In Memory of Eleanor Wallo, The Barn Owls by Tony John- son, presented by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lapasnick In Memory of Dr. Milto Kantor, Benjamin Franklin: an America life by Walter Isaac- son, presented by Diane Wasilewski and Carol McDon- ald : In Memory of Sarah Cathy Bixby,The New Candle Book by Gloria Nicol, presented by Bob and Ginger Ritts In Memory of Tara Jean Dougherty, The Fall of Freddie the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia, pre- sented by Jacqueline M. - Quigley In Memory of Matthew Cy- bulski, American Horticultural ‘Society Plants for Places, pre- sented by Jill and Irene Shaw In Memory of Anthony J. Lu- cidi, Sr., The Teammates by David Halberstam, presented by Noel and Rita Conrad In Memory of Paul A. Williams, The Illustrated Dic- tionary of Antiques and Col- lectibles by Judith Miller, pre- sented by Mrs. Delmar Bossard In Memory of Eleanor Wallo Your Dream Dog by Bashkim Dibra, presented by Betsy and Mike Dombroski and Family SDR
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers