March 2008 Archives

After years of reading an ever growing number of articles in newspapers with comments attributed to unnamed sources, I feel that it is high time for a dose of honesty forced upon the press. There should henceforth be no more quotes from "individuals who choose not to be named due to the sensitivity of the subject" or "parties close to the issue who wish to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to speak puplicly". Such quotes should be described honestly by the press as being stated by "some guy", after all the press feels no duty their readers to prove that their source has any more credibility than that.

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What exactly is going on with our nuclear weapons stockpile? First, last August, an American bomber is somehow armed with nuclear weapons, and flown half way across the country before the error was discovered. Now the announcement that back in 2006, we mistakenly sent four electronic fuses for nuclear weapons to Taiwan, sending the Chinese government into an apoplectic fit, and causing the Taiwan government to wonder if Christmas had come early.

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The article in the York Daily Record regarding the connection of two York City School Officials, Mr. Jeff Kirkland, and Dr. Teresa Diggs, with Mission Home Education and Counseling Services, a private for-profit Alternative School in York, clearly shows a conflict of interest. Their influence, directly or indirectly, on matters effecting Mission Home was a natural consequence of their Executive/Leadership positions within the District, and their widely known connection with Mission Home. To state otherwise is mere bunkum.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education chose to ignore these facts. Why? Perhaps they have a dual standard for review: One for so-called minority businesses, and another for all the rest.

Francis Saitta
York

Owing to the advancements in genetics and health care, I believe it is time to begin a Constitutional amendment to limit the terms, to maybe 50 or 60 years, of all future judges and justices whose offices would otherwise be "lifetime" appointments in the current Constitution.
Lifetime appointments will become a problem if any judge lives to be well over 100 but refuses to resign, whether he or she can still perform the job properly, or not. No sense in waiting until there is such a problem.

Carl Huber
Springettsbury Township

I read the York Daily Record newspaper on 'Good Friday' and there were no Headlines or any mention/picture of JESUS CHRIST on the front page or any of the other pages in your paper. Then I read the York Sunday News on 'Easter Sunday' and again He was not shown anywhere in the headlines of the entire paper.

What happened to JESUS ?

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Americans can now see, in Tibet, exactly what the Chinese government is like. Still, our government does nothing and continues to grant the Chinese favored nation status. What is China doing with all of the money we continue to pour into their coffers? Building a bigger and stronger military force. It won't be long before their ships challenge us in the Sea of Japan. How long until the Chinese government decides to crack down on other wayward provinces?

J. Thomas Daughton
Spring Grove

I have been in the language business since the late 60s when I taught foreign languages in high school. Since then I have lived in numerous foreign countries and have become a polyglot translator, working from nearly 2 dozen languages, partly out of hunger but also because I am genuinely intrigued by foreign languages and the kaleidoscope of diversity they represent.
The reason I decided to write you is that there seems to be a popular misconception that the idea of marriage, or at least the quaint notion of marriage being this union between a man and a woman and not a union between a man and, for example, his yak, is strictly a Judeo-Christian construct that can be neglected in the grand scheme of things.

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The article "The Final Push" in your paper 3/25/08 illustrates why our state needs to revise its voting regulations. It is deplorable that someone can and does switch parties for the primary just to try to influence who runs against the opposing party in November. Independents should have a vote but the cutoff time should not be so close to the actual date of the election as it presently is. The last two presidential elections have proven the whole election process needs revision. We really don't need any more "rigged" elections. We need to learn from history.

Paul Miller
Manchester Township

After reading the article in the York Daily Record on Tuesday, March 25, 2008, I was so disgusted I felt I should respond and so should everyone else this article impacted. Lauran Neergaard from the Associated Press has no right to print this ignorant information regarding whether the costs of chemotherapy or radiation should be a considering factor in whether or not you want to receive it.

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I am a resident of York City. Tuesday morning I walked out of my house to find that my car was nowhere in sight. I have only lived here for one year so I am still getting used to street cleaning. I found out today that street cleaning began March 15. I had no way of knowing this because I do not receive the newspaper. The city does not send out a letter or anything to let me know the start date but they can waste money to send a newsletter that means nothing to me. I guess this is why they tow so many cars so they can pay for this. Shouldn't every resident be notified. The signs on my street only say the days of the month and time but doesn't include the months of the year.

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Perhaps there IS something in the city water, because the York City School Board seems to have caught whatever plagued the City Council for years, bickering.

How sad and embarrassing this is. Individuals with low self-esteem and who are on the defensive or with a massive chip on their shoulder should not be on an administrative board. It is counter-productive. Our children need all the support and help they can get. They do not need their educationalists acting selfishly and unruly.

Georgette Eveland-Alosa
York

This letter is actually to the gutless pantywaste that shot the dog in the face. That innocent animal is currently being treated at the SPCA.

I'm a man. Try abusing me an see how far you get! You are a coward of the worst kind. I look forward to meeting you face to face to discuss this situation. That's if you can drink or smoke up enough courage to show up.

William Buckingham
York

This letter is a call to prayer for America. It worked for George Washington, it worked for Benjamin Franklin and it worked for Abraham Lincoln, and it will save America. A quote from the Holy Scriptures from II Chronicles Chapter 7 verse 14 is, "and My People who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

There was a measure of irony in your printing Michelle Malkin’s hatred-laced editorial column (March 22nd - "Say Goodbye to the Glowbama Mystque") attacking Barack Obama over Easter weekend. The editorial was a poignant reminder of how little we’ve learned from Christ and just how low people will stoop to destroy a message of hope.

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As spring arrives, let us motorists not forget that with warm weather, motorcyclists are everywhere!

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The roving police patrols that took place in the greater Hanover and York areas in March are the most effective way to maximize DUI arrests and save taxpayer money (“Seven snagged in March DUI crackdown”, March 24). Cities nationwide should adopt similar efforts.

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The Reverend Jeremiah Wright of Trinity U.C.C., Barack Obama's church in Chicago, does not represent the pinnacle of African-American anger in America. The catch phrase of the angriest African-Americans is "400 years"-the sum of 250 years of slavery and 150 years of post-slavery era racism. The angriest want reparations, that is, payment today for uncompensated slave labor centuries ago.

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The community columnist Barbara Murphy article was humorous and interesting but way off the mark. Yes, there are 72 little kingdoms and 17 fiefdoms in York County. I served in one of the fiefdoms for a number of years and now serve in one of the kingdoms. When you allow the king to believe he has new clothing while he strutts around naked, it is the people who are at fault. It took a little child to make the people recognize the king was naked.

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Why does BAE Systems need a State grant and tax credits when it is already 95% taxpayer
supported with defense contracts. Would not this money have been better spent in trying to attract a major computer or technology company to give this area some economic diversity.
Remember that defense spending can be cyclical and in 4-5 years things might be different.

Tom Petrisko
Glen Rock

Happy Easter!!! First off I would like to say that this is my first letter to the editor. Yesterday on Easter Sunday was a different story so here I am. My wife walked out the front door of our home in York city yesterday and found the front window of our vehicle smashed and our GPS stolen. We can live with the 225 dollars to replace the window and the 550 dollars to replace the Garmin, what we can't live with is the violation of our privacy.

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The West York Borough Council passed a daytime curfew ordinance for those under age 18 in the West York area. The public information showed the daytime curfew paragraph was eliminated from the revised proposal, as was done in North York and York City, and as was recommended by the Task Force. This ordinance is a surprise to those who read the revised proposal. How were people to come out and speak about this when the general public had NO idea a daytime curfew was going to be an issue?

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At the Mount Wolf Borough council meeting in February, the question of the merger of Mount Wolf Borough and /East Manchester Township was brought to a vote. A yes vote by the majority of the council members would mean that information gathered by the PA Economy League and the two area representatives about the merger would be given to the public in a series of meetings after which it would proceed to be placed as a referendum on a ballot in an upcoming election. Four of the council members decided that there should be not be a merger of the Mt. Wolf and East Manchester areas, and they voted no, therefore shutting down any further meetings or referendum.

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I have known Barb Krier professionaly and personally for several years and I can assure you she is far from racist.

The true racists are those who start the fingerpointing at the drop of a hat. Their mission in life seems to be to wait eagerly for what they perceive to be an offensive comment and attempt to start a foul ball rolling, as has happened in this case.

It's an old trick, it's lame and it simply won't work in this century. To those who attempt it I say: grow up.

Bruce Mervine Sr.
West Manchester Township

Headlights, according to the PA Driver's Manual, serve a dual purpose: to help you see and to help you be seen. If I can more easily see your car, I can more easily avoid it when: I'm trying to find a break in traffic to turn, when the sun temporarily blinds me, when I look in my rearview mirror before making a lane change on the highway, when I'm peering through a snow-covered side window.

The manual explicitly states those times when headlights, (not parking lights or running lights), are required, some of which are: when you cannot see because of insufficient light on gray days, in heavy traffic when vehicles may seem to blend in with the surroundings, between sunset and sunrise and when there are unfavorable atmospheric conditions, including rain, snow, sleet, hail, fog, smoke or smog. If your wipers are on, your headlights should be on.

And there is a fine for not using your headlights when required. Look around as you drive. Do most people have their lights on? Then you certainly should too. Who doesn't want to avoid a collision, especially one that ends in a fatality? And it may be as easy as turning on your headlights.

Nancy Tileston
York Township

I see that West Manchester Township Fire Dept. requires their firefighters to take Physical Exams. About a year and half ago the president of a City Fire Co. pointed out that a lot of City Firefighters have health problems. It was also mentioned that there was a move out to have all firefighters (volunteer and career) take a Physical Exam every year.

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Normally your editorials doesn’t prompt me to want to write a response, but the one this past Friday entitled “Death was no Accident” really struck a nerve. In your last paragraph you made what I hope was a “rhetorical” comment, “but until we figure out why those options are less attractive than one that most certainly leads to prison or the John H. Danner Funeral Home”.

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Jane Mueller's letter, "South Eastern losing good teachers," raises several valid questions about the recent increase in professional staff turnover there. She points out that more than 30 percent of the professional teaching staff is operating under emergency certification.

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The March 23 Sunday News published a set of graphs relating to the Iraq war on its fifth anniversary. I am immediately struck by how misleading is the one regarding Iraqi civilian casualties.

Unlike those listing deaths of contractors and of American soldiers which are cumulative since the war began in March of 2002, the Iraqi civilian casualties number is listed as 39,172 with an asterisk leading in fine print to the admission this count began in April of 2005!

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On March 12, 2008, the YDR ran a story on teen girls' Sexually Transmitted Disease rate. The story points out that one in four teen girls have an STD. The YDR presented two opinions in the story that teen girls need to be taught more than abstinence in order to avoid STDs. In fact one opinion states that “national policy of promoting abstinence-only programs is a $1.5 billion failure.” Of course this is from the president of an organization that profits off the distribution of birth control to our teenage daughters and the subsequent abortion when the birth control fails.

Yet in the March 13, 2008 YDR, a large advertisement ran promoting the Town Hall Meeting on teenage drinking.

The advertisement promotes the notion that teens should not be drinking. The advertisement promotes the notion of holding adults responsible when they provide teens with alcohol. The advertisement promotes the notion that teen drinking is not safe, healthy, and has many bad consequences.

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Recently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a study which states that more than three million teenage girls have a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

This study is a clear sign that the Bush administration has wasted more than $1.5 billion on dangerous abstinence-only programs that deny teenagers life-saving information. We all want our teens to be safe, but providing them with inaccurate and harmful information is not the answer. This study proves that.

I saw an ad in the York Daily Record (3-11-08), that was funded by an obvious anti-enjoyment group.

I encourage you to stand up to this politically correct extreamist group, who wants to take away my right to enjoy a cigar, at the place of my choosing.

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On March 1, 2008 my father in law, whom has dementia, wandered off into the woods around 1 a.m. To my family's dismay he had been out in the cold in excess of seven hours and all resources had been exhausted.

Then a ray of hope from Lancaster County called Summit Search and Rescue brought with them a female bloodhound who found my father-in-law in a matter of minutes. She really was the hero of the day!

With that being said I am very happy to hear that York County has a new addition to the force named Lou.I hope this little puppy fairs well on all searches for young and old alike. On behalf of the Mitzel family we would like to thank everyone involved in the successful rescue of my father-in-law.

Leisha Mitzel
Red Lion

In her recent column, Lynn Schuessler praised Dallastown High School for it's long tradition of outstanding science fair participation and lamented that Dover High School has no fair. She implied that Dover's putative lack of enthusiasm for science fairs is of a piece with its attempt to insert mention of the existence of alternatives to Darwinian evolution into the biology curriculum a couple of years ago and that their fondness for Intelligent Design and the seeming disinterest in science fairs does not bode well for the scientific literacy of Dover's students.

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As the prices at the pumps surge upward we are bombarded with all kinds of information as to why. We hear about supply and demand. We hear about the falling dollar. We hear about OPEC, Venezuela and SUVs. We hear all these different reasons as to why the prices are surging. The one thing we don't hear the oil companies use to explain it, which is the real reason, is their insatiable greed.

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Saturday night, March 8 at approx. 11 pm - 11:30 pm my wife was called into York Hospital where she is employed on a heart team. In other words, she helps to "save lives". Well she almost lost her life when she came around the curve around Golf Drive
before she could do anything she saw a tree that was across the road and she could not get stopped in time and before she knew it she went right under the tree. And believe me, she drives very slow.

Big news! There is a non-smoking section at the new Hollywood Casino. My wife and I made our first visit to Hollywood Casino recently. My wife has asthma and smoke causes severe problems for her. We asked a security guard where the non-smoking section was and he pointed us in the right direction. Well, it was a lovely sign indicating that we were now in a smoke free area. The area comprises maybe 5% of the total square footage of the casino. When you consider that the slots around the perimeter are non-smoking in name only due to the smoking section being less than 10 feet away, you aren't left with much. There is little variety in the games in the area.

Casinos in Las Vegas are non smoke free. But you would never know it because of the tremendous ventilation systems they have. Smokers apparently still rule the roost here in Pennsylvania. When will the state catch up to the majority of the rest of the country and provide smoke free restaurants and other buildings for those of us who choose not to breathe carcinogens?

Randy Witt
Windsor

I'm sure many readers will be alarmed at the Associated Press article in the March 10 paper concerning our drinking water. Perhaps more people will understand why we, in the New Freedom area, are fighting the spreading of sewage sludge on our farmland.

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I am incensed and outraged over the emphasis the York City School District is placing on the matter of elementary school students wearing uniforms. Notice I did not say that I am against the policy of wearing uniforms. However, I think it is insane to have students become the brunt of the brush with policy that may be caused when a student is unable to conform to the school's policy due to parents lack of financial ability to purchase acceptable school uniforms.

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I’m a York College student and a member of SAFE. It appears that there are a few unintentional misrepresentations about our group, so I'm writing this to clarify what our organization has done. The piece claimed that our group was formed recently; however, our group has been in existence since September 2007.

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I was driving on a rural road this past Saturday, just after a high wind storm had passed through. I drove past a large tree that had been blown over. The tree was nearly on the road and had pulled electrical lines down to about 5 feet off the ground. Both the tree and the power lines could have easily been touched by a passing car or a curious by-stander.

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Mr. Nathan Benefield in his column regarding the state's costing-out study of public schools, says "the results...could have been predicted." I'm not so certain about that. But, the intent of his column certainly could have. Yet another opinion-strewn, long-winded arguement for school vouchers.

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Why must our schools “reinvent the wheel”? The article on the front page of the YDR, February 27th, suggests that the county create a cyber school. YDR’s editorial on March 6th supports this idea. But did you know that there are 11 public cyber charter schools already available in Pennsylvania with over 17,000 students enrolled? These cyber schools provide students who need a different type of program with personalized education over the internet. Also, these schools cost the districts thousands less per student than the local school system.

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I want a job where I only have to work a few months a year. Get automatic raises at least once a year. Don't need to get the job done nor do I have to do it well. Get paid the same when I leave as I did working (even if I only stay a short time). Have unlimited funds to spend as I please. Get all my health care paid for even after I leave. Tell my boss what I want to do and when I want to do it. Convince my boss that what ever I do is for his own good - I have his best interest at heart - even while I am telling him that I need more money because I miss judged the cost of things by millions of dollars.

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Let's borrow $100 billion from Chinese financiers, pass it around to our neighbors, and encourage our neighbors to spend it rather than save it. If the money is actually spent it will probably be used to purchase products which bear "Made in China". Whose economy is stimulated?

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During this election season, there is a question in the back of many people’s minds that is crying out to be answered but which people are extremely hesitant to ask for fear of being labeled insensitive. It’s a question guaranteed to raise the hackles of many who love the word, “victim.”

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During this election season, there is a question in the back of many people’s minds that is crying out to be answered but which people are extremely hesitant to ask for fear of being labeled insensitive. It’s a question guaranteed to raise the hackles of many who love the word, “victim.”

The question is this: Have we passed the tipping point where the majority of the African American population supports Barack Obama because, “He’s one of us”, the “us” being a euphemism for black? Yes, you can be inspired by his speeches. However, when you vote for a candidate based on the color of his skin that, my friends, is pure racism at its worst.

What makes it so onerous is that it’s coming from a culture that, above all else, should know better because the sensitiveness of their perception antennas have been so finely tuned to pick up the most absurd slight for so long that you’d think that they would practice what they’ve been preaching.

There are similarities for voting for Obama because he’s black and not voting for Clinton because she’s a woman. It’s called bigotry! There is no doubt that sexism exists for many voters in this election. I wish it wasn’t a factor, but it is. However, there is no comparison when many African Americans vote for Obama because he’s black and not because he’s the best candidate. If one doubts that this is happening, all you have to do is look at the demographics after each of his wins to appreciate the unprecedented number of black votes Obama is getting.

James W. Brown
Shrewsbury Township

There is a press conference being held in support of HB 1065 (Dog Chaining/Tethering) on Tuesday, March 11 at 10:00 am in Harrisburg at the Capital Building's Rotunda. Please help these poor creatures get some relief. We need as many people as possible to be there.

Please come out to support this important legislation. Any questions, please call Pennsylvania Legislative Animal Network at 717-580-5728.

You can make a difference in a wonderful animal's life!

Phyllis Soldano

We are writing in regard to ongoing community concerns involving the South Eastern School District. The community group, Students First, has publicly addressed the school board four times since September 20, 2007. These are some of the facts that have been presented at school board meetings by the group:

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A strong sense of déjà vu rushed over me as I read the York Sunday News on February 24. It was almost forty years ago that I was first told that I should consider leaving the country, and now I am being invited to once again move to a dictatorship. (York Sunday News, Torture Proponents Should Move To Dictatorships)

Forty years ago I was told to leave because I opposed the senseless sacrifice of American lives, perhaps including my own, in the Vietnam War. History has vindicated me; the war in Vietnam was a colossal blunder. Now I am being told to leave because I once again oppose the senseless sacrifice of American lives at the hands of terrorists.

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When I first began reading Susan Jacoby‘s Article, I was excited. “Finally,” I thought, “America’s intellectual downfall will be brought into the open.” Her statement of the problem was right on; America‘s intelligence is declining with each passing generation. The more I read, however, the more disappointed I became in her solution.

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I usually enjoy reading Mike Argento’s witty columns especially since our political views are similar. However, Mr. Argento crossed the line the other day with his diatribe about Hillary Clinton’s butt looking so large in her yellow pantsuit.

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I paid $3.19 the other day for a gallon of gas which just amazes me. The stock market hits a new high price and immediately the price is reflected at the pump. Funny how it doesn't work that way when the price is going down.

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My prayers go to Senior Corporal Victor Lozada Tirado, the police officer that lost his life in Texas riding in the motorcade for Senator Hillary Clinton. He and police officers in this country put their lives on the line everyday for all of us.

These people are truly Public Servants. The service they perform most of the time is rarely seen, yet so very important for our safety.

By Lincoln A. Warrell, Board Member, Susquehanna Valley Center for Public Policy

For the past 60 years, one scientific study after another have proven that adding fluoride to water supplies is a safe and effective method to significantly reduce tooth decay for those who consume the water. The time is now for Pennsylvania to join other states in requiring water systems to fluoridate their supplies to the optimal level for health benefits.

1. Elimination of property taxes. Evidently the asinine powers that be still don’t have a clue. They will keep giving us the run around and bull till they are voted out. People of PA wake up and vote them out, especially Rep. David Levdansky D-Allegheny who is totally against eliminating property taxes. They will not change anything as long as they know you will keep them in office. Refunds and reductions don’t work, the school boards will only increase the budget the next year.

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This comment is the twelfth in a series of pieces dealing with gun control and the death penalty that began last Sept. 23. The first eleven items -- with extensive annotations, links to relevant data sources and a substantial amount of new death penalty information -- are posted here. The police officer fatality tables that I
mistakenly posted here have been replaced by the tables that I meant to post.

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When YorkCounts’ volunteers first announced the Metro York recommendations, which include regionalizing public safety resources, I wrote to congratulate the group’s leaders for recognizing that regionalization is the future of police and fire service. It was a smart move then, and it’s a smart move now.

In the meanwhile, our own merger of the fire departments in Springettsbury and Spring Garden Townships has moved closer to reality. Although our municipalities have some distinct differences, the professional fire fighters, new fire chief and local elected officials are taking strides to resolve issues involving equipment, funding, training and pensions. There is more work to do, but I am confident that the new fire department will provide an improved level of service to the residents, community leaders, visitors and the fire fighters themselves.

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