Look For Our Father's Day Special In The June 16th Issue Of The County Transcript

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Letters to the Editor Policy

Your Coverage Helped!

We are pleased to report that the front steps of the Library and Historical Society have been fixed. Thanks in part to your front-page article on our plight, we received donations to cover the cost of the labor. The bluestone required was donated by local stone companies. Bids were solicited and the work was ably executed.

We thank everyone who helped us resolve this difficult situation. We had no money in the budget (slashed by state funding cuts) to cover an unexpected expense like this one. It's heartwarming to see, once again the generosity of this community!

Sincerely,

Cornelia Page

Board of Directors Chair

Thanks, Troop #50

Liberty Community Park, Inc., would like to thank Scout Troop 50, chartered by Silver Lake Rod & Gun Club for doing a clean up day at the park on Saturday, May 1. The people from the Scout Troop that came and helped were Head Leader Carlos, David Albert, Jimmy Ladner, Ryan Martin, David Spence, Jay White, and Mom, Barbara Albert. They worked from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon, along with some park members. Some of the things they helped with were: raking up all the leaves, brush picked up and put in barbecue pit, cleaning the bathrooms, set tables under field pavilion onto bricks to keep tables from rotting, washing tables, counters, and refrigerators and picking up garbage. After all the hard work, they used their scout learned skills to start the fire so that hot dogs could be cooked for lunch. They also had brownies for dessert. It was decided that this will become an annual event to help the scouts earn their community service badges.

Sincerely,

Lisa McVaugh

Sec/Treas, Liberty Community Park

Shining City On The Hill

It shouldn't have hit me so hard. It wasn’t unexpected or unwelcome; President Reagan "slipped the bonds of earth on Saturday, left his disease ridden body and touched the face of God." But it was hard, he is gone. In many ways he has been gone for ten years. Because of Alzheimer’s he has been in a prison and wandering further and further into the catacombs of the dungeon of his once brilliant mind. Farther and farther from his beloved Nancy to a place where not even her bright and shinning love could reach. It shouldn’t hurt so much but it does. I am not his daughter, in fact I never even met the man, but he was in my heart and now my heart hurts. It hurts for Nancy and for his children and it hurts for me and for America.

My heart hurts in part because he was part of my grandfather’s generation and my grandfather and grandmother too must at some point succumb to time and age just as he did. It hurts because it doesn’t seem like America makes men of his stature any more, or if She (America) does, not at the rate of 1000–1200 per day that She is losing them. Yes, there are many in America who hear the call and love this country as President Reagan did. They serve every day in a multitude of ways. My cousin, Rachel is one of those. She heard the call and served in Iraq to protect us from an enemy that some won’t even recognize exists.

Maybe there are more of them than I realize, but even if they exist they are ridiculed for their beliefs instead of revered and honored. Today in America, we can’t even say God in the Pledge of Allegiance. We can’t share the values of the greatest generation because they were wrong in everything they believed, except for fighting W.W.II. If we are indeed the shinning city on the hill President Reagan called America, some would have you believe we should feel guilty about that, and not proud. When President Reagan held up the mirror to show us America, we were proud. In President Reagan’s eyes the story of Iraq wouldn’t be about some soldiers who served with dishonor but about the thousands who serve with honor and the untold good they have done. He would see the women in Afghanistan testing out life without burkas, the little girls in schools and the millions who now have at least the chance for freedom. To those whining about the "lack of weapons of mass destruction," he would say thank God they weren’t used on our boys, lucky we went in when we did, and look at all we have done to help the oppressed while making the world safer. The story of Abu Ghraib would not be about the humiliation of some Iraqis at the hands of a few, but about the end of the hands coming off, and the end of torture and death of thousands.

I, for one miss the mirror of America that was Ronald Reagan; I have missed it for a long time now. I had forgotten how clear and beautiful the image was. I’m ashamed to say I forgot the twinkle of promise that is America, that was reflected in his eyes and joy and beauty of today, that was reflected in his smile.

Another reason I hurt is because I feel that along with burying the shell of President Reagan, we are in danger of burying the essence of President Reagan. Yes, there are valiant warriors like President Bush who see the world with the same clear vision as President Reagan and are up to the challenges, but it is the rest of us I worry about.

If you would have told me that just three years after we were attacked and 3000+ of our fellow Americans died we would be tempted to head back in to the cave of denial about the real and present danger of extremism in the middle east I would have said no way; but now I am not so sure. I understand the longing to go back to September 10th, but September 11th will still come again and this time may be even worse. If President Reagan’s death should teach us one thing it is that you can’t stop the hands of time, or alter the path you have been given. Yes, the road since September 11th has been hard and uneven, but it is the road we must travel and we must do so with the optimism that we are the shinning city on the hill and that is a good thing. Ronald Reagan’s America was full of hope, love and courage. We, with God’s help and guidance could do anything.

So yes, today I hurt. In the fresh loss of Ronald Reagan I find myself feeling the loss of other great Americans with the twinkle of promise in their eyes and joy for today in their smile. I find myself missing others from the greatest generation. I find myself wishing that John Wayne was here to make a movie about the heroics in Iraq. Or, Bob Hope was here to make our service people cheer and laugh. Or, Jimmy Stewart was here to again become the everyman Mr. Smith and make us think. Or, Frank Sinatra was here to sing away the blues. But they are not and we must go on because that is what Americans do, we go on. Nancy Regan will go on. President Reagan’s children will go on. My family and I will go on and so must America. But not, I hope without retaining the twinkle and hope of promise yet to be and joy for today that was Ronald Reagan.

Thank you, Mrs. Reagan for the care and love you gave a man we loved and respected so much.

Sincerely

Sarah M. Stumbo

Susquehanna, PA

Support Was Overwhelming

I am excited to report to you that we’ve raised enough money to have a Police Bike Patrol in 2004. After going to businesses in the community last month the Police Department has received more than double what we asked for to pay for the equipment on the bike. Not only did we get equipment, but we were able to buy reflective uniforms, too.

This support is overwhelming, and has truly shown how the community and the Police now work together!

Starting on Thursday, June 10, the bike patrol will be active in the downtown area, with a patrol car on duty at the same time.

The bike includes both front and rear lighting, audible siren and reflective uniforms.

After research through a National "Law and Order" magazine for Police management, helmets are recommended to be certified by "CPSC". All of our reflective helmets meet this requirement. On May 27, the Mayor also spoke with Jim Davis of DGK Insurance who assured us that our helmets meet all standards.

DGK Insurance has also insured all the equipment on the bicycle that now belongs to the Borough, thanks to our supporting businesses!

Sincerely,

Jon Record, Lieutenant

Many Thanks

Liberty Community Park, Inc. would like to thank all the people that supported our annual chicken barbecue and basket raffle. We had the best year on record! We congratulate the following basket raffle the winners: Car Wash - Daniel Russell of Binghamton NY; Dinner and a Movie - William Nash, Friendsville PA; Gardening 1 - Delores Yonkin, Brackney PA; Gardening 2 - Rita Eddy, Montrose, PA; Golf - Clem Naylor Jr., Hallstead; PA, Gourmet Food - Rie Warner, Hallstead PA; Home Parties and Crafts - Dr. S. Namar, Johnson City NY; Picnic and Grilling - Judy Lewis, Hallstead PA.

Sincerely,

Lisa McVaugh

Sec/Treas, Liberty Community Park

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