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Issue Home March 21, 2007 Site Home

Letters to the Editor Policy

We Will Miss Him

I grew up in Susquehanna and I knew Lou Parrillo all my life.

He was such a bouncy, vibrant man.

He didn’t care what your name was, or where you came from, he always said hello.

He bowled for years with my brother, Bob (Rogers). When Bob died, Lou wrote a nice piece about him and put it in the Transcript.

I had the greatest respect for him, and I wanted his family to  know how sorry I am for their loss.

A lot of people are going to miss him.

Rest in peace, Louie.

Sincerely,

Jean (Rogers) Knifer

Hallstead, PA

It Would Be An Advantage

Even though the position of county commissioner doesn't require a law degree, since we require legal advice on a daily basis, not “in the rare case where legal advice is required” as Mr. Skoronski assumes in his 3/14/07 letter to the editor, wouldn't it be advantageous for the county to have an attorney as commissioner in addition to the appointed county solicitor? Especially one who is here every day as solicitor to several elective offices as coroner, sheriff, prothonotary and clerk of courts.

Because almost everything we do in county government is legislated by continually changing laws, it is imperative that we have reliable, quality legal advice and that the solicitors appointed be readily available, as was the former county solicitor. We would be negligent in our duties if we did not seek proper legal advice.

Every elective office in the county is allowed counsel by law. The elected officials each have their own counsel to advise them of new legislation and to help interpret the many laws that mandate our services, to keep us in compliance for grant monies and to help us avoid lawsuits that abound in this litigious atmosphere.

Article IX, Section 901 of the county code states, in part, “The county commissioners shall appoint a county solicitor, who shall be an attorney-at-law.” Substitute MUST for shall in every instance of this law. The county solicitor is also solicitor for many departments under the direction of the county commissioners as the assessment office and the tax claim bureau. As you might imagine, this requirement is an enormous drain on the single county solicitor.

We continually request legal opinions before we proceed with most actions, so to have a competent attorney as commissioner would greatly facilitate our daily work requirements, contrary to Mr. Skoronski’s assumption that a commissioner who is also an attorney will slow down the process.

Having worked directly with the former county solicitor for ten years in my appointment as tax claim bureau director, I can assure you that we always had a timely response, that he went over and above the requirements of his position and even made case law for our bureau and our county.

I respectfully ask that before residents make their assumptions public they at least pick up a copy of the code (law) and read it.

Sincerely,

Catherine R. Benedict

Susquehanna County Treasurer

It Is Up To You

I am writing to you with deep concern about the PDA Proposal. There are two words that you need to study. First word that you all need to understand is the word “producer.” Define the word, then look at the way USDA defines the word! Second word is “cooperatives.” Again, define the word, now look at how USDA defines it.

The two words being used will make all of your efforts null and void!

The federal order system uses these words to mean, producers are from cooperatives and since the cooperatives for years did a good job in keeping the milk flowing, the government uses the two words as a bible, and everything that you say or propose will be shot down immediately, and you won't even know why. Even if you cross all your T's and dot all your I's, you will end up scratching your heads!

These two words allow the cooperatives to speak for the producers, and not in their best interest, as you will see if you do not make a change in the law of how the two words are used.

My suggestion to all of you is to open up the laws of milk marketing, ask the milk marketing board to explain how the two words are used; then you need to go to the federal government and change their meaning, or again all your efforts will futile.

They won't tell you about the laws and in the end, surprise, they will say the producers say it is ok, no matter what is written down in front of them.

The cooperatives know this law inside and out, they have a great investment in keeping the dairy farmers producing lots of milk. They know how to keep dragging a carrot in front of them and at the same time laughing all the way to the bank. They make money on every pound of milk the farmer, producers make! The law is in the milk marketing act of 1947; if you want to succeed at a new proposal you need to amend this law first, that will be a fight in itself.

Another thing you need to understand is that the cooperatives have been over-charging and abusing their producers, and that needs to stop. The co-op's dues, fees charged to the producers, is way too high; just look at the record profits the co-ops make compared to no profit to the producers belonging to the co-ops. Another Enron at best. This needs to be stopped. They have too much authority when speaking to the congress, and they abuse the privilege. They totally misrepresent their producers, yet by law they can and get away with it right under your noses! You'll have to accept it.

That’s wrong, so before you send a proposal to the USDA for a new farm bill, take the time and just read the laws. Ask the Milk Marketing Board's lawyers. They will tell you.

And if I am wrong I have three different co-ops’ hats here that are real dirty, because I switched co-ops three times, hoping to find one who could or would pay me more so I could make a living wage for my family. I will eat them.

Remember, the two words “cooperatives” and "producer," mean the same thing, so don't you be fooled. Call me up or come visit me, I will show you. I can maybe better explain it to you, but I can't waste my time or money, because I don't have any money to waste. I feel it is up to you, all the representatives, to take it from here.

Sincerely,

Peter A Seman

Thompson, PA

The Bogeyman Bomb

Erase "q" and write in "n." The administration is fumbling its way out of one mess and stumbling into another. The lies that drew us into Iraq are being reworked, this time with the spin of a cat 5 twister. It's deja vu with a difference; the lies are different but the propaganda is the same. Here's a Whitman's sampler of spin and counterspin.

Propaganda: Iran is proceeding headlong in the development of a nuclear weapon.

Fact: Real power in Iran resides with the supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Last August, he declared that such weapons are forbidden under Islamic law and that Iran shall never acquire or use them.

Further, last March the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed El Baradei stated this about Iran: "[T]he Agency has not seen indications of diversion of nuclear material to nuclear weapons."

Propaganda; Iran is a loose cannon, a danger to world peace It is a dictatorial regime controlled by an unstable fanatic.

Fact: After the Shaw was deposed in 1979, a national referendum was held. The Iranians voted overwhelmingly for an Islamic republic. They have not started any war nor threatened any nation. One must look elsewhere for such a government.

Moreover, the political leadership of Iran is headed by a democratically elected president. In the 2005 nationwide election, Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won by a landslide victory gaining 62% of the vote. He has expressed full agreement on the ban of nuclear weapons issued by the current ayatollah.

Propaganda: Iran may soon have the ability to build an atomic bomb.

Fact: The U.S. Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte has said that he believes "Tehran is four to ten years away from developing a [nuclear] weapon," assuming, i.e., Iran is even trying to build one.

Propaganda: Iran is in violation of U.N. Resolution 1696, which demands "that Iran suspend all enrichment related and reprocessing activities, including research and development."

Fact: The Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) states this in Article III, section 3: "The safeguards... shall be implemented... to avoid hampering the economic or technological development [of the signatories]... including the international exchange of nuclear material and equipment for the processing... of nuclear material."

Iran is a signatory of the NPT and is wholly within her legal rights to enrich uranium to provide fuel for its reactor. (Reactor fuel is enriched to 4%, weapons' grade to 90%.) United Nations' Resolution 1696 has no legitimate basis to contravene the articles of the NPT.

Propaganda is big business today, it's called public relations and advertising. Selected and doctored information has been honed to an art employing carefully crafted half-truths, planted news items, and disinformation; all presented with visually persuasive techniques.

The United States is the most propagandized nation on earth. Everything we buy, wear, or eat; even the opinions we hold, and the candidates we vote for are influenced by propaganda. Today, the practiced purveyors of propaganda sell cars and cell phones along with regime change and war with equal facility – and they are bought with equal enthusiasm.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, PA

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY
Letters To The Editor MUST BE SIGNED. They MUST INCLUDE a phone number for "daytime" contact. Letters MUST BE CONFIRMED VERBALLY with the author, before printing. At that time you may request to withhold your name. Letters should be as concise as possible, to keep both Readers' and Editors' interest alike. Your opinions are important to us, but you must follow these guidelines to help assure their publishing.

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