Letters to the Editor Policy

Here We Go Again

First, I must reiterate that I did not “go after” Mother Teresa with the object in mind of discrediting her. Her reported accomplishments intrigued me, and I wanted to know more about this wonderful person - could anyone be that good, that selfless? I had my doubts, but I was open to learning that she was. So, I looked her up on the internet. Well!

What I found was not complete and utter praise for this wonderful woman. Yes, there was a lot of that, but there was also a great deal of criticism, well researched and documented, that told that, however nicely she presented herself in her personal dealings, (such as those with the gentleman whose recent letter to this paper claims she was “not a fraud”) she did not hide from everyone an attitude toward pain and suffering that was astonishing to those of us who have been taught to value helping a person from suffering to comfort and contentment! She actually seems to have adored the suffering of these people she was supposed to be helping!

As far as her supposed miracle, (a photo taken in a darkened room without flash, that appeared well-lit when developed) that was a real “Kodak Moment,” if there ever was one! I remember those days, when Kodak and Ansco were both working hard to produce dependable low-light films. The only “miracle” there was provided by the “Film Fairy,” granting Kodak success in its endeavors.

And where did all those donated millions go? Because we Americans have (not wisely) allowed religious organizations to keep most of their accounting to themselves, we will never be accorded with a true audit of that money. Some say it sits in the vaults of the Vatican; I can’t say whether that’s true or not. But it doesn’t seem to have been spent on any people or facilities for which it was meant, by Mother Teresa or the Sisters of Charity. Unbelievable!

And the sources of much of that money. It was perfectly fine with Mother Teresa that some of the money she received had been stolen from elderly people, who were depending on that money to keep them independent and healthy in their old age. That she wrote a letter to the Assistant Attorney General of California requesting clemency for the man who embezzled this money, proves without question that this is so. Her letter is in the public domain, as is the letter in response, requesting her to give the money back. (She didn’t give it back.)

There is more, but I’m not going into all that again. You can do the research yourself on the internet, the library, the bookstores. You can get the same information I got.

My point in all this is that the idea of being selfless and helping people is wonderful, a thing to aspire to, but this woman did not personify that excellence. Honor does not belong to her. If you wish to honor the myth, the idea, go ahead. But do not insist that the rest of us accept being lied to. That is intolerable!

Sincerely,
Gail Rendle
Nicholson, PA

New Government Boondoggle

Are you kidding? Folks, a new government boondoggle is about to be foisted upon us. EPA has already approved 15% ethanol in gasoline.

This does not make any sense whatsoever based on the following: More wheat ground will be converted to corn. There is already a shortage of grain for food. Food prices are rising rapidly. Big agribusiness farms are being subsidized by us to grow the corn. Gasoline containing ethanol reduces gas mileage. All gas stations will be required to put in separate tanks and pumps because the new gas can’t be burned in older cars. The new pumps will need to be nickel plated as well as the nozzles. A spill or tank leak will cause more environmental harm because of the ethanol.

Based on these facts, everyone of us, including all you “greenies,” need to contact your Senators and Congressmen to ask that this potential boondoggle be stopped.

Sincerely,
Francis Flynn
Lawton, PA

Where Does Your Food Come From?

If you're like many Americans, the answer is the grocery store. The grocery store isn't where food comes from - it's just from where it's distributed. In reality, far too many people are unaware of the role of American agriculture in their daily lives... and what it really takes to have food on their dinner table.

American agriculture is responsible for providing the necessities of everyday life... food, fiber, clothing and even fuel. That’s the message of National Ag Day, which was celebrated March 15, as part of National Ag Week, March 13-19. Producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and countless others across America will gather to celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture on this first day of spring.

Just a few generations ago, most people were a part of - and had friends or relatives involved with - agriculture. Today, that's no longer the case. The National Ag Day program is committed to increasing public awareness about American agriculture. As the world population soars, there is even greater demand for the food, fiber and renewable resources that the United States produces.

American farmers are working harder than ever, and it shows. Today, each American farmer feeds more than 144 people. And the need for food produced in the United States is dramatic. Agriculture is this nation's #1 export and vitally important in sustaining a healthy economy. And it's not just the farmer who makes our food possible. The entire agriculture industry, all the way to the grocery store, are vital links in a chain that brings food to every citizen - and millions of people abroad.

It's easy to take agriculture for granted in America. Our food is readily accessible and safe. For this, we're unbelievably fortunate... but that doesn't mean we don't have an obligation to recognize how it's made possible.

National Ag Week is a good time to reflect - and be grateful for - American agriculture! Join this effort to promote American agriculture to everyone during National Ag Week. For more information, contact the Agriculture Council of America at (913) 491-1895 or visit www.agday.org.

The Susquehanna County Farm Bureau is a voluntary organization that works to advance the interests of agriculture and rural communities. It offers numerous benefits and services to its 553 members, and is affiliated with the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau which has over 50,000 members and the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Sincerely,
Pauline Fallon, 2nd Vice President
Susquehanna County Farm Bureau

Chickens To The Roost

Well folks, the chickens are coming home to roost. Gas prices are going through the roof, government spending remains out of control, Washington prints money without backing, the borders remain unenforced, and drilling for domestic oils remains stalled. The Middle East is in turmoil and Israel looks like it will have to stand alone against the entire Arab world. Madison WI. shows that anarchy is a real possibility. So, what do you do? It is going to be a very long time until November 2012 and a great deal of ugliness will transpire in the interim and beyond. Mark my words. Our job in the interim is to remain faithful to our Founders and to instruct our children (to the best of our abilities) about what that means, for they won’t get it in school. We must protect the American Dream of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (not dependence on government). We must remain self sufficient to the maximum extent possible. We must control our personal debt. We must help our neighbors. We must track every vote of our new representatives and let them know what we want from them and that we support them. And we must pray.

There will be finger pointing and hyperbole on part of the Progressives come the 2012 election cycle. So, when the time comes to mark your ballot, the sure fire way to determine truth is to examine the actions taken by those who would have us re-elect them. How did they behave when they were in the majority? How well did they respond to our objections? Did they listen or did they run roughshod over us? Since the election of 2010, are they singing a different tune? But, if we are foolish enough to believe them again with the Hopey and Changey claptrap, we will have no one to blame for the outcome but ourselves. Screw me once... A re-election of the current executive branch will allow those same people to veto attempts to dismantle Obamacare and much more. We must keep our eye on the ball every single day from this day forward. Do otherwise at your peril.

Sincerely,
Joe McCann
Elk Lake, PA

An Irrecconcible Conflict

“Zionism is the work of Satan.” It is “a sacrilege” and “a blasphemy.” Words of a neo-Nazi, a skinhead, an anti-Semite. No. None of these. They are the words of Grand Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum.

The rabbi is not the lonely voice of a radical fringe group but a spokesman for a significant number of orthodox Jews. In 2002, there was a gathering of 10,000 of these Torah-adhering Jews in New York City protesting Zionism, the political movement that founded the nation of Israel.

How can this be? The state of Israel has provided a homeland for 40 percent of the world's Jews. It has revived Jewish culture and turned the dead language of ancient Hebrew into the living language of some 8 million Israeli citizens.

Yet there is a rift between Zionist Israel and Torah-believing Jews. Why?

In 1895, Theodore Herzl wrote a seminal book, The Jewish State. In it he outlined Zionism as a policy for establishing a politically nonreligious homeland for Jews in Palestine. “I consider the Jewish question neither a social nor a religious one,” he wrote. “It is a national question and to solve it we must establish it as a political problem.” Thus, from the outset, Zionism envisioned Israel to be a secular state.

His book had an enormous impact. Today, he is considered the father of Zionism.

Herzl was an avowed atheist. He hated Judaism and religious Jews. “I have to remember to discard negative Jewish things... like observing mitzvot” - a word meaning the 613 commands given in the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

The pattern of governmental secularism and rejection of the divine nature of the Hebrew Scriptures remains true to this day. All 13 Israeli prime ministers including the first, David Ben-Gurion, were atheists.

Twenty-two years after The Jewish State was published, the Jewish state became a reality. It was a momentous event. The Jews were first exiled from their homeland in 586 BC after the destruction of the First Temple and again after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD. Now for the first time in 2,000 years Jews were gathering in the Holy Land and under their own flag.

But throughout the years of exile, pious Jews sought to reside in that sacred land. They lived in peace with their kindred brothers, the Arabs. This was soon to change.

The eve of the Jewish state's inauguration in 1948 also marked the commencement of the first Arab-Israeli wars. The victorious Jews hailed it as the War of Independence, but for the 710,000 Arabs who were driven from their land the war was named, The Disaster. Since that time there have been eight more major Arab-Israeli conflicts and additional confiscations of Arab land.

But orthodox Jews are appalled by policies of violence. They quote the prophet Jeremiah's admonition in chapter 29, “Seek out the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you and pray for it to the Almighty.”

Israel's orthodox Jews reject a philosophy that deprives them of their religious heritage and offers in its place a nationalistic ideology. For them, the two expulsions from their land were divine judgments. “Because of our sins we were expelled from our land,” is recited in their prayers on every Jewish festival. Torah-obedient Jews look to the coming of the Messiah for restoration to their homeland not to the arms of the Zionist state.

Rabbi Avigdor Miller cites the failures of Zionism: Israel is constantly at war with its neighbors, Zionism has exacerbated Jew hatred, and Zionism actually encourages anti-Semitism.

Herzl wrote, “The anti-Semites will assist us [by their] persecution and oppression of Jews. The anti-Semites shall be our friends.” Ben-Gurion declared, “not always and not everywhere do I oppose anti-Semitism.”

Jews Against Zionism (jewsagainstzionism.com) “believe that the conflict in Palestine cannot be resolved without a return of the Palestinian refugees [They and their descendents now number 4.7 million.] and dismantlement of the Zionist structure of the state of Israel.”

But whether one is a Zionist or an anti-Zionist, no one can deny this: Israel is the most dangerous place in the world for a Jew to reside. She is surrounded by implacable enemies: Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and her back is against the sea.

One has to wonder: Is it the Arabs who are her enemies, or, more fundamentally, is Zionism the enemy of Israel?

Sincerely,
Bob Scroggins
New Milford, PA

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