“Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Words of Spanish born American Philosopher George Santayana.

You may have noticed that I worry a great deal about the path upon which America is traveling under Barak Obama. I worry that far too many of our citizens have no idea that what is happening has happened many times before. I call it the Co-Opting of Democracy.

If you are interested in what bothers me, you only have to read the history of the rise of Chavez of Venezuela, Peron of Argentina and, of course, Hitler. Each of these dictators had their devoted followers and they all followed the same roadmap to power. To emphasize how dire the problem, I spoke to a young man the other day who didn’t even know what the Holocaust was.

As our president floods the airways with his vision of America, a scary percentage of Americans don’t have the slightest idea where they are being led. I encourage all of you, under the pain of slavery, to learn about these men and how they rose to power. While you are doing this, see how many acts and promises you recognize are happening today. Then act, or at least acknowledge that you are all right with it and you are intentionally leaving this as your legacy.

Sincerely,

Joe McCann

Elk Lake, PA

He wasn't running to actually win. As he did in 2008, Newt Gingrich was just doing it to sell his books. But in Iowa, the voters flirted with every one of the GOP candidates, no matter how dense or flaky. Or mean. When it was Newt Gingrich's turn, he got carried away with his temporary popularity and told a reporter that it was hard to see how he would not be the nominee.

Well, after his failure to win in Alabama and Mississippi yesterday - his last, best hope - Gingrich is essentially done, thankfully. And what, besides pride goeth before a fall, can be learned from his story? Probably this: That a polygamist who doesn't polyg is better than a monogamist who doesn't monog.

Sincerely,

Stephen Van Eck

Rushville, PA

I had the great opportunity to attend the meeting in Susquehanna County on March 6 to discuss HB 1950, which is now Act 13, and upon further review, is what I call a Coward’s Law. The Act is otherwise known as the Impact Fee law, written by legislature and numerous gas companies to provide funds to communities “impacted” by natural gas exploration, was to be considered by the County’s township and borough supervisors. Consider is a term that often refers to “thinking about it,” but in the case of this act, it was, take it or leave it. It really wasn’t a public meeting to consider the law and how it will be accepted into our county, but rather, it was a meeting to consider whether or not the act would be inserted with or without lubricant. (No pun intended).

Considering accepting the act can be likened to unexpected losses in life. The loss of a relationship, the realization that a parent or loved one is seriously ill - it leaves you with a sense of helplessness as it provides you with a problem that is out of your ability to control.

However, no citizen expects to be faced with a challenge from their representatives or their governor that forces them to make a decision that is comparative to studies of moral development. Lawrence Kohlberg once provided children with a moral dilemma, which provided for his stages of moral development. In one particular dilemma, children were presented with a story about a poor man whose wife was dying of cancer. A local doctor had the cure, but knowing he had the only cure, raised the price for the cure to make himself rich. The husband, after trying to raise the money to save his wife without success and begging the doctor for a discount, ended up breaking into the doctor’s office and stealing the medicine. The question to the children was, should the husband have done that? With that in mind, are we at the point where our government forces us into making a moral decision where there is no option?

The act, in pure distillation, is a result of a backroom deal between legislators and the governor with the oil and gas industry. It is an act that can be likened to settling a class action suit out of court, with an industry that admits no guilt, but is willing to give us money in exchange for our compliance and adherence to their terms. The act restricts a municipality and a county to enact zoning that would even appear to conflict with the best interests of the oil and gas industry. It is a play or no pay law. It is a law that removes our representatives and the governor from making the tough decisions they were elected to make and are paid very well to decision. Instead, it passes the tough decisions (as if there were any) to the county, pitting municipality against municipality, neighbor against neighbor, landowner against landowner. This isn’t leadership or representation. This is cowardice. Of course, cowardice with campaign finance from oil and gas. Representatives wrote the bill with the gas industry, the governor signed it, and the counties have to enact it. The heat falls on the local community government. Already, counties like Susquehanna are being questioned as to how they will spend their part of the pie (although, if you read the law, they may not have as much flexibility as they interpret).

What is disappointing about this House Bill and its corresponding Act is that it has transparently sold us out. The industry decides the price of gas, the act limits the revenue to the surrounding states (not the price we sell the gas to China), the industry reports the “virility” of a well, and as the Cabot representative at the Susquehanna County meeting stated, they weren’t in favor of a fee at the get go.

It is easy to blame your borough or township supervisor for selling you out. But the reality is, the House and the Governor sold you out. For those at the meeting, we couldn’t wait for the meeting to be adjourned. That horse was dead at the start.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey C. Dahlander

Great Bend Township

On March 10 there was a presentation by Mr. Donald Nohs, General Director of the Confraternity of the Passion International at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Jackson. Mr. Nohs is one of the world's leading authorities on the Shroud of Turin and the passion of Christ. A life sized authentic replica of the Holy Shroud of Turin along with authentic replicas of the instruments of the passion were displayed as Mr. Nohs gave a stirring dissertation on the history of the Shroud and its connection to the Sacrifice of the Mass and the Holy Eucharist. This display and talk are a perfect Lenten contemplation. If you were unable to attend, there will be a showing on March 27, 7:00 p.m. at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Catholic Church, 624 Madison Avenue, Jermyn, PA. You can check Mr. Nohs' presentation out at www.confraternityofthepassioninternational.org.

I wish you all a holy and Happy Easter.

Sincerely,

Annette Corrigan

Susquehanna County, PA

Milk, it's nature's perfect food; it has to be. For all mammals, it's the only food possible during infancy and for humans it constitutes a major part of our diet on in to old age. But pasteurization, homogenization, and defatting, have so denatured milk that its closest resemblance to the raw product is its color.

Prior to the discovery of the germ theory, little if any precautions were made for sanitary milking, storage, or transport of milk. Often the cows were poorly fed, sick, surrounded by manure, insects, and in contact with dirty equipment. Little wonder that raw milk served as a conduit for disease.

Pasteurization changed that. Louis Pasteur discovered that heating milk killed the disease causing bacteria and made milk a safe food.

There are two types of pasteurization for milk. High Temperature Short Time (HTST) which rises the milk's temperature to 161 degrees F for 15 seconds and Ultra High Temperature (UHT) which is heated under pressure to 275 degrees F for 2 seconds.

But pasteurization by either method is a blessing in disguise.

HTST or the more harmful UHT kills most of the pathogens while destroying the health-giving qualities of milk.

Milk, raw milk, is a powerhouse of proteins, beneficial bacteria, vitamins such as A, B6, C, D, E, and B12, plus calcium and other minerals, and enzymes. Pasteurization denatures the proteins, kills the beneficial bacteria, degrades the vitamins, reduces the absorption of minerals, and deactivates the enzymes.

A key enzyme that is destroyed is lactase, which digests a sugar in milk called lactose. This causes the all to common problem of lactose intolerance.

Unlike raw milk, pasteurized milk is linked to constipation, allergies, arthritis, osteoporosis, and even cancer.

Paradoxically, raw milk from certified dairies is cleaner than pasteurized milk. Raw milk dairies must be immaculately hygienic. They cannot allow their milk to be contaminated at any stage of extraction, bottling, or transport. It is scrupulously clean from start to finish.

On the other hand, pasteurized milk is held to a lower standard. Its milk contains microscopic quantities of blood, pus, pathogens, even fecal matter. This milk must be pasteurized to kill most of the pathogens.

Americans are a tough breed. It's been said that we can tolerate anything but inconvenience. But the inconvenience of shaking a container of milk to remix the fat floating on the top proved to be too much. Homogenization saved us from this onerous task.

Milk is homogenized by forcing it through a micro filter at 4,000 pounds psi. That's enough pressure to crush a nuclear submarine pancake flat. The fat globules that squeeze through the filter are so small that they remain suspended. However, like pasteurization, homogenization comes with a hidden price tag.

Normally, a harmful enzyme in milk, xanthine oxidase (XO), is broken down by digestion and rendered harmless. But when milk is homogenized, XO is forced through the micro filter and remains intact. When ingested it passes through the wall of the gut undigested directly into the blood stream.

A number of health problems are related to XO. There is compelling research demonstrating XO to be a causative factor in heart disease and other health problems.

Milk comes from many dairies and different breeds of cows. The first step in commercialization is to standardize its taste, appearance, and nutritional profile. To do this it is fractionalized in a high-speed centrifuge to separate milk in to its component parts. Then it is reconstituted to a standard formula to make the final product consistent.

Low fat or skim milk restores some or none of the cream. This, many would have us believe is a more healthful choice. But human, cow, and goat milk, all have nearly the same fat content, about 4 percent. Did nature have it wrong? Hardly. Whole milk contains fat soluble vitamins and essential fats. It is a vital part of milk.

Remember, milk is a factory food. Profitability trumps quality. Hence, milk factories prefer pasteurization because it is cheaper to produce than raw milk and has a longer shelf life. Low fat and skim milk are promoted because the cream can be sold for products with a higher profit margin.

Your best choice is non-pasteurized, non-homogenized, whole milk from a cow not from a factory. And the good news is that it is now available in local grocery markets and health food stores.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, PA