The rally in Scranton for religious freedom on June 9 on the Court House Square was very well attended and it gave me great joy to listen to the speakers who included Pastors from many Protestant churches and Priests from the Catholic Church. I understand that there was even an atheist speaker. I was happy for it showed that people understand that this is not just a Catholic issue.

If the government can decide what Catholics must do, it can decide what any American must do. I would like to encourage every prayerful person to join in the prayers of the, Fortnight for Freedom called for by the Catholic Bishops of the U.S. from June 21 to July 4, - a 14 day period of prayer, education and action in support of religious freedom.

I encourage Catholics to attend and offer an extra Mass during this time or attend the Eucharist Devotions held at St. John’s on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. or St. Martins on Thurs. at 8:00 a.m. I also humbly ask all Christians to offer special prayers during this time, thereby joining us in a single plea from all of God’s children. Also call or contact your representatives in Washington and voice your total disapproval of this attack on our Constitutional right to freedom of religion.

Sincerely,

Annette Corrigan

Susquehanna County

Prior to January, 2008 the Susquehanna County commissioners followed, to the best of their ability, the Sunshine Act and the Right to Know Laws. In 2008 that changed. Minutes of meetings became a ‘mirror image’ of meeting agendas-just records of the start time of the meetings and filled in blanks as to who ‘motioned’ and who ‘seconded,’ followed by the time the meeting ended. Period. No record of discussion or public comments, nothing but ‘all in favor say ‘Aye.’ It’s not exactly the kind of openness and transparency that Alan Hall promised when he was running: “ we’ve got to get these things open back up...we’ve got to get public input...we’ve got to serve the public ...”.

So what about those pesky laws, like the Sunshine Act and Right to Know Laws? In my opinion Hall & Co. have taken control of them and are using them to their own advantage. At least one other elected official-not to be identified at this time-feels the same way. They have an appointed ‘solicitor’ (who is also employed by one of the commissioners) to help them craft the language they use to shepherd them through the circumvention of the spirit, if not the letter of those laws.

The following verbatim exchange occurred at the January 25th Commissioners’ Meeting-

Attendee: “...For four years this board has had public comment at the end of each meeting and there has never been a comment that’s been recorded...and I would ask this board to please obey the Sunshine Laws...this is transparency...this is open government, this is required by law...”

Commissioner Giangrieco: “...we’re not gonna turn this into a debate...”

Attendee: “It’s not a debate...it’s asking you to obey the law...”

Commissioner Hall: “We’ll review it and we’ll let you know...”

On January 25 the commissioners said they would review ‘it’ and let us know if they would obey the law. At the start of the commissioners’ meeting on February 8, we heard the following:

Commissioner Hall: “....Okay...we do have a response to last meeting... I said I would address the issue with our solicitor over the...Sunshine Law with the...public comment....the solicitor’s response reads saying that...if a person shows up in an official capacity to give testimony....they’ll have to sign in and ...when they sign in it’ll be their name and a description of ....the item they are testifying on and that will be reflected in the minutes...with that said at this time...we will have a sign in sheet...”

An attendee then asked , “...can the public get a copy of the solicitor’s decision in writing?”

Commissioner Hall: “I’ll check with the solicitor and see and I’ll be glad to get back to you.”

At the February 22nd meeting, before the motion to accept the minutes:

Attendee: “Last [meeting] you said that public comment would be noted ...there’s nothing in the minutes about public comment at all ...”

Commissioner Hall: “And I told you that I would get back to you on that what it is...it has to be testimony...public comment that is testimony if you appear and it is testimony then testimony will appear in the minutes....”

Attendee: “What do you mean ...could you define testimony?”

Commissioner Hall: “No, I can’t...but if you come in an official capacity to give testimony then ....you can testify on something then it...will be noted...”

Attendee: “...the...Sunshine Laws clearly state ‘written minutes shall be kept of all meetings of agencies...the minutes shall include’...number 4 is...’the names of all citizens who appeared officially and the subject of their testimony.”

Commissioner Hall: “Right...”

Attendee: “I appeared officially and I gave testimony...”

Commissioner Hall: “According to our solicitor...if you appear officially and give testimony....it will appear in the minutes...”

Attendee: “But it hasn’t...”

Commissioner Hall: “Well, we’re not considering what you did at the last meeting as testimony....”

Later the attendee continued “...last week I asked if the solicitor could reduce to a writing the fact that we now have the right to public comment according to the Sunshine Laws. So...why would it take more than two weeks to have an answer on that?...”

Commissioner Hall: “Okay, well the answer to the question is a reduced to a writing is, uh, falls under one of the thirty-two exceptions in the Sunshine Law which is attorney-client privileges, therefore will not be reproduced and put out to the public...”

Attendee: “It couldn’t be put in the agenda?”

Commissioner Hall: “No.”

Attendee: “Just as a notice that people will be allowed to speak now?”

Commissioner Hall: “...what you asked for was a document that the attorney gave me and that’s attorney-client privilege and that doesn’t have to be released... now if you’re asking for something to be noted in here that’s in the minutes or in the...agenda that, uh, public comment if somebody shows officially and is giving testimony that that’ll be noted then, sure, I can put that in there...”

Attendee: “Well...then I would ask that that’s done but I’d also ask as to why it takes all this time to get a decision on whether to put public comment in the minutes...”

Commissioner Hall: Well, ...it’s been two weeks...now that’s not a lot of time we’ve been doing this for what? Four years...”

Attendee: “...for four years the board has decided NOT to allow public comment...I don’t know why I suspect why...but if this decision was made to allow public comment what is the point if it’s not noted?”

Commissioner Hall: “Well, public comment is not noted. Testimony is noted.”

Attendee: What do you call when I say “may I be recognized officially for the record?”

Commissioner Hall: “Well, I can check with our solicitor and see if he wants to release something on what testimony is and I’ll get back to you.”

Attendee: “This sounds like stonewalling to me.”

Commissioner Hall: “It’s not stonewalling...What do you want to know? Do you want your name in the ... in the minutes..that’s all it is...or what?”

Attendee: “It’s what the Sunshine Law says...I don’t make this up...”

Commissioner Hall: “No, it’s not...your interpretation of the Sunshine Law versus our solicitor’s interpretation are entirely two different things...there’s thirty-two exceptions to the Sunshine Law....”

Attendee: “Is that one of them?”

Commissioner Hall: “What the Sunshine Law says is that if you appear in an official capacity and give testimony then that will be noted...”

Attendee: “If I raise my hand and say I want to appear in an official capacity...and state my name and ask a question...I am now appearing in an official capacity...”

Commissioner Hall: “You have to give testimony...”

Attendee: “Could you...”

Commissioner Hall: “...there are lots of definitions for it ...”

Attendee: “Could you please give us a definition of testimony?...”

Commissioner Hall: “I will check with my solicitor and get back to you...”

The chairman has demonstrated that his pre-election rhetoric was just that-rhetoric. He is fully aware and admits that for all meetings prior to 2008 public comment appeared in the commissioners’ meeting minutes. He also concedes that for more than four years since 2008 the commissioners have omitted public comment (and their own) from the meeting minutes. He defers all questions regarding the Sunshine Act or the Right to Know laws to hand-picked ‘counsel,’ even though he attended the Right to Know seminar given last July and has stated that he ‘knows all about the Sunshine laws.’ Only the commissioners and their consigliere are privy to what ‘testimony,’ ‘appearing officially’ and ‘comment’ mean-but they refuse to share (in writing or otherwise), or do not know, the definition. The “32 exceptions” are actually “30" and do not apply to the Sunshine Act but to the Right to Know Laws. And last but not least, he (and they) seem intent on continuing to disregard those laws.

To be continued....

Sincerely,

Edna K. Paskoff

Montrose, PA

It is a very critical time in America. Not a good time for us to be divided on issues.

The two political parties use politics as a game. The other political parties are used to divide votes among them.

It is not the time to bicker. Now is the time to interact with each other. We, and I will use"we" and that means "you". It does not matter which party you believe in.

We see the need for change in our country. Each one of us who care about issues, we have an obligation to bring them out in the public's eyes and discuss them openly. America has the ability to survive in this unsettled time,and "we" need to help preserve our country.

The few of us who still care enough to vote, read, write and to try to keep the American dream alive need to get it together! We need to forget about party lines and come up with the correct solutions for us. We need to stop each other on the streets or in our shops and openly discuss issues pertianent to our country and for now forget what political party we are a member of. The thing that is scary to me is the fact that, we see there are problems in our world and we are strapped wondering how we can change them for the betterment of America. Silence is not golden here, it is time we get together, whether we like each other or not, we have an obligation to America to do what is right.

I suggest we speak out now on issues, say wind, power and renewables. Or say natural gas and on and off shore drilling, homeless people, and welfare reform. What ever the topic who ever is speaking, or whom ever's fault we think it is, we need to start today to get it together so we, can keep our freedoms that we all worked for in the past and move forward to protect our country. It does not matter the party, it is us the we part of this great big country.

America is like a family,with a Daddy and a mommy and a few kiddos. With Daddy having the most power and then mommy and the kiddos having to listen to them, right or wrong. America was started by Daddies and Mommies and the kiddos were the reason we survived. Now is the time for the family to pool their ideas count their money and together stabilize the family survival. Discuss the good, the bad, and the unthinkable, and work this out before we lose!

Sincerely;

Peter A.Seman

Thompson Pa.

Judging by the actions and rhetoric of various church-related groups, there's a new definition of "religious freedom". It used to mean you would believe what you want, and the government wouldn't hinder you. That negative responsibility has been converted into an affirmative one. Now, "religious freedom" means these groups insist on exemption from regulations, licensing and oversight that any other group would be responsible for. Now government is expected to fund church-related groups refusal to do so, claimed as a violation of their religious freedom. And religious groups feel entitled to use government, unconstitutionally, to impose their doctrines on others. If they're prevented from doing so, they moan and cry that their rights are being violated.

 We have seen the emergence of an unseemly entitlement attitude in many areas:

- To preferential prayer rituals.

- To use of public buildings as churches.

- To funding of private education.

- To control over employees' contraceptive choices.

- To enforcement of government policies based solely on religious doctrine.

- To recognition and funding of student religious clubs.

- To fire good workers over trivial doctrinal objections, or to discriminate in hiring from the start, while using our tax dollars.

The preceding is not being a good citizen. It's being a spoiled child. Government has indulged religion rather than practicing benign neglect, but the response has just been greater and greater resentment of government by religious people who are abusing it. Their expectations rise with the level of indulgence, and they can never be satisfied.

Religious freedom was never supposed to mean this. The Founders were clear that religion had to pay for itself, and was not allowed to invade the rights of others. Rather than religious freedom, I'd call this Talibanism. Why don't they back off, butt out, and leave us (and our wallets) alone?

Sincerely,

Stephen Van Eck

Rushville, PA

Something strange was happening to fish. The males of some species were producing eggs and no one knew why. That was 60 years ago. Since then the phenomenon has spread. Now the entire male half of the planet's fauna, from penguins to polar bears, are to some degree feminized.

In 1950, it was theorized that it was something in the water, but what? Then in the mid '90s advances in analytical chemistry pointed to a class of chemicals called estrogen-mimics (EM), synthetic chemicals that resemble the female hormone estrogen and suppressed the male hormone testosterone.

Then it was discovered that many commonly used chemicals are EM. For example, a class of EM called phthalates (view YouTube: Phthalates) are used in countless products to make plastics flexible. These gender-benders are found in vinyl floors, shower curtains, plastic furniture, rubber boots, toys, water bottles, and food wrappings, to name only a few. Unfortunately, the EM out-gas into the air we breathe or leach into the food we eat.

As research progressed, run-offs from farms were implicated in the spread of other hormone disruptors. They were discovered in fertilizers, herbicides, and pharmaceuticals given to cows. The cows' contaminated manure was spread on the land as fertilizer. Eventually, rain carried the EM into lakes and rivers. In time, they found their way into our drinking water.

And it's even in our food. Cattle are injected and fed estrogenic chemicals to cause them to gain weight. Some EM remains in the meat of these slaughtered animals and is consumed by humans.

Today, the class of emasculating chemicals has grown to thousands. Their presence is ubiquitous, impossible to avoid.

Laundry detergents containing EM remain in clothes even after washing. They come in contact with skin and are absorbed. Toiletries and cosmetics such as makeup, perfumes, deodorants, soaps, shampoos, and skin lotions, are common carriers of EM and like detergents are of special concern. Skin absorbs hormone homogenities ten times more efficiently than a like amount of EM taken orally.

The pressing question is this: If EM causes psycho-physical disorders in animals, does it also do so in humans, particularly men? The answer is an unsettling, Yes.

Researchers discovered that boys exposed to high levels of EM in the womb have smaller penises and feminized genitals. The EM not only altered them physically but mentally and behaviorally as well. These boys avoided playing with cars, trains, and guns, preferring instead to play with dolls, play houses, and tea sets.

In women, estrogen is the dominate sex hormone causing beast development beginning at puberty. In men testosterone is the major sex hormone and prevents breast development. But if the hormonal balance is disturbed, men can and do develop breasts. The condition is called gynecomastis and it affects 40 percent of young men increasing to 70 percent in elderly men.

The Centers for Disease Control found a connection between pesticides and low sperm count. Men with higher levels of pesticides in their blood and fat had lower sperm counts. Other researchers claim that the average western man has lost 53 percent of his sperm production in the last 50 years.

Formerly, women were found to be almost exclusively at fault in infertile couples. Now one-in-seven couples finds men to be the identifiable cause.

Hormones along with environment and genetics form the triad of human expression. Disrupting this balance with EM not only results in physical and mental abnormalities in men but pathological conditions in women. Breast cancer, fibrocystic breast disease, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, uterine fibromas, premature sexual development, and cancer, have been linked to EM in women.

What, then, can we do to protect ourselves from EM exposure? Very little. First, because they are overwhelmingly prevalent.

We live in a chemicalized world. There are some 80,000 synthetic chemicals with three added to the list every day. Only a fraction of these have been studied to determine their effects on our bodies and minds. How many of these chemicals are EM? No one knows or will ever know.

Second, experiments have demonstrated that some EM produce effects in fish even when diluted to a staggeringly small three parts in a trillion.

How much is three parts per trillion? Picture a football field covered with 25 feet of water. Put three drops of an EM into this pool and all the male fish get a makeover. That's what three parts per trillion is.

Welcome to the not so brave new world of estrogen mimics.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, PA

From June 21st to July 4th, we have a Fortnight, or 2 weeks to tell Mr.Obama and Mrs Sebelius - we peacefully will not obey the terrible attack of this Democratic administration on our religions.You hopefully, should know that our freedom of religion is under a severe attack by “Obamacare” and the “H.H.S Mandate.” The White House is demanding that Religions have to supply baby killing drugs to whoever asks for them! That is not legal and the 1st amendment guarantees religious freedom!

Religions and Bishops in North America, Canada, U,S.A. and Mexico are united to tell President Obama that we will peacefully not obey this attack on our beliefs. Most Baptists, Evangelicals, Methodists and all major religions are joining this fight. Tell Senator Bob Casey jr. and Mr.Obama we don’t want your contraceptive and abortion policies that result in babies being killed.

Get involved to support life and freedom of religion. Be sure to thank any Minister, Priest or pro-life people for their input. Fr. Dave Cramer at St. John’s Catholic Church in Susquehanna, Rev.Carl Batzel at First United Methodist Church in Susquehanna and Rev.Jim Rouse at Community Presbyterian Church in Lanesboro and others, should be applauded for their efforts. Please pray to God that all human life from conception to a natural end, will be able to see God in Heaven.

Sincerely,

Bruce Moorhead

Susquehanna, PA