Can you imagine how much worse the flooding in Wayne and Pike counties would have been if the land was developed into residential buildings and parking lots built in the corn fields pastures and forested hills in the Delaware water shed?

Now I know that was one long sentence. He is a short one for you to understand. The farmers of the Delaware River basin and the protectors of valuable soil holding ground need help in saving your towns. Save the bridges and homes and business, including the very ones who lose the most, the farmers.

How many of you have hay bales in your back yards? Are there any dead livestock under your bridges? These are some of the material things you might see. However what you all don't see is that, all of you lose.

The farmers and stewards of your land and water are deeply hurt and yes it was caused by nothing any of us could have prevented. But, let’s look ahead maybe one year. Think, if the landowners have to sell the farm. Sell the farm to a developer because one of his family members got sick and needs long term medical care and what happens if the Old farmer just could not see keeping his timber standing any longer so he had to sell it and the cleared land eroded. The old majestic stone walls on the farm had to be sold. What happens when the leases for natural gas run out for the hundreds of landowners holding on to a promise of salvation of their livelihood.

The disaster that just happened and is still going on today can get worse. It will be magnified if the DRBC keeps it's moratorium on the drilling of Natural gas and the farmers and land owners lose their lands to developers to build large parking lots and let the run off below take out larger chunks of roads and bridges and towns, at our expense.

The time is here to remove the moratorium on natural gas drilling in the Delaware River basin water shed. It is time to bring back a vibrant economy to the region. Save the land above the small towns, and cities of Wayne, Pike, Monroe and Northhampton counties and on and on down river. Save the pure clean water of the millions of residents of the said area and the inhabitants of New York city and for the good of the greatest number. Save yourselves. Now is the time to truly think about doing what is right for the good of all.

Sincerely,

Peter A. Seman

Thompson, PA

Three cheers and one cheer more for the Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. Finally, the ramparts of the male dominated armed services and the military elite fraternities have been breached. The Pentagon has ceased talking about allowing women to serve in combat, to actively planning to integrate women into fighting units.

The brass is even contemplating allowing women in elite cadres such as the Army Rangers, the Navy SEALS, and other special ops organizations by 2016.

For too long women have been denied these opportunities just because they are women, but a uni-sexual military has opened a door for them and offers hope for others who are prevented from serving by outmoded discriminatory barriers.

For example, the maximum age for entry into the military is arbitrarily set at 40. Age discrimination, like sex discrimination, should be abolished. There is no reason why applicants aged 60 or more cannot be accepted. The military of today is motorized and mechanized. The elderly do not have to be triathlon champions to be able to perform acceptably.

Nor should discrimination of the physically and mentally handicapped be continued. Even those with profound debilities such as the totally blind and quadriplegics can be accommodated. Braille computers and mouth-directed mouses (mice?) can make even this possible. The less hampered can be clerks, computer operators, mechanics, and drivers in specially adapted vehicles.

Those with mental impairments can be trained as kitchen helpers, messengers, and janitors. Mr Hagel, tear down this sign: “Handicapped Need Not apply.”

Lastly, the walls of weight and height requirements must also come tumbling down. According to a Gallup poll, 65 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. Are two-thirds of the nation to be barred from the military? Is patriotism diminished because of excess weight? Wouldn’t a better metric be the fervor of their hearts rather than the size of their waistlines? Even the grossly overweight should be given the opportunity to participate in the defense of their nation.

And height limits should be struck down as well. Desire to serve and to fight have nothing to do with how tall or short a person is. Those with unusual stature can also fit into the military of tomorrow.

Granted, it is undeniably true that a uni-sexual and all-inclusive army would not do very well against the Waffen SS or the Japanese Imperial Guard or any combat unit from that era, but they don't have to. World War II ended a lifetime ago. One can't compare the fighting divisions of yesteryear with today's computer-driven warfare.

Contemporary conflicts are not fought in the front-lines but in front of ranks of computers and monitors directing rocket-firing drones; it is joystick-and-push-button fighting not hand-to-hand brawling. And women, the elderly, the physically and mentally disadvantaged, the overweight and obese, the outliers of stature, the sightless and the paralyzed can maneuver joysticks and push buttons along with the best of them.

Yes, we're on our way to the day when the United States of America will have a non-elitist, demasculinized, feminized, uni-sexual, non-homophobic, non-exclusionary, geriatric, overweight compatible, height friendly, handicapped acceptable, and ruthlessly politically correct army. Although some combat capability may have to be sacrificed, but look at what we will gain.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, PA

7 million, or 67% of the population of California voted legally to define Marriage as between a man and a woman only. No same sex marriage allowed. Governor Brown was elected and should have supported the 7 million; shamefully - he did not!

The 9 Supreme Court Justices (who are appointed and not elected by the people) voted 5 to 4 (led by Justice Kennedy) to overturn Proposition 8, the law that 7 million Californians should have received and made into law.

Dishonor is brought on California and our country and God by those 5 "Justices" and Governor Brown.

Sincerely,

Bruce Moorhead

Susquehanna, Pa.

This year's parade theme is "Helping Your Neighbors" and we, "Citizens for Clean Water", have a pick-truck with clean water and have been delivering clean water for about two years to our neighbors in Dimock, Pa. This is done mostly by donations.

Mr. Larry Kelly, Esquire, of Montrose, Pa., who is the Chairman of the Parade Committee, denied our application to be in the parade and have our signs of "Citizens for Clean Water" and "Bringing Clean Water to Our Neighbors" on our water-delivery truck!

Why should we be denied? Larry Kelly said we are "controversial" and he didn't want "that" in the parade! The Parade is sponsored and organized by the Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary Clubs and they are all Service Clubs.

The 4th of July is about celebrating our birth as a nation of freedoms for all, no matter what their opinion is and part of those freedoms is "Freedom of Speech, Belief, Religion, etc." This has now become a civil rights issue, discrimination being practiced by our service organizations in Susquehanna County. Only those with "acceptable" positions or opinions are allowed a voice or presence in our 4th of July parade!

Because we may show that we have people in Susquehanna County with water issues, pollution since gas drilling, we are denied a presence and voice in the parade.

Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary, come and visit the growing number of families with water issues/contamination since gas drilling. Be a "Good Neighbor" and meet these families.

Some are getting clean water paid for by the gas companies and delivered in water trucks by Parrish in South Montrose. We are delivering to a few families who are not getting water any longer or do not get water from the gas companies.

Since we can not be in the parade and Larry Kelly told me we could not have any signs that describe anti-fracking or anti-gas, we will be there on the 4th of July in the town of Montrose, Pa. with our water signs and our anti-fracking signs. We have documents of water contamination in our county and state and people are suffering since gas drilling came to town. Stop and talk with us and learn about your neighbors in need, who are being denied, ignored, silenced with gag orders. We are all Americans and we do not have to hold the same position on any "controversial" issue. Sincerely,

Vera Scroggins

Brackney, Pa.