One of the most popular emphases of Herr Trump is his promise to build a wall along the Mexican border.  But his (typically ignorant) worshipers don't realize that Congress passed an Act ten years ago precisely to authorize such a wall. And they don't know that 650 miles of the wall have already been built!

Why hasn't the wall been completed yet? It takes time for the government to seize the land necessary from private owners under Eminent Domain.  And Eminent Domain is something that Conservatives tend not to like.

Perhaps Trumpistas caught this news item last week:  Drug Enforcement agents found a 400 meter tunnel underneath this wall. It's not the first time this has happened.  So how would the Trump wall prevent this from happening again?  Magic?

Yet another thing they don't know is that last year over half a million visitors overstayed their visas.  Please explain how the Trump wall would prevent this!  A large number of these came by plane.  Looks like you'll need a really tall wall!

Clearly, the popular wall idea would not be the panacea they think it would be.

Sincerely,

Stephen Van Eck

Rushville, PA

The great feast day of Easter is past but the Easter season continues for a full 50 days - Ash Wednesday to Pentecost. Catholics have an Easter Duty, which is to receive communion during the Easter season. The 3rd precept of the Church also tells us we are to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a year. In Chapter 11 of 1st Corinthians St. Paul is very clear as to the duties of the reception of Communion. “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself” And the early Fathers of the Church were clear on the need for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, assuring us that reception of the Lord's body while in the state of mortal sin is a sacrilege.

If you have been away from Holy Mother Church a long time consider a trip to St. Ann's Basilica where confessions are heard on Tuesday through Friday and on Saturday. A quick Google gives the times. You still have time to make your Easter Duty. Easter Season is the time to examine one's priorities. Heaven and Hell are realities – regardless of political correctness. Our Lord has a plan for your life that is far better than any you can come up with. He knows what will make you happy and what will cause pain and He loves you enough to help you get through this life which is only a womb of eternity.

He loved us enough to give us this wonderful year of Divine Mercy where Christ promises forgiveness for ANY transgression. He loved you enough to suffer the horrible death we just witnessed for you but you have free will and can ignore, even ridicule Him. If that is your choice, remember your choices in life are what judges your eternity. Our final judgment, which we will all face, will be Christ's pronouncement of Heaven or Hell for us based on our lives Nothing in life is more important than your relationship with Christ. Come home and find peace the world cannot give and happiness in knowing you are on the right road home.

Sincerely,

Annette Corrigan

Jackson Township

Black Lives Matter, Occupy Wall Street, [Expletive] The Police, MoveOn.org, plus a dozen other leftist groups, the surviving Republican presidential candidates, and the mainstream media---all have joined the Trump for President movement.

Yes, they're all welcome: the so-called protesters, the Trump's rivals, and the media have all clambered aboard the Trump train to Washington.

It seems paradoxical for these bands to be backing Trump, like mice petting a cat. But these ”mice” are unintentionally doing just that. In doing so, they revealed more about themselves and their nemesis than they wanted us to know.

We begin by taking a close look at Trump's eclectic passengers on his campaign train; second, his competitors for the Oval Office; third, the media; and fourth, those who attend Trump's rallies.

First, the “protesters” are not protesters.

At all of Trump's rallies, there is a cordon-off section for protesters, but few dissenters are to be found therein. Their purpose is not to protest but to disrupt, to stifle any opinion that is not sympathetic to their viewpoint.

These “protesters” are anti-free speech. Reason does not resonate in their minds. It is passion, raw emotion, the power of the mob to silence opposition that fuels their demonstrations. They are disrupters, agitators, anarchists, foul-mouth hooligans---not, as the media styles them, protesters.

And yet, they are selective.

The rioters are never to be found at Hillary Clinton's te-ta-teats, Bernie Sanders meetings, or at Ted Cruz's or John Kasich's assemblies. Why? Why only at Trump rallies?

The reason is simple. Trump is the only presidential candidate who has torn away the veil of the multi-billion dollar corporate-congressional collusion. What's worse, there is no way to control or even influence this self-funded campaigner. Trump threatens the business-as-usual Washington graft establishment. He's got to be stopped.

That's why Trump alone is the target of the George Soros-funded radical left organizations. There's nothing spontaneous about the raucous disruptions at a Trump rally. They are mainly paid for and orchestrated by Soros, who has given more than $10 billion to support far left organizations.

Second, a revealing look at Trump's competitors.

Trump's political foes blithely ignored the culpability of the rioters as well as Trump's right to freedom of speech. Not one stood up for the First Amendment; instead, they opted to use the disorder for their political gain. To a man, they cited Trump for the civil disturbances, not the agitators:

• Clinton: “The ugly, divisive rhetoric we are hearing from Donald Trump and the encouragement of violence and aggression is wrong and dangerous.”

• Cruz: “There's no doubt that a candidate bears responsibility for the culture that is set from the top.”

• Kasich: “Pitting one group against another is toxic and divisive. And that's not the way we want to elect a president.”

We beg to differ. Trump has never incited or encouraged violence. He bears no responsibility for how people react to his speeches. The troublemakers shoulder the sole blame.

Third, the predominant perspective of the media.

The muddled morality of the media sees the chaos created at Trump events as a free speech rivalry between the campaigner's crowd versus the MoveOn.org's mob.

Nonsense. Since when is blocking access to a gathering, storming the speaker's stage, shouting down the opposition, and mucking up a private meeting an exercise of free speech?

And fourth, a look at those who make up a Trump audience.

The Trumpsters are exuberant and vocal but never disorderly. They have never responded to raucous taunts in kind but only with chants of “USA, USA,” or “Trump, Trump, Trump.” Of the several hundred thousand who have attended a Trump rally, only one supporter was violent.

It's said that you can judge a man by his enemies. In that department, Trump seems to have chosen his enemies carefully. So let the Soros mercenaries throw their tantrums. Let everyone see what they are like and what Trump enthusiasts are unlike.

As for the other contestants for the White House, they have failed to arouse the animosity of the disrupters. That raises a provocative question: Why?

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, Pa

National Volunteer Week marks a special time of year for The Fresh Air Fund, and I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to our wonderful Fresh Air volunteers, hosts and supporters in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Their continued dedication to our New York City children is exemplary for all community members and truly embodies the spirit of the 2016 National Volunteer Week, which is from April 10th to April 16th.

Fresh Air volunteers work in several capacities throughout the year along the East Coast from North Carolina to Maine and Southern Canada to help make The Fresh Air Fund’s programs possible. Fresh Air host families open their hearts and homes, and share the everyday joys of summertime with their Fresh Air friends. Our local volunteer leaders – many of whom are also hosts – serve on our local committees, interview prospective host families, publicize the program, and plan summer activities. Additionally, individuals and local businesses give generously of their time and resources to make The Fresh Air Fund’s Friendly Towns Program throughout this area a great success each summer.

The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.8 million New York City children since 1877. For more information on how you can help to continue this tradition of volunteering, please call The Fresh Air Fund at 800-367-0003 or visit www.freshair.org.

Sincerely,

Fatima Shama, Executive Director, The Fresh Air Fund

The Pennsylvania legislature has an opportunity to safeguard the rights of our most vulnerable citizens by enacting legislation to ban dismemberment abortions. These horrific abortions, which are usually performed in the second trimester of pregnancy, tear a baby limb by limb from the mother’s womb. As U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has stated, “No one would dispute that, for many, (dismemberment) is a procedure itself laden with the power to devalue human life”. A recent statewide poll shows that 61 percent of Pennsylvanians support a ban on dismemberment abortions. Among women, the support is even higher at 64 percent. At a time when surgery on babies in the womb has become increasingly common, it is critically important for the General Assembly to ban a practice that we should all agree is a flagrant human rights violation and unworthy of a Commonwealth as great as Pennsylvania.

Sincerely,

Maria Gallagher,

Leg. Dir., PA Pro-Life Federation

I agree with everything Nicole Bernosky said in her letter regarding the ridiculous roadblocks and rules set up by True Friends at the animal shelter in Montrose. I wrote a letter a few years back expressing my annoyance over the fact that they have no room for unwanted cats due to the no kill policy.  Even PETA is against no kill in these places since it results in animals held in cages for years, some until they literally crack up and bang their heads against the cage walls. Now this new silliness about no declawing. We have had cats for decades, most living to a ripe old age, and most that we have obtained from shelters. They were all declawed and were/are kept indoors. None of them showed any sign of suffering from declawing - they were hopping from floor to chairs and back down the next day. The cats we have rescued from shelters might not have been rescued if we hadn’t taken them, who knows?

Since True Friends seems to be filled with cats all the time that no one is taking, I can only surmise that if we had not taken them, possibly they’d still be there rotting away in cages? Or, at the time we adopted other cats many years go, the shelter was not “no kill,” so in effect, those cats who lived to old age might not have lived at all.

People I know who don’t declaw cats usually let them go outside part of the time and, what do cats do outside? Kill songbirds. How is that a good thing? I have actually heard people say that “this is part of nature.” No, it isn’t. Domestic cats are, in effect, a manmade creature, like dogs. They are NOT natural in our environment here and NOT a natural predator anywhere in North America or Europe of songbirds. It is totally irresponsible and selfish to allow house cats outside to kill the bird population.

Back to declawing. Like Ms. Bernosky, we once had a cat who never retracted her claws. We had her front claws removed but her back claws were always out and dangerous. You could not cuddle her. Cutting them took three of us at the vets, including the vet himself. You couldn’t have her in your lap unless you wanted to be bloody. I cannot imagine allowing a cat with claws like this to keep her front claws inside a house, particularly with kids around. I don’t relish the idea of my cat jumping in bed or onto the couch if I am taking a nap and accidentally scratching my eye or anything else. People I have known who insist on no declawing have had their homes ripped to shreds, furniture completely ruined. As my friend’s vet down near Philly said to her, “If you’re going to keep your furniture, there is no other choice but to declaw.” And no, buying fancy scratching posts does not work. Cats walk right by them and over to the couch, which they then proceed to methodically destroy.

Re: the friendliness level at True Friends. Like Ms. Bernosky, I have felt the chill. No longer is it a happy place to stop in to ooh and ahh at kittens and puppies. Nary a smile, no one greets you, you are made to feel that you’re a sooty street urchin in a high class jewelry store. I once filled out the papers to volunteer as a dog walker and never heard anything back, not even a courteous phone call to say they didn’t need me. I think from now on, if any of our cats pass on and we want a new cat, we’ll go to other shelters or try to find one in the paper or on Craig’s list.

Sincerely,

Margaret Karmazin

Jackson Township

It was alarming to read the editorial regarding True Friends in last week’s paper.  This response is to let your readers, many who have been longtime supporters of ours, hear our story.

Our #1 goal at True Friends is to find loving, forever homes for the homeless animals at our shelter. In fact, this past month alone we adopted out 30 pets into new homes.

We do, however, have a moral obligation to them to do what we feel is best for each of the dogs and cats that our staff and volunteers consider family.  We certainly don’t ask applicants to jump through hoops, we just want to be sure the animal will be taken care of responsibly and most of all loved.

The applicant that claimed she was denied was in fact not turned down at all.  We just requested she consider a cat that was already declawed from ours or another shelter, instead of painfully declawing two senior cats simply for her own convenience.  We, like other animal welfare organizations, consider declawing to be an extremely painful and traumatic procedure that should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

At True Friends we strongly believe in our community, the amazing people who adopt, volunteer, donate, and advocate constantly for our animals in need. Our staff always does it’s very best to show everyone how grateful we are for what they do.  We all want our center to always be a welcoming, heartwarming place to visit and re-visit.

Lastly, it is completely untrue that we receive large donations from any large corporations on a regular basis. True Friends depends 100% on contributions from the individuals, families, organizations, and small businesses that donate to us. They are what keep our doors open for the 500 lost and innocent dogs and cats that every year go in and back out with loving new families.

Above all, we would like to assure our community that our shelter is a very special place we can all be very proud of.  It is an organization filled with amazing people that give everyday to the animals in need that we whole-heartedly love. We aren’t just a shelter that houses animals in kennels. We are a refuge whose constant goal is to make each of our animal’s lives more enriched while in our care. We encourage anyone who doesn’t understand this to volunteer for a day, we could always use more volunteers to help us with our mission.

Sincerely,

Dory Browning, Executive Director, True Friends Animal Welfare Center

There is reason for major concern regarding Gov. Wolf's line item budget veto eliminating funding for PSU Extension and research programs.

If the Governor and General Assembly fail to take action to restore this funding, the real possibility of extension and research services elimination is a dire threat.  The ramification would be devastating for farm families and Pennsylvania agriculture.

The farming community is provided with the latest advances in technology and research covering a wide variety of topics such as plant disease, pest protection, animal care, food safety and conservation practices.

Without this funding, programs such as 4-H, Master Gardeners, Natural Resources, Ag Entrepreneurship, Family and Consumer Sciences, Horticulture, Marcellus Shale, Water Quality and more could be discontinued.

Gov. Wolf and our legislators need to hear from you!  Please make your voice heard! Call Gov. Wolf 717 - 787 - 2500, Rep.Sandra Major 717 - 783 - 2910, Rep. Tina Pickett 717 - 783 -8238, Sen. Lisa Baker 717 - 783 - 7428, Sen. Gene Yaw 717 -787 -3280.

Two legislative bills that will help the situation are HB 1831 and SB 1120.

Sincerely,

Nancy Panzera Jackson, Communication Information Director, Susquehanna County Farm Bureau

Thank you to Dr. B. Patel for his care of our father Carl Lawrenson and to all the nurses and aides at Barnes Kasson Hospital.  Also we would like to extend our appreciation to The Skilled Nursing Facility and Sarah Armetta for their many kindnesses during our father’s stay.  Many many thanks to Allona and Carl Haley, Barb Osterhout, and to all our father’s friends at Turnpike Terrace.  Thank you, to Vincent Chiaramonte, Certified Lay Servant, and Rev. Leanne Campbell for their visits and Memorial Service. Thank you to all at the Susquehanna United Methodist Church, American Legion Post 86 Honor Guard and The Susquehanna Fire Dept. for helping to make our Father’s “Celebration of Life” a very special day.

Sincerely,

The Family of Carl A. Lawrenson