County News – Harland A. Denney succeeded Ralph B. Little, deceased, as Common Pleas Judge of Susquehanna County courts.  Mr. Denney came to this place about 22 years ago to practice law when fresh from college.  He served as District Attorney for two terms and for several years has been Chairman of the Republican County Committee.  He was President of the Susquehanna County Historical Society and Free Library Assn. for several years.  His appointment will take place at once.

East Kingsley – Mr. and Mrs. G. A. Tripp visited at the home of his mother, in South Gibson; also visited their son, Ray, and Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Carey, at East Mountain.  Mr. Tripp is busy painting at W. W. Wilmarth’s farm.  He has recently secured the agency for the Protecto Carbonate Roof Paint, a paint which he highly recommends. For further particulars ask him.

Forest City – Committees have been appointed by the congregation of St. Agnes’ church to make the necessary arrangements to hold a picnic July 4th. 
The spacious church lawn has been selected as the place if the weather will permit; if not, the hall will be used.  Dinner and supper will be served by the ladies of the parish.  ALSO Raymond Valukonis and Katie Rumansky have applied for a marriage license.

Rush – Silas D. Kintner, the genial landlord of the Rush House, has a pair of mules, called “Jack and Jerry” and they are a pair that, for their size, would be hard to duplicate.  Their usefulness is worthy of mention and their record remarkable.  He uses this pair to haul freight for the various merchants at Rush, to and from Montrose, taking loads from 3,000 to 4,300 lbs. and in the past four years has made 615 trips each way, including their trip to the creamery, making 24 miles to the trip, covering a total of 15,000 miles, besides doing farm work at times not engaged on the road.  ALSO A pleasant wedding took place at the home of Mr. and Mrs. T. S. James, in East Rush, June 14th, when their only daughter, Helen Winifred, was united in marriage to Byron Glenn Gary, of Rush. The bridal trip includes Niagara Falls.  They will be at home to their friends at Rush.

South Montrose - A. J. Ellsworth, who has resided for the past few years on the Cope place, at Dimock, has purchased the Robert Reynolds farm, known as the old Lathrop farm, at this place.

Little Meadows – Francis J. Fitzmartin and Anna L. Hickey, of this place, have applied for a marriage license.

Hop Bottom – The citizens of this place are planning a huge 4th of July, a parade, hill climbing contest, dinner, baby contest, jitney ride, ball game, supper and entertainment.  Great prizes too. Proceeds will be utilized in providing the town with a street electric lighting system.

Franklin Forks – Al. Devine, formerly of this place, but now of Binghamton, has joined Battery C and gone with the militia to help in the war with Mexico.

Montrose – The first Fourth of July celebration in the vicinity of Montrose was by cutting thirteen big trees to all fall together with one mighty crash. This was in 1801. ALSO Notice: Will the party who took a package of soap from the front of Cooley’s store return the same to the store and avoid any trouble.

Great Bend - Dr. Frederic Brush, of White Plains, N. Y., has presented the L. A. S., of Locust Hill, with a fine bell, which will be placed in the belfry to call the people to the worship of God.  The bell was made from a set of famous cathedral chimes and is valued at $100.  Dr. Brush is a son of Addison G. Brush of E. Great Bend and spent his boyhood in that place.

Herrick Center – Joseph Masler, employed on the Erie Section, was struck by a train, recently, while on his way to work, and was thrown to one side of the track.  He was rendered unconscious, but no bones were broken, and he was very fortunate in escaping with only cuts and severe bruises.

Birchardville – Morris H. Baker returned from the Philadelphia School of
Business, having completed the general business and stenographic courses.  He was one of a class of 19, who satisfactorily completed their studies and received diplomas.

New Milford – Miss Marian Vail, of this place, a former teacher in the Oakland school, has accepted the position of physical directress at the Mansfield State Normal School.

West Lenox – It is with regret that we see the woods around the church being cut down.  They have made such a fine background for the church ever since it was built, and to see this beauty spot destroyed saddens everyone who cares for the church.  C. L. Carey and Freeman Tingley are boarding the cutters.

South Gibson – Mr. and Mrs. Scott Manzer are welcoming a little visitor at their home, a baby boy, which arrived on Saturday night.

200 YEARS AGO, from the Centinel, Montrose, Pa., July 2, 1816.  STRAYED OR STOLEN, From the pasture of Isaac Souls, in the Township of Silver Lake, on the 21st of June last, a DARK BAY MARE, 15 or 16 hands high, 7 years old, natural trotter, square dock, and a small bunch under her jaw, supposed to have been occasioned by a blow. Any person that will take up said Mare and give information to the subscriber at Mr. Souls’ shall receive Five Dollars.  If said Mare is stolen, any person that will secure the thief, and Mare, shall receive Five Dollars in addition to the above reward.  EPHRAIM SAWYER. Silver Lake, June 2, 1816.

NATIONAL ANNIVERSARY.  AT a numerous Meeting of Republicans of Susquehanna County, held at Montrose on the 15th of June inst., Charles Fraser, Esq. was chosen Chairman, and A. H. Read, Esq. Secretary; after which the following resolutions were passed.  1st. Resolved, That the persons present celebrate the approaching National Anniversary of Independence at Montrose, and recommend the same to the Republicans of this county.  2nd. Resolved, That a committee of nine be appointed to make the necessary arrangements on the occasion, and that any five constitute a quorum to transact business.  3rd. Resolved That David Post, Bela Jones, Isaac Post, Justin Clark, Austin Howell, Charles Fraser, Nathan Raynor, Philander Stephens and Almon H. Read constitute said committee.  4th Resolved, That the proceedings of this meeting, together with the proceedings of Committee of Arrangement, be published in the Susquehanna Centinel. THE PROCESSION Will form on the Public Avenue, in front of Chapman Carr’s, at precisely 11 o’clock, and proceed, under the direction of the Marshal, to the Court House, in the following order: Front Guard, Music, Young Gentlemen, Elderly Gentlemen, Revolutionary Patriots, Committee of Arrangements, Civil Authority, Officers of the Day, Rear Guard.  Note: Gentlemen wishing to dine will please make application to Mr. C. Carr, for Tickets of admittance.

“The bride and groom — May their joys be as bright as the morning, and their sorrows but shadows that fade in the sunlight of love.” ~Minna Thomas Antrim, A Book of Toasts, 1902

Visions of lace, Rose bouquets, blue garters, happy tears all lead us into the summer wedding season. Many will be chosen to give a toast or reading at the reception, so here are a few funny readings from literature that you might want to remember, especially when “Uncle Lou” (fill in your family’s relative) decides to regale the party with embarrassing tales about the Bride or Groom—or perhaps, about his divorce. You will find most of these authors and their works on the shelves of your local library location.

“Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up.”~ Neil Gaiman, “The Sandman”.

“I would always rather be happy than dignified.”~ Charlotte Bronte, “Jane Eyre”.

“Do I love you? My god, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches.”~ William Goldman, “The Princess Bride”.

“A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.”~ Jane Austen, “Pride and Prejudice”.

“His examination revealed that he had no fever, no pain anywhere, and that his only concrete feeling was an urgent desire to die. All that was needed was shrewd questioning… to conclude once again that the symptoms of love were the same as those of cholera.” ~Gabriel García Márquez, “Love in the Time of Cholera”.

“Love can change a person the way a parent can change a baby— awkwardly, and often with a great deal of mess.” ~ Lemony Snicket, “Horseradish”.

“To keep your marriage brimming, with love in the wedding cup, whenever you're wrong, admit it; whenever you're right, shut up.” ~ Ogden Nash, “The Best of Ogden Nash”.

“After all these years, I see that I was mistaken about Eve in the beginning; it is better to live outside the Garden with her than inside it without her. ~ Mark Twain, “The Diaries of Adam and Eve”.

The annual Blueberry Festival, scheduled for  August 5th and 6th, will be here before long and as a reminder, the Susquehanna County Historical Society & Free Library Association will be accepting donations of clean, saleable items for the White Elephant Sale from 9AM to 2PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the months of June and July (June 7th to July 21st). Please note there is a new drop-off location this year at the former Loomis Pipe Plant, located across from Tractor Supply on Route 706. You will see the signs for direction. We would like to convey our sincere thanks to the Loomis Real Estate Corporation for their kindness and generosity concerning the space. It is truly appreciated.

The last day for Blueberry Festival book donations is June 30th—after this date we will not be accepting book donations again until October 1st. Please drop off books for donation at the Montrose Main Library Location.

The Susquehanna Branch Reader’s Group will not be meeting during the months of July and August. The selections for July and August, “Transatlantic”, by Colum McCann and “The Paris Architect”, by Charles Belfoure will be discussed, along with the September Selection, “The Last Run Away”, by Tracy Chevalier at 2:00 PM at their September 8th meeting.

As I refill the birdbath and watch the bird parents encourage their babies to come to the feeder, I leave you with this thought:

“Come, let's be a comfortable couple and take care of each other! How glad we shall be, that we have somebody we are fond of always, to talk to and sit with.” ~Charles Dickens

Wild Roses—Garden Plots—Lounging Outside With a Good Book...

ENJOY!

Do you need more nicotine to get off nicotine?

Mack, 52, was in the pharmacy and asked the pharmacist for some nicotine gum. “It’s like being on a roller coaster,“  he said. “I’ll chew the gum or wear the patch and before I know it, I am smoking again. Any advice?” Mac asked the pharmacist.

Yes, we know that smoking kills via lung cancer, oral cancer, emphysema, COPD, heart attack, and stroke, not to mention the effects of second hand smoke on others. This information is not new. The Surgeon General’s warning has been on cigarette packs since the late 1960s. In the last 50 years, we have increased our understanding of the devastating health and financial burdens caused by tobacco use. We know that smoking is still the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, killing 480,000 people each year.

Why do we smoke if it is so bad for us? The euphoria begins with the first drag. Inhaling the smoke from a cigarette sends nicotine molecules rocketing into the brain within seconds. The nicotine grabs hold of receptors on brain cells, releasing a wave of dopamine and other chemicals that bring feelings of pleasure and comfort. Brain cells sprout more nicotine receptors the more the brain is exposed to nicotine which is why quitting smoking is so difficult. It is an addiction that many experts agree that can be harder to break than heroin.

Starting in the 1970s, the pharmaceutical industry started designing smoking cessation products – gum, patches, nasal sprays, inhalers, and lozenges – to help consumers kick the habit. They can work in that they give you just enough nicotine to keep your cravings down while you gradually reduce your dependence on that drug. They also do not have any of the tars and poisonous gases that you inhale when you smoke. So why do 45 million American adults still smoke, with 8 million living with a serious illness caused by smoking who continue to smoke?    

Experts in addiction say that smokers may be more addicted to the smoking behaviors than the nicotine. Every move a smoker makes: the lighting of the cigarette, the inhaling, all the feelings and sensations of it, the whole package becomes highly addictive. So instead of nicotine replacement therapy, there are non-nicotine methods of destroying the urge to smoke.

A non-nicotine pill, bupropion (Zyban®) was approved in 1997 to help smokers quit. This prescription medication is also used for depression, but is useful for smokers with or without depression. Bupropion is equally or slightly more effective than nicotine replacement, and can be combined with nicotine replacement for additive benefit. Approved in 2006, varenicline (Chantix®) works by both stimulating and blocking the nicotine receptors in the brain. These actions relieve craving and withdrawal symptoms, and also block the reward effect of nicotine. In studies, varenicline worked somewhat better than bupropion.

Or you can go cold turkey. This means no gradual reduction in nicotine intake. Just say adios. Studies have shown that smokers who quit cold turkey are approximately 3 times more successful than those who took bupropion (77% vs. 23%). On the other hand, sweating it out may test your overall strength of character. Take courage from the fact that many people require half a dozen attempts before they kick their smoking habit for good. Even if you don’t make it the first time, set a new date and look forward to your next attempt at personal freedom.

The pharmacist gave Mac this advice and told him that it is his decision which one to take, but whichever he chooses, it will be better than continuing to smoke.

Ron Gasbarro, PharmD is a registered pharmacist, medical writer, and principal at Rx-Press.com. Write him with any ideas or comments at ron@rx-press.com. 

While America slept her freedoms slipped away. The natural process of entropy began the slide toward tyranny.  Few noticed at first. But after years of disinterest, decline, and dissolute rule, something far too serious to ignore took most everyone by surprise. There was an emergency. It was a crisis. The people fretted. They worried. They panicked. They cried for action. “Do something!” they screamed at the indolent, but predatory, political class that they had routinely elected year after year.

Those government fools, bureaucrats all: socialists, statists, progressives, “liberals,” “conservatives,” and other inbreds of ill-repute were more than happy to “do something.” “Why, certainly,” they thought, “This is just the opportunity we need to solve problems and make the people’s lives ‘better, safer, happier’--even as we make the people more dependent on a vast government with unlimited and centralized powers.”

Of course, those who had been demanding that government take action were willfully ignorant of the fact that politicians were the creators of whatever the crisis.  And politicians in power, a.k.a. government, have an “expedient” solution for every problem they create.  Right now the federal government is accelerating the importation of Islamo-fascists “refugees,” while at the same time demanding that American citizens surrender their Constitutional rights to self-protection. How much chutzpah does it take to pull off this maneuver?  Let’s dissect what has happened to so embolden the enemies of liberty who have taken the federal government captive.

In a 1995 speech before the Woman’s National Democratic Club, and broadcast on C-SPAN 2, Deputy Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder, tried to make the case, akin to previous anti-smoking campaigns, that guns and gun violence were un-cool. He elaborated, “We just have to be repetitive about this. It’s not enough to have a catchy ad on a Monday and then only do it every Monday. We have to do this every day of the week and just really brainwash people into thinking about guns in a vastly different way.”

In 2009, as President Obama’s first Attorney General, Holder quarterbacked Operation Fast & Furious, an out-of-control government attempt to illegally funnel guns into Mexico to heighten violence and anarchy in that country, and to serve as a pretext for gun ownership restrictions/confiscations in this country. Congress rightly censured him for his refusal to surrender documents that would have exposed his criminality in the matter. The Obama Administration, complicit in the scandal, refused to do anything more than mock Congressional attempts to bring Holder to justice.

And no wonder!  Holder’s attitude toward gun ownership is merely a carbon-copy of Obama’s: “Government should have all the guns; private citizens should have none.” This anti-liberty sentiment continues to color every action of the Obama Administration. Border Patrol Officer Brian Terry was murdered with a gun our government put in the hands of Mexican drug cartels. Hundreds of Mexican citizens were terrorized, if not murdered, by these same weapons put into the hands of drug cartels by the Obama Administration. “Fast & Furious” may have failed to bring about the disarming of America’s citizens, but the anti-gunners remain undaunted, and it now seems there is no limit to what they will do to leave law-abiding citizens defenseless.

Government’s gun confiscation fanatics have taken an ingeniously evil tack. No awakened American should be surprised, but the clueless and asleep cheer the anti-gunners’ new stratagem. Here’s how it works. Americans love the down & out, the homeless, the penniless, the persecuted, and most of all the most exotic (read: “dissimilar”) Obama obliges. His administration has an unblemished record of importing peoples least likely to assimilate into American culture. Importing Muslim peoples from nations hostile to, and unacquainted with, Western Civilization is one of Obama’s greatest accomplishments, in his eyes and those of his supporters. It is, after all, an operation certain to transform America from a republic into a balkanized conglomeration of peoples who can never unite in purpose or pursuit of happiness and prosperity.

Recently there occurred in Orlando the slaughter of 49 persons in the most deadly mass casualty event since 9/11. A gun was used . . . in a gun-free zone . . . where citizens are forbidden to assert their right to self-protection as guaranteed in the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

What is the response of the administration?  Is it not the same as after the slaughter of 14 persons in San Bernardino in December 2015?  The monsters who run our government, the clueless, the asleep, and the useful idiots are calling for (1) more background checks on those buying guns; (2) outlawing of particular models of guns; (3) linkage of “no-fly lists” to a data base of persons to be secretly prohibited from buying guns, though curiously these persons have not been convicted of any crime (or afforded due process before imposition of civil disability); and (4) administrative repeal of the Second Amendment.

Curious, is it not, that when an Islamo-fascist terrorist commits mass murder terrorism against the American people, our government’s reaction is not to take firm action against Islamist terrorist networks or the warped ideology that spawns such horrific attacks?  Were a President truly interested in protecting the American people, he might well take the following actions:

• Declare Political Islam (not religion) a criminal ideology incompatible with liberty and Constitutional government.
  
  
• Prohibit entry of Syrian “refugees” and Islamists into the United States.
  
  
• Ask Congress for legislation to place an immediate moratorium on immigration into the United States until immigrants already here are assimilated and Americanized.
  
  
• Secure our borders from illegal invasion in accordance with laws already on the books.
  
  
• Notify Congress that no spending bill will be signed until a funding bill is approved for a wall across our southern border, as has been authorized (but never funded) since 2006.
  
  
• Root out illegal aliens who have invaded our country and remove them to their home country, enlisting the cooperation of every sovereign state’s law enforcement authorities.
  
  
• Unleash the FBI to investigate known terrorists within our borders and take all Constitutional actions necessary to neutralize them.
  
  
• Declare “sanctuary cities & states” as acting in contravention to federal law, and cut off all federal funding to governmental sub-divisions unwilling to participate in the protection of American citizens.
  
  
• Close terrorist training centers (sometimes known as mosques) within our borders.
  
  
• Close down CAIR, an unindicted co-conspiratorial terrorist group founded by Hamas and affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
  
  
• Require all persons entering the United States to obtain a visa and be thoroughly vetted before being granted a visa.

The above list is just a start, but it should be the very least the Obama Administration could do if it were truly interested in stopping the slaughter by Islamo-fascists. Will it take these actions? I think not, for it is not interested in your safety and mine. It is interested only in advancing its own ends: namely, perpetuation of power in a one-party state where opposition is neither tolerated nor possible.

The Obama Administration refuses to focus on the true causes of the continuing carnage. The administration, and complicit news media, divert the public’s attention to supposed hatred of gay (LGBT) people. “Can’t we all get along? Love is the answer,” is their siren song. Apologists for the administration go so far as to claim it is the fault of conservative Christians, Republicans, even the NRA, that the Orlando mass-attack occurred. Nothing could be further from the truth! They remain steadfastly silent on the Islamist ideology of the terrorist. Islam teaches that there are five ways to deal with homosexuals, the most merciful being to kill them. Nevertheless, no homosexual should feel singled out by jihadis; all kaffirs (disbelievers) are thought of equally by Allah: “worthy of death.”

The present Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, claims she has no idea why the killer did what he did, but that the FBI will get to the bottom of it, no matter how long it takes. It would be as laughable as a Keystone Kops skit were the matter not so serious! Our government has failed us and will continue to do so until it is held accountable.

Meanwhile, Congress wastes its time debating how best to take away the rights of American citizens wishing to protect themselves. Clueless Senators, Congressmen, and Obama himself call these “common-sense” gun laws. Well, they aren’t common-sense, and they are completely antithetical to the Second Amendment and odious to a free people. Adding insult to injury, ill-informed lawmakers continue talking about eliminating due-process rights, supposedly guaranteed to every American under the Constitution’s Fifth and Sixth Amendments.

Rather than depriving Americans of their right to self-protection, an American government interested in the welfare of its citizens and the long-term health of the Republic would arm and train every able-bodied citizen to defend our Constitutional rights and the freedoms embodied therein. It would outlaw the establishment of gun-free zones. Ever heard of mass murders at NRA conventions or gun shows? I didn’t think so.

President Madison warned, “Oppressors can tyrannize only when they achieve a standing army, an enslaved press, and a disarmed populace.” We should grasp the gravity of his wisdom. The only thing still standing between this government and full-blown totalitarianism is an armed populace. Every able-bodied citizen trained in the use of firearms is a first responder in issues of self-defense and the defense of Liberty.

Politicians’/government’s “expedient solution” is to enlarge the powers of the federal government at the expense of “We the people.” The American people need to reject tyrannical “solutions” that diminish Constitutional rights. The true solution is, always and everywhere, to empower individuals to take responsibility for their lives and fully exercise their Constitutional rights. Refocus the federal government on the 18 responsibilities assigned to it under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. Only when the federal government’s functions are narrowly circumscribed is it possible for government itself to do anything well.

Get your carry permit. Take an NRA gun safety training class. Practice shooting regularly. Carry your firearm with you at all times, except where prohibited. Remind your elected officials often and repeatedly that Islamo-fascists are the enemies, not law-abiding citizens exercising their right to self-defense. Lawmakers unable or unwilling to come to terms with these truths are unworthy of your vote. Do not let our nation fail by entropy or by expedient solutions that ultimately diminish your rights and leave you enslaved.

Liberty IS in peril. Resist government and media attempts to “gas-light” you contrary to what you can readily observe with your very own eyes.

Wake up, America!