{ title: 'Gouverneur tribune-press. (Gouverneur, N.Y.) 1990-current, March 20, 2008, Page 4, Image 4', download_links: [ { link: 'http://www.loc.gov/rss/ndnp/ndnp.xml', label: 'application/rss+xml', meta: 'News about NYS Historic Newspapers - RSS Feed', }, { link: '/lccn/sn92061434/2008-03-20/ed-1/seq-4/png/', label: 'image/png', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn92061434/2008-03-20/ed-1/seq-4.pdf', label: 'application/pdf', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn92061434/2008-03-20/ed-1/seq-4/ocr.xml', label: 'application/xml', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn92061434/2008-03-20/ed-1/seq-4/ocr.txt', label: 'text/plain', meta: '', }, ] }
Image provided by: Northern NY Library Network
a* •f* j< *U if. % if iC i '/ K If I f i: *% /, $ Page 4 Gouverneur Tribune Press Thursday, March 20,2008 editorial page )—Y tErftme jptefti The Gouverneur Tribune Press (USPS) 640-300 is published every Thursday by Gouverneur Tribune Press, Inc, 74 Trinity Avenue Gouverneur, New York 13642 Subscription rate: $33 per year Periodicals: postage paid at Gouverneur, N.Y. Postmaster: send address changes to: Gouverneur Tribune Press, Inc., 74 Trinity Ave., Gouverneur, N.Y. M. Dan McClelland- Publisher Dick Sterling - Editor/General Manager Bobbi Sterling- Circulation/Billing Lisa La Vancha - Advertising Representative Sandy Wyman - Reporter Nancy McConnell - Reporter (315) 287-2100 Editorials... Hammond... The new Ladies of Troy It may not be remarkable to be the best at anything... but what the Hammond girl's basketball team has done over the past 12 months really is. Last March the Lady Red Devils became the first Section 10 team, boys or girls, to win a state basketball title. This past weekend, in the far away city of Troy, they did it again. Winning one title involves a great deal of talent, and more than a little luck. But winning two in a row is nothing short of amazing. The girls of Hammond were not intimidated in the least, in fact, they grabbed big leads in each of their playoff games, and flat out played better than the teams they were matched up with. Coach Shawn Dack, who has watched many of this group play long before they were ever announced as varsity players, and the girls who make up the team... from the starting \stars\ to the girls who rarely get any playing time, but are so important in pushing their teammates during practice and from the sidelines during games, should all be proud of a most remarkable feat. This year the Red Devils will graduate many of their best players... so a three-pete would seem unlikely... but I'd be the last to bet against them. Congratulations... and thanks for putting Section 10 basketball in the spotlight! Gov. Paterson sworn into office Monday One minute he's New York's unheard of Lieutenant Governor... and before anyone could blink an eye, David Paterson is now New York's 55\' Governor... he is our first black governor, and also the first to be legally blind. I hope many of you had an opportunity to witness Governor Paterson's speech on Monday after he was sworn into office. Like many, I didn't know what to expect... in the days following Eliot Spitzer's announcement that he would resign after being caught up as a client in a prostitution ring, I heard a man who seemed subdued... a man who chose his words very carefully. But on Monday David Paterson spoke confidently, he graced his speech with a keen sense of humor, and he said many of the things that many New Yorkers hoped he would say. \They call what we do public service for a reason,\ said our new Governor. \Because it's not politics. It's not parties. It's not power that counts at the end of the day. Those interests can vanish in a moment. It is the service that endures.\ He pledged bipartisanship and said that he was confident that the Government can begin dealing with the challenges facing the state. Governor Paterson had a tough road ahead. Hopefully he can help unite a state government that, at times over the past several months, seems more divided between party lines than ever before. Only time will tell. Finally... My ship has come in! Like many of you, I've often dreamed about being filthy rich. A one in a billion chance at Lotto... maybe a relative I never heard of leaving me millions of dollars. Or just stumbling across a bag filled with cash... well this week, thanks to the miracles of the Internet... I am now richer than I had ever even hoped I would be... boy am I ever lucky! News of my first fortune arrived via e-mail last Monday. It turns out that I had won second place in a British lottery... I don't remember ever entering the British lottery... but, none the less I had won just over $3 million dollars. All I have to do is send my information to a hot-mail address, odd that the British Lottery uses a Hot Mail address, but who am I to argue... I can really use $3 million, chances are I will even be able to afford to put gas in my car and fuel in my tank. Just before I was ready to send my information I lost my Internet connection and accidentally erased the e-mail... and to think I was one click away from three mil! On Wednesday, as hard as this may seem to believe, I hit it rich again... apparently someone in Nigeria has heard of me. He even addressed me by my name. This guy, let's call him George Alex (because that's what he said Ms name was) had a very rich client who was killed in a plane crash in 2001. Apparently this client was named Sterling! And even though George knew I wasn't a relative, he wanted me to pretend that I was. If I agreed to agree that the dead guy was my uncle I could share in.... you won't believe this... $17.5 million. Good old George and I will split the dough. All I had to do was send George my information ... and sit back and wait for that huge check to arrive. George even wrote that, \all 1 require is your honest cooperation... and, of course, your personal information.\ I quickly prepared an e-rnail to return to George who, after all was a attorney, he even had Esq. after his name. But, once again, I got overly excited and trashed George's e-mail... what rotten luck! I know you're going to find this hard to believe, but on Thursday I hit the granddaddy of them all. Would you believe $385 million! This notice was sent from Benson Dickson, a Nigerian banker. Apparently Benson had a client who was also killed, along with his entire family, in a plane crash.... This one in 1999. Now Benson has waited patiently for nearly nine years for the next-of-kin to come forward and claim this huge fortune... but nobody ever did! So Benson decided to e-mail me and offer me a huge cut (30percent... orabout$l 1.5 million) just to pretendl'mthe next-of-kin. All I need to do is send my name, address, phone number, social security number and bank account number. I better hurry up and hit that send button before I mess up again! What is truly sad is that hundreds of Americans fall for these scams every day. Many of them elderly, or desperate. Remember you're never going to win a contest you didn't enter. Lotto winnings are never offered randomly to e-mail addresses,., and, most importantly... if something sounds too good to be true, it surely is. As for me... I'll just keep waiting for those magic Lotto balls to line up in my favor.., until then, you'll keep reading me in the paper! , -VOch SterUny • ••• By Sandy Wyman March 24,1959 Brucellosis Freedom Day was celebrated at the annual Luncheon Club milk dinner held at the First Presbyterian Church last Thursday when chairman of the board of supervisors of St. Lawrence, Lewis and Jefferson counties were presented with certificates proclaiming their respective counties as modified brucellosis free\ areas. March 22,1944 Senator Rhoda Fox Graves made announcement through the Tribune Press this morning of her candidacy for re- nomination and reelection on the Republican ticket to the New York State Senate. March 26,1919 The state highways in this vicinity have suffered much damage during this past winter according to local teamsters, this being due to bare ground and continued thawing and freezing, the road leading to Fullerville has been badly rutted in places and the surface coating on the Somerville road has been badly cut up by frost and traffic. March 21,1894 A gang of log drivers left yesterday for their work along the river. The drives will be starting unusually early this year. Workmen are cutting away the trees on the Baptist Church property preparatory to clearing the ground for a new building. March 20,1869 A shoe dealer of Cleveland has invented a novel apparatus for measuring a lady's foot. With this machine, a correct measurement is taken of every part that the shoe covers so that the whole shoe can be made the exact size and shape desired. Dateline March 26,1969 Two overhead cranes, weighing 13 1 /itons each were set in place Monday morning at the Gouverneur Iron Works on Factory Street, the niw product storage and shipping facility consists of a material handling system of two overhead cranes. Each has a capacity of seven and one-half tons and operates on steel runway framework W feet wide and 320 feet long. This will augment a smaller system with only two-ton lifting capacity and will enable the firm to active greater productivity and provide better service to customers. Dateline March 12,1969 Northern League and Sectional Champions from GHS are shown following the completion of the season last week. The team compiled a season record of 14 wins, no defeats and a single tie. Their overall record now stands at 29 matches without a defeat over the past 12 seasons during which time they have won 134 times while losing 24 and tying five. From left to right in the front row are Richard Stevenson, Daniel Hassett, Steven Kennedy, Brad Reynolds, Jerry Goodison, Gary Woods and Tom Sieeman. In the second row are from the left Terry Emrich, Steve Smith, Tim Doty, William Carr, Larry Weldon, Bernie Stevens, Keith Manning, Rocco Curcio and Owen Finley. The back row from left features Coach Lacey Jones, Jeff Filiatrault, Steve Pernice, Steve Ptak, William Given, David Bancroft, Andrew Mason and Manager Steve Lehigh. Looking at the importance of truth and lies By Rev. Connie Seifert when lying is necessary and ones too - can zero in on who as a Messiah sent bv God. Bi By Rev. Connie Seifert The Job excerpt from \The Song of the Bird\ by Anthony de Mello Enter first applicant \You understand that this is a simple test we are giving you before we offer you the job you have applied for? \ \Yes.\ \Well what is two plus two?\ \Four.\ Enter second applicant. \Are you ready for the test? \ \Yes.\ \Well what is two plus .two?\ \Wliatever the boss says it is.\ The second applicant got thejob. Most likely the story gave you a chuckle or made you smile. If we think about the truth it reveals about life in this world, it really is no laughing matter. How often do we lie? How often do we feel we have to lie? How do we teach our children that it is wrong to lie when there may come a time when a lie will save their life - or the life of someone else. The Germans who cho^e to hide Jews during WWII had to lie daily. Their lives and the lives of those they were hiding depended on the Gestapo believing their lies. Of course, that is an extreme example. In each day there are hundreds of times when we may choose to tell what we affectionately call a \little white lie.\ If someone gives us a gift - something we have little use for - and don't even really like, we will rarely tell them the truth. We'll smile and say \thank you.\ We'll really mean it too. We are grateful for the gesture, just not too keen on the actual thing. Like the elephant made of seashells which my Mom bought for me years ago. It really is' a sorry looking creature but it still has a place of honor in my collection. I never told anyone I didn't like it - until now, When the phone rings and the caller wants to know if you have time for a survey - or if you'd like to buy something - or just make a donation to a worthy cause - well, I confess - most times I end up lying. I try to tell them firmly but politely thatl'm not interested, If that doesn't work I'll come up with a plausible reason why I can't accommodate their request, which may or may not be true! If lying doesn't work, I hang up on them. This is fine for me, an adult, who understands when telling the truth is right and lying is wrong - as well as understanding when lying is necessary and telling the truth is going to lead to trouble - or simply not do any good. I watch the court shows sometimes - Judge Joe Brown, Judge Alex, Judge Judy, etc... I think I've seen them all at least once\. They have no qualms about calling a liar a liar and threatening them with jail time. On the other hand, I've seen people of all ages tell bald-faced lies, get caught right there on national TV with millions of people watching and yet, they have not the slightest bit of remorse. They do not feel guilty for lying. They are angry because they have gotten caught. When Jesus appears before Pilate for judgment, Pilate does not hear any lies in what he says. Pilate cannot see where Jesus has done anything wrong - least of all anything that would warrant being killed. Pilate's question, whioh hangs in the air and is never answered, is this, \What is truth?\ A week earlier the Jews who loved Jesus and believed that this was the One sent by God to restore their good fortune and get rid of the greedy Roman rulers, had lined the road with cheering crowds waving palm branches. Now the Jews' who were collaborating with the Romans and had no desire to change the status quo had handed him over to the Romans for a death sentence they could not hand down themselves. What was the truth? Was Jesus a \wanna be\ King who was a threat to the Roman Empire? Was he here to kill all the Romans and hand the keys of the kingdom to the put upon people of Israel? Or was he the Son of God sent to show the world glimpses of God's kingdom, where there would never be any greed or. violence, no cruelty or injustice, no poverty or hunger? Of course, I believe the last option to be true. But I doubt that I would have seen that as true when Pilate asked the question, \What is truth?\ What we see is truth in hindsight may not be what we swore was the truth when it Wa s happening, Telling the truth may always be the morally right thing to do but there is a wiggle room on truth telling that keeps us from too strongly condemning those who lie in certain circumstances. , Truth is not an easy thing to find, Most of the situations we face as human beings are complicated. There are marly facets of truth - ways of interpreting what is happening. The possibility of corning to many different conclusions is normal, I admire how those TV judges - and probably real life ones too - can zero in on who is telling the truth and who is lying. It gives a good sense of justice when those who lie are-punished and those who tell the truth are rewarded. But most of what we deal with in life cannot be clearly divided into truth and lies. I pray that we will have the wisdom and courage to lie as so many did during WWII to save Jews from the Holocaust. I pray that we will maintain a sense of humor and use common sense when fabricating our \little white lies\ for day to day living. And I pray that we will also know deep down God's truth in any given situation. It will be the truth that seeks to help the most people share the most good. In Jesus' case, there was truth in the. cheers raised by the crowds as Jesus rode into Jerusalem. They did see him as a Messiah sent by God. But they also wanted Jesus to meet their expectations, and were unwilling to open their hearts and minds to God's possibilities. There was truth in the words of the Jews who got the ball rolling for Jesus' arrest and crucifixion. He did claim to be fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies of a Savior King. But he also tried again and again to get folks to understand that God's kingdom was not like any earthly one they had ever known. That is the truth we wrestle with throughout Lent and celebrate on Easter morning. Knowing it won't get us a new job like the applicant in the opening story. But knowing it will guarantee us eternal life. Certainly a truth worth knowing! Letters To A Home Town Work-a-day Workers By Angel Thompson-Georges The avenue that I live closest to now is tucked under the A Train. It is speckled with small retail stores and a post office in \the midst of remodeling. It is also home to several small construction supply stores that continue to survive to spite the existence of two Home Depot's within a five mile radius. Each morning as I head for work I pass them; lined up along the sidewalk by the bodega and the stairs of the train, the able- bodied men hoping for a day's work. They are Spanish-speaking and, I surmise, from the gold hue of their skin, features and small statures that most are from Mexico or one of the other Americas. Their age seems to range from late teens into their fifties. I'm sure they all have life stories to tell, but my Spanish is not good enough to ask them. I've heard a dozen tales about how groups of day laborers are known to be unruly and rude to women, making unwelcome advances and lewd gestures. I've no doubt that it happens, but these are not the same men. These men only smile and nod when I say 'Good morning' and step politely aside so I can pass. They hold the door on mornings I stop at the store. Often I see the same woman talking with them. She pushes one of the small shopping carts that most use here to haul laundry and groceries. Hers holds a large red thermos and a tall stack of cups. As she pours drinks, hot or cold depending on the season, I am reminded of taking cold tea to the fields during haying. • .When a truck or a van pulls up, all the driver needs do is wave his hand and the men crowd around the passenger side window to hear the offer for work. A few with the skills in need are hired for the day, or if they are lucky, a job that will last a while, In the macro I know that there is a nationwide debate regarding immigration, the role thatpeople like these men play in the economy and the rights that should be afforded them. The intricacies of the economic and social web; the interdependence, advantages, disadvantages, rights and privileges, is complex. There is no easy answer, Ihave difficulty seeing the macro view, but each morning I see the micro and there I see what I have witnessed all my life, I see able-bodied people with valuable skills who, for whatever reason, don't have a steady job. I see people have the ambition to rise each morning in hopes of an honest day's work, expecting nothing to be handed to them, In their faces is the same ethic and desire to provide for themselves and their families as on the faces of neighbors and friends - the people who, growing up> 1 worked beside during sugaring or haying or in the greenhouse. They look a lot like me. I hope this letter has found you and yours in good spirits and good health. Until I write again... A-
