Non-Smoker Argues Against Proposed Smoking Ban

See this Article in the King's College Crown Newspaper

Let me begin by stating that inhaling smoke is obviously bad and against the laws of nature. But, although those who wish to abolish smoking on the King's College campus may mean well, I believe the proposed smoking ban set to go into effect next summer would bring inconvenience and little or no benefits.

For one, King’s College is located in the city--not on a sequestered campus where a smoking ban may be more enforceable. City streets intersect the King’s campus, and as far as I know, even if the college passes a smoking ban, students will still be free to smoke on Franklin, Main, Jackson, River, and Union Streets because smoking on Wilkes-Barre’s streets is legal. So for those of you who’ve complained about encountering smokers on campus, if the smoking ban goes in effect, you’ll merely encounter them on the city sidewalk instead of (say) outside the student center. I doubt those who wish to avoid cigarette smoke would gain much from a ban. Moreover, smokers would be temporarily exiled to the city sidewalks as they smoke.

I have asthma, and I’ve never been bothered much by smokers on the King’s College campus. (Maybe other asthma sufferers have a worse reaction than I do.) Most of the time, I can simply refrain from inhaling for the second it takes to pass by somebody smoking. The only time I’ve ever been bothered by smoke on campus was when somebody was smoking while walking in front of me, leaving a trail of smoke behind him. But as long as smokers stay stationary, they don’t bother me.

I also believe designated smoking areas are unnecessary because so few people smoke on campus. Those who say encountering a smoker ruins a nice spring day are probably being overly-dramatic and hyperbolic for the sake of argument.

Today, few people smoke on campus, and more often than not, there are no people smoking to be found. But back in the early 70’s, as alumnus Rick Mayock relates, one professor chain-smoked cigars throughout his lectures, and so many of his students smoked cigarettes that at the end of the lecture the ceiling was filled with smog. What influenced Mayock to quit smoking was information he learned of in a science class concerning the detrimental effects cigarette smoke has on the lungs.

An educational approach that would encourage smokers interested in quitting to do so would seem like a more effective, less inconveniencing way to persuade smokers to quit. Perhaps every semester or two some visiting expert could give a laid-back speech about the health risks of smoking. This would be a positive move that student government could take credit for, which would not place a burden on smokers.
For that matter, student government and the college need not take any action; non-smokers could merely encourage their smoker friends to quit on a more effective, personal level.

PA GOP Trying to Control Which Candidates You See

see this article in the King's College Crown Newspaper

Supporting underdog Republican candidates is not easy. Recently, I began to wonder why Pennsylvania Republican candidates Peg Luksik (Senate) and Sam Rohrer (Governor) were so far behind the GOP-endorsed candidates Pat Toomey (Senate) and Tom Corbett (Governor). After all, Luksik and Rohrer were and still are legitimate, thoroughly Republican candidates with significant followings. Having compared the candidates a while ago, I had determined that Luksik and Rohrer are better.

[Photo] Republican senatorial candidate Peg Luksik speaks at Challanger's Town Hall while PA 119th District Libertarian candidate Brian Bergman looks on.

Over a week ago, I noticed that pagop.org made no mention of Luksik or Rohrer. I thought, somewhat naively, that the site operators would willingly do the public a civil service by posting information concerning the candidacies of Rohrer and Luksik. I wrote an email asking the website operators of pagop.org to place information about Peg Luksik and Sam Rohrer on the site, or at least to provide links to the candidates’ websites. I have yet to receive a reply from anyone at the site, and pagop.org remains devoid of any mention of either Luksik or Rohrer.

Even the local luzernegop.org makes no reference whatsoever either to Peg Luksik or Sam Rohrer. Hopefully folks at the Luzerne GOP will do the right thing and post some information about non-endorsed candidates.*

I also wrote a hand-written letter to Pat Toomey, telling him I would not vote for him in the general election if he continues to pretend Peg Luksik does not exist¹. I have yet to receive a response from Mr. Toomey, even though I previously donated a sum of money to him before I knew about Peg's candidacy.

PCN, Pennsylvania's version of C-SPAN, lists Rohrer and Luksik under Republican candidates on its website. So, this non-profit organization is actually giving more press to Luksik and Rohrer than the Republican party is itself.

After the Challenger’s Town Hall, an event staged April 10, at Luzerne County Community College which featured Peg Luksik and Sam Rohrer among other others, I decided to ask several candidates for their reactions to the state GOP’s custom of endorsing certain candidates before the primary and pretending others don’t exist.

“I don’t make the decisions for the GOP”, replied Hazleton Mayor and 11th Congressional district Republican candidate Lou Barletta.

Other candidates, however, were more opinionated.

“They have clamped down and they have attempted to shut the door for anyone who’s not endorsed” said Sam Rohrer, adding that the tactic is a mistake and that regardless the people will decide which candidates they want.

Independent candidate Jake Towne, who’s gaining ground in the PA 15th congressional district, said “The whole endorsement before the party primary thing completely defeats the purpose of having a primary in the first place”, because primaries should be based on a free election, and therefore the GOP and any other political party should “sponsor debates and let every candidate be considered based on their principles, merits, and ideas, not just on the money they’re able to raise, etc.”

“If the primary were truly an open process”, added Libertarian candidate for PA 119th district Brian Bergman, “then the GOP state committee and the media would give all the candidates pretty much the same access and coverage.” He continued that decision-making in US politics traditionally “starts at the precinct level--your neighborhood, then goes to the county level and then to the state level.” However, he said that the GOP state committee, through its exclusionary practice of premature endorsements, had inverted this hierarchy by attempting to make decisions at the state level and send them down to the county level.

I also asked the organizer of Luzerne County Campaign for Liberty, Michael Harrison, about how the GOP’s handling of the senatorial and gubernatorial elections would bode for the party in the future. "It’s definitely going to hurt the GOP because people are upset about the endorsement of certain candidates over other candidates.” He continued that the tactic would only divide the electorate and and that it would be counter-productive to the GOP's goal of unity.

Indeed, the marginalization of certain candidates by the state GOP will lead to more discord within the Republican Party than would the promotion of open debate between candidates**. However, despite the GOP’s modus operandi to hide Luksik and Rohrer, events like the Challenger’s Town Hall and free media like the Internet, PCN, and the Crown newspaper go a long way to make otherwise unknown candidates known to the select few who are willing enough to look for them.
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*[May 7th] Despite receiving numerous appeals from Nothington Post staff, the representative official at Luzerne GOP refused to post anything about Luksik or Rohrer.

¹After I wrote this article I found out about an Tea Party forum in the Lehigh Valley at which both Toomey and Luksik spoke. I do not believe they debated, but Toomey's decision to step out of his campaign headquarters lair and to appear at this event with Luksik is, for him, a step in the right direction.

**[June, 17th] It already has. Many Sam Rohrer supporters have chosen not to vote for Corbett in the general election.

Did Congressman Kanjorski Betray Sallie Mae?

see this article in the King's College Crown Newspaper

Congressman Kanjorski has posed in many photos with Sallie Mae employees. He even has a board room named after him in the Sallie Mae call center located in Hanover Township. But Congressman Kanjorski may have just betrayed the very organization that he has purported to help--and its local workers.

Late Sunday night, March 21, the House of Representatives passed HR 3590--the famed, federal healthcare overhaul which will change the nature of healthcare in the United States indefinitely. The bill passed by a narrow margin, with only 3 votes to spare. Several days before the day vote, rumor had it that Congressman Kanjorski might vote against it. However, before Congress passed the bill Sunday, Congressman Kanjorski indicated that he would vote yea, in support of it.

The passage of HR 3590 means that the reconciliation bill, HR 4872, will likely be passed. The reconciliation bill will make possible provisions set forth last September in HR 3221, a bill set to centralize control of certain federal student loans to the federal government. Sallie Mae officials claim the now-imminent reconciliation bill will threaten about 2,500 Sallie Mae jobs nation-wide and several hundred in the local center located in the Hanover Industrial Complex. Sallie Mae has aired commercials imploring locals to call Congressman Kanjorski to tell him to vote no on legislation which will threaten the local Sallie Mae jobs. Kanjorski voted in favor of HR 3590 which made possible the reconciliation bill. Kanjorski, it seems, did not listen to Sallie Mae.

But until recently, Congressman Kanjorski had been quite friendly to Sallie Mae and its employees. In April of 2009, he played a significant role in convincing Sallie Mae CEO Albert Lord to bring 600 (actually about 400) jobs to the local call center in Hanover Township. At the time, critics scoffed at the move, saying the jobs were low paying. However, I saw the move as a positive thing because those $10/hr jobs are helpful to people looking to make ends meet. Furthermore, having worked one summer in the Hanover Sallie Mae call center, I know from experience that the company treats its employees well.

Just a few months ago, Congressman Kanjorski continued, as it seemed, to be loyal to local Sallie Mae workers. In September of 2009 he voted against HR 3221, which contained educational "reforms" that Sallie Mae officials believed would threaten company jobs. Congressman Kanjorski knew Sunday night that the passing of the healthcare bill entailed, indirectly, the passing the reconciliation bill, and hence the educational reforms set forth in HR 3221. In other words, healthcare "reform" was the tipping point that made Kanjorski support educational "reforms" that may leave many local Sallie Mae employees out of work.

However, Congressman Kanjorski now claims that local Sallie Mae jobs will not be significantly affected by the implementation of HR 3221 (but for some reason he voted against it earlier). Yet, Friday, March 19th, when news surfaces that the healthcare bill would probably pass; Sallie Mae's stock price plummets over 5%. Watch Sallie Mae stock now that the bill has officially passed: it may sink. It seems local Sallie Mae workers will inevitably be affected.

One could make the argument that Kanjorski has put national interests above local interests by placing national healthcare reform (deform?) above the interests of local Sallie Mae workers. However, one could counter that the overall benefits of passing HR 3590 (and the reconciliation bill) will outweigh whatever job losses are incurred by local Sallie Mae employees. But to anyone espousing either sentiment, I would ask whether he knows of how current government regulation drives up healthcare costs. A serenade of crickets would likely respond. Anyway, if local Sallie Mae employees do in fact lose jobs because of Kanjorski's vote, the following modicum will apply: a government official like Kanjorski who is powerful enough to bring jobs to the area is powerful enough to take them away.

Christian Unity Week Recap

January 18-25, 2010, marked a week of prayer for Christian unity. King's College set off the first week of the spring semester in recognition of Christian unity. For many, the week was a great way to start off the semester.

For the first event of the week, accomplished iconographer Raymond Mastroberte explained what goes into the making of icons. Icons are sacred paintings of Jesus Christ, Mary, the saints and other holy persons and are important in Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic tradition. They are usually painted on wooden slabs and with luminous colors. The images are without shadow in order to portray the fullness of the pictured person's devotion to God. Icons must be painted according to a specific style, and many resemble ancient Byzantine Christian art from over 700 years ago.

Mr. Mastroberte explained how icons convey messages. All serve to convey the pictured person's holiness. Moreover symbols are often used, such as the three stars which often appear on Mary's tunic which symbolize her virginity before, during, and after her Son's life. Mastroberte displayed his favorite icon, a picture of Christ holding up the twin towers which he was inspired to paint right after 9/11. Each icon, he went on to explain, is a translation of a theological concept into color. Finally, Mastroberte discussed relations between Orthodox and Catholics, positing that perhaps each could learn from the other.

Wednesday, the Madrigal Singers of Wyoming Seminary performed at the chapel for evensong--an evening prayer service. They sang Taizé hymns with resolute candor. Said King's sophomore Matthew Hacker: "It was a great opportunity in the first week to build our spiritual awareness and strength for the rest of this semester." He continued that it was a beautiful event to experience God's love, and he lamented that more King's students couldn't make it.

Later that night, a Taizé prayer service was held on the 12th floor of Holy Cross Hall. Calming, repetitive music made for a reflective atmosphere. The music was followed by a scripture reading and a period of silence. King's junior Ben Foreman reports: "the Taizé prayer provided a great opportunity to take a break from all the work and activities associated with being back at school, and to just sit, relax, and reflect." He added that "the music and meditative atmosphere were great for prayer. Spending some time with God is always needed."

Taizé, many believe, embodies the spirit of ecumenism. Taizé prayers come from the Taizé ecumenical monastery located in France. Since 1949, Protestants, Catholics, and other Christians have belonged to the community at Taizé. Taizé services are ostensibly tailored so that all Christians are able to participate. The Madrigal singers sang Taizé hymns at the Evensong event, which was attended by Catholics and Protestants.

Thursday, several students and faculty members met for a luncheon in the Walsh room on the third floor of the Student Center. In attendance were chaplains from various Christian denominations, including King's own Fr. Aguilar. Sitting round the long table that was enshrouded by a crisp white table cloth, the chaplains fielded questions and conversed with students. The group discussed topics such as lax church attendance among some youth, the growth of Christianity in other parts of the world, individual choice regarding Christian faith, the church and the modern world, and even the abomination of desolation.

One train of thought that was consistent throughout the conversation was the comparison of church as the body of Christ vs. the church as an institution. One chaplain pointed out that many people today are not looking for highly institutionalized bodies of faith but rather for Christian communities that participate in outreaches to those in need. From the conversation, one garnered that ecumenism is a grassroots movement, usually occurring when people from different Christian backgrounds band together to worship God, to give aid to the poor, etc. In such situations, Christians must look for what brings them together, what makes them fellow travelers in Christendom. Christian unity, therefore, is achieved more in action than in doctrine. However, Christian institutions like churches still have their place. As one of the diners said, churches are composed of individual followers of Christ and should not be thought of as organismic things separate from the faithful. Regarding how Christian institutions differ, another diner lauded the richness of the various Christian traditions. Other table guests noted that mutual respect between different churches is characteristic of ecumenical gatherings.

Velveteen

Thursday night, students gathered in the candlelit Moreau Auditorium to witness an impassioned performance by a local Christian band called Velveteen. This was perhaps the best attended event of the week. Afterward, students participated in an open mic session which included a guitar duet, a poetry recital, and a country song. Most unique about the night was that students and band members alike spoke freely about God in a social setting. Furthermore, the setting was casual and intimate. The coffee house is a nice low-key alternative to a bar or a night club. More events such as this should be encouraged where students can live their own culture.

Although some the events this week were less than fully attended, all events gave the students who did attend the chance to join together before God and were therefore well worth the effort.