Editorial “Drug abuse no laughing matter” brays:

“Marijuana is not an opiate. Opiates are painkillers, like Percodan or Darvon, which are legally available by prescription but can be purchased illegally in the street.

But the effects are the same. They are mind-altering, mood-altering substances that, when abused, can destroy lives and burden society.

Anything that promotes illegal drug use or drug abuse — including a late-night comic’s riff on relaxing marijuana laws — does society no good.”

WATCHDOG: We can envision the ignoramus who wrote the above going home to a double scotch or dry martini and for a good smoke, both far more dangerous than indulging in marijuana munchies.

Equating marijuana with opiates displays a total ignorance of the science of the subject.  In fact, a federal study long ago established that marijuana are comparable to coffee while alcohol and cigarettes are as dangerous as cocaine and heroin.

We theorize that every once in a while the New Era editor turns the editorial  space over to the same damn fool who writes counter factual, myth laden harrumphs.  We had hoped this ended with the exit of Ernie Schreiber.

News article “State says county must reveal hotel tax collection” reports:

Sunday News Editor Marv Adams said, “We are pleased with the ruling by the state Office of Open Records. I hope the county doesn’t try to delay again what we have seen from the beginning as information that the public has a right to know.

“These figures will give a much clearer picture of room tax collections, and we will also be asking the treasurer for information on which establishments are behind in paying their taxes and by how much,” Adams said.

WATCHDOG: Two wags of the tail for Adams and the Sunday News!  This information will indeed be an eye opener and very useful.   Adams may already have  a pretty good idea how the Marriott is doing since his parent company owns half of it.  But perhaps not.

“John Edwards Trial Turns Tragedy Into Crime, Says Eliot Spitzer” is the heading on the web site.

Article reports “ …Here is an excerpt from Spitzer’s remarks, via ABC News:

“’This is an unfortunate tragedy of a story, where the jury, at the end of the day, will have to distinguish, based upon what will be very careful instructions from the judge, distinguish between a human tragedy and what may or may not be a crime. And I do not know the evidence or the law sufficiently to render an opinion on that. I have long thought that, especially because I was attorney general and governor, I should speak with some greater care with respect to ongoing litigations and trials, but I think the pivotal issue here is whether or not the Justice Department is properly — or improperly; I want to be neutral in the way I phrase it — turning a human tragedy into a crime.’”

“Spitzer said he worries that the issues ‘will be fought over in the courtroom emotionally’ rather than argued based on campaign finance laws…”

WATCHDOG: The heading grossly misrepresents what Elliot Spitzer, which is evident from the above excerpt.  He asks the question; he doesn’t make an accusation.

“LNP president issues apology for phone number in advertisement” is a headline article on the Local Section. It continues:

“An advertisement in the Saturday, April 21, Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era contained an 800 telephone number that directed callers to a distasteful message.

“Harold E. Miller Jr., president and CEO of Lancaster Newspapers Inc., stated:

“’While the advertisement was provided to us by a longstanding and reputable agency, Lancaster Newspapers is responsible for the content found in its newspapers. We sincerely apologize to our readers for allowing this telephone number to be published….’”

WATCHDOG:

A public apology is an appropriate and commendable precedent. A wag of the tail.

However, we still await the time when Miller will show the humility and courage to apologize for the far more damaging than simply “distasteful” coverage of events leading up to the construction of the Convention Center project; the role of Penn Square Partner (PSP), of which it owns half interest in exploiting the public; and especially the LNP’s unjust and self serving vilification of Dick Shellenberger and Molly Henderson, the courageous former county commissioners who correctly demanded information concerning the feasibility of the project.

Although long overdue, the apology plus renegotiating of the outlandishly one side contract with the Convention Center Authority favoring PSP would go far towards healing wounds and bringing together the community, especially in the face of the challenges ahead in providing additional funds to cover the Convention Center losses.

Article “Friends of Syria’: Annan plan is last hope” reports:

“Every day that passes means tens of new Syrian civilian deaths,” said Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, as he read out the conclusions of the meeting.

“It is not time to prevaricate. It is time to act. Though fragile, the [Kofi] Annan mission represents a last hope,” the statement said.

“If this were not to happen … the UN Security Council and international community would have to look at other options.”

WATCHDOG: We think he meant “It is not time to procrastinate” rather than “prevaricate.” Politicians can find time for the latter.

Headline of  front page article reads “Geologists locate county’s faults.”

WATCHDOG: We thought that was NewsLanc’s job.

Here is what LancasterOnLine.com is saying about the Kreider Farms this evening:

Ag Dept.: Kreider Farms meets all state standards

“Kreider Farms has shown “high and consistent standards” that meet top industry and state egg-quality standards, state agriculture officials said today.

“The state Agriculture Department issued a statement in response to charges of ‘deplorable conditions’ leveled Thursday by the national Humane Society against Kreider, the Manheim egg and dairy farm.

The agriculture department, emphasizing it takes charges relating to animal health and food safety “very seriously,” said the Kreider facility has passed every state inspection over the past five year. ”

WATCHDOG: Here is what LancasterOnLine.com and Intelligencer Journal New Era main front page story reported about Kreider Farms this morning:

Group calls Manheim egg farm ‘deplorable’

‘“Hens are kept in “deplorable conditions” at a Manheim egg and dairy farm, according to a report issued Thursday by the Humane Society of the United States.

“The allegations follow a six-week undercover operation at the Kreider Farms egg factory.

“According to the report, an investigation in February and March found severe overcrowding, mummified bird carcasses, thick layers of dead flies on the floor and other unsanitary conditions at a facility at 425 Indian Village Road.”

Suggestion to the editors of the Lancaster Newspapers:  Check with the official investigators before scandalizing a local business.   Few people actually read beyond the first three paragraphs.

Front page with photo and lead article on web site with photo is an article describing the arrest of a Lancaster youth for exchanging drugs with someone who then later died of an overdose from using a variety of drugs.

WATCHDOG: Were this young man not the son of a prominent local official, it isn’t even likely that the report would have made a back page.   And if this person was not related to an official, he may not even have been charged and, if tried and convicted, he would receive a suspended sentence with the opportunity to purge the felony  from the record in two years for good behavior.

This isn’t about the father; this is about the son.  The son is not a public figure.   So why is this unfortunate event given such prominence?

Is this fair, is this decent, is this ethical?

Some of us believe that editors have a responsibility beyond selling newspapers.

In “Lancaster County should be ready for shift to apartment life,” columnist Jeff Hawks writes:

…“The good news, said Scott Provanzo of the Building Association of Lancaster County, is that lenders recognize the opportunity, making apartment complexes one of the easier projects right now to get financed.

“Another benefit of apartment complexes is they increase the stock of affordable housing while taking pressure off outlying farmland and minimizing the extension of costly infrastructure.

“More apartments would seem a perfect fit for Lancaster County.

“So what’s the bad news? Many in the general public and some municipal officials associate multifamily housing with trouble. The complaints include traffic congestion and greater stress on schools. The public also harbors a negative perception of apartment dwellers. Provanzo, a panelist, was blunt about that latter point.”…

WATCHDOG: The  really bad news is that multi-family rental housing has become so expensive to develop as to be almost economically prohibitive.  When it is developed without extravagant government subsidies, it must by necessity be aimed a the most affluent sector of the market place.  Unless by some ‘trickle down’ effect, this will not add to “the stock of affordable housing.”

There are several reasons for soaring costs, many of which apply to all forms of housing construction.   But not the least is the immense expense involved in obtaining subdivision approval for projects, even when the zoning is in place.   It used to be that engineering costs were a small fraction of the cost of land acquisition per unit.  Today it is likely to equal or even far exceed land cost, adding say $25,000 to $40,000 cost per unit.

There are so many environmental and other approvals required that often by the time the last one is achieved, the early ones have expired… and new regulations are in effect!

The first section of the first apartment complex developed by The Manor Group cost $6,800 per unit.  That was back in 1967.   To develop the same unit today would likely cost 20 times that amount.

News article “Child porn collector faces 1,426-year sentence” relates:

“I’m just a collector,”[Jim] Price told detectives during the investigation, the affidavit shows. “What is on the computer(s) I did, and I know I will be arrested, but I didn’t realize it was a felony.”

He voluntarily turned over multiple hard drives and even told police how he stored the files.

On one occasion last summer, Price showed up at the East Cocalico police station with three external hard drives filled with porn, the affidavit shows.
WATCHDOG: Here is an apparently repressed individual residing with his 94 year old mother.  A legitimate argument has been made that viewing and collecting photos of child sex encourages the exploitation of the children observed.  Fair enough.  But does this fellow deserve more than three months in the county prison and a couple of years on parole?  What is more serious…what we think or what we do?  G-d help us all if we are to be tried in this world for what we think.