The Public Opinion Soapbox

me · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 119

Greene Township residents -- we need to say congratulations to the Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Department. This department is under the leadership of Mark Bumbaugh and a dedicated board of directors.

They have given so much of their time and talents -- if we had to pay for all the services they provide to us there would be an enormous tax increase. The training and hours that all the staff put in are endless. We can never thank these wonderful volunteers and staff enough. Thank you to all.

That being said, how can the Greene Township supervisors say to the fire department: "Sorry -- you will receive no more fuel money after this year is over. We will not be helping you anymore." Aren't the supervisors responsible for helping the fire services do their jobs to the best of their abilities?

Call your supervisors and ask them about this. You could be the next person who needs assistance and the fire department might not be able to help you. The Greene Township supervisors are Dave Jamison, Glenn Shetter and Todd Burns.

Mike Schellhase

Fayetteville
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Certainly there is no hunting like the hunting of man and those who have hunted armed men long enough and like it, never really care for anything else thereafter.

me · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 119

SOOOOO, someone must have hit a nerve and someone got to the PO and all the posts were removed, I'd post it here.

It's a matter of public safety and record!!!
_________________
Certainly there is no hunting like the hunting of man and those who have hunted armed men long enough and like it, never really care for anything else thereafter.

armed_citizen · Joined: 27 Oct 2007 Posts: 233 Location: Chambersburg, PA

I find it simply amazing that the PO makes a profit under the auspices of the First Amendment, yet doesn't bother to print corrections when outright FALSE information is reported or tries to silence public discussion on controversial topics.

If you're not willing to allow others the freedom to express themselves, perhaps you should just completely do away with the online comments and forum....or at least include a much more visible disclaimer that the comments may be slanted due to moderation and removal of uncomfortable points being made.

*edited to correct grammar
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Author assumes full responsibility for the content of their posts. Opinions expressed on this website are not necessarily those of the Public Opinion, its editor, publisher, Board or affiliated parties.

me · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 119

AMEN Armed,

Everytime the truth gets out and hits a nerve, it gets deleted!! That's censorship plain and simple!!!

WHY is that PO???

I hope the Greene Twp Supers plan to place a reply in the LTE regarding this last little stunt. There are to many readers that only read the paper version of the POP and did not see their reply posted on line. I also hope it contains more facts this time!!
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Certainly there is no hunting like the hunting of man and those who have hunted armed men long enough and like it, never really care for anything else thereafter.

postaff · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 120 Location: Chambersburg

The First Amendment protects citizens' right of free speech from government supression. But it does not give citizens the right to say anything they want, anywhere they want. There are laws governing harmful speech such as libel.

No one has a legal right to use the PO Web site at all; it is a privilege that we (as a privately owned business) grant. When posters repeatedly make libelous or potentially libelous comments, as they did in the Topix thread, then we reserve the right to remove the posts or the commenting tool. We are extremely tolerant of posts that many people find offensive (anyone reading these boards for long can see that), but we have no obligation to provide a forum for potentially actionable posts.

springhill · Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 177

in other words folks, the PO is an organization , owned privately (?) ,

(thought MediaNews Group was a publicly traded corporation... go figure..)

that is so fearfully litigation sensitive it has been transformed from a free press to a selectively free press, determined by any and every legal implication.

in plain english, in my humble opinion they do not have the stones to stand up for their readers and Customers because big daddy at corporate level is watching and waiting with axe in one hand and legal staff in the other.

and as usual, the little guys lose.
people really should be used to it by now... btw i never complain when i am "charmined" out of a thread. it does no good to question or complain.

http://www.medianewsgroup.com

postaff · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 120 Location: Chambersburg

MediaNews Group is a privately owned company. You are perfectly free to start your own Web site and/or message board and assume complete and total liability for yourself and as many anonymous posters as you want to.

I'm sorry you don't accept or respect our right to manage our site in a legally responsible way.

springhill · Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 177

i didn t say a word about disrespect and you can certainly run your own message board. but if you do put up a message board, don t expect everyone to fall blindly in line behind your curt "PO" staff assertions.

springhill · Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 177

one other thing: i stand corrected on medianews group not being a public entity.

however, it is still the 4th largest owner of newspapers in the USA.

please don t try to portray public opinion as a little private company.

it is anything but.

*edited for grammatical rebellion. Razz

anonymous_coward · Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 548

springhill · Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 177

springhill · Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 177

oh and PS : i don t need a lecture about my constitutional rights.

i already said in my post that i Never complain when i am wiped out of a thread.

doesnt mean i will stop laying it on the line as i see it.

call it libelous or whatever you want to call it. call it a donut and eat it for all i care, pal.

i was reading public opinion when you were probably peeing in your cradle.

i love my love/hate relationship with the local paper.

anonymous_coward · Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 548

meant to quote armed citizen's earlier post, not yours, sorry

springhill · Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 177

no problem. i still love you Laughing

anonymous_coward · Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 548

:ooops: I thought we weren't going talk about that here.