“And Now A Word from Our Sponsors…”

by David Croyle

We are watching the big game or our favorite show at home on TV and we hardly notice the ad! As soon as the commercial comes on, we are off to changing channels with our remote.

 We leave in our car, push the “search” button on our radio, and begin listening to our favorite song or radio personality. As soon as the commercial starts, we hit the search button again and find our next entertainment fix.

 This article is tremendously self-serving, but very important. So many of our readers (and they are growing daily) stop me on the street and are thrilled with us bringing another newspaper to Armstrong County. However, we are not alone.

Every day, wonderful businesses spend their hard-earned money on placing an ad in this paper. They do it because they plan on a return on their advertising dollar.

Readers are urging us to expand to more areas… print more copies… cover more news and sports. The plan is in place to do that. All we need is the support of YOU – the reader – contacting our advertisers and patronizing them. Don’t just “change the channel!” Show them you are an avid reader!

If you are an advertiser, and want your ad noticed by thousands of readers each day, then consider placing an ad. Call Katie today at 724-543-NEWS (6397) for rates and availability.

CROYLE: Which Side Are We On?

Being the new “newspaper” game in town, I often get asked “Whose side are you on?” when it comes to various issues.

That is easy to answer. “Truth!” However, they often do not want to hear the whole answer.

Before there was a constitution, our forefathers found themselves in a monarchy where the people were at the whim of the government. As the break occurred, they wanted a new system, believing in the people to govern themselves. So they created a democracy. Because the popular vote could not be taken on every issue, the instituted a republic, where the people would vote representatives for their regions. If the will of the people was not being met, the solution was simple: they were voted out.

Because truth is not easily recognized, they came up with a way to discover it. That is called debate. Unfortunately, there was a time in our country when issues stressed our nation. Instead of persons of high integrity debating issues, they became bitter and made personal attacks to win a war at any cost. Brother began to fight against brother. Homes were split. Relatives were killed at the hand of their kin. We called it a civil war.

Since the formation of the Armstrong School District, there has been an ongoing debate over the best way to educate our children. Schools have been merged, closed, reopened, and new ones erected… all in the name of quality education. The debate has even moved into the halls of our vo-tech school.

Instead of debate, I fear another civil war is on the horizon. Brother cannot eat at the same table with sister. Battle lines have been drawn. Generals have been assigned to each side to lead the fray.  There is bloodshed looming in our courts, in the board room, and will flow into the streets of our communities unless we pause, reflect, learn from our past, and hold fast to our future.

The Kittanning Paper wishes to foster the debate, not the hatred. We are not joining someone’s army in any of the battles. We are looking for that statesman who will be able to stick to the issues, debate them strong and passionately, but not lose the kindred spirit that makes us one district under God, indivisible; with liberty and education for all.

This is a test of our character to see if this district, or any district, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We will meet next Monday on a great battlefield of this war in Elderton. To modernize the words of Lincoln: may we highly resolve that these school board directors shall not work in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of direction – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from this county.