The Daily News from Lebanon, Pennsylvania • 4

O' ON Monday, March 3, 2008 A MediaNews Group newspaper 718 Poplar Street, Lebanon, PA 17042 PAUL BAKER Managing Editor L. SMITH Publisher DAVID KAROL E. GRESS City Editor PHYLLIS STEWART Features Editor MIKE GIVLER Sports Editor JEFF CLOUSER Sunday Editor LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The name is Medvedev The pop quiz NBC News Tim Russert threw at Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama before Tuesdays presidential debate was more revealing about Russias system of government than our own. Asked what they knew about the man who yesterday was elected Russias new president, the Democratic presidential candidates replied only in general terms, and Clinton, taking a chance on providing his name, was off by a couple of letters. Obama was clearly relieved that he didnt have to take a stab at the name Dmitry Medvedev, but the larger question is whether or not the name is even worth knowing or remembering.

The differences between the presidential campaigns in Russia and the United States are being cast in sharp relief this winter. While the many faults of the complex American primary system are on display, the campaign offers voters a choice, which they will make in November. The Russian system is rigged so Medvedev, the hand-picked choice of outgoing President Vladimir Putin, was elected, and with ease. Putin, of course, isnt actually going out. He will be Medvedevs prime minister, and everyone inside and outside of Russia assumes he will continue to run the country he so thoroughly dominates.

Whats left of the organized opposition to Putin, many of whose leaders have been jailed or otherwise silenced, was kept off yesterdays ballot. Included in an obvious attempt to create the appearance of a race were two little-known candidates and the well-known Vladimir Zhirinovsky, an ultra-right nationalist from the Soviet days who is roughly equivalent to Ross Perot. There was no suspense waiting for the results to come in from Siberia. The 42-year-old Medvedev was a deputy prime minister, but more significantly he was one of the favored few oligarchs who has become incredibly wealthy during the Putin regime the tendency of the politically connected to get rich quick is evidently one thing the Russian version of democracy has with our own. Chairman of the board of Russias gas monopoly, Medvedev is worth an estimated $40 billion, so it is unlikely he will shake up the system that made him rich or take on Putin, the man who made the system.

The United States and West should suggest to the new president that Russia should begin easing off on political dissidents, allow the press to operate freely and stop stirring up dissent in Serbia over the independence of Kosovo, which threatens an outbreak of Balkan bloodshed. His responses will indicate whether his name is worth remembering. ple ribbons. The red one symbolizes the blood that the killer shed when he snapped and brutally murdered Peggy. I cant imagine how he sleeps at night.

Actually I did hear he doesnt sleep too good. Now, for the black one. Lets just say if the theory is true that there were certain men who were sleeping with Peggys mom, and because the killer knew about this dirt going on, that was how this bum was temporality able to walk and even be protected. I hear many people say that they were told or believe that the killer is somebody who is prominent, rich and powerful, but in my opinion its simply the other way around. It was because who he knew was prominent, rich or powerful and visiting Peggys mom.

He basically had dirt on them. The black ribbon covers all of the deep, dark, slippery, snake-like, deceptive, immoral and murderous things that were done in the darkness of sin. But take heart! Judgment is coming. Gods word promises that. And then, lastly, the white one, my favorite.

It hopefully and prayerfully describes all of the crap finally coming out, meaning the suspect is charged and convicted, and at least that will be one more bad guy that Ill gladly pay taxes for to keep him behind bars. Mike Mangano Lebanon Incumbents get benefit of doubt Editor: In the matter of election-petition challenge by Russ Diamond, the News reported that the challenged Mauree Gingrich petitions were accepted by the court because Gingrich was credible when she testified that she had no knowledge of any bad signatures, according to Judge Keith Quigley. The complaint by Diamond stated that, among other irregularities, the petition in question contained forgeries and that Gingrich was not the sole circulator of the defective petition. These serious allegations were not examined by Quigley. Quigley noted that precedents dictate that he interpret election laws in a manner that will allow as many candidates as possible on the ballot.

I have concluded that his interpretation may include suspension of justice, if necessary, to achieve this objective. As a consequence, Quigley excluded the testimony by registered voters in the 101st District who were in the courtroom. They could not take the stand. They were prepared to provide sworn testimony as follows. 1.

Gingrich was not the circulator of the petition that they signed and on which Gingrich certified herself as circulator with a notarized signature. 2. Names appeared on the challenged petition that were not signed by the named voter. They were forgeries. Gingrich was the circulator of this petition, she said.

One can only speculate that Commonwealth Court judges are inclined to protect incumbent office holders as represented by this case. Earlier this month the rejection of the petition of a candidate challenging powerful Johnstown Congressman John Murtha supports this position. Justice demands an honest and impartial application of the election law. Herbert H. Braden South Annville Township Theres meaning in Reber ribbons Editor: Im the one who decorated the telephone pole on the comer of Eighth and Chestnut streets, and I also made sure that it was OK with Met-Ed that I was tying up one of their poles.

Anyway, here is what all of the colors of the ribbons symbolize, according to what I believe based on my own investigation of this whole Peggy Reber unsolved murder case. First, as you know, purple was her favorite color, and because she was only 14 years old when she was murdered, I chose to use 14 of these pur Without a clock, time really goes by BIBLE VERSE Then men will say, Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth. (Psalms 58:11) Doonesbury by garry trudeau KIM! WHAT PO iODKHOUJ A -BOUT RO0OTICS? suggested it was either 6:15 a.m. or 6:15 p.m. Those digital clocks, some with time and temperature high above the highway? Not a one.

Finally, just before where I exit the local road to the Interstate (where there are no clocks and not much else for the rest of the trip) I spot the Time to Eat Diner. If they dont feature a big clock there, the world has indeed gone to hell in a handbasket. The diner is always a flashback in time, so to speak. Under a former name, it was the bus stop in Bridge-water, N. J.

where my wife-to-be would arrive from Wilkes-Barre for weekend adventures when we were so very young. The diner, indeed, had a clock and told me I was running late. I confess to roaring up 1-287 at an obscene, for me, speed of 70 mph in a posted 65 zone. I was getting dirty looks from every other driver whizzing by at 80. Madmen.

But I got to the apartment just two minutes late and only moderately frazzled. I counted the clocks in my house the day after. Too much time on my hands? There are 23, including digital, windup, battery and electric. The timepieces are on walls, desks, the mantel, coffee tables, bookshelves, bedside tables and those television receiver doohickey boxes under the sets. At least three show the same time.

The windups have long since wound down and are thus, as they say, correct only twice a day. Time is on my side, yes it is. Hate to break this to you, Mick, but it aint. Not for me, either. Perhaps I should attempt to reset the truck clock and charge the phone.

If only I could find the time. Hate to be late? Me too. Movies, concerts, dinner reservations, parties or an oil-change appointment I want to be on time. Punctuality is akin to personal hygiene. Pay attention and just do it.

I believe those who would take a cavalier attitude toward showing up when expected exhibit a shabby disregard for the rest of us. It displays a haughty hubris, if thats possible, in that their time is more important than ours. Ill be there when I get there, mon, may be fine down Jamacia way, but most of us shouldnt be dilly-dallying around on island time, at least north of the Mason-Dixon Line. I dont know where my obsession with being on the dot comes from, but I suspect a good part of it goes back 42 years to boot-camp days, where the lovely little government resort at Parris Island ran its interesting daily activities to the minute starting with reveille at 0430. Then came life in the working world, where bosses generally appreciated you adhering to some semblance of a regular schedule.

After nearly 30 years of having to show my face in the place and keeping an eye on the newsroom clock, I now have the luxury of sitting in front of my home computer in the uniform of my choice (sweatpants and a tarpon-fishing T-shirt today). However, there is a wall clock directly above me, one of those with the sweeping second hand, a ticking guillotine to accompany the tippy-tap of the keyboard to feed another monster, the empty screen. But thats another column. Thus with the fact that Im a bit of a hard case when it comes to being punctual established, it does seem a bit of a paradox as to exactly why I was heading to a pre-agreed rendezvous the other afternoon and I had absolutely no idea of the exact time wrhile en route. It was a 45-mile drive to a friends apartment, where I was to meet the guy, who was doing the driving to an outdoor show and a subsequent business meeting of our regional writers group another half-hour up the road.

We agreed on 2:30 p.m. to allow us to get to the expo, find a parking spot and walk around the exhibits for an hour and have plenty of time to drive to the local hotel for dinner and the meeting. I gave myself an hour, leaving my house at 1:30 p.m. Traffic should not be a problem in the middle of the day, but this is New Jersey with 1,000 cranky citizens and about 900 dump trucks per square mile. I do not wear a watch, havent in some 20 years.

I dont like doo-dads, bling, whatever, draped on my aging body. Not a problem. Ill turn on the radio and check the time as I go. In 30 miles of driving, before the signal from the Philly oldies station surrendered to static, the time was not part of the program schedule. Not once.

What happened to that public service? Perhaps they figure anybody driving a vehicle made after 1972 has a dashboard clock or a digital version in their radioCD player etc. I do, but its wrong by at least an hour and a half. Its been kaput since I replaced the engine battery about three years ago and failed to reset the clock. OK, my cell phone has a clock. The cell phone is dead.

My brand has a battery life of about 20 minutes. I think. How would I know? One thousand and one, one thousand and two. Im beginning to sweat. I clutch the wheel with whitening knuckles.

What the devil time is Ive got at least 10 miles to go. I tell myself to get a grip and merely look for roadside clocks atop business establishments lining the busy four-lane. There is one along the way. It WHY PIO I GO hJTH A DUAL-X PRIV5? UJE'VB ONLY 60T AN HOUR Lm, ANP THE LITHE BU66ER CANT 60 WO FEET WITHOUT BREAKING PCMH! Methot can be reached at: rikwriteaol.com 4.