Letters: Will the seeds of liberty take root?; Concern for PFAS in Centre County

Will the seeds of liberty take root?

The Taliban react against modernity to return to an 8th century Islam. They are not entirely wrong, for there is some considerable nihilism and decadence in the modern.

But finally they are not right, for there is more to the modern than nihilism. Hear Tom Paine — “My passion is liberty. My religion is to do good. My country is the world.”

At best and at considerable cost America has tried to give these convictions to Afghanistan. Let us see now if they take root.

To be sure as the Taliban say, God dominates the world. But in this great time he is waiting until liberty is planted.

Then he will turn and give each of us together our shining common world.

Concern for PFAS in Centre County

United States Geological Survey (USGS) Pennsylvania Water Science Center and PADEP recently released a report on PFAS (Per-and polyflouroalkyl chemicals) in Pennsylvania’s surface waters.

USGS, PADEP and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission collected 216 surface water samples in September 2019 to measure PFAS in surface water. Samples were taken from Spring Creek, Bald Eagle Creek, Penns Creek, Little Juniata River, Clearfield Creek, Beech Creek, Pine Creek, Little Pine Creek, WB Susquehanna River, and other sites.

The USGS test results showed Spring Creek’s high quality cold water fishery near Fisherman’s Paradise contained 22.9 parts per trillion (ppt) PFAS at Spring Creek Road and Barnes Lane. The warm water fishery of Bald Eagle Creek contained 25 ppt PFAS at Curtain Village Road near Historic Curtain Village Ironworks.

EPA recommends a drinking water limit of 70 ppt for PFAS. PADEP proposes limits of 14 ppt for PFOA and 18 ppt for PFOS – the most commonly found PFAS chemicals.

PFAS is linked to low infant birth weights; interference with human gestation, childhood development, immunological response, the digestive system, liver, thyroid, and pancreas; and cancer in the kidneys and testicles.

A common source of PFAS is firefighting foam used at airports.

The local Sierra Club Moshannon Group recently wrote to Governor Wolf asking his office to address PFAS contamination in Centre County.

Test kits are available for PFAS and PFAS can be removed with an approved carbon filter.

‘Normal’ cannot be forced

We are so intent on returning to “normal” that we are delaying the return of “normal” by failing to respect our foe! The COVID virus is a determined and flexible enemy that continues to surprise us.

Some may say that the vaccine was rushed through the approval process and that’s it a new style of vaccine so we should be wary of putting unknown substances in our bodies. The vaccine’s fast-track development was perhaps the most enduring accomplishment of the previous presidential administration.

When will we realize that “normal” is something that we cannot force simply because we’re tired of the virus? Infection statistics will tell us when the virus is done with us. That will be when we have denied it hosts for transmission and further mutations.

Let me state plainly that all masking and vaccines are not “freedom” issues. I do not have the freedom to indulge in behaviors, by either intent or abstinence, that threaten the well-being of my fellow citizens. The examples of such are too numerous to mention here — but speed limits, stop lights and stop signs are examples of logical restrictions on individual liberty as an effort to ensure that all have a chance to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

If we work together we can beat this disease. If we continue our present course we will have to learn to live with a new “normal” that includes many restrictions on our lives. Is that so hard a decision?