Dear Editor:

This July I was in Harrisburg and saw for the first time Sharia law in the United States. The Islamabins were not shackling a woman to a wall to be stoned nor executing a homosexual nor disciplining a family member publicly for the misuse of their holy Koran. They were just doing what many of us average citizens might do on the 4th of July putting up a flag.This scenario took place on public property at the farm show complex during a Muslim conference with thousands of foreigners. Their leader, "His Holiness," from Pakistan had just arrived in his Mercedes and he officiated the lowering of our United States flag and then that of our Pennsylvania flag. Then they raised their own unique banner of Islam. They put back up the US and Pa flags at equal heights with their icon.The top administrator happened to be walking by moments after this all took place so I pointed out my observation. He in turn informed security, who then radioed me, saying "Tell them to drop it one foot." I felt small as one Aryan Christian informing a large group of a darker well-organized people of a different religion to "drop their flag.""Why?", a muscular man who was in charge of the security for "His Holiness" responded, looking me straight in the eyes and almost breaking my personal space.I told him,"Last time I heard the United States and Pennsylvania had not abdicated sovereignty to Islam, so drop it one foot below the other two." "Is it illegal?" he asked, pretending he didn't know the answer to his own question."We have lots of laws here." I responded, "but we are enforcing this one."They unlocked the crank hoist and lowered their black flag with a white crescent moon. But they did lower it as a matter of obeying the law against their personal desires. This experience made me feel proud as an American and respect the crowd of difference in our state capitol. My libertarian instincts would have kicked in supporting them if it had been on their private property and with their own personal flags despite the historic reality that Pennsylvania and the United States are both germane to a Christian republic..In contrast, last year I asked the former Chairman Commissioner if he had the constitutional provision to use our tax money to compete with private business in Packerton. Yards. (This type of evil wipes out the middle class. Such behavior is why we don't have jobs in Carbon County.) He said he had constitutional provision with an affidavit, but wouldn't show it to me because it was a privileged work product that was protected under attorney client privilege. He also said he had "case law" but wouldn't show that either. (You might say O'l Bill is being consistent in a limited sort of way here.)Our local government spent ten thousand dollars defending its right to a lack of transparency in the use of our tax money making the turning of the Pennsylvania Declaration of Rights of our PA Constitution into an establishment convenience issue all the way up to Commonwealth court. Our judicial system is broken! Since then I have twice asked the new majority Commissioners in public with press and witnesses and they have both said that they have never seen what Mr. O'Gurek and former solicitor Mr. Ozalas said they had, namely supporting law.On March 29, 2012, at 1 p.m. I submitted a handwritten time stamped Inquiry to the Commissioner office. Specifically, I asked the new Chairman Wayne Nothstein: "Would you please make public who owns the A) mineral rights, B) gas rights, and C) water rights and easements and who would therefore benefit from those royalties in the present and the future in Packeton Yards and Dam area." (The full page with two other questions is available from the Commissioners office for 25 cents). If your hope is in mankind the future of our society looks bleak when the leaders practice DENIAL, when controlling provisions of the law are ignored and SILENCE, when the implications of appropriate questions reveal who the real brokers of our economic policy actually are here in Carbon County.Robert DagesJim Thorpe