Quote for today … “No one’s gonna give a damn in July if you lost a game in March.” – Ya’ gotta’ love the man: Earl Weaver. We miss his enthusiasm and vigor for the game.

• One news source identifies alleged “dog shooter” in West Hempfield Township  as Columbia man.

• Another doesn’t.

• Unsettling news for many | “Large 2017 Medicare premium increase projected” – JustCare

• On the second day of the battle at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863 …

Columbia Public Library Events for July are shown here.

• Elizabthtown’s Movies in the Park schedule includes “Good Dinosaurs” on July 5.

• Marietta will show “Zootopia” – “Council decided to have one movie night and gather funds for a possible second one. Zootopia will be shown at War Memorial Park Friday, July 29 @ 8:30PM with concessions starting 8:15. Donations Appreciated!” – Marietta Speaks

• In Downtown Lancaster, “Every summer, on Thursday evenings, Binns Park is also home to free family-friendly movies for ‘Dinner and a Movie,’ sponsored by the Mayor’s Office of Special Events (MOOSE). Binns Park is located on North Queen Street, between Orange and Chestnut Streets.”

• Lititz will show “The Help” at its Movie in the Park program on July 15.

In Lititz – July 2                199th continual 4th of July event (admission fee)

• The Bridge was destined to be burned. According to one source: “Obviously the mission to capture the vital bridge was a failure for the Confederates. Some might argue that the burning of the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge was little more than sideshow leading up to the main action at Gettysburg a few days later.” Another source, claims that Confederate General Richard Ewell gave “definite orders” to General Jubal Early ” … occupy York, break up the Central Railroad, burn the bridge over the Susquehanna at Wrightsville and afterwards join the main body at Carlisle.” This source says, “Interestingly, it was Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee who had first ordered the bridge burned.  Disobeying Lee’s orders, Confederate General Jubal Early and Gen. Gordon Brown had instead decided to save it, perhaps recognizing its strategic value should the rebels be able to cross it successfully.”

• There’s a somber acknowledgement to this comment: “Make wars unprofitable and you make them impossible.” -A. Philip Randolph
  [About the quote: Randolph (1889-1979) was an African American civil rights leader. (quote from ‘The Anti-War Quote Book,’ edited Eric Groves, Sr., pub. Quirk Books, 2008) that follows this Pennlive article about the Battle of the Somme.

This graphic (also from a commenter) following the article should make each of us, and especially the “elected public servants” who continually endorse war as a foreign policy, pause.

Can war ever be justified?