MFHS to hold 45th annual meeting and awards luncheon

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Musicians perform with the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra

<p>BLOOMSBURG &#8212; The vendor at the Bloomsburg Fair who ignited a social media firestorm by selling flags depicting a swastika is no longer at the fairgrounds, according to officials.</p><p>William Barratt, director of security at the fair, said Tuesday that Lawrence Betsinger left sometime after the fair closed Monday night without incident.</p><p>Betsinger, a 72-year-old registered sex offender from Indiana, Pa., who had merchandise bearing the image of a swastika confiscated from him, left the grounds without incident, Barratt said.</p><p>Betsinger drew attention when a Scranton woman did a Facebook post of a photo of his merchandising stand at the fair. The picture showed a Nazi flag hanging from his booth. Almost immediately the post went viral, drawing attention from local and national media.</p><p>Barratt said the decision to ask Betsinger to leave the fairgrounds was based on public safety and threats that had been received.</p><p><a href="http://www.phillymag.com/news/2016/09/26/nazi-flags-at-bloomsburg-fair/" target="_blank">Betsinger defended selling the items in an interview with Philadelphia Magazine</a>.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been doing this (expletive) for 45 years,&#8221; Betsinger told the magazine. &#8220;I can&#8217;t see where it would be some tragic thing just because somebody (expletive) and moaned about it.</p><p>&#8220;If you don&#8217;t want it, don&#8217;t look at it. I&#8217;m not making anybody buy it. I guess there&#8217;s no First Amendment at the Bloomsburg Fair.&#8221;</p><p>Betsinger&#8217;s name appears on the state of Pennsylvania&#8217;s sex-offender registry, with a description of his offense as &#8220;obscene and sexual materials and performance.&#8221;</p><p>Court records indicate that in August 2007, he was charged with at least 20 counts of possession, sale and dissemination of child pornography.</p><p>In April 2008, he pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, received three years&#8217; probation, was fined and placed on the registry.</p><p>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t do anything wrong,&#8221; Betsinger said of the charges. &#8220;I downloaded some (expletive) on the Internet, and now I&#8217;m being punished for the rest of my life.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Betsinger </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_nazi-flag-at-bloomsburg-fair-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Betsinger </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_facebook_1474902738351-7.jpg">
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Vendor selling Nazi flag no longer at Bloomsburg Fair