Opinion Page
THE BRUNSWICK&BEACON
Edward M. Sweatt and Carolyn H. Sweat! Publishers
Edward M. Sweat! Editor
Susan Usher A'etcs Editor
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Johnny Craig Sports Editor
Mary I'otts Office Manager
CePl'llll Gflfp J&ti*u*rrtmintr RanivMont>lHu>
Tammie Galloway Typesetter
S!e*c Andrnon Pressman
Bill McGowan Photo Technician
Clyde and Mattie Stout, Jim Ballou Circulation
Page 4-A Thursday, July 11,1985
Sunshine Law
Needs Guts
Rep. David Redwine deserves credit for doing his part to
try to strengthen the state's Open Meetings law, the statute intended
to bring the transaction of the public's business out
from behind closed doors and into plain view.
The law allows 19 specific reasons for public bodies to
meet behind closed doors. Still some boards persist in meeting
privately to discuss business that, by law, ought to be handled
in public.
It seems they want to do and say some things they'd
rather you not know about. It sounds silly, but sometimes they
actually forget they were elected by you to act for you.
However, our local House member voted for a bill that
provide some remedies when the violations are deliberate.
The best aspect of House Bill 170 is that it would allow the
cniirl tr? llo/<luro null onH nnf i/\nn IVinf ??
vuii. V VW UVV.1U1V nun anu YUIU uV-liUiio Iliai XCOU1LCU VYIICII d
board inet behind closed doors when it shouldn't have,
specifically in a violation that the court rules was committed
"in bad faith for the purpose of evading or subverting" the intent
of the sunshine law.
Of less significance, the bill would allow the parties involved
to be penalized up to $500 each. A criminal fine for
breach of trust in a public office would have been more appropriate
than a civil fine, in The Brunswick Beacon's opinion.
But overall it's a good bill, one that has been needed for a
long while. It's too bad other legislators don't share Rep. Redwine's
concern about the citizens' right to follow decisions
made on their behalf.
While the bill was approved in the House by a wide
margin, it has stalled in the Senate Judiciary I Committee and
most likely won't be seen again?at least not before the summer
of 1986, when the legislature convenes again in short session.
mm 8 an outrage, because the current law has no guts.
A mere slap on the wrist was all the court could do back in
the early 1970s when it found the Brunswick County Board of
Commissioners in violation of the Open Meetings law in a suit
filed by The State Port Pilot and The Brunswick Beacon. The
judge issued an injunction barring the board from further
violations, with the penalty for doing so a potential contempt
of court citation.
The good people of this state deserve a better law.
Inch By Inch,
Row By Row
BY BILL FAVER
One of the good things about living in this part of the world
in the summertime is the abundance of good, fresh vegetables.
Tom A too* pnrtl PIlPlimKore Knnnc o
? ? ? vuvutiiUVltl) UV.U I tO C1IIV1
, canteloupes Uiste like they should and we piM
, ty the millions of people who think tomatoes
are supposed to taste like those they get from
Florida and California.
We have come to expect the best, but we
j seldom take the time to marvel at the
|V miracles of plant growth. In his song, "Inch
by Inch, How by Row", Pete Seeger reminds
us of the careful process involved in growing things:
Inch by inch, row by row,
Please bless these seeds I sow,
Please keep them safe below.
Till the rain comes tumbling down.
Anyone who has attempted to garden even on a small
scale realizes the importance of good soil, adequate moisture,
and warm sunshine to release the seed energy and to begin the
miracle. Then the sprouting plant needs room to grow and
develop toward maturity. Its constant needs for food and
water must bo met for it to survive. And all along the way are
hazards and problems: the wind may blow the seeds awav:
birds, moles, or field mice may eat them; insects, molds and
fungi may attack the young plant and stunt its growth or cause
it to die; mice, rabbits, squirrels, and other mammals may
eat the plant before it has time to mature; lack of rain may
cause it to die; poor soil may not give it the nourishment it
needs to survive; hailstorms may beat the plant down; and it
could be choked out by weeds overtaking the garden plot.
Chances of survival appear slim even with the best of
gardeners. Rut, when proper care is given and conditions are
right, we can expect an abundance from that tiny seed.
Perhaps we should pause at inid-summer on our beaches
to say thanks to our many gardeners and farmers who supply
the produce stands and grocery bins. Even in a year when the
rains haven't "come tumbling down" we can enjoy the fruits
of their labors and we can acknowledge with them the miracle
of growing things "inch by inch and row by row".
Mai
Delving into the mailbag after
several days on vacation...
"Shame on you!" was all an
anonymous writer added to a clipping
from The Charlotte Observer in
this week's stack of ielters. The clipping,
only a portion of an Observer
Carolinas Poll, addressed the question
oi uiijiortcu vs. domestic goods.
It was titled " 'Buy American' Finding
Favor With Carolinians."
The ?pn.li.r had attached a clinnine
? ?I. ''
v/i a tcvciiv vuiuiiui uii my invve Hum
a (domestic) Chevette to an (imported)
Toyota. Gasp! How could I
be so un-patriotic. (I wonder if the
import dealers get mail like this?)
The article noted that the idea of
"buying American because you are
an American" is growing in popularity.
Pops, S\
Pop! Pop! Whirl! Shrill! The beach
skyline lights up momentarily while
another pop is heard closer to home.
The dogs start barking at the
shrills, and they put their tails between
their legs from the pops. They
don't know what to do, so they start
barking and then wait to hear the
reactions of other dogs in the
neighborhood. They just know that
something weird is happening to the
sky tonight.
It must be the Fourth of July, but
they don't know it. People up and
down the beach step out onto their
porches to either see the lighted
or ui yen, anui up: ai inoir
dogs.
Thousands line the streets and
waterfronts in Southport and Wilmington
just after dark for a much
larger, much more exciting, and
legal, display of the strange happenings
in the sky. Those booms and
shrills that fill the beach sky are individuals
practicing illegal fireworks
displays.
In fact, the use of reported
"pyrotechnics" will probably reach
double digits on Sunset Beach for JuBrief
Notes From
To the editor:
Please be advised that we have
moved and would appreciate it if you
can forward our Beacon to the above
address We love your paper very
much and can't wait to receive it.
James and Ruse Pepey
Ronkonkoma. New York
Please note our new address We
look forward to the Beacon each
week for news from home.
Jackie and Brenda Ret)wine
Vilas
We enjoy your newspaper every
HOW TO SI
IHt BRUMSW
POST OffKl BOX
SHAtlOTTf NC*T
For Aword Winnii
ANNUM SUASCRIPTION RATIS IT U
| In Srvmwnck Coon?y
lbomh#f? In North Cofol.no
Own^f North Carolina
Ci^pliH ami Ittv
I Mom#
| A 44m
I City S*o'?
| 2'P
ilbag Urges
m Susan
W . *? |F
"1 r Usher
'W7
Whenever possible, I, too, prefei
bovine American-made Droducts
{ I'm Crt pro?u Intra! I nnr.n tn> r> !*<
\* cw IV/UI i CVCII M / IU UUJ
in Brunswick County over Nev
Hanover and North Carolina ovei
South Carolina, even though thing:
might cost a little more. I want th<
taxes to stay at home.)
Our own local economy has suf
fered because of textile im
ports?look at the impact ot
^ ?
=3?*n
j1 UMI
?F P*
irills Ended
i- ":;lfc
j (ij Terry
'? P?Pe
ly. I always get a kick out of hearini
Town Manager Wallace Martin':
monthly activity reports, when i
spark fills his eyes and a smili
spreads across his face as he slowh
pronounces "pyrotechnics," puttini
in several accents in the four-syllabli
word.
"And, we had 14 cases of py-ro
tech-nics during the month o
July?or firecracker complaints."
guess pyrotechnics includes all kind:
of fireworks, including the kinds tha
go pop. fiss and shrill as well as thi
common firecracker, so the term i:
reliable from a manager's stand
point.
But if fireworks are illegal in Nortl
Carolina, then they should also be il
legal in other states as well. In Nortl
Beacon Readers
time we are down at the coast, at ou
home there. It is so up-to-date wit!
news in that area.
Therefore, I wish to subscribe t
i ne Brunswick Beacon (or the new:
while at our home in Denver. N.C. al
year.
Mrs. Robert Vinkers
Denver. N.C.
Please keep the Beacon coming,
enjoy it very much. Look forward t
it each week Now I have a special in
terest in Shallotte.
Ralph Stovatl
lexington
i The writer is the father of Do
Stovall. Shaliotte's new chief o
polic*. Editor's note.)
1BSCRIBE TO
ICK^BEACON
*70
M CAROLINA ?4S?
>g News Coveroge
1AII: b 0*m
; 5 23 ^3 14
7 31 "5 23
r to oo ; oo
n N >bti ***m
oiaaaiHHaiiaai
i 'Buy Ameri<
Dupont's Cape Fear plant, with its
large RIFs in recent years, and the
DePoortere plant, where an aunt of
mine recently lost her job.
like the nearly 72 percent majority
in the poll, I too would prefer buying
a car made by an American company,
but like many of them (if the
survey had continued) I still bought
an import,
r I try to be realistic when it comes
to large purchases such as cars:
f When American makers come up
v with an auto that can truly compete
r with the imports in all aspects, I'll
s buy it.
Some of the new '86 models look
promising, but I've always been
- taught not to buy a car it's first year
- out, to let the maker get the kinks out
1 firct AnH fnro it* I hart tn havo a rar
' * 3TAW o IT WAS A CoMMITT
op?n.TY owuiat Awo stati
I A Lonn Af
- * -
Carolina, it is perfectly legal to sell
sparklers, the first thing that little
kids get hooked on. Everyone knows
that sparklers only lead to the harsh
stuff, like firecrackers and bottle
rockets. Who knows what comes
next, Roman candles, or "Flowers In
Full Bloom" Chinese flaming balls.
No one is concerned about the problem
though until the little child is
hooked, until they're doing straight
> "Whistling Jupiters" off the carport
s or down Ocean Boulevard West. By
i then, they are really strung out on the
? gray powder.
/ It's just too enticing not to travel
t across the state line to buy fireworks
cuici a nice seaioou ainner in
Calabash, while you're still in the
- spending mood. The wide, sandy
f beaches back at the cottage or condo
1
s
: Calendar <
s Thursday, July 11
BRUNSWICK ARTS COUNCIL Bean
) assembly building. Brunswick Cour
tion reports due from program dire<
* HOLDEN BEACH COMMUNITY WAT
Hall for a program on sea turtles, 7
COMMUNITY MEETING at the Shallc
to discuss (iurganus Cemetery. All
loved ones buried in the cemetery a
r UONGWOOD COMMUNITY IMPROVI
Store. 7:30 p.m.
1 GAME NIGHT at the American I?gio
U.S. 17,7:30 p.m.
s Friday, July 12
1 GAME NIGHT at the Sunset Beach Vol
Saturday, July 13
SENIOR PISH PRY at the ShaUotte Sen
$1. for seniors ages 60 and older, sta
I CALABASH VFW sells corn on the cot
0 Elks 1-Odee in Calabash Martina at
h GAME SIGHT at the Calabash VohinK
Sunday, July 14
BRUNSWICK COUNTY SWING FORI
wood Golf Club. Contact Michael I
j 7>4-4660, for more information
Monday, July 15
m CAIABASH VOLUNTEER RESCUE St
at the squad building, 10 a m
f SUNSET BEACH COUNCIL meets at
August 5 meeting, 7:30 p.m.
J RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT COM3
in the commission office. Brunswick
! Tuesday, July 16
j SUPPLY EXTENSION HOMEMAKE
Membership Corp. office in Shallott
I OCEAN ISLE BEACH Board of Adjustr
I Wednesday, July 17
BKI NSW1CX TECHNICAL COLLEGE
room in Supply. 7 p.m.
| SHAUjOTTE ALDERMEN meet at the
I BRUNSWICK COUNTY PLANNING B
conference roam. Brunswick Count)
v
:pn' I
If wanting the most for my money
is un-American, maybe I am, at least
when it comes to cars.
While my decision to buy a car
sounds sudden, it wasn't. I'd been
looking for months, reading back
issues of Consumer Reports and Consumer
Digest, talking with car
owners and looking at advertisements
to check prices?and
resale values. I even sent off for
technical information on the proriiii'Ls
hi lwii iii<i it11 ainr. rr^b.-r
of "affordable" cars.
The only thing holding me back
was the sacrifices involved in making
car payments. After all, I enjoy
eating out, buying books and
albums?things I couldn't do if making
car payments.
What have I done?
le MADE up
euetiuteai
ternoon
are also too enticing.
Following a long day in Southport
last Thursday to cover the Fourth of
July festivities, I returned home, sat
back, and just watched the illegal
fireworks display from my porch. It
was a far cry from what I would have
se4n while sitting along the waterfront
in Southport, but it was relaxing
to be out of the heat just the same.
I thought about how the Holden
Beach police would enforce not only
the town's ordinance, but the state's
law against fireworks as well. On this
nieht. it wniilri hw* irrmnocihlo
Afterall, it was July 4th, and the
dogs couldn't tell a legal pyrotechnic
from an illegal one. They just stayed
confused all night, listening and
barking at the shrills and booms that
man finds amusing.
Of Events
i of Directors meets in the public
ity Government Center, with evaluartors,
7 p.m.
CH meets at the Holden Beach Town
30 p.m.
itte Point Volunteer Fire Department
those with family members or other
re asked to attend, 7:30 p.m.
?MENT PROJECT meets at Flowers
n Hut, one mile south of Shallotte on
lunteer Fire Department, 8 p.m.
ior Citizens Center. All you can eat for
rts at 11 a.m.
>, hotdogs and baked goods at the old
11 a.m.
*r Fire Denartnvn! * n m
!' HEART Golf Tournament at BrierEdwards
or the Brierwood pro shop,
JL'AD CORP. holds its annual meeting
the town hall m lieu of their regular
1ISS10N for Brunswick County meets
; County Planning Building. 7:30 p.m.
RS meet at the Brunswick Electric
e, 10 ajn.
nents meets at the town hall, 7:30 p.m.
Board of Trustees meets in the board
town hall ui regular session, 7:30 pm
OARD meets in the planning building
f Government Center, 7:30 p m
>