Oninion Paae
~ r wr
THE BRUMWICK&BEACON
Kdward M. Sweat! and Carolyn H. Sweat! f'ublinherx
Kdward M. Sweat! .ft/iW
Sutton I titer Yeir* Editor
Dawn I'.llen Itoyd Stnff Writer
Johnny Crai? S/iorta Editor
Mary I'ottt Office \1nnnner
Cecelia Gore Advcrlixini/ ft eoreaentjitire
Tantniii' Galloway Typesetter
Steve Anderson I'resamnn
Kill MrGowan I'hotif Terhnicutn
(Hyde and Mnltie Stout. Jim llnllou ('.irruliitiiin
Page 4-A Thursday, October 3,1985
Barricaded Road Is Not
Just Like A Driveway
Is the barricaded road at the west end of Holden Beach
private property just like ones driveway? At best, that theory
is an oversimplification.
What driveway parallels over a mile of publicly-owned
beach strand and what driveway on Holden Beach is the only
land access to one side of the Shaiiotte Inlet? What driveway
can be used by many and not by others?
No doubt it will take the courts to decide the legal aues
tions. It doesn't take a judge and jury to figure out that barricading
the road is bound to be unpopular with many, both on
the island and mainland, who view the action as improper, if
not illegal.
While there may valid arguments on both sides of the
barricade, those who are kept out by tbe barricade understandably
resent a section of the beach being able to secede from
the town as far as public access is concerned, but yet continue
to enjoy all the town services such as city water, fire and
police protection, and garbage pickup.
It is argued that there is no reason to allow vehicle traffic
beyond the barricade since there is no public parking or acccssways
on that end of the island. If provision for the public is
all that is to be considered, then the barricade could be moved
eastward to the first available public acccesway to block off
even more of that end of the island.
That the town was incorporated, including the barricaded
west end, without a public road right-of-way being granted, is
regrettable. That mistake happened so long ago there is no
point in trying to decide now who was to blame.
Considering this omission, one would think the present
town government would bike a more active interest in the
situation on the west end Instead, the commission has had little
or no public discussion of the matter.
By now it seems reasonable that commissioners would
1. I l -l! -- Mil . ? .... ...
miuw wimi icgai opiums arc avauame to mem u niey wish to
reunite Hoiilen I leach. There are some obvious cards they can
play if they don't like the ileal.
If the barricade has the blessings of the town government,
then voters have a right to know this, too.
The Course Of
Least Regret
BY HIM. KAYF.lt
The bright sunshine of last Friday morning was a welcomed
sight in Brunswick County. In contrast, the weather
forecasts and the news reports about Hurricane
Gloria have been the subject of much
discussion during the last few days.
_ Kveryone seems to have an opinion about the
' expected severity of the storm and what
might have happened had we taken the direct
hit We are fortunate indeed she veered to the
' "d north and took her destruction elsewhere.
That some of us were inconvenienced by
hurricane preparation and evacuation is understandable. The
precautions were based on the probabilities of Gloria reaching
our shores as best estimated by the National Weather Service.
That they missed on this one is to our benefit. But the data
upon which they based their predicitions, coupled with the
time necessary to process evacuation, called for the hurricane
warnings to be issued It was what Hr. Neil Frank, of the National
Hurricane Center in Miami, called the "course of least
regret".
Think what might tiave been the situation had the weather
people waited until the last minute (or the anticipated turn to
the north and then it hadn't happened! We would have seen
tremendous property losses and probably a few lives as well.
1 remember back in the 1%0's in Miami there was an
esiimaie tiiat it cost businesses and government over 51
million to board up Miami every time a hurricane came nearby
The Hurricane Center, well aware of that cost, was reluctant
to make the call until a certain course was established.
Hus resulted in a 3-t hour preparation time after a hurricane
warning was issued and the pace was frantic as people tried to
board up and stock up on supplies. It was evident more Ume
was needed even if it meant some calls would be "false
alarms "
1 have no Idea of the costs involved in our county. One
company estimated a cost of 512,000 to be closed one day If
this is average across the county ami then the costs of school,
municipal, and county emergency operations are added, the
costs of Hurricane (llorta would be manunoth Don't forget
tlx* plywood and batteries and canned goods ami lantern fuel
most of us bought'
Hurricanes can be excellent reminders that we have not
conquered the natural elements and that our predictions can
be wrong We should be thankful those in charge chose the
"course of least regret" ui preparing us for what could have
been a catastrophic storm. This Ume w e can rejoice with them
that they were wrong and thank them sincerely for their efforts
s
' I
Music !
History has always hern filled with
battles of one sort or the other.
A rather interesting battle being
fought now involves popular music
lyrics.
i was wau.-[iui? television one morning
last week around 7 o'clock when
a woman wno wanted alburn lyrics
rated (like movies are now) was introduced.
She explained that many
lyrics are not beneficial to children,
then proceeded to give examples.
What she quoted on television I am
too embarrassed to print here.
The woman was insisting these
lyrics were bad for children, yet she
was quotirg them at a time when
many children would be watching
television while getting ready for
school!
It was a comedy of errors. She
listed records she found offensive,
but many of them were over four
years old. It is probable many of today's
younger listeners had never
heard of many of the albums.
I was sure, however, that sales
would go up after her
"advertisment." She made them
sound so awful, so wickedly sinful, a
mischiveous kid would want to go out
If Comprorr
To the editor:
l-ast Saturday I attended an open
meeting at 125 Burlington St. on
Holden Beach regarding the public
use of the road extending west of the
, end of Slate Koad
1116 i
Copies of a let/
V ter to James D.
.^ ^ (iriffm from
V JP Maxwell,
Freeman and
Beason, atg
, torncys in
Clarke Durham, were
distributed. The letter stated that
following a review of the evidence
and research of the legal question involved,
they have "concluded that
J I
jj
Tom, 5
I've so* l"at (ever Or perhaps i
should sax a cat has not me hot, very
hot
For nearly a year no*, a yrllo*
and w hite tomcat slightly larger than
Swertpea < nty overweight
dachshund i has terronied our growing
household
In the middle 0/ the night I'm
regularly awakened by the sound ot
. sweetpra nemanum* 10 t* let out. a
frustrated sapping a! the Ax* that
signals or* thin* and or* thin* onl>
the predawn return of that you-knowwhat
oat
Sweetpea and n* have tried to
catch that cat to no avail
The txs torn plavs game* with
Swretpra sneaking thrvxigh Aunt
Msra's garden to her scrap pan few
dinner, then around the garage and
under m> Souse Suddenlv. he'j on
the porch, attacking the do* with
glee and vers sharp claws and
strong paws Hound or* Cat. I.
Susvn and Sweelpea ft
Well, about two or three months
.yrics Spark
itjk Down
Ellen
A^f\> Suyu'
V ; '1 I
and listen to every song immediately
Oscar Wilde's famous quote came
to mind, "I can resist everything except
temptation."
I don't mind the idea of rating
records; I will buy albums by my
favorite artists no matter what
rating is put on them the same way I
will go see a movie by a good director
even if it is rated R.
I don't mind people standing up for
what they believe in either; in fact, I
admire it. It would have been nice
though, if the woman had done a little
more research on her subject. She
was on television critizing American
popular music yet she seemed to
know nothing about it. All she seemed
to know was that some albums had
words she considered "not nice" and
LETTERS TO
i/se Impossibl
the road designated as Ocean ViewBoulevard
is, in fact, a public road.
"The basis for this opinion is the
legal effect of the plats put on record
in the Brunswick County Register of
Deeds. It Is our belief and interprets
tion of the General Statutes of North
Carolina that once a road is shown on
a plat recorded in the public records
and thereafter lots are sold off that
plat and/or the public accepts the
road by usage, it becomes a public
right-of-way. It is our understanding
that there have been lots sold off the
plats that have been recorded, and
that for many years the public has, in
fact, used that access road to the
west end of the beach."
Further, in support of that opinion,
despite the fact that the extension is
* T '
A J +.{ UiVE A, JKI 'Kj'
I ( HfU'-e. IU "Ti
.j. VAr?v?i:.'^4M
; Sweetpea, I
Susan
; Usher
ago we picked up two o< Pnssy's kittons
front my sister Carol's house tn
Winnabow-coe for our house and
one for Aunt Myra
In less than a month the tomcat
had swiped the eyeball cut at one kitten.
which anon after disappeared
then two weeks later cut the other kitten
from tummy to hack, cleanly
opening the cuter layer d skin That
had yust mended nicely -after some
sore days and minor infection
Kcund three Oat. J. Susan aai the
kittens. 0
Mere determined than ever. 1 applied
for a cat trap from the animal
control office adding my name to a
; Interesting
some of the songs referred to s-e-x.
An informed person might have been
able to intelligently eritize some
things about the modern music
scene. Aii this woman couia do was
make me laugh.
People like her scare me though,
TCn- * V. ~ 1.;.?I ?I 111 * *.
J u.v M.v nl*M "?w
get the great literary classics taken
off the shelves of libraries because
they don't understand what they are
reading and are so self-righteous
they won't take the time to learn.
I'm not comparing modern music
to the classics (horrors!), but the
common denominator is that there
are people who will publicly critize
subjects without understanding
them. The danger here is that people
who don't realize these people are not
informed will buy what they say
hook, line, and sinker. That could
lead to all kinds of nasty things, including
censorship.
There is some music out today that
people could find offensive; 1 can't
deny that. last year I went to a
Twisted Sister (a heavy metal band)
concert just to see what it was like,
and personally, I was offended by
what 1 heard. I still believe they have
a right to play it though. If a responsiTHE
EDITOR
le, Let The Co
not included in the town's listing for
Powell Bill funds and they do not
maintain it, I believe the town has
acted in twn arcac thnnuh the
street were indeed a public right-ofway.
Firstly, town Ordinance number 5,
Regulating the Accumulation, Collection
and Disposal of Garbage, Section
2, Item 2, states: "racksshall not
be placed more than ten feet from the
right of way." Hence, since the town
includes the area in its garbage pickup
contract, it has acknowledged the
street to be a right-of-way.
Secondly, it Is assumed that the
Holden Beach Police Department includes
their patrol of the development
in the "number of miles
driven," as reported monthly to the
I
e V,,
.ST ASPFij,
U" htiiusvirr 's.tutij
Pftput ?
U IT E V /1E. .
^osey and Su
iong waiting list for a limited number
of traps In earlier efforts to reduce
the cat population at Ocean Isle
Beach, the traps had worked well
We were off and running
Meanwhile, the cat returned to
slice up the pad of Nosey s right rear
paw one morning at 3 a.m.
The score Cat, 4. Susan, Sweetpea
and Nose)'. 0.
Nosey s okay, limping along with
the aid of the family medicine kit
She'll make it
But I'm not sure I will
The trap finally arrived Baited
with chunks of tuna, it sat ui the front
yard, just at the edge of the porch
where the tomcat usually appears
First night out Sweetpea and I hear
the trap shut and a cat yowl Bingo!
Ha We got outside and there, gobbling
up tuna as fast as a could, was s
tiny hail of white-rind-bUcfc fluff I
could only wonder how this kitten, so
small U fit easily into the palm of
hand, even triggered the latch on the
cage
fs
I Battle I
ble, impartial group were to give the
band's records a rating, that would IB
be fine with me.
I still don't approve of an uninform- |
ed individual getung on television |
and passing judgement on something |
she has obviously not taken the time H
to rccccrch prc^c* *.?.
One of the popular artists the
woman did not approve of was
Prince, well known for his movie
"Purple Rain." (One of the albums
the woman quoted from was
Prince's?it was five years old.)
Prince writes music about the here
and now, sometimes with an emphasis
on sexuality and an awareness
of death . . . quite the existential
stance.
I took out the Prince album released
this year and put it on my turntable.
One of the songs was blantantIv
anfi^nitfc Dthorc hn/4 li-rinc c-. .V-,
tj um%i ?? ugo. v/viivi .1 mm ii i iv.o .1uv.m
as "Show me a boy who stays in
school and I'll show you a boy
aware," and "I-ove is more important
than sex."
Perhaps the woman on television
might be surprised.
Some of these songs could actually
be good for her children.
urts Decide
town council. In the past, the town
has refused to routinely patrol and
police what they consider to be
private property, such as the parking
lot at the fishing pier. {They would, of
course, respond to a call for help 1
The letter to Mr. Griffin concluded,
"My clients would obviously like to
get the barricade down and the ruad
opened again. They hope that can be
accomplished without the necessity
of any lawsuit being instituted or
litigation involved."
Those attending the meeting expressed
their readiness to help
resolve such problems as public use
of the road would exacerbate, like littering,
a problem common
throughout the length of the island
iviy own posiuon is mat, as wiui so
many other facets of life, there must
be a way to reconcile the difference
between (a) total exclusion of the
public and (b) public abuse of individual
rights
Reasonable people should be able
to develop such a compromise If
they are not so able, then let the
courts be asked to determine what
may be justice for all concerned.
Persons willing to help pay for the
required legal expense can mail a
check to West End Fund. P.O. Box
2872, Shallotte NC 28459.
John M. Clarke
Holden Beach
Hoping To Build
To the editor:
We have purchased a lot in
Calabash and hope someday soon to
build a home on that lot Thought it
might be nice to read the local news
about Brunswick County. Our
subscription is enclosed
Harry I.. Cooke
Vienna, Virginia
Keep It Up
To the editor
Before my current subscription to
joui (xifci empires, ana UK' tear m
missing a weekly issue becomes a
reality, I am enclosing a check for a
one-year renewal subscription Keep
up the good work and thanks for the
Beacon
Roberts Grau
Gastoma
san, 0
1 stick its head in the tuna can and
pop it on the rear, hoping to scare this
tiny thing away, and reset the cage
Back in it goes, home sweet home,
going 'rouw, rouw" all the while in a
tiny, but persistent squawk at the
front door?a "rouw" that within 24
hours turned into a steady hum
Score: Tomcat. 5. Susan and
household, 0
And that's that, folks No matter
what I've batted that trap with or
where I've put it, the kitten has
adopted it as home After spying the
lorn skulking near the garden, I finally
kicked the kitten up and reset the
trap But the ton's a smart fellow,
he didn't roost within five feet d it
and for cesce, didn't harass Sweetpea
orNoaey
But that woo t continue for long
I've ceded victory to the loot
The trap goes back first U the
week What have I got' Another cat
hanging around
.After all, who could have the heart
to turn in an innocent ball tf fluff"
I