Letters lo I he Editor
(Continued From Preceding Page)
Had Mr. Pope made any bona
fide attempt at verification, he
would have lvjr.cd as a minimum
that no bor.b experts were dis
patched to i?unny Point, nor did ad
ditional patrols, marked or un
marked, actually take place around
here. These are but two examples of
the numerous distortions contained
throughout the articlt .
Another statement that concerns
me very much is Mr. Pope's sugges
tion that families who live outside
of Sunny Point are endangered and
might have to leave their homes.
This simply is not tnie.
During this prolonged period of
heightened national and internation
al tension, it behooves us all to be
the best at whatever we may be do
ing. I trust that future coverage of
Sunny Point activities in The
Brunswick Beacon will reflect the
facts, cooperation and understand
ing so that the public will be better
served.
Michael S. Featherston
Colonel,
U.S. Army Commanding
Military Ocean Terminal
Sunny Point
Report Card Damage Severe
To the editor:
According to current information,
a major factor used in calculating the
"report card" is the ability of each
county government to locally fund
education. This factor is called an
"advantage" if the ability to pay ex
ists through the county government,
or a "disadvantage" if it docs not
From a tax base standpoint, New
Hanover, Mecklenburg, Guilford
and Brunswick, to name a few, have
been placed in the "advantaged"
category due to their high tax bases.
"The question arises as to
whether the "advantaged" county
government actually docs make the
predetermined efforts to locally
fund education. Brunswick County
is ranked dead last in the state in its
educational funding effort; so when
the report card was formulated, our
school system's achievements were
calculated with a negative factor
since we are classified as an "ad
vantaged" county.
How can Brunswick County
Schools be classified as "advan
taged" when the county government
fails to allocate the predetermined
percentage of funds into education?
Is it possible that the report card
is a political effort by certain indi
viduals in the Department of Public
Instruction to force wealthy county
governments to drastically increase
local funding for education using
school systems like Brunswick as
pawns?
Yes, Brunswick County govern
ment needs to increase the percent
age of local funds it spends for edu
cation; but the damage of the report
card has been severe to the self es
teem of students, educators, and cit
izens of Brunswick County.
Harry E. Lemon Jr.
Shallotte
Officers Appreciative
To the editor.
Thnnks to all the many business
es and residents of Brunswick
County for their participation in
Project Bluelight. As a law enforce
ment officer, it was heartening to
see the large number of blue candles
displayed in windows during the
Christmas season.
We all appreciate the support
shown to us during a particularly
difficult time of year in which to be
on duty and away from our families.
It's nice to know we arc appreciat
ed.
Tom Vernon, Secretary
Brunswick County Lodge 53
Fraternal Order of Police
Stay Out Of Our Lights
To the editor
This is in reference to Doug
Rutter's article about turtles and
lights at Holdcn Bcach in the Dec.
27 issue.
Bonfires on the beach were stop
ped, and I said nothing. Driving on
the strand was slopped, and 1 held
my tongue. Walking pets on the
strand was stopped, and again I was
quiet because there was some ratio
nale behind it, although some fun
has been taken out of beach life.
The foregoing are but some of
the thou-shall-nots that transplanted
bureaucrats have imposed upon the
county and its beaches. Now they
have, topped even the most absurd
that could come out of Washington,
D. C. itself-the protection of turtles
from lights.
I'm talking about the threat of the
Holden Beach Commissioners to
throw some mighty powerful regu
lations on how, when, and where
property owners use lights of any
kind. We may not.be able to take a
leisurely flashlight stroll on the
stand at night next summer I'd like
to shed some light of my own on
that.
Don't get me wrong. I love tur
tles. Some of my best friends are
turtles. When I was growing up on
Holden Bcach in the 40s and 50s,
we had turtle watches of sorts. We
never saw one turn around because
we were watching with flashlights
(we didn't shine the light directly in
their eyes). I guess it didn't stop
them because their instinct to lay
eggs is as strong as the instinct of
bureaucrats to control and regulate
all activities associated with hu
mans.
We sometimes kept watch over
nests near cottages, and if we hap
pened to be there at hatching time
we helped the little ones to the sea.
So there, I am not anti-turtle in the
least I just believe there are other
ways the commissioners and their
allies can help the turtle population.
In the old days, nests were some
times robbed. I saw the results a
few days after a clutch was laid. I
heard that the eggs were sold to
menhaden boats to feed the crews,
and I suppose some not-so-well-off
families of the depression era were
spared the pangs of hunger when
dad brought home a dozen turtle
eggs. But that was back then. What
about now?
The threats arc somewhat differ
ent today. Three of the biggest, but
not the only, causes of turtle mortal
ity are drift nets set at sea, trawler
nets, and ocean debris such as float
ing plastic bags and the like which
choke turtles.
Of these three, the drift net is
probably the worst. They stretch for
miles and ar? unattended and indis
criminate. They catch everything,
and if there isn't a market for it,
they make one. Trawlers do snag
turtles, but because the crew is close
at hand, some arc saved, more if
turtle escape devices (T.E.D.S) are
used.
So, commissioners of Holden
Beach, dircct your attention to get
ting rid of drift nets, enforcing the
use of T.E.D.s and controlling ocean
pollution-and please stay out of our
lights.
John Q. Holden
Severn, Maryland
Obvious Answer
Is To Reuse
To the editor
In answer to Terry Pope's tongue
in-cheek dilemma as to the merits
of plastic vs. paper bags (Jan. 10
column), the answer is obvious.
Take along your own reusable can
vas bag for short trips to the gro
cery, convenience, department
stores, and save and reuse bags for
the major weekly shopping chores.
It may seem insignificant on a
single basis, but believe me, on a
larger scale it can make quite a dif
ference.
So, the next time Terry is too
confused to know whether to worry
about killing a tree or adding to
petroleum pollution in his quest to
recycle, he could take the simple
way out-reuse.
L. Hiester
BentTree Plantation
Ocean Isle Beach
Town Needs
Street Lights
(The following letter, written to
the Town of Holden Beach, is
printed here at the request of the
writer. Editor's note.)
Please be advised that one of the
floodlights at the miniature golf
course located beside the fishing
pier is directed in such a manner as
to shine into my bedroom window.
According to the recently adopt
ed ordinance depriving residents of
Holden Beach the right to protect
themselves and their property with
security lights, light shining in a
person's window constitutes a nui
sance.
If this applies to full time resi
dents as well as tourists and picky
part time inhabitants, I would like
this situation corrected.
Just as a matter of information,
the alternative lighting arrange
ments touted by members of town
boards at the meeting Monday night
are probably illegal under the new
ordinance. If the wauage does not
exceed the allowable limit, then di
rect lighting certainly extends out
side the owners' property. If a light
can be seen, then the light rays have
traveled to the point at which they
are seen. I assume that these lights
will come down along with all the
other citizens' efforts to supply a
service that should be provided by
the town. Even Bolivia has street
lights.
J. A. Foumier
Holden Beach
I he Winter Sea
by bill fav?:r
Gray skies and winter teas give the illusion
of life'essntes as the fall
Fishing subsides and little
activity is seen on the sur
face of the waters. Birds
may gather on the water to
rest or to feed on the few
remaining offerings. Just as
the bare limbs of a hard
wood tree in the mountains
is a symbol of winter on the
land, the gray skies and
faver bleak sea speak of winter.
Close examination of those bare tree branch
es will show a cluster of leaf buds every few
inches, ready to burst forth into spring. And be
neath the bark on the same tree may be insect
eggs waiting to hatch into larvae which will
feed on the new green leaves when they appear.
Beneath the carpet of leaves on the ground are
more insect eggs and more seed waiting to be
gin anew the cycle of the seasons as warmer
temperatures approach.
So, too, in the winter sea. The illusion of life
lessness gives way as the temperature drops and
the colder surface layers of the sea become so
"top-heavy" that the deeper, warmer layers will
begin their rise to the surface. This dramatic in
version near the beginning of spring will dis
lodge small creatures and life forms clinging to
rocks and debris on the bottom and they will be
brought upward by the overturn. Invisible di
atoms live in the waters as a fine dust, waiting
for the nutrients and the warming of spring to
begin their renewal. Diatoms must have silica
and phosphorus for their fragile shells but in
winter these elements are reduced to such short
rilOTO ?Y BIU FAVE*
JUST AS LEAFLESS BRANCHES give the illusion of lifelessness, the winter sea hides
the hordes of creatures waiting for the coming of spring.
supply that the growth stops. Diatoms must be
come almost dormant - like seeds of wheat cov
ered with snow or ice.
The sea even has its snowfalls. Silt brought
down rivers to the sea, dust falling on the wa
ter's surface, fragments of debris entering the
atmosphere, and billions of of tiny shells and
fragments of skeletons of sea creatures are con
stantly drifting downward from the surface.
Recent core sampling in the Atlantic Ocean
found sediment up lo I2,WK) feci thick, accu
mulated there from the "snowfalls" from the lie
ginning of time. This snowfall is not limited to
the winter sea, but continues all year.
We wait patiently for winter to move into
spring. Waiting with us are familiar birds, and
trees, and plants. But also waiting with us are
less familiar diatoms, dinoflagcllatcs, copcpods,
polyps, plankton,shrimps, fish, and millions of
other creatures of the winter sea.
Same Old Song And Dance For Holden Beach
If you've been a Brunswick
Beacon reader for more than eight
months, you just may want to skip
my column this week.
You might consider it a waste of
time. It's going to seem a lot like a
column I wrote last May regarding
the town manager position at Hold
en Beach.
To refresh your memory, Gus
Ulrich had just handed in his resig
nation as town manager. He said he
was leaving because the job re
quired too much of him.
That was understandable. He had
a tough job with six bosses who had
six different opinions on just about
everything.
At the time, I wrote about the ap
parent unwillingness on the part of
the town board to let the manager
do his job. I claimed that the board
got too involved in the daily opera
tions of the town.
Instead of just setting the poli
cies, I presented the opinion that the
town board took an active role in
implementing the policies. That's
the town manager's job.
Just last week, Holden Beach lost
another town manager. Blake Proc
Rutter
Doug
7 p /
) ^
>
tor resigned after five months on the
job. Proctor was given the option to
resign in dignity or be fired. What i
choice.
Proctor said poor communication
and personality differences were
two of the reasons behind his dis
missal, 'er resignation. He also said
the town board didn't give him the
authority he needed to do the job
right, particularly when it came to
the police department.
"Die specific reasons behind his
resignation really don't concern me.
What concerns me is the behavior of
some of the town board members.
Some of them remind me of the
kids I knew in grade school. Some
of them behave like selfish brats
and bullies. They act as if they
might hold their breath and turn
blue in the face if they don't get
what they want. If they don't get to
call the shots, they might even take
their ball and run home to mama.
Please keep in mind, these people
were elected to office to act in the
best interests of Holden Beach, not
in their own best interest. Heck, I
voted for some of them. That makes
me feel cheated.
Several changes were made on
the town board since Ulrich re
signed. There arc three new faces,
but the problem remains the same.
Certain members of the town board
take more than a policy-making role
in the town government.
Many residents were upset about
Blake's resignation. He's a likable
man, and he accomplished a lot
during his brief stay at the beach.
Unfortunately, this resignation will
not help his career.
Before the board hires another
manager, it has to make a decision.
The board has to decide if it wants a
professional who is capable of run
ning the town or someone with no
backbone who will play politics and
let the elected officials do all of the
work.
If the commissioners want a jel
lyfish, they don't have to look far. If
the board wants a professional in
the town hall, they need to hire him,
give him the authority needed to gel
the job done and get out of his way.
One way or the other, commis
sioners need to decide. The town
board ca.inot continue to hire and
disrupt the careers of professional
managers. These people have fami
lies just like everybody else.
Until the commissioners make up
their minds. I've been thinking
about where this whole mess leaves
the town.
First of all, it leaves the town
without a manager at a lime when a
lot of things are going on at Holdcn
Beach.
But worse than that, il leaves the
town with a bad reputation. Who in
municipal government circles would
come lo a place with a revolving
door on the town manager's office?
Maybe someone looking for a
summer job ai the beach would be
interested. On sccond thought, it
probably wouldn't be much of a va
cation.
LETTER TO THE FQITOR
For Girl Scout Leaders , Feminism Is Easy V/ay Out
To the editor:
In a recent publication. Eagle
Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly
writes: "Tune magazine buried the
women's liberation movement...
America has evolved from the
'post-feminist' era the anti-femi
nist decade of the '90s."
Yeah. Sure. Confirmed by Vickie
Poole, spokesman (sic) for Bruns
wick County Girl Scouts whose ac
count of the sales campaign (cook
ies, natch) the Beacon dutifully
recorded last week.
The fabulous by-product of the
girls' efforts, Poole says, is that the
girls "may explore possible careers
in sales, production, advertising,
marketing, public relations and oth
er areas."
Wow! And compete with their
married classmates' husbands who
arc trying to support their families
in the same pursuits.
Girl Scout programs no longer
envision possible careers as home
makers and mothers...that would be
"sexist!" And they seek today to
sell something which is manufac
tured elsewhere and is not produced
by the girls.
Now indeed if sales should be an
important part of feminine training,
one wonders why the ambitious
lassies wouldn't be directed into sell
ing large quantities of fruit in ad
vancc orders, delivered fresh from
the orchards at harvest lime. Some of
the scouts might even participate in
the canning or freezing of the good
ies at home and learn something
valuable about home economics!
Now this would develop some re
al skills in logistics and salesman
ship instead of "Would you like to
buy some Girl Scout cookies?"
And the fruit fanners of the na
tion who are now almost totally de
pendent upon the whims of the su
permarket chains, would have a
new type of outlet and promotion to
distribute the fruits of their efforts
among more people. ..a bit of substi
tute for the hamburger, chicken and
French-fry diet.
I have proposed this kind of sell
ing in times past, but of course, no
body listens to a salesman who
knows what can be done and what
families need today.
1 have to think back 25 years to
the week in which one of my cus
tomers used my purchasing facili
ties to help her De Molay troop sell
500 pounds of fresh sour cherries.
The leaders of the girl scouts
don't have guts enough to lead their
fledglings into really meaningful
pursuits today. Feminism is the easy
way out.
Karl E. Brandt
Shallottc
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