Edward M. Sweatt and Carolyn H. Sweatt Publishers
Edward M. Swcatt Editor
Susan Usher News Editor
Doug Rutter and Terry Pope Staff Writers
Johnny Craig Sports Editor
Peggy Earwood Office Manager
Carolyn H. Sweatt Advertising Director
Tlmberley Adams & Cecelia Gore Advertising Representatives
TammJe Galloway & Dorothy Brennan Typesetters
William Manning Pressman
Brenda Clemmons.. Photo Technician
Lonnle Sprinkle Assistant Pressman
Phoebe Clemmons and Frances Sweatt Circulation
PAGE 4-A, THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 7. 1991
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
If you live east of U.S. 17 (Ocean Highway) in Brunswick
County, sometimes you can forget just how rural the county re
ally is. The highway acts as a natural divider for the heavily
populated coastal neighborhoods and the more rural farming and
hunting communities such as Ash or Town Creek.
Residents in coastal Seaside say their neighborhood is being
taken hostage by both stray dogs and dogs with slack owners
who allow their pets free reign of the streets. County animal
control employees remain handcuffed to help residents there be
cause the neighborhood isn't within town limits where there are
leash laws in effect.
For the second time in recent years, the Sea Trail Property
Owners Association is lobbying Brunswick County commis
sioners for passage of a countywide leash law. The ordinance
would force all dogs in the county to remain tied or fenced or
the owners would face a fine and impoundment of their animals.
It sounds nice for a city, but Brunswick County isn't one big
city. Allowing dogs to run loose to kill ducks and to threaten res
idents in Seaside shouldn't be ignored, but a countywide leash
law would be doomed to failure from the very start.
Deer hunters would have to keep their dogs on a leash. To
make exceptions for hunting dogs would be hilarious. Then ev
ery dog in the county would start working on a disguise.
All neighborhoods deserve the same thing that residents in
Seaside have gone begging the county commissioners for, a way
to make pet owners more responsible for their animals. Passing
a county ordinance isn't going to suddenly transform all of the
county's pet owners into Loren Greens.
Stray dogs can destroy neighborhoods. This is especially
true in the densely-populated areas along the coast. However, a
leash law would have to become a county law affecting resi
dents who own huge farms in Makatoka and people who hunt on
Brunswick County's prime deer grounds. It would never work.
If Seaside wishes to become part of a town, such as Sunset
Beach, it would get the leash law it wants. Residents there need
to picture the entire county rather than just around the block.
If a change is to be made, it must come from the dog own
ers' hearts.
I'm The Champ
Of Video Football
Remember a few weeks ago when I wrote about my first experience
with the Nintendo computer game
system?
I told you how much fun I had
playing the tennis game while vis
iting a friend in Pennsylvania. I
was seriously thrilled about beat
ing the computer at its own game.
Since coming back to North
Carolina, I've been giving serious
thought to investing in one of
these Nintendo things. I've also
considered renting one tn make sure I really like it.
In the meantime, I've dug up my old Atari system with the intention
of rekindling the computer game fire that once burned in me like a rag
ing inferno. As a kid, you see, I was a serious video gamer.
I hadn't really used the old Atari system very much since high
school. Back then, a buddy and I really used to go at it on rainy days.
Atari ice hockey, car racing, baseball, football. You name it and we
played it.
Anyway, I'd been storing the Atari system at my parents' house since
those high school days. It had about eight years worth of dust on it
when I pulled it out of the box the other day. I really wasn't sure it
would work.
I won't keep you in suspense any longer. The system works just fine.
The golf game doesn't function, but I have plenty of other games from
which to choose.
My roommate, Kevin, has taken to this video game system like a
duck to water. I beat him at most of the games, because I have more ex
perience. But we've had some good tank and airplane battles.
My favorite game is football. Kevin hates it. I think I like it so much
because I score on Kevin at will and he can do nothing against my de
fense.
Kevin gets very frustrated when we play football. He usually plays
for about five minutes, then he throws the joystick and quits.
He says he didn't grow up playing computer games like I did. He also
says I cheat. I think those are pretty lame excuses. Besides, how can you
cheat in a video game?
One of these days I expect to come home from work ard see the re
mains of the football cartridge melted on top of the kerosene heater.
Kevin will be sitting there with a smug look on his face.
Don't get the wrong idea from all of this. Kevin and I aren't addicted
to these video games. In fact, we turned off the Atari just long enough
to watch Super Bowl XXV.
It was a pretty good football game. But the last thing I wanted to see
was a Giants victory. They beat the Bills by one point thanks to a
missed field goal.
I didn't really care about the Super Bowl this year. After my Eagles
bowed out in the first round of the NFC playoffs, I sort of lost interest.
I was rooting for the Bills because the Eagles and Giants are arch ri
vals. They hate each other, and therefore, I hate the Giants. But that's
not the reid reason 1 wanted to see the Giants get blown out in the Super
Bowl.
You see, Kevin is a Giants fan. Not only did he rub it in my face
Super Bowl Sunday, he will be rubbing it in my face for the next 12
months. ^ , .
Every timeVB Otbitt play next-year, he will be pointing out that they
are the defending Super Bowl champs.
That's OK. I can still whip him in Atari football.
Do Crime Reports Hurt Rather Than Help?
Let's use a hypothetical situation
to outline the dilemma. You come
home and find your house has been
burglarized. The television, video
recorder, microwave, jewelry, guns
and loose change are gone.
A back door has been pried open
and the lock has been damaged.
Your cat runs to meet you with a
puzzled look on his face. You report
the crime to the sheriff's department
and a deputy comes to your home to
take a report. The case is added to a
detective's list of things to investi
gate.
What kind of infom. ?on would
you want printed in the i ~al news
paper's crime report if you were
that victim? What information
would you like to read about the in
cident if you lived or owned proper
ty in that neighborhood? What
kinds of things would you like to
see printed if you were the investi
gating officer?
Right away, there are at least
three angles to the story. Add the
news reporter's view that crime re
ports are public documents and you
have a fourth opinion. So there ex
ists a confusing situation for the
news reporter whose job it is to re
port about crime in Brunswick
County.
There are times when crime re
ports may invade privacy or hamper
Terry
Pope
V a
dcicclivcs in their investigation. But
what are those limits?
Where do you draw the line?
When dees the reporting of heavy
crime in certain neighborhoods turn
into an open invitation for criminals
to strike again? Do burglars read
crime reports and map out where
they are least likely to be noticed by
neighbors? Or do crime reports just
reflcct the criminal activity that
would have taken place there re
gardless of what is printed in the lo
cal papers?
It's a discussion that I've had
with detectives at the Brunswick
County Sheriff's Department re
cently. I've expressed my views that
some readers and residents follow
the crime report closely. Some non
resident property owners are very
faithful readers and are concerned
about break-ins in particular neigh
borhoods where they own property.
To report about a breaking and en
tering in "the Ocean Isle Beach
area" rather than specifically
"Marlec Acres subdivision" doesn't
fulfill that reader's purpose for
reading the article.
I use that subdivision merely as
an example. It just happened to be
on my mind at the time because
three homes were burglarized there
last week, as noted in the crime re
port.
But having printed that informa
tion in the paper, does that mean
more crime is likely to occur there
as a result of the story or because of
the old adage that a criminal will re
turn to the scene of the crime, to
strike again?
When I took over my predeces
sor's job of writing the crime re
ports when I joined the staff last
September, it was a change from
what I had been doing when 1 re
ported for the Beacon several years
ago.
Since September, I have not list
ed the specific addresses of the
homes burglarized, but at one point
I was listing the person reporting
the crime. !t gave the reports a fla
vor of "ofTicialness," if that's a
word. Usually the victim reported
the crime and that victim's name
would appear in the paper, so it
would not be too difficult to deter
mine the specific location of the
break-in.
Since then I've done some think
ing, as you might can tell. I have
since started to omit the names of
the victims or persons reporting the
crime, unless it is a business,
school, government building or
property. My conversations with
sheriff's detectives have focuscd on
whether being less specific about
locations would help curb the crime
in certain neighborhoods and thus
help the detectives rather than hin
der them in their jobs.
I'm not sure if we have good, sol
id answers to those questions. I
have tried to picture myself as a
reader in Hickory, about 300 miles
away, awaiting a copy of the Bea
con each Thursday. I own a summer
home near Holdcn Beach that I've
asked someone to keep an eye on
while I'm away.
If there is a string of break-ins in
the neighborhood where I own a
home, I'll want to know about it. If
the paper only says, "the Holdcn
Beach area," then how many thou
sands of homes are in the Holdcn
Bcach area? There would be no way
to determine how close to home the
crime spree has really come to my
little place in the sun.
However, if it was my job to
catch the burglars that are hitting
the same neighborhoods over and
over again, I'd side with the detec
tives.
The dilemma continues.
?mi
OA^johNA CARICX^i
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
? ? ? ? ^ ? ? ? ? i ?
Support The Troops; Support The President
To the editor
Some say war is hell. Others say
war is politics. I say war is one hell
of a way to make a political state
ment, but when war is joined, how
the warriors are supported is the re
al political statement
With the present conflict in the
Mid-East, our citizens appear con
fused. A majority say, "1 support."
A significant minority say, "I sup
port, but..." A small minority de
clare non-support.
As a member of the majority, I
support this country's actions in to
tal. 1 understand the minority who do
not support any part of the move
ment 1 do not understand those who
say they support the troops but not
the President This statement is oxy
moronic because the President is a
member of the troops.
To offer support to those young
men and women in uniform we
have to enlist for the duration-wc
can't wait to be drafted. If we arc
not willing to offer full support, we
must be willing to desert another
generation.
There is a cry going up across the
nation from those who need sup
port. In most cases the responses
make me proud to be an American.
For instance, my initial reaction to
the war was somewhat a surprise.
"Hey, those kids don't know how to
fight-I should be there."
In taiking to the older veterans of
our community, it appears to be a
normal reaction. In retrospect we
know in this day and time we would
be a hindrance, not a help. But the
support for our young comrades and
shipmates is unquestioned.
Flags and ribbons adom the
countryside -that is a great way to
offer visual support
$ Rapport ftoupg far Urn*** m
being formed in churches, firehalis
and armories-stand tall in support.
Special salutes to the military are
being organized at city hall, com
munity colleges and school rooms
stand tall in support
Churches are opening their doors
with days, evenings, and even
week-long prayer meetings and vig
ils. That my friends is real support.
There is another cry going up
across the nation from those con
fused about how to offer support.
That is easy-be supportive in con
versation and actions. There are
many homes not offering a flag or
ribbons. If that is not your forte,
when and where docs the support
group meet? Did you attend the
salute at city hall or the college?
Where were you during Wednesday
night prayer meeting?
Leave your politics at home
while those kids are offering their
lives, and be careful what you say
or do while they stand in harm's
way.
Many say that Saddam Hussien is
a crazy man. He is crazy like a fox!
If you want to make the six o'clock
news in Iraq, bum a flag in public
or shout, "Hell no I won't go" or
"We offer our church as a haven for
protesters." That's the way to make
Saddam's day.
Let those youngsters make Sad
dam's day. They are offering a third
cry, "We are going to kick some
butt!" That is probably five parts
bravado and five parts military
machismo, but I like it-it is all
American.
One last question, friends: does
your butt need kicking? If so, shame
on you. The Vietnam generation is
enough to desert for personal poli
tics.
War is hell. I tried it twice and
don't like it. But those youngsters in
the military are my children. How
can I not support them? In their
case, "it is my country right or
wrong." They are the United States
of America in all its glory. I am
proud to say, "God Bless America,
and Lord, if it is your will, I pray
that not another drop of blood be
shed because all that was ever need
ed was shed at Golgotha's Hill, an
other man-made field of political
destruction.
Jess Parker
Veteran Service Officer
Supply
Community
Support
Disappointing
To the editor:
I am very disappointed and hurt
by the overaH lack of community
support shown for our hometown
troops serving in the Persian Gulf.
Unlike others, it really hits home
for me. 1 have a brother, 2nd Lt.
Gordon Matthew Gore, 24th Infan
try Division, who has been there
since Aug. 27, 1990.
It's really hard for my family, his
wife and tier family to get through
the day, but we have faith in God
that he will return home safely to
us.
I want to stress overall support,
because the National Guard Arm
ory, for one is doing a fantastic job
as far as support is concerned. I
don't think I'm asking for too
much, considering wiuu our troops
are doing for us.
It would be nice to see yellow or
red, white and blue ribbons down
Main Street, see area businesses
support through the use of ads in
our local paper, or just a sign, "God
Bless Our Troops" displayed some
how.
It would be great for local
churches to have their doors open at
certain times, besides Sundays, for
people who just want to light a can
dle or say a prayer.
It would also be nice to see the
local public schools systems also
display messages or ribbons. You
don't realize how good it makes me
feel to see a ribbon or a message
displayed for our hometown troops.
I'm proud to be a long-time resi
dent of Brunswick County, and I
would like Matthew, along with our
other local troops, to know that we
support them and love them with all
our hearts.
Becky G. White
Myrtle Beach
Make Them Hide
These ' Treasures'
To the editor:
The last two weeks there has
been a lot of talk concerning the
"green boxes." The ones we take
our trash to look like a hospital op
erating room compared to the two
permanent "flea markets" on 130
cast going to Holden Beach.
It seems to us like a great im
provement would be to have these
folks place their "treasures" behind
their buildings.
Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Tibbctts
Rt. 3, Supply
(Letters Continue Following Page)
THE BRUNSWICIC&f EACON
Established Nov. 1, 1962
Telephone 754-6890
Published Every Thursday
At 4709 Main Street
Shallotte, N.C. 28459
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
IN BRUNSWICK COUNTY
One Year $10.30
Six Months $5.50
ELSEWHERE IN NORTH CAROLINA
One Year $14.80
Six Months $7.85
ELSEWHERE IN U.S.A.
One Year ...$15.95
Six Months $8.35
Second class postage paid at the
Post Office in Shallotte, N.C.
28459. USPS 777-780.