iV % * ?? \ VI
PHOTO BY BILL FAVEK
THE MOCKINGBIRD is one of the "mimic thrushes" and gives us clues to other birds in our area.
Listen For The Clues
BY BILL FAVER tos, means "many-tounged mimic," and that seems to
One of the advantages of having several of the mim- describe this bird well.
ic thrushes in our area is being able to listen to them Some researchers have reported that mockingbirds
for clues of the arrival of spring not only mimic other bird songs but have made such
bird migrants. sounds as the tinkling of keys on a piano, the barking
The Catbird, Brown Thrasher, of a dog, the sound of an ax stricking wood, a wolf
and the Northern Mockingbird are whistle, and a car horn. Some mockingbirds have been
our most common mimic thrushes, known to sing 200 or more different songs.
but we seem to hear and see more We are told the males do most of the singing, and
of the mockingbird than the other probably to keep other males out of their territories,
two species. The variety of their songs is believed to aid in attract
Thc "mocker" sings all year but ing females. A male with a great collection of songs
seems to do his best in spring and and a substantial territory seems to be welcomed by
summer. In early spring he will females. Such a male may be seen as one able to pro
favek pick up any bird calls he hears and tect the female and support the raising ot a brood,
repeat them several times from some high perch. Now is the time to begin listening to the mocking
When we are only vaguely familiar with some of those bird's song. You can hear what has arrived and know
songs, we can know the birds have arrived and begin what other birds arc singing by the clues they will give
looking for them. It's scientific name, Mimus polyglot- you.
MORE LETTERS
Children Learn Racial Bias,
Harmony By Parents7 Example
To the editor:
I would like to respond to the let
ter in your Feb. 17 issue, headlined
"White History Month?" and written
by Leroy Haircloth. With all due re
spect to Mr. Haircloth, 1 know it is
his right to voice his opinion. Now
may 1 voice mine.'
I am a black woman, wife and
mother. My children also attend the
local schools. Anytime that any of
my children are given an assignment
to write about anybody?be they
white, black, yellow or orange?un
like some children, (hey cannot
refuse by saying, "I'm not going to
write about a white person."
However, when a white child re
fuses to write about a black person,
it's because it's his "constitutional"
right to refuse.
It seems that you are saying there
is something wrong with a white
child writing about a black person.
If you believe in your constitutional
rights, then you should also believe,
as is stated in the Constitution, that
all people are created equal. If this is
so, then what is the problem with a
white child writing about a black
person?
When 1 was younger and in the
local schools, I also did not particu
larly care to write about "white peo
ple," but I was taught that it wasn't a
matter of writing about a black or
white person, but a matter of learn
ing about history, be in black or
white history. History is an impor
tant part of education.
In response to the issue of Black
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History Month, if history has been
taught correctly and unbiased re
garding any minority race of people,
there would not be a need for Black
History Month.
Here is a little bit of history: The
first human heart transplant was per
formed by Christian Ncethling
Barnard in December 1967. The yo
yo, a toy enjoyed by many races of
children, was invented by a black
slave.
It is unfortunate that in 1994
some parents are still promoting
racial separation instead of racial
harmony. Since children learn by ex
ample, one can only guess the lesson
this child has learned from this.
Anetta Bryant
Bolivia
'Evil's Welcome Maf
To the editor:
I am still scratching my head over
the proposal of two gambling propo
nents, Senators George Daniel and
Sandy Sands, to use revenues from a
state-operated lottery to finance anti
crime proposals.
Since the spccial legislative ses
sion on crime is costing the taxpay
ers $5(),(XX) a day, priority ought to
be given for ways to reduce crime
rather than to increase it.
Evidently, Daniel and Sands have
not done much research on state
sponsored gambling. Financing anti
crime programs by legalizing gam
bling is like putting out a fire with
gasoline.
Of course, one of the arguments
that gambling proponents always
give for a state-operated lottery is
that it will eliminate criminal activi
ty That idea can not be substantiat
ed. Evidence from a number of
states shows that the presence of le
galized gambling actually increases
rather than decreases illegal gam
bling.
Connecticut started a state lottery
to cut into illegal gambling and or
ganized crime. Austin J. McGuigan,
their former chief state's attorney
observed: "Rather than cut into the
revenue of organized crime, the state
has been swept by a gambling ma
nia, which has more than doubled
the level of illegal wagering in the
last eight years."
Former Director of the FBI
William Webster said: "I really don't
see how one can expect to run legal
ized gambling anywhere without se
rious problems?fraudulent tickets,
counterfeit lottery processes. Any
time organized crime sees an oppor
tunity to put a fix on something, to
get an edge on something, it'll be
there. And gambling is still the
largest source of revenue for orga
nized crime."
The U.S. News and World Report
has stated that the biggest fears of
states?that lotteries would bring
corruption and scandals?are now
surfacing. In spite of stringent secu
rity provisions by state lottery offi
cials, ir.cidcr.ccs of corruption have
occurred recently in several states.
We have enough crime in North
Carolina without putting out the
welcome mat for this insidious evil
of gambling. Let's encourage our
legislators to just keep saying NO to
such proposals
Coy C. Privette
Executive Director
Christian Action League of N.C.
Tax Help Appreciated
To the editor:
We wish to tell you how helpful
your story on AARP counselors to
help with income tax preparation
was to us.
We were thrilled to have this ser
vice available and took advantage of
it. We recently retired here from
western New York. Having sold a
home, bought a home here, with
New York, federal and North
Carolina tax forms to complete, we
had more forms, instructions, etc..
than we knew what to do with.
Thanks to Mr. Nielson and Mr.
Dunn our taxes are completed. They
helped us with North Carolina and
federal, and we were able to com
plete the New York forms. They are
very knowledgeable and their ser
vice most gratefully appreciated by
us.
We do hope others here realize
what a special service this is and
take advantage of it.
Keith and JoAnn Burdick
Bolivia
When In
Have you ever almost not done
something that you knew deep down
inside that you really wanted to do
but had some lame excuse that near
ly kept you from doing it and there
by regretting it for weeks?
No? Well I have. Most recently
on Sunday, when I came perilously
close to wimping out and acting my
age. Whew!
As I walk to the newspaper box, I
try to ignore that low-pitched vibra
tion rumbling across the dune a half
block away, to explain away the
sharp cracks that only come from
one thing: thick tubes of pitching
seawater smacking onto a shallow
shore.
Waves.
There is no mistaking, no deny
ing, no point in even trying.
Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.
No way to avoid. Just time to de
cide.
Perhaps Patrick won't notice, 1
think, indulging my morning groggi
ness.
Sure. Right. He got a new surf
board a month ago. He got off re
striction this weekend.
The bacon has just begun to sizzle
when the door to his bedroom
opens. Like a zombie summoned by
a witch doctor's spell, he lumbers
outside and straight for the beach.
"Imgonnagocheckthewaves," he
mumbles.
The one rule we have about
Patrick surfing is that he doesn't go
out alone. This rarely poses problem
in the summer, because whenever
there are waves, there's usually
somebody out surfing at the pier.
And, being a pretty dedicated wa
verider myself, I'm often the one
who rousts Patrick out of bed when
the surf is good and the water is
warm.
However, this is February and the
water is not warm. In fact, it has
been particularly cold this winter?
hovering in the mid 4()s. I haven't
paddled since December. My extra
inch of winter fat is in place. My
arms are totally Gumby. And i have
no plans to get salty for another
month.
"Blam!" The door bursts open.
Patrick is huffing and puffing and
saying something about the best surf
Doubt: Paddle Out
Eric
Carlson
he's ever seen at Holden Beach:
Head-high sets. No wind. Hot sun.
Total glass. And there's nobody in
the water.
(Which translates, "I can't go
surfing unless you do. And you RE
ALLY want to go out. Don't you,
dear, sweet stepfather of mine?")
As I load the breakfast dishes into
the dishwasher, I feel a pair of
teenage laser-beam eyes tracking me
like a security camera at Wal-Mart.
But 1 REALLY don't like jumping
into water when the temperature is
within a few degrees of my age.
1 think of a hundred extremely
important things I need to do, like
washing the car. Cleaning out the
storage room. Sitting on the couch
and reading the paper. But the evil
eye won't let up.
Finally, I agree to drive him down
to the pier to check. If it's good, I'll
watch him from the beach.
It was good all right. Really good.
Not the usual Holden Beach wind
waves breaking slowly and erratical
ly in fat, mushy mounds of chop and
whitewater.
This was a real, genuine swell
from someplace far out to sea; a
steady procession of long green
lines stacked up to the horizon,
marching in from the southeast,
breaki? ",ct ?nc?Ho th#? nipr and
e? j ?" ? .... r
peeling off all the way to the beach.
Three guys have just come in?
Cain Faircloth and two familiar
faces I haven't seen since last fall.
They say it's great.
Brett Fulford wanders up to the
walkover, squinting hard behind his
sunglasses, guzzling ice water and
complaining of a headache caused
by the previous evening's activities.
"You goin' out?" I ask.
"Got to. Maybe it'll clear my
head."
My sentiments exactly. No matter
how gnarly or cold or blown-out or
just marginal the conditions, I can't
think of a single time I have ever re
gretted stroking out for a few waves.
I always come back feeling better.
However, I can recall several oc
casions when I thought up some
easy excuse to not go surfing and
later wished I had. This was not go
ing to be one of those.
I make it to the lineup with sur
prising case. Still, my bare hands
have turned red and numb from the
cold. My legs are stiffening up like
the Tin Man in a Northeaster. 1 have
no power in my strokes. I wonder if
I can even catch a wave.
It doesn't seem to matter. I'm
back out in the Atlantic, straddling
my trusty nine-footer, soaking up
rays, watching the birds, swapping
stories with all those guys I rarely
sec anywhere else, but who always
appear when the waves do.
We talk about what a great day it
is. How the water's been so cold.
How out of shape we are. All the
time scanning the horizon. Jock
eying for position. Whooping when
somebody snags a hot wave.
I paddle out a bit beyond the oth
ers. Not in search of a larger wave.
Rather to rest and catch my breath.
Call it luck. Call it a blessing. But
don't call me ungrateful when a big
set wave appears and I have bum
bled into just the right spot to catch
it. Or for it to catch me.
"Whoo-Whoo!" I hear as my legs
are lifted above my head and the
board picks up speed.
I jump to my feet and stare down
the glittering emerald slope. Racing
to the bottom, I lean hard into a long
arcing turn that carries me back to
the top of the wave, where the lip is
a thin sheet of liquid glass fluttering
in the sunlight.
The board pauses and teeters for a
moment as the wave rises beneath it.
We slice across the face, faster and
faster as the wall grows steeper and
steeper, curling over to form a roof,
a room, a wum'u. i am suspeuucu in
a moment that knows no bounds.
I emerge from the liquid cavern.
With no fear. No thought. No ego.
No plan.
Just a great big grin.
SUfiSICQLUMN
Get Back To Basics With Kids
BY JOHN A. GORE
In response to Susan Usher's re
cent column on the responsibility of
the outcome of our youth in today's
society, I will begin with this: Get
back to the basics!
First of all, I too can remember
those days when the neighbors also
were like our parents and they
looked out for us when mom and
dad weren't around. And f we got
into mischief, we would be guaran
teed a good walloping when we got
home
In today's society that good bit of
human nature has all but disap
peared, along with some good par
enting as well. There was a time
when parents ruled with a strong
hand. They could put the fear of
God in us, or just plain fear. One
thing was for certain, we showed
plenty of respect to them. That has
all but vanished.
Why? Let's begin with our state
agencies and our governments, who
in their most infinite wisdom have
taken all the contro! away from the
parents and the teachers in our
schools. Corporal punishment has
been outlawed in our school system
and homes.
Back when I was in school, there
wasn't a need for armed police in or
on campus. Our teachers and princi
pals were allowed to heat your back
side if you were causing problems.
Not anymore.
t eachers today afraid ot calling a
student down tor any reason tor fear
of some kind of repercussion or
even calling parents at home about
the child. The alternative programs
such as detention, or "Choices,"
have no effect whatsoever. The kids
laugh at it.
Corporal punishment worked.
Our rights as parents, to govern
our own homes and issue our forms
of punishment, have been all but
taken away. These beautiful crea
tures that we have produced?who
will sometimes take leave or mis
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place themselves and get into all
kinds of mischief?need to be re
minded of the rules of life and what
is to be expected of them.
It used to be that a good "switch
ing" was all it took to get them back
on the straight and narrow. Not any
more. Social service agencies now
have hotlines set up. Hit your child
now and they can go and pick up the
phone and turn you in for abuse. It
makes them feel as if they are get
ting back at you for punishing them.
The next step then is for these
agencies to send someone to your
home to "investigate" and question
your ability and authority in your
home. Right then and there you have
lost a major battle in the war on sav
ing our children. And you have just
lost control of your home and the
ability to make proper decisions.
The next time that the kids get in
to some type of trouble at school or
in the streets, you stand by question
ing your next move, so as not to "of
fend the child." Now you tell me. is
that the-way you run your home?
In my day if you talked back?
which was probably the worst mis
take you could make then?you
might find a shoe, broom or any
thing that wasn't nailed down com
ing at you. A little extreme? Maybe,
but it got your attention.
Better not do that either, because
parent groups and community
groups say that's not the way to iian
liie lilc Mtudiion. Yuu uCCu to Sit
down, talk and rationalize the prob
lem. I can't put in this article what
some of these kids today would tell
you to do with your advice.
That's also why the know-it-all
parents and community leaders, who
have attended every forum and
workshop on child-rearing, need to
come down off that soapbox and
join us in the real world, down in the
trenches.
Delinquents and hooligans are
running rampant and laughing at our
courts because the judicial system as
I see it today does not work. Three
good meals a day, plenty of basket
ball and weightlifting and all the TV
you can watch is not what I perceive
to be the proper punishment for dis
tributing drugs, gang-type violence,
shooting, beating or maiming other
human beings.
Whenever you have a good kid
gone bad, everyone, including the
courts, makes it look as though it
was you, the parents, who are at
fault. I say stop persecuting parents
who have done all they know how,
and lock the criminals up in prison
and jails where they will do some
hard time and possibly come out and
not want to go back in. Right now
our jails are like well-supervised
country clubs.
I am but one caring parent that
still believes in the old ways of
child-rearing. And it works. Parents,
get control! Government, stay out!
Courts, toughen the penalties!
These children are the most valu
able asset of the future. Sitting
around and talking about solutions is
Hue, but ii doesn't stop there, if we
don't get back tc basics, then what's
left of this society and that to come
is going to hell in a handbasket.
John Core lives at Ocean Isle
Beach.
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