LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Two- Lane
Bridge Would
Make Island
At Sunset Too Accessible'
To the editor:
My family and I have vacationed
at Sunset Beach twice this year. In
tctal, we have spent two or three
hours waiting to cross Sunset's one
lane pontoon bridge. This could be
looked upon as vacation time lost,
sitting in our car waiting for a boat
coming down the waterway or
watching the other lane of vehicles
pass us by.
But guess what? We love it!
The slower pace and quiet family
atmosphere is what drew us to
Sunset Beach in the first place. We
had grown tired of the noise, crowds
and traffic at Myrtle Beach, finding
ourselves still needing a vacation af
ter leaving each time. A vacation
should be relaxing, not hectic, and
Sunset provides that relaxation.
The one-lane bridge at Sunset is
the key to the island's pace and quiet
atmosphere. Few cruising teenagers
have the patience to wait at the
bridge. The loud booming car stereo
is rarely heard there. Those seeking
a party environment know to go
elsewhere.
A two-lane bridge would destroy
the island's charm by making it too
accessible. It would drive away fam
ilies and many of its permanent resi
dents. It would create traffic and
sour the sweetness of a peaceful af
ternoon walk. The sounds of the
scabirds would be replaced by the
thump-thump-thump of the latest
rap song.
If greed and development arc the
death of Sunset, we won't be around
to see it. There's bound to be anoth
er quiet beach somewhere.
Robert F. Abernethy
Lincolnton
Charges Against SBTA
Feed Fires Of Dissent
To the editor:
The Sunset Beach Taxpayers
Association is not trying to "usurp
the public beach," as alleged by Carl
Bazemorc The SBTA has never and
does not now advocate the privatiza
tion of the island of Sunset Beach.
The bridge, causeway and Main
Street on the island are state-owned
and maintained roads. Sunset Beach
cannot be a private beach with re
stricted acrsss.
The SETA went to court to force
the return of then Lot 1 -A (now the
beachfront parking lot and gazebo)
to public ownership, and then re
quested the town to accept it to as
sure that it would always remain
public
The SBTA has continually lob
bied the town council of Sunset
Beach to provide more public access
on the island for boat launching and
estuarial recreation. The town has
ignored these efforts and has closed
streets abutting estuarial waters.
Anyone who would spread such
total misinformation is trying to feed
a fire of dissension that has been
kindled and fed by those in power
who refuse to recognize simple;
honest disagreements about the
goals and direction of the island of
Sunset Bea^h.
The membership of SBTA wishes
to maintain and protect the island of
Sunset Beach for the use and enjoy
ment of all visitors and area resi
dents.
Minnie Hunt, Sunset Beach
Barry Lentz, Chapel Hill
Ray Zetts, Sunset Beach
Outside Forces Rule
To the editor:
More and more people are be
coming concerned about American
policies foreign and domestic. Our
military forces no longer even pre
tend lobe: forcc to drfrnH Amer
ica. They have become international
aggressors that are going around the
world forcing small nations to obey
the United Nations, and all of :his
aggression committed by our mili
tary is labeled "peace-keeping" in an
effort to keep the sleeping people
pacified. But what they are really
being used for is to create a world
environment that will be controlled
by history's worst tyrants.
Here at home government agents
are waging war on the people.
Anyone they find to be politically
incorrect can become a target. Many
are being trained to fight domestic
wars in case the people resist when
they come to take away our
firearms.
TWo years ago I wrote a letter to
this newspaper stating that our polit
ical leaders are controlled by an in
ternational group of elite super-rich
that call themselves Bildcrbergers. I
quoted one of their own. Dr. Carroll
Quigley.
Let'* look at what happened in
Haiti. Eighty percent of the Amer
ican people arc against it. About 75
percent of the House and Senate are
against it. The House and Senate are
the only people that can legally send
our military into any combat situa
tion. But did that make any differ
ence? No.
If this is not proof that our coun
try is being controlled by outside
forces, then what will it take?
W.H. Stanley
Calabash
Hurt Loon Saved,
But Kkk In Trouble
To the editor:
Thanks to those at Holdcn Beach
who helped rne find proper care for
a young injured loon on Saturday,
Oct. I. Fortunately, the loon may
make it with the help of Wildlife
Rehabilitation Specialist Cathy
Creech and her daughter Sherry.
Unfortunately, the kids who were
picking up and throwing down the
bird? the same kids who were kick
ing the bird as it tried to get to the
ocean ? may not be as lucky. Wake
up. mom and dad! If these are your
children, they'll grow up one day.
Abusive behavior patterns may con
tinue as they get older.
How did they learn to mistreat an
imals anyway? Societal norms? TV?
Peer group? Are they modeling be
havior thev see at home?
Good luck to the little loon on
having a sccond chance at life. Lxt's
hope those kids have a sccond
chance too.
Kay Drake
Elon College
Commissioners Should
Get Credit For Action
To the editor:
Two articles in your Sept. 29 is
sue point up significant relationships
to our continued prosperity and
well-being.
Your editorial on the appointment
of David Redwine to the Atlantic
States Marine Fisheries Commission
and the dire need to protect our fish
ing industry in Brunswick County
states the issue well.
On your front page you discuss a
lawsuit brought by Martin Marietta
against our county commissioners
for putting in place an ordinance to
prevent pumping down the fresh wa
ter in the Castle Hayne aquifer. This
pumping would cause saltwater in
trusion in the aquifer and leave thou
sands in the county without fresh
water in their home wells. It would
also changc the water flow of the
Walden Creek primary nursery and
destroy the fish larvae that develop
into a large part of the Atlantic
Coast fish harvest and sportfishing
in this area. In addition, Carolina
Power and Light has gone on record
to state this mine would jeopardize
its nuclear regulatory license, as it
would endanger the puoiic by deal
ing sinkholes.
While Mr. Redwine is going into
a position to protect our county, you
did not credit Don Warren, Tom
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ing it. Thank the Lord they are on
the commission.
Phyllis Menasco
Southport
Some Hanky-Panky?
To the editor:
1 am involved in a situation with
the North Carolina State Department
of Transportation that warrants a bit
of scrutiny into the integrity and jus
tice of the DOT while providing its
services to the taxpayers.
We have two streets in the same
development, parallel- to each other.
They are both approximately 1,600
feet long and dead end. The names
arc Barracuda and Blue Marlin
streets.
A while back the DOT started
providing maintenance for Barra
cuda Street and gave it number
1801. A few months later the DOT
picked up Blue Marlin Street and
numbered it 1811. Barracuda Street
has 12 permanent families, six hous
es, three doublewides and 15 mobile
homes. Blue Marlin Street has five
permanent families, one house and
10 mobile homes.
Today the DOT paved Blue
Marlin Street. No matter what the
criterion used, it is easy to see that
there is some hanky-panky going
on.
There is an old saying, "It's who
you know" or "it's in the wallet."
Could it be? I wonder.
Marvin K. Brown
Supply
Shallotte No Eyesore
To liic cuiioi.
I have lived in Shallotte all my
life. I do not consider Shallotte an
eyesore. It is supposed to be a small
town. If you want to be regulated
every move and told what you can
and cannot do, then move to Russia.
I may never have a yard sale at
my house. But I do not want to be
told that I cannot. As far as yard sale
items taking away from merchants, I
don't know of any used items that
they sell.
Some it might be that we have to
go Wilmington, Whiteville or
Myrtle Beach to yard sale. What
freedom will we lose next?
Junk to one person could be an
other's treasure.
Cynthia King
Shallotte
Some Suggested
Education Criteria
To the editor:
An extreme cynic once defined
politics as the art of preventing peo
ple from taking pari in affairs which
properly concern them.
While this assessment has some
small element of truth in all facets of
acquiring or maintaining political
power, it is unfortunately a rather
large part of the practices of our ed
ucational establishments in this na
tion.
True, the professionals want more
parental participation to coordinate
parental activity with school activi
ty, but they do not want parental in
volvement in the decisions about
whdi to icdtli.
And in the past five decades they
have acquired and practiced the
mind set that if parents do not bother
to come to them, parents don't care
Miiich abc: Jt their children's educa
tion. The major error of this mind
set is that there is no fundamental
communication base that will give
parents any focus to converse.
Parents get almost nothing in the
way of reports from teachers or the
schools about their children's
progress or behavior unless it is so
bad the schools cannot handle it.
Teachers, instead, must fill out nu
merous reports for administration,
the latter 's observance deemed more
important than parents'.
in setting themselves up as better
judges of curriculum and finished
product than parents, the profession
al educators have thusly produced
poorer and poorer results.
As I have publicly stated before,
the cure for this unwarranted politi
cal control over parents' children is
to change the communication initia
tive: the educators should reach out
to the parents by communication.
At the beginning of each school
year teachers (not administrators)
should author and send to parents a
synopsis of the academic matter to
be covered for that year, how much
substance the student is expected to
absorb, what intangible benefits or
personal habits or viewpoints the
student is expected to acquire, and a
iist of reading or instructional mate
rials tc be used.
And parents should reccive a
copy of every report addressed to
administration which concerns their
children specifically.
And an adequate report card
every six weeks which gives solid
assessment about progress in regard
to standards for the coursc(s) of in
struction as well as with respect to
the students' abilities; plus pertinent
comments about behavior and atten
tiveness.
If these things were done, parents
would have good reason to consult
with and participate in dialogue con
cerning curriculum, and educators
would get a better read on the effica
cy of their programs instead of right
eously defending every politically
correct program or theoretic ap
proach initiated by college doctors.
Due to government policy now in
effect, the transition back to good
educational policy will be slow, but
small beginning steps can be taken
at the local level. ..steps that require
public school administrators and
teachers to initiate communication
and impart complete meaningful in
formation to parents.
Now is the time to overtake a bad
past: elect new school board mem
bers who will demand what I have
herein stated is necessary.
Karl E. Brandt
Shallotte
(More Letters, Following Page)
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