?? I I L
V.UIUUU5I 1
Can't Waste
Opportunity
Doug
Rutter
Newspaper people are often
quick to criticize elected officials
tor their lack of leadership.
We've had ample opportunity to
do that this year in Brunswick
County when referring to the coun
ts commissioners and schinil hoard.
But it's not very often that we
columnists take the opportunity to
praise the efforts of community
leaders like the crew working in
Calabash.
Hiis volunteer group has pushed
lor change and has met with some
resistance. But through these small
squabbles. Calabash's leaders are
keeping the dream alive.
Town residents indicated in a re
cent survey that they want to live in
a retirement, coll and fishing com
mutiny. This is obviously wh;il
town officials want as well, anil it
doesn't look iike they're going to
quit until they get it.
Calabash residents should give
their leaders a pat on the back.
There's a new. healthy altitude in
Calabash that can produce nothing
bill |H>sitive results for the town
and its people.
I he Calabash Planning and 7on
mg Hoard and its various commit
tees have played a key role in
working toward improvement ol
the community. I hey stalled going
lull steam ahead earlier ilus vear
and haven't looked back.
The board members may have
had trouble understanding the lim
its ol their role in local covet nment
at Itrsi. but you can'l say a hail
word about ihcir enthusiasm or
willingness to put in the hours.
They're addressing all ol the
town's needs including solid waste
and recycling. trans|x>rtation and
dredging ol the Calabash River.
These volunteers also arc work
ing toward some things the town
ina> not need, but things that would
make it a better place lo live and
work, lown bcnutilieatii'ii comes
to tiiiiul.
With all .il this going on, the
most important project tinder wa\
in ('alabash may be the elloii to rei
sewer service to the business dis
trk i itul waterliont
The absence til sewer service in
the downtown area is ceitaiuly re
lated to pollution problems in the
Calabash Kivcr, where bacteria lev
els at times are unsafe tor fishing
and swimming.
It's ironic that all of those beauti
ful shrimp boats and fishing vessels
arc docked m a river that is ecolog
ically on death's dooi. Hut that's
exactly what has happened as Cala
bash has developed with restaur
ants. businesses and residences and
no adequate method ol handling the
waste.
Calabash has been given an op
portunity to hook its downtown
business area on to a sewer system
operated by a private utility.
The cost would be staggering. It
would cost several hundred thou
sand dollars 10 expand sower scr
vice to the downtown area.
Bui the cost of not providing
sewer service to the waterfront
would be even higher. What would
Calabash be like 20 years from
now if pollution gets worse and the
smell ami appearance of the river
drives visitors away.
A sewer system serving the wa
terfront would hike property values
and tax base for the town. It might
even urge landowners paying these
higher taxes to lake more pride in
the appearance ol Calabash.
Town officials have the football
in their hands. They need to grab it
with Nuh hands and make sure
they don't fumble it.
Letting that available sewer set
vice slip away?for any reason
would be like killing the goose that
lays the golden eggs.
Opinion Page
THE BRUNSWICKjtBfACON
Edward M. Sweatt and Carolyn H. Swealt f\tbl(shers
Edward M. Sweatl EUlitor
Susan Usher News Editor
Doug Rutter and Terry Pope Staff Writers
Johnny Craig Sports Editor
Peggy Earwood Office Manager
Caroiyn H. Sweatt... Advertising Director
Ttmberley Adams ft Cecelia Gore Advertising Representatives
Tammie Galloway & Dorothy Brennan Typesetters
William Manning Pressman
Brenda Clemmons Photo Technician
Lonnie Sprinkle Assistant Pressman
Phoebe Clemmons and Frances Sweatt Circulation
PAGE-i A WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 21 '990
Seek Common Ground,
Don't Dwell On Differences
It's easy to understand why black Democratic Part\ leaders
were disappointed with the outcome of the Nov. 6 general elec
tions. in which the two local black candidates failed to win.
But their plan to seek two black majority electorial districts
is way off course. Here they are trying to set the black commu
nity apart as "different." claiming that one segment of the pop
ulation deserves special treatment and a voice greater than that
given the average citizen. That w ill only lead to more factional
ism. not less.
Their cause would be better served by trying to find out
what black citizens have in common with other Brunswick
County voters and building new coalitions around those broad
er issues and concerns. Most of us are after the same things: a
better quality of life for ourselves and our children in terms of
housing, job and educational opportunities, the best return on
our tax dollars we can get. and fair and equitable treatment.
Willi the existing electoral district system, every resident of
the county has a commissioner and a school board member
whose job it is to represent their interests and concerns, regard
less of their race, color, sexual preference, church affiliation,
political party affiliation or whatever.
But the decisions they make affect everybody in the county
and, as it should be. each of those commissioners and school
board members must eventually answer to every voter in the
county.
Most of the county's roughly 4.500 black voters are regis
tered as Democrats. In the general elections, a large number
exercised their right to vote. With the urging and sometimes
the assistance of black party leaders, many voted straight
Democratic tickets.
A lot of white voters registered as Democrats did not vote
straight tickets, which led leaders in the black community to
feel betrayed. They had done their pan, but the system had
failed: "If you're good to the party, the party will be good to
you." Or at least that's the way it was supposed to work.
But times have changed, and we think for the better. The
typical voter isn't as concerned today with a candidate's party
affiliation as with what he or she represents. Many voters
would fit into one "special interest group" or another and that's
fine. That shouldn't make them eligible for their own electoral
district. To be real winners, we have to work together for the
entire county.
Black, white, Democrat. Republican, fanners, senior citi
zens, from one end of the county or another?all of us want
our votes to not only count, but to carry the maximum weight.
But voting is a privilege of citizenship, however flawed the
system may be. It comes with no guarantees that the candidate
or the party of our choice w ill gain election, or that if they do.
they'll see fit to send favors our way or to share our special in
terests.
But voting, even more than paying taxes, should buy us ac
cess to the system?the right to ask for county water, to ex
press concerns about one issue or another, to try to make things
different or better?even when "our" party isn't in office.
i^RBoOR
(CLJ I'Ho
<Ct\H3UNA\
CARTONS
Bringing Lunch? Better Pack Your Own Milk. Too
It was one of those tilings you
don't quite believe the first time you
hear it.
A student who brings his or tu'r
lunch from home can't buy a carton
of milk from the high school cafete
ria to go with it. Or an apple, by
golly. Those privileges are reserved
for students who bu_\ plate lunches
from the school system. So says the
child nutrition director lor the
Brunswick County Schools. I heard
it myself.
Nolan Galloway ol Supply
brought this little operating rule to
the attention of school board mem
bers at their Nov. 13 meeting. He
knows about it because he has a
daughter who attends West
Brunswick High School and brings
her ow n lunches from home.
He can't understand why she
can't buy a carton of milk to go
with lunch. Neither can I, though I
can appreciate the Catch-22 situa
tion that led to such a ridiculous
rule.
The child nutrition department
has been under the gun the past sev
eral years to improve its bottom
line. Labor costs were too high in
proportion to overall meal costs and
not enough student.-, were eating
lunch and/or breakfast in the cafete
rias. Some cafeterias were losing
money.
Along with serving healthier
meals (less fat, sugar, salt, etc.) the
cafeterias have been trying to cut la
bor anil food costs and beef up stu
dent participation. They're involv
ing students in developing menus,
offering taste ins of new foods, of
fering more food choices and in
general trying to make cafeterias
more appealing.
For the most part they're sue
cccding, I think. The meals I've eat
Susan
Usher
on at schools luivc boon prcuy
gtxnl am! a grout bargain, price
wisc. But \"ii know how kids arc.
Most aren't looking tor a Type A
lunch thai i- good lot thorn. And
when you're tootling thai many peo
ple on a tight budget, u s not like
they're dining at the Waldorf
Astoria or even Morrison's.
'The department relies heavily on
the federal government to operate
cost effectively. Reimbursements
for free and reduced meals are the
main revenue sourcc, and Ms.
Johnson they're available only for
plate lunches.
That's how the no-milk i tile came
about, you see. II you Icl one stu
dent buy just milk or an apple or
chips, then how can you not let all
students buy them'.' A Pi J what it stu
dents who qualify lor those all-im
portant free or reduced lunches
choose instead to buy an apple, a
bag ol chips and a carton of milk?
Right now all the school cafeterias
are in the black and the county
wants to keep it that way.
Superintendent P.R. I lank ins,
who in his old post of assistant su
perintendent oversaw the food ser
vice program, told the Galloways
that the milk rule would gel a sec
ond look, maybe get experimented
with a little. But he made no
promise of permanent change.
Adults may not need milk, but
growing kids do. And besides, they
shouldn't be penalized when they
are fortunate enough have parents
who take the time to prepare lunch
es for them.
While sympathizing with the eco
nomics ol the situation. 1 don't like
the implied message ol this no-milk
rule. I read ii this way: If you don't
buy a plate lunch from us. then you
don't count with us.
Surely there's a belter way to
keep school cafeterias opeialing on
a break-even basis than limiting
sales of milk and fruit, or for thai
matter. Chips.
The scIkx>I system wants mote
parent involvement?maybe parents
can come up with a solution to thi>
one if the nutrition staff can't.
Write Us
The Beacon welcomes letters
to the editor. All letters must Ix
signed and include the writer's
address. Under no circumstances
will unsigned letters be printed.
Letters should be legible. The
Beacon reserves the right to edit
libelous comments. Address
letters to The Brunswick Beacon,
P. C). Box 2558, Shallotie, N. C
28459.
A Thanksgiving Letter From Calabash Couple
To the editor:
On Thanksgiving I>;is in l'>35 we drove through this
area. It was oh, so quici, then as we were returning from
our honeymoon trip in Florida.
We explored this area and enjoyed the moss-covered
trees, the huge water oaks and the friendly greetings we re
ceived along the quiet roads.
It was great and, alter so many years passed by and we
had travelled throughout this great country, we came here
to Calabash to build our modest home, the fifth.
We are happy to be able to celebrate our 55th wedding
anniversary Nov. 16, and at age 80 and K7, thankful to be
.P .? .I n?., l I. ,..1.1.
lU^VUICI tllHi ill tftnnl iKiliut.
The l.ord has been good to us, and our many friends
and neighbors respectful and kind.
I.orctta and Earl Mark land
Calabash
Rev. Everett's
Battle Has
Strong
Message
This Thanksgiving there arc
some families who are truly thank
ful because they are warm. They
might not be able to afford big
turkeys and vegetables again this
year, but they are thankful just be
cause they have a home thai keeps
out the cold.
An article in this week's Bruns
wick Beacon tells the story of a
group of volunteers called Helping
Hands Inc.
The volunteers' mission is to
help families stricken by poverty
improve their living conditions by
volunteering their time, energy,
money and supplies to help up
grade the poor housing conditions
that arc not a rare sight in
Brunswick County.
The people who are the Helping
Hands have a task that's too great
lor a small group of volunteers to
really ever finish. These people
must work jobs to support families
and to ensure that they are not the
next victims to fall prey to poverty.
They give up their weekends and
nights to help their fellow man.
The Helping Hands didn't come
to the media seeking publicity.
That's not what it's all about. When
I heard about the group, I went to
them. The head of the non-profit
organization, the Rev. Thurman
Everett, convinced me that there is
truly a Chiistian spirit which guides
these volunteers to do what they
feel thev must do.
Poverty isn't the product of
someone's imagination. When lor
mer President Ronald Reagan said
there were no homeless people in
America, he was living in the
While Hou^c I h:ive to admit, I
was stunned by what I saw last
week when Rev. Everett carried mc
to one of the projects the group is
now working on so close to my
own home. I have taken ux> much
lor granted.
Remember the old saying about
how evil flourishes when good men
do nothing? What motivates the
Helping Hands is the thought that
one g(Mxl deed will multiply. A
warm home will nurture a child's
willingness to go to school and to
learn. Running water will spark a
single parent's desire to lind a job,
to build a higher self esteem.
And then there is I tike 10 in The
Holy Bible. Rev. livcrctt saitl it is
this message that motivates the
group to keep hammering away no
matter how heavy the loll becomes
on I heir hearts. Ii is ;i message about
slopping lo help your neighbor.
In layman's language, I will try
lo interpret that message about the
Good Samaritan.
In Luke, Jesus tells a lawyer that
to inherit eternal life he must first
love his neighbor, but the lawyer
asks who those neighbors might be.
Jesus then relates the story about a
man from Jerusalem who was trav
c!in? Jericho when he fell I**
with robbers who stripped him,
beat him and went off leaving him
for dead.
It just so happened that a priest
was passing by, but when he saw the
man lying there in such a suite, the
priest crossed to the other side of the
road and continued on his way, re
vising to become involved. A I .evile
also came upon the man, and he.
ux). passed Co (he other side.
A Samaritan who happened to be
passing saw the man and was
moved to pity. He bandaged the
wounds, bathed him in oil, lilted
the man to his donkey and walked
the rest ol the way to an inn. He
paid the bill at the inn and agreed
to pay the innkee[>er on his way
back through town if more money
was needed.
Jesus asks which of the three
u?'?c '? "noiuhk?r"
.?v u.. -i 5 ? - - c * ?* ?
It's not a difficult question to an
swer.
Rev. Everett says if all men can
stop just long enough to give a
Helping Hand, then everyone will
benefit Just something to think
about tins thanksgiving.
The address is Helping Hands
Inc., P.O. Box I KM, Lcland. N.C.
28451.