Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / Nov. 14, 1991, edition 1 / Page 4
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Opinion Page THE BRUNSWtCKjifEACON Edwanl M. Sweat t and Carolyn H. Sweatt Publishers Edward M. Sweatt . Editor Susan Usher Neivs Editor Terry I\>pe and Dori Gurganus Sta \JJ Writers Doug Kulter S/wrts Editor Pcggv Earwood Office Manager Carolyn H. Sweatt Advertising Director Tiinberley Adams. Cecelia Core and Bill Nlsbet Advertising Representatives Hrenda Clennnous M(*>re & Dorothy Brennan Graphic Artists William Manning Pressman Lonnie Sprinkle Assistant Pressman Tracy Smith Photo Technician l'hoel>e Clemmons and Frances Sweatt Circulation PAGE 4 A, THURSDAY NOVEMBER 14, 1991 Teamwork Has Its Advantages For better or worse, more and more Brunswick County's present and especially its future are being affected by decisions made in surrounding counties: how they deal with the chal lenges and opportunities related to growth or the lack of it. We've seen it make a difference in everything from mobile home permits to siting for industrial development, to the politi cal factors that come into play in routing a connector from 1-40 to U.S. 17. It is to Brunswick County's benefit to get involved in efforts to address common problems from a regional perspective, from solid waste disposal to better preparing our current workforce and future workforce for the changing labor market. We have lit tle to lose and much to gain. Hopefully we've learned some of the pitfalls to watch for from our previous experiences in organizations such as the Lower Cape Fear Water & Sewer Authority. We know that Brunswick County needn't always be on the begging end of the stick: we have assets of our own as well as needs. We are not "the poor folks across the river" as the county has been painted so often in the past. We may not always come out of each game with the win ning hand, but in the long term we should benefit from helping to create a stronger southeastern North Carolina. The opportunities are there. In our opinion, Brunswick County lias an obligation to its people, to its taxpayers, to at least explore the potential for cooperation in ventures such as the University of North Carolina at Wilmington's proposals to help bring a regional focus to area planning efforts and to help strengthen area schools: as well as common concerns being raised by the Council of Governments and the Rural Economic Development Center. One of the latest regional efforts, the 1-40 Association, offers a great deal of potential for Brunswick County. In turn we have expertise and resources valued by other member communities. Learning to work together, to give and to take, could well make a difference in how successfully Brunswick County han dles the challenges of the coming decade. While no one wants to see Brunswick County lose its emerging identity, neither can we afford to forget that there is strength in numbers. Kids Shouldn't Be Scared Of Halloween From what I've heard since relocating to Brunswick County, I appar ently worship Satan if I recognize Dori Cosgrove Gurganus Halloween as a holiday. All my childhood 1 dressed up each Oct. 31 as a variety of differ ent characters and went door to door asking for candy. Now I'm informed that I was worshiping Satan all along. Why didn't someone tell me that my belief in God had come to an end? Docs this mean that I can't put a decorated Christmas tree in my house this December since that custom began over a thousand years ago as part of a pagan European tradition? that's about as logical as saying that dressing up as a vampire or a ghost or even the devil himself is the same thing as glorifying him. And that Easier Bunny! He's got to go! A rabbit has nothing to do with die remembrance that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. When I remember the chocolate bunnies and candy eggs 1 ate as a child, 1 wonder exactly when my belief in God vanished. Was it the Tooth Fairy, perhaps, who took it away? No, 1 don't think so. I know that 1 believe in God, and nobody can tell me otherw ise. What 1 don't understand is when a group of i>eoplc can tell a school system what to do when it involves religion. I thought we lived in a country where the church was not supposed to become involved with government activities. Even though this country was founded on the basic belief in God, 1 still know that the government can't tell us w hat or how to believe. Thai's another basic American idea. When students at Union Primary were not allowed to wear traditional (ie., ghost, devil or vampire) costumes for the storybook costume con test at school a few weeks ago, it made me angry. If I had been a parent with a child attending that school, 1 would have had to talk w ith the principal. I would have liked that principal to explain just why my child couldn't dress up like a vampire as part of the fun ol Halloween, especially il the schml w as allowing all the other kids to wear costumes. I know somelxxly whose child attends Union Primary, and she said that it was because of the pressure from some other parents about this devil-worship idea. How can a sch(*)l. a governmental institution, be inlluenccd by a group of parents who think that Halloween is Satan worship? If they thought it was too scary for the younger kids, I can under stand that bit of reasoning. But there's no logic in saying that wearing a ghost costume means that the child believes in Satan. If people in this community want to tell themselves and their chil dren that trick or treating is akin to devil-worship, that's fine. But I would hope that they would not try to pressure other children into thinking or wondering the same thing. If parents teach their children to love and praise God, then they prob ably will. And wearing a scary costume at Halloween will not change that. You're Not Safe Walking To The Mailbox Had it been summer, 1 might have been barefoot. 1 have been known to step out to the mailbox with no shoes, hauling the graveled driveway and debris with roughened soles lor by late summer one can nearly walk on glass witli bare t'eei. But it was mid -November, dark and cold last week tennis shoes and sivks weather and 1 had a bill that needed to get to Detroit. With the red Mag raised on the mailbox 1 turned to head back, but in the corner of my eye 1 saw some thing reflecting light on the ground by my feet. It was stranger than the normal stuff thrown from car win dows. something that wasn't sup posed to be there. Of course. I picked it up and headed to belter light where my mouth gaped open when I actually saw what it was. An ugly, sick feel ing hit the bottom of my stomach as I showed the object to my parents and found a safe place for ii in the bottom of a trash container. I wished that I hadn't even touched it with my fingers, but I had that pari was over. wL l-'or hi my haiul was a used hypo dermic syringe made lor injecting drills. The hundreds ol dungs thai race through your mind at a tune like thai did. especially alter having just heard a lew houis earlier the ter rible news about basketball star Magic Johnson having the HIV virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a la lal disease. Johnson announced that he has IIIV, hut didn't indicate how he may have contracted the virus. HIV is acquired through unsafe sex practices or by transmission of blood or btxly Hinds. Sharing ol needles, or syringes, can spread the HIV virus, which is why the disease is rampant among intravenous drug users. Terry Pope Hie noodle on the syringe lhai I found lying on t>K* ground beside my mailbox had an orange safely cap over tho noodle. I had picked it up by tho other end anyway. In the hack id my mind, there in the dark, I thought it was a syringo, but my brain wouldn't tell me lor certain because I'm not familiar with such medical supplies. But those t>|vs ol things are not supposed to be lying around where people or children can pick them up or [vi haps step on them. Paper, beer cans, bottles and hamburger wrap pers are more common, but still should not be tolerated. Then curiosity got the better ol me. Perhaps there were more. Where in the devil did it come from? I went armed with a flashlight hack to the mailbox to search lor clues, missing Prime lime Live to play Columbo. I lound two more. Both had been used and the needles capped. I didn't dare touch that part. In niral Brunswick County, this isn't supposed to happen. So don't think it I tinny that I didn't know what to (to In the darkness ol a cold. November night, there I was search ing around the mailbox with a Hash light while Hinging my arms to scare away the cats thai had followed me out to the highway. Madman on the loose hi Maco. But the real madman was the |vr son who neglected his or her duty to pmperly dispose ?>l these potentially deadly needles. I have no idea where they came Irom if they were lor drugs, insulin, heroin or whatever, or it the owner was a drug abuser or diabetic, HIV positive or negative. I'm iiisi glad that I found the sy ringes before a child or animal picked them up. As 1 write this. I haven't had lime to search the area by daylight in case there are other syringes or more de bris lying about. Confusion turns to anger. Such irresponsibility can be dead ly. And to think, I could have been barefooted. It just pays to be very, very care ful, even when you least expect it- to protect yourself front some one else's stupidity. ABOUT HALF OF N.C. DRIVERS STILL REFUGE TO WEAR THIS : PERHAPS THEY'D RATHER WEA7? THIS : Gold Makes A Very Nice Accent Color There's a nasty rumor circulating that West Brunswick High is out to change the school colors. It's a rumor I'm glad to help kill, since we of the Class of '71 at Shallotte High School had a small role to play in helping choose Kelly green and while as the colors for the new western school. We were not the last class to grad uate from Shallotte High School, but it was our class of about 130 seniors, and our peers at Union High School and Waccamaw School, who partici pated in choosing the colors and the name of the school mascot for the western district school. Principals, students, teachers and even parents were involved in coming up with suggestions, narrowing the selection and then actually coming up with a recommendation. In doing so each school had to give up its own identity, something that was painful at the time to ac cept. Our colors, our mascots, weren't allowed on the list. It had to be something new, something that the students who followed us could all develop an allegiance to. At the August IX, 1971, meeting of the Brunswick County Board of Education, colors and mascots were approved for all three new county high schtx>ls: Kelly green and white for the Trojans, western area; Carolina blue and white for the Cougars, southern area; and navy blue and gold for the northern area. Apparently the North Brunswick mascot. Scorpions, was adopted lat er. Since then West Brunswick stu dents and Nx>siers have developed that ho|x-d-for allegiance and loyally to their colors and their mascot. Unfortunately, a third color slipped in and gradually started tak ing hold. Some people became quite lond of ii as well. Contrary lo what some communi ty members and even some West Brunswick High School graduates might believe, though, gold/yellow is noi one of the high school's offi cial colors. From ihe accepted "accent" color used to highlight uniforms, signs. dccals and other school promotional items it became, over lime, more and more dominant, l.ook around the school Uxlay and it seems as though the yellow gold has virtually switched places with the white as a primary school color. It is a predom inant color in most school uniforms. Principal Ed Lemon says he sim ply wants the school to get back to its original colors. He wants to put gold back in its place. We'll see that happen gradually as teams order replacement uniforms Susan Usher and as signs or other ilenis need re furbishing around school. I'm all for it. A sctuxri's colors arc pan of its tradition and should be respected, not adulterated or dimin ished. West Brunswick has no "official" acccnt color as such, so no one should have been surprised when a touch of navy blue showed up in a press box sign. Then again, maybe the school should have an official or at least standard accent color tor the sake of consistency. Look at what has happened at South Brunswick High, where the colors now appear to be navy blue and silver, not Carolina blue and white. 1 never heard of any vote be ing taken by the student body there or the county board of education. But voila, new colors. That prompts another question to debate over coffee some morning: II it ever wanted to, does one of our county high schools even have the authority to change school colors? After all, the original decisions were made by the Brunswick County Board of Education. Any change would, in effect, he an overriding of a board decision. That's supposedly a no no. A qualifying factor: Who else could have made the final choice that first time around? At the time, administration, stall and faculty of die new schools had not been cho sen, or at least publicly announced. The question might become im portant if those who feel strongly about gold being part of the colors at West Brunswick High want to make it permanent. As for me. I kind of like the origi nal Kelly green and white and am glad to see the school begin re-em phasi/ing this combination. And gold does make a nice accent color, doesn't it? LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Comment Angers The Jones Family To the editor: We are writing this letter in refer ence to the comment made by a "gentleman" on W WAY-TV 3 Nov. 5. He said, "Brunswick County Commissioners are a bunch of crixiks!" T hat statement has made us and our family very angry. You see. our father just happens to be District Two County Commissioner Jerry Jones. Our lather is one ol the most hon est, hardest-working men in this county. He served as mayor of Shallotle for over live years before stepping down alter he was elected to the commissioner board. During his term, the town of Shallottc grew to what it is today. Shallottc is a town of many businesses and growth. Mrs. Sarah Tripp is carry ing out her duties as mayor in the same honest fashion. Our father has never stolen, never been bribed, or been in jail a day of his life, so how could this "gentle man" make such a statement'.' Dad docs a lot of work for the community that takes him away front the family a lot. Bui we re spect our father and understand his job. There have been a few missed football, basketball and baseball games during our childhood by our father, hut we always understood. We just thought it was time for us to speak up. The commissioners ol tins county are doing one heck of a job. II people would let Uie commis sioners do this job and slop com plaining. they would get a lot more accomplished in this county. Mark Jones Kyle Jones Shalloltc Build The Lifesaver To the editor: We have just lost two of the most important things in the world-lives. When will the D O T. wise up and build an overpass on 130 across 17 bypass? Please slop construction of the four-lane and take some of this money and build tins most needed lifesaver. There is no need for anyone to lose another loved one at this light. The overpass should have been built before this route was ever opened. Arthur I.. Wright Supply Smith Remembered To the editor: Would like to have the many peo ple reading your well-published newspaper know I am one of the fortunate people who got to know Steve Smith. I walked beside him, enjoyed talking with him and was favored to see his gentle, warm anil peaceful smile. The world is a better place be cause Steve Smith walked in it. Mrs. Coyct H. Gray "Aunt Wren" Supply (Mure Letters, Following Page)
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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Nov. 14, 1991, edition 1
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