March 31, 2005
LOCAL
The Kings Mountain Herald
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ANDIE
From 4A
chemical imbalance brought on by an eating disorder. I
wonder what the apparently self-conscious woman would
have thought of the photos and video clips the nation is
now viewing.
Eating disorders, many experts believe, are sometimes
the way an individual who feels powerless exerts a small
measure of control. Both Terri's mom and husband appear
to want control. I'm giving both of them the benefit of the
doubt that they love Terri, but I wonder if a portion of this
battle boils down to two stubborn people not wanting to
give in.
My heart goes out to all of them and the officials who are
having to make tough calls.
Andie Brymer can be reached at abrymer@kingsmoun-
tainherald.com or 704-739-7496.
GARY
From 4A
but in some cases medicine has advanced too far.
-In the case of a baby, you have to give him or her every
chance at life; but I do not think at this point in my life that
I would put my wife or anyone else who has lived a quality
life through such a living hell if doctors have assured me
that the only thing that is keeping them alive is life support
and that there is no way their condition can be reversed. In
that case I would probably say it is better to let nature take
its course.
-We should all let our spouses, children and other close
relatives know while we are in a good state of mind of our
end-of-life wishes. It can be easily and legally done through
a Living Will, which both my wife and I chose to do after
the death of our granddaughter. Often times, as I am sure in
Mrs. Schiavo’s case, young people don’t think of making
wills or living wills because they don’t feel that death will
be in their immediate future. In such cases, word of mouth
intentions to their next of kin should suffice.
From all accounts I've heard, Terri Schiavo’s husband,
even though he now has a common law wife and two chil-
dren by her, is still Terri Schiavo’s guardian. It is unfortu-
nate that he and her parents cannot get along and agree on
what is best for Terri.
It is impossible for any human being to really know what
is right or wrong in this situation, and regardless of what I
or the talk show hosts or theologians or politicians or any-
one else say, none of us really know what we would do in
this situation until we face it.
Let us all pray for Terri and her family and that the will
of God be done. He will make sure that something good
will come out of this, and if our end-of-life ideas are not in
keeping with His will He's already taken care of that too.
PHIFER
From 1A
Phifer. Growing up in
Blacksburg, Phifer had met
him a few years earlier. It
was not until Hawaii that
she and Air Force Master
Sgt. Marriott Phifer courted.
After the war, the couple
married and returned to
Kings Mountain where they
still live.
Though many call Hawaii
paradise, Phifer’s assign-
ment was not all fun and
games. Just days after she
arrived, three soldiers were
killed when they were hit by
a truck. The trio were riding
bicycles on a winding road
which was suppose to be off
limits.
* Phifer would see more
tragedy when she was sta-
tioned in Guam. After the
war ended, U.S. prisoners of
war were processed there.
She spent two nights and
days along with other Red
Cross workers completing
paper work.
Phifer calls the scene
“haunting.”
The traumatized men had
had no contact with their
families since the war began.
“It was as bad as seeing
death,” she said. “That was
something you never for-
get.”
Before the war ended
Phifer and her co-workers
had helped set up in Guam
what was initially a recre-
ation camp. Phifer says it
was “rough looking” to
begin with. In that environ-
ment, Phifer developed
blood poisoning and had to
spent a night in the military
field hospital.
Despite the difficulties,
Phifer is glad she was part
of the Red Cross.
“I never felt like I was in
the wrong place,” she said.
“I was doing something to
help somebody.”
Phifer had long enjoyed
meeting new people. While
a student at Asheville
Teacher's College, she took
trips with the International
Club to Vanderbilt College
and the College of William
and Mary. During her col-
lege travels, Phifer was able
to see Miriam Anderson sing
at the Lincoln Memorial.
Her instructor drove the
group around the town'to
see all the locations where
the music was broadcast.
“He wanted us to see that
the whole of Washington
heard her sing,” Phifer said.
While a student at
Blacksburg High School, she
was a charter member of the
Beta Club. That was 1934,
the year the organization
was started nationwide.
Phifer still has her member-
ship certificate.
Before her school diy
started she milked cows,
something she remembers
fondly.
“I had to get up early. I
didn’t mind it,” she said.
Phifer retired from teach-
ing in 1988 but worked as a
substitute for four more
years. Between her work at
Waco School and in Kings
Mountain she took 17 years
off to raise the couple’s four
children, Rita Phifer, Connie
Phifer Savell, M.D. Phifer Jr.
and Doyt Phifer. Phifer‘has
one granddaughter, Lesley
Anne Phifer, a UNC-Chapel
Hill senior.
a a
HEFFNER
From 4A
We take our pets to the veterinarian, and he administers a
lethal dose of a drug which allows our animals to die
peacefully, but we cannot extend the same humanity to our
loved ones? There is something wrong here.
The reason, of course, is that in our litigious world,
nobody wants to plunge the needle which ends a life.
Chances are he or she would find themselves in court and
some scatterbrained judge would lower the boom on anoth-
er insurance company. Death is money in this country.
I understand that Terri's parents are reluctant to let her
go, and I know the law must take its course. What I have
trouble with is this. The husband was convinced his wife
had been dead for years, why didn’t he just relinquish cus-
tody to the parents, fold his tent and get out of town?
He has another family now, so why continue to deal with
the agony of a woman he once loved who is obviously now
in a persistent vegetative state?
It doesn’t make sense to me, but then, not much does.
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¢ Ri my
STAUNL SEATING
DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN
Rated PG-13 - 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:40
GUESS WHO
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HITCH
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ICE PRINCESS
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MAN OF THE HOUSE
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A
J
1
OFFENDER
From 1A
about unreported moves
from anonymous tips.
Moves are frequent
among sex offenders. One
Cleveland County man was
arrested after failing to
inform officers of moving.
Within a three-month period
he moved four times trying
to elude capture. One of
those moves involved leav-
ing the state. The offender
also had made 28 registered
moves.
If a sex offender moves in
down the street, Steen advis-
es being extra aware.
“Watch them for any kind
of unusual activity,” he said.
The registry is 98 percent
male, Steen said. It is rare
for women to offend.
Typically they are arrested
for incidents involving 16-
year-old boys, according to
Steen.
Most sex offenders are
white, Steen said. Typically
black people are less likely
to victimize a family mem-
ber.
“That’s what we've
found,” Steen said.
Higher socio-economic .
class does not keep one from
becoming an offender. Police
officers, teachers, doctors
and lawyers have all been
convicted, Steen said.
Sex offenders often prey
on a child who is having
problems at home. Steen
cited parental alcoholism as
one example. The offender
will pretend to be a “friend”
to the vulnerable child. That
same vulnerability that
makes the child an easy tar-
get also makes it harder for
the child to go to his or her
parents about the abuse.
“Be the best parent you
can,” Steen said. “Let your
kids be able to come to
you.”
While Kings Mountain is
a small town, that doesn’t
make it immune from sexual
predators and other crimi-
nals.
“You just need to know
where your children are,
what they're doing,” Proctor
said. “It’s not the day and
age we grew up in. It’s not
the 1970s anymore.”
The schools do safety pro-
grams but parents need to
reinforce that at home,
according to Proctor.
Offenders don’t typically
stop their behavior, accord-
ing to the research Steen has
read. Because the impulse is
generated by the brain, cas-
tration will not stop offend-
ers, he said.
Studies indicate that
offenders perpetrate 60 to 70
times before getting caught,
Steen said. Victims often
wait years before coming
forward. Boys are typically
more reluctant than girls to
tell anyone they have been
sexually abused.
A middle-aged woman
called Steen after her step-
father died. She did not give
any names but told Steen he
had sexually abused her
from the time she was eight
or nine to her mid-teens.
“She just wanted someone
to know,” Steen said.
The district attorney’s
office will work with child
victims, showing them the
court room before the trial.
Steen says most of the
time when a child says he or
she has been abused, it’s
true. Kids don’t know
enough about sex to make
up accusations, he said.
In Kings Mountain, regis;
tered sex offenders live on
Gold: Street, Piedmont
Avenue, Mirada Lane,
Gaston Street, Oakleaf
Drive, Mauney Avenue,
Maner Road, Bethlehem
Road, Pat Drive, Stoney
Point Road, Inwood Lane,
Waco Road, Margrace Road,
Lowery Wood Road, Green
Acre Circle, Brandonwood
Lane, Bennett Street, Sterling
Drive, York Road, First
Street, Battleground Avenue.
Gold Mine Road, Spruce
Street, Fourth Street, Cansler
Street, Marys Grove Church
Road, Goodall Street, Oveda
Court, Yarbro Road, Baker
Street and Gantt Street. No
address was listed for one
individual.
In Grover both registered
sex offenders live on Temple
Drive.
The registry was estab-
lished in January 1996. The
following violations result in
inclusion on the registry:
first and second degree rape,
first and second degree sex-
ual offense, attempted rape
or sexual offense, inter-
course or sexual offense
with certain victims, incest
between near relatives,
employing or permitting
minor to assist in offenses
against public morality and
decency; first, second and
third degree sexual exploita-
tion of a minor, promoting
or participating in prostitu-
tion of a minor, taking inde-
cent liberties with a child
and kidnapping, abduction
or felonious restraint by
anyone except a parent.
Conviction of attempting
any of the above crimes also
results in placement on the
registry.
Information contained on
the public registry includes
name of offender, gender,
address, physical descrip-
tion, picture, conviction
date, offense for which reg-
istration was required, the
sentence imposed as a result
of the conviction and regis-
tration status. No informa-
tion on the victim is made
public.
For more information,
visit sbi.jus.state.nc.us.
Andie Brymer can be
reached at
abrymer@kingsmountain-
herald.com or 704-739-7496.
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