The Coastal Point encourages the exchange of ideas. Letters to the editor must be signed by the author with phone number included for purposes of verification. Please send your letters to P.O. Box 1324, Ocean View, DE 19970.

Darin J. McCann

I’ve always kind of wanted to see the Outer Banks. There’s the intrigue behind the tales from friends regarding the peaceful tranquility and aesthetic charm of the surroundings, not to mention my general puzzlement over those “OBX” stickers I’ve seen people in this area sport on their cars over the years. I’ve also seen Susan Lyons return from vacations at her beach house in Avon a different person — much less likely to throw plastic cutlery at me from across the room than she was before she left.

I admit to being curious.

However, my curiosity was always just that. I live at the beach, I’ve always thought. Why would I possibly be interested in driving several hours away just to stare at an ocean (that I’m always concerned is full of whale tinkle), sit in the sand (that I’m always afraid is full of dog tinkle) and be surrounded at attractions by a bunch of little kids (insert your own tinkle joke here).
However, while crying silently to myself at my desk last week while putting out that 104-page monster of the Coastal Point we published, visions of “away” danced in my head. I wasn’t real concerned with where I went, so to speak, just so it was that magical place of mythology — “away.”

Long story short, some begging, lying, stealing and nagging got me access to Susan’s beach house. I’m pretty sure she told her husband, Andy, that the house would be rented out by a gaggle of radioactive monkeys, rather than say it was for me. And I have no doubt that she told her partners, Jody and Phil (her sister and brother-in-law, respectively), that she just needed to reserve it for some cult of free-loving pirates.

Regardless, I got the keys to the kingdom.

Susan gave me directions from my home in Bethany Bay to her house in Avon, tips on where to visit and what to eat and some last-minute things I couldn’t quite make out between my sobs on Wednesday night. I was certain at the time they weren’t important.

Fast forward to Thursday.

Somehow awake quite early after the demon deadline was completed, I packed my one bag into the car. I then quickly went to work packing the 19 bags my partner-in-crime, Jamie, decided to bring for the long weekend. Go ahead, think I’m exaggerating. Two of her bags were shaped like couches, and another one had the markings one would expect for someone transporting a human organ. Three lousy nights, I thought, and this girl’s bringing enough bounty to bribe a mummy king. I mean, let’s be serious, all you need for a trip like this is a few pairs ...

But I digress.

We did eventually make our way down to Casa Lyons/Thompson, relieved the trusted McCann-mobile of its Samsonite burden and settled down to make plans for the night.

Um, yeah.

Not a lot to do at night in Avon. The restaurants shut down at 9 p.m., and the night clubs are, well, not there. We picked up a bunch of ribs, some wine and ... fell asleep on the couch with America’s Funniest Home Videos reruns on the television. You know, I still laugh every time I watch that show, and I still want to shoot rubber bands at Bob Saget’s face. And I’m not talking about his image on the television.

Regardless, Friday brought another day, and we took a trip to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Have you ever taken this trip? It’s a beautiful sight from the ground, and absolutely breathtaking from the top. But ... those steps. After walking that winding staircase to the top, only to discover there was in fact no oxygen tank and voluptuous nurse awaiting me, I realized I then had to take the walk back down. Foiled in my attempts to jump on Jamie’s back for a ride, I made the walk.

Friday night? Think lots of Ben Gay, some more funny videos and another early crash on the couch.

The next two days would bring nothing but walks on the beach and visits to local shops. Two whole days of not thinking about anything but whatever we happened to be looking at during any particular time. It was, indeed, paradise found. I had found my Nirvana.

Until I realized what those last few words Susan said to me Wednesday night were: They don’t sell liquor on the island.

Perhaps I don’t really need that “OBX” sticker.

Pump sand or preserve history? Go ahead and improve the current situation, or ensure the current situation does not destroy the past?

It’s an interesting dilemna, and one that should be studied.

A few local state representatives, including our very own Gerald Hocker, have been attempting to let archaeologists into areas that have been designated as “borrow sites” — locations earmarked to pump in sand to renourish area beaches. The representatives want archaeologists to comb through the areas before the work begins, rather than have equipment tear through possible shipwreck remains or other local slices of history.

Some complain that the archaeological studies will halt renourishment. And, yes, it will certainly delay progress.

However, as was recently evidenced in Lewes, where a sand-pumping dredge tore through an underwater archaeological site and threw historic artifacts onto the beach, it sounds like a necessary endeavor to us.

Beach replenishment is of vital importance to the entire Delaware coast and we, right along with everyone else, have been screaming from the mountaintops to get the work done now. But we also don’t want to see our links to the past get obliterated, when patience could make everyone happy.

If the proposed archaeological surveys find anything of note in the borrow sites, those sites can simply be moved. The sand will still be pumped, just not at the expense of destroying precious artifacts.

We are all in a rush to see our beaches saved. Let’s just not also be in a rush to see our past eliminated.

At-large voting for Sussex County Council seats has gathered some serious steam in recent weeks, thanks largely to the Citizens for a Better Sussex (CBS) group. However, the likelihood of such drastic change is very small.

The complete dismantling of a system is just not going to be accepted by those who make the decisions. However, the efforts by CBS and other groups are shining a light on what many perceive to be major problems in this county.

By Christina Weaver
Special to the Coastal Point

The world has become involved in the personal business of Terri Schiavo. From the brothers Bush to the Sussex County Council, official pronouncements have been made about a matter that essentially should be the private affair of the individuals saddened by the prolonged dying of a loved one.

A loved wife, daughter and sister, Schiavo was, by all accounts, a very private person who was particularly conscious about her own physical appearance. A person whose only mistake was one which many of us are guilty of: failing to put in writing our wishes for what will happen to us should we ever become unable to make those decisions for ourselves.

That, it seems to me, is the crux of this issue. More importantly, it is the one that something can be done about, thus perhaps giving value to a four-week public saga and nine years of Schiavo family acrimony. Speaking to one’s family about death is matched only by frank talks about sex in things not spoken of.

Young folk don’t think death is a matter of their personal concern and old folk keep their fingers crossed that a quick heart attack will take care of them. Whispered words at funerals like “Don’t let that happen to me,” are rarely followed up by formal declarations of intent. But more and more families must inevitably face the very real decisions that the Schiavo situation has caused to become dinner table and locker room discussion.

And, for many of these families, those decisions have become complicated by the ugly reality of the costs of long-term care that the Schiavo’s have been spared. The combination of a generous medico-legal award, a husband who persisted in ensuring the best care for his wife and the dedicated competence of hospice staff have allowed Schiavo to live a lot longer than most others who have suffered such severe brain damage. Indeed, the apparent fervor to more generally prolong the dying process at all cost while the government chooses to reduce funds to support the already under-funded Medicaid system that supports the care of such patients is, at the very least, a cruel irony.

A living will, in Delaware, formally termed, Advance Health Care Directive, is the vehicle by which we can each have a say in what will happen to us if the unthinkable should occur.

The form, developed by the Committee on Law and the Elderly of the Delaware Bar Association and approved by use by the Office of the Attorney General, is available on line (http://www.state.de.us/dhss/dsaapd/advance.html) and can be readily printed from any computer. An alternative is to get such a form from your doctor or local hospital. The form basically leads one through three areas of decision-making:

• Who will you designate to become your agent to make health care decisions for you if you become incapacitated?
• What are your “End of Life Instructions?” In other words, do you choose to prolong life as long as possible within the limits of generally accepted health standards or under what conditions and by what means do you choose not to prolong your life?
• Upon your death, what do you choose to do or not to do regarding making an anatomical gift? This can vary from donating a body part, such as your corneas to the eye bank, or your whole body for medical research or choosing to keep one’s body in tact.

You do not need an attorney to complete the form but you do need to have your signature witnessed by two individuals who are not related to you and who will not benefit from your death. When you have completed the form, it is important to notify all those who may have any interest in the matter of the fact that you have signed such a document, where it is located and what your wishes are.

The time to communicate is while you are healthy and in sound mind. Knowledge, lovingly shared, of your wishes is the best gift you can give your family.

And, it is the gift so tragically imparted by Terri Schiavo and her family, for which society should be grateful.

Mayoral candidate answers critics in Ocean View
Editor’s Note: The following letter is from Ocean View mayoral candidate Wally Brown, in response to a few letters we ran in last week’s paper. The original discussion stems from a letter Brown sent to residents of the town.

Editor:
Lately, I have come under attack from a small portion of residents who either like the “Status Quo” or are personal friends of the mayor and/or town council. Of the approximately 1,350 letters sent to Ocean View residents, I have seen only a handful of letters stating I am wrong. Here I will address those letters with facts.

Andy and Barney: What the reader apparently did not grasp was my remembering a time when our town had “old fashioned values,” which is something we should strive to keep. I did not state we should go back there. The point was simple. I pointed to a more pleasant time as something to cherish. Our police never took 40 minutes to respond. The state police only covered our area after midnight (obviously he means then). All police calls are handled in a “priority” order of life and death getting the number one spot, while complaining about loud noise may take longer.

The second letter states I have misrepresented the facts and myself. How can that be? I got the facts from our various town officials. Why would they deliberately mislead me? As to attending our meetings, I guess the writer doesn’t remember me from our last meeting, or the ones three and five months ago. Every other one is not bad considering that the monthly town meeting normally has less that 12 residents attending. Rest assured that I will attend every one as your mayor.

In my letter, I stated I was dissatisfied with the town and mentioned how and why. Basically, I stated that I wanted the town spending less of our money, especially as they continue to do so without our permission. Further, I quoted those letters sent to repudiate my statements, using their own words as the proof of what I say. I also offered my opinions and asked why it might be necessary to do things without the residents’ votes.

I mentioned our founding document as it applies to government OF the people, as opposed to being dictated to. Was that what upset the naysayers? Most of you by now have a copy of the letter. As you read it, where does it say that anyone is a crook? I stated (and I believe rightly so) that the town is being mismanaged. Name calling? Hate mail? Mentioning common and often-used sayings in speaking of what some people think is cause for others to think I mean them? Speaking my opinions freely causes them distress? Could it be I am right? You have the letter. Read it, and decide for yourself. I even said they are nice people; it is the job that is being done that is causing us harm.

What would I accomplish? When I asked the town authorities about several things, I received answers I was not happy with (unless I was mislead again). The town does not have a code of conduct. The town has not recognized the Constitution as the over-riding document to be used in all governing decisions (for example, my favorite is the Bill of Rights number 9). To paraphrase it, it states that ALL of the rights enjoyed by our founding fathers shall not be diminished. The town’s employees do not have rules and regulations. The town desperately needs ONE spokesperson for the town, so I would arrange for one. A newsletter informing ALL the residents of what is being considered and asking what they want to see happen. The town would NOT spend anything over $50,000 without the resident’s permission (salaries aside). Unnecessary expenditures would have to follow guidelines. For example: The town wants to spend $250,000 for a garage. That is excessive. They never heard of General Steel ($45,000 for a 60 x 100 ft. building)? Or $3.8 million for a new police station on land we do not own (Fact! we can only use)? Proper division of effort. These are for starters.

I am asking for your vote. Inform the town you are also not happy. April 9 is your chance to rubber stamp the current administration or stand up to it.

Wally Brown
Ocean View

School board should not be held hostage by ACLU
Editor:

There seem to be two major issues regarding the school board starting their meetings with a brief prayer. One is ignorance of the First Amendment and the other is an out-of-control legal system.

First, the policy of the framer’s of the First Amendment was “Complete federal non-intervention in religious issues.” To summarize the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” which was intended to preserve religious freedom in some states while guaranteeing that religious establishments that existed in other states, like Massachusetts, would be safe from outside interference.

Nowhere in the First Amendment, nor anywhere in the Constitution is the phrase, “Separation of Church and State.” Thomas Jefferson made that statement in a letter to a Baptist organization in 1802 (15 years after Delaware signed the Constitution) to dispel a rumor that another denomination was to become the national religion.

Also, one of the first items of business of the first Congress was to select a chaplain to open each session with prayer. A statute providing payment of these chaplains was enacted into law in September 1789.

So Congress can begin each session with a prayer, but the Indian River School Board can’t.

The second major issue regarding school board prayer is an out-of-control legal system. The ACLU is taking this case on behalf of, (in my opinion) a ‘useful idiot.’ A “loser pay” legal system would put a halt to many of these frivolous lawsuits. Instead, if the ACLU wins, they will be entitled to receive compensation for their ‘civil-rights’ legal fees, but if the school board wins, they will not receive the same compensation.

There are many who feel this fight isn’t worth the money spent defending it. I completely disagree. We must support the school board’s right to open their legislative sessions with a prayer, and not let them be held hostage to an un-American ACLU on behalf of an individual (useful idiot) who feels “offended.”

Tim Doyle
Millville

Reader throws her support behind Brown
Editor:

I want to acknowledge a true American hero. This person survived Vietnam with 13 Marine Corps commendations, including one for saving a Vietnamese woman’s life after she was shot in the head.

This same man, several years ago, saved three people from drowning in the Indian River Inlet when their boat capsized. He routinely teaches over 1,000 children annually about the dangers of the oceans, bays and waterways.

The reason I know all this is I have had the privilege of having an in-depth conversation with him. He attends church in Seaford, coaches soccer and is running for mayor of Ocean View. His name is Wally Brown. I believe he is more concerned, qualified and enthusiastic about the future of Ocean View than the incumbent. It is time for positive change with someone who will move forward representing Ocean View with vision, care and forethought.

Elizabeth Evans
Ocean View

Council member offers his support for mayor
Editor:

I am writing to express my support for the re-election of Gary Meredith as mayor of the town of Ocean View in the town’s election on Saturday, April 9, 2005.

Because a mayor is the town’s most visible representative, not only within the town, but also with the other municipal, county, state and federal officials we work with, a mayor must understand the issues and present our concerns on those issues in a coherent manner.

In addition, a mayor must conduct himself professionally and honestly, respect the character and history of the town and display a sense of fairness in his dealings with the public and fellow council members.

I believe Mayor Meredith possesses the above traits — even when we have disagreed, I’ve felt he has given my concerns a fair hearing — and is deserving of another three-year term.

I urge all registered voters in Ocean View to turn out on Saturday, April 9, at the town hall from noon to 5 pm.

Eric Magill
Ocean View Town Council

Readers believe bill is a political lightning rod
Editor:

For years we have been trying to appeal to our state legislators’ sense of fairness and common decency to support civil rights bill H.B. 99. We have reminded them that one religious view of an issue should not be preferred in a democracy. We have also reminded them that gay people, although hated, are human beings entitled to equal treatment just as are women, African-Americans and others. We frankly do not know how else to appeal to our lawmakers’ better nature.

Now we would point out — especially to the state senate Democratic leadership — that it will continue to hurt Democrats if H.B. 36 is not allowed a full-chamber up-or-down vote. In the last general election many Democratic challengers, adhering to the national and state Democratic platforms by supporting H.B. 99, were defeated. Bottling up H.B. 36 in a senate committee is not only undemocratic, it is politically unsavvy, since it only strengthens this as a perpetual wedge issue and hurts Democratic challengers.

As with all hatred, anti-gay animus is cherished to one’s own detriment.

Toward equality,
Douglas and Corey Marshall-Steele
Milton