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The Fleet at.Anchor, Schellenger's landing:

British Seagull 387

Humans Sure Are hy Ima.Byrd I »««a lot gf sadness dnd loneliness In the world brooght about by unkindness Humans aren’t like birds People have-this desperate need to be loved and appreciaied J)y their fellowmen. Birds don’t need anyone, they do it alone. WcJearned the lesson of the age long ago: “Learn »b depend on yofirself and think of everything else as a tfonus " But humans, most of them, just can't seem to get along by themselves I suppose that philosophy has compensations, but from a bird's eye view, it causes more paid thah joy. . • NOW THAT'S SOMETHING I’ll never, understand about humans They seem so preoccupied with getting sick and dying that they devote their entire lives to assuring a safe and worry-free delivery Isn’t that ridiculous? And in the rush for protection they seem to have forgotten how to live." ' “They have this fear, and it’s such a genuine fear, that • ’ 4 • NOT ONLY THAT, bul my friend Sky. a seagull who flies higher than any oth^r gull in the world, says humans use this need to make personal gain “Just the other day I watched this insurance agent. He was selling insurance to a little lonely old lady. He was filling her with fear if'she didn’t buy this policy and assuring het- a worry-free illness and death if she did." “I tell you. 387. that poor woman didn’t know what to do. She told that man she had six other policies,already, but he just kept after her until she finally signed up for * another .

i • * Crazy Birds! • J yjf.;*.: something bad,will happen to them. that^J.does. It’s almost as if tlie body doesn’t want to di^ppoint the mind. ..like they program themsJJvcs for . self-destructiQn . like they don’t want to disappoint the inykurance companies."

reader's forum

Homes Fop Retarded Needn’t Be Institutions by Glenn L. Fricke Today, parents of handicapped children and adults are very concerned about the who’s, what’s, where’s and why’s of the care and training for their handicapped family (young & old). They are tired of the State’s runaround and bureaucracy. They now want more personalized feelings and instructions, as well as a wanner “family" atmosphere. Our beloved state of New Jersey has made casual attempts at providing "group homes" — these are only mini-institutions. They are too big and usuqj|y anywhere from 6 to 10 members in one household. Tod%’s family (normal) doesn’t even have that many members in it at all. ^ , Parents and relatives of the handicapped want their loved ones closer to home. They want other alternatives then the State saying where they will teach and care their sons and daughters. I would too, if I had a child! Wouldn't you? All that is needed are concerned people to provide a more normal setting — and I mean just that — and to work at it together to bring it about. Having worked for the private as well as state facilities for close to 15 yedrs. I am still appauled at the concepts of training ana normalization. I really wonder if the people that areAising these terms have been really worked one day witn a special child or adult. Do you ktoow that it is costing the taxpayers close to $20,000-plus a year to take care of the mentally ill and handicapped? I wonder if you realize what your paying for? Right now I am a Cape May County resident, who wants to provide the alternative for our handicapped children and adults I want more real homes with normal things happening. I won’t and I can't sit by and let our Children and adults sit and exist in our so called State facilities. I am planning on haVing an indepth open discussibn on my proposal in the very hear future. If you are interested in finding out more, please call either 886-4981 or 0612 and leave your name and phone number. I'll call back to discuss Second Chance with you. Glenn Friche ia a resident of Villas.

SKY AND I DISCUSSED other human frailties. He liked to talk to me because I offered insight into his own reasoning. You sec, Sky is wrj4ipg a book about humans that should be published soofi by a bunch of literary birds living over in the woods off the Garden State Parkway at milepost 5 or so. v ■ ’ These birds are working with Art. our most renowned local creative master, getting together facts and cxperielices that humans have, viewed and recorded by birds frbm all over the world. They kind of serve as a back-up .crow to Sky. He’s doing the actual writing because he is the most astute, sensitive and literary bird in the whole world. Sky is smart too, he has this deal with the People’s Press that if his book is good and does well ip thfe bird world, it will be published for humans as well. Sky res'ed his other leg and stood one-:egge<facing the sun. “JUST^O OVER TO Wildwood and watch the television set sitting in the window there big as life. Maybe then you’ll understand what I’m talking about,” said my literary friend. "In addition to all the violence humans like to look at, there’s a lot of programs on blood pressure, heart diseases, cancers and all sorts of ugly stuff. It’s constant — shown over and over again to a willing public. The psychological impact is unbelievable," he continued. "Just to nrove my point m facts, when a well-known president’s v^Ie had a mastesectomy it was written about, talk: ed about and exploited for all its media worth. Shortly after that hundreds of women beseiged their doctors to have a similar operation, even when they didn't need it. And," he said sadly, "it’s the same with hysterectomies — but that’s another story. I may write another book called "Ectomies," he said laughing. "Humans are so gullible." I said watching the ocean waves tumble toward shore-. "Gullible and stupid.” said Sky heading toward the heavens..."but they make great copy." NEXT WEEK. Duck, duck-no one coming!

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