34

editorial ‘ Going With The Current

The $10Q,000-plus question was set to be answered yesterday in Wildwood Crest: Whether the local governing body was going to repeal its ordinance establishing a beach fee for I his summer, or allow the citizenry to decide it at the polls The question’s been a long time arriving at the stage where it can be resolved - the Borough Commission having fought a citizens' group every step of the way

for months on the issue.

It seems the commissioners were practicing

.wishful thinking, believing that if they threw

enough stumbling blocks in the way of the

.citizens' group, they would give up, settle back

and. agree with the local solonff that the revenue (the aforementioned $100,000-plus has become a downright necessity if the governed as well and the government expects to keep the local tax rate in its proper place. CAR FROM Rl/RYING their heads In the sand and ignoring the controversy, the citizens groups seemed to redouble their determination and,if they did anything in the

sand, it was dig in

Perhaps the most perplexing aspect of the entire situation, at least from the outside looking ,in, was why the commissioners kept resisting the citizens’ Continuous attempts to prevent the governing body from shoving something down thfcir throats. What is so puzzling is the fact the citizens had indicated earlier they might be willing to swallow the fiscal medicine, bitter, or not, as long as they themselves had hold of the. spoOn. IT SEEMS to US there is a lesson to be learned from all of this, especially in light of the attempts by Sen. Raymond Zane to have the state declare Jersey Shore beaches free to all Garden State citizens (see front page story in today's paper) The lesson we speak of can be "described by noting the best way to get out of an undertow if you find yourself caught in . one, is to stay calm, go with the current and don’t waste your energy.trying to figh’t until it has taken its course. You might be some distance removed frorp where you began and it rrught take some effort getting back td shore, but at least you’ll have your strength 'andwits about you. " * ■ i And in numbers there is strength, too. Why don’t we Jersey Shore residents get together with our elected officials and resolve, whether beach fees are the answer or a solu-s tion t,o a fiscal problem. Once that is determined, our representatives could go forth with a united voice and determination to hopefully convince the legislature and governor that as long as the strand must be cleaned and protected because of throngs of people, there is no such thing as a free beach.

opinion

Herald A lantern 7 April 'S2

■:V r CAPE WAV COUNTV

PnblUkn! Kvery Me4nr*d«>

( ■rporailM.

John H. AndniR II / Bonnie Rrina y

Darrell Kopp

' CdvpMNJ

canlanH of dvi poxbo-oct may

Editor

General Manager &

^ Advertieing Coordinator

Puf)H»h»r

Al. „gh., ,..o..od All fKoaWty rffMa tor aMM

pubiMoho* .boil bo tbo p-opo.•, of fbo teowovo C<vp No

rop*o*Kodw.tbov»prior wtlMontonoao. '

deadlines

Nr.. * PSotw. niumd.y Advrrtiking i'rld.y - 3 p.m Claatiried AdlvertlalnR ;.. Friday-3 p.m.

ri Or Advertising Information 1

hipAkoe porUrlpaTlng advertUer. nor Ike n

ASOJASTTHN •III hr rr.poa.ihlr or llkklr for mMnfOTmaUM ••• tr ™ n - rif *« w Ntor TV editor i Ike right la edit any tetter or artkIro tnkmtUrd lor p«kllra

Ttiwneklp

LANTERN

PakIKkrd Rvrrv Wrdnroda. m A P 0 Box 41 y jn»«^rawa.eOaryorallon ^ * ( otd Spring, N J (KH

■ : :

Doris Ward

Spring Garden Prayer by Viney Endicott / thank Thee, Lord, that'I can see Tkis proof of immortality. That I can hear in April ratn The stir of fragile leaves again; That I can feel the wind that sweeps Where summer fruit now lightly sleeps. And smell the Sprirtg uf)on my spade Where warm black earth is freshly laid.

»

I thank Thee’. Lord, that here today Death's ugly stone is rolled away. And.now beside the empty tomb *'• I kneel to touch tfte first frail bloom. nature & man Seedtime Again ’j. by R. Leslie Chrlsmer "rniile, the earth remainth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” So says The Book Of Genesis ... But how long Will the good earth remaineth if we keep on neglecting, exploiting, polluting and destroying it* About-80 years ago, W.C. Gannett, a prominent Unifarian minister, widely kown throughout our codntry, preached four wonderful sermons on the four wonderful seasons. Later, they were gathered in a gem^'a book called A Year of Mirdcle.'' It is full of eternal truth and

present significance.«

reader's forum It’s Not Just r Roller Skating

by David K. H.brrlv

This is in response to Fed lip's comment in 6he

Herald. March 24:

After-school and everting activities foe a 12-year old boy in Avalon arc not limited to roller skating every other week There are 7'y hours of open gym time throughout the week as well as Other specific activities and special events (schedules.are available at the Community Hall ) We try to offer diverse activities fob all of the various age groups of residents In thd Borough of

Avalon.

The borough is also renovating the 8th Street Field complex and .this will hempen in early May When completed this will be one of the best facilities in the area. There is nothing the Recreation Department can do about the condominiums but we certainly try to keep the citizens of the town busy. David K. Habefle is director of the Avalon Recfeatlan A Real Service, * Definitely Missed by Elizabeth & Walter von Schlichten We read with greht interest the British Seagull 387 column by Ima Byrd on March 17 entitled Mofp.e Breakell. Where Are-You? .and we wholeheartedly agree — only to a^d, sonlething is definitely missing since her show * werft off the air. Here was a real service to the community. She got people in touch with one another. Her interview Shows were also very interesting; her guests from the world over. It was enlightening to hear, their candid opinions of Cape May / 9 Well., Ima,'.if yon happened to see the Cancej Telethon on March 26, there was ^foffie, hea^t of gold, making her pitch in all sincerity, and also working in the background to p^ut it all together. It would be vefy nice to have Moffie back onjhe air. She and her sidekick Betty Grilly were‘a delight. The von Schlichtens live in North Gapb Mayl |l«ctlmi Continue Next Pune)'

viewpoint

Boosts arJBan

' S ' By Sen. James R. Hurley J ‘ New Jersey^ effort to ban the sale of drug paraphernalia has received a big boost from the nation’s highest court. - »•- ; v V In two separate rulings, recently the U.S. Supreme Court indicated tha't states and communities have the right toiprdhibit the sale of drug-related accessocies. i New Jersey has had a drug accessory ban on the books f° r «er a year. However, a court challenge has delayed' enforcement of this significant law, sponsored by Senator Minority Leader Donald^. DiFrancesco. R-Union. »' The Supreme Court decisions are an encouraging sign that New Jersey was on firm constitutional footing when it

enacted the drug paraphernalia b@n.

I AM OPTIMISTIC that a- s^ate appeals court will .resolve quickly and favorably 'the challenge to New

Jersey’s law. ‘ ’

The sooner New Jersey can begin cracking down on businesses that glamorize the use of drugs, the better. A year ago, a state Superior Court judge “reluctantly’’ invalidated portions of the New Jersey law, ruling that the

ban was “unconstitutionally vagufc."

In that decision, Superior fcourt Judge Richard Cohen

.... _ . u. ... „ i - . did not fault the Legislature’s intention, just the way it , how certain it is, this Resurrection of the Spring," said went about curbing the sale of items intended for use in ilr f.annott *.*.***f H . .i i . , . ■ ... ...

Mr. Gannett. “Someone reminds us that, as the harvest approaches, the world is annually withjn a month or two of actual starvation. Let one single springtime drop from out the roll pf the seasons, and another would look on an earth

full of silent cities and very quiet villages.’’

When those words were written, abdut the turn of the century, the population of the Earth was about 1.5 billion. Today it is estimated to b»about 4 billion. In the year 2000, it is expected to exceeu 6 billion people. Since the population of the world is doubling every 34 yean*within another century (unless the trend is halted), the Earth will have 30

billion people. , 1 ■

HOW MANY OF US KNOW THESE TWO important,

and frightening facts:

'•In the whole world there is probably nfcver more than a feW months reserve supply of grain, the basic element in both human arid animal food

legal drug activity. The state appealed the ruling and is

now waiting for an appeals panel to rule.

The state law was based on motjel legislation drafted by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, the agency responsible for curbing illegal drug traffic. The law bans the sdle of such items as needles, spoons, pipes, rolling papers and scales If they are "intended for use” in sniffing, smoking, administering, and weighing illegal

drugs.

Numerous other states and communities relied on the federal guidelines in enacting drug paraphernalia laws,. Now, the U.S. Supreme Court appeals to have given its stamp of approval to drug accessory bans, such as the one

in effect in New Jersey.

FIRST, THE SUPREME, Court upheld an Illinois ordinance banning the sale of drug paraphernalia to minors and controlling sales to adults. The Illinois law requires

• If; today, all the food available were divided equally, shops selling drug-related items lo be licensed and keep a

everyone on Earth would Ije hungry. f log of sales to adult cuatbmers

Meanwhile, the population of the F.arlh is growing a I the , A few days later, ,lhe high court let stand a Nebraska

rate of three people a second. t . J

We may hot run out of Springs, as the Rev. Mr. Gannett once conjectured, but we are likely to run,out of dean air, pure water, natural resources, agricultural and forest

land — and food.

Speaking in Cape May Court House a little over a year ago, John MacLeod, Cape May County agricultural agent, s^id: "There-will be world-wide, wholesale starvation/' within 10.to 20 years.’.’ Within that time, “the question won’t be who’s gpt the oil; it will be who's got the food?" R Leslie Chrianier of Cape May Is a retired pharmacist and newspaper editor:

sen*., , v.uui i ,1.1 x to ill, u IxtrUrabRO

law that bans dryig paraphernalia sates to anyone — regardless of age. The Supreme Court rejected without comment a- challenge to the Nebraska law based on the federal model statute, which is virtually identical to the

New Jersey law.

TTiis is good news for parents like myself who have become alarmed at the growing accessibility of illegal

drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Hopefully, head shops — stores specializing in drug paraphernalia - soon will be a thing of the past in New

Jersey. <■

iJamesP. Hurley is minority whip ofthe State.Senate: