_opinion

Our Readers Write Citizen Group Strikes Back To The Editor: Fred Kuhner's statements in this newspaper two weeks ago that characterized the Concerned Citizens of West Cape May (CCM) as fringe lunatics" was clearly an effort on his part to discredit our group by painting us as some sort of radicals. He even went on to say that "if we were in another country, they (meaning us) would belhe people carrying explosives." We ask him to publicly apologize for such malicious and callous remarks. His tasteless statements about our neighborhood group is an affront to the basic principle in our country of citizen involvement. It is a slap in the face to those in our towns who care enough about where they live to speak out. As A RKBliTTLE to Kuhner s name calling, let s go over a few facts. First, due to our efforts in contacting the DEP Wetlands Enforcement Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers, Kuhner has been made aware that he was dumping fill into protected areas. Any citizen can him or herself drive by tne north end of Park Boulevard and see the survey flags oosted by the Army Corps where there is illegal fill. Secondly, the building on the corner of Park Boulevard and Learning Avenue, which is nearly completed, does not conform to setback requirements. Instead of first obtaining a variance. Kuhner was allowed to proceed with construction without one. There has yet to be held a variance hearing. We still do not understand this seeming impropriety. Thirdly. Charles Rice. West Cape May's construction officer told members of CCW on Friday. April 25 that no business use certificates of occupancy have been issued for Kuhner's proporty. I Frankly, however, we are less concerned about J Kiiiner's integrity as a developer than we are troubled bypoorly controlled, poorly regulated and poorly planned development that is allowed to go on by the borough As another example of unregulated development, when the quad condominiums were built on Park Boulevard two years or so ago. the builder used clay, black plastic and gravel extensively on the building lots. A soil and sediment control permit was never issued by the Cape Atlantic Soil Conservation District. Ol'R LOCAL borough officials were responsible to see that this was done. Since that construction, neighbors behind the condominiums have experienced a persistent flooding problem in their back yards and they have justifiable concerns that their house foundations may be weakening. Also, the builder and the borough agreed to supply water to the new condominiums by laying a 2-inch pipe Our group understands that only 6-inch pipe can be used for fighting fires. More bad planning. Who will pay to substitute or augment that 2-inch pipe in the future if fire protection for tne area warrants a 6-inch pipe flow of water? / Finally, we would like to point out that the Concerned Citizens of West Cape May is interested in more than just the issue of development, and like it or not. we care about what goes on in our neighborhoods and we are committed to citizen involvement, getting together as neighbors to listen and support one another's viewpoints and attending meetings to Voice our legitimate concerns BOARD OF DIRECTORS Concerned Citizens Of West Cape May. Inc

fHiSaia v'LiiinHr; Published Every Wednesday Lower Township By The Sea ware Corporation Edition of the P.O. Box 430 Cape May Court Cape May County Herald House. NJ. 08210 Joseph R. Zelnik Editor Bonnie Reina General Manager Gary L. Rudy Advertising Director John Dunwoody Special Promotions Director Darrell Kopp Publisher bewimCrp 1916 All itw.id All pfDM^ to* (oMtm qi An f»btKow> «K«a b» »• p>ae*"r ol Sme »o.» Co»p No po" koto* moj bo >o»>od«(o<t DEADLINES News & Photos Thursday Advertising Friday — 3 P.M. Classified Advertising Friday — 3 P.M. 465-5055 For News or Advertising Information Mail Subscription: Yearly, $40; Six Month, $20 Call 465-5055 For News, Advertising or _[ Subscription Information W. mm ml iW lit H M il I'll I (Ml** J-f CAPE MAY turalft-IKspatrf Cape May City Edition of the Cape May Couaty Herald E~ry W.rf«..d.» By Ttw hwM Cmp or.nw. ^ P.O. — O* Cape ItayC-flH— ..JUftlt J/

Berry's World \ / "How about two bits in HUMANITARIAN AID?"

Bakely Appointed 'To Clean House ' To The Editor: McHale's third captain in 10 months! Surprise, surprise! Sea Isle City Mayor Michael J McHale is appointing another captain to the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol, his third such appointment in. 10 months. Actually, this is no surprise to any alumni members of the Beach Patrol. We all knew Stewart Bakely was appointed to "clean httise" for McHale. and he did just that. • He fired nineteen innocent lifeguards. • He illegally dumped the Joseph M Bowen swim trophy. Most alumni know and realize who will be Bakely s replacement We should all see how right we are! We all know this even though there are "supposedly" application processes being conducted by McHale! After the election McHale deceived his voters when he said Bakely was the best thing for Sea Isle City Beach Patrol The fact was. he was the man to "clean house", a job no one else would do. As an alumni member. I am disgraced and embarrass ed for what McHale has done to the Beach Patrol for the short term he has been Director of Public Safety First Bakely. then Donald McDermott and the third captain Like most alumni and residents. I am disgusted LAURENCE P COWAN West Chester. Pa J Sea Isle City

DYFS Bullying, Intimidation To The Editor: I want to commend those who have dared to share their feelings about the state Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS). I have also experienced DYFS' bullying and attempts to intimidate. Their work was nothing less than family terrorism that traumatized my younger children. George Orwell in "1984" wrote of a time when children would be systematically turned against their parents and taught to spy on them and report tnem. Well, DYFS know ingly or unknowingly encourages such spying. A1 Haas in "The Philadelphia Inquirer" on June 9. I$85 reported how frequently innocent people are being accused of child abuse. Those wrongly accused are being subjected to hellish and often expensive ordeals. THESE INQUISITIONS of innocent parents have come" about as a result of an overreaction to child abuse. " The Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy" recently published a 40-page article written by Douglas Besharov, past Director of the U.S. National Center on Child Abuse & Neglect. Besharov's article is entitled "Doing Something About Child Abuse: The Need to Narrow The Grounds For State Intervention. " Besharov says that the present laws have allowed protective agencies to intervene too frequently and to do harm to children and innocent parents. Moreover. Besharov contends that children who are in real danger are getting "lost in the press of the minor cases flooding the system." In light of the potential harm to families and in the interest of saving children who are truly being abused, DYFS needs to reform their investigative procedures. The family unit is simply too precious to be violated so thoughtlessly. We all agree that children need to be protected against abusive parents. However, children also desperately need to have protection of their family stability, which DYFS seems to ignore. DR ALVIN L BAKER Pastor Central Bible Church North Wildwood Open Higbee Beach to All To The Editor I am writing to let the residents of Lower Township know how we are being overlooked when funds are being distributed, such as Green Acres money, that should be used to expand the parking lot at Higbee Beach another too yards so everyone can have access to the beach Higbee Beach should be opened to everyone, not just a few hunters and fishermen. The beach could pay for itself by having beach tags like every other beach along the ocean I would like to see Township Manager James R. Stump and all our elected officials get behind this project and do something out of the good of their hearts for the residents of Lower HARRY O'DONNELL North Cape May

/ /N- -( Don't Blame My Mom — — Thanks , * Ameriska Domovina'

) Bv JOE ZELNIK 1 was all set to reprint this week the Mother's Day column 1 wrote in 1984. and repeated last year But Bonnie Reina. the general manager (who has a mother and is a mother" said no way. twice is enough Even my threat to write nothing this week didn't faze her She knew my ego would never permit that. I was going to write an article about insensitive, dictatorial bosses Then in the mail came a copy of "Ameriska Domovina" (American Home), a SlovenianAmerican newspaper that some reader apparently is having sent to me. (Thanks, whoever you are.) 1 READ ALL THE ARTICLES about Slovenians and polka bands and wine-making and Yugoslavia and recalled my 1971 visit to Yugoslavia where my mother and father were reared And that sent me to a brown envelope with old photographs of me and my parents and. well, here we are. My mother departed for heaven when I was 11. I remember almost nothing about her. She is blocked off someplace behind a wall of pain or hurt or resenUnent or something. But the pictures prove to me that she was around and we did fun things together. I IX) REMEMBER standing on a chair to wipe the dishes for her. and I remember ner making donuts, frying them in a huge pan of fat. But I don't remember her hugging me or kissing. me or consoling me or putting a bandage on my knee or any of those things I'm sure she did. A shrink ongp told me I'd probably been a "deprived child" because my mother was usually sick in bed and too busy with her illness to be giving much. % If trtie. I dpn't blame her. Now^ays. much is made of working mothers. My mother worked alongside the men in the glue factory before she was married Afterwards, when my dad had a neighborhood grocery store, she helped out there and, in the summer, picked beans and berries — the kind of work mostly migrant labor does nowadays. But 1 never came home from school to an empty hou$e. i c

The store adjoined the house And in the summer. I went along to the fields with her SHORTLY AFTER my mother died in 1944, the movie "Laura" came to the screen. Even though I can't tell you what TV show I watched last night. I still remember "Laura," a film that has an emotional hold over me after more than 40 years. "Laura" is about a detective (Dana Andrews) who investigates the death of a beautiful woman (Gene Tierney ) . Her portrait is over the mantle in her home and he falls in love with her Guess what happens in the end? She turns out to be alive. It's pretty obvious why the plot — woman comes back from the dead — inspired absurd dreams in a 11 -year-old. But there may have been a second reason that movie hit me so hard. Here's a picture of me and my mom. Don't you think she looked like Gene Tierney? '•='* ■ •■■■• ,^'al 1 I > A I / ■ i ■