THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 21, 1995 TAG: 9505190154
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 38 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Long : 199 lines
``The good die young. . . '' That's a saying I've been hearing since I was a kid. I've never really spent much time reflecting on the phrase until recently.
Aaron Ethridge, who died May 2 in an auto accident, was probably one of the most true and honest human beings I've ever known in my entire life. He would always come right out and say what was on his mind. Aaron was and will always be, in my mind, simply a good person.
Whenever something like this happens, losing somebody who is dear to you, you reflect on things that have happened in the past between the two of you. I've been trying to focus on things that happened to both Aaron and me that will make me laugh.
The funniest thing that happened to me because of Aaron was the time he gave me two black eyes. Aaron was a martial artist. He studied with several different individuals, learning several different disciplines through many years, even before he went into the Army and served with the Rangers. He was good at what he had learned, and those of you who know him know how strong he was.
Two and half years ago, I had reached a point in my martial arts training where I thought I was pretty good. For a couple of years prior to that, Aaron and I would talk about martial arts training, and every now and then, Aaron would mention this ``hidden kick'' he had learned from a Korean artist. He never would explain how the kick was performed, so I never gave it much thought.
One day, Aaron and I were training, Lee was looking on, and Aaron said, ``Beware of the `hidden kick;' it's coming.'' I unfortunately paid little attention. For the next 10 minutes or so, Aaron and I traded kicks and punches. All of a sudden . . . bam!
My next move was my second mistake that day: I got up and declared, ``There is no way you can do that again.'' Yeah, I'm stupid. This time no mistakes were made. I slowly got up and warned, ``You're not leaving here till you show me that kick.'' And he did.
The next day, I had to get up and go to a wedding with two black eyes and cheap sunglasses. There are several little sub-lessons in that anecdote that I won't get into.
The last time I saw Aaron alive, he was above me about 35 feet in the air, sitting on some scaffolding, working on a church I designed. He didn't come down and talk to me like he usually does. He stayed up there while we talked . goodbye.
Greg Grucci
Nags Head Smitten by justice
I devoured each article I could find, each editorial letter from across the nation, written in disbelief, of the miscarriage of justice the owners and personnel of the Little Rascals Day Care Center endured.
The special on TV should have been the clue for everyone that something stunk. I realized it was similar to cats scratching on a tin roof.
The rhetoric, the pomposity of the prosecutors and district attorney, beating their chests, claiming that with guidance from above and divining rods, they alone had uncovered the devil's workshop, all the while claiming ancestory with those who had torched the witches in Salem.
Now something has gone amiss. An even uglier disease has reared its head.
That social disease, guaranteed by the Constitution, called justice, has come to smite those who tried everything to make themselves appear brilliant - everything except use an open mind.
The only ones they duped were the parents of the children who experienced rides in UFOs while at Little Rascals.
Goodness! Has some modicum of justice blossomed in North Carolina? We hope there is no immediate cure!
Tom Fornay
Manteo Without a voice
A few weeks ago a bill was introduced in North Carolina that the commercial fishing sector deemed ``Ban the Nets'' legislation. Rightly, it was struck down before it gained any headway. In the May 1 North Carolina News section of the The Virginian-Pilot, an article shows a sector of the commercial fishing community wanting to drop participation in the federal Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. How can this position be better for commercial or sport fishing interests? Taking the state out of the ASMFC gives us no voice in decisions that will affect us.
Ninety percent of the commercial and sport fishing community wants both industries to prosper with strong support management and enforcement from a state Marine Fisheries that ensures the enhancement of the resource for years to come.
This 90 percent group also knows that we as a big group must work together to see that the waters handling this resource are maintained to enhance the growth of our shared resource.
We, the residents of coastal Carolina, must work side by side to assure that decisions affecting our fish resource are made by coastal Carolinians.
By the same token, I will not suggest that Fort Bragg move to Kansas.
Life's short, fish hard - in a resource generated by cooperation by all in its enhancement.
Frank Folb
Avon On bruised cheeks
Regarding the April 30 letter from Terry S. Gannon: The mice voted to bell the cat. I really feel a great deal of sympathy for that person for so many unpleasant experiences, but turning the other cheek has never been a very practical response to a problem unless the desired result is two bruised cheeks.
One of my hobbies is military history, and one of the few things that historians agree on is that a relatively small force could have defeated Hitler's early expansion moves and would have prevented World War II.
Of course, such an action would have been too violent for T. Gannon, even though it would have saved many millions of lives.
Bah! Appealing to the better nature of a person is effective only if that person has a better nature.
The average person who is capable of anti-social acts usually isn't bothered with such an impediment.
It seems that the non-violent people are only satisfied if they can force their opinions down the throats of all the rest of the citizens.
That is a nearly perfect definition of bigotry in action.
W. Edward Thompson
Kill Devil Hills Discourse gone awry
Terry Gannon's recent letter to the editor (``The violence goes on,'' April 30) provides a textbook example of political discourse gone awry.
Taking a page from Bill Clinton's manual of style, Mr. Gannon uses the violence in Oklahoma City as a launching pad for discrediting political and social beliefs he finds distasteful.
In his letter, Gannon recalls the bombing of London in World War II, and then links that violence and all other violence to a litany of sources: Corporations who support violent political groups, those who believe in the right of private gun ownership, ``right-wing'' politicians, and any government that chooses to call their citizens to arms in the course of war.
Gannon cites no specific examples to make his case. Rather, he hopes to discredit all of those with whom he disagrees by linking them with the actions of a handful of misguided souls who found their way to Oklahoma City.
The logic employed by Mr. Gannon is so difficult to follow that it is almost impossible to address in the space usually allotted to ``letters to the editor.'' But I would like to remind our writer of a few items before I close.
The Constitution that you cited as support in your tome was born of violence in the form of the Revolutionary War. And that same document was created in order to protect the rights of the minority from the tyranny of the majority, not the other way around as you implied in your comments.
Without examples, I have nothing at my disposal to address your charges of ``corporate-sponsored'' violence, but I can assure you that violence is not the exclusive domain of the ``right.''
The mantra ``Burn, Baby, Burn'' was a product of the left, exhorted by the leaders of the SDS, The Weather Underground, and the SLA.
The tree spikes encountered by lumberjacks are planted by eco-terrorists, not gun-toting rednecks from the local militia.
The pogroms aimed at Jews and middle-class farmers in Russia were executed by men named Stalin and Lenin who claimed allegiance to the ``left.''
And finally, the bombs that fell around you in London were silenced by the use of force and the willingness of this government to commit its youth to a ``course of violence'' you find contemptible.
What happened in Oklahoma City was a tragedy. However, when our political and civic leaders ignore history, play fast and loose with the facts, and use human suffering as a means to discredit their opponents, the tragedy is only compounded.
Russell Lay
Nags Head Trash attack a success
On June 13, 1994, the Board of Commissioners created the Trash Attack Committee to organize a townwide event to clean up the streets and rights of way in Kill Devil Hills.
Chairman Larry Barker and Committee Members Jay Aydlett, Brant Murray, Jim Poulos, Jerry Froelich, Bettie Rabb and Chuck Smith held many meetings and put in long hours to develop and organize the concept of this Trash Attack event. The ultimate results of this group's work was the donations of goods and services by our local businesses, and the participation of over 250 of our citizens, including school and civic groups, and town personnel in this event.
These volunteers did succeed in beautifying our community through their unselfish contributions by collecting nearly 1 1/2 tons of refuse from our streetsides and rights of way on Saturday, April 22, the date of Kill Devil Hills' first Trash Attack.
The Trash Attack committee members were formally recognized by the Kill Devil Hills Board of Commissioners at our April 26 meeting.
There is no better way to reach all volunteer participants in this event than through our local news media, and on behalf of the Board of Commissioners I want to express our thanks and appreciation to all who worked on Trash Attack and contributed their time and energy to make it a resounding success.
Terry Gray
Mayor
Kill Devil Hills Hassell commended
Encore! Encore! for Commissioner Shirley Hassell's fortitude to take on the pompous arrogance of Dare County's old-hat politicos, who, in an aroused panic of defense, seem to be employing the wild antics of the ``whirling dervishes.''
In the event that the commissioners are slack on their history and don't understand the term ``whirling dervishes,'' they can take Casey Stengel's advice: ``You could look it up!''
Bud Koehler
Kill Devil Hills by CNB