Re: Letter regarding rezoning on North Causeway, Pawleys Island

I am not the President of anything, just one of the Island Girls who owns one lot on the North Causeway at Pawleys Island, which is the subject of the President/Mr. Altman’s letter. Let me address each item so that all of the facts will be available.

First, that high density residential development is just an unpaved road with less than a dozen houses on it, some of which are rental properties.

Second, that scenic North Causeway entrance is currently dominated on the one side by a very large commercial building and a restaurant. The other side is dominated by three commercial ventures which are owned by the President/letter writer. That canopy of trees has been gone a long time.

Historically, Pawleys Island has enjoyed a combination of private homes, rental homes and businesses. This is certainly nothing new. In fact, most of the traffic on both causeways is the result of the commercialization of the Island itself by homeowners renting their houses to vacationers.

Finally, I think we should be careful when letting one small group attempt to stop individuals from the reasonable use of their property, particularly when the group’s motives are obvious. They accomplished their goals with their property, but would like to prevent you from doing the same.

Cathey Furr, Island Girl

Pawleys Island

Equality

Everyone talks a lot about equality. There should be opportunities for all in a blind society. I say, if everyone is equal than who is in charge? The concept of righting wrongs of the past sounds good but does not translate into pure fact. Most people who consider themselves oppressed have more revenge in mind than living as equal to their perceived oppressors.

How many television commercials have the man of the family looking like an absolute idiot? If it weren’t for his wife, the guy couldn’t survive. This is true about a host of other social issues. If you believe in traditional values, you are a hater or simply out of touch.

The plain fact is that the equality crowd would like you to shut up and disappear.

I took early retirement and as of late I have been looking for a job for both income and to relieve boredom.

The equality monster has reared its ugly head in the job search arena as well. There is a big difference between leadership and management. A leader accomplishes his or her task by their own methods, within the set rules and regulations. A manager tries to accomplish a task by rules set out by a committee. The latter is awash in politically correct world, where social issues and not abilities dictate who is to be hired.

I recently went for a second interview at a certain firm. I had passed the first interview and I thought I was good to go for the job. I had to listen to this interviewer drone on and on about how the firm was taking the lead in social engineering via their hiring practices. This guy was so boring he could have drilled a hole. I listened politely and periodically injected my opinion of supervisory leadership. The interviewer indicated that the firm needed people as he had a few jobs to fill. I was good enough for a call back, but not good enough to hire, I guess other people were more equal than I was. It appears that you must sell out your outdated values and be a company drone.

I have seen this all before, same song, but a different tune. I remember once traveling through communist East Germany. I stopped at a little rest area and was approached by a Polish road worker. It wouldn’t be long before the Polish people would throw out their Communist government and begin the domino effect that would collapse the Soviet Union. The worker told me that his people wanted to be like the Americans.

He believed that people should have the right to be who they are and not what their society would like them to be. I don’t know what happened to that guy, but we sure could use people like that over here.

Ed Gauler

Andrews

Spay and neuter clinics

Bikini Beach Cat Rescue is a tax-exempt non-profit, 501(c) 3 organization dedicated to reducing the cat and kitten overpopulation by offering low-cost spay and neuter clinics to our community. Recent estimates for free-roaming cats and kittens in Horry County are about 139,670 and about 46,740 for Georgetown County. The Humane Society estimates that one breeding pair of cats and their offspring can produce 420,00 cats and kittens over 7 years!

As long as litters of surplus litters of kittens are born, our shelters will fill to capacity with discarded pets; many cats wait in vain for years for homes that rarely happens. Currently about 80% of cats entering kill shelters are euthanized. As fast as you build no-kill shelters, they fill to capacity. We cannot adopt them out fast enough and euthanasia has not worked.

Kittens that haven’t even been conceived today, will die next year unless we stop this unwanted breeding cycle of cats and their kittens. Add in the today’s economy and you have cats being surrendered to shelters, others traumatized by being discarded by their owners, losing the only home they ever knew, not understanding what they did wrong to be left behind by the only family they ever had. They wait patiently, staring as the car drives away, not understanding their family isn’t ever coming back for them. Still they sit patiently watching, waiting, until hunger finally makes them get up and search for food. Some are thrown from bridges; others from moving cars and others trapped and drowned in the ocean. As fast as we dispose of them, new ones are born to take their place. You see them everywhere; in parking lots, behind restaurants, walking in your own neighborhoods, hiding in plain sight; they are hungry and in desperate need of food and help.

This is the real life tragedy of pet overpopulation. Bikini Beach Cat Rescue was founded to stop this unwanted breeding of cats and kittens. Bikini Beach Cat Rescue was the only organization in the area to partner with The Humane Society and the ASPCA to sponsor “World Spay Day” in which we did 30 spays and neuters and had a waiting list of 46 cats and kittens to be ‘fixed’, which we completed in subsequent days. We are hosting our first 'Spay & Neuter Day' for feral cats for Georgetown residents on Thursday August 23. The cost is $40 and space is limited. Call 843-655-7881 for more information and for appointments. We are making a difference and you can too.

As a 501 (c) 3 organization, all donations are tax deductible to you and receipts are given for tax purposes. If you want to stop this unwanted breeding cycle of cats and their kittens and reduce shelter intake, join our efforts and support Bikini Beach Cat Rescue and help us with a donation. You will make a difference. Any contribution helps, no matter how small. If you cannot donate now, help us by volunteering. We do various fundraisers to support the spay and neuter clinics.

As Helen Keller said, “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do.” Won’t you help us do the ‘something‘?

Our address is: Bikini Beach Cat Rescue, PO Box 15664, Surfside Beach, SC 29587. For more information call 655-7881 or visit our website at:

www.bikinibeachcatrescue.org. We cannot do this alone.

Karen J. McGranahan

Murrells Inlet

Reflections on the Olympics

The Editors,

I was sitting at my desk the other day and kept hearing splashing coming from the bathroom. I knew that Mary was out and that our 4-year-old granddaughter had gone home. I went to check. Mojo was practicing synchronized diving with his cat friend, Isabelle. Like many of us, Mojo has been captivated by the Olympics over the last several weeks. He has particularly been drawn to little-known sports. On the other hand, because of my background as a collegiate distance runner and record holder, I focused on athletics (track and field).

The United States had a marvelous showing and we should all be proud. However, we need to be careful. The tendency after such events (particularly in an election year) is to cast ourselves as the best in the world at all things, not just basketball. The next step is for us to begin to see ourselves as a nation specially favored. And finally, we begin to see ourselves as chosen by God as God's favorite folks. That is dangerous thinking, practically and theologically.

Practically, we live in an interdependent world. Economics, security, environment, etc. know no national boundaries. The only way we will be able to manage the global challenges that face us is to see other nations as equal partners with us. This also enables us to learn from other countries. In terms of education and health care, for example, we are way down the list of developed nations.

Theologically, it is flat-out wrong and heretical to think that God has chosen us. The official language of the Kingdom of Heaven is not English.

Finally, as we celebrate all the winners from this and other countries, let’s remember all those who competed and lost. Perhaps that is where we can really see the common thread of humanity that runs through all nations. The vast majority of us will never stand on an Olympic awards stand. But all of us know what it is like to try hard at something important, even if we don't win.

My favorite coach in college, the person we named our son after, had two maxims. First he said, "Double knot your shoe laces." Be prepared. Secondly, "You've won if you have beaten yourself." Perhaps, the long term value of the Olympics is not the medal count but remembering the athlete who fell off the bar and got back up on it or the quarter-miler with no legs.

Sincerely,

The Rev. Dr. Jim Watkins and Mojo

Pawleys Island