Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 11, No. 52, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 31, 1981 Page: 4 of 20
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Page 4, Hianday, December 31, 1981, South Jetty
diTOMAl ANd
Opinion
( Tidemarks
Pamphleteer of the American
Revolution Tom Paine, acquired
something of a had name
amongst conservatives a few
years ago when acknowledged
leftist Howard Fast wrote a
biographical sketch of his,
Paine's life. Hie book is in my
library and I read it without
knowing anything about Fast,
and so I had an open mind.
Rather good I thought. Not
being a book burner it remains
on my shelves, along with the
Holy Bible, Canterbury Tales
and the I)ecameron. But back to
Paine. liberals may claim him,
but let them explain away this
quotation: “Those who expect to
reap the blessings of freedom
must, like men, undergo the
fatigue of supporting it."
Mace a military cap on his
head. Consider the high but
slightly receding forehead. Re
gard the narrow but slightly
puffy cheeks, then, last the long
upper lip. Fix a funny little
mustache on it and what do you
have? A living version of Adolph
Hitler except that the name is
Menachem Begin, the madman
who may yet lead this planet
into a conflagration that may
make World War II look like a
small town gathering of poker
players by comparison.
Are American consumers a
wan* that they an* about to
assume financial nsk for the
most costly private construction
project in all history? Seems like
as how they an*. A canny sort,
one John McMillan, and I bear
him no malice, has socked it to
us. Originally he agn*ed to build
a gas pipeline to serve fn»m
Alaska most of the states. Good
old private enterprise! But now
John has prevailed upon the
Congress to finance a healthy
part of his deal from your pocket
and mine. The risk is big and,
as things stand, good old Big
John has nothing to lose,
everything to gain. We, you and
I. have a helluva lot. McMillan
brought it all about with hands
on donations, bribes is a better
word, to ranking politicos in
both major political parties,
Demos and GOPs. Check me out
on this one •* if you’re, say, just
slightly interested.
The whole show has been
played in such low key that I
must suspect that some of my
colleagues of the press may be
involved, even though such
stalwarts as Bill Moyers of CBS
and the Christian Science Moni-
tor have given us fair warning.
Well, of course, it’s not as
exciting as the status of massage
parlors in Corpus Christi.
A Christmas Kve morning.
The S.S. Steel Navigator was
bearing dowm on .Ambrose light
ship. 42 days out of Penang,
Straits Settlements. It was a
gray day. sleet clinging to the
rigging but all watches were
turned out to raise the booms
and have everything ready for
the stevedores when they board
ed day alter ChriaUiias. We’d
have a day off. the chief mate
promised. For one I was more
than ready, and that leads to an
account of why I hate cats.
Since Panang I had been the
guardian angei, ordinary seaman
and feeder of four in the 0400 to
0800 and 1600 to 2000 watch. I
had an appreciative audience in
the two able seamen and the
officer of the watch.
The cats, two panthers and
two leopards were in cages
forward of No. 3 hatch. It was
my duty to feed and water the
beasts, also tuck them in, that is
shelter them from the chilly
Western Ocean night air. That
meant placing a door over the
front of the bars to their cages.
The wood door was built like
16th century shield. That is to
say that it had a handle of sorts
at dead center. A couple of wood
toggles held each in place.
The cats didn’t much mind
being shut up in the evening.
Morning »a«i another story.
When those doors dropped the
cats wouiti hurl Uit'iii.x-! v«r.> at
the bars and a terrified ordinary
seaman would stagger back
wands until his legs collided with
a steampipe guard and over he
would go. Funny only to
onlookers. Iherv was a supply of
dead ducks aboard for feeding
the beasts. 1 had a six Riot long
Sunny-side up
By Jim Edmonson
At the end of this week it’s
good bye 1981 and hello 1982.
The new year will come rumb-
ling along at a pace that at times
we will wish would slow down,
at least a little.
Globally the end of ’81 was
almost too much for the mind to
comprehend; strife in Poland,
Ireland and the Middle East,
along with a national deficit that
still has the economy minded
perplexed.
But what about Port Aransas?
Port Aransas seems at times
to defy the laws of pronounce-
ment. At a time of recession, the
island is booming. At a time of
construction-slow-down in the
cities, condos and high rises are
mushrooming on the island.
Our island economy by most
standards is running ahead of
last year’s. Our tax base is
healthy and has an even brighter
future. The tax rate...well, you
know'.
By C.M. Henkel Jr.
steel rod which V d stick into a
wing and then present it to my
pets who ungraciously grabbed
through the bars. Then there
was a length of pipe. One end
fitted into the water pan, or
rather I should say four water
pans. From the distant end I
poured pitchers of water.
With the pilot aboard his
message to the captain quickly
spread. We were to anchor off
Staten Island until after Christ-
mas. To save wharfage fees you
know. Then of a sudden there
was a motor launch alongside
with two emissaries of Frank
“Bring ’Um Back Alive” Buck
aboard. Being a lowly ordinary
seaman I was not privy to the
conference with the captain so
all I know' was that my cats were
very valuable and couldn’t be
subjected to the steadily falling
temperature. The ship was
docked and I spent the only
Christmas ashore that I can
recall from my years at sea. It
wasn’t much fun. At the time I
knew no one in the city. I recall
telephoning my mother in Vir-
ginia and then dining, not very
elegantly with a shipmate. We
had five dollars between us. At
least I didn’t have to tend those
cats that night, so I suppose it
was rather a Merry Christmas.
But dear friends, please be
lute fa nt uf my we!!, just keep
your cat out of my lap.
The first electric lamps
used for street liqhtinq were
arc-lamps installed experi-
mentally in Pans, m 1841.
From the sound of things, one
would think that there is little to
worry about. There is.
1982 will be a “make it or
break it” year for the island and
the city.
The city must begin to take a
stand that will both provide and
protect its people and its
environment. We must provide
adequate housing, acceptable
guidelines for construction and
better control over the beach-
front activities.
1982 will also be the year the
city will come to grips with its
basic services. The city will have
to produce streets, sanitation,
police and fire protection and
fiscal responsibilities at a level
the community accepts as ade-
quate. This is no small task. It is
a vital necessity. One that if not
met will find the city changing
directions and horses in the
middle of the stream.
In the early part of the year,
the citizens can expect to have
brought before them issues
concerning beach planning, zon-
ing and master planning and
streets. The decisions made
early on in the year will be the
guidelines for the coming year.
When it comes time to write
about the fading of 1982 let us
all hope that the fruits of our
labors over the past year are
such that we can be very
positive about our future.
r->
Southern
Publishing, Inc.
749-5131
P O. Box 1116
Port Aransas, Tx. 78373
201 E. Cotter
Subscriptions $12 per year
Publisher/advertising director
Jim Edmonson
Publisher/office-production manager
Jerry Edmonson
Editor
Raymond M Cushing
Composing/Classified
Barbara Yates
Contributing writers
Judy Fuhrman
Bertie Goodwin
C M Henkel Jr
Jack l Moore
The South |etty is published
every Thursday by Southern
Publishing, Inc. at 201 E. Cotter
Avenue in Tor! Aransas.
Any erroneous statement
legarding corporations, firms or
individuals will he gladly
corrected when called to the
attention of the editors.
Second Class Postage is paid at
Port Aransas. Texas 78173.
Publication Number: *M<»-020 ,
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Cushing, Raymond M. Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 11, No. 52, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 31, 1981, newspaper, December 31, 1981; Port Aransas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth601433/m1/4/?q=%22Places+-+United+States+-+Texas+-+Nueces+County%22: accessed July 10, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Ellis Memorial Library.