Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 12, No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 18, 1982 Page: 4 of 28
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PM® 4, TburMUy, March 18, 1982, South Jetty
EdiroRiAl «Nd Opinion
( Tidemarks
The administration which this
writer has faithfully supported
(and hopes to continue to
support) is now planning to draw
something like $213 million in
revenue for the general fund at
the expense of pleasure boaters
and, not exactly indirectly,
related business and industry.
Should the new tax be levied it
would be a blow to countless
thousands of South Texans and
to the region’s tourist industry.
The schedule calls for a $50 levy
against boats under 16 feet and
up to $600 for craft over 65 feet.
The cost to the average boat
owner in the area, vessels over
16 feet and up to 40 would be
$110 to $200.
And what would the boat
taxpayer get in return for his tax
money? Nothing, absolutely
nothing. The most important
services the government offers
pleasure and commercial vessels
is marking and maintenance of
waterways, and policing of
waterways and rescue work by
the U.S. Coast Guard. No part of
the tax revenue is earmarked for
these services, a circumstance
shameful in the instance of the
Coast Guard, the poor boy, if
there is one, among the serv-
ices. Incidentally, funds for the
Coast Guard are constantly
being hacked even though boat-
ing is one of the nation’s fastest
growing sports. More, the hard
hit service faces more and
greater responsibilities with each
passing month because of illegal
aliens anu imivouCa smuggling.
One must wonder, is the
vendetta against pleasure boat-
ers only the beginning? Will Mr.
Reagan, proving that he’s a fair
guy, suggest taxing pleasure
horses next? Then bowling,
tennis, horseshoe pitching - you
name it.
Nowadays, especially in parts
of the country affected by
recession, pleasure boating has
become a rather serious busi-
ness in that boaters consider the
fish they catch an important
saving on grocery bills. The
proposed tax would wipe that
out fast. May I suggest that if
you agree with the foregoing
that you write to your congress-
men and senators. Help also to
prevent the establishment of
another bureaucracy.
On the subject of bureaucra-
cies, I have some rather firm
views with respect to our
military which I believe should
be strong and second to none.
At the same time I am among
those who believe that our forces
should be under a single
command, along with whatever
else it might take to end the
competition between the
branches which has for years
resulted in vast waste. In this
nuclear age, competition be-
tween the military branches for
money and weaponry is a vast
and unnecessary waste. We live,
I think, in a time when the
genenls and admirals should be
left to do the fighting on the
land, the sea and the air, the
decision making, especially the
kiuu and amount of weaponry
and equipment to be decided by
our best scientists. This does not
mean that the views of the
fighting men not be heard. The
services as they stand are and
have been notorious for waste.
There is a message in the old
World War 13 word, snafu,
meaning in case you have
forgotten, situation normal, all
fouled up. St down with any
ex-service man, officer or en-
listed, and let him tell you about
the snafus he has seen. He’ll
bend your ear for an entire day.
Snafus cost taxpayer money.
H.G. Wells in the late 1920s
and early 30s offered some
pretty accurate descriptions of
what World War II would be
like. He was regarded as a sort
of Jules Verne, or laughed at.
General Billy Mitchell’s out-
spokeness on the subject of
future air power so annoyed his
peers that he wound up being
sacked.
I am neither a Verne, a Wells,
nor a Mitchell, but since I have
been of late discussing, theoriz-
ing and postulating about nu-
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indulge in a concept of the
Sunny-side up
By Jim Edmonson
After putting the paper to bed
last Tuesday night, my greatest
ambition was to get home and
enjoy some peace and quiet.
It wasn’t in the cards.
A strange noise kept me
guessing what could be produc-
ing the sound. As I lay in bed, I
kept hearing a dull thumping
sound that at first reminded me
of the noise of an oilfield
compressor running through the
night.
I had previously lived in an oil
town and over the years grown
accustom to the rhythmic pump-
ing sounds associated with
supplying America her much
needed energy. But, “Port
Aransas isn’t an oil town,’’ I
reminded myself.
“Relax,’’ I told myself. “You
can figure this one out.’’ I know,
I drank so much coffee (at the
office today that T m hearing my
pulse in my eardrums. Ether
that, or I have suddenly devel-
oped a much higher blood
pressure.’’
Checking my blood pressure I
became reassured that no medi-
By C.M. Henkel Jr.
ultimate weapon which has still
to be invented - perhaps. The
ultimate weapon would actually
not be a weapon in the accepted
sense since it would kill no one.
It might be invented or dis-
covered by us or it could as well
be Russia. Essentially the weap-
on is a beam that can be
directed from, say Washington
or Moscow, to any part of the
world and spread to as many
targets as desired where it
would immobilize all electrical
circuits. Assume that Russia
acquires this ultimate weapon. It
would have the power to almost
totally bring a halt to every
industry in America. The lights
would go out in all our homes,
and without electrical power we
would be unable to fire a nuclear
bomb. But why should Moscow
do this? Why not instead knock
out our ability to launch a
nuclear attack, spare all our
great industry and potential to
produce, to be used to Russia’s
advantage? Not a single loss of
life. So then, the United States
realizing that it is powerless to
defend itself must hear dictated
terms from Moscow. Are you
laughing? Should this country
refuse to capitulate, Russia
might then turn to diverting the
beam to one or more of our
great cities, and if we still
remain stubborn, drop a nuclear
bomb, one, two or three,
however many necessary to
bring us to our knees. I sincerely
hope you’ll be able to laugh,
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lifetime.
cal attention would be required
at the time. Okay, time for the
expert.
“Jerry, do you hear a strange
thumping sound tonight?”
“Yes, I do,’’ she said. “What
do you think it is?”
More speculation. The
thoughts range as far as
associating the new sound in the
neighborhood with the lining up
of the planets, that occurred that
same night.
“Now come on, let’s get
serious and figure this one out,”
ended the speculation.
Maybe a peek out the back
door will help. Darkness, thump-
ing darkness.
More thought and then finally
the solution. Jerry, being the
musically oriented member of
the family, decoded the rhythm
of the sound and put that
information together with the
wording in an ad that she had
been working on earlier for that
issue of the Jetty.
“It’s the band at the new
night spot that opened tonight,”
she exclaimed with a note of
satisfaction in her voice.
My satisfaction was to come
later when I finally realized that
all was right with the world and
I could now boogie off to sleep
resting comfortably with the fact
that spring break and the
summer season were actually
beginning.
' t->
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 Euhrman
Bertie Goodwin
C M Henkel Jr
Jack L Moore
The South Jetty is published
every Thursday by Southern
Publishing, Inc. at 201 E. Cotter
Avenue in Port Aransas.
Any erroneous statement
regarding corporations, firms or
individuals will be gladly
corrected when called to the
attention of the editors.
Second Class Postage is paid at
Port Aransas, Texas 78373.
Publication Number: 946-020.
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Cushing, Raymond M. Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 12, No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 18, 1982, newspaper, March 18, 1982; Port Aransas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth623746/m1/4/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Ellis Memorial Library.