Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 45, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 11, 1999 Page: 2 of 20
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PAGE 2A Thursday, November 11, 1999
Port Aransas South Jet£y
Murray and Mary Judson
Co-Publishers
Mary Judson
Editor
Phone (361) 749-5131
Opinion
Member:
South Texas Press Association’
Texas Gulf Coast Press Association
Texas Press Association'
National Newspaper Associatiqn
Donald
Kaul
Tribune Media Services©
‘Must See’ vs
‘Should See’
Our popular culture raises everything,
even television shows, to the level of “Must
See." In reality, there aren’t many things that
you Must See. The
Grand Canyon.
Venice at sunset.
Paris.
Also “American
Beauty,” the new ££
movie starring
Kevin Spacey and
Annette Bening.
You know how
movie theaters run
ads with snippets of
quotations from re-
viewers, making the
pathetic flick
they’re running sound “Citizen Kane?" Here
is a sampling of the praise “American
Beauty” is drawing:
“A triumph of acting, writing and direct-
ing” - Rolling Stone. “Ranks with the decade’s
best” - Dallas Morning News.
“A wonder of a film” - San Francisco
Chronicle.
“A rich, brilliant and unnerving work” -
New Yorker. “An end-of-the-century Death
of a Salesman” • me.
All true. It is a brilliant film, marvelously
acted. With this film, following closely on
the heels of his Broadway triumph in “The
Iceman Cometh,” Spacey takes his place in
the front rank of American actors. His por-
trayal of a middle-class drone who decides
one day to blow up his life is a masterpiece
of subtlety and nuance.
Hardly less impressive is Ms. Bening’s
neurotic, brittle suburban matron. But ev-
erybody in the cast is good. They should all
start working on their Oscar acceptance
speeches right now.
There’s been some criticism of the film
as too broadly drawn. Of course it is. So
was “The Graduate,” a film this one justly
can be compared to. They are satires. You
make big gestures in satire.
Remarkably, this is the first film its direc-
tor, Sam Mendes, has ever done. Up to now,
the 34-year-old was noted only for his Broad-
way work on “Cabaret” and “Blue Room.”
It’s amazing to be this good the first time
out, although he had a terrific script, writ
ten by Alan Ball, to work with.
I recently read a book that described how
films get made. It is a process which makes
the manufacture of sausage seem clean and
neat. I have no idea how a film of this qual-
ity gets made. It probably has something to
do with the fact that Steven Spielberg had
an early role in developing it.
1 don’t want to mislead you; this is not a
happy film. It is dark and bitter and har-
rowing. And great.
We’ve taken care of Must See. Let us move
on to Should See • the Democratic and Re-
publican presidential debates in New Hamp-
shire. George W. Bush shortchanged his side
when he stayed home for the first Republi-
can joint appearance the other night. As
Steve Forbes cracked, maybe if they’d called
it a fund-raiser they could have gotten
George the Younger to show up. If they
chose candidates on the basis of debates so
far, however, Alan Keyes and Gary Bauer
would be the front runners right now.
Maybe that’s why they don’t.
The Democratic debate between Bill Bra-
dley and AI Gore was more interesting, but
not wildly so. There's really not a great deal
to choose between the two men philosophi-
cally, so the debate became an exercise in
style.
You can see Bradley gaining in ease and
confidence the more he campaigns. He
comes across as a fellow who does not want
your approval so badly as to lose your re-
spect seeking it.
Gore, sadly, seems terminally afflicted
with what entertainment people call “flop
sweat” fear of failure. He reminds one of a
famous review of a performance of King
Lear in which the reviewer said of the star-
ring acton “He played the king as though
he were afraid someone was going to play
the ace."
Never mind the fact that these things
aren’t scintillating. Neither are most of the
things you do. It is your civic duty to watch
them.
Which brings us to the Don’t See category:
Mike Tyson’s next fight.
This thug has been the centerpiece of one
fiasco after another, the latest being a week
ago when he hit an opponent after the bell,
causing the fight to end in a “no contest”
verdict. Most of his fights have been no
contest, one way or another. Either he is
matched appinst a tomato can who falls over
at his first scowl or an opponent who can
fight a little, in which case Tyson is reduced
to helpless rage and begins biting, kicking
and gouging.
In all the hype surrounding Tyson’s mul
timillion-dollar career, there is one fact that
is lost.
The man can’t fight. He’s never beaten
anyone who can fight a lick and never will.
Why watch him?
r
I ONLY '
HAD
SO-SO
SPADES
IN COLLEGE.
WHAT MILL
I SAY TO
PEOPLE?
©I<W9 SAN DICSOUNION TRIBUNE
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Getting away - in Port Aransas
Sometimes even those of us who live in
Port Aransas need to escape.
We’re fortunate to have friends with a
sailboat who invited us to do just that - if
only briefly.
On one of the last days of Daylight Sav-
ings Time, we took a sunset cruise. Sailing
out the Island Moorings channel, we
watched American oystercatchers foraging
in the oyster beds. Roseate spoonbills were
plying the shallows, and great blue herons
were spearing hors d’oeuvres along the
water’s edge.
As we approached the ship channel, we
were surrounded, literally, by bottlenose
dolphins. They were frolicking at the chan-
nel entrance, jumping completely out of the
water •• bunches of them.
Once in the channel and heading toward
the ferry crossing, we watched as a tug
struggled to return its
charge - a large, hard
aground barge •• to the
depths of the ship chan-
nel.
A team from Coast
Guard Station Port
Aransas came alongside
us and we renewed our
friendship from an earlier
cruise. No crab dip to of-
fer this time - but they
remained friendly and
remembered our previ-
ous encounter.
We were escorted back to the Island Moor-
ings channel by a large contingent of dol-
phins that followed in our wake, swam be-
side us, and entertained us with their leaps
and by spouting air through their blowholes
Spinoff
Mary Henkel
Judson
Editor
as they surfaced next to us.
The sunset as we entered the Island Moor-
ings channel was a kaleidoscope of pink,
blue, yellow and orange. White pelicans
floated lazily in the still waters of the flats,
as a coyote tiptoed through the oyster beds
behind them - neither concerned with the
other.
We slid back to the dock just as the sun
dipped below the horizon and the day settled
into darkness.
Lines secured, we gathered around our
friends’ dinner table to enjoy the pork chop
stew that had been simmering in our ab-
sence. Over the stew and a few glasses of
wine, we reviewed the cruise.
Not bad. Not bad at all. This is Port
Aransas in the fall - and sharing it with
good friends is best of all.
‘Burning* desire to finish last three pages
I have been imprisoned by Elmer Kelton’s
classic western book, The Good Old Boys.
For five days at Port Aransas 1 had followed
the trails and tribulations of the good guys
versus the bad guys. Now only three pages
to go before 1 find out who won.
But first, “Peg...I smell smoke.”
Peg says, “I do, too...oh my God...we’re on
fire.”
She pulled the car and the boat we were
pulling onto the shoulder. By then the smoke
was almost blinding. We both jumped out
of the car. Peg grabbed a leash and led Little
Rocks Ann away from the danger. 1, fool-
ishly perhaps, grabbed the fire extinguisher
from the boat-popped the hood on the car
and saw the cause was hopeless. So I headed
south to a safer distance.
Peg and I were sepa-
rated from each other.
It was on a major high-
way out of
Beeville...cars were
now stopping-only a
few daring to pass
what could be a dan-
gerous explosion. The
smoke that had at first
Cactus ^een §ravwas now a
dark, dark cloud grow-
1 RYOR ing higher and higher.
Every now and then a
loud BANG. I knew
the car was gone-but it was the boat at-
tached to the rear of it that was at risk as
the flames ate their way towards it.
Letters to the editor
Bid questions
We can only a«ijm? the city council of
Port Aransas is aware of special circum-
stances which would justify their actions in
allowing the city pool heater to be rebid.
From the information presented in the
South Jetty, it would appear Crystal Clear
Pools benefitted from what is often referred
to as a “last look.”
The article does not report the amount of
Certified’s second bid but my assumption is
that the bid was consistent with their first
bid. This would mean the contract will be
awarded to the inconsistent bidder whose
second bid was at least 30 percent lower than
their original bid. I certainly trust this raises
some concerns with our city council.
Port Aransas has as one of its residents, the
principal of a very well regarded engineering
Firm. I heartily recommend the city use their
(or some other qualified firm) services for
consultation and especially inspection. If you
need further motivation, simply ask the
school board what they think. Low bids are
often the most costly.
Dannie L Vickers
Port Aransas
Law applies to all
I just read the letter to the editor from
Judith Calhoun and wanted her to know
that more than likely l was the one who
called animal control concerning the fact her
dog was loose on the beach Sunday, Oct. 24.
Calhoun stated that her dog is sweet and
gentle. That may be the case, however, the
law states all pets must be on a leash. The
signs don’t state sweet, gentle dogs are ex-
cluded. 1 have a sweet, gentle 4 pound Yorkie
and she was always on a leash when on the
beach.
I was disappointed to read that the officer
only shook his finger at her since I was told
by the officer that he wrote citations when he
found unleashed dogs on the beach. Until
the city gets m.-i iou> about enforcing t 'ne leash
law the problem will only escalate.
There are signs posted up and down the
beach stating Pets Must Be on a Leash. Seems
simple - - obey the law, leash your pet.
Nancy Richeson
Fort Worth
No salty talk
1 stand in amazement of the new genera-
tion of boat captains, at least thats what they
call themselves. Now don’t go and get me
wrong, 1 like all those I know, and besides
they have a piece of paper that says they are,
so they must be. Listen the next time you hear
one talk. They do not impress me as having
much knowledge of the sea - - no salty
language.
They all have paid for their courses that
says, “ you are a boat captain." However, most
of them sound like they just climbed off a
tractor. If you should mention a “LINE" to
them, they’d all run kx>king for straws, never
mind mentioning fore and aft, or bow and
stem - that would really get them lost.
Letters policy
The South Jetty welcomes letters to the editor that meet the following criteria:
• SHOULD BE OF GENERAL OR SPECIFIC INTEREST TO THE READERSHIP OF THE SOUTH JETTY
• SHOULD BE LIMITED TO ABOUT 300 WORDS
• MUST CONTAIN A VALID SIGNATURE
• MUST CONTAIN A VALID MAILING ADDRESS
• MUST CONTATIN DAY AND EVENING TELEPHONE NUMBERS WHERE THE WRITER MAY BE REACHED
• NAMES OF PERSONS WRITING LETTERS WILL NOT BE WITHHELD FROM PUBLICATION
• UNSIGNED LETTERS WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED
•ONLY ONE LETTER PER PERSON PER 30 DAYS PERIOD WILL BE PUBLISHED
• LETTERS ENDORSING POLITICAL CANDIDATES ARE CONSIDERED POLITICAL ADVERTISING
• LETTERS OF THANKS ARE CONSIDERED CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
Mail letters to: Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 1116, Port Aransas, TX 78373
Cells phones;
men’s fashions
i;U
r.r.
• cO
Tidemarks'
C.M. Henkel Jr,
Peg had had the good sense to grab her
cellular phone and immediately had called
911. It worked-the Beeville Fire Depart-
ment and volunteers arrived in time to put
out the fire and save the boat. Practically all
our belongings in the car were lost includ-
ing my calender for the year. So call me if
I’m on your appointment book.
Our story ended happily. No one was in-
jured, thanks to the Beeville Fire Depart-
ment and sheriff’s and constable depart-
ments. As to the other story from which I
was so rudely interrupted...guess I’ll call my
friend Elmer Kelton and try and persuade
him to tell me how his book The Good Old
Boys ended.
Damn, if I’ll buy another copy for just
three pages.
You see fellows, “ WALLS, BATH-
ROOMS, UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS,
FRONT OF THE BOAT, PARK THE
BOAT, DRIVE THE BOAT.” These all
have their place , that is, in the world of the
tractor, but not in the world of the sailor, the
nautical world, if you will.
Having a driver’s license does not make
you a good driver, no more than does that
paper that says you are a captain. TIME!
Time under way, time under good captains,
that’s the ticket to being a good captain, so
let’s get off our tractors, and leave the farm
back home. You sailors now, try and sound
like one; you know, words like, BULK-
HEAD, BELOW DECK, FORE, AFT, BOW,
STERN, LINES - - LIKE IN “MOONING
LINES”. Get the idea?
So let’s leave the WALLS, BATHROOMS,
UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS, to the land-
lubbers.
Ya’ll get out your Bluejackets Manual and
read up on that sailor talk, so when you talk
to the real sailors they’ll know what ya’ll are
talking about.
Leslie S. Willey Sr
U. S. Coast Guard, Ret.
Port Aransas
Eternal doom of Fate’s desire. Spencer
A FEW WORDS on cell telephones.
Although in no way was I acquainted with
anyone associated with the mother and jn-
fant daughter who died last week in a high-
way accident near «;<y
Rockport, that the
telephone in the ve-
hicle was not in its
holding bracket is of
no moment. In use at
the time of the acci-
dent, no one will ever
know.
Here now let no
one be so mistaken as
to think for a moment would I outlaw an
instrument, which has become as much part,
of modern life as hot and cold running wa-:
ter in our homes. This, then, on law re-
garding the instrument, which I believe,
should be mandatory in any female op^r-,
ated vehicle on the open highway. Signifi-
cant or not, this personal note. Within Ay
own immediate family in this area I do kn<£v!!
of at least six cell phones. There. I am obliged ■
to note that females are the most frequent j1
users. Dare I add, they remain talking mpst;!
long. No affront to the female of the specie*,'!
intended. j
Is it not reasonable for the law to requint;!
that all telephones on the street or highway !
be built or equipped in such a manner as jo ! j
make the instrument not operable in'a |
moving vehicle? How likely anyone will suf-J
fer from pulling out of a traffic lane and !
coming to a stop in order to use the com- ;
municator? Perhaps at times a bit of trouble;;
Or, have I opened a too big a can of worms? I
DOES ANYTHING above cause anyone";
to think of men’s fashions? Last week the';
Victoria Advocate had an ad for men’s slacks! \
with cuffs at the bottom of the leg. L?Lst !
heard of and glad to see ‘urn go, they were,;
called French cuffs. Seems now, even though j
it was a while ago, my first long pants were •;
part of a new suit, blue serge, it was called !';
think. Before then, lads of my years eager;'
for long pants wore shorts with stocking^
that came to the knee. Here 1 may be wrong, !
some wore knickers that were buckled at
the bottom above the knee. Remembering !
more, the days of two pants suits. One Ion£
with cuffs, the other golf knickers. My firs*t ;
no-cuff trousers, when I was 16, a dinner-:
suit, nowadays called tuxedo. So now I must
recall a story of well more than 70 years
ago which 1 still think funny, even as two of
the principals agreed when I reminded theftf
when we last met nearly a dozen years ago-
Our little Virginia town had just built
nine-hole golf course to introduce the game I
when I chanced one day to be at the home1 i
of friends. We were all newly made Tender-
foot Boy Scouts and this was, of course, ;ftrj
those days of yore when fathers adminis- ■
tered paddlings to their offspring without I
being charged with child abuse. vu
By chance on that morning my friend’* j
father emerged from his front door wear- j
ing knickers and his golf bag over a shoiiF i
der. Response from his sons was anything j
but an example of parental respect. Next,' i
the father was charging down his porch steps
shouting angrily as a club emerged from hi*
bag. I had the wisdom to duck behind is ;
nearby tree before the chase and shouting I
began. Angry father and laughing sons. !
When l recalled the incident at our last.;
meeting, my friends had not forgotten the ;
chase. What, you may ask, happened? It was I
past recall of either brother. But I suspect, 1
thanks to a loving mother, peace was quickly
restored. • |
I HAVE just finished the November is- !
sue of National Geographic with an ar- 1
tide on Iraq, which moves me to a note, j
Neither that country nor others of the J
Middle East were ever much to my fancy. I !
especially think of Basra, Iraq. When I was !
last there it was a fairly modern and pro-;
gressive city with the thermometer stand-;
ing at 135. There is so much more that might !
be said, but spaces demands desist.
C.M. Henkel is a retired newspaper pub- ;
Usher living in Corpus Christi.
The South Jetty (946-020) pays
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Thanksgiving
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Judson, Mary. Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 45, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 11, 1999, newspaper, November 11, 1999; Port Aransas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth662775/m1/2/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Ellis Memorial Library.