Nags Head BOC meeting moved.

NEWS RELEASE


Contact: Roberta Thuman, Public Information Officer
  252-441-5508, thuman@townofnagshead.net



Town of Nags Head Moves January 17, 2007 Board of Commissioners Meeting
to Nags Head Fire Station


NAGS HEAD, North Carolina - Tuesday, January 9, 2007 - The Town of Nags
Head, expecting larger than usual attendance at its Wednesday, January
17, 2007 Board of Commissioners meeting, is moving the meeting to Nags
Head Fire Station 16, located at 5314 S. Croatan Highway, near Mile Post
14.5 and across from Nags Head's Town Hall.  The meeting will begin at
7:30 p.m.

Police will be assisting with traffic control and parking.

For more information, call the Town of Nags Head at 252-441-5508 or
visit the Town's web site at www.townofnagshead.net.

N&O Secrecy in Kitty Hawk loses again

The News and Observer notes in an editorial that the Town of Kitty Hawk lost its appeal of a lawsuit by the Outer Banks Sentinel requesting the release of legal bills related to the condemnation of ocean front lots.

I have never understood KH's reluctance in this case. It would have been much easier and cheaper to just cut out any privileged legal advice and hand over the papers. It can't have been that hard. I understand having principals but they were wrong on this case and they looked very bad while defending it.

Government needs to be as open a possible, kudos to the Sentinel for seeing this one through.

Technorati Tags: Outer Banks Sentinel, sentinel, kitty hawk, lawsuit, freedom of information, public records, legal records

Indy on Iraq

Well worth a full read, the Indy on Iraq . Scathing review of how far we have fallen and a dark projection of where we will land.

What prevails in Iraq today is not even civil war but pandemic civil terror, a sectarian orgy of murder, torture and mutilation whose survivors will never forget or forgive, whatever becomes of the civil government of what used to be Iraq. It's unbearably true that every American soldier who has died or will die in Iraq will have died in vain, and died in a disaster that will yield no net gain, now or ever, for his native country or for the cause of civilization and human dignity. If I had any say in divine justice, these thousands of coffins, forged of lead, would be dragged forever across the battlefields of hell by Bush and Rumsfeld and all the civilians who should have known better, or who must have known better and never tried to intervene.

Technorati Tags: Iraq war, Bush, Indy Weekly, politics, death, future

Pushing the Envelope (again)

The New York Daily News reports that the President has issued a signing statement asserting his right to open First Class mail in certain circumstances. Bush asserted this right while signing a law reforming the Postal Service. The bill Bush signed limits postal rate increases, authorizes certain financial reforms and asserts the privacy of First Class mail.

The President asserted his new authority when he signed a postal reform bill into law on Dec. 20. Bush then issued a "signing statement" that declared his right to open people's mail under emergency conditions.



That claim is contrary to existing law and contradicted the bill he had just signed, say experts who have reviewed it.

The act recalls the Presidents authorization of the monitoring of domestic phone calls and other invasions of privacy in the name of national security. It seems there is nothing the President can't do to stop terrorism, except win the war he started to stop terrorism.

The President clearly is not listening to the voters who rejected his big brother knows best policies in Nov.

Now we have another firestorm to distract us from the real task at hand, creating a stable environment in the Middle East so Iraqis, Israelis, and the entire region can live without fear. This does nothing to advance our interests but does advance the Presidents goals of creating a national government able to spy on its own people.

Write, resist and don't give up.

Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.-Ben Franklin or David Hume

Technorati Tags: Post Office, mail, Pres. Bush, illegal, terrorism, New York Daily News

No Walmart on Ocracoke

My New Photo Blog

I have decided to split my photo blogging and my other writing onto separate sites. I hope this provides visitors a little more consistency in finding what they are seeking.

Images from the Ridge will for posting interesting images of my own and from others. View from the Ridge, hopefully, will resume commenting on the world from a Nags Head perspective.

Thanks for the encouragement and support I have received. I hope you find something useful between the two sites.
Bob

Briny Breezes Sell or Stay

Interesting article in the VA Pilot . It seems there is a small trailer park town in Florida that may be sold. The community will vote on wether or not to sell the entire park/town, with the proceeds split amongst the resident/owners. Some stand to get pretty good windfalls in the low 7 figure range.

The community is split over whether to sell or stay. For some it is a no brainer, take the money

"See these pockets? They're empty," Dwyer said, a stack of unpaid billssitting on a table in his single-wide trailer less than 100 yards fromthe ocean. "I've nickeled and dimed my whole life. I hit the lottery."

For others the issue is not as clear. The quality of life in this time community is very good or as one resident says "You can walk your dog in your pajamas," Try that in Manhatten. I guess I was reminded of the debate over the replacement of older hotels in Nags Head. Is economics the only determining factor or can a community chose not to give in to development interests.

Maybe we can find out how the vote turns out. Sadly my money is on the money.

Note, I saw this article in the Va. Pilot but I am using a link to the same AP story in a Maine paper because the pilot is hard to blog from

technorati tags:BrinyBresezes, development, florida

What will happen in 2007

Looking ahead to the New Year I foresee several trends and events. The certainty of each item varies from high expectation to hopeful prayer.

• I will retire from the Post Office on Nov. 2 after 30 years of employment
This one is pretty certain. I have even started planning a retirement party. We are not sure what will happen after I leave the post office but I will not be licking stamps for a living in 2008

• I will take a lot more photographs (maybe even some good ones)
see Images from the Ridge

• I will get my weight below 220 and start reshaping my body building muscle tone in lieu of excess padding
This is a big goal. I made a lot of progress in 06 but it will take commitment and hard work to maintain my gains.

• I will continue my walking and bike riding exercise program
See above

• I will resume writing View from the Ridge on a more frequent basis
I have been thinking about returning to this project and I suspect that I am ready. There is so much out there thats interesting and relevant. I just need to find a couple more hours in the day to write. Oh well retirement is coming!

• I will drive my new Toyota on the beach. (Haven't done this yet but its coming)
Please note I did not specify whether or not I would get stuck.

• Nags Head will stop debating beach nourishment
With any luck this will occur on or about April 17th. The Nags Head community will choose a course for the future and we can all start to build our future rather than just talk about it. No predictions on the outcome but i look forward to being involved in the discussions.

• Our bush league president will find a new path in Iraq that reduces the human toll of this tragic misadventure.
Pray for this one daily. The human toll of the war on both Iraqis and Americans is staggering. I cannot imagine what life in Baghdad is like. Terror and death are everywhere. We, as a country, are responsible and we have an obligation to restore some semblance of order in Iraq, whether or not the solution advances our interests in the region.

• I will not run for elected office.
A prediction not a promise. I know there are people thinking that I will run for the Nags Head Board of Commissioners in Nov. Right now I have no desire to run nor do I think it would be good for the town or for me.

• Condos will become the new hot development trend
Actually they already have, we just haven't really noticed yet. (More on the coming condo calamity in a separate post)

• We will go to Ocracoke on vacation again
  
There is little I would rather do in 2007

I hope the New Year brings you joy, peace and everything in your prayers

HAPPY NEW YEAR