The Opinion Blog

Just Afraid Enough



(Sunny's taking a week off from writing a piece for the blog, so instead I offer a good rerun. This column of hers was first published March 15, 2010.)

 

By Sunny Fry

 

There was a dog limping down the side of my road Friday, so skinny I could see her skeleton from my car, and limping so badly she nearly stumbled in front of another vehicle.  I couldn’t stop because of traffic, but went home and grabbed Number 2 Son and a can of dog food.  When we pulled up and whistled to her, she turned to look and gave a cautious, gentle wag of her tail. 

 

 The food was a big hit, and the smell from the empty can lured her into the back seat, though her poor paw was so sore she whined, tucked it under her, and just lay down on some rocks before she climbed in.  Then a bath and another can of food and bowl of dry kibble.  She found a safe-feeling cubbyhole at the foot of our stairs and slept the rest of Friday, rising only once for a nature call, and then spent Saturday, too, rising only to eat and process all that food and water.  This morning she got up, and miraculously the soreness which made me fear she’d been hit by a car, and made her walk like Gollum with her right front paw splayed wildly to the side and hips all disjointed and weird, was gone.

MONDAY OPEN FORUM

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Give Us Our Seats



A new congressional district means more seats to be filled on state boards and panels. We think it’s time to get that process moving along:

What do the South Carolina DOT Commission, Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Human Affairs Commission and Winthrop University board of trustees have in common?

Each of the panels – as well as dozens of others – must be revised to accommodate the state’s new 7th Congressional District. For the sake of fairness, many of our state’s oversight boards are composed of members appointed by congressional district, to include members that represent the entire state. When the 2010 census added a new district to the mix, each of these panels became in need of updating.

SUNDAY OPEN FORUM

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Who we are and who we look like



Saturday’s editorial, on the recent GOP primary, comes via Cindi Scoppe over at The (Columbia) State:

The nation looks to South Carolina every four years to see what we have to say about the presidential race. I look to the presidential race to see what it says about South Carolina, and this year’s picture wasn’t particularly flattering.

Last week’s primary had a lot less in common with four years ago, when Republicans nominated one of the most honorable people I’ve ever met and Democrats embraced a message of hope, than with 2000, when we essentially ended John McCain’s first presidential bid after a well-orchestrated smear campaign alleged that his adopted Bengali-born daughter was biologically his own illegitimate black child and that he had given secrets to his Vietnamese captors, and spread lies about his positions on hot-button issues.

SATURDAY OPEN FORUM

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Adult Rally Responses



Friday’s first editorial urges local leaders to act a little more like grown-ups on the upcoming May bike rallies:

Let’s be adults about this thing.

The decision by Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson to change the dates of its rally events obviously caught elected officials off guard. And the wisdom of such a change from a public nuisance perspective is dubious. Three straight weeks of rally traffic and noise is a tall order. But then, the dealership is a business, and as such is concerned more with making money than it is with the comfort of its neighbors. That’s not a slight on Harley-Davidson, just a reality of capitalism.

Seating Chart Diplomacy



Friday’s second editorial wishes more of our leaders on the federal level were willing to play nice with their opposites, even if just for a few hours:

It was disappointing Tuesday night to see South Carolina largely sit out as dozens of members of Congress crossed the aisle to sit with the other party for the State of the Union address. The initiative to mix the traditionally divided audience began last year after the tragic shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and was promoted once again this year after a notably contentious 2011.

FRIDAY OPEN FORUM

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Harrelson Complete at Last



Memo to Google: It’s time to update the map of Myrtle Beach. Thursday’s editorial displays our giddiness at the prospect of Harrelson Boulevard finally linking Kings Highway and the Bypass:

It could be easier to get to the airport by the year 2000 if City Council approves $3.2 million to extend Harrelson Boulevard as part of the 1998-99 budget.

– June 8, 1998, article in The Sun News

Well, it only took about 15 years, marked by a series of funding squabbles between the city and county and a brief hiccup involving the Community Appearance Board, but the Harrelson Boulevard extension is finally done. For drivers on the city’s south end, this is long-awaited and enormously welcome news.

THURSDAY OPEN FORUM

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United Way Drives Are on Track



Wednesday’s editorial offers an update on the United Way campaigns going on up and down the Grand Strand:

United Way annual fundraising campaigns in both Georgetown and Horry counties have reached or passed 80 percent of the goals, keeping volunteers confident about meeting expectations for nearly 70 nonprofit programs providing a wide range of services.

The Georgetown County United Way has 80 percent of its $470,000 goal; the United Way of Horry County stands at 84 percent of its $1,275,000 goal and passed the $1 million point earlier in January.

WEDNESDAY OPEN FORUM

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Winning the Teen Pregnancy Battle

Great news to share from the good folks who are tackling teen pregnancy in Horry County: Teen birth rates have hit an all-time low in the county. Details here. For teens 15-19, the rate fell 21 percent from 2009 to 2010. Over the past 10 years, it's fallen an impressive 38 percent. Nevertheless, 40 teens out of 1,000 still give birth, and that's too high.

We've written about the issue in the past, and it's one that continues to deserve our attention. The news out today is great, but there's still plenty left to do.

Let the Sun Shine In

Free Thursday evening? Come join me at Coastal Carolina University for a rousing discussion of the state's Freedom of Information law. The panel will be full of local notables, both from inside the media world and without. The open records law -- and the too-often struggle to see it enforced -- is one of our favorite topics as an editorial board. Here's where you can learn more about it, including why it's important and where it's going. More info below from the school:

The Department of Communication is hosting a panel discussion on the use and misuse of the South Carolina Freedom of Information law at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26 in the Edwards College Recital Hall. The event is part of the 10th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts.