On Dauphin Island fee, lighthouses left out, and government shouldn't force anyone to pay (letters)


Seems the general public isn’t welcome on island 

I read that Dauphin Island will start charging a fee later this month to access the main public beach. This confirms the impression I got when I visited Dauphin Island recently.

Upon exiting the bridge, I noticed three police cars parked along the road. Later, when I drove from the main beach to the west end (only to find it chained off), I noticed other police cars.

Driving back, looking for a way to access the beach for a quick look at the Gulf, I saw only private driveways with signs forbidding public access. So, at a "Lot for Sale" sign, I pulled over to the 10-foot-wide section paralleling the road, separated by a stripe.

I failed to notice a small biking symbol on the asphalt. Before I walked to the beach, I heard a siren and turned around to find a police car with top lights flashing.

A grim-faced police officer curtly informed me that this section of the road was for bikers only and I must leave immediately. There was hardly any traffic, and I had not seen a bike since leaving the public beach.

Obviously, the bikers are a powerful force on Dauphin Island.

I left with the distinct impression that visitors are not welcome.


Mobile 

Lighthouses affected but not eligible for BP money 

Alabama lighthouses that took a severe hit from the BP oil spill have been left out of any claims process.

The spill resulted in oily scum on the rocks and base of Sand Island Lighthouse and on the pilings of Middle Bay Lighthouse. That hazardous situation, plus extended closings of the water around the lighthouses, caused the Lighthouse Association to suspend maintenance and restoration work on them for almost a year.

Members of the association served on former Gov. Bob Riley’s Alabama Coastal Recovery Commission and submitted a proposal for work on Sand Island Lighthouse. Nothing has come of that.

The association was told that lighthouse project applications were not appropriate for submission to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.

The association then turned to BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization. Eventually we were told that "bricks and mortar" projects did not qualify, which left us pretty well adrift.

Both lighthouses are national landmarks — more than 100 years old and much loved by citizens of Alabama. Most of the maintenance of these facilities is carried out by volunteers, and the impact of damage and delays is difficult to define in terms of dollars.

We have not joined any litigation yet, hoping for an amicable adjustment, either directly from BP or an agency supported by BP.


Mobile 

The government shouldn’t force anyone to pay 

Would the author of the letter to the editor titled "Bishops are trampling on other folks’ beliefs" (April 23) please consider the fact that the federal government is forcing Catholics, under threat of fine or imprisonment, to pay for abortion and contraceptives?

If the writer believes that life begins at the first breath, and wants to destroy "tissue" that forms before that moment, he has the right to believe that. However, he has no business using the government to force Catholics to pay for what he wants.

If he wants a woman to have an abortion, he should pay for it. If he wants contraceptives, he should pay for it. The federal government should not be forcing his beliefs on productive citizens.


The United States government has no constitutional authority to be involved in the private lives of the people.