LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
The Way I See It |
by Steve Elkins, Editor |
On September 11, the world as we have known it was changed forever, and we are now at war. Our country, it seems, has discovered a new patriotic spirit that can be witnessed in the countless American flags adorning homes, cars, businesses and lapels. Never in my lifetime do I remember this much red, white, and blue. And yet, in the midst of all our national unity and collective hurt, I keep stumbling across notes of discordexpressions of hatred, the desire for revenge, prejudice, t-shirts and signs that proclaim the message "never forgive, never forget." In recent days, Murray and I have spent a great deal of time thinking and talking about peace. It's very important, we both feel, that we don't lose sight of the fact that peace is our ultimate goal. Yes, it's important that the attackers and their organization receive the justice that they deserve for the hideous crimes they committed, but it's also important that we don't confuse justice with revenge. If we respond out of hate, in the end we will be no better than our attackers. We will not forget the horrors of September 11, but somehow we must find a way to allow a loving, forgiving spirit to be a part of those memories. The whole world is suffering global growing pains, and maybe this experience will cause us to reexamine not only our nation's relationship to the world, but our own individual one as well.
Already that loving spirit can be seen in the generous support rising like a groundswell throughout the entire country. Here in Rehoboth, that support has also been strong and visiblesomething that doesn't surprise me in the least, as we've known for years about the generous nature of the residents of our little town. On Saturday, October 6, local businesses all over town joined together for the Rehoboth Beach Loop. The Loop organizers invited businesses to creatively think of ways of raising money, including donating a portion of their day's proceeds, raffles, or whatever each business wanted to do. At last count the Loop had raised close to $10,000 for the September 11th Fund. On Thursday, October 11, Rehoboth Beach Supports The Children (RBSTC), raised over $43,000, for an educational fund for the children of the victims of the terrorist attack. The event, a Wilmington Avenue street fair, was a great success. The best part being, of course, that you could eat your way from one end of the street to the other, courtesy of the many Wilmington Avenue restaurants as well as those from all over town. For some of the visitors to Rehoboth, summer is all there is. For those of us who know better, autumn is just as good. Two of the reasons that make it so are the Rehoboth Beach Autumn Jazz Festival and the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival. In its twelfth year, the Autumn Jazz Festival continues to growlast year's festival attracted over 15,000 music lovers. This year's festival is the weekend of October 18-21. For more detail on the Jazz Fest see page 8. The Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival, in it's fourth year, promises to be as much fun as the previous three. If you love movies, don't miss it! This year all the films will be screened at the Movies at Midway complex in the Midway shopping center. The Film Fest box office will be located in the shopping center as well, just a few doors down from the theaters. This year's festival will begin with an opening night party at the Bay Center in Dewey Beach on November 7. Films will be shown from November 8-11, with a closing party at Restaurante Salero (that will include the winners of the audience awards). Have a great fall season, or in other words, happy Halloween, all that Jazz, and see you at the movies. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 11, No. 14, October 19, 2001. |