Parkland Predators

Family North Carolina Magazine—Mar/Apr 2008

By Bill Brooks

There has been a spate of stories lately about the situations facing governments as they deal with the ramifications of the increasing openness of homosexuality in society. Normally, these stories come from afar, Europe, The Netherlands, Sweden, England, Canada or from another state. Recently, I was reminded that the battle rages closer to home.

Some of the fondest memories I have of seeing our children grow up, are from the time that we spent in the YMCA Indian Princess Program here in Raleigh. All of the activities are with fathers and their daughters. I was even in two different tribes at the same time, for a while. We had a lot of fun being together, doing crafts together, learning about the outdoors, and getting to know other girls and their fathers.

One of the favorite outings that many tribes took was a trip to Jordan Lake, west of Raleigh, to watch the bald eagles and double-crested cormorants near their nesting area. There is a hike of about a mile, and dads and daughters are together as a group, with the girls often sprinting ahead down the trail to see what’s around the next turn. The anticipation of reaching the observation platform is second only to the adventure of getting there.

Sadly, according to an article in the News and Observer, the trail and observation platform will be closed because of “uncivil and aggressive sexual activity in the area.” The article goes on to say that, “The NC Wildlife Resources Commission said it will close the platform and a mile of nature trails in the vicinity because of complaints about public nudity and sexual solicitation.” They report that two male plain-clothes officers were recently “solicited for sexual acts” as they walked the trails. The Commission says it does not have enough resources to police the trails.

You may think this is an isolated case, but there have been rumors for years about other parks and venues in our state where sexual activity is common. The question for families and taxpayers is what to do about it. Most of our major cities and many of our counties, in addition to the state, have appropriated taxpayer money to purchase parkland, build trails, and other resources for users. In many cases, these significant capital outlays have been funded by bond issues. We should be getting more for our money than wooded areas that cannot be used by families or individuals because of the illegal activities of a few.

John Adams, second President of the United States, said that “we have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.” That is, in order to have an ordered society, it is necessary not only to have laws that establish boundaries for acceptable human behavior, but we must choose to follow the “natural law” that God has written upon each heart.

We already have laws against sexual solicitation, prostitution, fornication and sodomy. These are good laws, but they should be enforced. The courts have consistently ruled that such laws can be imposed and enforced in public places, including parks and government property.

Several years ago, there was a popular computer game that allowed a person to build a virtual city. One was given a budget and could build roads, buildings, put in infrastructure and run their empire. What players quickly discovered, however, was that you had to allocate funds for maintenance, upkeep and operation, or the complaints from citizens would increase, your city would crumble and cease to function. A similar lesson should apply to our parks and recreational areas.

Rather than close popular natural areas to the public, as is being done at Jordan Lake, the state and local governments should devise a way to enforce the laws we already have and budget the necessary resources to prevent this kind of activity. Law abiding citizens should not be denied the right to enjoy a recreational area because of the illegal actions of a few. When the state faced similar problems at some of the rest stops on our highways, it responded by remodeling and rebulding some, increasing the frequency of visits by law enforcement personnel, and hiring more maintenance workers who provide an official presence and keep an eye on things.

As governments continue to bow to the wishes of a small minority of homosexual activists who are pressing on numerous fronts to have their sexual practices legalized, solemnized and celebrated by the majority, our government officials should be encouraged to devote the resources needed to protect our families from the illegal practices in our parks and public lands. Law abiding citizens, including fathers and their daughters and tribes of Indian Princesses, should be free to roam the woodlands, free from the fear of predators of the two-legged kind.

Bill Brooks is president and executive director of the North Carolina Family Policy Council.

Copyright © 2008. North Carolina Family Policy Council. All rights reserved.