 Licentious (adjective) Synonyms: amoral, carnal, depraved, dissolute, free, immoral, lascivious, lewd, libertine, libidinous, loose, lustful, obscene, profligate, promiscuous, satyric, uncontrolled, unprincipled, unrestrained, unruly, wanton, and motorcycle rallies.
In an extraordinary and unexpected (at least by me) move Tuesday, the Myrtle Beach City Council voted to end the two plague-ridden motorcycle rallies and get the month of May back to what hasn't been "normal" for many years now.
Like teachers in grade school or Gomer Pyle's Sgt Carter in the 60's tv show, the one bad event has put an end to both, and the whole platoon may pay the price...not a minute too soon for most residents.
While Harley week was little more than a nuisance, Memorial Day weekend has been nearly unbearable to locals and businesses on the north end. The police and even the state itself have done everything humanly possible to control it and keep the beach "G-rated" during black biker week. Attempts to harness Atlantic Beach's ever-growing crowds brought the NAACP in to punish the city's efforts. Residents in the two-block township took advantage and have threatened to sue the county taxpayers for the lack of it.
Nobody could win.
Control of the participants proved impossible. Sex, drugs, and Rap 'n' Roll refused to be restrained, and in return, will have to find a more tolerant vacation spot from now on. (In theory, anyway)
With the death of a young man resulting from the tension this year, Myrtle Beach officials finally drew a line in the sand and not only passed a property tax hike for planning both rallies' demise, but actually started the process to enact ordinances aimed at preventing vendors from promoting it. Usage of the Convention Center or other facilities during the month of May will be prohibited, and If there are no events to attend or crowd control to be given, will that put a stop to the Memorial Day mess?
It remains to be seen. After all, Memorial Day never was Myrtle Beach's problem. North Myrtle Beach is the one that suffers from Atlantic Beach's profitable and uncontrollable black biker week. Myrtle Beach has little or no input on it. They gather in the two block township of Atlantic Beach that even North Myrtle has no jurisdiction over, although it's dead in the middle of the city itself. The fact that North Myrtle Beach never dared to annex this strip of expensive oceanfront area is amazing in itself.
But maybe it will start the ball rolling on the north end, preventing discrimination lawsuits and paving the way to making Memorial Day into a family holiday again. The south's "bible belt" may win one battle against the country's so-called moral decay.
The Grand Strand is fighting to lose its nickname of "Redneck Riviera" and become South Carolina's version of Boca Raton.
Even most of us liberals will be backing out of this fight with relieved smiles. It takes a lot of energy to fight for global warming intervention, gay marriages, and pro-choice. Time to conserve energy for the important arguments...:-)
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I do not think that any social gatherings should be upheld in areas of small neighbourhood comunities. The county officials should be thinking of their citizens in first place. And I guess that a biker meeting is not what a family has in mind when thinking of Memorial Day. As a Toronto real estate agent I would leave the decision on the neighbourhood what kind of social activities they allow or refuse in their proximity.