Southwest Cove is on public land that isn’t visible from the highway. In the summertime, the beach offers a different view: naked sunbathers. Southwest Cove is one of the most famous nude beaches in the country, but there’s a move under way to make people put their suits back on.
For decades, people have come to visit the beach, which is listed in nudist guides and on Web sites. All are welcome, naked or not, while cameras without permission and sexual behavior are forbidden.
The beach is on public land that isn’t visible from the highway. The state — which has no laws banning public nudity — advises visitors with a sign at a trail head leading to the beach that warns “be advised, you may encounter nude bathers.”
But some Westmore residents want to be able to use the beach without having to worry they or their kids will confront a naked person. They’re pushing the town to pass an anti-nudity ordinance
Tony Strange said, “All we’re looking for, you know, is no nudity on the public beach,” he said. “You want to be naked in private, fine. … I just don’t want you to prance around like a puffed up chicken in front of my kids and think it’s OK.”
The fracking nude beach was there when you moved in, Tony.
There are two kinds of incomers. Those who find a lovely place, move in and don’t change a thing. And those who find a lovely place, move in – and try to turn it into their own private Disneyland.
Sounds like you are anti-immigrant.
Cripes! One of the dimwits beat me here.
I live near an airport. It was here when the house was built 25 years ago. Every 5 or 10 years someone moves into the community and starts whining about the noise from airplanes.
Do these people have any brain cells at all? Did they not look around and see those concrete strips (called runways) out across the prairie? Or see the sign a couple miles closer to town that says, “<< Airport”?
We don’t have an abundance of air traffic for appropriate economic reasons. We’re under an hour’s drive to a Real Airport. And the noisiest thing up there is a Douglas Dauntless Torpedo Plane. I’m pleased some irascible crank is getting the damned thing up in the air every now and then.
No different from the bloody beach.
the christian taliban strikes again………
Real estate listing:
“within walking distance to a clothing optional beach, frequented by many tourists ”
Some how, these people magically didn’t notice this until AFTER moving day? WTF?
And what the hell is this guy saying? “”
Tony Strange said, “All we’re looking for, you know, is no nudity on the public beach,” he said. “You want to be naked in private, fine. … I just don’t want you to prance around like a puffed up chicken in front of my kids and think it’s OK.”
“”
“puffed up chicken”?
People like this remind me that the US was founded by people too uptight and religious for THE BLOODY BRITISH!
moss,
beat me to the punch! i live down the road from an Air Force base that has been here since 1941. People all the time are complaining about the noise from the fighter jets overhead. Complete idiots. The base was there before most of them were even born.
This is probably a really nice beach, and these idiots think that they should have access to it on their terms, and theirs only.
I don’t want my kids to see lots of things in this world. You know what I do? I DON’T TAKE THEM THERE!
Of all the strange “crimes” that human beings have legislated out of nothing, “blasphemy” is the most amazing, with “obscenity” and “indecent exposure” fighting it out for second and third place. — Robert A. Heinlein
Get over it people. The human body is not obscene. Teaching your kids that it is is obscene.
>>the christian taliban strikes again………
Hoo boy. Dvorak’s law in action!
There’s no indication that the anti-nudists are Christian, or of amy religion whatsoever.
I think it’s just a bunch of tight-assed Atheist prudes, trying to shut down other people’s ability to pursue happiness.
#7 – Mister Mustard,
You’ve got it right. There’s no indication that religion played any part in the thinking of these induhviduals.
Idiots come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and creeds.
#1 Mike N.
Well put. Off topic, but insightful.
People and their precious sensibilities. Hey, I say if you don’t like it, go somewhere else. But enough about taking pictures on public property. Except to add, photogs were taking pix on that beach well before the exhibitionists got there.
RBG
Actually MM, the likelihood of the complainers being religious is very high. Atheists (and anti-theists) consider a human as just another animal. Therefor clothing is optional as there is nothing about a naked animal that is unnatural or offending. Being religious, esp. Christian, puts humans in a special non-animal class…. spiritual beings, the privileged children of a god.
#12 – JimR,
Actually MM, the likelihood of the complainers being religious is very high. Atheists (and anti-theists) consider a human as just another animal. Therefor clothing is optional as there is nothing about a naked animal that is unnatural or offending. Being religious, esp. Christian, puts humans in a special non-animal class…. spiritual beings, the privileged children of a god.
I’m an atheist and even an antitheist. And, I agree that a human is just another animal. Or maybe we’re worse than other animals.
However, that is just my opinion. I did not read it anywhere in the atheist rule book, and have never seen such a book.
I imagine there are atheists that probably would be offended by public nudity. There’s no admission of god in a statement about not wanting to see the jumbly bits of the old and fat.
It doesn’t offend me. I just won’t look. But, it may offend or disgust some atheists to the point of not wanting it in public.
Note to self: Try not to find yourself on a desert island with a hungry JimR.
RBG
Note to self: Become a vegetarian.
Note to self: If stuck on a desert island, bring JimR. As just another animal, he won’t mind if I indulge in some long pig.
Just kidding, of course. Anthropophagy is funny.
#15 – JimR,
I’m not going to argue against vegetarianism. However, the idea of humans as just another animal means, to me at least, that we’re part of a continuum rather than being special, not that we’re all equal. I try not to eat too high on the food chain or the intelligence scale personally.
“There are two kinds of incomers. Those who find a lovely place, move in and don’t change a thing. And those who find a lovely place, move in – and try to turn it into their own private Disneyland.”
Actually, they always want to turn it into a copy of the place they say they were trying to “get away” from.
“It’s so lovely we simply *had* to move here” is _always_ followed with: “but, where *I* come from, *we* had a Starbucks on every corner! Why don’t _you_ people?”
Why the Hell don’t these people just stay the ^&%$ where they used to live…?
Don’t we usually find out that these “Christian Values” Type breed and rear the MOST VIOLENT PSCHO-SEX SERIAL KILLERS ??? Making Sex and Nudity a DEEP DARK SECRET IS THE UNHEALTHYIST THING TO DO !!! And let’s not forget that, Under our clothes, we are all NAKED – THE WAY GOD MADE US !!!
Still, I’d find it a bit disconcerting to have brain surgery by a naked surgeon.
RBG
#19 – RBG,
Still, I’d find it a bit disconcerting to have brain surgery by a naked surgeon.
Me too. However, I have different reasons for that.
1) I’d worry about disease transmission.
2) I’d find it disconcerting to need brain surgery in the first place.
I like to go to the lake bright and early on a Sunday morning. After reading some scripture about bearing fruit. I disrobe and head into the chilly waters of thy lord. Soon the fish start nipping. The previous nights festivities of budlight and taco bell give me enough god speed to take the mornings catch home.
19.
I wouldn’t mind some naked young nurse ladies though….
#18 JimD
You’re scaring me, man. Take a valium or something.
#6, “beat me to the punch! i live down the road from an Air Force base that has been here since 1941.”
Well, to be honest, you have to admit that they weren’t using jet aircraft back then either. While I agree with your sentiment, I’m feeling like quite the contrarian today.
Tony Strange is a sack man and must love watching the puffed up prancing around chickens. I would be a disappointment after having a sack job I appear as more of a puffed up one eyed snake. I agree with Tony, let’s get rid of all the puffs and pave the beach with asphalt so we can park more cars.
So what is the law on this? You know the law? Its what happens no matter what YOU think.
Seems I read about a manufacturing plant, beets into sugar I think, out in the country. City grew out to it and suit brought to shut it down because of smell.
Court ruled owner had to stop stinking the place up or go out of business. Seems you can’t devalue other people’s property today, because you used to yesterday. Seems reasonable to me.
Nudity on the beach is a different issue. Thats all law and zoning having nothing to do with prior use. I don’t like the display of nudity. Most people just too ugly to look at, nothing else, simple eye pollution.
#26, funny that you bring up the law, and then present an example dealing with equity.
Why do they hate America? Why do they hate our freedom?
>>I don’t like the display of nudity.
That’s the great thing about living in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, Bobster. You don’t have to look!
If it bothers you that much, don’t move to a place where there’s a known nude beach in the first place. If you could tolerate being in the same water with nude people that you couldn’t see, go to a different beach. Lake Willoughby’s pretty big; you should have no trouble finding a spot where no nudity is allowed.
#27–SeaLawyer–you’re above my simple reading. Equity? How is that different than “the law.” I suppose in some academic way that doesn’t mean anything to anybody but is worth 5 points on the final?
#29–Mustard, you are on a roll. Quite right again.
#16, Scott, “If stuck on a desert island, bring JimR. As just another animal, he won’t mind if I indulge in some long pig.”
On second thought BBQ pork would be too hard to ignore. I’d have to savagely tear into it with you…. but I agree, we’d only eat the dumb ones. I refuse to eat a pig that says “don’t kill me”.
#19, RGB, “Still, I’d find it a bit disconcerting to have brain surgery by a naked surgeon.”
How would you know? How do ANY of us know…