ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, March 5, 1991                   TAG: 9103061107
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

VIRGINIANS LOSING OUR BASIC FREEDOMS

ARE VIRGINIANS still considered a part of America, the home of the brave and the land of the free? I'm beginning to wonder, with some of the legislators we have representing us in Richmond.

A few years back, we were sold a bill of goods that non-use of seat belts was to be considered a secondary offense. This meant that in order for citizens to be stopped and ticketed for non-compliance with that law, they had to be in violation of a primary offense. We were also told no effort would be made to change this mandate to a primary offense.

It appears to me our legislators are letting our basic freedoms trickle away. It also seems that our law-enforcement officers would have many more urgent concerns than whether we are wearing our seat belts.

I can only imagine the next behavior to be mandated. Perhaps a law will require us to have our spouse's permission to write letters to the editor of a local newspaper. Or maybe it will be like a friend said: "On Mondays all Virginians will be required to wear pink, lacy underwear." Any way we as Virginians look at it, we come out losers - losers of our basic inalienable rights of freedom of choice. RICK CALHOUN VINTON 


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