Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 9, 1993 TAG: 9310150381
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Well, I had a discussion about this very topic recently when someone said to me that Roanoke would never become a prosperous city, because the majority of people living in the valley are very much set in their ways about keeping things the way they are.
To this, I reacted in denial. How could a person not want their town to progress, such as Roanoke, where in my opinion very little is offered to the people, especially teen-agers, such as myself, and young adults?
Not only did that letter disturb me, but it also made me feel a little depressed about the way Roanoke is headed. I would really like this city to be known for something besides a gaudy star and a railroad.
SCOTT HAYES
ROANOKE
Too much religious smugness
REGARDING THE "religious right" and "religious left" of Frank Rogers' remarkably provincial Oct. 1 letter to the editor (``Religious left fears loss of its control'') - enough already! Such titles are oxymorons anyway.
Religion or areligion is, or should be, one's own business. In this land of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, government has no place in it - unless, of course, the arch dogmatists want a theocracy for the USA. This would be inimical to liberty and freedom.
Most hubristic are those who loudly proclaim that only they have the absolute and perfect religion and that all others are eternally damned. This planet abides billions of people in thousands of faiths, many of whom believe likewise of these doomsayers.
I recently watched a television debate between a panel of arch dogmatists and a panel not so hardened in their views. One did not at all have to be partisan to observe that the arch dogmatists had the most smug looks, cotton-eating grins and conceited remarks. Such persons should promptly refer in their unerring Bible to Matthew 5:6.
LEONARD J. UTTAL
BLACKSBURG
Brumitt is qualified
AFTER HEARING Rep. Dick Cranwell's radio spot stating that Bud Brumitt does not have experience and is not qualified to be a delegate to the Virginia Assembly, I felt insulted. Does he mean only lawyers are qualified?
Any citizen from any walk of life is qualified, as long as they are willing to listen to and represent the people of their district.
I believe Brumitt is more in tune with the average voter who has to work and live in the 14th District than someone who has been in office more than 20 years.
These people lose touch with the real world. We need new blood in Richmond to serve our needs, not their own.
I'm tired of the liberal elitist Democrats here and in Washington telling that they, and only they, know how to rule us. The last time I looked we were still a country of the people and for the people. Thank God for that. Remember, it's not a job, it's an honor and privilege to serve the people. It's not there for self-gain.
We need to have our voices heard. We do not need more of the liberal Democrat agenda forced on us, not from Washington or Richmond. We need integrity and ethics, not arrogance. We need Brumitt.
MARK NOVAK
VINTON
VMI is a glass house
VINCENT P. McGinn's Oct. 2 letter (``Academic charlatans are stealing from the public'') is a study in irony. McGinn, chairman of the electrical engineering department at Virginia Military Institute, tries to convince readers that the system of higher education is ripping off the public.
Really? Higher education in the United States is one of the most sought-after commodities in the world. Americans and foreigners compete for a limited number of slots in our prized educational system. Does he really think people are stupid enough to keep buying something that rips them off?
Moreover, people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. McGinn claims that VMI is an exception to the rule. He states, ``We attempt to give the customers a fair return for their commitment of time and dollars.'' Yet the military program VMI offers is expensive. The only ``proof'' we have that it does a better job of developing leaders is that some good ole boy in the state legislature says so.
And even if it does, it only does so if you are male. Why isn't McGinn speaking out against the blatant sexism and narrow-mindedness of trustees, administration, faculty and students of VMI who think it's still 1861? How can someone receive a fair return on their investment if those who supply the knowledge do not accept all qualified persons who seek to learn from them?
VMI was established in 1839 and provided excellent training for officers needed to staff the Virginia militia. It performed its duty nobly. But it's been a long time since we have had to worry about being invaded by a foreign country. This experiment in military education is an expensive and unnecessary drain on this state.
As long as Virginia chooses to continue this useless experiment, women who want this type of education should not be denied their rights. But they will truly be better off almost anywhere else where the faculty are more open-minded and impartial.
DON M. CHANCE
BLACKSBURG
by CNB