Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 15, 1994 TAG: 9402150256
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Yearly discussions between parents and school officials regarding standards for student conduct would create understanding of expectations and also foster family involvement. By signing an agreement regarding the standards, parents would solidify a contractual role as a partner in their child's education. Del. Richard Cranwell aptly stated this concept of making ``parents advocates of the system rather than advocates of the students.''
We further agree with Cranwell that, to succeed, the agreement must encompass every student. To single out only disruptive students would seem to undermine the process of total parental involvement. As parents of a kindergartner in the Wythe County school system, we see daily how children can suffer from the disruptive behavior of a classmate. School officials voice their concern for burdensome paperwork created by this legislation. Yet, the resulting end of severe disciplinary problems is a positive trade-off for any additional work.
ERIC and DEANNA GLEAVES
WYTHEVILLE
Congress deserves a boot award
MATTHEW Franck's Feb. 1 tirade against Oliver North is full of sound and fury (commentary article, ``Why conservatives should oppose North''). He neglects to admit that Congress made North's action a ``crime'' by forbidding aid to victims of Nicaragua's Sandinistas. The prohibition is the crime, considering the Sandinista despotism.
What North did was defy congressional liberals and break the back of communism in Nicaragua. That's a crime in the same sense that George Washington was a criminal to the British.
At the American Revolution's Saratoga battlefield is a monument to ``the most brilliant soldier of the Continental Army.'' It depicts simply one boot, representing a once-great patriotic career gone awry. This memorial of one boot belongs to Benedict Arnold.
Congress deserves a boot award for betrayals of trust, for constantly caving in to Sandinistas, Iranians and others. Where do these satraps, swathed in the royal purple of congressional immunity, get off criminalizing those with whom they disagree? North may not be a good candidate for office, but let's avoid the reverse McCarthyism. North, after all, accomplished what Congress should have done.
ROBERT A. YOUNG
HARRISONBURG
Caustic columns aren't appreciated
AS A long-time subscriber and avid reader of the Roanoke Times & World-News editorial and Commentary pages, as well as editorials in other publications, I must express my disappointment in the attitude Paxton Davis portrays in his columns. Over the past year, his comments are becoming increasingly shrill in tone. He's dealing less with the important issues of the day and his solutions to these problems, while writing more about his views of why other people lack intelligence.
My perception is that Davis views those who don't support his opinions or solutions as oafs. He describes Virginia's new governor as that ``Hee Haw governor'' (Jan. 21 column, ``Whole lotta grinnin' in Richmond'') and goes on to describe Republicans as ``greedy and self-seeking.'' He says they ``will be no worse, in the end, than the Democrats who have plundered Virginia for so long.''
These types of comments don't belong on your fine Commentary page since they provide no useful insights about the people Davis is attempting to write about. These comments are more an indication of his apparent contempt for those who don't live up to his intellectual standards.
As the old saying goes, ``Those who live in glass houses ... ''
EDWARD P. SNYDER
MARTINSVILLE
North gets vote of confidence
IN THE Jan. 30 Roanoke Times & World-News, Fred M. Werth wrote a magnificent letter to the editor, ``Oliver North lied honorably.''
I concur with every point he made. Col. North was given a secret mission, and he carried it out successfully and honorably. And when questioned about it, he did not divulge its secret nature. He's an able and honorable man who's been much maligned by unthoughtful people as well as the media. He has my confidence and vote to get things done in Congress.
HAZEL S. MOORE
ROANOKE
House plants clear the air
IN RESPONSE to your Feb. 2 editorial, ``Clear the air inside, too''"
It's been shown by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that many common office plants and house plants help clean indoor air. The ficus tree, peace lily and Chinese evergreen are but a very few that can clean your indoor air of toxins such as benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene. These toxins are emitted to our indoor air by such common items as tobacco smoke, carpeting, paints, inks, dyes, facial tissues and detergents.
The editorial is correct. The Plants for Clean Air Council in Maryland says it knows of no agency that is monitoring the indoor levels of toxins. The Environmental Protection Agency has identified 500 to 600 volatile organic chemicals and is looking into this serious problem.
In the meantime, the use of plants, not mentioned in the editorial, is a partial solution to the problem. This can be implemented immediately and at a reasonable expense to the office or home.
EFFIE MOORE
Plant Culture Inc.
ROANOKE
by CNB