Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: SUNDAY, July 24, 1994 TAG: 9408170002 SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: F2 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Our family began faxing letters to every congressman and senator, letting them know about him and expressing our opposition to our troops being in Somalia. Out of those 524 letters, we received only four personal replies (none of which were from Virginians) offering concern and prayers for my brother and our family.
On Oct. 11, 1993, Oliver North spoke in Giles County at a Farm Bureau dinner. I had the opportunity to speak with him regarding my brother and his expected long recovery period in the burn unit at Fort Sam Houston. North asked for his address. A few days later, my brother received a personal letter of encouragement from North, and two weeks later North visited him.
There was no publicity or fanfare involved in that visit. What makes someone travel several hundred miles to visit someone he doesn't even know? North did it because he loves the military, and he honors the men and women who serve in it.
Please don't judge North by what the liberal media and the elite Washington insiders say about him. Judge him by what my brother told me: ``He's a great guy, and a true American hero.''
JANICE BRACKENRICH RICH CREEK
Yeltsin's credibility problem
``NYET,'' Yeltsin thundered at a post-summit news conference with Clinton, when asked if all Russian troops would be withdrawn from Estonia by Aug. 31.
Sadly, the Russian president seems to have misunderstood. Whereas respect has to be earned through adult behavior, Yeltsin has resorted to tactics like those used by his predecessors - such as Khrushchev's famous shoe-pounding tantrum at the United Nations years ago.
Is the West really so weak and naive as to believe Yeltsin's lies about small, peace-loving Estonia treating its Russian minority inhumanely? The many respected international missions investigating this matter have found no evidence of these allegations. If Yeltsin is allowed to have his expansionist way, the very existence of the Baltic States, including their languages and cultures, will continue to be threatened.
Before we give in, let's just think the unthinkable: Where would the Danes, Norwegians, French and others be today had Nazi Germany been allowed to leave behind their troops and pensioners after World War II?
KARIN and KIRILL DOTSENKO HUDDLESTON
Parents must regain rights to discipline
WHEN I was growing up, my parents were always there to guide and correct me. Today, I am very thankful for that. Discipline starts in the home, and usually stays with you through life. When children are disciplined today, it is called abuse by our government.
Parents cannot settle disciplinary problems with their children anymore without the courts getting involved, and usually the courts let the children continue their undisciplined and disrespectful actions.
How long is it going to take for our government to realize that our children's future, and the country's future are at stake? Discipline starts in the home at an early age, not when the person grows up and enters society. Parents will have to get back their rights to discipline their children. If the government continues to believe it can shelter undisciplined children, who in turn become undisciplined adults, it is creating nothing but disaster for the future of our country.
HARDIE DUHANEY MONETA
Omitting some of the evidence
YOUR EDITORIALS of June 22, ``The candidates' legitimacy,'' and July 11, ``Lawyers for the defense,'' tell it like it is.
Lawyer Joseph E. Blackburn Jr.'s views (July 11 letter to the editor, ``Republican's character assaulted with untrue assertions'') may be well-researched, but he fails to say that Oliver North admitted he lied to Congress, shredded historical records and destroyed documents. Yes, North got off on a legal technicality, but do Virginians want that kind of person serving them in the Senate? I hope not.
If you want to know other ways in which North lies, I refer you to the June 1993 issue of Reader's Digest, and to George Will's Washington Post column of Feb. 3, 1994, ``The problem is not what he did, but what he is.''
ENID E. BURTON CLIFTON FORGE
Looking for racism in the wrong place
I READ the Roanoke Times & World-News July 15 commentary, ``In `Lion King,' another Disney display of racism'' by Detine L. Bowers. I believe she missed a couple of points, because of anger ... or on purpose.
Since she took special exception to Robert Guillaume's role of Rafiki, the baboon, I would like to start there. Had actor Robert Guillaume seen even a hint of racism in his part, I believe he would have made them change it, or turned down the role. He does not need the money; he is not exactly a starving actor.
The baboon he portrayed was a Mandrill. Webster's Dictionary says ``[the Mandrill] has, in the male, cheek protuberances striped with brilliant red and blue.'' This is the way the character was drawn, not to imitate ``African face paints.'' An ape's hair does go white with age, as is true for most humans, not only African elders.
As for the voice of Rafiki portrayed as ``a distinguishable stereotypical dialect of a black man,'' I do not remember the speaking voice well enough to argue, but it was probably more the African-American actor's artistic license than racism.
Ms. Bowers did not seem to notice (or, at least, mention) that the two most intelligent and benevolent creatures in the movie were portrayed by African Americans: the King and Rafiki.
All of the character faces drawn for the movie were animal characterizations of the actors who played the roles. Jeremy Irons' (white) face is clearly seen in the very evil, power-hungry, conniving, murderous Uncle Scarr. (By the way, the two lazy characters were played by whites, and I do not feel the least bit slighted.)
I attended this movie with my 3-year-old daughter, and the race issue never even entered my mind until I read Ms. Bowers' article. She may think that my daughter is now more racist than she was before, but I think she just went to a movie and enjoyed it.
HUGH DALTON ROANOKE
Doctors have role in violence prevention
AS A LOCAL physician, I agree with the points raised by Dr. Daniel Clow's June 27 commentary in the Roanoke Times & World-News entitled ``To end cycles of violence, remorse is not enough.'' I agree that there is indeed a ``national epidemic of domestic violence.''
This involves victims, including women, men and children of all ages. We as physicians see chronic physical and psychological problems in adulthood arising from childhood physical, sexual and emotional abuse. The medical and psychological literature is coming to grasp the truth that domestic abuse is much more common than previously thought, often goes undiagnosed, and requires specialized treatment methods.
There is need for a broad-based ``wholistic'' attack on this problem, which has physical, emotional and spiritual ramifications. Professionals from a number of disciplines, such as medicine, psychological counseling, social work and the pastorate, must work together to educate the public, to treat victims as well as perpetrators of violence, and to begin the essential task of actually preventing domestic violence.
JAMES E. DILL, M.D. ROANOKE
Disney may 'save' historic landmarks
I'M CONCERNED by the number of respected historians who feel that the Disney theme park would be detrimental to the atmosphere of the Manassas Battlefield (July 11 Extra section article by staff writer Dwayne Yancey, ``History vs. Disney''). The opponents, most notably Shelby Foote and James McPherson, say that the theme park will create a false sense of history, and detract from the battlefield. I disagree.
As members of the MTV and video-game generation, many of my peers would never dream of ``wasting time'' at a battlefield. We need something to spark our curiosity, and a theme park just might do that. We'd be interested in an amusement park, and just maybe we'd leave to ask our parents about that J.E.B. Stuart they were talking about. Young people might leave the Disney park filled with so much curiosity that they might even pick up a book to read about some of the things that happened in our country. Then when they grow up, they, like James Robertson or Ken Burns, will try to save the battlefields.
In my eyes, there's a clear choice: Compromise the ``atmosphere'' of one battlefield area, or, within a generation, we may lose all the battlefields.
DYLAN TILLEY ROANOKE
by CNB