Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 8, 1995 TAG: 9505080011
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
We constitute the government or, to put it bluntly, we are the government. Those who plan against and seek to destroy our government are indirectly planning against and seeking to destroy you and me.
Burgeoning militias are, at best, a benign, questionable growth on our country's political body. They're fast developing pathological cancerous conditions, such as establishing stockpiles of weapons far in excess of those needed for their individual self-defense. Add to this the spreading of and acceptance by them of false opinions, and you have catastrophe in the making.
We've seen this in Oklahoma City, and in Somalia where private militia and their warlords have destroyed a nation, resulting in thousands starving.
I served my country in the military for many years, and the above makes me fearful for my family and neighbors. All law-enforcement personnel are our representatives, and I'm thankful that they're out there. They give me some comfort.
Every American needs to think about this matter, and I hope that private militias will stop intimidating their neighbors with their stockpiles of weapons. (Who knows when a member possessed of irrational zeal might take over and use them unlawfully?)
I hope they would become a part of the community, working together to overcome our problems. We need to like each other, and shun none.
FRANKLIN M. RIDENOUR ROANOKE
Public sees benefits from taxes paid
WE ARE, debatably, the greatest military power that will ever exist on this planet - paid for entirely by the collection and distribution of taxes and the national debt.
Physically, Johnson's Great Society exists, and Martin Luther King did not die in vain. Our highways, schools, colleges and all other components of our great infrastructure, which corporate America so heavily depends on, are financed almost entirely by the collection and distribution of taxes and the national debt.
No one, I don't care how much taxes he or she pays, has received less than was paid for. The more they pay, the more they benefit from this process, or else they wouldn't be paying so much in the first place. That's how America's tax system works.
It's time we stop blaming government for all our problems, just as we should stop blaming poor people for the national debt through welfare programs. If the Christian right practiced their religion, they would want aid for the poor. Were not poor people Jesus' chosen people?
SAM COX CHRISTIANSBURG
Lottery funds wasted on ads
I HAVE never approved of get-rich-quick schemes. But when the lottery was first suggested, we believed the proceeds were to be used for the betterment of our schools and highways. I thought it was a great idea. Each week my husband and I would buy one ticket each from our small Social Security check.
We all know television commercials aren't cheap, and we're disgusted that so much of the lottery proceeds is spent on stupid, nonsensical advertisements. Money spent so foolishly could be used for the original purpose.
My husband and I are thoroughly disgusted as more and more lotteries are introduced, so we've stopped buying tickets.
BARBARA C. HELLER BEDFORD
Get the skaters off the streets
REGARDING Ellen A. Brown's April 25 letter to the editor ``Why can't the public help the skaters?'':
I hope her son isn't one of the boys I see every day as I go up Huntington Boulevard Northeast, turn right and go to Monterey School. They stay in the middle of the street, and I stop. They come right up to the car, and then swerve. One boy plays hockey in the middle of the street, and defies you to get in his way. I've been so afraid one of them would fall in front of me.
I agree - facilities for such sports are needed. But until we have them, they shouldn't take my life as well as their own so lightly. These are busy streets.
I have seven grandchildren, and I understand about children.
Perhaps Brown could appear before Roanoke City Council to see what we all can do to get such a facility.
JOAN K. SHANNON ROANOKE
More terrorist attacks are likely
WITH ALL the hate and bigotry spewing forth over the airways these days, no one should be surprised at what happened in Oklahoma.
I think we'll see more of those homegrown terrorist attacks in the future. There have always been a few crazies in the country who only need someone in authority or with the means to get them stirred up.
I once heard Rush Limbaugh say that he was on loan from God. I think it's just the opposite. He and his cohorts are on loan from the devil.
IRENE FERGUSON ROANOKE
Getting checked out at the grocery store
MOST everyone can't wait until they turn 21. For me (a 22-year-old occasional drinker), it's almost more trouble than it's worth.
I recently went shopping with my 18-year-old girlfriend to a local grocery store. We had purchased about $60 in food, including a 12-pack of beer. As I handed the clerk cash for the groceries, he asked to see both of our IDs.
Apparently, the fine state of Virginia says that everyone going though the line with an alcoholic purchase must be of age. So, must my girlfriend sit in the car every time we go grocery shopping? Must parents leave small children sitting in the car alone also? For all the state knows, maybe some parents give their 5- or 6-year-olds beer.
By the way, the beer was for my own consumption, and the clerk let us go through the checkout line anyway.
JEFF S. FRYDRYCH ROANOKE
Rescue workers need your help
IT'S IMPORTANT to post home addresses in prominent places so they can be seen from the road. As a rescue worker, I know little that is more frustrating and frightening than being called to the aid of a critically ill patient and being unable to locate his/her home due to lack of visible address markers.
Following cardiac arrest, one's brain is immediately deprived of oxygen, and brain death usually begins in four to six minutes after this deprivation. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, to be successful, must be started within minutes after collapse. Early defibrillation attempts further increase the possibility of a positive outcome.
In many 911 calls, minutes mean the difference between life or death. Our efforts are hampered and lives may be lost in cases where precious minutes are misspent searching for a patient who cannot be located in a timely manner. Please be certain that your home address is visible. In an emergency situation, it may save a life.
SANDY LIGHT ROANOKE
Lake residents put in quality time
SOME OF us who live at Smith Mountain Lake have taken with good humor the attention given us concerning the naming of the intersection at ``the light'' (April 28 article, ``Intersection panel narrows name list''). However, we also feel that equal space might be in order for what we do with most of our time to support this lovely valley.
We're regular attendees at Mill Mountain Theater, the Roanoke Symphony and Choral Society, and Opera Roanoke. An annual Multiple Sclerosis Home Tour and Gala contribute more than $100,000 per year to the Blue Ridge MS Chapter. The Smith Mountain Lake Lions Club tests the eyesight of all Franklin County schoolchildren, has academic and athletic scholarships for deserving Franklin County High School seniors, and buys eye glasses for needy citizens. The Lake Christian Ministries supports emergency needs of the people in Bedford and Franklin counties. And our tax dollars provide a substantial portion of the school budget.
These are just some of the ways we show our appreciation for living in this area.
I wouldn't dare quote the Bible, but as Shakespeare said, ``a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.'' We know this goes for an intersection, too!
RUTH M. RANDA MONETA
by CNB