ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 11, 1996 TAG: 9601110061
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
I AM a great believer in religious freedom, the right to worship where you choose and the right to testify to your faith. However, I don't believe anyone has the right to intrude on my privacy.
As my grandchild was opening her gifts on Christmas Day, a car turned into my drive. The car was unfamiliar to me and my family. Two ladies got out of the car. I said, ``Surely, they can't be Jehovah's Witnesses.'' That's exactly who they were.
I felt highly insulted that they would take my holy day to try to force their beliefs on us! I can't imagine the gall it must have taken to foist themselves on us on this day. They took advantage of the fact that it was Christmas and people would be at home. I would never interrupt a holy holiday for any reason, especially to try to persuade others to my way of thinking.
We were very polite, telling them we were celebrating our Lord's birthday. I've had others of their faith call on me at various times, and have always been courteous while declining their literature. I'm not quite so sure how I will react when they next knock on my door. I respect their rights, but apparently they don't respect mine.
MARIE K. BORDEWISCH
SALEM
Christmas stories touched hearts
IN ROANOKE and surrounding areas, the main topic of conversation at this year's holiday gatherings wasn't, surprisingly, the NATO peace-keeping efforts in Bosnia, the federal government's shutdown or even Virginia Tech and the Sugar Bowl. Your newspaper's feature, ``A Christmas Memory,'' easily surpassed these major topics to capture first place by a clear landslide.
As a contest finalist, I concede that this might be a slightly slanted point of view. However, considering the many business associates, friends, acquaintances and relatives who called, wrote or stopped me in the mall, I still lean toward my original consensus. Seriously, I was literally besieged by well-wishers and congratulations. And I loved every minute of it.
I and the rest of your multitude of readers thoroughly enjoyed all the Christmas-memory stories. Each was wonderful and touched me in its own unique way. I thought ``Special Delivery'' was a real winner, heartwarming and perfect for Christmas Day. Hats off to Steve Conley.
Congratulations to the talented and dedicated newspaper staff for efforts that went into this highly polished production.
MARGARET EAST
ROANOKE
America's homeless should come first
IN RESPONSE to your Nov. 24 article, ``Cuban refugees have reason to give thanks'':
I oppose the idea that Barbara Smith, who is director of the Refugee and Immigration Services, and the Catholic church's Richmond diocese have the right to bring these refugees from Third World countries into the Roanoke Valley and subsidize them with food stamps and Medicaid. The Catholic church should pay for this, not U.S. taxpayers.
As a working citizen, I'm not eligible for Medicare until age 65. Programs such as the Refugee and Immigration Services are bankrupting the Medicare and Medicaid funds.
If the Catholic church would like to help the poor and downtrodden, it should consider taking care of homeless people who are citizens of this country.
BEN L. ROSSELL
BLUE RIDGE
They're looking out for No. 1
REP. BOB Goodlatte and his true-believing allies in Congress are convinced that they know what's best for me. In fact, they're so sure of where my best interests lie that they're willing to withhold wages for work I've already done in order to fulfill their vision of that brave new world of my future. And, to keep my job and fulfill responsibilities I've undertaken for patients at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, I had to continue to work with the expectation that I'd be paid at some undetermined time.
Miraculously, while House Republicans are looking out for me, they also somehow have time to look out for themselves. Your newspaper reported (Dec. 30 article, ``At VA hospital, payday not much to celebrate'') that while the Senate had three times passed legislation to stop the salaries of the president and Congress while other government workers were unpaid, the House of Representatives' leadership refused to allow the bill to come to vote.
Believe it or not, despite all the Republicans' good intentions, I'm somehow worried. Furthermore, this isn't just my worry, because these dedicated visionaries believe they know what's best for you, too. And they appear to be willing to do whatever is necessary to you to put you where they think you ought to be.
PHIL DALTON
ROANOKE
LENGTH: Medium: 91 linesby CNB