DATE: Friday, October 10, 1997              TAG: 9710100002

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B10  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Letter 

                                            LENGTH:  116 lines

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

CAMPAIGN `97

Mr. Beyer, apologize

to Pat Robertson

I moved from the mountains of Colorado to become president of the Christian Coalition because of Pat Robertson. He is a man of character, integrity, vision and leadership. It is a privilege to work with him and to be a part of one of the many significant organizations he has founded.

Having said this, it may be clear why I was astonished and appalled to see a candidate for the highest office in the commonwealth of Virginia engage in vicious and unjustified attacks on Mr. Robertson.

Well, I am told this is nothing new to this particular candidate. He has done it most recently against a perfectly decent and responsible man, Mike Farris, in the lieutenant governor's campaign in 1993. Such calculated and hostile attacks on a man of faith who is not a candidate make it easy to believe that Mr. Beyer would like to drive all Christians out of the political process so that he and his cronies could have free reign.

Let us insist that these ads be withdrawn immediately and that the candidate make a public apology for his shameful statements. Until he does so, we should ignore his campaign and pay no further attention to him and his cronies. Apologize, Mr. Beyer, you have gone too far.

Donald Paul Hodel

President

Christian Coalition

Chesapeake, Oct. 3, 1997

HEALTH CARE

Norfolk free clinic

needs our support . . .

On Oct. 1, you ran a most interesting and informative article concerning Chesapeake's free public-health clinic. I commend you for alerting the public to this greatly needed service and for describing the problems that are faced on a daily basis. The services of such clinics are in great demand because of the rapidly growing number of ``working poor'' in our society.

I am a volunteer at the Community Adult Clinic of Norfolk, inside the First Baptist Church of Lamberts Point on 38th Street near ODU. Our clinic is very much like the Chesapeake clinic featured in your article but, because our resources are severely limited, we are open only two nights per week and can take only about 14 appointments each night. With the exception of the executive director of our clinic, everyone - doctors, nurses, lab technicians, social workers and clerical support staff - is a volunteer.

I would like to remind Hampton Roads that such clinics cannot survive on their own. As nonprofit organizations, we need all the help we can get, whether it consists of time, services, supplies or money donated to us.

Please call us at 423-2677 for more details or to make an appointment.

Margaret A. Fabik

Norfolk, Oct. 2, 1997

. . . and so do centers

serving Portsmouth

I applaud the efforts of the religious community of Portsmouth as it comes together to address social problems. The Jeremiah Summit is an important first step in identifying what needs to be done in Portsmouth to promote the welfare of the city and its citizens.

As welfare reform unfolds, I plead with the citizens of Hampton Roads to meet the needs of our less fortunate. Now, more than ever, the Sunshine and Portsmouth community health centers need our support. If not for the generous gift of an anonymous donor, the Sunshine Health Center would not be providing essential services at this time.

We may not be so fortunate next year if others do not step forward and provide money, volunteer work and other resources needed to operate these important community health centers.

Hugh B. Scott

Portsmouth, Sept. 29, 1997

FOREIGN POLICY

`94 Korean dispute

a chilling reminder

Your Oct. 2 article concerning the 1994 Korean dispute that nearly culminated in war was chilling and should remind Americans that our world peacekeeping role is not only expensive but dangerous.

The thought of 52,000 U.S. casualties in the first 90 days of a new Korean conflict ought to scare us to death. Perhaps we ought to take a hard look at our military presence in Korea. After all, South Korea is an independent nation and we could continue economic assistance without a military presence. Surely the survival of South Korea is important to other nations in Asia, such as Japan. How soon we forget that the first Korean conflict cost more than 2 million lives.

If a determination is made that the military defense of South Korea is in our national interest, then the military force stationed there should be sufficient to deter the communist leaders from aggression and not just ``show the flag.'' A deployment of military force should be based on the enemy's capabilities, not his stated intentions.

Bill Kimball

Virginia Beach, Oct. 2, 1997

CHARITY

Not all bingo is

tainted by fraud

I take exception to the headline and tone of your Oct. 1 article, ``Bingo fraud rampant, witnesses say.'' As a parent-volunteer, I have operated bingo for Christ the King School in Norfolk since April 1988.

A committed group of volunteers staffs our bingo. We have never, in more than nine years, paid any worker. George West's statement that all commercial halls have paid workers is erroneous. Even before the state took over bingo it was illegal to pay workers.

Jerry Rowe, the Charitable Gaming Commission executive director, stated that there are fewer than five bingos under investigation for paying workers. Locally, over 70 bingos are operating, and over 2,000 run statewide. How can five suspicious bingos out of these numbers justify the sensational use of the term ``rampant'' fraud, as cited in your headline?

Christ the King's bingo has raised many thousands of dollars for our school. These funds are vital to our fulfilling our mission of providing affordable Catholic education for all students.

I would hate for people to have the impression that all bingos are fraudulent when this is far from the truth.

Dempsey Wynn

Norfolk, Oct. 2, 1997

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