DATE: Tuesday, October 21, 1997             TAG: 9710210005

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B8   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Letters

                                            LENGTH:  146 lines

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

CAMPAIGN '97

Push polls are designed to persuade

Regarding ``Say no to pushy polls'' (editorial, Oct. 17): Republicans are once again attempting to generate negative press by accusing Democrats of ``push polling.'' This is an effort to mislead the news media by confusing legitimate opinion research with deceptive campaign practices. So-called push polling is not polling at all; it is negative phone-banking.

For the record, the House Democratic Caucus uses only pollsters who are members of bipartisan American Association of Political Consultants and adhere to the organization's code of ethics, which bans push-polling practices.

While real pollsters sometimes give respondents new information about a candidate, the intent of this process is not to shift public opinion but to simulate potential campaign debate and to assess how the voter might respond. Push polls are designed specifically to persuade; legitimate polls are designed to gather relevant information.

A late August poll conducted on behalf of 86th House District candidate Bev Graeber asked voters if they would vote for Graeber if they knew ``she raised taxes while serving on the city borough council in New Jersey.'' This is certainly a legitimate poll question inasmuch as the Graeber campaign was assessing how this information would damage her candidacy. It is hypocritical for the Graeber campaign to cry ``foul'' when it had tested the tax question in its own polling.

Ultimately it is up to Norfolk voters to decide whether Graeber's past willingness to raise taxes is a reason not to send her to Richmond.

Jay Reiff

Director

Virginia House Democratic Caucus

Richmond, Oct. 17, 1997

2 losers in the debate

After watching gubernatorial candidates Gilmore and Beyer so clearly put forth their positions in the Oct. 6 debate, I have only one question:

Who else is running?

Jim Jenkins

Virginia Beach, Oct. 8, 1997

OUR HISTORY

Church Street series stirs memories

I would like to applaud your writers for the series about the history of Church Street.

I read the articles with great enthusiasm and appreciation. They brought back fond memories for me and other members of the black community.

I first arrived in Norfolk in 1965 as a freshman at the Norfolk Division of Virginia State College (now proudly known as Norfolk State University).

Church Street was one of my first introductions to the black culture of Norfolk. It was a haven where the black community could shop and mingle, be entertained by famous people and eat soul food. Ask any retired sailor who was stationed here during that time and Church Street would be the topic of discussion.

This series should not end here. More articles could feature Lamberts Point, Ghent, Lindenwood and other historic areas.

Irvin L. Dickerson

Norfolk, Oct. 9, 1997

BEACH SHOOTING

Police deserve praise, not punishment

It appears that the Virginia Beach Police Department and many of its officers have undergone unneccessary embarrassment because of miscommunication (``Confusion muddles Beach police case,'' Oct. 8).

Information from unnamed sources should be cautiously handled, as these sources may have their own axes to grind. Training can always be improved in any organization, but after the dust settles in the March 25 police shooting, we may find that most, if not all, officers responded appropriately.

The police had received information that an officer was ``down.'' During the chase, the suspect continued to ram police vehicles and refused to submit when officers had every reason to believe that he was armed.

The police should be commended, not punished, for doing their job.

Mary Butler

Virginia Beach, Oct. 8, 1997

DRUNKEN DRIVING

Diana's accident an open-and-shut case

How long will the media continue publicizing the efforts to find a scapegoat for the death of Princess Diana? The fact that the drunken driver at the wheel of the car was traveling at a reported speed of more than 100 miles an hour, on a city street and on the approach to a tunnel, would seem to be all the evidence needed.

David Stick

Kitty Hawk, N.C., Oct. 10, 1997

CULTURE

Opera-goers need a dose of Ms. Manners

A friend and I went to the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk for a performance of ``Madame Butterfly'' because we had heard of the new staging and of Peter Mark's talented Asian cast, but most of all because of Giacomo Puccini's magic.

We thank Peter Mark for bringing un po d'Italia (a little of Italy) to Virginia, but we do have a few comments for the audience. To those who coughed and sneezed throughout the entire performance, please consider staying home next time you're not well. To those who wore gym attire, please consider changing into something more smart-casual. To those who wore elegant, striking hats, please remove them when you are in your seat so that those behind you can see.

And, finally, to the entire audience: Please, please, wait until the music stops and the priceless message is delivered before you clap. With a brief moment of pause, reflection and respect, one validates a great composer and his interpreters.

Liana C. Fleming

Adjunct faculty

College of Arts and Letters

Old Dominion University

Virginia Beach, Oct. 13, 1997

REHABILITATION

Triumphs at Pines are overlooked

I cannot begin to express the disappointment and anger I felt at finding yet another negative article about the Pines (news, Oct. 4) after spending another morning teaching the students you describe as some of the most difficult in the country.

Where were your reporters when some of our students were passing the Virginia Literacy Passport and Maryland Functionals last year? Where were your cameras as I took nine students on a field trip to Yorktown and Jamestown last year without incident? Why are residents in our work program, who mow the grass around our buildings and don't run away, never mentioned in your reporting?

Certainly, the Pines has weaknesses, and we are working as a team to make every part of our organization stronger. Will you be there to point out our improvements as they occur? Or will you continue to present only one side of a complex story and, in doing so, cause alarm and fright among residents of Portsmouth and the surrounding communities?

This serves no one, least of all the children (yes, they are children) we are trying to help.

Wendy Burr

Teacher, the Pines

Virginia Beach, Oct. 7, 1997

POLITICKING

Coalition: ``Cross the line'' and pay up

Concerning your Oct. 8 editorial, ``Crossing the line'':

Pat Robertson and his right-wing political arm, the Christian Coalition, should fess up and pay up!

The Coalition is immersed in matters of partisan politics, not religion, and to say otherwise defies reality.

The well-organized coalition and Mr. Robertson do not speak for or represent majority Christians.

Federico Correa

Norfolk, Oct. 10, 1997

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