Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Enjoy the beauty of Mill Mountain, as is
Letters to the Editor
Recent letters to the editor
- Letters: A home-school mom pays taxes, too
- Pick of the day: Home-schoolers reject public schools
- Pick of the day: Passing the buck won't stop abuse
- Letters archive
From the RoundTable blog
Read the latest entries
Enjoy the beauty of Mill Mountain, as is
It has come to my attention that there is yet another plan to develop Mill Mountain. I hope Roanoke City Council will turn down this latest proposal.
I was born in Roanoke and lived here for 50 years. I own property here but now live in Richmond. Returning often from flat country to Roanoke, I am always overwhelmed by the beauty of the mountains surrounding the city.
However, in recent years, I have been dismayed by new construction scarring ridge tops in the Roanoke Valley. With Mill Mountain as the focal point of our city, construction there would be another detriment to Roanoke's natural scenic beauty.
I served on a Mill Mountain advisory committee in which we reviewed Stanley Abbott's development plan for the mountain. After considering the vast space needed for parking, service areas and vendor trucks, committee members realized this was asking too much for the small area atop the mountain.
Roanokers can drive up to Mill Mountain in 10 minutes for a spectacular view, have a picnic lunch, a walk in the wildflower garden or visit the zoo -- all in peaceful, natural surroundings.
Roanoke is unique in having a park on a mountaintop within the city limits. Appreciate what you have and don't ruin it.
We can't win with wars
War is stupid.
When the United States had our Civil War, no one came to help us. We fought it without any outside assistance. So, if no one came to help us, why should we worry about helping them?
Our soldiers are killed every day trying to help the other countries that are involved in war. When the U.S. gets involved in wars, it seems we are always wrong.
If we go to help a country, then people say we are butting our nose where it doesn't belong. But if we don't go and help, people want to know where we are and why we're not helping.
No matter what, people don't like what we do.
Show some compassion for Falwell's loved ones
For those who loved the Rev. Jerry Falwell, it is upsetting and inappropriate to find blogs and Web sites glorifying his death and willing him to hell.
As Christians, our belief that we will see our loved ones in heaven provides us with strength to make it through deaths.
Obviously, freedom of speech allows these Web sites and blogs to be created. But it has gone beyond freedom of speech into disrespect.
Falwell wasn't only a conservative pastor whose ideas and beliefs outraged several different groups of people. He's a father, a husband, a friend, a mentor and someone who genuinely loved everyone, though he may not agree with you.
Have people become so closed-minded and cruel that they forget about these important aspects? They are not hurting the man who died; they are hurting those who loved him. I pray that these folks who have so much hate can find some compassion.
We may not all think the same way and we may not have the same religion, but we do have one thing in common: We are all Americans. If nothing else, show compassion for fellow Americans. A part of the country grieves; the other should not be laughing.
Hope The Times is on path to destruction
What an appalling May 16 editorial, "Falwell's judgment day." The Rev. Jerry Falwell was not even dead 24 hours and you were piling on.
"A lifetime spent judging others has ended." Who in the world is "judging others"? None other than The Roanoke Times. Your whole editorial did nothing but judge Falwell.
Even your attempts at positive statements were backhanded comments like "parlayed," "indoctrination" and "trying to run the nation."
This editorial is a textbook example of hypocrisy.
Apparently, in a free society, it is not proper for an individual to teach what you believe in the educational institutions that you founded.
Oh, by the way, he did not have "Christian elementary schools." He had (one) Christian elementary, middle and high school.
You need to have your facts correct before going after an educational institution that produces graduates that the top companies in the country court to hire.
Falwell did not travel "the wrong path." I trust that The Times is traveling the right path to destruction, and we will hear on the evening news that it "died on Tuesday." Your lifetime of judging will then end.
Shouldn't we arm ourselves with tanks?
I think Scott Fisher (May 18 commentary, "Second Amendment guards against tyranny") is right on target with his understanding of the intent of the Second Amendment.
Indeed, I also believe the intent was to prevent the federal government from gaining too much superiority over the citizens and the states.
I cannot see, however, how the legality of individual firearms creates a balance here. For a level playing field, shouldn't the citizens also be entitled to tanks, submarines, missiles and fighter jets?
Fisher's example of the Warsaw Ghetto resistance is really a poor illustration (to put it mildly) for showing that gun ownership adequately enables the citizens to win against military power.
Where is Virginia's "well-regulated militia"? How can our state politicians frivolously squander resources on car tax relief while the state lacks this important counterweight against the military power of the federal government?
So, let's all get our private tanks and mortars and restrain the government to its proper place.
In the alternative, we might ponder the possibility that not everything that made sense in the 18th century still makes sense today.
Appreciate the tribute to an outstanding man
Thank you, Joe Kennedy for the warm tribute to Ira Katz (May 23 column, "Market is losing a business and a gem").
Katz was a childhood friend of my husband and our neighbor; our children went to school together. He was always a very positive and upbeat person.
It was an honor to know Katz, and we will miss seeing him cycling around the neighborhood.
It is very sad to lose such an outstanding individual, and we really appreciated Kennedy's heartfelt column.
The community lost a great man
Thank you for writing such a beautiful article on Ira Katz (May 23 column by Joe Kennedy, "Market is losing a business and a gem").
Roanoke lost a great man and a fine gentleman. He was one in a million. Katz gave so much to this community.
I know his sons are proud of their father, and I know he will always be proud of them.
The cost to deliver mail rises with each gas hike
In his May 16 letter to the editor, "If only a price hike meant better service," Wayne Harrison complains about stamps going up 2 cents.
Has he been to the gas pumps lately? Why isn't Harrison writing in every day about getting raped at the pumps? Does Harrison think the postal vehicles run on air?
Has he noticed that the price of gas goes up about 15 cents a week? What's the matter with you people? Where are the letters about that?
The post office does a great job at a great price.
Yes, if it were up to me, I'd have made it 40 cents and said we're going up a nickel every five years. But we've got the best postal system in the world at the best price.
