Monday, January 28, 2008
Return to voting that can be audited
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
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Return to voting that can be audited
Absence of audit trails in voting systems is dangerous to the integrity of our democracy. Fancy technology systems have failed repeatedly and must be replaced by auditable paper-based systems immediately.
I am in favor of a federal law mandating that electronic voting systems have paper trails.
Success of surge doesn't justify war
John McCain's recent success in his bid for the Republican candidacy for president is due in part to his support for the surge of U.S. troops in Iraq.
The surge of more than 23,000 troops has reduced the number of deaths. One would hope for as much. This, however, is of no benefit to the almost 4,000 U.S. personnel killed, the almost 30,000 U.S. personnel injured, the tens of thousands of Iraqis killed or injured, and the million-plus displaced Iraqis.
The success of this surge is neither a justification for the war nor a path toward victory. Rather, it is a costly and desperate effort to reduce the immense suffering and carnage of a civil war that the U.S. ignited.
The increased U.S. presence in Iraq is an effort to remedy a gross mistake, to justify the deception of the American public by government officials and ultimately to salvage some redemption out of a tragic situation.
Things will get better in Iraq, but not because the United States invaded Iraq, or because thousands of more troops will win the war. Rather, things will get better in Iraq because they have to. Things could not get much worse than they've been.
Bank merger will be a good thing
I am writing as one of the many employees of FNB who are for the merger of equals with VFGI.
It is unfortunate that some FNB employees are afraid to take a stance and express their feelings about the merger for fear of retribution from the leaders of the committee opposing it. I can say this with certainty because fellow employees have discussed this with me.
Why would you ever want to work for someone you fear? Intimidation may work in the courtroom but should not be used on the faithful employees of FNB.
The operation center and bank headquarters will remain in Christiansburg, and there are no plans to move, period.
The benefits to the community, our customers, employees and shareholders are numerous, and everyone should think long and hard about some of the negatives expressed by the opposition group.
Remember that 21 of the 25 bank and corporate board members voted in favor of and are supporting the merger.
Shareholders should look carefully at all the information and be sure they have the facts. I think they will then vote their shares in favor of the merger.
Don't defer to men on a women's issue
What's wrong with this picture? On Jan. 20 two photos regarding Roe v. Wade appeared in The Roanoke Times. All women were depicted in the pro-choice photo and all men in the anti-choice photo.
On Jan. 22, the two anti-choice letters to the editor ("Roe v. Wade hits 35 years of killings" and "50 million deaths is no small number") were penned by men.
Far too many anti-choice women, to the utter amazement of independent women, bow to male domination and to the male-written tenet that declares women be subservient to men. Admittedly, I, a male, am also amazed.
What, I wonder, is the female equivalent to a male wuss?
The deer don't need a day of rest
I have a question about why we cannot hunt on Sunday. The deer are all over Virginia. We have too many of them -- they are even in the cities. They are being hit by cars and trucks every day.
Virginia is one of only 10 states that do not allow hunting on Sundays.
The deer need to be thinned out. You cannot have fruit trees, gardens, shrubbery or anything else that they can eat. Sen. Patsy Ticer, D-Alexandria, said they need a day to rest. They have eight months a year to rest. They don't give us a day of rest.
I also want to know why hunters east of the Blue Ridge get two months of modern gun season (and can run deer with dogs) and hunters west of the Blue Ridge get two weeks of modern gun season. We all pay the same amount for licenses.
To make it fair, the license should be $60 plus big game stamp. The season should open the first Saturday in October and stay open till the last Sunday in January and allow hunting with modern gun, black powder or bow.
Giving blood gives precious time
For the past 18 months, my 83-year-old mother has required numerous blood transfusions. Her condition is unexplained anemia.
Without these transfusions, she would no longer be with us. Instead, I am still able to put my arms around her and treasure her company and sense of humor. I can still talk to her on the phone every day even if I don't see her.
This is all possible because there are caring individuals in our community who give blood. I would like to thank each and every person who takes time to give of themselves and save the lives of people they will never meet.
I encourage everyone who is able to donate. Contact your local American Red Cross for information about donating blood. Unfortunately, due to a previous illness, I am not able to give blood. I cannot help my own mother, but someone out there can, and does.
God bless all those who give blood.
HPV vaccine mandate should be repealed
Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, might be a medical breakthrough for preventing cervical cancer, but Virginia law requiring vaccination for sixth-grade girls is bad legislation. Numerous medical organizations endorse the vaccine but have cautioned that states should not mandate HPV immunization primarily because the long-term effects of the vaccine are unknown.
A physician wrote in the Journal of the AMA that long-term effectiveness and safety still need to be evaluated, particularly among younger girls. In May 2007, two physicians expressed similar concern in the New England Journal of Medicine: "At this stage, [HPV] vaccination can still be considered experimental."
Another observation by medical professionals: HPV is not communicable in the school setting, so it doesn't fit the public health model for mandatory immunization. Legislators thought they could evade this standard by including an opt-out provision. But unless the experimental nature of the vaccine is made explicit to parents, they will assume the vaccine is safe. How ethical is that?
Contact your state legislators. Demand that the state mandate be repealed and ask for a copy of "Mandating Health: HPV Infection and Cervical Cancer," Del. Bob Marshall's presentation that documents medical reasons that the law is inappropriate.
Leave the mountain as is for future generations
As I watch TV, listen to the radio and read The Roanoke Times, I'm surprised at the reasons given as to why we should have a restaurant on Mill Mountain.
Have these individuals thought of the people who will be living in Roanoke in the year 2078 or 3004? I believe their reasons to have the restaurant are for the now, rather than for the people who will be living in later years.
We will have more individuals living in the valley, and if the building continues as it has in the past, being able to look up and see the mountains will not be available to them.
Look at how many buildings are on our mountains now. In Mill Mountain, we have a gem, not created by man and even more beautiful than what man can do.
We need lots of green spaces including the mountains, so let us leave our gem, Mill Mountain, alone.
