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Gun-rights advocate asserts several false premises of his own

In reference to the commentary by Bradford Wiles, "Gun control is based on false premises" (May 7):

n Assumption 1: More guns mean more safety. This is a false assumption. More guns mean more chances for deaths and injuries.

n Assumption 2: Gun owners always obey the law. Law-abiding gun owners are human just like the rest of us and are subject to fits of rage and depression. Having a weapon handy increases the chances of violence.

n Assumption 3: Danger lurks around every corner. How much fear is necessary to convince a person they need to be armed every waking second?

n Assumption 4: You can stop criminals if you are carrying a gun. Maybe you can, maybe you can't. The criminal may shoot you first.

n Assumption 5: The Second Amendment declares the right to carry a gun without any provisions. The Second Amendment also calls for regulation of weapons. It also mentions militias.

My assumption is that allowing members of the Virginia Tech community to carry guns on campus will solve nothing, but will increase the chances of more gun violence on campus.

Chemistry research technician Virginia Tech

Big plans for that gas tax savings

Not that it would ever come to fruition, but I have grand plans for Hillary's gas tax holiday proposal. With such a windfall of cash from this plan, there are several things I will be able to do that are usually fantasies for me and my budget.

First of all, I would probably put $28 worth of gas in my car, as opposed to the usual $10 that I can afford. Also, I would definitely head to my local discount store for a massive shopping spree, filling my basket with paper products, canned tuna and Ramen noodles.

Then I would be bold and go ahead and buy that pack of cheese I've had my eye on for months. A quick stop by my local thrift shop to grab those gently used running shoes -- that is, if they are still there. Probably someone else will use her gas tax holiday bonus and snatch them up.

Then last but not least, I would donate a portion of my newfound wealth to the local food bank. After all, not everyone will be able to be so frivolous with their bonus as I can.

Market has become off-limits to the frail

We moved to the Roanoke area (Salem) 40-some years ago. At the time, I would go to the downtown area two or three times a month. But whenever improvements are made, parking goes away. The older I get, and now crippled with arthritis, I no longer go for anything.

My last trip to the market area was about 10 years ago when I took my grandchildren to Center in the Square. I would not have made that trip if their mother had not dropped us off at the door and then picked us up.

What good is the city doing when it makes all of the so-called improvements when it limits the use for those who can't park several blocks away and walk to get to them? It appears that if you are over 65, you are not wanted in downtown.

Don't just swallow the party line

In response to J.B. Mixon's letter "Democratic Congress has failed families" (May 5):

It was sad to see his attempt to use the blaming, divisive tactics heard on the Rush Limbaugh show. Mixon's attempt to be a Rush wannabe is a profile of the negative politics often practiced today -- blame everyone else.

Always blaming the other party is not successful in relationships, in business or for our national leaders. One failure of our leaders is that no one accepts responsibility for problems, and Mixon's letter is a prime example.

Any pledge to vote 100 percent Republican or 100 percent Democratic, without even looking at the candidate's position on issues, is an uninformed vote. If a Republican candidate supports large tax increases and gun control, Mixon says he will vote for him. Really?

Regardless of party affiliation, voters should look at issues, educate themselves and make intelligent decisions rather than vote like robots. A growing number of citizens are tired of Limbaugh-style politics and are looking for candidates who can cooperate. Well, don't Rush me, Mixon. No party is totally to blame for the challenges our nation faces. Let's vote intelligently and elect leaders who work together.

Don't buy the old GOP line again

In "Democratic Congress has failed families" (May 5 letter), J.B. Mixon seems to have forgotten that it was a Republican Congress that perpetrated the Great WMD Lie on the American people, the lie that has cost the taxpayers billions of dollars and caused millions of lives to be needlessly shattered.

But the Republican Party has a penchant for deception and manipulation (remember the Swiftboat ruse) if it means the election of one of its own, never mind the qualifications, or lack thereof.

Mixon went to a lot of trouble to tell us what he was clearly going to do, anyway. What we all must understand is that blindly following one political party or the other is not patriotism, it is stupidity.

We're getting a second chance in November. We would do well to look at the candidate who offers hope, not one who guarantees more of what we could not afford in the first place.

Biofuels aren't the problem

While we agree with the concerns in your editorial "When fuel competes with food" (May 5) regarding the food crisis, your claims that "ethanol's benefits were grossly oversold" are pointedly misleading.

First, ethanol is easing prices at the pump. A Merrill Lynch analyst has said that ethanol is keeping gasoline prices some 15 percent lower than they would otherwise be.

Additionally, ethanol is a green alternative to gasoline. The 9 billion gallons of ethanol we will produce in 2008 will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 14 million tons, or the equivalent of taking 2.5 million vehicles off the road.

Corn-based ethanol never claimed to be the silver bullet to this country's growing energy crisis. Biofuels have always been, and should continue to be, a part of the solution.

Communications Director Renewable Fuels Association

Griffith's intermodal support is a betrayal

How can Morgan Griffith want to destroy a neighborhood with the pollution and noise the Elliston rail project will bring? I am not some tree-hugging liberal, but sometimes politicians just don't care for the people they are supposed to be serving.

I don't want to hear the political drivel about citizenship and responsibility. In 1965, I joined the U.S. Army, volunteered for Vietnam, went to college and started two businesses that were sold to larger corporations that created jobs for people. I have never asked the government for anything except to be left alone.

The interstate system is inadequate for traffic growth. More trucks on the road will mean more deaths. Christiansburg Mountain once had trucks in all three lanes, driving at 35 miles per hour and blocking traffic. People were taking wild chances trying to weave in and out of truck traffic.

We import garbage from other states to put in our landfills. Do we have to import corporate garbage also? I have never voted for a Democrat and I have only one vote. I do, however, have the money to help defeat people like Brandon Bell and other politicians who don't care about the people they serve.