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Virginia must have a modern rail system

Michael Abraham wrote a very good commentary, "The long commute soon won't make sense," (May 9).

Outlying suburban homes are a very bad investment for the future and might become retirement communities. He started to deal with the insane plans of the Virginia Department of Transportation, which are based on petroleum prices that will never return, but he didn't carry it to the next step.

Yes, we are going to eat more locally and the farmland will become more valuable. But we will always need to ship goods from our local industries and purchase goods from elsewhere.

If we do not build an economical shipping infrastructure, inefficient use of petroleum will put our goods at a price disadvantage and make everything we buy more expensive. We need a modern rail system to keep our economy rolling. A rail system that supports the trucking industry, can carry whole trucks at the speed of trucks, and also carries passengers.

Norfolk Southern, VDOT and our Virginia legislature all need to wake up to the future, start working together, start working across state lines, and build the rail interstate system.

Rasoul signs show voter discontent

Jon Harris's letter shows how little he understands the meaning of the signs sprouting up like spring flowers all over the Sixth Congressional District ("Rasoul shows sign of arrogance," May 7 letter).

Every single one of these signs should be construed as anti-Goodlatte signs, symbolic of the discontent we have for our incumbent Republican congressman.

His Digital Millennium Copyright Act bill gutted consumers' Fair Use rights for the electronics that we bought and own; his support for slaughtering horses for cheap meat repels even staunch Republicans; his promise to abide by a pledge for a six-year term limit shows his contempt for integrity and the electorate's memory.

The reason all these Rasoul signs have been planted in the lawns and yards in Roanoke, Botetourt, Lexington and throughout Southwestern Virginia is because people want a change. If Jon Harris doesn't like these signs, I suggest he call Goodlatte's office and complain.

Beach lovers are in for unhappy surprise

Outer Banks lovers should be mad as heck. More than a month ago, The Audubon Society and Defenders of Wildlife pulled a backdoor deal with the Cape Hatteras National Seashore's park service.

It was spun to the public as a deal that kept beaches open while protecting wildlife. It wasn't a good deal. If you love Cape Point, forget driving or even walking out there. Same with Hatteras inlet and other popular spots. Go to those areas and risk fines and jail.

So that leaves what little beach is left crowded, just the thing you go to Hatteras to avoid. Go to islandfreepress.com to learn more about what's closed and isn't. Also e-mail Cindy_Holda@NPS.gov and let the spokesperson for the National Park Service know how you feel about all this.

Nothing to fear from bacon grease

Heavens-to-betsy-bug. Someone needs to tell Marshall Coburn that almost all oil used for cooking is from vegetables (e.g., soy beans, corn, olives, etc.) or lard (from pigs), not the black stuff that comes from the ground, ("Don't surrender to OPEC," May 10 letter).

I indeed remember as a child we had a grease strainer/container that sat on the stove to receive the prized bacon grease we used to flavor our peas and greens and corn bread, and just about everything. I was a grown woman before I knew other people used butter for the same purpose. OPEC is not too worried about this.

Falling on hard Times, perhaps?

Is it just me or has The Roanoke Times suffered over the past few years? The paper has gotten so thin it tends to curl up to the point it is kind of like looking around a curve to read print near the edges. The paper is so thin that if I roll it up and threaten the dog for whatever evil deed, he laughs at me.

Also, the daily crossword puzzle sometimes has such dark areas in the blank letter blocks that after filling them in, the letter written can't be deciphered.

Finally, some of the pictures families have sent to be printed with loved ones' obituaries appear to be of such poor quality that one may ask, "Is that really dear Aunt Sally? I thought she looked better than that."

Don't get me wrong. I have subscribed to The Times for years and will continue to do so. Like I said, maybe it's just me.

Chuck the campground for a restaurant

I have observed for some time the pros and cons of building a restaurant on Mill Mountain. Then I read where we want to attract more visitors to the city. Now I read where the Blue Ridge Parkway has a dilemma.

I have a suggestion that should satisfy everyone. The mountain is between the Peaks of Otter and Mabry Mill. What a perfect location. The nearby Roanoke Mountain campground is underused. So let's build an inn with a first-class restaurant in the campground. You get the local and parkway traffic and leave the star alone. Any takers?

The Dowe story shouldn't be over

I haven't seen anything recently on former City Councilman Alfred Dowe. Is this the end of this story, that he was allowed to quit his job?

I did see in your paper several weeks back that he had paid back $2,000 ("Alfred Dowe reimburses Roanoke for extra billing," March 15 news story). That's not much payback for spending almost $15,000.

Shouldn't he face criminal charges, since he took money from both local and state taxpayers?

Sound opposition to more gun controls

The May 7 commentary by Bradford Wiles ("Gun control is based on false premises") is the most reasoned explanation I have read as to why further efforts to ban firearms will not make our nation safer or reduce the risk of violent crime.

For years, the Brady bunch and others have touted gun bans as "common sense gun control." Our country has common sense gun control, including the National Instant Criminal Background Check System -- which, by the way, is supported by the National Rifle Association.

The new measures to ensure that involuntary mental health commitments, which are already grounds to deny gun ownership, are included in the NICS system are sound and reasoned. However, further knee-jerk reactions intended to disarm law-abiding citizens and prevent them from defending themselves are not.

Again, I applaud The Times for printing the opinions of Wiles.

Obama has wrong party, wrong past

Regarding Leonard Pitts' May 6 column ("Drowning in a sea of hypocrisy"):

Barack Obama has intentionally, slowly and awkwardly disavowed Pastor Jeremiah Wright. I have utmost admiration for Obama's personal/professional success and might vote for him, but he's in the wrong party.

What's scary is his inexperience on the national stage or, even worse, that the teachings and associates from his former pastor are in his DNA.