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Fanatics, not guns, are to blame for shootings

Re: "Another gunman robs our freedoms," Aug. 1 commentary:

Christine Brownlie's commentary was interesting but confusing. I am familiar with many of the freedoms and rights bestowed on citizens by our Constitution, but I have somehow missed the "freedom from fear" section.

Brownlie is protective of what she considers her freedoms, but has no problems trampling on the rights of others. Her attempt to use the issue of guns is misdirection to draw attention away from the real problem.

The problem is the same as it has been since we evolved into modern humans or since Cain killed Abel (your choice): egotistical and fanatical people. The murderer in this case definitely falls into that category.

Look around and you will see many egotistical and fanatical people. The world is full of fanatical conservatives, liberals, Democrats, Republicans and many other groups who are convinced they are right and anyone who disagrees with them is wrong.

The most dangerous of all are the religious fanatics. They take their egotism and fanaticism to a higher level by blaming what they do on God. They say they are "doing God's (Allah's) work" as a way of justifying what they do.

Rail would die for lack of interest

As attractive as it may seem, I do not believe rail passenger service to Roanoke is viable, even with a convenient schedule.

We had Amtrak before and it failed, even after a reroute. It might be utilized for about a month or until the novelty for the rail enthusiasts wore off. Then, 10 passengers would be a busy day.

There are just not many reasons to come to Roanoke for business or pleasure. No major corporation has its home office here (face it, Advance Auto is gone). Heaven forbid there be any attractions or new tourist developments. And that's a shame. There are so many good ideas here that are resisted into oblivion by the Roanoke Valley's pervasive stoicism. Sigh.

A gas that is good and an air pollutant

Re: "Wise plant adds to life cycle," July 31 commentary:

Pete Sarjeant objects to the classification of CO2 emitted by coal-fired electric power plants as an air pollutant. CO2 gas is present in Earth's atmosphere in the concentration of about 390 molecules per 1 million molecules of atmosphere (390 ppm), and provides several essential functions.

It is necessary for plant growth (photosynthesis). It is absorbed by the oceans and benefits creatures. It captures some of the heat energy the Earth continuously radiates into space and helps keep the surface of the Earth from getting too cold.

However, there is scientific consensus that increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration has the serious adverse effect of warming the Earth's surface too much. Coal is largely carbon and, when burned, is converted to CO2. This extra CO2 is more than can be absorbed by the oceans and by photosynthesis.

The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has been steadily increasing since humans began burning coal and petroleum. In 1800, the concentration was no more than 280 ppm.

CO2 can be considered a pollutant. It will be a welcome development when technology becomes available to capture the CO2 produced by power plants. The atmosphere already has more than enough.

Send him home, not to jail

Re: "Man gets prison in illegal alien case," Aug. 5 Virginia section:

I am still shaking my head after having just finished reading the story about Antonio Mateo's federal prison sentence. Can anyone please tell me why taxpayers should foot the bill for an illegal alien to be incarcerated for 21 months, followed by two years of supervised release? (But he might be deported after his prison term is complete, making this a moot point.)

Is it because he has already been sent back once and this is the sentence that "will foster a respect for the law"? Doesn't sound like this had the desired effect, since "there were tearful hugs, then Antonio Mateo waved his cuffed hands and was led away."

Please, tell me why we are going through all this time and expense for someone who is here illegally? The only release we should be supervising is his immediate trip back to Guatemala at his own expense.

Free concerts are costing someone

The newspaper printed a complimentary article about the free concerts on the City Market ("Estimated 3,500 see free downtown concert," Aug. 3). These concerts are not free but are paid for by the lost revenue of market merchants and vendors.

They shut down access to the market businesses except by foot, if you can find a parking spot near enough to make walking there feasible. Is it really necessary to close all of the streets?

My husband cannot walk long distances, but on Saturday, a stroll up one side of the market and down the other is a favorite way to spend the morning. Now we can't do that because we can't park close enough.

Once we were lucky and found a spot and some businesses were not even open. Why open when most people can't get to your shop? On the other occasions, we couldn't park close enough, so we just went to Fresh Market for produce.

Did anyone owning a business on the market or running a produce stand support having access blocked on their busiest day? These free concerts are costing someone a lot of money. It's just not the public that's paying.

Schools are losing valuable teachers

The Roanoke school system is doomed for another year of failure. Expecting the school for overage students to stop the downward slide will not work, especially when it is being started with middle and high school together.

Also, last year many valuable teachers were lost for two simple reasons: low pay and bad treatment by principals, neither of which has been corrected.

I have these suggestions: Pay better; train principals to be good leaders, not tyrants; and assign teachers to the nearest school at which they are qualified to teach. This would save the average teacher $640 per year in gas and, if done nationwide, millions would be saved.

Also, give teachers duty-free lunch time by having principals in the lunch room and rotating the teachers. There are many other solutions if the leaders would only do a little research. Our students deserve better -- no, the best.

Vote Republican for gas price relief

Energy policy is the most critical issue in not only the presidential election, but senatorial and congressional elections. Unless we want to be held hostage to oil-producing countries, we must lift the ban on offshore drilling and support drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The Democratic-controlled Congress won't even allow a vote on drilling. In the Senate, lifting the ban on drilling would probably be blocked by a filibuster. Sen. John McCain is clearly in favor of domestic oil production, as are Jim Gilmore and Virgil Goode. Unless we want to continue to pay close to $4 for a gallon of gas, we must elect conservative Republicans who are not beholden to radical environmentalists.

As the cut-and-run strategy of Barack Obama is counter to our national interest, a refusal to ensure an adequate domestic oil supply is a threat to our national security. If you think alternative fuels are the answer, look at the ethanol fiasco. We get a very expensive fuel coupled with corn prices that have raised the price of almost every food. Vote for drilling; vote Republican.