Sunday, November 09, 2008
In the Bible, God is clear on when life begins
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
In the Bible, God is clear on when life begins
Re: "It is, after all, the breath of life," Oct. 18 letter:
Herb Detweiler tries to make the Bible back his ridiculous view, but he shows he knows very little about God's holy book.
In Exodus, God's word says, "If men strive and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow, he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine, and if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life."
God's word is clear. The unborn baby has life; dead things don't grow. There has to be life before anything can grow. Life begins at conception.
Proverbs tells us six things the Lord hates. One is hands that shed innocent blood. There is nothing more innocent than a precious, unborn baby.
Jeremiah states, "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee." God knew us before we were conceived, while we were still in the womb. There are 40 million aborted little angels in heaven from the U.S. alone. What a terrible waste of human life.
Abortion shrinks the workforce
All of us are painfully aware of the devastating impact of abortion on individuals and families: brothers, sisters, fathers, uncles, teachers, coaches, scientists and leaders who were never allowed to see the light of day, and many who grieve for what might have been.
What most don't realize is that since Roe v. Wade, we have aborted 45 million lives -- and workers -- from our midst. Since the average lifetime gross income is approximately $2 million ($50,000 per year x 40 years), this represents a loss of $90 trillion out of our economy and out of the Social Security that everyone is so worried about.
Wouldn't that staggering amount come in handy about now, with our economic crisis?
The end of the GOP and of democracy
Now that the election is over, I think we can clearly state that the Republican Party is dead in Virginia. If not dead, it is dying.
A Senate candidate was selected in a smoke-filled room so they wouldn't have to have a primary, which they said was too costly. I guess it was too costly for them to help pay for TV ads, as well, as I can't remember seeing one single ad for Jim Gilmore.
The Republican Party is probably dead in America, as well. Barack Obama wants to grant amnesty to 12 million illegal aliens. They will show their appreciation by voting the straight Democrat ticket in every election. Our troops that will be jerked out of Iraq will get the same welcome as I did when I came home from Vietnam.
Democracy has lasted only 300 years in any country that has tried it, and America is almost at that point. Nikita Khrushchev said we would be destroyed from within; in January, it will start. Benjamin Franklin said, "When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic." Old Ben is spinning today.
A beautiful post-election day
As I set out on my usual Wednesday morning run through my neighborhood, I was stirred by the realization that nothing was usual about this day.
Last night, my beloved home state and my country voted for change. Together, all races, ages, genders and social classes elected a man of tremendous intelligence and virtue, a man representing the hopes of so many longing for a better tomorrow.
The autumn colors of the trees shone just a bit brighter this day. The sky was a deeper shade of blue. A rhythm of pride pounded through me, keeping time with the rhythm of my feet on the pavement. I realized I had not felt this sense of patriotism for a very long time.
Although there are people I love and respect who did not share in my choice of a new president, I have no doubt we can all work together to embrace a better world that is indisputably coming our way. Thank you, Barack Obama; thank you, Virginia; thank you, America. Better days lie ahead.
Hope that change will stop the presses
Re "Traditional coal plants have no future," Nov. 5 editorial:
You share with us, on the first day of the age of Obama, his plan to bankrupt and, inevitably, nationalize that part of our electric-power industry that supplies 50 percent of the nation's electricity, using our most abundant and cheapest fuel. You state that cheap energy is a thing of the past and exhort us to prepare for higher rates.
Dismal prospects, for sure, but there is a bright spot: When our rates go up, so will The Roanoke Times' and perhaps to the point that you can't roll your presses. Talk about cutting pollution.
Play up good news, downplay the bad
I'd really like to see more positive articles above the fold, such as the one about the teachers who got married onstage at William Fleming or the New York Yankees playing a charity game at Virginia Tech.
The Roanoke Times publishes too many front-page stories with photos of psycho killers and criminals. It's deplorable how often your daily headlines are darkened with amoral death. It's no way to start a new day and is devoid of good taste, if not journalistic sense as well. Your content verges on being sociopathological.
A story of love was a welcome break
With all of the bad news that seems to bombard us much of the time, how refreshing it was to read Beth Macy's article "Florida can wait" in your paper Oct. 20.
Her story of Vic and Linda Sisson's adoption of the three children who had been in their foster care for five years was touching, heartwarming and beautiful. What a wonderful, loving and unselfish act. How happy these children must be. May God bless each of them.
No coal will leave electric cars powerless
Is there anyone who can tell me what you do with an electric car after Barack Obama bankrupts the coal mine and coal-fired power plant that generates your electricity?
Many have worked, few were mentioned
A 60-page supplement on the history and development of the Taubman Museum of Art has absolutely no mention of the efforts of the board of directors, no mention of the views of the president of the board and, other than the three senior staff members mentioned (one of whom has been with the museum less than two years), absolutely no mention or credit given to the many staff members that have worked tirelessly on this project.
Shameful!
Give credit where credit is due.
Cleanse the valley of election debris
The election is over. I hope everyone who placed signs and/or stickers all over our beautiful valley will promptly, as in right now, remove these blights of assorted garbage and dispose of them properly.
And for the next Sam Rasoul, master of the "my sign's bigger than yours" campaign, could we all agree to place our campaign signs out two months before the election, not two years? I believe this is something we all can agree on.
