Monday, February 23, 2009
Gay troops would harass others in the service
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Gay troops would harass others in the service
Owen West asserts in his commentary, "An about-face on gay troops" (Feb. 15), that don't-ask, don't-tell is dead and that lifting the homosexual ban in the military should be easier now. This is left-wing political correctness and will not enhance but rather diminish our effectiveness.
But put that argument aside and consider the following: In the services, everyone agrees that living quarters, showers and toilet facilities must be shared. We rightly segregate those facilities for men and women. To not do so would be unthinkable.
Likewise, to force heterosexual and openly homosexual GI's to cohabit in that environment is indefensible and undeniable sexual harassment. Anyone forced into that situation by an employer or government would and should file a formal complaint immediately. Or perhaps we should have a single set of unisex facilities to accommodate all genders and all sexual preferences.
Let's think this through and use some common sense, or let's get ready to clog the military with thousands of legitimate sexual harassment complaints, while eroding our readiness.
Why the delay in rail service?
If we needed more evidence that government doesn't work very well, all we would have to do is read your front page article suggesting a passenger train could be operating from Roanoke to Washington by 2015.
Yes, funding and cooperation from Norfolk Southern is always an issue, but give us a break. Ten passenger trains ran over this line from Roanoke to Lynchburg in the 1960s daily, five in each direction. Yes, NS ripped up most of its sidings and secondary main tracks in the 1970s, but with advances in signaling, I can't believe it would take six years to add one train a day in each direction.
Woodrow Wilson seized the American railroads in World War I. Are we going to have to move in that direction to have an adequate rail passenger system again?
I'll take the changes to keep the paper
Leonard Pitts, in his column "Will there be a newspaper?" (Nov. 11), stated the American newspaper's end "could begin in less than two years."
Pitts stated, "The next 18 to 24 months may well see the first major U.S. city without a daily paper." I uneasily wondered about The Roanoke Times' fate. An avid reader for the past 10 years, I couldn't fathom life in the New River Valley without it.
I braced myself on Feb. 8 when I read of The Times' planned changes. I felt anxious about these changes. I simultaneously understood and respected The Times' need to take prudent measures in our country's current economic crisis.
It will take time for us to get used to the newspaper's new format. I understand readers' frustrations that they must "change the way" they "have always read the paper in the morning" ("Paper's format ruins the pleasure," Feb. 14 letter).
I applaud The Times' changes, however, to thus maintain a print presence in the Roanoke and New River valleys. I believe these are small changes with which we can live, particularly when faced with the prospect raised by Pitts of no print newspaper at all.
Pool's a luxury, not a necessity
Re: "City envisions new pool," Feb. 17 news story:
I was surprised that the Roanoke Parks and Recreation Department was debating on whether to spend $590,000 or possibly $2.6 million on a swimming pool/aquatic center. Do these folks realize we are in the midst of some serious budgetary problems?
In times like this, recreation activities are a luxury when compared to education and the providing of basic services, both public and social. Let us all realize that times have changed and we can no longer afford to live like we used to. Let's keep to the basics.
Oil profits defy innocent explanation
My dad taught me many years ago that one can justify anything. The Feb. 16 news stories on oil and gas prices clearly demonstrate that this is true ("Pumping up profits?" and "As crude oil gets cheaper, why isn't gas?").
Oil companies post record profits and we still see rising pump prices. No one can reconcile the two to my satisfaction or understanding.
Boucher should back wilderness bill
Soon Senate Bill 22 (which will add more than 2 million acres to the National Wilderness Preservation System) will go to the House of Representatives for a vote. Among the wild treasures that would be protected are California's Eastern Sierra Nevada, Mount Hood in Oregon, Zion National Park in Utah, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, parts of Virginia's Jefferson National Forest and the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. It would also establish the 26 million-acre National Landscape Conservation System, protect hundreds of miles of rivers and designate scenic trails, historic sites and heritage areas across America.
Many business owners support this bill because they know land conservation contributes to healthy local economies. Public land conservation and recreation support 6.5 million jobs and contributes $730 billion to the economy. The lands package is also supported by diverse groups such as Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, the Mule Deer Foundation and the National Council of Churches of Christ, USA.
It would be good to know that more of our beloved wild places will be there for generations to come. I urge Rep. Rick Boucher to support this bill as written.
McAuliffe's record of failure
A recent letter defended Terry McAuliffe against the accusation of being a carpetbagger ("McAuliffe is no carpetbagger," Jan. 13). He isn't a carpetbagger. His bags are probably made by Coach or Louis Vuitton.
As a loyal supporter of Hillary Clinton, I am appalled that he is using his credentials as a leader of her campaign for a run at the Virginia governorship. Here are some questions voters should ask:
If McAuliffe is such a great fundraiser, why is Clinton's campaign still millions of dollars in debt? If he is such a great campaigner, why is she not President Hillary Clinton? And we voters should remember how contentious and divided the top staffers were during Hillary's campaign. Is this the interaction we want between the Virginia governor's office and the General Assembly?
My vote goes to Brian Moran, an advocate for our children, a defender of the Second Amendment and the environment and a man who knows his way around Southside and Southwest Virginia as well as Richmond and Alexandria. Moran is ready to help all Virginians move forward. He will be an excellent governor.
Jumping the gun on Obama's legacy
With all due respect to Phillip Unger's letter of Feb. 17, "This is no depression and Obama's no Franklin D. Roosevelt," I wish I had his crystal ball. I wasn't around for Roosevelt or the Depression, but maybe Unger was. Maybe he should try and compare apples to apples instead of oranges. The variables and factors are so much different than they were then that comparison to the Depression may be a bit hard.
But if this isn't a depression, it must be pretty close. And how does Unger know President Obama's no Roosevelt? Maybe he's the next great president of our time. Only time will tell. The reason Unger must know is answered in his last paragraph when he refers to a Nazi. Maybe Obama sold us a bill of goods and maybe not. But anything beats the bumblings of the occupant who left four weeks ago.
By the way, if he'd bother to really research, he'd find that his statements about Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae aren't quite right.
