Thursday, May 14, 2009
Off-road drivers need a place to go
Letters to the Editor
Recent letters to the editor
- Pick of the day: Teacher's conviction should scare parents
- Letters: Payroll tax holiday is no such thing
- Pick of the day: Let families pick from school offerings
- Letters archive
From the RoundTable blog
Read the latest entries
Off-road drivers need a place to go
Re: "Serious mudslinging," May 11 news story:
So instead of giving people an area to use their four-wheel-drive vehicles, we are just going to block them off for everyone. Why doesn't the Forest Service charge a fee to ride on certain designated trails as they do for the ATV trails at Patterson and South Peddlar (which should be much larger)?
Create an area where people can take their trucks and challenge their driving skills. The money generated could be used to maintain the trails as well as possibly fund other worthwhile Forest Service programs.
Take a look at some of the off-road areas in the West and the amount of money they bring into the communities. You can have a balance, but you first have to give people a place to go or they will find their own. Such closed minds for our use of national forests in this area is irritating.
I also believe we should have an offroad vehicle trail system linked to the Hatfield-McCoy trail system in West Virginia. This brings in millions for that state each year and the trail is well-groomed, clean and used with minimal impact on the surrounding wildlife.
Obama sticker is a show of patriotism
The letter writer saying President Obama's supporters do not show the flag must not travel past his own driveway ("Obama supporters don't show the flag," May 6). Besides, proudly showing an Obama sticker says it all. It is a statement that says we are supporters of the flag, our troops, our government, our president, our schools, our U.S. Constitution, our Bill of Rights, our American way of life. One sticker sums it up.
Obama represents the best of America
We now have a president who was born to people from two sides of the globe, who worked his way up to the highest position in America.
He was not born wealthy and was not given a free pass because of his maternal or fraternal connections. He believes in freedom, sovereignty of nations, laws and respect for individual rights. We have a president who respects all of us and does not condemn those who were financially more fortunate by birthright or criticize those who may not live up to his personal standards.
President Obama represents the best of America. There are disgruntled folks who disagree with the policy of using diplomacy versus war, and agree with allowing multinational corporations to control the country while avoiding taxation, accepting free markets to allow banks to abuse citizens and use power to break international treaties.
The years between 2000 and 2008 have made an example of how mismanagement can bring a country down.
The fourth estate continues to serve us well, whether or not we all agree.
Life is a gift we should treasure
The conclusion reached in the May 10 editorial "Common ground on abortion" that "we can all agree that the fewer unwanted pregnancies there are, the better," misses the point of the pro-life movement.
A person's worth can never be judged on whether he or she is wanted or unwanted at any stage of life. The human person is not an object that can be tossed aside or, in the case of abortion, dismembered and trashed. There are many of us walking this Earth who may have been a surprise or come at a difficult time.
True compassion is to love, protect and assist both mother and child, especially those facing hardship.
The beauty of the pro-life movement is that life is seen as a gift and as our nation's most precious natural resource. If we can embrace this value once again, behaviors will change, lives will be saved and parents will be spared the agony of deep regret. This, America, is our country's true hope.
Abstinence cartoon was in poor taste
I found the editorial cartoon that you published on May 11, "The Bristol Palin Abstinence-Only Center," to be offensive and in very poor taste. Certainly The Roanoke Times has a right to express an opinion on the Opinion page that abstinence-only programs will not prevent unwanted pregnancies. I find it in poor taste that you would publish a cartoon that would skewer Palin or use the name of any unmarried mother.
We all make mistakes and no one should be held up for public ridicule. Couldn't the same message have been delivered without Palin's name?
Let's talk about medical marijuana
Not many people can say they have the federal government's permission to smoke marijuana -- seven, to be precise. Florida stockbroker Irv Rosenfeld is one. This year will mark the 22nd anniversary of Rosenfeld's acceptance into the Food and Drug Administration's Investigational New Drug program.
Since 1983, Rosenfeld has received a monthly shipment of marijuana amounting to about 300 joints from the U.S. government's Mississippi marijuana farm. That adds up to more than 3,000 ounces smoked over the decades. The weed helps alleviate pain from a rare bone disorder called multiple congenital cartilaginous exostoses, which is marked by bony protrusions in the body's long bones.
What back alley dealer does Rosenfeld get his medicine through? The U.S. government.
It has been telling the public that cannabis has "no medicinal purpose." The hypocrisy is stunning, as the government owns the patent on cannabis, (U.S. Patent 6630507).
Wake up, Virginia. Patients with chronic pain and cancer are dying without or being imprisoned for a medication.
Thankfully, Virginia has a group, Patients out of Time (www.medicalcannabis.com.), that understands the morality and science of the issue. Contact your state representative and express your opinion. It's time we have a discussion about cannabis.
Strategic thinking in short supply
Re: "Traffic control is behind the times," May 10 letter: Oh, Seth Talmadge. Bless your heart.
You are asking for strategic thinking on the part of local government. The capacity for strategic thinking and planning is traditionally absent from our local government except for the occasional oddity elected to office.
Drift back to the "Brady Bunch" era? We never left it.
Roanoke traffic will drive business out
Seth Talmadge was right about the traffic patterns in Roanoke ("Traffic control is behind the times," May 10 letter). I think he gives them too much credit, though. It is more like 1952 than 1972. The educated people who are responsible for looking at traffic just let things go as they are because they get no complaints from the public.
Even though they are politicians, people give them a pass because they like the status quo. The people I get behind on the road, by the way they drive, think it is 1952.
The traffic needs to be taken care of soon. Even if the city could entice some company to this area, after sitting through three left-turn signals to turn onto another traffic choked street, they would run the other way.
Hopefully, the city fathers will start paying attention to something besides what puts money into their campaign chest.
