Sunday, December 06, 2009
Keep memories of hard times past close to mind
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Keep memories of hard times past close to mind
The month of December has a special meaning for most Americans. Not just Christmas and all the joy it brings, but some of the darkest periods of our history took place this month: Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Guam, Bataan and Corregidor. We suffered defeat after defeat during World War II.
I remember Christmas 1941, and it was not a very happy one. The news was all bad, what little we were told. Things were so bad that the Rose Bowl was moved to Durham, N.C., as the government was afraid to have large crowds on the West Coast.
I remember my grandmother telling us about how George Washington crossed the Delaware River and captured Trenton. She told us how he did the impossible, his men starving and some barefooted.
If those men could do the impossible, she told us, the men we have now will do the same. She was right. We recovered and the rest is history. We should all remember December 1941 in our prayers.
To judge all Muslims is grossly unfair
Statements by James K. Morgan in his Nov. 25 letter "Muslims should prove they're not terrorists" sound very bigoted. He portrays all Muslims as bad. He says, "They seem to know nothing but death and destruction. All efforts are to kill." This could not be further from the truth.
There are good and bad persons among all peoples. To categorize any race, nationality or religious group as all bad is grossly unfair.
Morgan thinks all Muslims need to prove they are not terrorists. I doubt if he would want to give up his right to be considered innocent until proven guilty and have to prove he is not a criminal. We must treat all people fairly.
Alaskans dress differently in the cold
Re: the letter from Maria Nichols ("Palin's son was not dressed for the season," Nov. 30) and her opinion of how Sarah Palin was dressed and the attire of her son, Trig:
On Nov. 22, the temperature was 39 degrees in Roanoke. Has Nichols ever traveled to Alaska? I have traveled to Anchorage for 8½ years and have visited during the harsh winter, the cool spring, the warm summer and the cool fall. The spring temperatures can vary between -10 and 55 degrees.
In Anchorage, if the temperature is in the high or mid-30s, people are wearing shorts, T-shirts and flip flops. It seemed I was the only person wearing a turtleneck, sweater, jacket, long pants, shoes and socks. I dressed appropriately (for a Virginian).
Palin did the same for herself and her son. They live in Wasilla, Alaska. The average summer temperature is 60 degrees.
Residents of Alaska are proud to say she was their governor, and in the time she served she certainly did a great job. Will she be on the 2012 Republican ticket? Who knows? Take a good look at today's politics. You never know, she might do a great job.
Flag's history doesn't change what it became
Wendell Johnson's history is seriously flawed, and he obviously has more compassion for his flag than for his fellow citizens ("Do not prejudge those who fly the flag," Nov. 29 commentary).
Why does the KKK still fly his beloved flag?
Is it OK to fly a swastika now? It represented sun, power and luck to many cultures, including ancient Egyptians and Native Americans, over a 3,000-year history. It was worn on the unit patch of the 45th Division, U.S. Army in WWI. It was originally found in German/Aryan history 100 years before Hitler co-opted it as part of a flag for his political party.
Do 2,980 years of good history make the swastika acceptable today? We should ask the survivors of Auschwitz, just as Johnson should ask the citizens of Selma, Ala.
C'mon, get something for Va. with your votes
With a senator from Louisiana setting the starting mark at $300 million for a "yes" vote on health care, now is the time for our senators to make their move. Without Sens. Mark Warner or Jim Webb, Harry Reid's got boo. Now's the time to go public, say you need to think about this, be concerned over something, maybe the $2 trillion true cost.
Get in there, guys. Come on, root, hog, sooey politicians. Don't worry about your reputations; you are politicians, esteemed only slightly below car salesmen. Do your job; we need the money. It's free money: 49 other sucker states will pay for it. If we have to pay our share of the $300 million to Louisiana, they should have to pay for ours. Seems fair.
Shaking down Harry -- it's the Chicago way, sort of poetic when you think about it. I think you're each worth $600 million, so make a package offer of $1 billion. You're worth it. Virginia is worth it.
And since you may lose control of the Senate next year, this opportunity may never come around again, at least during your terms in office. Step up; we're counting on you.
Show compassion: hold the line on taxes
I'm sure all members of city council are aware of the median income in Roanoke. I am equally sure that each of them exceeds that median income by $30,000 or more, conservatively.
Just one time I'd like for politicians to take the blinders off and really look at the trials and tribulations of the constituency they represent.
Don't just say how concerned you are and how you feel empathy and compassion. The way you really show it by saying, "We feel your pain. We will not raise your taxes. We will control costs by spending less. It's not your fault that city revenues are down. It is your council's fault because we spent too much money." Who on council has the fortitude and true empathy to make that statement?
Keeping litter out of our streams
I applaud Dave Dabay's concern about the litter in Murray Run ("Representatives need a reminder to protect waterways," Nov. 28 letter), as I am concerned about all streams in the Roanoke Valley. Pollution does float by; we are downstream of many towns. Litter prevention is key. Clean Valley Council held two public litter cleanups last year in which 2,789 volunteers gathered tons of litter.
Storm drains are areas to care for in preventing litter from getting in our streams. Many people do not know that the storm drains go to a stream. The water runoff travels and sends dumped antifreeze, used motor oil, trash, leaves that citizens send down storm drains with leaf blowers, litter from parking lots, etc., into our streams.
The Department of Environmental Quality tests our waterways on a regular basis and also holds public meetings. North Carolina will be delighted in Dabay's caring, as our runoff goes to the Albemarle and Pamlico sounds. We live in a bi-state watershed: The upper Roanoke River goes to North Carolina, the James River to the Chesapeake Bay.
I thank Dabay again for his concerns and his dedication to Murray Run.
Executive Director Clean Valley Council Inc.
