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No place to safely cross on foot

A Feb. 12 news article, “Pedestrian hurt in traffic incident,” reminded me that the Virginia Department of Transportation held a meeting a couple of years ago regarding proposed changes to Virginia 419.

Evidently nothing was ever done after that meeting; there is still no way for a pedestrian to cross 419 safely at Tanglewood Mall.

No, not even a 5-second pedestrian light.

KRIS PECKMAN

ROANOKE

Sonogram requirement wastes money

I could not believe the article “Va. Senate OKs ultrasound bill” (Feb. 2). With the economy like it is and money being tight, it is senseless to waste money on requiring women having abortions to have a sonogram first.

As the article said, it is not an effort to stop abortions.

Sonograms are expensive and surely there is a need for more money for schools, libraries and road maintenance, to name a few.

Shame on backers of this useless bill.

LINDA LaPRADD

ROANOKE

Offending official got special treatment

“Andy Griffith” was interesting today. Barney Fife ticketed a government employee’s car for unlawful parking.

Instead of pleading to a lesser charge, the ticketed employee commended Fife for treating all law-breakers the same.

Enter Doug Chittum and a recent DUI arrest (“No DUI conviction for former county official,” Feb. 17). The article mentioned Chittum was being a devoted family member when he drove his niece to her job in Salem, though he admitted to having several martinis before that drive.

While that information smacked of an excuse, it really made Chittum appear more callous and arrogant; along with putting other drivers and pedestrians in danger, he placed his niece in danger by driving while intoxicated.

So, for driving a Roanoke County­-owned vehicle while drunk, staggering and slurring his words to the arresting officer and refusing a blood or breath test, Chittum, a former county employee, was convicted of a lesser charge.

His DUI arrest was not a DUI conviction. Apparently he is a special citizen.

Special treatment is alive and well in Roanoke County.

Perhaps someone should let Chittum know that taxis know the way to Salem in case his niece needs a ride again.

DEBRA ADKINS

ROANOKE

Abortion bills are an insult

Though I’m beyond my child-bearing years, I find it an insult to all women in Virginia that the Republican Senate and House have passed bills defining a single cell as a person and telling us that we must have an invasive procedure before we can have a legal medical procedure called abortion.

This is insulting and demeaning to women.

We don’t have abortions for fun; we know it’s serious business, and if we were in the position to raise children, we would.

But sometimes we aren’t, and it’s immoral for strangers to tell us what we can — and, in this case, must — do with our bodies.

This is a slippery slope, my friends, and we must do all we can to keep it from becoming a mudslide. Call the governor and tell him it would be a great mistake to sign HB 462 into law.

BETSY DAY

ROANOKE

Acting the bully with abortion laws

Recently we have read about bullying in many areas, including schools and the Internet.

It isn’t clear why the Virginia General Assembly has adopted this type of behavior in dealing with women and abortion.

Historically, as well as currently, women have been targeted for abuse even when engaged in a legal activity such as abortion.

Roe v. Wade was determined by the Supreme Court to be the law of the land.

Legislators, when sworn in, take the oath that they will support the Constitution as well as the laws of the land.

Why, then, do they require abortions be performed in a hospital setting, as well as propose the woman have a sonogram prior to the abortion, thereby bypassing the law with these impediments?

If this isn’t a case of bullying, bullying is a fantasy.

As the Declaration of Independence points out, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is for all of us, including women.

The legislature needs to stop this bullying and direct its attention to the serious opportunities Virginia needs to attend to.

WILLIAM N. GILES

TROUTVILLE

Houston funeral grates in time of grief

My dearest friend in Roanoke died of heart failure recently. She was a loving and generous person who cared much more about her family and friends than herself.

This personal loss makes the constant publicity about Whitney Houston’s death all the more annoying.

My dear friend donated her body to science, so that it might further medical research.

She will have no church service viewed by millions in a media frenzy. She will go quietly.

She will leave a legacy of caring for others, not for herself.

The dichotomy between her leaving and that of the superstar’s could not be more disparate.

To the quiet, caring person, less is more. To the celebrity, more is more.

ELLEN O’NEILL

BUCHANAN