Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Make sure 'respect' is in the curriculum
Letters to the Editor
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Make sure 'respect' is in the curriculum
"One of the things I believe in is respect," says the new superintendent of Roanoke schools (July 30 news article, "High expectations").
Instilling respect in our children is badly needed. Our children must be taught first to love and respect themselves. If they don't respect themselves, how can they respect their neighbor?
There must be respect for home and country. There also needs to be respect for our leaders.
However, we must first earn the respect of our children. This earning of respect from our children lies with each individual in our society, but I fear that most of us have fallen far short in fostering that trait in our youth.
Beginning today, let's pledge to be good role models to those around us. At the same time, we must exercise tough love and insist our children uphold their end of the bargain. Having done this, we all stand to benefit.
Let's also ask our schools to return to teaching the "3 Rs": Reading, 'riting and respect.
Rita Bishop, Roanoke wishes you well.
City neglects to care for Countryside
As a longtime resident of Roanoke, I am appalled and saddened by the condition of Countryside Golf Course. What was once an immaculately groomed golf course is now an eyesore.
The city's maintenance is extremely below par.
The surrounding fence is falling down. Grounds are not maintained (only the greens), and the swimming pool and clubhouse are just going to waste.
Is it possible that the city would allow purposeful deterioration of the only 18-hole golf course in the city so they can say that repairs and renovations exceed budget?
They want to build a strip mall, condos and a thoroughfare. This is not about money, is it?
We live in a quiet neighborhood within walking distance of Countryside. The people here value each other, their property and Countryside.
Please save Countryside Golf Course.
Think again: Who's the real fascist?
If one still needs proof of the sheer lunacy of George Bush's followers -- what few of them remain, anyway -- one need look no further than the shrill, spiteful, substance-free rant that Ted Ouimette inflicted on The Roanoke Times' Opinion page (July 25 letter to the editor, "The failure is on the left") in his pathetic response to Dan Radmacher's well-aimed broadside July 15 column, "Bush won't admit failure."
Ouimette not once, but twice, refers to those who would hold Bush responsible for his arrogance and incompetence as "fascist."
Well, golly gee whiz, when one considers how this administration has, among other things:
n Waged an unprovoked war against a nation that was never any threat to America.
n Decided they can declare anybody they want to be an "enemy combatant" and detain them indefinitely without trial.
n Engaged in an illegal wiretapping campaign against American citizens.
n Packed the Supreme Court with judges who think there's nothing wrong with allowing segregated schools.
n Nominated a man for surgeon general who once opined that gays should be "cured."
One can't help but wonder just who it is that's really the "fascist."
To improve market remove sidewalk seating
A great improvement to the Roanoke City Market would be to get rid of the sidewalk cafes. They are an inconvenience to the vendors and the shoppers.
Shooting holes in gun editorial
In your July 26 editorial "Gun shy in Norfolk," the author ignorantly infers that allowing persons to carry firearms is anithetical to public safety, i.e., "The General Assembly took that public-safety tool out of the hands of localities years ago."
A holstered firearm, whether carried openly or concealed, is no threat to public safety. In fact, an openly carried holstered firearm is a deterrent to criminal acts.
The author also ignores the fact that a person determined to use a firearm to commit an illegal act will do so, regardless of the law governing the carrying of firearms.
The author's logic of creating gun-free zones (known as soft targets) to ensure public safety is naïve at best.
News director's work is lauded
I was surprised and saddened to learn of news director Jim Kent's departure from WDBJ (July 25 news article, "Roanoke news director ousted").
For most of the 12 years spent at WDBJ, I served under Kent's newsroom direction. He is a class act personally and professionally, a journalist with a capital "J" and a great boss.
Kent's leadership kept WDBJ atop the local ratings for decades, and he staffed a newsroom with talented, competent people who carried out the hard work of keeping WDBJ No. 1.
He provided tremendous leadership as WDBJ transitioned to a brand-new facility and the cutting edge of digital, high-definition broadcasting, and I was privileged to work with him during that challenging period.
I was reminded of how well WDBJ serves the community as I watched News 7's coverage -- carried nationally on CNN -- of the horrible tragedy at Virginia Tech. Kent has managed that talented newsroom through many crises, maintaining a constant level of quality news broadcasting in the worst of times.
I'm hopeful that WDBJ will continue its strong journalistic tradition, despite Kent's departure, but the world of broadcast journalism is a poorer place without him.
Meteorologist
CBS2 Television
Host, Eye on the Desert
Don't cry about fines if you're breaking laws
I am wondering about the 160,000 folks who signed the petition to repeal these road fines.
Are they the ones who pass me on Interstate 81 going more than 20 mph above the speed limit? Are they the ones who come onto the interstate from a ramp, thinking they have the right of way? Are they the ones who don't call a cab when they tie one on in a local bar?
Don't cry to me about the poor, Roanoke Times (July 25 editorial, "The poor stand to get poorer").
Rich or poor, it should be: "Do the crime, pay the fine." And that should go for out-of-state drivers also.
Poor lawmaking rewards lawyers
After reading House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith's July 24 commentary, "Abuser fees work on the road," and Sen. John Edwards' July 30 commentary, "Bad-driver fees only part of the problem," I strongly feel that Gov. Kaine had no business signing such fiscal nonsense, which more correctly should be called the Lawyers Relief Act.
As reported in The Washington Post recently, similar measures in other states have only served to clog the court systems and to delay desperately needed construction projects.
The net effect thus has been to increase billing hours for lawyers and increase construction costs, as needed road projects have to be delayed for budget reasons.
As one construction worker recently told me, those lawyers in Richmond are clueless as to what it costs to build a brick outhouse -- let alone to build a modern transportation system to meet Virginia's needs for the 21st century.
Fortunately, we have the opportunity this fall to elect to the House of Delegates Peggy Frank and to the Senate Michael Breiner, both of whom have fiscal common sense.
