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The sober reality: Bush and bumblers recklessly waged war

Paul Hinlicky's rosy view of the Iraq mess ("Iraq differs from Vietnam," June 5 commentary) will be judged by future events, but two points deserve an immediate response.

First, after granting respect to those who think the war cannot be won and call for withdrawal, Hinlicky says he supports the troops "in their mission, as one who believes that American power must be used in the world soberly and in fashion governed morally and politically by greater goals of freedom, peace and social justice."

That is unrealistic because the executors of the war, President Bush and his bumbling band, failed to act soberly or morally, and this blemish affects the whole effort. Bush, not the troops, determines the nature of the war.

Second, contrary to John L. Calhoon's claim ("A professor writes intelligently about Iraq," June 11 letter to the editor), an important similarity between Vietnam and Iraq is that Islamists, like the Vietnamese, will not attack us once we stop our imperialistic interference in their affairs. The U.S. must stop giving blanket approval to Israel's abuse of Palestinians in the occupied territories and stop supporting right-wing Arab governments that oppress liberal voices and thereby encourage extremist elements in the Islamic community.

Frank Munley

Salem

It takes caring people to raise law-abiding kids

Regarding the letter to the editor of June 9, "Forget blame game, target solutions," this statement caught my eye: "Roanoke has nothing to offer youth as a deterrent to crime."

Really? When I was a youth in Roanoke, I thought the court system with the possibility of jail or prison was a deterrent to crime. Someone helped me develop a value system that chose the approval of good people (my parents and grandparents, my church, school and friends) over getting into trouble.

I learned to have pride in accomplishment. I learned to stay away from mischief and evil. It was a long process, but I don't recall that Roanoke, its government or its businesses contributed.

Harold Bowman

Salem

Immigrants learn English to survive

In response to Jason Cohen's letter to the editor ("Which 'English' should 'fur-in-ers' speak?", June 9):

First, there is no "perceived" need for immigrants to learn to speak English. It is crucial. Having taught survival English to refugees rebuilding their lives here in Roanoke, I have seen firsthand how vital learning English is. Not only could they navigate on their own in common places such as the grocery store, they were quickly able to help themselves in emergencies, in such places as a hospital or doctor's office.

Second, one of the most important things I learned was to teach them using the English they would actually hear. All of the examples of "English" listed by Cohen were just that -- English.

Regardless of the area of the country where you live or were brought up, we all speak the same language. I can certainly understand folks from New York to California, even if our accents and slang may differ slightly.

My point is, immigrants do need to learn English. It is imperative to their survival. So no matter where they choose to rebuild their lives, please welcome them by becoming involved. Teach them your own "brand of English" and we will all benefit in the long run.

Mary Crouch

Salem

Overregulation leads to superfluous reviews

The United States must continue its strict regulation of the nuclear power industry.

Indeed, part of the industry's success is that effective oversight has prevented costly accidents even when the public was not the least bit endangered ("It's time to stop fearing nuclear power," May 29 editorial).

What President Bush was referring to when he called nuclear power an "overregulated industry" is that the U.S. regulatory structure often in the past allowed superfluous re-reviews of already settled issues. Changes in the regulatory procedures in recent years now keep technical and safety issues from being regurgitated when there is nothing new to consider.

Regulatory efforts today are concentrated on genuine safety issues and not paperwork and other irrelevant matters. As a result, we have an industry that is both well-policed and able to build and operate high-quality nuclear facilities at a reasonable cost.

J.W. Landis

Roanoke

Toss spendthrifts out of office

Rep. Virgil Goode, Sen. George Allen, the Republican Party and President George Bush have had six years to enact a balanced budget -- with no spending that is not paid for by same-year revenues.

Instead, they have failed miserably to represent Americans by callously passing along the multi-trillion-dollar tab for their drunken overspending to future generations.

Our national debt now stands at more than $7 trillion -- more than $25,000 for every living American. Most of this debt has occurred under Republican control, starting with Ronald Reagan. Bill Clinton delivered the only break in federal-deficit accumulation since 1980.

This debt will cripple the future economic growth of this country. It will lead to the painful decline of America as the world's only superpower.

Goode's and Allen's spend-without-taxing behavior is cowardly and unpatriotic.

I have nearly always voted Republican, but this year I will vote for Democrats. Until irresponsible spenders like Goode and Allen are removed, there can be no hope for a balanced budget, and the economic rape of our children and grandchildren will continue.

Every citizen should vote against every federal incumbent until "we the people" elect a Congress and a president with enough guts to balance the budget and to begin paying down the debt.

Brian Raub

Moneta

A taxing way to spend a day

Every year in late May, it's the same old thing. I trudge down to the city treasurer's office to get my city decal, wait in line while the one employee at the window is on "coffee break," pay my $20 and head home to beat my brains out scraping the old decal off of my windshield.

After an hour of cussing, scraping and warm water on sponges, I manage to remove most of the old decal and apply the new one.

Get it together, please, City of Roanoke Treasurer's Office. How hard can it be to purchase decals that actually peel off a car windshield without requiring folks to beat up their knuckles and waste an hour of productive time?

Even the U.S. Postal Service has figured out that peel-away stamps are more customer-friendly. One year, the excuse was that the manufacturer admitted a defect. What's the excuse this year?

The many hours of wasted personal time could be easily channeled into productive work time leading to increased city revenues and a more customer-friendly approach to dealing with us poor working stiffs.

Andy Blanton

Roanoke

Not all neighborhoods treated equally

Congratulations to Wayne Harrison on his letter "Lopsided representation of Roanoke's citizens" that appeared on June 13.

Don't be upset by the city's lack of interest in your area, as it is a common problem. I live in Grandin Court, and the only time they know this section is here is property tax collection time. We have asked for sidewalks, curbs, gutters, trees to replace ones cut down, traffic control on speeders and stop-sign runners and street paving.

Yeah, right. That has fallen on deaf ears. They did throw us a bone and pave a few small areas several years ago.

Take off your rose-colored glasses and realize that this city government is structured and run by the class and good-ol'-boy system.

C.A. Fogus

Roanoke