
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, September 10, 1993                   TAG: 9309180309
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Long

SIMPLY SPREADING THE FACTS

IF I HAD to offer the greater community a service that was worthwhile and beneficial, I would certainly welcome the free advertising that Ron Hedlund offers and, in fact, gave to three Roanoke doctors. Dr. Ballenger's complaints (Sept. 1 letter to the editor, "Deplorable targeting tactics") are both illogical and confusing. He implicitly admits that what these three doctors do (abortions) causes them to lose their "well-respected" status if the public is informed of certain aspects of their practice. Are these doctors ashamed of what they do? Is that why Ballenger uses the word "incriminating"?

The Pro-Life Action Coalition has never, and will never, condone violence against abortionists or their families. Trying to tie Hedlund's mailing to some desire for bodily harm to the doctors has zero supporting evidence. At best, it is a tactic to divert the attention away from the true recipient of violence, the aborted unborn child.

The Medical Society of Virginia and the Roanoke Valley Academy of Medicine have taken a side in the abortion issue. They have sided with profit and money. The Pro-Life Action Coalition has sided with the health and well-being of mother and child. Hedlund's commendable "tactic" was nothing more than a dissemination of facts, which is an appropriate activity and right protected as freedom of speech under our Constitution.

OHN D. STEC

COVINGTON

\ Don't run Cranwell out of office YOUR RECENT editorials criticizing Dick Cranwell (Aug. 12, "Legality isn't the only standard"; Aug. 25, "... or for county leaders"; Aug. 28, "Cranwell: There oughta be a law") confirm my suspicions that the Roanoke Times & World-News has a hidden agenda to get rid of any elected official who opposes consolidation or annexation.

Cranwell led the fight in the '70s to end Roanoke's ability to annex Roanoke County. He also was the first elected official to stand up three years ago and oppose consolidation. I was present at the Mason's Cove Civic League when he did so. More recently, he stepped forward and said very forcefully that Roanoke city would not take over the gas company. Yet, several days later, you criticized him in an editorial for being an impediment to some kind of governmental consolidation.

And, you criticized him for investing in an insurance company, then criticized him again when he resigned from its board and offered legislation to clarify the role of a citizen-legislator in serving on the boards of state-regulated businesses.

Cranwell is the best thing Roanoke County has going for it. It appears that if your editorial page has its way, he will be run out of political life and the city will be permitted to gobble up the county. That's aside from what will happen to Southwest Virginia when it no longer has the state's most effective legislator in its corner.

DAVID SIMMONS

SALEM

\ In a league of their own?

REGARDING the Aug. 26 editorial, "Family values, regurgitated":

Over the years, I've enjoyed the Roanoke Times & World-News. I've delivered it, read it, relied on it for detailed information, and sometimes defended it against critics.

I appreciate your staff's writing and photography talent, especially the work of Dwayne Yancey and Stephanie Klein-Davis.

I like that you offer varied positions on your commentary pages. I enjoy well-written and reasoned opinions across the spectrum, from George Will to Paxton Davis. But I've had this creeping feeling about your editorial page. When I read this editorial, it crystallized this creeping feeling.

The feeling is that your editorials have become so partisan, so predictable and oh-so politically correct they're no longer worth reading. I think I could tell what you're going to say before I read it or even before you write it. You act like we're an uninformed, Democratic, liberal, politically correct choir needing more of your preaching.

This editorial is the culmination of many that are not balanced, not well-reasoned, not thoughtful, not even cute. Why are they taking the space?

As consumers of information, we have radio news, local TV news, CSPAN, CNN, etc. As consumers of opinion, we have talk shows and network TV news. Newspapers compete with all of these for our time and attention.

The advantage of our going to print news is getting more in-depth, detailed information and analysis. To get that detail, we need to bring a greater investment of time and energy. To make our time and energy investment worthwhile, you need to deliver thoughtful, diverse, well-reasoned opinion.

Your editorial page used to be that way. But I feel now that your paper is a big-league paper in a mid-sized city with a little-league editorial page. I hope you can improve in this area; we deserve better.

JERRY GUZI

ROANOKE

\ If it's right, they're against it

IN THE Sept. 7 article entitled "Lesbian fights to raise her son," I see the American Civil Liberties Union is doing what it does best. And for that matter, all it ever seems to do: Fighting what is right.

If it's taught in the Bible, the ACLU fights against it. It's that simple.

I wonder what kind of people support such an anti-Christian organization? Why, I'm sure some of them even go to church. But speaking quite frankly, it'll be a cold day in hell when one of them gets to heaven.

LONNIE W. MALCOMB

HILLSVILLE

by CNB