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

DATE: SUNDAY, July 22, 1990                   TAG: 9007230295
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

WHY NOT BAN BOOK-BURNING TOO?

IN THE SPAN of 10 days (June 15-June 24), this newspaper vividly depicted a sad state of being. In the editorial section only, where a society's priorities can truly be gauged, there were 10 articles on flag-burning.

There were none on the federal budget deficit.

There were none on AIDS.

Kind of a shock, isn't it? Only one of all the flag-burning letters got it right. Mr. Nester (June 24) said that the flag-burning issue diverts "the public's mind from . . . really important problems."

Are we really too weak to allow flag-desecration to continue? Are our moral values so loose that we must pass laws to protect us from being tainted? In my opinion, that kind of patriotism's a joke. Why not ban the burning of books? They're a sacred instrument of learning and teaching, and deserve as much protection as any symbol of pride. All talk of moral integrity will go down the drain if flag-burning becomes illegal. BEN DALTON ROANOKE

by CNB