Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 30, 1993 TAG: 9304300423
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
You portrayed David Koresh as a religious maniac whose followers were a band of lost souls. I found it ironic that the editorial rested above an editorial on the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler led a country of lost souls to one of the most destructive and inhumane periods of history. Perhaps by examining the reasons why such maniacs rise to power, we can ultimately find ways to stop demented individuals from providing false security to weak and struggling people.
America is in insecure times. The economy, moral condition and apathy of the average citizen has led even Mrs. Clinton to plead that we have more compassion for each other. When George Bush called for "a kinder, gentler nation," we howled. But as I watched the flames engulf the compound, I wondered how many of those lost souls had been outcasts in high school or grade school. What part do people like me play in the formation from childhood of a "lost soul"?
Having returned recently from a three-month stay in Arlington, Texas, I should like to praise Virginia for placing controls on buying and ownership of guns. A large flea market in Grand Prairie allows the selling of weapons like Uzis and AK-47s to anyone who has the money. It is hard to believe that responsible citizens in Texas allow this to happen. I can see how easily Koresh was able to, mostly legally, purchase his fire power. Perhaps that will give other people in the Roanoke Valley insight into how the scenario for the Waco tragedy was painted. CATHERINE T. BENSON ROANOKE
by CNB