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

DATE: MONDAY, May 24, 1993                   TAG: 9305240258
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

PLAUDITS FOR JANET RENO

I HAVE never before been tempted to write to the editorial page, but what I heard and saw on television recently and read in the newspaper on April 29 (Knight-Ridder/Tribune article, "Reno fights tears, defends Waco stand") infuriates me. I am referring to the abusive treatment of Attorney General Janet Reno by Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich. He said that Reno should resign and that he refused to "rationalize the deaths of two dozen children." It's his attitude that puts criminals back on the street, puts law officers in needless danger, and lets drunken drivers and drug dealers literally get away with murder.

That those innocent children lost their lives was a terrible and tragic result of the mind-set of a very sick man who apparently did not consider their lives important. By law, he should have been removed from those children's lives for the abuse he inflicted on them before he was able to end their lives. The blame falls on David Koresh, not on Reno.

Everyone wants to criticize the law and law enforcers, but no one wants to back them to do what has to be done. I greatly respect Reno's strong and forceful position and her willingness to stand behind the men who were trying to enforce our laws. With more people like her in power, maybe we can finally do something to convince people that we will not tolerate the further disintegration of morals and civilized behavior in the United States. KATHRYN BOWMAN RADFORD

by CNB