Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 18, 1993 TAG: 9310280352
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
In the lead editorial of Oct. 9 (``What politicians must endure''), those found guilty of indirect assent to Dr. William Gray's unspeakable allegations about Mary Sue Terry were: Roanoke's Channel 10; Ms. Terry's GOP opponent (for saying, in effect, ``No comment''); the electorate; Virginia; Richmond television stations; Roanokers; critics of U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno; those who were spreaders, before the Gray incident, of jokes and coded campaign discussion of ``family values;'' and the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Congressman Newt Gingrich was not listed, but see next paragraph.
In another editorial of Oct. 9 (``Gingrich is ready''), Gingrich, a Republican (McCarthy was a Republican, too), was rebuked for his ``scorched- earth take-no prisoners'' partisanship. (Heaven forbid that we should be partisan.) The editorial said Gingrich's ``cut-throat zeal'' will delight the ``true-believers'' - read: organized (chauvinistic) religion types (see first paragraph) - who ``seem increasingly in control of the Republican Party.''
How would Ms. Terry feel if Dr. Gray accused her of being a Republican?
Arrogance is defined by Webster as ``a sense of superiority which manifests itself in an overbearing manner.'' Webster does not associate arrogance with a genetic deficiency belonging to the essential nature of maleness, but my dictionary is dated and may be politically incorrect. At any rate, I'm grateful to your editorial writers for their relentless attacks on arrogance and partisanship. Absent their vigilance, we would still be blithely reading ``Outland'' and would be unable to distinguish between the partisanship of a Gingrich and the statesmanship of, say, Ted Kennedy.
THOMAS R. LITTON
BUCHANAN
Moral people are not 'extremists'
THE POLLS show Mary Sue Terry and Don Beyer losing ground. Ms. Terry hasn't had her facts straight about George Allen. Beyer has labeled Mike Farris ``extremist.''
We stand behind Allen and Farris. Does one's belief in morality and honesty make one an extremist? If so, there are a lot of us out here. We still hold to Biblical principles. We're not the ignorant and uneducated or mentally unbalanced, but hold university degrees, have been successful in business and held responsible positions. We are simply God-fearing, moral people who vote.
JUANITA JOHNSON
TROUTVILLE
Democrats under cloak of the GOP
THE OCT. 7 article in the Roanoke Times & World-News (``GOP group lines up behind Don Beyer'' by staff writer Bonnie Winston) puzzles us. What gives ``Jinks'' Holton and Bill Crutchfield the right to resent other Republicans for going to a convention and voting for the candidate that best represents their views?
Isn't voting the way Virginia elects candidates and officials? Where's the problem? It seems that Ms. Holton and Crutchfield are upset because the Republican Party is once again becoming a conservative party and representing mainstream Virginians, the majority.
If the Holton/Crutchfield group members are anything, it must be Democrats since there is no evidence of them using their alleged power to elect a Republican in the past several years. Where have they been?
During our 80-plus years of life, we are saddened to see our beloved Virginia and our country accept compromise after compromise for the benefit of the influential liberal few and to the detriment of the God-fearing, family-oriented majority.
Come on, Holton and Crutchfield, wake up.
THURMAN and MARIE HARRIS
ROANOKE COUNTY
Bud Brummitt can get results
BUD Brumitt has impressed me as a level-headed, thoughtful individual who will do a good job for us in Richmond.
He spent the entire summer visiting with people in their homes, and I think he will stay in touch once in office.
While Brumitt hasn't lived in the Roanoke Valley for very long, he chose to live here because of all the wonderful things about this area. And meeting with thousands of people is the best way to find out what needs to be done in Richmond.
If Brumitt hadn't chosen to run, then:
Dick Cranwell would still be on the board of directors of that new mortgage- insurance company. He wouldn't care what people thought or what the Roanoke Times & World-News wrote.
Cranwell would be relaxing and concentrating on his law practice, not out knocking on doors.
Cranwell wouldn't have hosted that regional-cooperation meeting and would probably still be the biggest advocate of regional strife!
Brumitt has already been effective, and he hasn't even won the election yet! Once he's in office, even more good things will happen.
JAY BORAM
ROANOKE
Fire Aspin before he does more harm
DEFENSE SECRETARY Aspin should be summarily fired. With the arrogance of ignorance, this self-styled military expert believed he knew more than the military professionals, including Gen. Colin Powell and others who advised that adequate heavy armor support accompany the American contigent of the U.N. force in Somalia.
Aspin turned down the request, which was based on sound military principles, and only he is responsible for the resultant maiming and killing of American boys.
Small wonder that Powell decided to resign rather than serve under this bumbler.
This is another example of what can happen when appointees to positions of great importance and crucial to the welfare of the country are made not on the basis of merit, but as political handouts in return for past favors. Aspin should be ditched before he does the country further damage.
BUD SANTORO
ROANOKE
by CNB