Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 18, 1994 TAG: 9403180204
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
As of November 1993, all 41 Virginia cities and 82 of the 95 Virginia counties (86 percent) had zoning. Fifteen of those counties have adopted zoning since 1988, and several of the 13 remaining counties currently are developing zoning guidelines, a trend clearly indicating that Virginians view zoning as providing significant benefits to their communities.
As a further indication of that support, a senior state official who's worked with many localities on zoning stated that to his knowledge no Virginia county has ever rescinded or abolished an adopted zoning ordinance.
In Franklin County, 82 percent of rezoning applications and 81 percent of special-use permit applications filed since 1988 have been approved. Only 11 percent of the local rezoning applications and 6 percent of special-use applications have been denied. The rest were withdrawn.
In all local zoning cases, the public has an opportunity to hear what's proposed and to be heard by the zoning board. As a result, approvals often include voluntary offers of landscaping, screening, setbacks, etc., that improve compatibility of the rezoned property with neighboring properties.
Without zoning, Franklin County would have been forced to accept development proposals without regard to their financial impact on taxpayers, the availability of public services or the opinions of the people in the immediate community. With zoning, all those factors can be considered.
HOMER G. MURRAY Supervisor Boone District BOONES MILL
Women take aim to ensure safety
THANK YOU for a very well-written and balanced Feb. 24 Extra section article, ``Taking aim'' by Melanie Hatter, on the growing involvement of women in shooting sports. It was particularly nice to see one of our members, Betty Strauss, quoted in the article. We're very glad you included her experience with lawful self-defense using her handgun.
Liberty is the freedom to decide the course your life will follow; the constitutionally guaranteed right of private citizens to keep and bear arms is fundamental to preserving it. While the founders thought in terms of resisting oppression by their government (unfortunately still a very valid concern), in modern times having the means to resist attack by predatory felons is no less important. The women featured in your article are taking steps to ensure that they'll not become victims of society's failure to stop criminal behavior. More and more women make that discovery every year, and we welcome them to the ranks of America's 75 million responsible, law-abiding gun owners.
THOMAS CACECI Secretary, Shawnee Hunting Club BLACKSBURG
Israel failed in duty to protect disarmed
I READ with sorrow the Feb. 26 news article about one or more Israeli gunmen shooting at a mosque full of unarmed and unprotected worshippers at dawn.
These men and children were shot from the back while praying in the Tomb of the Patriarchs. Press reports say that one gunman pumped almost 3,000 bullets and three grenades into worshippers, killing at least 40 and injuring many others. The one primarily responsible for this heinous act was a reservist in the Israeli military, using his military-issue arms and ammunition to carry out this slaughter. The government's reaction suggests it was totally surprised by this act. However, if one looks at history, it was a tragedy waiting to happen.
The Israeli government has put settlers on land taken by force from those who lived and worked there for many years. These settlers are heavily armed and full of hatred for those they've displaced. This newspaper has listed numerous occasions in the past where settlers were responsible for killing innocent Palestinian civilians. This is a situation where a small group of people, who are forcibly occupying other people's land, are heavily armed and have committed atrocities on unarmed inhabitants with impunity. Even though Israeli soliders are to protect the unprotected, they fail miserably and sometimes contribute to the killing, as this incidence has revealed.
The government bears full responsibility for the protection of those they've disarmed and put under surveillance of the settlers, who are committed to uprooting them from their ancestral homes. The United States, as the major financier of the Israeli government and its primary arms supplier, also has a moral responsibility to ensure that the Palestinian people's right to life is respected.
SAIFUR RAHMAN BLACKSBURG
Schools can't take the role of parents
ELEANOR R. Goodale (Feb. 26 letter to the editor, ``Keep children off the streets'') has a valid point about young children soliciting candy sales on the streets. However, her ``shock'' at school administration is misdirected. School-board members, teachers and/or administration officials cannot be held responsible for what's done after school hours. The assumption that schools are to monitor children's activities once they exit the school bus or walk off school grounds has caused our educational system's decay.
Parents and guardians expect teachers and school-administration officials to take the role of parents, counselors, caregivers and disciplinarians. Yet a teacher hugging a child for work well done can be charged with sexual misconduct, or a teacher who yells at a child or grabs an unruly, disrespectful youngster by the collar to gain his or her attention can be charged with abusive behavior. Teachers are expected to produce well-rounded individuals who'll be ready to lead productive lives, but their hands are tied. Administration officials hold a double-edged sword, as well. If a child is suspended, parents can (and do) appeal the suspension. If a child needs to repeat a grade, it can only be recommended, not made mandatory.
I share Ms. Goodale's concern about children alone on the streets, but their parents are responsible, not school administration. Had she thought of this instead of looking to blame someone in authority, she'd have found the children's parents or guardians and explained her concern to those responsible for the children's well-being.
LISA MAJOR ROANOKE
View the Civil War as a 'Lasting Cause'
STAFF writer Mike Hudson's Feb. 26 news article, ``Stars and Bars are back in battle,'' upset me in more than one way.
I was upset to learn the battle flags are to be removed from Washington and Lee University's Lee Chapel. Truly, they should remain with the commander of the armies who carried them, Gen. Robert E. Lee. There's little question the flags require restorative work. However, the community and various Civil War organizations should've been offered the opportunity to fund the work so the flags could remain in the chapel.
What upset me most was Hudson's statement relative to Lexington where `` ... just about everybody seems to be obsessed with the Lost Cause.'' Perhaps I should use the late comedian Stan Kennison's delivery approach to explain something to him: Hey, stupid, no war that cost more than 600,000 American lives should ever be considered a lost cause. The Civil War should be considered a ``Lasting Cause,'' and studied so we understand it, so that it never happens again.
I'm not native to the Lexington area. I've viewed Civil War history from both perspectives, the Blue and the Gray. While there were victors of the various battles, there were no winners. There can only be losers in a war that pits brother against brother and father against son.
WALTER R. TALBOTT FAIRFIELD
Listen carefully to Parrot's views
``HIGHER standards will encourage a return to common sense'' (Feb. 22 commentary by James P. Beatty, ``The new enslavement: teen pregnancy''). How profound is that statement by Beatty, who is personnel administrator for the city of Roanoke and pastor at Bethel A.M.E. Church. Higher moral and ethical standards are needed in every walk of life - from individual partnerships to politics.
I celebrate the arrival on the political scene of one who exemplifies these standards. Jack Parrott's willingness to serve his lifelong city as a member of City Council is reason for all of us to cheer.
Through the coming weeks, we'll hear about the experience and enthusiasm that each candidate could bring to council. We'll do well to listen carefully to Parrott's various experiences - in construction, on the landfill board, City Planning Commission, in chairing the program to construct a home for Habitat for Humanity, etc. - which have so well prepared him to serve our citizens with compassion and cheerfulness.
ANN H. GARST ROANOKE
by CNB