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

DATE: TUESDAY, January 11, 1994                   TAG: 9401120009
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Long

COALFIELD STUDENTS ARE PENALIZED

AS IF WE didn't have enough problems with high unemployment, environmental degradation and educational funding disparities in our area, coalfield students are apparently being picked over by our state's universities. To be sure, several of our bright students attend Virginia's nationally recognized colleges. However, as a recent meeting of university chancellors and local political representatives painfully showed, our students are penalized for their relative lack of exposure to the outside world and for their language dialect, the very issues one would expect to be addressed at the university level.

For example, a young man from Castlewood graduated in pre-med at the University of Virginia, excelled in the school's laboratory programs and scored in the very elite level of the MCAT (national medical-college entrance tests). The student's strong desire was to attend the University of Virginia's medical college, train as an orthopedic surgeon and return to the Virginia coalfields in this much-needed specialty.

He and his family were stunned to learn that he was passed by after his Northern-born interviewer criticized his verbal skills. Translated, the interviewer was accustomed to aggressive Northern children with strong language skills. She was informed of, but ignored, the fact that our mountain culture produces more polite, less verbally aggressive students who nonetheless compete well academically on the state and national level. It appears that students from Northern schools such as Harvard, Princeton and Yale receive preference over Virginia taxpayers' children. If this systematic selection process that holds back our children can be statistically shown, then our protests to Richmond should be loud and clear.

Fortunately, the Castlewood student was quickly accepted at another quality medical school, but that's not the point. How often do we have brilliant students, scoring in the extreme upper percentile of the nation's best scholars, wanting to return home to practice medicine? We must support and fight for these individuals if the level of health care and other critical services in the coalfields is to appreciably improve.

FRANK KILGORE

ST. PAUL

One terrific snow job!

PERSONNEL of the state, county and city who are connected with snow removal should be commended for the outstanding job they've been doing in the severe ice and snow conditions we've been having.

This commendation should also apply to the fire, police, rescue and other personnel connected with the 911 number.

The services of these people are normally outstanding and easily taken for granted.

TOM PHILLIPS

ROANOKE

Murder at taxpayers' expense

CHRISTMAS Day 1993, the Clinton administration gave a most diabolical gift to the Christ child and to millions of Americans who find the killing of unborn children deplorable. Over the radio, television and through the print media, the administration heralded the requirement that all states, through the Medicaid system, pay for abortions on children who were conceived from rape, incest or if the life of the mother is in danger,

So, taxpayers of America, you now pay for the murder of unborn children. This, however, is only the tip of the iceberg, as Clinton is seeking to fund all poor women's abortions at taxpayers' expense in his proposed health-care plan.

To make such a proclamation on Christmas Day absolutely sickened me. It also reminds me of another devious ruler, King Herod, who ordered the murder of all males 2 years and younger in and around Bethlehem in an attempt to kill the Christ child. Not much has changed in 2,000 years!

ANTHONY CONRAD

COVINGTON

Missing the possible scandal

REGARDING the Jan. 5 letters to the editor (``Show respect for presidency'' by Ann-Leslie Graham and ``Clinton follows in famous footsteps'' by Baldwin P. Jennings Jr.):

Both writers missed the point regarding Clinton and the recent scandal(s) involving his moral conduct. The issue is whether Arkansas state tax money was used to protect sexual liasions from discovery for an elected official.

MARK KNOTTS

ROANOKE

Mexico offers rationale for guns

I DON'T own a gun and have only owned one for approximately one year in my entire life. I'm against every act of gun-related violence in this or any country.

However, we need only look to present-day Mexico, our neighbors, and see how the f+igovernmento is exploiting and now killing poor peasant people, to realize that citizens need and deserve the right to bear or own arms for our protection. We need protection not only from criminals, but especially from a government that will continue to take from us. All we need is for a Hitler or one of such mentality to gain popularity and power, and we'd suffer the same fate as the poor Mexican people.

Not only do I feel that communities and local governments need to work on crime-violence control, as opposed to Big Brother, but I can also state - seeing what I've seen lately of the Mexican government's treatment of people - that the North American Free Trade Agreement be damned. I'm buying nothing from Mexico, and it's foolish to think the United States will gain jobs from such folly.

ED COFFEY

MONETA

by CNB