Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 15, 1994 TAG: 9404160002
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The Blue Ridge Parkway with its spectacular overlooks of the region's valleys and mountains.
The second-highest waterfall in Virginia at Bottom Creek Gorge in Roanoke County (an area currently under threat by the proposed Interstate 73).
A wondrous display of spring, summer and fall wildflowers found within minutes' drive from Roanoke. People come from as far away as New Jersey to admire and learn about wildflowers during the Science Museum's annual Wildflower Pilgrimage.
The Roanoke River and its watershed, full of hidden artifacts left by centuries of Native American and European travelers who camped along its banks.
Night sky views away from city lights that afford observation of stars not visible in town.
Small farms, which still cover the landscape, where one can purchase fresh-picked produce and show city-bred children the plants and animals. A friend told us a story related to her by an educator at Colonial Williamsburg about a schoolchild who, when seeing a cow being milked, asked, ``What is that white stuff?''
Do we want our children and grandchildren to grow up so far removed from the special qualities the lands in and around the Roanoke Valley offer to enrich their spirits? I propose that we encourage a network of greenways here to protect our invaluable natural heritage. Let's start by protecting the beauty of the Bent Mountain area from the desecration a major highway would bring.
JAN DOWLING
ROANOKE
Newspapers should keep it clean
I'M DISTURBED by the newspaper's policy of allowing the use of curse words. I've found them in feature stories, comics and local news articles. I was taught such words were used by those who were too uneducated to think of alternative phrases. I trust this is not the case with your staff. Perhaps your writers could familiarize themselves with Roget's International Thesaurus if they have difficulty in this area.
I encourage my children to read the newspaper as a way of improving both their vocabularies and their minds. I have to screen their books, television shows and movies for objectionable material. Must I include your newspaper as well? In a world where ideals and decorum are fast losing ground, aspire to be a guardian of linguistic elegance.
KIMBERLY T. SMITH
ROANOKE
Christians need a voice in health care
RESPECTABLE editorial writers are tough but fair. Joe Patrick Bean's remarks about the Christian Coalition were unwarranted, mean-spirited and laden with religious bigotry (March 21 commentary, ``Beware the far right's drumbeat'').
Bean seeks to deny people of faith a voice in the health-care debate simply because they belong to an organization founded by Pat Robertson. He's applied his own, self-righteous test to those who wish to have a voice in the most important national debate of the decade.
He argues that the Christian Coalition campaign to defeat the Clinton health plan disguises the organization's true agenda. He's basing this outlandish and bigoted accusation on nothing more than his own prejudice.
The Christian Coalition has more than 1 million donors and activists. It's spending $1.4 million to educate voters about dangers of the Clinton health plan.
Bean has never requested an interview with Christian Coalition officials nor called us for material. His lackluster reporting skills and bombastic writing style pale in comparison to his obvious hatred for pro-family Christian activists.
I'm appalled that you'd print such an unwarranted and bigoted attack against people of faith.
MIKE RUSSELL
Communications Director
Christian Coalition
CHESAPEAKE
Driving away state's brightest students
IN A TIME of escalating tuitions and fees at our state colleges and universities, I was appalled to see that the General Assembly failed to fund the $150,000 Virginia Scholars Program for the coming year (March 30 news article by staff writer Joel Turner, ``Virginia Scholars: Not this time''). This merit-based scholarship program has been available to 50 new students each year, providing $3,000 per year for four years. While $3,000 is only 25 percent to 30 percent of the cost of a year of college in Virginia, it enables some of Virginia's brightest students - not necessarily the wealthiest - to attend a state university.
Virginia has continued to reduce funding to our state schools, resulting in rapidly increasing tuition. Virginia's state-college costs are among the highest in the country, and many of our brightest students are being drawn away from our state because of finances. To eliminate this scholarship program now could drive 50 of Virginia's future leaders to other states.
JANET S. TUCKER
COVINGTON
by CNB