Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 6, 1994 TAG: 9405070003
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute (from which Whitlock quotes some of her statistics), in 1990, Planned Parenthood prevented an estimated 494,000 unintended pregnancies from occurring as a result of its unique combination of educational and medical services. At least one-third to one-half of these would have resulted in abortion. No doubt the best way to reduce abortion in America is to prevent the number of unwanted pregnancies.
Yes, Planned Parenthood provides abortions; it also prevents them. And it does both with a great deal of care and professionalism.
|R. BENNETT ELLIS |ROANOKE
Reading hope into|
children's lives|
REGARDING the April 3 news article in this newspaper from The Washington Post entitled ``Children under 3 face greatest risks for future development, study finds'':
The Carnegie Report citing woeful conditions of millions of children under age 3 comes as no surprise. They're born with aggressive instincts as are all creatures. Man, being of a higher order, suppresses the ``hunter'' instinct since the mother nurtures and feeds the child, and provides a sense of permanence in a nonaggressive environment. In so many homes, this feeling of permanence begins to disappear due to indifference, illiteracy, drug use, family violence, abuse, etc. Latent aggressive instincts then come to the fore, and we see results of this all around us today.
What can be done to nip this in the bud? Neighborhood reading centers. Library story hours aren't enough, as poorer parents, so many illiterate, simply aren't motivated to attend.
It's a false assumption that children from ages 1-3 do not profit from being read to. A child's natural curiosity is a wonderful thing, and grandmothers who volunteer to read to children can tell you otherwise.
I'd make attendance at a reading center an hour a day a requirement for welfare mothers. Each center would be staffed with one professional and volunteer readers. Such an inexpensive solution would save thousands of children and millions in taxpayer dollars in the future. These children would voluntarily continue reading and be school-ready by age 5.
Why not try a pilot program, as have other cities? The proof of success is there. How about it?
|JACK E. BYRD |HARDY
'Rotting traditions'|
produce top leaders|
LIKE FISKE'S Guide to Colleges found us, I found Geoff Seamans' March 13 column, ``Coeducation would change VMI - and VMI needs it,'' to be uninteresting as well as ignorant on some facts. Before writing, perhaps he should know his information. Being an associate editor and making false accusations doesn't speak well for him or this newspaper.
The state only pays $5,500 per in-state cadet, or for about 750 out of 1,100 cadets. Virginia doesn't pay for uniforms; the U.S. government does. All cadets are enrolled in ROTC. As at all other colleges, ROTC pays for uniforms. Private women's colleges do receive financial aid from the state, but not as much as VMI.
Calling Virginia Military Institute a ``market loser'' is one of the most asinine statements I've ever heard about VMI. Whether you like it or not, it does produce leaders who prosper in the military ranks - in Virginia and abroad. VMI's principles can be questioned; its value and role in society cannot. Those rotting traditions mentioned have endured 155 years and are still effective in producing America's top leaders:
n429 alumni deployed to Gulf region during Operation Desert Storm.
n258 alumni who have achieved the rank of general or flag officer in all four services.
nSix recipients of the Medal of Honor.
VMI also ranks No. 1 in the nation in Navy nuclear-power candidates and U.S. Marine Corps officers commissioned annually.
And that just to name a few in the military alone.
|T. ALAN DEAN |Cadet, VMI '95 |LEXINGTON
Other routing ideas|
can be considered|
WITHOUT doubt, most citizens of Henry, Franklin and Roanoke counties, as well as Roanoke city, want a new interstate. The fact that the proposed I-73 serving these localities via Bent Mountain would be an extremely expensive and rather circuitous way to get from Detroit to Charleston, S.C., is of little concern to those needing economic development and convenience that such a highway will provide. But does it have to be I-73?
I propose that I-73 be routed through Virginia over I-77. This should appease the Giles-Montgomery area folks who've been rather vocal in their opposition.
Furthermore, I propose that a new interstate linking Roanoke with the Triad cities of North Carolina be built. In addition to obvious benefits for Virginians, this highway would serve as a direct route for those in Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point. They could take an interstate north without meandering around Richmond and Washington via I-85 and I-95.
Notwithstanding the outcome of the various I-73 proposals, I hope the antiquated stretch of highway between Tanglewood Mall and Boones Mill can be completely rebuilt. That alone would be an accomplishment.
|DORR TUCKER |ROANOKE
Suicide can serve|
as an object lesson|
THE SUICIDE of Kurt Cobain (April 9 Associated Press news article, ``Nirvana singer dies of gunshot'') should be an object lesson to all young people. This should show them what can happen to a person whose mind has been altered by drug abuse.
Counselors should use this tragedy to teach young people how not to conduct their lives instead of accepting this as a normal part of life. Where there's a vacuum and a lack of moral teaching, almost anything can be accepted in a person's mind.
What bothers me most about this tragedy is that the media and music industry will continue to use individuals such as Cobain as role models for our youngsters.
|JOYCE S. SIMMONS |ROANOKE
Casting stones and|
common misquotes|
I AGREED with the writer's comments. But in her April 13 letter to the editor (``Voters beyond Va. support North''), Gladys Maxwell quoted a scripture verse incorrectly (John 8:7). This isn't unusual because it's incorrectly quoted about 99 percent of the time. This scripture is usually quoted, ``Let him that is without sin cast the first stone.'' The King James version reads, ``He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone ... '' In other words, it's not the first stone, but the first person to cast a stone.
I quoted this scripture incorrectly in my Shawsville High School English class, and my wonderful English teacher, Verna Pearman, corrected me. This would have been the opportune time for her to misquote another scripture (John 8:11), ``Neither do I condemn thee: go and misquote no more.''
|VICKI JO DUNCAN |CHRISTIANSBURG
Both parties have|
good candidates|
INSTEAD of your shrill squeals at the mention of Oliver North's name, let's relax and enjoy the fact that we have an outstanding list of Senate candidates on both the Republican and Democratic sides.
Jim Miller and North are both good men, as well as are Charles Robb and Virgil Goode. I've known Goode for many years - he's honest and hard-working. If he wins the nomination, he'll get my vote.
Meanwhile, try to mention North's name without modifying adjectives such as accused, convicted and so forth.
|JAMES M. BESTLER |MARTINSVILLE
TV shows breed|
violence on streets|
MANY WONDER why children today don't have respect for other people or have values that children had years ago. There's violence and teen-age sex going on everywhere.
Children and teens spend a lot of time in front of the television, and there's violence and sex on almost every show. For example, on ``Family Matters,'' two children spent the night in a hotel room together and the parents didn't even care.
Even though some shows say ``viewer discretion advised,'' a lot of children don't know what that means. And a lot of teens watch violent shows, because it's the only thing to watch. Many children and teens do and say what they see on television. If these violent shows are kept on the air, there will be a lot of violence on our streets.
If they would stop putting these shows on television, we'd have safer streets and happier people.
|MICHELLE LOPEZ |ROANOKE
by CNB