Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 24, 1994 TAG: 9405240045
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
But this election isn't about private scandal; it's about public record.
Through most of the Bush years, incumbent Sen. Chuck Robb was positioning himself for a run for president, and so he postured as a truly conservative Democrat - conservative to the point of supporting many of Bush's vetoes.
The last straw for me was his vote for Clarence Thomas. Bush needed a minimum of three Democrats' votes to put Thomas on the high court. Robb's was one of those votes. Recently, when I told him that with that one vote he had nullified years of a great record on civil and human rights, and asked him how he felt now about that vote, he answered: "As it turned out, it didn't make all that much difference."
Is that what we ask of a U.S. senator, that his votes not make a difference? As George Will wrote in a column published in this newspaper: We could just as well have given Antonin Scalia two votes.
Now that Robb's presidential ambitions seem to have been quashed and his friend, Bill Clinton, is in the White House, his public statements and votes are more in keeping with the Robb we knew before he went to Washington. But we want a senator who'll make a difference, and that's not Good Old Boy Virgil Goode. He's voted against bills for protection against hazardous wastes, protection from drunken drivers, handgun regulation, seat-belt requirements, and the list goes on and on.
You said it well in an editorial (May 15, "Questions of character"). There's a clear ideological difference between Robb and Clute on the one hand, and Goode on the other. Clute is a candidate who'll make a difference in the Senate.
MORTON NADLER
BLACKSBURG
Cyclists also must obey the laws
REGARDING staff writer Laura Williamson's May 8 news article, ``Roanoke-area drivers meaner than hills'':
Educate the cyclists also. There've been a number of times when I've stopped at the traffic light at Brandon and Grandin in the right turn lane, and a cyclist came up on the right side of me and proceeded across the intersection against a red light, even though this is clearly illegal. I neither honked my horn nor yelled at the cyclist. So you see, there are two sides to this coin.
We must, of course, enforce the law where automobiles are concerned, but are we any less obligated to enforce laws regarding cyclists?
JOYCE B. THOMAS
ROANOKE
The Civil War wasn't a 'fun' thing
I WAS delighted to see, on the front page no less (May 12, ``Historians say Disney park plan is just plain goofy'' from Knight-Ridder/Tribune), that a coalition of historians and others nationwide had formed under the name ``Protect Historic America,'' and is joining other groups in protest of the proposed Disney theme park, based on the Civil War, in Northern Virginia.
How can Disney possibly present the Civil War, including re-creating the battle between the Merrimac and the Monitor, in a ``fun way'' (its description) without bringing a historic and sad era down to the level of a supervideo game? Is this the way we want our children to view such an important time in our history?
All we've heard from our state representatives, so far, is who pays what and how much. Apparently the desecration of such a historic site is secondary to the money involved.
Don't let them mess with our history! Fun and war just don't belong in the same sentence - or concept.
PATRICIA McCLURE
ROANOKE
Perceived need for road is 'idiotic'
CHEERS to Ray L. Garland for his Interstate 73 column (May 12, ``Politics makes for tangled road-building''). It's refreshing to know we have people with good ol' common horse sense. We have freeways and toll roads from Detroit to I-77, and I-77 goes through to Columbia, S.C. where it picks up I-26 to Charleston, S.C.
With our great country trillions of dollars in debt, the idea of I-73 borders on the idiotic.
JOSEPH W. PLUMMER
ROANOKE
The male chorus on abortion issues
REGARDING staff writer Lisa Applegate's May 11 news article, ``Anti-abortion vigil held'':
Are all members of the various anti-choice groups male? Are women members (if there are any) allowed to speak up, or are only Messrs. Tom Cizmar, Don Reed, Paul Laukaitis and Tony Conrad duly authorized to agonize over female issues?
What would happen if the above gentlemen had to worry about unwanted pregnancy? Bet they'd favor pro-choice also.
JOHN MOFFITT
ROANOKE
AIDS victim promoted tolerance
A FRIEND of mine, who died April 28, had many friends and family members who loved her. In that sense, she was no different from any of the loved ones whose names appear in the obituary column.
My friend was a public figure in Southwest Virginia, in quite a unique sense. Because of this fact, she was very special, and her life deserves a moment of public celebration and her passing a moment of public notice.
Marsha Aliff had AIDS. Like many in our region who have either HIV infection or full-blown AIDS, she didn't choose to contract this debilitating disease, to feel physically ill on many days, require regular medical attention, lose her job, or be shunned by individuals as a result of prejudices and misconceptions that attend this deadly virus.
She did choose to go public with her illness, despite the personal, social and economic risks she knew she'd take. She chose to live life with zest, make new friends, grow as a human being, and reach out to and educate others.
Marsha lived her life with grace, courage and dignity. In her 38 years, she did more to advance the causes of tolerance, respect for other people and love of fellow human beings than most do in two lifetimes. For that, we all should be grateful.
PETER WONSON
ROANOKE
A lasting benefit of Tour DuPont
IN THE AFTERMATH of the Tour DuPont's first encounter with the Roanoke Valley, observers and analysts are looking for benefits our area might have received as a result (May 11 news article by staff writer Lon Wagner, ``All of a sudden, we're Roanoke Valley, Va.''). Were there economic gains, advertising payoffs, public-relations advantages, or did any good at all come of the race?
As Wagner suggests, an event unifying this valley for one day has accomplished something. Others ask whether we reaped any tourism rewards: identifying the area as one of scenic beauty, pointing out the old-time quaintness of the City Market, offering historical plugs, publicizing the Roanoke Valley to the world. Specific measurable benefits might be extra paving and road-surface improvements by the Virginia Department of Transportation in preparation for the race. First Union Bank has probably assigned a dollar-value to the marketing benefits it will receive as a result of its financial sponsorship.
However, one of the Tour's major benefits, perhaps the most significant and one not readily measured in money value, is the heightened public awareness of the bicycle as a vehicle - and one that's capable of going pretty fast, at that! A lot of attention was paid to 100 people on bicycles, and its resulting increased consciousness can have a lasting effect. Roadway users, engineers and planners, for instance, may think a little more distinctly of bicyclists as co-users of public rights-of-way.
This one benefit will remain with us long after the Tour DuPont rolled off into the sunset. While Roanoke Valley, Va., accents the unity of this valley, it also accents the realization that the bicycle isn't only a recreational or a racing vehicle, but also a real vehicle!
ROGER O'DELL
ROANOKE
Teachers may see it differently
CONCERNING the pre-Labor Day opening of public schools (April 29 news article by staff writer Joel Turner, ``Pre-Labor Day school start OK'd''):
Is it truly in the best educational interests of students to begin the school year with five days of classes (Aug. 29-Sept. 2) followed immediately by a five-day break (Sept. 3-7)?
We've heard from administrators who are responsible for complying with state regulations. What do teachers, who are responsible for forming and informing students' minds, have to say?
MARK W. RADECKE
ROANOKE
by CNB