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

DATE: SUNDAY, August 21, 1994                   TAG: 9408220059
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

REPLACE BOUCHER FOR GUN BILL VOTE

From 1965 to 1981, murders in the United States increased 245 percent, from 8,773 to 21,505. Deaths from guns increased 284 percent and accounted for 66 percent of all murders. In Richmond, with 102 homicides so far this year and 111 for all of 1993, the death rate has increased about 30 percent on a monthly basis and has led to suggestions for martial law for the city. According to COPS (Concerns of Police Officers), one police officer is killed every 57 hours, or 154 a year.

As a member of Congress, Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, voted against the crime bill because of his opposition to the ban on assault weapons. A supportee of the interests of the National Rifle Association, Boucher put his commitment to them against any commitment to the welfare of his constituents. It is far past time to recognize him for what he is: an elephant waving a donkey's head on his trunk.

Philip Ash

Blacksburg

Tell Saint Nick to cool his heels

Here we are in the middle of August and what to my wondering eyes should appear at a store but Halloween, Thanksgiving and, yes, Virginia, even Christmas merchandise! This practice of jump-starting the holiday shopping stampede earlier and earlier each year is, quite simply, TACKY. More than that, it borders on obscene! Everyone agrees that it is just too soon . . . so why does it get worse and worse, year after year? Because we, the consumers, allow it, and even encourage it! Ninety percent of these same tasteful patrons who agree the early merchandising is distasteful will scramble to buy wrapping paper, ornaments and tinsel the moment they hit the shelves. Responding to the salesman's fear-inducing cries of "there might not be any left when Christmas comes!" consumers stampede to do their holiday shopping between trips to the swimming pool.

If this trend continues, we will need a special act of Congress bumping our holidays ahead three months to be more in line with stores' merchandising schedules. Add this to the gaggle of "Christmas in Summer" sales, and it's enough to make one . . . well, to paraphrase Dickens: Every fool who goes about with "Merry Christmas" on his lips a day before Thanksgiving should be boiled in his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart!

We can't go on saying how much we hate this, then encourage it by doing our holiday shopping whenever they tell us to. I have worked in retailing, and believe me, there will be plenty of Christmas merchandise until close of business, December 24th. Stores over-stock on everything holiday-related right up until the last minute. It will take a bit of self-control, but not buying the stuff early is the only way to get them to keep it in the warehouse - at the very least until the weather turns chilly.

Send the stores a message: We don't want to see Saint Nick in the mall in August!!! Write heated letters and make phone calls to those stores and malls that don't get the message, and most of all, do your Christmas shopping at Christmastime!

J. William McNeil

Radford

by CNB