Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 6, 1994 TAG: 9411080067
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Yet there's so much more to this story than poor old Roanoke coming out on the short end with Norfolk Southern. While this strikes a devastating blow to the highly successful rail festival, putting the 611 down will deny current and future generations the singular pleasure of experiencing it in every sensory capacity.
Corporate charity, by definition, is unprofitable - it costs money. However, this isn't just an issue of charity, but one of stewardship and responsibility. Its special status and world renown makes the 611 a lot more than just a locomotive. It's an icon, a singular treasure, a one-of-a-kind relic of a glorious era of transportation forever gone.
Norfolk Southern needs to be persuaded that simply looking at the 611 in a museum yard doesn't begin to do justice to this magnificent machine. The company has a responsibility to correctly preserve the legacy of this great engine.
GILBERT E. BUTLER JR.
ROANOKE
Roanoke tries to exploit D-Day losses
IN THE DAYS following the 50th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, your newspaper published a news article (June 5, ``Absence of D-Day monument costs Roanoke spotlight'') commenting on the lost opportunity to market the Roanoke Valley during the anniversary events. What is it about the fair city of Roanoke that moves its business community to seek to exploit the gallant sacrifice of Virginia's sons and daughters for the selfish gain of a few consumer dollars?
To those lost on D-Day, the current debate on the location of the memorial (Oct. 11 news article, ``Park site offered by city'') is another example of Roanoke's selfish need to exploit our nation's loss for petty local gains. Given the sacrifice of the sons of Bedford County on the fateful beaches of Normandy, how can the location be anywhere else but Bedford?
The push to locate this memorial in Roanoke is an embarrassment to all in this area. Roanoke didn't have the largest contingent of men killed on D-Day; Bedford County did. We appeal to the Roanoke business community to stop putting their city in an unflattering light.
LYNN and TERRY McLAUGHLIN
SHAWSVILLE
Watch out for kids on Sundays, too
RECENTLY, on a Sunday morning, I was traveling down a street behind a church bus. This bus was stopping for children, and I showed them the courtesy of stopping while the children loaded. A white car came up behind me, politely moved around me to the left, and passed this bus while children were loading. Another car, which had stopped in front of the bus because I had stopped behind it, then proceeded to pass this stopped bus.
Are laws different for loading and unloading a church bus than for loading and unloading a school bus? I would like to think that if my grandchildren were getting on that church bus, the driver behind it would stop and wait for them to be safely inside it. It seems we lose all our manners, or whatever you want to call it - perhaps, common sense - when it's something pertaining to a church.
Come on people, wake up. These kids are our hope for tomorrow.
JOAN K. SHANNON
ROANOKE
Vinton police have been professionals
IN RESPONSE to Douglas Chandler Graham's Oct. 22 letter to the editor (``Police work, Vinton style''), I'd like to clarify several points:
No one has asked Earl Bramblett to forsake his constitutional rights or prove his innocence.
Bramblett knew my brother for more than 20 years. For the past several years, prior to the murders, he was a constant companion. This, in my opinion, makes him more than just another citizen in Vinton whose help was requested by the police
How pure is the heart that can in one moment state, ``The Hodges family were my family, and Winter and Anah were my daily joys,'' and still not come forth to a plea for help? Is it wrong for Chief Rick Foutz to ask a citizen to come forth and help solve the murder of two parents and their children? Can we, as a community, allow ourselves to grow callous and cold to the cry of murder?
The Vinton Police Department, and all other members of the task forces investigating this case, have been compassionate professionals. They've spent many hours away from their own families pounding the pavement. It was unjust to imply that they were doing anything less than a professional investigation.
On that day, it was my brother's family. If this had happened to Graham's family, would he be so quick to condemn anyone who tries to help, and be so understanding of someone's hesitation to cooperate? Of course, you can say it's their constitutional right, and it is. But that won't make your grief any less painful. I know.
RALPH R. HODGES
ROANOKE
Teen center is a positive alternative
IN RESPONSE to Melissa Sparks' Oct. 18 letter to the editor, ``Teens don't need more hangouts'':
She stated that we need to stop ``trying to solve problems by spending money on programs and slogans,'' and need to teach teens the rewards of responsibility and hard work.
Indeed, a problem exists with teen irresponsibility, but the problem doesn't lie in government's allocation of funds for a teen center. The real root of the problem is that teens resort to drugs, sex and alcohol abuse because of their lack of parental support in the home. It's difficult to achieve if one doesn't feel appreciated and loved by family members. This also cuts communication lines between parents and children, causing unhealthy decision making.
A teen center doesn't contribute to this problem. Instead, it provides a healthy alternative to drinking or ``making out'' on a Saturday night. I commend the officials who made this project happen, and I am sorry that more teens cannot choose healthy alternatives to their present activities.
JENNIFER M. COOK
ROANOKE
Beat West Virginia to Disney's punch
IT'S TIME for Southwest Virginia to get on the train before it leaves the station!
The Oct. 5 evaluation for Disney locating here (``Do we have what Disney wants?'') should view the perceived negatives as all positive:
Within one hour of Washington and 20 million tourists: Build the world's fastest, safest, high-tech people mover, featuring the trip as a memorable once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Airport access: the Brookneal airport, now lying mostly fallow, transformed into an international jetport. The existing Moneta airport enhanced into a modern general-aviation facility.
Access to utilities only takes a county with an eye to the future, or an investor interested in an indecent return on his money.
It won't be difficult to find 19,000-plus people who will trample each other to work and live in one of the most attractive, if not best, environments in the country.
Other reasons for Disney to locate here are many and evident. Opportunity comes to those who are ready for it. It's time for Southwest Virginia to act aggressively before the Byrd bludgeons Disney into West Virginia!
BOB HOWE
HUDDLESTON
Rationalizations won't hold weight
I TAKE exception to the woman from Cloverdale (Oct. 24 letter to the editor, ``Abortion isn't equal to murder'' by Suellen Stracke) who stated that ``every woman who chooses abortion knows it is more than mere tissue. She also knows she isn't an accessory to murder.''
It seems to me this position is right down the middle of the road. If it's more than mere tissue but not murder, then what is it?
When we meet our maker, I'm afraid the rationalizations of pro-abortionists and middle-of-the-roaders won't hold any weight. I pray that all people will look into their hearts and choose love instead of destruction.
JEAN M. WEATHERMAN
ROANOKE
by CNB