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

DATE: SATURDAY, July 1, 1995                   TAG: 9507030015
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

PARENTS CAN SET AN EXAMPLE

I AM a teacher within the Roanoke Valley. I read with curiosity and sometimes dread the editorials and letters to the editor concerning prayer in public schools. It appears everyone has an idea about prayer, but no one offers a solution. Would those who favor prayer in public schools please send in to this newspaper a concrete example of a prayer that you believe appropriate for all religious faiths? I teach children who are Jehovah's Witnesses, Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Buddhist, etc.

I understand societal concern about the decaying nature of our young people's moral lives. But is the breakdown that's occurring more the result of a complaining, blame-the-state mentality than a lack of prayer in school? Everywhere they turn, our kids hear adults in the media and at home showering hate statements about our president and minority viewpoints. What is a teacher to do?

I ask those of you with children in school, who believe prayer to be the answer, to volunteer two hours a week at your child's school starting in September. Instead of throwing fuel on the fire, put your beliefs to work. If you want to teach concepts such as charity and the Golden Rule, get out there and set an example. Words are meaningless if not backed by action.

KATRINA G. LANDON ROANOKE

Bedford wants answers on crime

THE ``GOOD old boy'' philosophy should have gone out with Starsky and Hutch.

With Bedford County's size and population growth, it's time to elect a sheriff with the expertise Mike Brown has. He comes as a candidate with 29 years of experience on a national and international level.

People of our county want to feel safe, and they want answers to the type of burglaries currently not solved. Vote Brown, Republican, for sheriff, and have a committed law-enforcement leader of integrity.

LESLIE J. KING BEDFORD

Christian Coalition's aim is distorted

THE MAINLINE liberal media are constantly spreading misrepresentations about the Christian Coalition. A June 9 editorial in your newspaper (``A family contract minus vows'') provides gross distortions of events, presented to the public as an unbiased professional commentary on important news.

Your editorial stated that the Christian Coalition's ``aim remains clear: to bridge the separation of church and state, to attack women's abortion rights, to transform America into a Christian nation.'' This is typical liberal-speak. The coalition's true meaning: It opposes government censorship of voluntary prayer, defends the inalienable right to life for pre-born humans, supports sound economic policies, and promotes public policy based on the Judeo-Christian ethics on which our country was founded and on which it once thrived.

The American people understand why the formerly mainline, liberal media constantly attack the Christian Coalition. They understand why liberals distort the facts about it. They understand also why it makes liberals so angry. The coalition all too effectively opposes the left and its failed, expensive social-engineering programs that have nearly bankrupted our country, and nearly destroyed the family as an institution.

JOHN W. SAUL ROANOKE

Cartoonist seems to have lost touch

WHILE I usually enjoy ``Non Sequitur'' by Wiley in your daily comic strip, I became concerned on June 28 that he may be suffering from burn-out syndrome since he seems to have his facts muddled.

``Dittos'' on the T-shirt seems to imply Rush Limbaugh fans are militia members and losers, neither of which is true. The only ``bubba'' I've ever heard of is in the White House.

Perhaps Wiley better give cartooning a rest, and broaden his reading scope outside of the Washington Post Writers Group.

SANDY SMITH MARTINSVILLE

by CNB