Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 12, 1995 TAG: 9507120031
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In the article, he talks about cutting AIDS funding because he says it is people's ``deliberate, disgusting, revolting conduct'' that is the reason they are infected with the virus. He also says, ``We've got to have some common sense about a disease transmitted by people deliberately engaging in unnatural acts.''
I will be in the seventh grade next year at Hidden Valley Junior High School, and I know more about this virus than Helms! I know that AIDS isn't a ``gay disease.'' I recently saw a movie on CBS called ``Angelie's Secret'' that was about a girl who was born HIV-positive. So, what about those who are born with the virus? Should funding be cut for them, too? What about doctors who get poked with an infected needle when treating a patient with AIDS? Should they have funding cut for them for just for doing their job?
I think ignorance is the real disease here, and I think Helms has it.
Do you see how some people act if another is different, if they have AIDS? It's very sad that some people, even a senator, think this way. There is something wrong with those who think this way.
KATIE WESTERMANN
ROANOKE
It wasn't all in the family
REGARDING THE news article you ran in your June 24 newspaper (``Scam gets its returns''), I'm very upset about the way you wrote about the Garraghty family. All the Garraghty family wasn't involved.
ERNIE M. GARRAGHTY
FERRUM
Editor's note: Three members of the Garraghty family were sentenced last month for their part in a scheme, run out of Bland Correctional Center, to file false tax returns and collect large refunds. They were Ernest ``Wes'' Garraghty; his mother, Shirley Garraghty; and his sister, Tammy Moran.
Work is available regardless of age
I AGREE with Gerry K. Koehler's July 5 letter to the editor ``Jobs are there, for the looking.'' Jobs are out there - signs at every fast-food restaurant, many stores and, if you ask, other places that are hiring.
Why some people think it's a disgrace to go to the Virginia Employment Commission I will never understand. They can be tested, if needed. They will become a statistic, and the unemployment rate figures will be accurate. The VEC only knows you're not working if you come to it for help.
I met a young, single mother of two children recently who struggled, worked hard, and used Aid to Dependent Children until she could get her high-school diploma. She is working, off welfare, and just glowing with pride. I, too, am proud of her.
Older, able-bodied people can do many things - adult care in the home, child care, janitorial jobs. It's a matter of the desire to do after never having done.
Many years ago, I worked a full-time and a part-time job. Some women won't do this. They let their husbands work themselves to death. There's a price to pay to have things. If we want them, we must work for them, even for the bare necessities.
JOAN K. SHANNON
ROANOKE
Memories of jam at the Coffee Pot
YOUR JUNE 29 Extra section article (``A roadhouse full of memories'') brought back many fond memories of the Coffee Pot. I am now retired and have been living in Tampa, Fla., for the past 32 years. A lot of friendships developed over the years from the late '40s until 1963 when I was transferred to Tampa with Eastern Airlines. Many good times were had with friends like Charlie Bennett, Bill Davidson, Phil Luckadoo and Dickie Lester, to name a few.
The Sunday afternoon jam sessions would bring in a lot of local top-notch musicians. Dick Lester was there with his standup bass fiddle. The sessions always drew large crowds of regulars.
Oh, how I miss that place. I have lost contact with all my old friends at ``The Pot,'' but I still have fond memories.
Thanks for the article. It made this ole fellow smile and reminisce about the good old days.
JIMMY JENNINGS
TAMPA, FLA.
by CNB