Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 31, 1995 TAG: 9508310054
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KIMBERLY N. MARTIN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
His message was clear: He's tough on criminals, he said, tougher than his opponent, Del. Victor Thomas, D-Roanoke.
"Liberals want to make you think you have to feel sorry for little Johnny," Artis said at a news conference. "But no one has to feel sorry for jack. No one put a gun to his head and made Johnny be a criminal. People are criminals because they want to be criminals."
He makes no apologies for that stance, which he characterizes as personal responsibility. That's not to say that prevention isn't part of his plan.
"Prisons will not cure our violent-crime problem by itself. We must not only have punishment, we must have real rehabilitation," Artis said. "We must have community-driven prevention programs to prevent criminality from taking over our neighborhoods."
Thomas echoes that sentiment.
"There's no way we can build enough prisons," Thomas said. "If you think we're going to build our way out of this, you're wrong."
Where the two differ is in what that prevention should look like and who should be involved in implementing it.
Artis says the best prevention plans are free and nongovernmental: neighborhood and parental involvement and churches.
Thomas is a fan of government-funded programs such as prenatal care and vaccinations as methods of crime prevention. That's an idea that causes Artis to raise a questioning eyebrow.
"You get the children before they get here and are fully developed," Thomas explained. If you don't, "they don't have as good a chance starting in."
Crime wasn't the only thing Artis had on his mind Wednesday. He outlined about 10 pieces of legislation, which he said showed that Thomas is soft on crime.
Those bills included prison-building, returning lottery revenues to localities for law enforcement, and funding education programs for illegal aliens.
Thomas stands by his record.
"I've got one of the best records down there," Thomas said.
He pointed to legislation he has supported for mandatory minimum sentencing for use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, no parole, prison-building and sentencing guidelines.
"While he may brag about the mandatory minimum sentencing legislation he passed in 1976," Artis said, "someone please tell Mr. Thomas that it isn't 1976 anymore. Things change, and he needs to change with the times."
Thomas and Artis are seeking the seat that covers Southeast Roanoke, Northeast Roanoke, part of Northwest Roanoke and the Peters Creek Road section of Roanoke County.
Averill sings for M-I-C-K-E-Y
A recent letter to the editor from Petersburg Del. Jay DeBoer has put a song on the lips of House of Delegates candidate Trixie Averill.
Before the news conference for fellow Republican House candidate Jeff Artis on Wednesday, Averill entertained the group with songs from the Mickey Mouse Club.
She said her medley was prompted by the Aug. 28 letter from DeBoer, one of the legislature's most outspoken Democrats.
DeBoer's letter was a response to a comment Averill, the Republican challenger for House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell's seat, made in The Roanoke Times in response to a question on partisan politics in state government.
"How do you spell partisanship? It's D-I-C-K-I-E and H-U-N-T-E-R and D-E-B-O-E-R," Averill said in the Aug. 20 article, referring to Cranwell, Senate Majority Leader Hunter Andrews of Hampton and DeBoer.
In his letter, DeBoer said Averill was pointing her finger in the wrong direction. And at the letter's end, he wrote, "Three words: pot, kettle, black. Oh, and M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E."
Averill said she isn't sure what he meant by the Mickey Mouse reference, but for her Mickey Mouse has a special meaning. She said she grew up watching ``The Mickey Mouse Club'' on TV and knows many of the songs by heart.
"Ever since he said it, I've been singing that song," Averill said after performing one of the show's day-of-the-week songs. "I grew up wanting to be Annette" Funicello, a featured member of the club.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB