Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 19, 1995 TAG: 9509190019
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Since when is it a ``farce'' for a person to attempt to preserve his or her freedom when accused of a crime for which that person hasn't been proved guilty? Your attitude seems to support the ``mountain of evidence'' appraisal I keep hearing about in reference to all the so-called proof against O.J. Simpson. Actually, I think this mountain is more like a few grains of sand. But perhaps if you think small enough, things appear larger.
Because Simpson is well-known, is he less entitled to defend himself? Because he's fortunate enough to have money, does this somehow diminish his right to hire the most competent lawyers? I think not, but your implication suggests there's a fault with that.
You allude to race, and give the impression that a person's reaction because of experience is without basis. Actually, I think we all usually react directly in relation to our life experiences. What else can our reactions and attitudes be influenced by?
You speak of scientific evidence as if it's the gospel and absolutely infallible. Really, now. My impression is that much that's called ``science,'' especially crime-scene science, is about as reliable as weather forecasting. Furthermore, it often seems to prove what the investigator wants to prove. Even so-called experts don't agree about when it works and when it doesn't. Why are we so willing to impute guilt by something so disputed?
I find it alarming that the majority of people in this country are so ready, even eager, to imprison a person for life on such a shaky offer of proof. I suspect those so readily condemning Simpson would change their tune if the same evidence were offered against them if they were similarly accused.
LLOYD R. DAVIS
DUBLIN
The Scriptures and end-zone prayers
CONCERNING the recent flap about praying in the end zone (Sept. 1 article, ``End-zone kneeling: It's judge's call''):
I quote from the Bible (American Standard Version), Matthew 6:5-6: ``And when ye pray, Ye shall not be as the hypocrites; for they love to stand in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have received their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber and, having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who seeth in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee.''
It's rather apparent that Jerry Falwell hasn't read the Bible or has failed to comprehend what he read.
If you believe in the Scriptures and the word of Jesus Christ, and then kneel to pray in the end zone or advocate the same, you are a hypocrite.
JAMES W. BISHOP
ROANOKE
Road should be open to everyone
THE CITY should repair and restore the ``under and over'' bridge on Prospect Road up Mill Mountain (Sept. 10 article, ``Businessman offers bridge fix, for a price''). This is a unique piece of Roanoke's history. The road should be open to automobile traffic, hikers and bikers from 8 a.m. until dark every day, but traffic should be allowed to only go up the mountain. This would allow all citizens of Roanoke and surrounding areas access to Mill Mountain, the way the Fishburn family meant it to be.
Don't give the road over to the control of one person. Gates could be installed at the bottom and top of the grade. Give Ralph Smith 24-hour access to his home, but close the road to all other traffic after dark. This should take care of the beer cans.
Mayor David Bowers may have the right idea - make it a linear park, open to all citizens.
DON ROBERTSON
ELLISTON
When tax cuts are not wanted
TAXES ARE a necessary part of life. They support vital government services. Our concern is the effective management of tax revenues.
Virginia is rated as one of the best fiscally managed states in the country by numerous financial publications. This is accomplished with one of the lowest tax burdens in the nation. When Gov. George Allen proposes a tax cut for all Virginians, he isn't trimming the fat from a bloated state bureaucracy. He's slashing vital services to the most vulnerable Virginians - children, the elderly, the handicapped and less fortunate. Allen's proposed tax cut would amount to only about $40 per year for an average family of four.
Sen. Madison Marye opposes tax cuts at this time. He believes it's irresponsible of Gov. Allen to offer Virginians such a meager sum while embarking on a massive prison-construction program that will leave the state in debt for years to come.
VIRGINIA L. PRICE
ARARAT
Oppressing legally eligible voters
I AM MORALLY disgraced to think that I live close to people who are capable of voicing ridiculous opinions such as the one contained in the Sept. 13 letter to the editor by Robert Merian (``Motor-voter law fosters irresponsibility''). His letter was in response to your Sept. 10 editorial (``Does Gov. Allen mistrust voters?''), and I think he helped to prove your point. If Allen's logic is anything like Merian's, then, yes, there's a great possibility that he mistrusts voters - the taxpayers he's supposed to serve.
The motor-voter law is an easy target for inept, emotional naysayers like Merian. It seems to me that registering voters is a good thing. It's the essence of a democracy.
Instead of discussing the issue on the merits, Merian suggests that voters should somehow be socially qualified. He says the country's leaders should be chosen by voters who hold a "position of responsibility," "support a family" and lack decent education (because, he says, "pragmatism is unheard of" in schools). This kind of archaic logic goes back to the days when a man (before women's suffrage) had to own land to be able to vote.
The motor-voter law is a reasonable effort to broaden the accessibility to such privileges as being registered to vote. It's proved to be effective.
If Merian and Allen persist in their oppression of legally eligible voters, they better act quickly. I heard that the Blacksburg Public Library and Virginia Tech are having voter drives. Maybe some people they'd judge unqualified are attempting to register.
BRIAN McGUIRE
BLACKSBURG
Not all 18-year-olds are politically naive
IN RESPONSE to Robert Merian's Sept. 13 letter to the editor, "Motor-voter law fosters irresponsibility":
Motor-voter isn't an attempt by evil-minded, scheming bureaucrats to get re-elected. I don't think anyone expects it to be so successful at recruiting only members of a particular political party that that party will suddenly receive a torrent of new, like-minded voters. Motor-voter is an attempt to simplify a relatively high-initiative political activity (voter registration) so that more people will make use of a low-initiative one (voting).
Voter registration is the single largest block to American voting. Many states require that a voter be registered a month or more before the election. In addition, voter registration is a fairly complex process. Any attempt to make it easier should be praised, not criticized. America is a democracy - the more voters, the better.
The ability to choose our elected officials is the right of every American, a right stated in our Constitution. The right of 18-year-olds to vote is also included in that document: the 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971. Apparently, two-thirds of Congress and 38 or more states decided that allowing 18-year-olds to vote was an important idea.
The statement that 18-year-olds are idealistic voters who will blindly vote Democratic and have no idea of the stress of working life isn't accurate. Many 16- and 17-year-olds I know work between 20 and 40 hours a week, combining work with school. Of those, most pay taxes and are trying to figure out how to pay for their college tuitions. An 18-year-old is perfectly capable of thinking for himself or herself, and does so frequently. They have formed their own opinions about most everything - politics included.
JEREMY BALDWIN
ROANOKE
by CNB