Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, October 12, 1995 TAG: 9510120007
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
If one objects to funding of Planned Parenthood by United Way contributions, one can designate the contribution go to other organizations. However, no United Way monies are used for abortions (although abortion is a legal medical procedure), but only for other medical services that may prove life-saving (i.e., PAP smears can help discover cervix cancer) and for education that will benefit the total community (i.e., fewer cases of sexually transmitted diseases).
I hope people will continue to support Planned Parenthood and Bradley Free Clinic in their important work.
JAN DOWLING
ROANOKE
Branscom's record isn't comparable
AS A builder, I've seen the residential market shift out of Roanoke County into Botetourt County. People leave Roanoke because they appreciate Botetourt's traditional values and strong sense of community, which make it a low crime county.
It makes no sense when Joel Branscom says that his high-crime experience in Roanoke city can even be compared to that of Botetourt's veteran prosecutor Rob Hagan. Hagan has been keeping the peace in Botetourt County for 15 years.
It also doesn't make sense for Branscom to emphasize that he moved to Botetourt in the fifth grade, as if that makes him any better than the rest of the citizens leaving Roanoke County to join Botetourt County.
DANIEL J. DeWITT
ROANOKE
Was the verdict a travesty of justice?
THE BIG question is this: Has a travesty of justice occurred in this country? Has the guilty been declared innocent? Why are Stephen Epperly and Billy Layne still in prison? Why was Dennis Stockton executed? How much eyewitness testimony was presented at their trials? How much DNA evidence was presented?
Would a white football player-celebrity with a black wife - same jury, same evidence - have been found innocent? Did the length of sequester have anything to do with the quick decision? Were the two white jurors intimidated by the nine black ones? Why - after days, weeks and months of so-called presentations from both sides - was there slim-to-none jury deliberation?
Media polls indicated that a majority of whites thought him guilty, while a small percentage of blacks thought likewise. I don't blame the two white jurors. I would have voted not guilty and gone home also. Why spend days or weeks on a situation they knew would end with a hung jury?
GARY K. SPENCE
CHRISTIANSBURG
Exotic birds belong in the wild
IN RESPONSE to Astra T. Bowyer's Oct. 3 letter to the editor, ``Domesticated birds need special care'':
I don't understand why anyone who shows that much concern for a parakeet, which had escaped and fought to survive in the winter, wouldn't emphasize the fact that exotic birds belong in exotic climates, not cages or homes, rather than ``properly clipping their wings'' to prevent their escape.
During my daughter's travels, she saw all types of beautiful birds in their natural environment, without having been clipped, trimmed and made to fit into a life they're not meant to live in. If man could ever learn to appreciate nature the way it's meant to be and made by the Creator, without wanting to possess at all cost, this would be a better world for all creatures.
Bowyer's well-intended letter only touches the surface. Why not go to the bottom of the problem, which also includes the multimillion-dollar business of capturing, crating and shipping all types of exotic birds under cruel conditions.
NAN FARISS
ROANOKE
Gays and lesbians have rights, too
DON Assaid's Sept. 30 letter to the editor ("Lamar is to be congratulated") compares gays and lesbians to pedophiles and bestiality. A loving relationship between two consenting adults has nothing in common with a predatory sexual fixation on vulnerable children or animals. The many fine gay and lesbian people living among us here in the valley are slandered by the comparison. We may not all agree on the morality of same-sex relationships, but I believe this community capable of reasoned dialogue without poisonous exaggerations, inconsistent with fact.
The letter includes a reference to the "political power of the Gay and Lesbian Coalition." The capitals used implies that an organization with this name exists. However, a search of standard reference sources reveals no such organization. Presumably, this is an attempt to suggest that gays and lesbians have formed a powerful "Coalition" to rival the more well-known Christian Coalition.
Count me as another parent of Roanoke city schoolchildren who want schools to teach basic information about homosexuality in a nonjudgmental curriculum. I'd rather have my child know that same-sex attraction is a part of life for some people than have him or her commit suicide because of feelings for which children have no context. Gay teens kill themselves at a rate that's estimated to be as much as 10 times greater than the general teen population. I suspect most parents would rather have a gay teen than a dead one. We're accessories to an injustice if we contribute to the old prejudices by refusing to discuss this with our families.
As Americans, we have the right to differences of opinion. But we don't have the right to deprive our fellow citizens of their constitutional rights to life and liberty. Gays and lesbians pay taxes, vote and have the right to participate in political dialogue. Historically, minority populations have been forced to fight for their civil rights. Gay and lesbian people want only the same rights granted to all by the Constitution: to live freely in a just and equal society. The Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights establish the individual's right to self-determination. Compulsory heterosexuality is fundamentally at odds with the philosophical cornerstones of our nation.
We've always been a diverse people. Let us make room for our brothers and sisters to participate equally in community life. Diversity enriches!
CYNTHIA OBRIST
ROANOKE
If anything, opera was too organized
I WAS glad to read Julie Earthman's Sept. 29 letter to the editor (``Opera showed theatrical sloppiness'') about the recent Opera Roanoke production of Puccini's ``Madame Butterfly.'' Everyone associated with Opera Roanoke welcomes comments about company productions and activities. Earthman evidently takes opera seriously! As a member of Opera Roanoke's Board of Directors, I want to thank her for her observations.
I must disagree with her on a couple of points, though.
I wouldn't call Craig Field's ``Butterfly'' a ``sloppy'' production. If anything, it was too well-organized for some of our audience.
I, too, disliked a couple of the costumes (especially those worn by the chorus), but found most of them attractive and effective.
I had no problem imagining the ``missing'' props. Although I, too, would have enjoyed seeing ``real'' cups, a ``real'' knife, etc. Opera always demands the ``suspension of disbelief.'' It's not supposed to be realistic; at least, not too realistic.
Regarding Butterly herself and her son Trouble, Earthman must not have attended too many operas. If she had, she'd know that teen-agers simply cannot sing roles as demanding as Butterfly. Older singers are always cast in these roles - only they can sing them. And I thought Pamela Myers did a wonderful job with her part, especially in her grand aria ``Un bel di.''
The same insofar as Trouble is concerned: It's hard enough getting a 6-year-old to behave on stage, much less a 3-year-old. I thought Ursula Dilley did a commendable job in a difficult situation.
MICHAEL SAFFLE
Member, Opera Roanoke's Board of Directors
BLACKSBURG
by CNB