ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 20, 1996 TAG: 9603200006
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-12 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
FROM DUNBLANE, Scotland, comes yet another heartbreaking example of the unspeakable horrors committed by people with guns. In light of this, I invite pro-gun types to address these questions:
To balance out the tragedy in Scotland, do you know of any case where the lives of 16 little children were saved because a civilian used a gun in their defense?
Given the slogan, ``If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns,'' are you prepared to say that the problem in Dunblane was that all those little children neglected to take a defensive gun with them to school that day? Or that the school was negligent in not providing armed guards to patrol the grounds?
MADELINE LOVE
BLACKSBURG
Young Bosnians had good insights
TWELVE students from Bosnia, Sweden, Mexico, Africa, Germany, Vietnam, France and Ireland talked about their education in their homelands on Feb. 15 to members of the educational association, Phi Delta Kappa. They brought laughter and tears as they shared their experiences and views on life.
They noted some differences here: Few walk, ride bicycles or use public transportation; everyone drives a car. They've enjoyed the freedom here of choosing subjects they wanted to take, and having fewer than 13 or 18 subjects.
Tears were in many listeners' eyes as the young people from Bosnia talked about their war experiences. One could hear people's silent thanks for their children's lives here as a Bosnian young man said he had to get used to being outside in open spaces without fear of shelling and having to look for shelter. A premed student said her practical experience in a hospital exposed her to things no 17-year-old should have to see or know about. A Bosnian girl said she would tell teen-agers here to have a happy childhood and enjoy being a child. It was touching to hear and see these articulate and obviously independent young people tell strangers how important family is, and describe the pluses of education in America.
An African young lady thanked several of her teachers for being so kind, understanding and helpful. And the students reminded us that people should stop being so critical of others and choosing friends based on looks or popularity.
One wanted to clone them and put them on a lecture circuit to every high school in America! Thank you, students, for such insight beyond your years.
SHIRLEY C. MEADOR
ROANOKE
School may be a white elephant
THE PROPOSED bond issue in Roanoke County doesn't reflect goals of the School Board's own five-year plan. Where are costs involved with the Bonsack Elementary School and other projects to be completed within the next five years? Or should we expect another bond battle next year? Board members must stop being shortsighted, follow the five-year plan, and propose bonds to address it - not funding based on battle cries that will be obsolete within three years. Or they may also find themselves obsolete at election time.
In Fairfax, my older sister went to one school; three years later, my other sister and I went to a different one. Rather than build, the county redrew school lines - serving the best interest of all involved (not one prominent area).
A few years later, a prominent area of Fairfax cried, screamed and (with a shortsighted School Board's help) bribed the rest of the county for a new, huge school, much like Cave Spring residents are doing now. The school was built, but not for students in the time of overcrowding. Four years later, the monstrous school was obsolete in an aging community of parents with children by then in college. The county had to pay for extra heating and electricity (in addition to the initial debt) to keep the obsolete school habitable while many classrooms sat empty.
Roanoke County residents need to do what's best for the many, not the prominent few, or we and our children will be left paying for a white elephant known as the new Cave Spring High School.
KAE AUSTIN BRUCH
ROANOKE COUNTY
All have an interest in Ferry Farm
THANKS for printing the cartoon on your Feb. 21 Opinion page concerning a Wal-Mart on top of George Washington's boyhood home, Ferry Farm. I hope people everywhere realize that this is a call for individuals to do something. People of that area have had a long fight by themselves against such plans.
The deadline is near. Make your opposition known. This should be the beginning of historical designation that should have been in place years ago. It should be your concern, as well as for those living near Ferry Farm.
The old survey office, the house's foundation and the ice house still stand. I'm sure there are possibilities for artifacts - archaeological digs.
The Washingtons ran a ferry for travelers going north or south. A ferry could run again as the start of a tour of Fredericksburg.
It was the Rappahannock River at Ferry Farm over which Washington threw the coin. (Walter Johnson, Washington Senators' pitcher, was able to do it. Various Boy Scouts have participated in the challenge, in celebrating Washington's birthday.) This is where he grew up - not at Mount Vernon on the Potomac.
If you don't believe the cherry-tree story, you're missing the type of home and society in which Washington was raised. It's a very plausible tale, even though it's meant to show his character as an example for young people.
ANN S. MOTLEY
ROANOKE
Medicare's villains are the doctors
YOUR CARTOON on the Feb. 24 Opinion page with Gingrich making a big cut in Medicare is just the tail side of the coin. The real culprit is the doctor in the cartoon who is reaching as deep into the victim (Medicare) as his greedy arm can to suck as much money from the government and poor folks as possible.
If the cartoonist wants to picture the truth, he should draw members of the medical profession dressed up like bank robbers, with guns in hand, going into a bank (Medicare) to rob it blind. And making a clean getaway.
LONNIE W. MALCOMB
HILLSVILLE
Bond issue's defeat would add to costs
IT IS with disbelief that I read your March 11 article, ``School parents vie for slice of tax pie.'' I fail to understand how parents of school-age children in Roanoke County can even consider voting against the April 2 bond referendum.
People must put their emotions aside and examine the facts. Residential growth in Southwest County has eclipsed that in other areas. As a result, enrollment in Southwest County schools has increased during the past decade while overall Roanoke County school enrollment has decreased. Although the number of high-school students has remained fairly constant, the number of elementary and middle-school children has increased. These children must have somewhere to attend high school!
To delay the construction of a new Cave Spring High School will ultimately cost us much more than the projected $33.6 million. If the bond referendum fails, money will have to be spent to remedy the electrical deficiencies and lack of air conditioning at Cave Spring Junior High. This cost to taxpayers is estimated to be $12.4 million. Add increased construction costs caused by the delay, and the final cost will greatly exceed the current estimate for the new school. Also, other much-needed improvements throughout the county will be delayed even longer.
The bottom line is that to delay this project by rejecting the bond referendum will hurt all county students, not simply those in Southwest County. We must show that we, as Roanoke County citizens, are committed to education. If we fail to do that, we're failing our children and the future of our community.
CAROL C. WHITE
ROANOKE
LENGTH: Long : 144 linesby CNB