ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 27, 1996 TAG: 9603270006
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
I PROTEST Cal Thomas' March 13 column, ```Right' to die is first step to euthanasia.'' I beg to differ with his ignorant and inflammatory comments about Dr. Jack Kevorkian.
Thomas claims that legalizing doctor-assisted suicide will cause state- or heir-mandated death. This is patent nonsense. How does he think Dr. Kevorkian has stayed out of jail this long? It's because:
He never offers to help anyone. Patients with whom he gets involved contact him and request his help.
He won't help anyone who isn't mentally together enough to make such decisions.
He videotapes each patient describing exactly what's wrong with him or her, the pain that has become too much to live with, and why he or she no longer wants to live. No jury has ever convicted Dr. Kevorkian after watching one of these tapes.
Dr. Kevorkian derives no pleasure from human death. He's a crusader for human rights, and has put his career and life on the line to help those no one else would.
I'm sick of comments suggesting he is a Nazi or old-people hater. I, for one, hope that if I have the misfortune to have a wasting, incurable disease that I'll be given the choice of ending my life gently at home instead of being tortured with tubes and wires, and having everything I and my family have worked for handed over to hospitals and doctors for the privilege.
Why is Thomas frightened that someday I might make the choice to die, and a doctor might be around to help? It's my life, my body - not his or the government's. To call my life the property of the state is the real Nazism.
PRIS SEARS
SHAWSVILLE
Negative review was unfair to eatery
REGARDING ``Delicious deals'' (Dolores Kostelni's Feb. 28 ``Dining Out'' column):
Those poor people at Fiji Island Restaurant cannot do anything right. She attacked not only their food but their decor. One can almost see anger in her words as she describes "the weary island theme,'' the "neither appealing nor good-tasting food'' and "the bite-sized desserts.'' She states: "I cannot understand how the owners, pioneers of island Oriental cuisine in the area, expect us to be satisfied with these offerings. We have come to expect more."
My family and I have eaten at Fiji Island for more than 15 years. We've come to expect good, seasoned food and courteous service. We still expect and receive good food and courteous service. We've tried several other Chinese restaurants, and have found none that compares. Fiji Island delivers good food at a good price.
Kostelni didn't include one positive statement about the restaurant. She did include positive statements about the other two Chinese restaurants that she classifies as disappointing. I wonder if Fiji's new owner didn't know who she was, and didn't pamper her. Is that why she attacks everything about the restaurant? The only things missing from Fiji now are the personable Charlie and charming Wu Chang.
Kostelni needs to try Fiji again. All cooks have bad days where what they cook doesn't turn out exactly right. And when she arrives for the Sunday buffet, she should introduce herself to Jeff, the new owner. I'm sure she'll receive the kind of treatment she desires.
SALLIE L. ABLE
ROANOKE
Heed conservative sources on religion
IN RESPONSE to Ray Reed's answer (Feb. 27 ``What's on your mind?'' column) to the question (``Religion and the American Revolution'') from a reader concerning the extent of Christian influence in early America: How refreshing it was to read about one who is interested in learning more about the extent of Christian influence upon early America.
Please bear in mind, however, that The Roanoke Times, without exception, will always turn to a secular source or the liberal faction within Christiandom on matters regarding Christian education. Conservative sources such as the highly touted Dallas Theological Seminary, the Rutherford Institute or even Virginia's own Liberty University (practically in our own back yard) are never approached regarding such subject matter. Such conservative sources are out of the norm of modern secular thinking, and are called upon only to give an account on controversial Christian or biblical issues the world finds objectionable.
For the sake of balance, I suggest you read Dr. Tim LaHaye's book, ``Faith Of Our Founding Fathers'' (Wolgemuth and Hyatt) and Robert Flood's ``America, God Shed His Grace On Thee'' (Moody Monthly). Both are excellent reading, and they will surprise you, particularly with quotes from ``not especially religious'' people. These include George Washington, who said: ``Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.''
GENE MURPHY
ROANOKE
Don't define care too narrowly
ONCE AGAIN, the big insurance companies have had an objective "expert" come to their aid and say how cruel, expensive and unnecessary alternative health care is - as in the commentary by Michelle Malkin (Feb. 26, ``Health mandates limit access to care'').
She says all mandates are unnecessary and the free market will take care of demand much cheaper. But this isn't a free-market situation. Patients aren't free to choose what they want, and there's no relationship between the doctor and patient that would control cost. Third-party payers, for good or bad, ended any chance of that.
Malkin chooses to ignore that insurance companies and health-maintenance organizations are in the business to make money, and that providing as little health care as possible is to their advantage because it raises profits. A good example of this is [Trigon] Blue Cross-Blue Shield's failure to show reduced rates it negotiated with hospitals. It was fined $5 million and ordered to repay millions. Still, it gave two chief executives bonuses of $500,000 and $250,000. They got a bonus instead of being fired!
Malkin also takes the liberty of lumping everything outside of medicine. Chiropractic care has been around for more than 100 years, and has vast amounts of literature supporting its treatment of spinal problems. In meeting with the Virginia official in charge of the state health plan, we took him more than 20 studies about the efficiency and efficacy of chiropractic care.
What more can be done to get alternatives to drugs and surgery allowed into so-called managed care? Decisions in managed health care are made through a rearview mirror. This is the way we've done it in the past and, effective or not, we're going to do the same thing - only less of it!
JERRY R. WILLIS
Chiropractor
WYTHEVILLE
Stand united for kids' education
IN RESPONSE to Mark Slusher's March 23 letter to the editor, ``County's big-school plan may not be the best plan'':
Cave Spring Junior High School is overcrowded with 935 students, operating at 110 percent capacity. This school is not overcrowded because the School Board and parents cannot agree on a plan. In 1980 or 1981, school-enrollment lines were drawn due to overcrowding. At that time, our sixth-grade students in Southwest County were sent to junior-high school (the only area of the county so affected), and the sixth grade is still in junior high.
Hidden Valley Junior High School has 823 students, operating at 91 percent capacity.
Slusher didn't consider our special-education students. Two of Hidden Valley's programs are for the trainable mentally disabled and autistic, which usually require one-on-one instruction. Guidelines are mandated by state and federal laws.
Last fall when the Donnelley Printing Co. executives came to Roanoke, two of our administrators, Martin Robison and Martha Cobble, met with them. At the time, Robison and Cobble didn't know what company they represented. The Donnelley people asked where Roanoke County schools stood in technology. The administrators had to respond that we're behind, but trying to close the gap.
This is a time when we in Roanoke County should be united in a common goal - the welfare of our children and youth. My husband (a retired professional engineer) and I are senior citizens. We have no children or grandchildren here to benefit from this bond referendum. But we want a quality education for all children.
Vote yes on April 2, and do so with our children in mind, not the few pennies it will cost.
SHIRLEY BLACK
ROANOKE
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