ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, April 2, 1996 TAG: 9604020026
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTER
I FIND it inconceivable that we live in the greatest country in the world, and our government cannot solve the health-care crisis. Many citizens believe government has no business managing or having anything to do with the health-care system.
If one is 100 percent healthy and has good benefits with a reputable insurance company, I can understand why. But what about the many Americans with personal health issues such as pre-existing conditions? I speak from experience. If one has had major surgery or has any other affliction, it's virtually impossible to get health coverage.
All Americans should have access to good medical attention without it bankrupting them. It's astonishing to think that a convicted felon in prison can get free care at taxpayers' expense.
Hard-working, law-abiding people are being punished and neglected, and that's wrong. Wake up, America, and let's start caring for our people. KEN KIRK SALEM
No funds, please, to train assassins
AS CONGRESS continues to look for ways to cut the budget, our leaders should cut funds for the School of the Americas, often referred to as the "School of the Assassins." SOA graduates have become members of death squads throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
In El Salvador, they are cited by the United Nation's Truth Commission for the massacre of 900 men, women, children and infants in El Mesoto; for the rape and murder of four U.S. churchwomen; for the murder of six Jesuits, their housekeeper and her daughter at the university; and for Archbishop Oscar Romero's assassination while he was celebrating Mass. Recent revelations indicate that four Honduran army colonels, graduates of SOA, are accused of the torture and disappearance of six students in 1982.
SOA graduate Col. Julio Roberto Alpirez ordered the killing of U.S. citizen Michael Devine and Efraim Bamaca, husband of Jennifer Harbury. Alpirez took a course in 1970 in "supply and arms" and another in 1989, for 48 weeks, in "staffing and command."
Witness for Peace, a U.S. faith-based organization, has experienced firsthand the violence of SOA graduates. In Nicaragua, Haiti and Guatemala, countries where WFP works, SOA graduates have terrorized the people, thwarted democracy and imposed dictatorial rule for decades.
SOA graduates are at the very heart of oppression in Central America and the Caribbean. They organize violence. There's currently a bill in the House of Representatives to stop funding a School of the Americas at Ft. Benning, Ga. Our tax monies should go for life, not death. PHYLLIS T. ALBRITTON Virginia coordinator Witness for Peace BLACKSBURG
The meaning of enrichment
THE MARCH 3 letter to the editor by Louis Glenn (``The meaning is a puzzlement'') asks for a definition of "Diversity Enriches.'' According to Webster, "diversity" is simply variety, and "enriches" means to make richer. Taken together, they mean that there's much to learn from others different from ourselves.
America has been described as a "melting pot," meaning it's composed of people of many different backgrounds. And yet we live together, and enjoy learning and knowing of other cultures and other ideas.
Certainly we're enriched by the contributions of all ethnic groups. In the same way, various religious groups enrich our culture. This concept extends to understanding and learning from people who have different ideas, feelings, emotions and outlooks on life. This country is large enough to accommodate many kinds of variations.
As a member of P-FLAG, an organization of the straight families and friends of gay persons, I've attended local, regional and national meetings where I've met other parents, families and friends of gays and their gay children and friends. This has been truly enriching.
Gay persons are no different in their everyday life from anyone else. They're gentle, kind and caring, and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. If I had to make one generalization about them, I'd say they're more creative and thoughtful than many others I've met.
Let us learn to live in peace with others who might not agree with each of our own little idiosyncrasies. Open up your mind and grow. JOHN D. BOENKE HARDY
Abortion's death toll can't be ignored
I CONSIDER myself to be good-natured, even-tempered and contented with my station in life, all of which I attribute to my Christian faith.
But when I read your March 4 editorial, "Expect more lives to be lost," I literally saw red. The beginning of the editorial read:
"The religious right's crusade against abortion rights in the U.S. House of Representatives can claim a victory. But there will be some collateral damage:
* An additional 200,000 illegal, unsafe abortions.
* 5,000 women dead from the effects of unsafe pregnancies or abortions.
* 500,000 births that would not have been, had women in developing countries had access to birth control."
I agree that women should have information concerning birth control, and I'm sorry for the 5,000 women who may die. But I'm more saddened by the 1.5 million abortions that now take place in this country every year, for a total of 30 million since Roe vs. Wade. There wasn't one mention of this in the editorial.
I don't believe God approves of abortion, for both Isaiah and Jeremiah, who were prophets in the Old Testament, were called by God while they were still in their mothers' wombs. And my Christian convictions tell me that human life should be loved, cherished and protected from the time of conception to the grave. To do otherwise invites God's judgment - individually and nationally. ROBERT S. McCORMICK JR. LEXINGTON
Bowers is right for the times
I WRITE in support of our incumbent mayor, David Bowers, not because of a party or political label, but because he's the right man in the right place at the right time.
He has proved himself in the political arena. Sure, he has riled a few people, which only proves he's doing something. People don't seek to unseat politicians who run with the crowd, who don't radiate vision, who fail to lead. Bowers is just that - a leader and a man of action. His record on City Council and in the chair of mayor attests eloquently to that.
As we move toward the 21st century, we need experienced people in government. We don't need, indeed cannot afford, to experiment with candidates who have no background, are unknown to the general electorate and seek election to further their careers. That's precisely the situation we face this year. T. EDWARD BENNINGTON I ROANOKE
No time to go soft on crime
I READ your March 20 news article (``Alcohol case in dispute'') describing Judge George Harris' action of dismissing charges against a convenience-store clerk who sold alcohol to underage customers.
I'm appalled at this gross exploitation of Harris' power. If he had been part of the trauma team, as I was, that tried to care for Bonnie Kitts who was slaughtered by a drunken teen-ager who bought alcohol at the very same convenience store, I believe he would have acted in a different fashion.
Being involved in the care of or simply seeing a horribly injured human shouldn't be a primary force that makes another wake up and smell the coffee. But I can guarantee if teen-agers were ordered to observe in an emergency department when these terrible trauma cases are there, they'd be less likely to drink and drive.
In addition, I firmly believe that if liberal judges such as Harris were required to do the same, they'd be less likely to foster the continuation of this behavior by granting leniency and/or just looking the other way.
I shudder to think what society will be like for another generation if this sort of softness toward crime is allowed to continue. EVELYN WRAY Registered nurse Roanoke Memorial Hospital ROANOKE
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