ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, May 4, 1996 TAG: 9605060007
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-9 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
OUR COUNTRY was shocked recently when a 6-year-old California boy was arrested for the attempted murder of a month-old infant (April 29 article, ``Authorities stumped by violent boy, 6''). Discussion of this horrible crime has centered around how to prosecute the 6-year-old.
A much more basic question is: On what possible basis can the United States government even regard his actions as criminal? Less than a week before this incident, President Bill Clinton vetoed a bill that would have protected fully formed infants from being killed by abortionists. The plain fact is, had a ``doctor'' beaten this infant to death 32 days earlier, that person would have been paid, and perhaps invited to the White House for lunch.
Just one year ago, liberals in this country were ready to blame the entire conservative movement for the deaths in Oklahoma City. The movement, they said (and still say), created a climate in which unspeakable acts became acceptable.
Pro-abortion liberals should now ask themselves about the climate that's created when those who kill inconvenient or unwanted children are paid, and paid handsomely. When liberals join to defend even such a sickening procedure as partial-birth abortions, they create a climate of hatred against children that even 6-year-olds can absorb.
Liberals are fond of looking at hardened criminals and saying, ``After all, society is to blame.'' They are noticeably less fond of taking responsibility for their own contributions to the prevailing society.
EDWARD A. LYNCH
ROANOKE
Society must also fight alcohol's use
WE ARE finally fighting the industries that are making money while killing this country's people. Americans will soon be free of the addiction to nicotine. Once the fight is completely successful, 400,000 lives will be saved each year.
Now it's time to begin to fight another industry that kills just as many people who use their product as it does people who don't. Alcohol companies must be stopped now. Think about the many children, women and men whose lives are devastated and ended by alcohol every day.
Alcohol is already known to be an addictive drug. These addicts are much more harmful to society than nicotine addicts. How can we tell our children not to use drugs when one of the worst can be bought at the corner store. If we can do with alcohol what we've done to nicotine in the past 10 years, think how much suffering will be stopped. Many social problems will be reduced if alcohol is eliminated or at least regulated as the drug it is.
KARIN BOSTIC
PSALEM
Boozing and balconies don't mix
FOR THE second time in recent memory, a group of college students has suffered injuries as the result of the collapse of an apartment balcony in Blacksburg. It seems incredible to me that accidents like this happen more than once. You would think that after the incident a few years back that Blacksburg area planners, architects, builders, building-code enforcement officials, property owners and managers would get the picture:
College students + kegs + balcony + stupidity headlines.
It's obvious to me that the responsible people in Blacksburg need to take action right away. I recommend:
nKegs rented in the Blacksburg area must have a warning label: ``Do not consume contents and then squeeze onto a balcony with 40 other drunks.''
nMandatory education courses must be held for all college students in the Blacksburg area. Course title: ``Jamming 8,000 pounds of drunken students onto a structure designed for 2,000 pounds of drunken students is a bad idea and could end up with someone getting hurt.''
nFor future safety of drunken students, amend the building code: All present and future apartment balconies must have massive concrete and steel supports, and be large enough to accommodate a really big crowd.
And, for heaven's sake, somebody call a lawyer!
W. GREY STONE
DUBLIN
Good character is Green's calling card
SOME PEOPLE say character isn't important in elections for public office. I disagree.
Pat Green's business consists in part of selling extended-warranty service contracts (a type of insurance) to automobile dealers and their customers. The insurance companies that provide insurance aren't well-known to the public. In selling warranties to dealerships, Green told the dealers that if anything happened to the insurance company, he would make good on the policies.
When an insurance company filed bankruptcy, Green paid substantial warranty claims to a car dealership that's a client of mine. He paid more than $9,000 in claims to another Roanoke dealer. The total warranty claims paid by his company exceeded $100,000, even though he wasn't legally obligated to pay anything.
Why did he pay these claims out of his own pocket? Because he had given his word. Now that's character!
As a Roanoke County resident, I cannot vote in the Roanoke city mayor's election on May 7. I hope residents of Roanoke will give Green the support he so richly deserves.
JENNINGS T. BIRD
ROANOKE
LENGTH: Medium: 100 linesby CNB