ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Saturday, May 25, 1996                 TAG: 9605290008
SECTION: EDITORIAL                PAGE: A-11 EDITION: METRO 

MAYOR, PALS, OFFER PATTER AND HUGS

IN RESPONSE to Beth Macy's May 16 column (``Spare a booth for Hizzoner and pals?'') about Mayor Bowers and the well-known coffee club's members who met at Guy's Restaurant up until recently:

I worked at Guy's for 11 years. I poured many refills for these fine, well-respected gentlemen. I enjoyed seeing them come through the door every day at 11 a.m. because, instead of big bucks being left on the table, I heard silly jokes, funny stories, interesting conversations and even got a hug or two. Maybe if the waitresses would enjoy their job, give good service and smile, these guys would return for lunch where they do tip well. They did for me!

I'm glad Guy's is reopening so the club's members will be able to go where they're wanted and welcomed.

ROBIN TAYLOE

ROANOKE

No call to criticize the concert crowd

I READ Mark Morrison's article (May 18, ``We know you're out there. We can hear you breathing'') about the Vince Gill/Patty Loveless concert, and my face turned red with anger. I was at the concert. Reading the article made me think Morrison was at a totally different concert.

If Morrison wants to write about the singers' performance, that's fine. But to write an article criticizing the crowds? He can keep those opinions to himself. All 7,578 people there spent their hard-earned money to see the concert, and they had every right to react any way they pleased.

Where I sat, people stood and danced during the entire concert. I feel Gill was pleased at our reaction to his performance or he wouldn't have played as long and as hard as he did - even giving us three encores!

Just some advice: The next time Morrison writes an article about a concert, he should just write the facts. Everyone has opinions, and just because Morrison gets to express his in the newspaper doesn't make his more important that anyone else's.

MELISSA KNISKERN

CHRISTIANSBURG

Local animals also have sad stories

REGARDING your May 18 article, ``Lost doggie has a long way to go'':

I do have sympathy for Pugsy and the trauma that brought him to our area. My concern is the time, effort and expense invested in finding the owner, and the woeful plea for airline fare. What about the thousands of animals from our area with their own sad stories, medical needs and desperation for a good home?

It seems to me that local donations support the Roanoke Valley Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. If the dog's owner couldn't contribute to the great expense of getting his pet back, Pugsy should have taken his place in line behind all the other deserving animals in need at the SPCA.

JIM WALKER

TROUTVILLE

Warner has proved he has integrity

THE PURPOSE of my letter to the editor is to voice my support and to solicit the support of other Virginians for one of the finest U.S. senators Virginia has ever seen.

I first met John Warner when he ran for his first term in the U.S. Senate. My impression then was that he was extremely knowledgeable, intelligent and dedicated to the service of this country. Everything I've seen about him since then has only reinforced, nay increased, those original impressions.

Oh, I'm aware that some people criticize him for failing to support the earlier candidacy of the Republicans' Senate nominee Oliver North.

In my opinion, Warner's refusal to support a man he considered unqualified for the job is one of the very strongest of reasons for us to re-elect Warner! Obviously, he's a man of great personal integrity who wouldn't, couldn't, compromise for some inane idea that one should support a nominee solely because that nominee wears one's own party label.

I didn't support or vote for North for the same reason Warner didn't support him: I didn't think he was qualified. Does that make me a bad Republican? Not at all; rather, it indicates that I'm a thinking Republican.

And I submit that thinking voters who make the effort to learn all they can about political candidates, and support those who are best qualified, are doing a far greater job on Election Day than any who blindly follow party labels, regardless of the candidate's qualifications.

RICHARD K. BURTON

ROANOKE

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