ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, July 12, 1996 TAG: 9607120008
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
AN ASSOCIATED Press article (July 5, ``Few fires show clear evidence of racial motive'') reported that the church burnings were almost equally divided between black and white churches. I've been distressed at the news coverage of these fires from the beginning. It seems the media would rather create the news than report it factually. Our differences are constantly cited and exaggerated.
It was great coverage for the politicians - $40 million to rebuild black churches - wasn't it? But what about the true story? Churches were burned for a variety of reasons, not racism on the whole.
True racism means that blacks burned white churches, and vice versa. Who will help white churches rebuild?
This is one reason the mainstream media are losing credibility. I thought stories printed or reported electronically were supposed to be checked out for facts. Since apparently the media have a ``sheep'' mentality and a total disregard for the facts, perhaps the new book ``Unlimited Access'' should be taken as the total truth. Why should the FBI author have to have sources, and have other reporters checking after him, when the media report biased, slanted coverage? This is a disservice by the media to everyone in this country of all races.
We're a strong, energetic country. Dividing us hurts all of us, and certainly hurts the news media.
SIDNEY L. McCLANAHAN
ROANOKE
GOP's positions have broad support
ART POSKOCIL'S diatribe (July 1 commentary, ``Shameless GOP has created a beast'') on the Republican Party seems more like a letter to the editor than an informed commentary from a college professor. Perhaps that's because he appears no more an expert on politics than any other informed citizen.
Poskocil seems to be a partisan Democrat unwilling to accept that many Republican positions on issues are supported by the same alleged majority of pro-choice Americans mentioned in his commentary. He appears unwilling to accept the voters' will and intelligence unless they back his party.
I recall more than 30 years ago my Democrat-leaning political-science professors telling me to vote the man, not the party. In recent years, we learned that a vote for a moderate Jim Olin guaranteed a vote for the liberal Democratic leadership in the House of Represenatives whenever it was really needed.
If we want results, we should vote the party of our choice. My choice is the Grand Old Party.
ROBERT WILLS
DALEVILLE
Getting picky with history's lessons
IT SEEMS that the editorial efforts of the Continental Congress, which redrafted Thomas Jefferson's resolution over many sessions, has been found lacking by The Roanoke Times. While I normally applaud any effort by the media to promote an understanding of American history, I cannot condone the injudicious editing of the Declaration of Independence undertaken by the editorial staff in reprinting that august document in your July 4 edition.
While no doubt the editors would ascribe these omissions to the necessities of the available column space, I think you owe it to your readers to reproduce in full the terms under which our nation's founders sought to sever their ties to Great Britain. Readers can then judge for themselves whether your motives for these omissions were mere matters of economy or perhaps stemmed from some misguided sense that those justifications for independence 220 years ago - which today are less than politically correct or, worse, contrary to current policy - should be erased from our history.
Concededly, the phrases that you left out may be less than palatable to our neighbors in Canada and our British cousins. Certainly, they're not, in retrospect, fair or accurate in reporting the temperament of native Americans (or, if you prefer, aboriginal indigenous persons). Nor are they likely to be warmly received by the plurality, if not majority, of modern Americans who wish to restrict immigration to this nation while maintaining a strong military presence abroad and erecting trade barriers to unnaturally support our internal economy. Nonetheless, those words are a part of our history. When you edit them out, you don't alter history but you alter our appreciation for history.
If we're to progress, we must know not only those elements of our past that ennoble us, but also those that enfeebled our ancestors. Without such knowledge, we're doomed to repeat their errors.
JOHN S. KOEHLER
ROANOKE
A great evening of music and fun
I WOULD like to congratulate The Roanoke Times for sponsoring ``Music For Americans'' on July 4 at Victory Stadium. This was the first such occasion my wife and I have attended, and we feel you are to be commended for the excellent job that The Roanoke Times Music for Americans Community Chorus, The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Stan Kingma's Virginians and the Craft Family Shooters did. They provided a great evening of family entertainment. Everything went like clockwork - from beginning to end. And the police very professionally handled the traffic both in and out.
What a great feeling the program gave to all, making everyone feel proud to be an American.
BOB BOHON
MONETA
LENGTH: Medium: 100 linesby CNB