ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, July 13, 1996 TAG: 9607150012
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
WITH MUCH publicity concerning my alma mater and the recent Supreme Court decision (June 27 article, ``VMI must admit women, Supreme Court rules 7-1''), I feel that Virginia Military Institute has been unfairly portrayed as an archaic institution.
VMI shouldn't be thought of as a fortress on a hill where discrimination and good-ol'-boy mentality is bred. It should be seen as a beacon, a place where the sun shines on one of Virginia's finest creations.
I am an Afro-American who benefited greatly from the VMI experience. Forced to live with five men from as far away as Taiwan, we lived in the most barren conditions one could imagine. The experience subjects young men from all around the world to an environment in which no one has an identity. This is accomplished by the absence of privacy - no window shades, no locks, communal lockers and showers. Added to this is the humiliating experience of being a ``rat,'' an overwhelming academic load, military drills, ROTC, mandatory athletics, and only three to four hours of sleep a night. The final product is a selfless citizen who makes no excuses for shortcomings, and lives every day like it may be his last.
Why is this so wrong? VMI's purpose isn't to create officers in the armed forces, as at West Point or the Naval Academy, but to produce citizen-soldiers, gentlemen and proud Americans. A coed VMI will destroy its most essential function - the lack of privacy. Building two separate barracks will create a division within the Corps of Cadets, defeating the barracks' primary purpose.
``Separate but equal'' rings a negative bell in my mind, but I don't think this is what VMI is trying to accomplish.
The single-sex education experience must be protected. Once it's erased, you deny those who seek this type of education - thus destroying diversity. This is a mistake that will affect all Americans, male and female.
The purpose of higher education is to make students more productive, responsible contributors to society. If all-male or all-female institutions succeed in this area, then I, as a taxpayer, am proud to support them, regardless of gender. Gender is meaningless compared with the product that is produced.
EDDIE P. ANTOINE III
ROANOKE
Hymnal changes won't aid worship
REGARDING the June 29 news article, ``Hymnals embrace inclusive language'':
I wonder if these changes really help people to worship. Is direct thought and feeling to God in reverence?
For me, they have the opposite effect. They turn attention in on the worshiper. Am I male? Female? Left-handed? Disabled (sorry, ``differently abled'')? In other words, they distract attention from God to ourselves.
And they're not inclusive. They make me feel excluded because I'm now over 80 and have worshipped God all my life in language that is now apparently improper. But maybe the over-80s aren't worth including.
What became of the communion of the saints in all ages?
NORMAN M. BOWMAN
WYTHEVILLE
Israel can't risk loss of the Golan
SINCE THE founding of Israel in 1948, Syria has attacked Israel three times by surprise and without provocation.
In the Six-Day War of 1967, Syria suffered a decisive defeat and lost the Golan Heights. The Golan is of vital strategic importance to Israel because it makes a Syrian attack against Israel virtually impossible. Israel is protected by electronic surveillance and warning systems, and by one of the deepest and most formidable obstacle systems in the world.
The Golan is desolate and serves no real purpose, except as a defense post for Israel or as an attack-launching pad for Syria. Syria has stated repeatedly that it will not make peace with Israel unless the Golan is handed back in its entirety. But if such an exchange - the Golan Heights for peace - should come about, Israel's continued existence would depend on the good will of the Syrian dictator, Assad, or his successor.
It's a risk that Israel shouldn't be asked to assume.
ALVIN W. FINESTONE
CLIFTON FORGE
LENGTH: Medium: 81 linesby CNB