ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, July 18, 1996 TAG: 9607180018
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
A SIGN located just north of Troutville tells a motorist traveling north on Interstate 81 that he's got 76 miles to go before he can find a rest area on the correct side of the interstate. There's no rest area at the sign's location because Virginia apparently thinks that only southbound motorists need to rest. So where do we stop?
Another sign just south of the Ironto rest area warns us that its 105 miles to the next rest area for northbound motorists.
It's pretty obvious to me that another rest area is needed. Possibly it should be located north of the I-64 junction in Rockbridge County to serve both I-81 and I-64.
Virginia has cheated Southwestern Virginia long enough on this subject. We should have had the rest stop from the interstate's beginning.
|HAROLD G. RAMSUER |ROANOKE
A rush to judgment|
for Mary Baldwin|
I WAS disappointed about the Supreme Court's ruling that Virginia Military Institute must admit women (June 27 article, ``VMI must admit women, Supreme Court rules 7-1''). I realize the school is funded by the state, but it's a shame to break a long-standing tradition so that a few women can prove themselves.
No preference should be given to women. They should have to submit to the same criteria as the men, such as shaving their heads.
The Constitution's 14th Amendment says that all U.S. citizens, regardless of gender or race, are entitled to the same liberties, but that doesn't necessarily mean that VMI must admit women. It means that women are entitled to the same type of education.
Although I support equal opportunities for women, I feel men also have a right to single-sex education. If there are so many women wanting a military-type education such as VMI provides, why doesn't the state fund an all-female military school? Given time, the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership at Mary Baldwin College could have been comparable to VMI. Trimble Bailey said (June 27 article, ``At Mary Baldwin, some see court ruling as snub of VWIL'') that ``it takes time to establish a tradition.'' Perhaps the Supreme Court was too hasty in its decision.
|KIMBERLY PITZER |ROANOKE
God forbids|
same-sex marriage|
I READ Roger D. Lewis' letter to the editor (July 3, ``Southern Baptists show intolerance''), and I have to wonder where he obtained the idea that religion and sexual orientation have nothing to do with each other. The word sodomy comes from the name of the city of Sodom, which, along with the city of Gomorrah, was destroyed by fire and brimstone because of homosexuality.
Jesus spoke often of peace and love, but never once did he uphold homosexuality. Any time he spoke of marriage, it was between a man and a woman. There is no mention whatsoever in the Holy Scriptures of same-sex marriages. It was and still is forbidden by God as being against the laws of nature.
I see no reason for any Bible-believing, God-fearing Christian to support any company or organization that promotes, condones or supports homosexuality - or, for that matter, anything that goes against the ordinances of God.
|DONALD R. SAWYER |GALAX
Rubatex managers|
aren't blame-free|
TO THE people of Bedford who seem to be concerned about jobs at Rubatex and what might happen in the community, we at Rubatex are also concerned. If you don't work here or have never been in the plant, then you're not aware of what's going on. We don't like being called crazy or stupid by those who don't know what the company has offered.
Management is as much to blame, if not more, than people in the union. They got rid of plant managers, lab people, supervisors and foremen who knew the plant and rubber industry, and brought in people who have no experience in this business. Poor job performance is in these people. Management is no better than the best people working for the company, but managers seem to think differently. So don't blame one side until you know the whole story.
As for the younger people at Rubatex who might lose their jobs, you have to understand that the ones who have been here for years have had some long battles to get the benefits we now have. We don't need to start going backward.
|JIMMY CUNDIFF SR. |BEDFORD
LENGTH: Medium: 90 linesby CNB