ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 24, 1996 TAG: 9608260007
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
CONGRESSMAN Bob Goodlatte is searching for a way to ensure that the religious freedom of American students is restored and the threats to this freedom are removed. Predictably, the liberal editorial board of this publication opposes his efforts (July 30 editorial, ``Still messing with school prayer'').
This country's devout Christians are demanding that they receive the same civil and political rights as left-wing pressure groups. The knee-jerk response of liberals to this very reasonable request is to condescendingly tell Christians that discrimination against us doesn't exist. It's all in our minds.
But Christians know better. It's our children who are having their Bibles confiscated by teachers. It's our friends who are prohibited from holding prayer meetings, even after classes, on school property. It's our co-religionists who are being singled out for ridicule in sex-education classes. The Rutherford Foundation in Charlottesville defends thousands of practicing believers, Christians and non-Christians, from such discrimination every year.
Our self-appointed liberal overseers at The Roanoke Times wring their hands over ``tinkering with the Constitution.'' This is disingenuous. Liberal judges, for all intents and purposes, have amended the Constitution many times, and have distorted it so completely that the courts now protect pornographic bookstores and prohibit Nativity scenes.
Liberals support this sort of constitutional amending so long as it's performed by nonelected judges. Leaders like Goodlatte want to include the American people in any discussion about constitutional change. This is why liberals are so frightened. They just don't trust us.
ED LYNCH
HOLLINS
Elect a Congress to help Clinton
I AND MOST other taxpayers are so happy that nothing could be gained by Republicans in trying to lie about a past campaign of President Clinton's (Aug. 2 article, ``1st Whitewater acquittals are in''). But millions of dollars of our hard-earned tax money could have been used for a good purpose instead of paying that deadbeat, Kenneth Starr.
Your newspaper printed only one article about the acquittals, and then not on the front page. The media have been very quiet about it, along with the Republicans. If Clinton's colleagues had been found guilty, there would have been a big headline on the front page, and the news media would have worn it out from now until Election Day.
Why won't you publish the good, and stop lying along with the Republicans? Your newspaper might get a better rating. The only way we're going to win against the lying Republicans and Bob Dole is to get the voters, who have heard so many lies about Clinton, out to the polls. And voters should give Clinton our all - which is the House and the Senate. I'm sure Virginians are smart enough to do that.
When Clinton was elected, unemployment in Montgomery County was 10.5 percent and people were standing along the roads with signs saying ``Will work for food.'' Unemployment right now is at 4 percent, but until the Democrats get everything back, we're not safe.
OPAL A. PRICE
BLACKSBURG
Biased reporting spoiled the story
SOME PHRASES that Associated Press writer David Reed included in his Aug. 11 article on Bill Damon (``He doesn't shy away from fight'') were totally inappropriate. These comments identify Reed's blatant dislike for logging and the timber industry, even though the article had nothing to do with cutting timber on national forests!
The first comment lumps timber companies with utility companies and highway planners wanting to "slice through the forests" with projects. The next comment refers to the hills around Big Stone Gap as being ``stripped by logging and mining." I challenge Reed to research the history of the Virginia mountains. He will find that most of these hills were intensely logged nearly 100 years ago. And if he'll look closely today at these same mountains, he will find abundant forests!
To use this article, which highlights Damon's actions, as a forum for the writer's opinions on topics unrelated to the article is a misuse of this newspaper. Reed needs to save his comments for the op-ed page. He doesn't need to spoil a good story by injecting off-the-cuff remarks.
GREG GAMBREL
ROANOKE
LENGTH: Medium: 85 linesby CNB