ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, October 6, 1996 TAG: 9610070107
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
REMEMBER the days when kids could really be kids?
I remember that as a child I could eat whatever foods I wanted and not think twice about calories, fat grams or cholesterol. I remember the decisions that had to be made on which television shows we could watch - there were so many good, wholesome ones from which to choose. I remember that if one of my friends announced his parents were getting a divorce, that was a rare event indeed.
I remember riding my bike for miles, and never having a concern of someone threatening me with harm. I remember going to school and not worrying about a classmate possibly having a weapon hidden in his bookbag. I remember thinking that drugs were something used only in hospitals. I remember saying a prayer in school every morning for my family, teachers and country.
Poor little 6-year-old Johnathan Prevette gives a friendship kiss on the cheek to a female classmate and is charged with sexual harassment (Sept. 25 Associated Press news article, ``Boy's smooch smacks of harassment''). Have we hit an all-time low here?
The school's principal needs, perhaps just for a moment, to take her thoughts from the news events of the adult world that fill our minds with so much negativity and disheartenment, and focus on this particular situation. A peck on the cheek from a 6-year-old classmate hardly warrants a sexual-harassment accusation.
Are students no longer to hug their teachers goodbye at the end of the school year? Can a school guidance counselor feel he or she cannot embrace a sobbing student who's going through emotional turmoil? Can an elementary-school student not hold the hand of a fellow weeping classmate whose hamster just died?
In an era when there has been so much focus on juvenile violence and television programs are about sex, drugs and violence, if a 6-year-old wants to show affection by a kiss on the cheek, by all means let him do so.
I feel for kids today. They have more on them before they hit the ripe old age of 16 than most adults will have in an entire lifetime. If they can grow up in today's world free of mental anxiety and emotional dilemma, they will certainly be an awesome example to the rest of us and the generations that follow.
PAT GRISETTI
BOONES MILL
GOP has no monopoly on values
Do religion and politics mix? I believe Christians are mandated by an oath of allegiance to their church to follow the example of Christ - who was a liberal.
When we talk about poverty, we should realize people are poor by reason of circumstances beyond their control. How can we equate a child in the ghetto to one whose future is already assured from birth?
The Christian Coalition seeks to impose its will on voters regarding character and abortion. But as we decry big government, many choose to bring the courts into our bedrooms to deny a woman and her doctor the right of choice in childbirth.
In desperation, the Republican candidates have made many derogatory allegations - with no proof - about Bill Clinton's character. How many ex-servicemen are alive today because many Americans joined men like Clinton to protest our unpopular presence in Vietnam? What about our marriage vows to "love and cherish till death do us part''? Clinton has played a prominent role as father and husband in his family. Bob Dole walked away once from that commitment, though divorce often plays a legitimate role.
Conceding that America isn't Utopia, never has our ship of state been on a more even keel with employment up and inflation down. Perhaps it's time to recall a lesson taught by Christ: Happiness is a state of mind conditioned by a heart filled with love and compassion for our fellowmen. God will bless America when we return Clinton and Gore back to the helm.
JOHN H. HEWITT
ROANOKE
An eyesore at downtown's entry
I TRAVEL up and down Williamson Road every day. Most of what I see is nice until I get to the corner of Campbell Avenue and Williamson Road. In my opinion, that building on the north side of Campbell is the biggest eyesore in the city.
At one point, someone decided to make a parking lot out of half of it. Why didn't they do something with the other half? That building needs to come down. Are there any plans to put something there?
Roanoke needs a couple of extra tall buildings (taller than First Union) to make a nicer skyline. And why stop there? Put in a couple more where Spur Gasoline used to be. Just an idea, but the first question really needs an answer. I'm sure there are others who feel the same way.
ROBIN SCOTT
ROANOKE
Will Americans be fooled again?
OUR COUNTRY is getting ready to decide whether to re-elect Bill Clinton or send him packing. Perhaps it's a good idea to look at exactly how he was elected in the first place.
After the Gulf War, when President Bush's popularity was soaring, the Democrats had become a party of single-issue voters. True, these voters were very dedicated - voting Democratic no matter what, and working twice as hard as the ``mainstream'' to get attention for their cause. But this wasn't enough to take the White House, and the Democratic leadership knew it. So Clinton was offered as the sacrificial goat.
Everything was going according to plan when fate reared its ugly head. Clinton proved to be a slick politician who would hang on like a bulldog. He was smart enough to know that special-interest groups and single-issue voters would stick with him, no matter how serious the accusations and how immoral or true the charges were.
This still wouldn't have been enough to defeat Bush, save one thing. The global economy took a downturn, recession set in on some key industries, and millions were out of work.
Unfortunately for the Republican Party, many people were persuaded to blame President Bush for their predicaments, demonstrating a profound ignorance of global markets in general and the American economy in particular. In reality, a president has very little influence on the world economy. President Bush did all he could, save growing the government, which is always a mistake.
Clinton told people that he could fix all problems and put them back to work. And they believed him. Now, the Democrats had another problem: Clinton could actually get elected. Who would have ever thought it? Well, it's too late now.
Four years later, Clinton is taking credit for the upswing in the economy, but he had no more to do with it than President Bush had to do with the downswing. But those dummies don't know that. Feed them that stuff again. After all, they didn't upchuck last time. Why should they now? And by the way, don't pay any attention to that mountain of trashed morals out by the White House. They'll eventually dry up and blow away.
TONY WILLIAMS
SALEM
Education critics should visit a class
IN RESPONSE to your Sept. 6 editorial, ``Teacher unions must face facts'':
As Joseph J. Steffen Jr. noted in his Sept. 17 letter to the editor (``Teachers do not have unions' rights''), the Virginia Education Association isn't a union. However, the teachers who belong to the VEA are unified and work together to improve public education.
I usually read those anti-union, ``what educators are doing wrong'' articles with some amusement. Many of the writers of these articles are newspaper editors, columnists, politicians or others who have a gripe against a teacher. As an educator with 28 years experience, I've never known any of these education ``experts'' to visit my school or classroom. I often wonder where they get the facts for their articles.
Although many editorials expound upon what's wrong with public education, I've yet to see critics come up with a better solution. Children come to us with diverse backgrounds, abilities and motivation for learning. We don't have the opportunity for picking and choosing. Educators take the children that parents entrust to them and do the best job they can.
I'd like to issue a challenge to critics of public-school teachers: Go into a classroom for one day, and then write an article on your experience. Who knows - someone may find the magic solution!
THERESA J. STRAUB
LEXINGTON
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