ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, December 13, 1996 TAG: 9612130012
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-16 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
YOUR DEC. 2 editorial (``Tug of war over children'') against joint custody in Virginia had no foundation for your arguments and lacked credibility. The big government-minded, politically motivated persons are the only ones jerking our children away from their natural parent. They think they are the ones to solve our families' problems.
I know several well-known psychologists in the area, as a result of my own experiences, who say that children need to be "jerked" between parents - meaning, they have an emotional need for both parents and have a better chance of adapting to both lifestyles and physical settings. Are the opponents of joint custody suggesting that parents should take their children out of school, where they are taught that they must adapt to many lifestyles and physical settings?
Look at recent studies on Virginia's juvenile justice system. Eighty-seven percent of juveniles in the system do not live with both natural parents. Other studies show that a vast majority of youth suicides, high-school dropouts, runaways, and children who exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes.
If big-government agencies and lawmakers would encourage outside mediation, along with joint custody, there wouldn't be a need for excessive and very expensive litigation. The abuse of taxpayers' money and relationships with their children should, and could, be greatly reduced with a common-sense approach.
BARRY CARTER
ROANOKE
Children displayed their talent
ON DEC. 3, I was privileged to attend the thrilling performance of the Moscow State Ballet and Moscow State Orchestra. I've seen many renditions of ``The Nutcracker,'' but none to surpass this one.
However, my purpose in writing is to commend the 53 local children who added so much charm to the production. They performed like professionals, having had but a few weeks training prior to their first-time appearance on the big stage.
I searched in vain through The Roanoke Times of Dec. 3, 4 and 5 but couldn't find a review of this magnificent achievement. Roanokers should be justly proud of the talent displayed by these young citizens.
HELEN G. INGE
BLACKSTONE
Open the lines of communication
IN HER Nov. 27 letter to the editor (``Many must travel far for abortions''), Julie Nurse complains that some women must travel out of state to kill their babies. What a crime. She goes on to complain about a law that forces children to tell their parents when they are pregnant. We certainly wouldn't want that to happen. Next thing you know, parents and children would be talking on a regular basis. Heaven forbid!
The underlying problem here isn't the laws. The real problem lies in a society that has morally decayed so much that you could make an argument that Nurse was right. If this child's parents had reared her in a Christian home with a respect for God and her elders, the girl probably wouldn't have become pregnant. However, if she had, I feel certain that she would have had a healthy enough relationship with her parents to tell them and seek their advice.
Abortion is just plain wrong, whether it's legal or not, and whether parental consent is required or not. However, the best way to eliminate abortions is not to make them illegal, but to improve communication between parents and kids, and to educate kids on the consequences of sexual relations at a younger age.
BRUCE SIMON
ROANOKE
Mother's wishes were not ignored
IN RESPONSE to David Wright's Dec. 4 letter to the editor, ``Living will was rendered meaningless'':
I, too, am appalled at the audacity of his writing on a specific subject case that he has very little knowledge about!
If Wright wished to expand upon the ``ethics'' of the medical profession or the ``dithering'' legal system, he should have done so without broaching the case of my mother, Doris McDaniel. It's perfectly clear to myself and to other members of my ``interfering'' family that he has no, or very little, knowledge of what transpired.
We didn't ignore my mother's wishes. She was aware - there was movement. And when we all held each other, there was happiness.
Oh, by the way: There was no living will!
DORIS THOMPSON
ROANOKE
Division, hatred are too common
I HAVE been studying English as a second language for about six months, and have started forming an idea about the United States in my mind. Sometimes I feel very sad about this country.
Let me explain the situation of my country, Korea. It's divided into South Korea and North Korea, and that's the biggest problem we have to solve.
But, in my view, the United States faces a more serious problem - that is, insufficient respect for diversity. This disrespect causes a lot of invisible problems. In appearance, the United States is a very strong country, but there are a lot of internal conflicts. In Korea, I heard many times about discrimination in America, but I didn't know it was this bad.
These days the Texaco incident and rental discrimination at Avis are making the situation worse. I cannot understand why many Americans have prejudice against minorities. I was also so surprised after learning about affirmative action, the Ku Klux Klan, and arson in the black churches.
America consists of many races, religions, many aspects of culture, and individuals who deserve respect. You need respect for diversity. Why don't you love and understand each other? I hope there will be no more division and no more hatred in the United States.
JUNGYEON HUR
BLACKSBURG
State Senateneeds Reynolds
I SUPPORT Roscoe Reynolds to fill the Senate seat so ably occupied by Virgil Goode prior to his election to Congress.
I had the honor of serving as Reynolds' assistant during his final two years as Henry County's commonwealth's attorney, and saw firsthand the dedication and deep-seated commitment to law enforcement he brought to that office. Indeed, his stature among prosecutors was such that he was elected president of the Virginia Association of Commonwealth's Attorneys. Since he has been in the legislature, he has been a tireless advocate for reform of the criminal-justice system.
Among the many examples of the quiet, non-headline grabbing work done by him in this regard is reform of the Speedy Trial Act. Prior to his work in this regard, the burden of making sure every single case on the docket was tried in timely fashion rested upon the commonwealth's attorney - with the defense attorney enjoying the privilege of remaining silent, waiting for the prosecutor to make a mistake. This sounds like a technical matter, but in more than one case, a hurried prosecutor let his calendar slip while the defense attorney quietly smiled - and then, after the deadline had passed, raised the technical defense which let his client go free. At Reynolds' initiative, the General Assembly recently changed this and required the defense attorney to do his own work.
Another example is the recidivist-larceny law that provides enhanced purnishment for a repeat petty thief. For many years, a thief was treated as a first offender as long as his style of larceny changed, for example, from shoplifting to bad check to fraud to embezzlement, etc. At Reynolds' initiative, the General Assembly amended this to charge a repeat thief as a repeat thief, regardless of how he chooses to steal.
His work has been instrumental in making Virginia's driving-under-the-influence law one of the strongest in the nation. He fought to have the penalty for second-degree murder raised from 20 to 40 years. He has been one of the strongest advocates for prosecutors and police in the House of Delegates, and he will continue to be such as asset in the Senate.
ROBERT L. BUSHNELL
Commonwealth's attorney
for Henry County
MARTINSVILLE
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