ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, December 23, 1996 TAG: 9612240112
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A6 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
I HAVE read several news articles recently in your newspaper regarding highly inappropriate and illegal behavior by school teachers. In one instance (Oct. 30 article, ``Aide guilty''), a teacher was found guilty of assaulting a young, disabled student. A Dec. 10 Associated Press article (``Bathroom peeper will quit teaching'') described a teacher pleading no contest in criminal court because he allegedly videotaped girls while they used a school bathroom. In both instances, it was reported that these teachers had agreed to resign.
Why do school administrators allow these teachers to resign and why, instead, weren't they fired? Are teacher organizations so strong that it literally has become impossible to fire a teacher? By allowing resignations, they are able to keep retirement benefits and may be able to teach in another state.
Children should be able to learn in a safe environment that is maintained by professionals whose moral character is above reproach. What kind of message are we sending our youth by not holding these so-called professionals accountable?
DENISE J. SWANSON
ROANOKE
Stop putting down Southern heritage
IN RESPONSE to your endorsement of South Carolina Gov. David Beasley's call to lower the Confederate battle flag from atop the state capitol (Dec. 5 editorial, ``An honorable plan for the battle flag''):
I could give you many reasons why I find your arguments unpersuasive, but your years of South-bashing editorials have convinced your readers that your malice cannot be remedied through our arguments.
You never fail to associate the Southern nation with slavery and its defense, and subsequent Southern history with Jim Crow laws that sanctioned the separation of the two races. It's very evident that you cannot speak of the Southern nation without disparaging it. How can you venerate the founding of the United States when it also embraced the institution of slavery and philosophy of white supremacy? What is this vendetta against Dixie? How can you be proud of your status as Virginians? Why do you choose to live among us since it's obvious you despise our history and heritage?
Southerners do not wish to deny or obfuscate any aspect of their history, but we vehemently deny that what prompted the enslavement of blacks had anything to do with a hatred for them and a desire to denigrate them. In fact, many were motivated by what the English called ``white man's burden'' and a desire to elevate them through Christianity and our civilization. However misguided these efforts were, the black slave population thrived in America like nowhere else in the Western hemisphere. The image of an evil South resulted in abolitionist propaganda, which has been carried by the liberal elite in government and the media especially.
The liberal media, as Attorney General Charles Condon of South Carolina has recently charged in the wake of the latest ``crisis'' concerning things Confederate, are guilty of stirring up bitterness and hate among blacks. They then feign compassion for the ``oppressed'' by asking Southerners to once again chisel away another aspect of their heritage in the name of compromise.
There is no honor in adopting the enemies' version of your own history. Left to themselves, without the truly oppressive hand of the federal monolith, Southern people of whatever stripe can - and will - find a way toward peace and brotherhood. I long for the day when Southern leaders will stand up for us and scream: enough!
WAYNE DAVID CARLSON
DUBLIN
No question, life had begun
IN RESPONSE to Thomas M. Fame's Dec. 7 letter to the editor, "A saga of parents' rights":
The only thing in his letter that I could possibly agree with is that two young adults made a mistake - not practicing safe sex and then murdering an innocent child.
Fame states that since it had no name and had not been issued a birth record, it wasn't really a child. When life starts is still a debatable issue, but this poor child had been delivered and life had been breathed into its body. No one in their right mind would even think that it wasn't considered a life, except a sick person such as he. Does he think that child didn't suffer or hurt as they bashed its head in and murdered it.
I would never consider abortion, but I think it would have been a godsend to this child.
There are so many options this couple could have chosen and didn't. And since it was pointed out over and over again how smart and well they were doing in college and what promising futures they had, I hope they continue their education while in prison where they belong and should spend a long time.
TINA M. CROFT
ROANOKE
Use 911 for emergencies only
HOW DID we get along without it? I am talking about the 911 emergency number.
As I listen to my scanner, I hear some nonemergency calls - such as a cat on someone's porch, a shaggy dog in a yard, a car parked on the wrong side of the street and a barking dog - which seem to be a bit ridiculous. Some calls are from small toddlers whom you cannot understand, but they know what 911 does. This is good - a result of good parenting. But using a phone should be supervised.
For every 911 call, a police unit usually must respond. We pay for that trip. Perhaps we should think about charging nonemergency calls to the caller or even publicize a 911 number for animals.
COYE WITT
ROANOKE
Don't leave out the 20th century
MAESTRO David Wiley has been less than adventurous in his avoidance of compositions by 20th century composers, many of whom have produced perfectly accessible works full of beauty, probably acceptable to the most conservative, heavy contributor. One thinks of Aaron Copland, Malcolm Arnold, Howard Hanson, Arthur Honegger, William Walton and, at times, Charles Ives.
Contemporary music isn't all cacophony and dissonance, a mode not unknown to Mozart actually.
BOB SHIELDS
ROANOKE
The plight of the poor
YOUR EDITORIAL (Dec. 13, ``America's poorest: toddlers'') didn't go far enough criticizing Virginia's and America's Scrooge attitude toward 6.1 million children in poverty conditions.
Let's use a few modern government parables published recently for 1996:
* The ballistic missile defense program cost $91 billion. We could fund the Head Start program at its current level and provide education for 740,000 children for 26 years.
* A single B-2 bomber cost $2.2 billion. We could pay the annual health-care expense for about 1.3 million Americans.
* $987 million was requested for the B-2 bomber program. We could triple federal funding to promote safe and drug-free schools and communities.
* $1.7 billon was requested for an attack submarine program. We could provide low-income energy assistance for 5.6 million households for one year.
Another set of parables of our erstwhile state and federal government representatives:
* A $1 million facelift on a congressman's home to make it look more distinguished looking.
* A congressman on CNN praising the McDonnell-Douglas/Boeing merger. He believes it will be a good deal, and thinks it will make his Boeing stock boom in value.
* State leaders building big football state university and college conglomerates to boost professional football futures and their own stock interests.
* Congressional leaders opting for big budget cuts to rob the poor to profit the rich.
Now for some prophesy:
* Less than 50 percent of the people vote in national and state elections. Beware of the silent majority.
* Terrorist activity is at the highest peak since the fall of Rome.
* Crime is bankrupting the country. Jails and other corrective institutions are being built.
Now hope for the present holiday season as quoted in ``The Dickens Story'' by Tiny Tim: ``Merry Christmas and God bless everyone!''
GRANT HALLOCK
CHECK
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