ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 10, 1997 TAG: 9702100094
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
Gingrich did not mislead contributors
YOUR JAN. 30 editorial cartoon was inaccurate, irresponsible and not funny.
It's true that a Republican (not Newt Gingrich, by the way) started a fund to finance a college course using the charter of a defunct tax-exempt corporation that had originally been formed to provide educational opportunities for disadvantaged children. There is nothing illegal, unethical or particularly unusual about that. Your favorite restaurant may have started its corporate life as a tire business.
No one, not Gingrich nor any other Republican, told contributors that they were raising money for inner-city children and then used the money for other purposes. It's a documented fact that all donations were solicited for the specific purpose for which they were used - to fund a college course.
Creating the impression that Gingrich and the Republicans were again caught taking food from the mouths of ``inner-city'' (read: minority) children is as blatant and callous an example of pandering to prejudice as the Willie Horton ads were. A case could be made that the facts presented in the ads were basically true, but no one was fooled by their intent.
Exacerbating racial and class tensions to further an agenda is sleazy and, yes, unethical - no matter who is doing it.
AN C. DELEHANTY
MARTINSVILLE
Teachers deserve an apology
IN HIS Jan. 25 letter to the editor (``Teachers: quit griping or just quit''), Douglas Chandler Graham says that in his "amble" for the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors he became convinced that Roanoke Valley schoolteachers are only looking out for themselves. If they do not look out for themselves, who will?
Certainly not the communities in which they teach - communities where priorities lean toward building shiny new stadiums and tramways up mountains rather than compensating educators who are charged with the task of teaching our most precious natural resources.
I am not a teacher, but I come from a long line of educators. I have two children whose education we have entrusted to the public-school system. I've seen firsthand the long hours and extra miles most of these dedicated professionals put into their chosen profession.
Graham seems to think that a discounted school lunch, an air-conditioned workplace and a good benefits program are compensation enough for those who dedicate so much of their lives and, in many cases, hearts to our children. A good teacher who approaches his or her job with enthusiasm and a sense of purpose is worth his or her weight in gold.
His advice to teachers is to quit griping or quit. Sadly, this is too often the case. Many fine teachers do quit, and are embraced by the business world that recognizes their worth, talent and intelligence and is only too happy to compensate them for it.
Graham accuses our teachers of turning out a mediocre product, and has the gall to suggest that they might have a better job if they did a better job. Most every teacher I know does an outstanding job - not because it's going to get them a raise or community support they so sorely lack, but because they are committed to teaching our children. Of course, they deserve a raise. They also deserve our respect and support. And they certainly deserve an apology from Graham.
SHELLY ROBB STOECKER
ROANOKE
County taxes are out of bounds
THE OVERTAXED people of Roanoke County received our annual real-estate tax increase. The water bills and real-estate taxes have gone out of sight.
It has been 23 years since I made the mistake of moving to Roanoke County. I am on a fixed income, and now I am stuck here.
Residents in the six counties surrounding Roanoke County pay half the taxes Roanoke County charges. Too bad Franklin County couldn't annex Roanoke County. Then maybe we could have a decent tax rate and not have annual increases.
Can't Roanoke County supervisors control these tax assessors? We voted in new supervisors, and it's time for them to take action on these villain assessors.
FLOYD SWEENEY
SALEM
Despite autism, he's a happy kid
FOR TOO long, people have written off autistic children. In your Jan. 28 Extra section article (``Saving Caleb'') on our son Caleb Lambert, you wrote autistic children back into the public consciousness. You can wait for a miracle, or you can help to create one. And with the support of the community - perhaps the greatest miracle of all - we hope to give Caleb a brighter future.
Just as occupational therapy may help a crippled child to walk, so some kinds of therapy may give a child with autism a 50 percent chance of recovery. We think that prospect is well worth our collective investment.
Parents of children with disabilities brag because we are our children's best advocates. Please allow me, then, to put in a word on behalf of my son.
The article suggested a desire to have people transcend the labels imposed on them. In this spirit, I wish to observe that the photograph of my son in therapy - portraying him as unhappy and frustrated - is an unrepresentative picture. Caleb smiles, laughs and gives affectionate hugs far more than does the ``normal'' child in school because his program is built on frequent positive reinforcement.
Despite his condition, Caleb is Caleb: a beautiful, smart and happy child. Representations matter, particularly of those who cannot represent themselves, because people often become what we imagine them to be.
DEMAREE PECK
ROANOKE
The state should change its tune
REGARDING the state song (``Jan. 27 Extra section article, ``A new state song?''):
Why not retire the old state song? (I remember singing it in school as a child.) We do not sing it often, and the chorus is the only thing that stays in my memory. The lyrics are old, and we do not pick cotton any longer.
Songwriters in Virginia could send in demos of their songs, with a firm deadline set for presenting the demos. I know this seems like a lot of work, but it would be worth it.
The lyrics of Jimmy Dean's and Robbin Thompson's songs are wonderful, but is there a way to hear the melody?
There are other great songwriters in this state. Why not give them a chance to present their work?
PAT PFISTER
Vice President, Southwest Virginia Songwriters Association
COPPER HILL
Southern heroes for a wrong cause
IN RESPONSE to Frank Ferguson's Jan. 25 letter to the editor, ``An insult to Jackson, Lee'':
He stated that ``King was unfit to empty Lee and Jackson's chamber pot.'' Being an African-American, I became angry over his statement. I decided to speak out because King did so much for me and American society as a whole.
Compare King's ideology with that of the Confederacy. King embraced the brotherhood of all men and women and fought for the equality for all people, not just blacks. He envisioned a singular society with no racial boundaries, an inclusive society.
On the other hand, Lee and Jackson envisioned a noninclusive society. A dual society complete with racial boundaries: one white and one black; one North and one South. I am not denying that Jackson and Lee were heroes, but they were heroes on the wrong side of a very important cause.
There are many disputes centered around the Civil War. Some say the war started over the issue of slavery; others say it was over states' rights. But it's an undisputed fact that if the South had won the Civil War, blacks would have remained in slavery.
As a matter of fact, Jefferson Davis and other members of the Southern elite used the issue of racism to get more support from Southerners who didn't hold slaves. Davis once stated: ``Slavery elevated the status of the nonslaveholder and enabled the poor man to `stand upon the broad-level of equality with the rich man'.''
CARLTON SPINNER
ROANOKE
LENGTH: Long : 149 linesby CNB